Odds and Ends: Thorman, Sabathia, Pettitte
Links for Tuesday…
- Big League Stew names Scott Boras’ ten most notorious deals. Darren Dreifort also probably belongs on the list. Any others?
- Roch Kubatko of MASN Online debunks a rumor about the Orioles offering Brian Roberts a three-year contract with a soft deadline.
- ESPN’s Keith Law likes the Astros’ signing of Mike Hampton.
- The Brewers signed first baseman Scott Thorman to a minor league deal. He hit .251/.283/.465 at Triple A this year. Also, Salomon Torres officially retired.
- C.C. Sabathia attended a Golden State Warriors game last night, for what it’s worth.
- Dodgers GM Ned Colletti paid lip service to the idea of re-signing Rafael Furcal.
- Joel Sherman says Andy Pettitte is a phony if he signs with a team other than the Yankees. He says the Yanks made a $10MM offer. Craig Calcaterra weighs in on Sherman’s column at Shysterball.
- I did a Q&A with Mets Fans Forever.
- Blue Jays owner Ted Rogers passed away.
Jake Peavy Rumors: Monday
8:42pm: Towers gave Tom Krasovic a Peavy update. Towers believes that the Braves’ unwillingness to grant Peavy a no-trade clause remains on obstacle in that potential match. Plus, a Krasovic source wonders whether Peavy would even OK a trade to Atlanta.
Krasovic adds that the Cubs and Padres discussed a 5-for-1 deal, where the Orioles would be involved to route more pitching to San Diego. However, Towers noted the Cubs’ current payroll concerns.
10:35am: Murray Chass snagged a good quote from Padres GM Kevin Towers regarding the Jake Peavy trade talks:
"I would say the Cubs are still in it. Lou said they’re not in it, but their general manager says they’re in it. The Dodgers have bigger fish to fry. That’s not to say they might not circle back later in the winter. Our primary goal is to trade Peavy."
One Cubs source spoke of a "two-year window to win," according to Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune. Chass quotes Towers as seeking established players back for Peavy, which is why the Cubs would need to get a third team involved. Van Dyck says the Cubs hope to hang on to Mike Fontenot and Sean Marshall.
Dodgers Offer Arb Only To Manny, Lowe, Blake
The Dodgers’ numerous arb decisions are in, courtesy of MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick. Manny Ramirez, Derek Lowe, and Casey Blake get offers. Joe Beimel, Brad Penny, Jeff Kent, and Greg Maddux (all Type Bs) don’t. The only real surprise here is Beimel, who earned less than $2MM this year and seemed worth the risk.
At Least Four Teams Interested In Loretta
According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, at least four teams are interested in free agent infielder Mark Loretta. Among them: the Phillies, Pirates, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers. The Pirates have talked to Loretta’s agent twice.
Crasnick figures the Astros won’t offer Loretta arbitration this time around; he accepted last year. He lost his case but still earned $2.75MM. The 37 year-old hit .280/.350/.383 in 297 plate appearances while playing a below-average second base and an above-average third base.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Peavy, Wilson
Lots to cover in the latest from Ken Rosenthal:
- Jake Peavy to the Cubs is still being explored despite complications: The Cubs are being sold. Ryan Dempster was re-signed for 4 years, $52MM. The Padres are trying to include a third party to net the package GM Kevin Towers is seeking. If this happened then the Cubs would need to move Jason Marquis. Rosenthal suggests the Padres could take him if the Cubs ate around $3MM of his $9MM owed next season, or the Cubs could deal him and cash to another team (Rosenthal suggests the Rockies, Reds, or Giants). Rosenthal also backs the rumors of the Orioles involvement as the third team and having interest in Felix Pie.
- As an update to this post, the Dodgers stopped pursuing Jack Wilson when the Pirates asked for a third player in the package of Chin-Lung Hu and Delwyn Young as compensation for the Dodgers request for cash to reduce Wilson’s contract. Wilson is set to make $7.25MM next season with an $8.4 club option or $600,000 buyout, and the Dodgers don’t believe Wilson offers enough offensive production to justify those figures. The Pirates agreed to include cash and would offer more cash for a better prospect; however, the Dodgers did not want any part of that.
Colletti: “Some” Interest In Pettitte
George King of the New York Post swapped emails with Dodgers GM Ned Colletti, who admitted to "some" interest in free agent southpaw Andy Pettitte. Ken Rosenthal originally reported the Dodgers possibility on Tuesday, and on Wednesday Ken Davidoff talked to a team official who considered a deal unlikely.
With Pettitte considering the Dodgers, King says the Yanks have a dilemma regarding the decision to offer him arbitration. River Ave. Blues runs through the scenarios. In a recent poll of over 2,700 MLBTR readers, 39.1% expected the Yanks to offer Pettitte arbitration.
