Adam Dunn’s First Choice: Cubs
According to David Kaplan of WGN Radio and Comcast SportsNet, Adam Dunn‘s first choice is to play for the Cubs. He’s not looking for a huge deal, but a fair one. The concern, of course, would be having Dunn play right field on a regular basis.
A source familiar with the team’s thinking told MLBTR the Cubs have "exchanged pleasantries" with Dunn’s agents, nothing more. It’s been suggested that Milton Bradley is the Cubs’ first choice.
Angels Agree To Terms With Juan Rivera
2:44pm: The AP reports Rivera’s three-year deal is worth $12.75MM. It might turn out OK if Rivera is able to hit .300 to push his OBP to an acceptable range.
FRIDAY, 1:49pm: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick says Rivera has agreed to a three-year contract with the Angels. Three years seems excessive, but we don’t know the money yet. Does this take the Halos out of the mix for Manny Ramirez?
THURSDAY, 10:37pm: According to Yahoo’s Tim Brown, the Angels are nearing a three-year agreement with free agent outfielder Juan Rivera.
Brown says the Halos are pursuing other free agents as well and operating as if Mark Teixeira will sign with the Red Sox. GM Tony Reagins has talked to the agents for Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, and Adam Dunn, but not Milton Bradley. The Angels may also sign a closer, and Brian Fuentes makes sense.
Odds And Ends: Cameron, Abreu, Treanor
Links for Thursday night…
- Brian Cashman phoned Doug Melvin to explain that he hadn’t called earlier because the Yanks have "a lot of things going on." The Brewers GM said he’s "probably going to hang on to" Mike Cameron.
- Ozzie Guillen spoke with Bobby Abreu and said "interest exists" from the White Sox perspective.
- GM Dave Dombrowski was part of the reason Matt Treanor chose the Tigers.
- T.R. Sullivan continues to track interest in Ben Sheets, and doesn’t see the Yankees being very aggressive on that front.
- Adam Dunn and Pat Burrell don’t deserve raises if you ask Rob Neyer, but he knows they’re likely to get them.
- Kerry Wood sounds happy to be in Cleveland and has "no desire to ever start again."
- The other top reliever to be introduced today, J.J. Putz, said he expected to become a Tiger.
Odds and Ends: Abreu, Millwood, Wigginton
Links for Thursday…
- Luke Hudson agreed to stay with the Royals on a minor league deal. And because Braves fans keep emailing it…the Braves signed Lance Niekro as a pitcher, as noted in the minor league transactions we linked yesterday. Talking Chop and Henry Schulman have more.
- Along similar lines, here’s a link to Joel Sherman’s December 12th story about the Orlando Hudson and Adam Dunn being the Nationals’ backup plan for Mark Teixeira. That came four days before the Jon Heyman report people keep emailing.
- C.C. Sabathia‘s preferred teams heading into free agency: the Yankees, Brewers, and Angels.
- Dave O’Brien tries to figure out what the Braves should do with all their money.
- John Fay explains why the Reds may attempt to acquire a young shortstop.
- The Orioles may move on to Gregg Zaun now that Matt Treanor is off the board.
- Geoff Baker speculates on a possible Mariners-Brewers trade match, though nothing seems to be cooking currently.
- RotoAuthority looks at the biggest losers, comparing ’09 fantasy baseball mock draft positions to ’08.
- I did a Q&A with Called Safe At Second.
- ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick writes about how teams view free agent outfielder Bobby Abreu.
- Kevin Millwood has twelve million reasons to pitch 180 innings in 2009. I never understood that phrase. Why is each dollar a reason?
- Dejan Kovacevic says Ty Wigginton has no wish to return to Pittsburgh.
- Roch Kubatko is hearing the Orioles may have reached a settlement with Sidney Ponson regarding the grievance.
- Pitcher Jon Leicester is the latest to head to Japan.
- Might not read about this on MLBTR, eh? Chico Harlan says the Nationals signed 16 year-old Dominican prospects Bill Pena and Gregory Baez.
Sherman’s Latest: Lowe, Saito, Teixeira
The latest from Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- Mets GM Omar Minaya recently admitted he did not expect to pursue A.J. Burnett or Derek Lowe, saying, "I’m probably not going to be in there right now, financially. Not after spending all the money that I did on K-Rod." Sherman isn’t sold, though – he thinks Lowe’s price could drop and give the Mets a shot.
- The Dodgers haven’t received a counter-offer to their two-year, $45MM proposal, so they won’t be making another bid. Sherman adds that they are planning to non-tender Takashi Saito.
- The A’s remain the frontrunners for Rafael Furcal.
- Sherman says the Nationals have bid seven years and $140MM for Mark Teixeira. That offer was reported on Wednesday to be eight years, $160MM. Sherman says the backup plans are Adam Dunn and Orlando Hudson. I believe the Hudson link is new.
- The Mariners had tried to pry Jonathan Niese from the Mets for J.J. Putz. Sherman also notes strong interest in Aaron Heilman. He says the Mets and Cubs did not discuss Jason Marquis, contrary to reports.
Nationals Serious About Teixeira
11:31pm: Adam Dunn is also thought to be a Nationals target. Ken Davidoff says his agent, Greg Genske, met with the Nats today.
