Twins No Longer Talking With Blake
According to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Twins have broken off talks with free agent Casey Blake. Neal heard from a source that discussions ended when the Twins, who preferred a two-year deal with an option, wouldn’t offer a guaranteed three-year contract.
The Twins have varying levels of interest in Adrian Beltre, Garrett Atkins, Jason Donald and Jack Wilson. Neal writes that Minnesota balked earlier this year when the Rockies requested Kevin Slowey and Denard Span in exchange for Atkins.
Since shortstops are disappearing fast, Neal’s source says the Twins felt pressure to improve their infield and didn’t want to negotiate for too long with Blake.
Neal heard that the Twins have received calls about Delmon Young, but aren’t in a hurry to trade him for infield help, regardless of how well he fits into their outfield.
There’s a chance the Twins could restart talks with Blake, but for now the Dodgers are the frontrunner for his services, according to Neal.
Six Suitors For Randy Johnson
Jack Magruder of the East Valley Tribune has the scoop on Randy Johnson‘s suitors. He says the Giants, Dodgers, Brewers, A’s, Rangers, and Cubs have expressed interest in the 45 year-old lefty.
Johnson wants to play for a contender, and also wants to reach 300 wins and 5,000 strikeouts. He could get the five wins he needs in the first half, but it’ll take a full, excellent season for him to rack up 211 strikeouts. Johnson’s agent Alan Nero expects the market for his client to get moving once some of the other top free agent starters sign.
Manny Arbitration Situation
ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick checked with a team official involved in the Manny Ramirez deal, and he learned that Ramirez did not agree to reject the Dodgers’ offer of arbitration as a condition of the trade (contrary to a few reports). This information was obtained via an email from Crasnick.
Olney’s Latest: Cano, Burnett, Furcal, Giambi
Good stuff from ESPN’s Buster Olney in today’s blog post.
- Olney says the Yankees would ask for Chad Billingsley or Clayton Kershaw from the Dodgers for Robinson Cano. After the Dodgers turn down that request, the Yanks will ask for Matt Kemp. If the Yankees do move Cano, they could then pursue Orlando Hudson.
- Rival executives believe the Braves’ offer to A.J. Burnett is worth $75MM over five years, if the fifth year vests.
- The A’s will leave their offer to Rafael Furcal on the table for perhaps another two or three days before moving on.
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik will reach out to Raul Ibanez to discuss his situation. Ibanez has been devalued in the eyes of potential suitors by the draft pick cost that comes with him. Still, most teams must’ve expected the Ms would offer arbitration.
- Jason Giambi‘s agent is suggesting a three-year deal. Good luck with that.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Byrd, Putz, Wilson
Rumor machine Ken Rosenthal has a new column…
- Free agent starters C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett are in no hurry to sign. Makes sense; they’re obviously special compared to the other starters on the market.
- Nationals owner Ted Lerner "has spent extensive time" with Scott Boras, presumably in regard to Mark Teixeira.
- The Cubs want to acquire their left-handed hitting outfielder before worrying about Jake Peavy. Rosenthal says the trade market is bleak, suggesting free agents such as Raul Ibanez and Milton Bradley might make sense. As we’ve said, there is no perfect fit for the Cubs’ right field vacancy (unless Brian Giles will waive his no-trade clause).
- Paul Byrd is "virtually certain" to decline Boston’s offer of arbitration. He aims to pitch near his Atlanta home – the Braves, Marlins, or Rays could work for him.
- A Rosenthal source pegged Jon Garland‘s chance of accepting arbitration at less than 50-50. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick recently indicated it was 75-25 he’d decline. Buster Olney says "some executives are stunned" that Garland will seemingly not accept.
- Rosenthal spoke to officials from two teams interested in Mariners closer J.J. Putz. The Ms haven’t decided yet whether to make him available, contrary to a previous report. Jack Zduriencik apparently doesn’t consider his club in rebuild mode.
- The Giants’ signing of Edgar Renteria: "widely panned in industry circles." Joel Sherman found the same consensus. This differs from the web, where Keith Law and Dave Cameron liked it.
- Rosenthal says the Dodgers are not pursuing Jack Wilson; those talks broke down earlier in the offseason. Who to believe? He says the Tigers are making a "more serious push."
- Phillies shortstop prospect Jason Donald is a popular trade target, but the Phils might need him to fill in for Chase Utley at the start of the season.
Jack Wilson Rumors: Thursday
11:35pm: One more dose of Wilson rumors before we close up shop for the evening.
Dejan Kovacevic does not agree with Jackson’s report. Kovacevic says the Dodgers and Pirates began a fresh round of talks for Wilson on Saturday. What’s more, Wilson is open to renegotiating his contract to facilitate a trade to the Dodgers. The Dodgers might be willing to give Wilson $12MM over 2009-10.
Talks have been going on with the Tigers for over a month, and Detroit made a fresh offer Wednesday night that caught the Pirates’ attention. The Bucs may have an eye on Tigers first base prospect Jeff Larish.
7:42pm: Tony Jackson at the Daily News says the Dodgers haven’t talked to the Pirates in months, and "are NOT in pursuit of Jack Wilson." This directly contradicts today’s report from the Associated Press.
5:02pm: MLB.com’s Jason Beck is getting mixed signals on the chances of a Wilson-to-Detroit deal.
3:52pm: The AP has more on the Wilson trade talks. They say the Dodgers have been in extensive talks for Wilson this week, but want the Pirates to pick up "a substantial share of his salary." Meanwhile the Tigers would need the Bucs to absorb most of the contract. The report suggests the Tigers have moved on to free agent Adam Everett.
