Athletics Rumors

Cafardo’s Latest: Quota, Saito, Mulder

By Tim Dierkes | January 6, 2009 at 12:23am CDT

The column is from Sunday, but we missed a lot of good stuff from Nick Cafardo’s latest.

Finally an answer! Cafardo learned that teams can sign as many as nine Type A or B free agents this year. So to all those who emailed: yes, the Yankees can technically sign Manny Ramirez. I tried to decipher the quota section of the Basic Agreement in October, but didn’t come up with nine.
At some point this winter, the Red Sox made an offer to Takashi Saito.
Cafardo says Boston does not have interest in Michael Young.
The Brewers and A’s "are big on" Mark Mulder. The Red Sox will also watch him throw this month.
Luis Gonzalez is likely to sign somewhere as a fourth outfielder.

Odds and Ends: Andruw, Marquis, Coonelly

By Tim Dierkes | January 5, 2009 at 10:42am CDT

Links for Monday…

In his first post for RotoAuthority, David Chase looks at players who were said to have lost weight or gained muscle during Spring Training ’08. How did they perform in ’08?
The Red Sox inked infielder Nick Green to a minor league deal.
Murray Chass explains why the New York Times Company’s purchase of a share of the Red Sox was a conflict of interest.
Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik: "We’ve got an offer out right now for a piece of the puzzle, and I’d hope to hear in the next few days."
David Laurila talked to new Mariners exec Tony Blengino. One of many interesting quotes (in reference to the Bill Bavasi regime and the ’07 club): "I thought that it was clear going in that, with all due respect, they overrated their team from the last year."
The Yankees will introduce Mark Teixeira tomorrow. He passed his physical today.
River Ave. Blues and Peter Abraham ask whether the Yankees should consider Andruw Jones. Evan Brunell looks at other possible fits.
The Dodgers talked to the Cubs about Jason Marquis, according to MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick.
Pirates president Frank Coonelly joins Mark Attanasio (Brewers) and Drayton McLane (Astros) in supporting a salary cap.
Jeff Moorad might be aggressive in the draft if he takes over the Padres. Tom Krasovic adds that the Padres have already discussed spending up to $6MM on their #3 pick this June.
Keith Law likes the Angels’ Brian Fuentes signing, and doesn’t think the Indians gave up much for Mark DeRosa.
If the Indians are to add another significant player, they’ll have to get creative with contracts.
RAB and In Mo We Trust discuss Kevin Kernan’s recent suggestion that the Yanks sign Oliver Perez over Andy Pettitte.
A couple of recent Hot Stove Dailies from Jeff Passan: the Braves and A’s.
Athletics Nation asks whether Brian Sabean is "out-GMing" Billy Beane this winter.
Sox Machine on why the Gavin Floyd–Brian Roberts rumor makes no sense.

Odds And Ends: Otsuka, Orioles, Johnson

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 27, 2008 at 11:41am CDT

I’ll keep this updated as more comes in, but for now these are your Saturday links…

Patrick Newman found that Akinori Otsuka will work out in front of reps from all MLB teams next month. Apparently Padres GM Kevin Towers is interested if Otsuka’s healthy.
Roch Kubatko knows there’s pitching talent coming from the minors, but he doesn’t love the current Orioles rotation and expects them to add two more starters.
The difference between 69 and 72 in 2009 wins isn’t worth much to the Orioles, Peter Schmuck writes.
The Red Sox move on after missing out on Mark Teixeira.
Eric Wedge doesn’t seem bothered by the Yankees’ big acquisitions.
Vernon Wells knows how hard it will be to compete now that former-teammate A.J. Burnett’s in pinstripes along with a couple other big names.
Keith Law says the Randy Johnson signing moves the Giants "toward 2009 respectability, if not outright contention."
Vlae Kershner doesn’t like the possibility of Garret Anderson on the A’s.
Bleed Cubbie Blue argues that Adam Dunn’s patience-power combination would work well for the Cubs. Last week Dunn said he thinks so too.
Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi revealed his favorite meal and dream date in a Q&A with the Sporting News.

