Both Sides Want Furcal Return
According to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times, the Dodgers were not disillusioned by Rafael Furcal‘s errors last night. GM Ned Colletti said he’d like to have Furcal back. Furcal said he wants to come back. So if all goes according to plan, the best free agent-eligible shortstop will never hit the open market.
Back in December of 2005, Furcal received a four-year offers but chose the Dodgers’ three-year offer at more money per year. He missed most of ’08 with a back injury, so maybe he’ll take a similar approach this winter and sign for one year to re-establish himself. The Dodgers would probably prefer one year with a 2010 option and plenty of incentive-based money.
On the other hand, we could have a Magglio Ordonez situation. When Maggs signed in January of ’05, he was coming off a 222 plate appearance season due to knee problems. Ordonez had shock wave treatment in Austria on the knee and hired Scott Boras that winter. Boras started out asking for seven years for the 31 year-old, and ended up getting five guaranteed with reasonable vesting options for two more seasons. The Tigers would’ve been able to void the contract after one year if Ordonez spent 25+ days on the DL for recurrence of the knee injury.
Heyman’s Latest: K-Rod, Furcal, Blalock
Non-Manny notes from Jon Heyman’s latest…
- The Angels and Mets "appear hesitant" to give Francisco Rodriguez five years. There’s not an obvious suitor to overpay K-Rod, but the Mets are the closest.
- Heyman sees Brian Fuentes getting about $11MM per year. Ken Rosenthal recently suggested even more money.
- Doug Melvin could become a candidate for the Mariners job if the Brewers aren’t able to extend him. Doesn’t seem to make sense since Melvin is signed through 2009.
- Heyman believes Chris Antonetti in Cleveland is contractually guaranteed the GM job in the future.
- The Dodgers will try to re-sign Rafael Furcal, no surprise there.
- A scout sang the praises of Hank Blalock‘s second-half hitting (.281/.324/.532 after the break). Blalock may be on the trading block.
Six Years For Manny?
5:45pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman also talked to Boras, and the word "iconic" was used. Uh-oh. Six years, $150MM? Heyman sees the Yankees, Mets, and Blue Jays as suitors aside from the Dodgers.
4:36pm: When the idea of a six-year contract for slugger Manny Ramirez first surfaced (from Manny himself), it was not considered a serious possibility. However, the New York Post’s Joel Sherman had a long conversation with Scott Boras, who strongly hinted that Manny legitimately deserves six years.
Boras points to Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez, two iconic players paid to age 42. Boras brushed off the messy Boston exit, referring only to "internal issues that were a concern."
Here’s the thing about Boras: he says or strongly implies a lot of questionable things. Recent examples: 12 years for A-Rod, the Cardinals failing to win the division in ’07 because they didn’t sign Jeff Weaver, and Oliver Perez not being erratic. It’ll be a winter full of amusing Boras rhetoric, with Perez, Joe Crede, Eric Gagne, Felipe Lopez, Derek Lowe, Ivan Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Jason Varitek also eligible for free agency.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Manny, Mussina, Cano, Lowe
Ken Rosenthal’s latest column at FOX Sports is jam-packed with rumors.
- Manny Ramirez will generate plenty of interest on the free agent market; he wants at least four years. There was a report earlier this month that Scott Boras expected to get five years. The term will be a crucial factor. Rosenthal names the Phillies, Mets, and Yankees as three teams that may pursue Manny.
- The Mariners’ rebuilding effort will likely be spearheaded by a first-time GM, not an ideal scenario in the opinion of some baseball people.
- The Dodgers lost Shane Victorino twice in the Rule 5 draft. Tony Jackson had more details on that history a few days ago.
- Rosenthal talked to friends of Mike Mussina who remain convinced he will retire. Buster Olney got a different vibe recently.
- Rosenthal notes that the Dodgers’ interest in Robinson Cano is "sincere," but it’s unknown what they’d give up for him.
- Derek Lowe‘s teammates say he has little interest in playing for the Mets or Yankees.
- Back in ’07, Blake DeWitt was considered a possible throw-in in a proposed Joe Blanton to the Dodgers deal. Rumor was the A’s wanted three frontline prospects from the Dodgers, DeWitt not among them.
Latest Peavy Chatter
10:39am: More from Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Peavy has a strong preference for the NL, and wants to play for a winner. Axelrod mentioned Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and St. Louis as cities that fit for Peavy and his family. Because of Peavy’s willingness to pitch in L.A., the Angels were named as a possibility by Axelrod.
8:27am: Let’s catch up on recent Jake Peavy articles. Dan Hayes of the North County Times wrote about Peavy Monday, quoting Padres GM Kevin Towers saying nothing is imminent. Hayes talked to several sources who say Peavy prefers to stay in the National League. The Padres have already approached him with hypothetical trade scenarios (Peavy has to approve any trade).
