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A’s Discussing Abreu, Anderson

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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

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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

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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:

A’s To Talk Contract With Giambi Soon

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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

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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.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Crosby, Kawakami, Wolf

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3:44pm: MLB.com’s Jim Street says Crosby cleared waivers.

9:00am: The word from Ken Rosenthal…

  • The A’s placed shortstop Bobby Crosby on outright waivers in the hope that some team will assume his $5.75MM salary for ’09.  After his lousy ’08, he may go unclaimed.
  • The Braves were focused on Rafael Furcal; they’re not looking to add a different infielder as a backup plan.  They still want another starting pitcher.  Dave O’Brien names some possible targets.
  • Rosenthal says some teams fear Kenshin Kawakami might want to match Hiroki Kuroda’s three-year, $35.3MM deal.
  • The Mariners would like to add a left-handed hitter with power; they’re waiting for a bargain.
  • The Rockies are apparently debating whether to sign Tim Redding or trade for Jason Marquis.  Reports in the Denver Post suggest Redding is the top target.
  • Randy Wolf is looking for $30MM over three years.  The Astros were in the $22-24MM range before pulling back.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Teixeira, Markakis, Johnson

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We have a new column from Ken Rosenthal this evening.

  • Mark Teixeira is holding up many areas of the free agent market, as guys like Brian Fuentes and Milton Bradley know the Angels will be interested if Tex signs elsewhere.
  • Rosenthal believes the Yankees should continue to be aggressive and make a competitive bid for Teixeira.
  • The "poor working conditions and occasionally unruly crowd behavior" make it hard for the A’s to attract free agents.  Their move in 2012 should help.
  • Rosenthal believes Chase Utley’s seven year, $85MM deal could provide a framework for a Nick Markakis extension.
  • The A’s will wait for free agent bargains now that they’ve lost Rafael Furcal.
  • The Red Sox and Mets are the main suitors for Derek Lowe, with the Yankees less likely.
  • The Braves have been shopping Kelly Johnson for an outfielder.  Attempts to acquire Ryan Ludwick or Corey Hart did not work out.

Orlando Cabrera A Long Shot For A’s

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According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the A’s only have interest in free agent shortstop Orlando Cabrera if he can be had as a late bargain.  Despite the twists and turns it seems safe to say the A’s are no longer in the mix for Rafael Furcal.

The problems with Cabrera are the loss of a second-round pick and his probable $10MM+ salary demands.  Slusser sees a legitimate chance the A’s stick with Bobby Crosby at shortstop for 2009.

Cabrera is said to be the Dodgers’ Plan B, though he carries an even steeper price for them.  The Dodgers have the #17 selection in the 2009 amateur draft, the first unprotected pick.  The White Sox would be thrilled to get it, and Cabrera’s Elias number is higher than that of any other Type A free agent who was offered arb the Dodgers could plausibly sign.  So if the Dodgers sign Cabrera and, say, Oliver Perez, the White Sox still get the #17 pick.

No Trade Market For Jack Wilson

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According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates might not be able to trade shortstop Jack Wilson this offseason.  Even if the Dodgers miss out on Rafael Furcal, their Plan B is Orlando Cabrera.  The A’s, Royals, and Blue Jays have not expressed interest in Wilson.  Kovacevic says the Blue Jays are definitely not interested.  You may recall that J.P. Ricciardi went out of his way to deny interest in Wilson in July of last year.

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