Olney’s Latest: Lowe, Castillo, Hudson

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 27, 2008 at 10:35am CDT

Buster Olney focuses his new column on reluctant-to-spend teams and how they’ve changed the market. He turns up some interesting rumors…

The Rays and A’s are in a "bidding war" of sorts over the likes of Jason Giambi, Pat Burrell, Garret Anderson and Bobby Abreu. Both teams are willing to spend, but neither wants to go first since prices are higher now with both teams interested than they will be once the first team signs a player.
The Mets are in a great position since the Cards and Brewers aren’t likely to compete for Oliver Perez, Derek Lowe and Randy Wolf. This means they can wait, knowing that bargains will likely surface.
The Mets have "quietly continued to gauge" the Luis Castillo market and are interested in moving him and some of his salary.
If they find a taker, they could pursue Orlando Hudson.
As Joel Sherman predicted, the Nationals are now courting O-Dog.
Olney asks whether aging stars like Ken Griffey Jr. and Pedro Martinez will choose to play for the offers they’re likely to get.
Brad Penny may soon decide where he wants to pitch next year. He’s weighing "an overture from the Cardinals" against other options.

A’s Discussing Abreu, Anderson

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 27, 2008 at 8:57am CDT

Signing Jason Giambi remains a priority for the A’s, but they’ve begun preliminary discussions about Bobby Abreu and Garret Anderson in case Giambi demands too much, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. She’s heard that Billy Beane contacted the agents for Abreu and Anderson.

Slusser doesn’t expect any deals until after the holidays, but writes that the Oakland front office spent part of last week preparing to meet with Giambi’s agent, Arn Tellem.

And Slusser heard from an A’s source that they are not interested in trading for Miguel Tejada.

Yankees Outfield Surplus

By Tim Dierkes | December 26, 2008 at 9:08am CDT

According to Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News:

The Yankees are looking to move two from a group of outfielders of Xavier Nady, Nick Swisher and Hideki Matsui. The Angels, Texas, Oakland and Atlanta are considered to have interest.

Joel Sherman has noted that the Braves attempted to acquire Swisher from the White Sox before the Yankees did. The Angels seem content with their outfield. Sherman and Ringolsby both seem to think the Yanks prefer to retain Johnny Damon.

Sherman cautioned that the "glut of hitters" remaining on the free agent market will make it more difficult for the Yankees to move one of their corner guys. From the emails I receive, Yankees fans would most like to see Matsui dealt. Perhaps he will be, but I believe his current trade value is negative. 34 years old, full no-trade clause, $13MM salary in ’09, September knee surgery and a questionable ability to play the outfield.

Trading Partners For The Yankees

By Ben Jones | December 24, 2008 at 12:54pm CDT

Reports are all over the place about the Yankees being too stocked with corner outfielders. The four names that continue to surface are Xavier Nady, Hideki Matsui, Nick Swisher and Johnny Damon. Here’s a list of stories about potential trading partners:

Joel Sherman of the N.Y. Post thinks the Angels, Rays, Rangers and A’s could be possibilities, but he reminds us that there still are a number of similar-style hitters on the free agent market.
MLB.com writer Chris Haft thinks the San Francisco Giants could be a good suitor for Xavier Nady, who grew up in the Bay area.

Furcal Comments On Braves

By Tim Dierkes | December 22, 2008 at 12:08pm CDT

The AP has quotes from Rafael Furcal regarding the Braves negotiations: "We never, not my agents nor me, agreed to anything with the Braves."

Furcal also revealed Oakland’s approach: an initial four-year, $32MM offer, followed by a four-year $35MM offer of the "take it or leave it" variety.

A’s To Talk Contract With Giambi Soon

By Tim Dierkes | December 19, 2008 at 9:22pm CDT

According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the A’s may begin discussing a contract with Jason Giambi early next week. She says Giambi is looking for a three-year deal, but the A’s will probably top out at two years with an option. The Rays are also known to have interest.

Giambi, 38 in January, hit .247/.373/.502 in 565 plate appearances while earning $21MM in 2008.

Furcal Signs With Dodgers

By Tim Dierkes | December 19, 2008 at 8:38pm CDT

FRIDAY, 8:37pm: The Furcal deal is official. Jesse Spector has quotes from the conference call.