Pirates Rumors: Wilson, Paulino, Byrd
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is back on the scene to get us up to speed with the latest Pirates rumors. Let’s start with the team’s five veteran trade candidates:
- Jack Wilson: The Tigers and Dodgers are said to be the main suitors. The problem is that neither team wants to send the Pirates top prospects while paying all of the $7.85MM Wilson has coming. Additionally, the Pirates do not view Dodgers shortstop prospect Chin-Lung Hu as a possible trade centerpiece. The Bucs have spoken to at least two other clubs about Wilson, but Kovacevic rejects the previously reported three-team scenario. It seems that some of the top free agent shortstops will need to sign to create a better market for Wilson.
- Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche: The Pirates have received "mere inquiries" on these two.
- John Grabow, Ronny Paulino: Grabow is a free agent after ’09, so his trade value may never be higher. The Pirates are apparently pushing Paulino, but don’t want to sell low on him.
- Ryan Doumit, Nate McLouth, Paul Maholm, Matt Capps: These four are described as "as close to untouchable as it gets" for the Pirates.
- On the free agent front, the Pirates have made contact with Paul Byrd. However, GM Neal Huntington implied he’s not finding the starting pitching bargains he expected. The Pirates haven’t made offers to Doug Mientkiewicz or Jason Michaels; those players are considering proposals from other teams.
- Kovacevic adds: "The Pirates also had discussed acquiring a right-handed power bat for the outfield through free agency, but there has been no known movement on that front." Just looking at who’s out there, I imagine this could be referring to Pat Burrell. Still, that’s entirely speculative and he’s probably out of their price range.
Odds and Ends: Blue Jays, Dodgers, Dunn
Happy Thanksgiving! Here are some links to snack on before the big meal.
- Blue Jays interim CEO Paul Beeston believes they have a chance to re-sign A.J. Burnett, but may choose to save the money earmarked for him if he signs elsewhere.
- ESPN’s Jayson Stark assesses the Tigers. Catching seems to be their top priority this winter, though they need a shortstop and closer too.
- There is a growing sentiment that the Blue Jays will have less to spend this winter than originally anticipated.
- Bill Plaschke attempts to get clarification from Jamie McCourt on her recent quotes.
- Curt Schilling remembers the events leading up to his trade to the Red Sox.
- SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the market is eerily quiet for Adam Dunn so far.
Dodgers Talks For Wilson At Impasse
WEDNESDAY, 10:34pm: Rosenthal actually posted this update last night, but we’re adding it now. He says the Pirates sought Hu, Delwyn Young, and a third player for Wilson. That caused talks to grind to a halt. Rosenthal added that the Dodgers are showing mild interest in Edgar Renteria but not Orlando Cabrera.
TUESDAY, 6:34pm: Rosenthal says the Pirates wanted Hu and two other young players, and the Dodgers balked at the price.
6:06pm: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers are again considering trading for Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson. The Bucs would like to receive Chin-Lung Hu in return to replace Wilson at short. The Tigers are known to have interest in Wilson as well. He’s set to earn $7.25MM in ’09 and has a $8.4MM option for ’10 with a $600K buyout. Wilson is known for his defense; he made sixteen more plays than the average shortstop in this year despite playing fewer than 700 innings.
Rosenthal says the Dodgers aren’t likely to sign Rafael Furcal and aren’t pursuing Orlando Cabrera or Edgar Renteria. He notes that four teams are in on Cabrera.
Rafael Furcal Rumors: Wednesday
7:58pm: Kinzer told Joe Stiglich of the Contra Costa Times that the A’s are "right at the top of the list."
7:05pm: Kinzer revealed to Yahoo’s Tim Brown that the two unknown Furcal suitors "have to make some moves first." So think of teams with incumbent shortstops, like the Braves. Or perhaps a team that has to clear payroll like the Cubs.
4:25pm: Kinzer told Haft they’ll have it down to two teams before Monday or Tuesday. The A’s, Giants, and two other clubs are still in the mix for Furcal. This time, Kinzer told Haft he did talk to the Giants yesterday. It’s unknown whether he has an offer from San Francisco, but there’s nothing from the A’s yet.
12:55pm: Susan Slusser and Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle learned that Kinzer did have talks with the Giants about Furcal on Tuesday. MLB.com’s Chris Haft had Kinzer saying last night that he hadn’t spoken to Giants officials in two days.
10:11am: Rafael Furcal met with the A’s yesterday, and it’s not a stretch to suggest they’re the frontrunner for his services. SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the A’s, Giants, Cubs, Dodgers, Braves, and a mystery team remain involved. Interesting note from Heyman:
Furcal’s agent, Paul Kinzer, said by phone that he hasn’t fielded a correct guess from any media member on said mystery team. I gave it a shot on Tuesday night, throwing out the Reds — who appear to be in the mix on some surprising names — but he said that was incorrect.
Jon! No! You wasted your guess. I believe the mystery team boils down to the Indians or Twins. Thoughts?