10:07pm: Dave Sheinin of The Washington Post says that no matter what the impression is around baseball, the Nationals believe they’re legitimate suitors for Mark Teixeira. Nats owner Ted Lerner met with Scott Boras last week, and they’re "mulling a significant offer to Teixeira."
D’Backs Rumors: Clark, Punto, Rhodes, Unit
8:10pm: Piecoro says the D’Backs don’t want to trade Snyder; in fact, they’d like to extend him.
Piecoro notes talks with Eddie Guardado, but they didn’t go far. And Japanese lefty Ken Takahashi is not on Arizona’s radar.
7:20pm: The D’Backs have discussed a contract with Tony Clark for ’09, says Gilbert.
6:20pm: Rosenthal says the D’Backs want to trade the more pricey Snyder to clear a path for Montero. They could then ink a Gregg Zaun type to back him up.
3:30pm: Gilbert says the D’Backs have a one-year offer out to Loretta.
3:18pm: MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert says the D’Backs have not resumed talks with Randy Johnson.
12:12pm: Piecoro says talks between the D’Backs and Mark Loretta have advanced in recent days. They’ve made a "significant overture" according to Loretta’s agent.
2:26am: Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic has the latest on the Diamondbacks, in blog posts here and here.
- Piecoro dissects the D’Backs’ thought process behind their decision not to offer arbitration to Type A free agent Adam Dunn. He notes that their rumored two-year offer to Dunn was "more of an exploratory offer, nothing formal." They’ll stay in touch with Dunn in case the market is not to his liking.
- Free agent targets: Nick Punto, Arthur Rhodes, and the aforementioned Joe Beimel.
- Punto is one of many candidates for second base. Ramon Vazquez was the top target, but he was two guaranteed years rather than one with an option.
- Piecoro wonders if the D’Backs might now be able to scrape together another $3MM or so for Randy Johnson, given the Dunn draft pick savings and Brandon Lyon’s decision to decline arb.
Cubs Rumors: Hermida, Bradley, Roberts
7:24pm: The Cubs met with Bradley last night, according to ESPN Deportes.
5:06pm: Cubs manager Lou Piniella asked Seattle reporters today whether Ibanez can play right field.
2:16pm: The Tribune Company filed for bankruptcy today, but the Cubs were not part of the filing.
1:59pm: Jayson Stark says Ibanez and Abreu rank much higher than Adam Dunn and Bradley on the Cubs’ list. They’ve checked in on all four free agents. As for Hermida, the Marlins want more than just prospects and the Cubs may not be able to do that. Stark adds that the Cubs’ payroll is not frozen – they can temporarily go over budget assuming they can subtract payroll later.
On a related note, Stark talked to a source who described interest in Jason Marquis as not even in nibble form yet.
11:57am: Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald adds more Cubs nuggets. The Cubs are not looking to trade Mike Fontenot. However Ronny Cedeno is available and could even be a non-tender candidate if the Cubs can’t find a match.
1:33am: Before trying to complete a Jake Peavy deal, the Cubs want to find a left-handed hitter. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times outlines a few targets.
Wittenmyer says Jeremy Hermida is high on the Cubs’ list (they’re not alone). They’re also eyeing free agent Milton Bradley, who declined the Rangers’ offer of arbitration last night. Manager Lou Piniella likes Raul Ibanez, and Wittenmyer likes Bobby Abreu. The Cubs are still fond of Brian Roberts. They also might consider acquiring a shortstop, which would create a surplus at second base.
The Cubs discussed Khalil Greene with the Padres before he was sent to St. Louis, even though Greene bats from the right side.
Angels Rumors: Teixeira, Sabathia
Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times has the latest on the Angels.
- The Halos still haven’t made an offer to Mark Teixeira. They’re thinking five or six years at $20MM per, but it could take seven or eight.
- The Angels need to figure out the Tex situation soon, or risk missing out on C.C. Sabathia as well.
- The Angels’ left field plans are linked to whether they sign Teixeira. If they don’t get him, they could add a Pat Burrell, Adam Dunn, or Manny Ramirez.
Olney’s Latest: Nationals, Dye, Cabrera
Buster Olney has an update on his blog. Let’s take a look…
- The Nationals are looking for a slugger, and have shown a lot of interest in Mark Teixeira. However, if they can’t sign the first baseman, they may turn their attention to Adam Dunn. Dunn would face a tough decision: Does he take what’s likely to be a larger offer from the Nationals, knowing that he’ll be put into a situation similar to the one he had in Cincinnati, playing for a losing team? Or, should he take less money to play for a team that’s more likely to contend, such as Tampa Bay? You can insert your own "he doesn’t like baseball" jokes on this one.
- The rumors of the White Sox looking to trade Jermaine Dye may be overblown. The Sox would want a good return for Dye, but he’s set to make $11.5MM in 2009, and any team really looking for a corner outfielder can simply call up Dunn or Bobby Abreu.
- Olney doesn’t expect Orlando Cabrera to accept arbitration. He thinks he’d be better suited getting out of an environment that never proved to be a fit for him, and go elsewhere. Olney names Baltimore as a potential landing place.