WEDNESDAY, 9:08pm: Just to keep this baby going, we have the contract numbers from Tony Jackson. A backloaded three years, $30MM, $3MM of which is a bonus at the end of the contract. The 2012 option for $13MM does vest with 600 PAs in ’11.

8:23pm: The deal may be done, but we still can’t get the numbers nailed down. According to Tim Brown’s writethru, it could be either $33MM or $30MM. Brown has "a Dodgers source" who says it’s the latter "and includes a fourth-year option for $12 million, vesting with 600 plate appearances in the third year. Other incentives could bring the total worth of the deal to about $45 million." The AP report (below) that gave the $33MM figure had quoted " a person familiar with the negotiations."

7:43pm: This MLB.com report from Ken Gurnick says "it is believed the deal is pending the passing of a physical exam." That’s probably about as final as we’re going to get for now. It’s worth noting that a little bit earlier, Tony Jackson talked to Kinzer, who said such a statement would be premature. (The Dodgers, like most teams, don’t confirm deals until after the physical.)

7:08pm: The AP says the final numbers on the contract are 3 years, $33MM:

Furcal gets $7.5 million next season, $9.5 million in 2010 and $13 million in 2011. The deal includes a $13 million team option for 2012 with a $3 million buyout.

7:02pm: This wire report from CBSSports.com has a quote from Kinzer:

"They know we didn’t have a signed contract, that we didn’t have even a verbal agreement. We had, ’Things look very good and Raffy’s going to sleep on it,’" Kinzer said after a news conference for another client, Francisco Rodriguez.

5:53pm: Rosenthal has updated his post with a bit more info and a timeline from Wren. Around midnight on Monday, after much negotiating, Kinzer told Wren, "we’re good." Tuesday morning, says Rosenthal (note the slight discrepancy from Brown’s report below), Wren "got a voicemail from Kinzer" asking for the term sheet to be put together and faxed to him, which Wren did. "Shortly thereafter, Kinzer began ’backpedaling,’ saying he promised the Dodgers he would talk to them." And on Tuesday, the Dodgers "suddenly" appeared willing to grant Furcal a third year — and today, the Braves were told that Furcal would not be joining them.

5:43pm: Tim Brown reports that the Braves had sent Furcal a signed term sheet, according to "a club source." Monday night, Kinzer asked for the paperwork to be faxed to him. Braves GM Frank Wren complied Tuesday morning. Writes Brown:

No member of the Braves’ front office – not Wren, not longtime former GM John Schuerholz – could recall a time when a signed term sheet was not the equivalent of a handshake agreement, ethically – if not legally – binding.

Brown adds that the Braves believe Kinzer shopped the term sheet to the Dodgers, who had been reluctant to commit to a third year.

4:47pm: The latest from Rosenthal:

The Dodgers and Furcal were still hammering out an agreement Wednesday afternoon, sources said, but the Braves had been informed that Furcal would not accept their deal.

4:10pm: Ken Rosenthal says Furcal decided to sign with the Dodgers.

Mark Bowman’s latest doesn’t suggest Furcal made a decision, but he does explain why the Braves thought they had a deal. Bowman’s source believes the Dodgers offered three years plus a fourth-year player option.

11:48am: Yahoo’s Tim Brown: Furcal is "nearing an agreement with the Dodgers." Joel Sherman learned from Kinzer that the Dodgers are in the lead, having matched the Braves’ three-year, $30MM (plus a fourth-year vesting option) offer. Paul Kinzer told Sherman the idea of switching to second base for the Braves gave Furcal pause.

Kinzer told Danny Knobler there was never a verbal agreement with the Braves. Kinzer lives in Atlanta and received 50 phone calls from fans after the story broke yesterday.

9:39am: Yesterday we watched as Rafael Furcal and his agents seemingly ignored a gentleman’s agreement with the Braves to continue negotiating with the Dodgers. Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times learned from Ned Colletti that the Dodgers improved their offer to Furcal (the original was two years with a vesting option).

According to Buster Olney, the Braves offered three years, $30MM with a vesting option for the fourth year. Olney says the A’s were at $38MM guaranteed over four years.

Sarah Green also contributed to this post.

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