Regarding that no-trade clause – Peavy’s agent Barry Axelrod is on record saying three AL teams could entice his client. But at the end of the season, Peavy said he wouldn’t accept a deal to the AL. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution spoke to someone claiming to be an old friend of Peavy’s. The friend agrees that Peavy wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause for an AL team, despite his agent’s statement.
The friend gave O’Brien all kinds of info, making the Braves sound like Peavy’s top choice. O’Brien adds that the Braves let Towers know they’re interested. Even if Peavy is picky about his destination, though, there is no reason for Towers to accept a package that does not begin with Jason Heyward or Tommy Hanson. He has plenty of time to explore possible Peavy trades.
The Cardinals may also be in the mix, according to Buster Olney. Olney says that one team, "perhaps the Cardinals," is discussing the idea of adding Khalil Greene to a Peavy deal.
Odds and Ends: Hoyer, Denker, Manny
Links for Monday…
- Baseball America ranks the teams by their total draft expenditures. The Royals spent over $11MM, leading the pack.
- SI’s Tom Verducci talked to one "club pitching expert" who considers free agent Chan Ho Park a sleeper starter for next year.
- MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan figures a long-term extension for Josh Hamilton will be a top priority for the Rangers this winter. Sullivan also has a note about Jake Peavy only wanting to go to an NL team, despite the recent article about Peavy being open to three AL clubs.
- Red Sox assistant GM Jed Hoyer turned down a chance to interview for the Mariners job, according to Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald.
- McCovey Chronicles is baffled by the Giants’ decision to let second baseman Travis Denker go.
- Chad Durbin suggests Manny Ramirez charged in aggressively from left field yesterday for show.
- We took a look at Ryan Dempster from a fantasy baseball perspective a few days ago.
Odds and Ends: Steinbrenner, Burnett, Sabathia
Links for Sunday, before I head out to Chipotle…
- Hank Steinbrenner talked to George King of the New York Post. He made it clear that he has not taken a step back in running the Yankees. Hank also mentions Mark Teixeira by name, calling him a "quality player."
- Ken Davidoff tries to determine if A.J. Burnett‘s injury-prone days are behind him, as his agent would like us to believe.
- Henry Schulman chatted with Dodgers GM Ned Colletti.
- John Shea lays odds for the C.C. Sabathia bidding.
- Phil Rogers campaigns for an extension for Cubs GM Jim Hendry. He wonders if Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood would follow if Hendry joined a different team.
- A’s GM Billy Beane talked to Matthew Lutovsky of the Sporting News about fantasy baseball as well as a new video game.
Odds and Ends: Beltran, Brewers, Padres
Links for Friday…
- The Padres claimed second baseman Travis Denker off waivers from the Giants. Surprising to see the Giants let him go.
- Ted Berg at MetsBlog explains how a Carlos Beltran rumbling spun out of control.
- I recently did a Brewers Q&A with Bernie’s Crew.
- The Padres called yesterday’s report about John Moores selling his share of the team "highly speculative." Tim Sullivan considers the statement revealing, and notes that this is a bad time to sell.
- Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times chatted with Scott Boras.
- Mark Cuban mentions that the struggling economy is slowing down the sale of the Cubs.
- Terry Pluto believes the Indians should pursue Brian Roberts.
- David Brown at Yahoo profiles Theo Epstein and Andrew Friedman.
- Freddy Garcia is headed to winter ball. The Tigers will have the first crack at signing him. Andruw Jones will also play winter ball; he seems to want a trade if he’s not a starter next year.
- Elbow surgery for Tom Gordon, which probably means the Phillies will buy out his ’09 option for $1MM.
Heyman’s Latest: Sabathia, Hardy, Manny
Let’s take a look at Jon Heyman’s column from yesterday.
- The Yankees will go "all in" for C.C. Sabathia. Heyman sees the Dodgers, Mets, and Giants as other possible suitors.
- Heyman dismisses a rumor of J.J. Hardy, Prince Fielder, and another player for Matt Cain.
- He predicts a "feeding frenzy" for Hardy. I’m with Heyman though, I wouldn’t be quick to trade him this winter.
- Heyman talked to a GM who feels the Mets will go after Boras client Manny Ramirez. If the five-year demand is accurate, the list of suitors will probably shrink significantly.
- Manny quote: "I gotta thank Scott for bringing me to L.A." Hmmm.
Manny Looking For Five Years, $85 Million?
From Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News:
Agent Scott Boras has let it be known through his media outlets that the expectation is for at least five years and $85 million in a deal for Manny Ramirez.
Back on deadline day, Peter Gammons suggested Manny was seeking four years and $100MM. So it seems that Ramirez’s contract may be $17-25MM annually for four or five years (he will be 37 in May). Personally I think he’s more likely to get offers in the three year/$65MM range, though one team will bite the bullet and do four years. Your thoughts?
Ringolsby goes on to say that the Dodgers don’t see Manny as a long-term fit given the five-year demand.