2:30pm: Jenifer Langosch talked to Wilson, who said he’s open to revising his no-trade list. He doesn’t seem likely to veto a trade. Meanwhile, Graziano still trusts his source.
12:41pm: Jon Paul Morosi’s source says the Tigers’ talks for Wilson have become "more active and meaningful" recently.
12:14pm: Dejan Kovacevic talked to Pirates president Frank Coonelly, who said Wilson has not been traded. The Tigers apparently made an interesting offer last night for Wilson, but the Dodgers remain in the mix. Wilson would have to approve a trade to the Tigers, and he and his agent haven’t been informed of anything.
11:15am: According to Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger, the Tigers acquired shortstop Jack Wilson from the Pirates today. We’ll update the post as more info comes in.
Wilson, 31 later this month, hit .272/.312/.348 in 330 plate appearances this year while playing his typical excellent defense. He’s set to earn $7.25MM in ’09 and has an $8.4MM club option for ’10 with a $600K buyout.
Odds and Ends: Renteria, Burnett, Delmon
Interesting linkage this Thursday evening:
- ESPN’s Keith Law gives a thumbs up on the Giants’ signing of Edgar Renteria.
- Jesse Spector examines comparables for A.J. Burnett.
- Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News suggests the Rockies could be a fit for Delmon Young. Young doesn’t seem to be in Ron Gardenhire’s preferred starting outfield.
- Tony Massarotti at the Boston Globe points out that Junichi Tazawa‘s signing may help mitigate the loss of a draft pick in the event that the Red Sox were to sign a Type A free agent that had been offered arbitration (examples would be Derek Lowe or Mark Teixeira).
- The Dodgers will likely acquire their 2009 starting shortstop via trade, writes Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. Renteria has been signed by the Giants, Rafael Furcal is too expensive, Orlando Cabrera has been offered arbitration, and the rest of the free agents just aren’t that good.
Yankees Rumors: Burnett, Sabathia, Pettitte
10:37pm: Yanks GM Brian Cashman plans to meet with Sabathia this weekend prior to the Meetings. Also, Brewers GM Doug Melvin plans to meet with Sabathia’s agent Greg Genske Monday or Tuesday to get a response to their offer.
3:27pm: Dodgers manager Joe Torre expects Pettitte to return to the Yankees.
8:56am: The latest on the Yankees front…
- Ken Davidoff says the Yankees and Blue Jays were willing to give A.J. Burnett a fifth year vesting option. The Braves seem likely to sign Burnett if they will guarantee that fifth year as has been reported. Braves officials are confident, and Tony Massarotti says they’re "rumored to be on the verge of a five-year deal that could be worth $80 million." Meanwhile the Red Sox have moved on to Derek Lowe.
- Davidoff says Yankees officials are confident they’re the only serious suitor for C.C. Sabathia, as there’s still a $40MM gap between their offer and Milwaukee’s. Davidoff believes the Yanks will move on to Lowe and Andy Pettitte (not Manny Ramirez or Mark Teixeira) if they sign C.C.
- According to Jack Curry of the New York Times, Pettitte does not want a pay cut from last year’s $16MM. Curry says the Yanks have offered Pettitte $10MM, which was first reported by Joel Sherman on Tuesday. Pettitte still sounds like he wants to return to the Yankees, but he’s letting his agents battle for a better salary.
Stark’s Latest: Burnett, Cantu, Lowe, Furcal
Jayson Stark’s got a heaping helping of hot stove updates in his most recent blog post at ESPN.com.
- The Braves’ most recent offer makes them the frontrunners for A.J. Burnett, says Stark.
- We’re still waiting for another team to come close to the Yankees’ offer for C.C. Sabathia. Stark suggests Sabathia may make up his mind by next week. He also says there’s "increasing buzz about the Yankees’ interest in Ben Sheets."
- The White Sox appear to have expressed some interest in Jorge Cantu.
- Stark doesn’t think the Phillies stand a very good chance of signing Derek Lowe.
- Only the Dodgers and A’s, and perhaps the Orioles, remain interested in Rafael Furcal.
- If the Dodgers end up missing on Furcal and Casey Blake, their focus might shift to names like Ty Wigginton and Adrian Beltre.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Johnson, Cano, Peavy
4:54pm: The Big Unit is open to the Giants or A’s, not a big surprise. Johnson’s agent says about ten teams have expressed interest, Giants included.
11:49am: Ken Rosenthal is working overtime; here’s his latest.
- The A’s remain the frontrunners for Rafael Furcal. Also, they’re targeting starter Randy Johnson to add a veteran presence to their rotation. Rosenthal adds that the A’s may prefer Nick Johnson over Jason Giambi.
- The Phillies made an offer to Derek Lowe, who seems to be their backup plan if they can’t sign Jamie Moyer. Rosenthal speculates that the Dodgers could consider Moyer. If the Phils sign Lowe, they may have to go cheap in left field.
- Oliver Perez and Randy Wolf are on the Yankees’ radar.
- The Braves haven’t ruled out five guaranteed years for A.J. Burnett. Rosenthal agrees with Mark Bowman that the Braves actually have little interest in Adam Dunn. He adds that Raul Ibanez might be out of their price range. Instead, the Braves could choose to trade Kelly Johnson for an outfielder.
- Rosenthal believes the Dodgers will renew talks for Robinson Cano at the Winter Meetings, and the Yankees will again ask for Matt Kemp.
- The Cubs are speaking daily to the Padres about Jake Peavy. Rosenthal says the Orioles do not seem to be the third team at this time.
- Rosenthal believes the Royals could make a run at Kyle Farnsworth.