Rosenthal’s Latest: Dunn, Burrell, Manny
6:16pm: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman says the Braves are not interested in Dunn because they seek a right-handed bat. Does that rule out Raul Ibanez as well?
1:51pm: The latest from Ken Rosenthal:
- The Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, and Phillies are pursuing free agent outfielder Rocco Baldelli.
- Now that Adam Dunn wasn’t offered arbitration, the market is starting to take shape. The Braves, Mariners, and Nationals are interested, and the Dodgers and Angels consider him a fallback option. How about Dunn and Russell Branyan in the same lineup? Rosenthal considers the Yankees another possibility.
- Teams considering Pat Burrell, who was also not offered arb: the Mariners, Angels, and Giants.
- Rosenthal considers the Giants a darkhorse for C.C. Sabathia. Tim Brown says the Giants may be closing in on Edgar Renteria; Rosenthal has the Dodgers and Cardinals as other suitors.
- The Brewers will need to increase their offer to Sabathia to six years to have a shot.
- Rosenthal believes Jason Varitek will accept his offer of arbitration. He also wonders if Orlando Cabrera could accept. He expects Ben Sheets to decline (I made an error on this eariler).
- Rosenthal ponders the chances of Manny Ramirez accepting the Dodgers’ offer of arbitration. Buster Olney says three GMs wondered the same. I was under the impression Manny declining arbitration was a condition of his trade.
- The Cardinals want to add a young starter with upside. They also may go after a closer like Brian Fuentes or Kerry Wood if prices drop.
- Rosenthal believes the Reds could discuss a two-year deal with David Weathers.
Stark’s Latest: Sabathia, Furcal, Peavy
A few notes from Jayson Stark’s latest blog post…
- Stark believes the possibility of C.C. Sabathia signing with the Giants is alive, and the Giants have talked to the pitcher’s agent. Such a signing might compel Brian Sabean to remove Matt Cain‘s "untouchable" tag, in Stark’s opinion. Earlier today Ken Rosenthal suggested the Giants were a dark horse for C.C. Also, Sabathia’s wife Amber prefers the Giants according to George King.
- The Giants offered three years to Rafael Furcal. He wants four, so they switched their attention to Edgar Renteria. The Giants want a shorter-term deal so their own prospects can take over within a few years.
- Stark notes that the recent Jake Peavy-Cubs rumors do not seem to be coming out of Chicago. He suggests those talks may not be active, partially because the Cubs are in payroll limbo til their sale goes through.
- The Twins and Dodgers have two year offers out to Casey Blake. Whichever team blinks and adds a third year can get him.
Tigers Rumors: Renteria, Wilson, Zaun, Treanor
Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press has the latest on the Tigers.
- GM Dave Dombrowski wasn’t sure Edgar Renteria would turn down an offer of arbitration, and he didn’t feel two draft picks were worth the risk.
- Discussions with the Pirates regarding Jack Wilson are ongoing, but concrete proposals have yet to be exchanged.
- The Tigers have interest in free agent catcher Gregg Zaun. Zaun, 38 in April, hit .237/.340/.359 in 288 plate appearances this year while earning $3.75MM.
- Morosi adds that the Tigers also like Marlins catcher Matt Treanor, but no deal is imminent. MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro wrote yesterday that the Marlins are shopping Treanor. He speculated that the Fish could be setting themselves up to sign Ivan Rodriguez.
Tigers Decline To Offer Arb To Renteria
3:31pm: Andrew Baggarly thinks Renteria and the Giants are "gravitating toward each other" now that he won’t cost a draft pick. Baggarly believes the Giants might be ready to back off from Furcal over health concerns.
2:42pm: According to Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press, the Tigers declined to offer arbitration to Edgar Renteria today. The risk of the Type A free agent accepting must’ve been too strong. Since he will not cost any draft picks, Renteria now becomes more appealing to potential suitors. Rafael Furcal is neither Type A nor B, so he carries the same appeal.
Only 17.3% of MLBTR readers expected the Tigers to offer arb to Renteria.
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.
Cards Make Offer To Rhodes
According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals made an offer to lefty reliever Arthur Rhodes. Rhodes’ agent says nine teams expressed interest, and a handful made offers. More offers are forthcoming for the 39 year-old.
Cardinals GM John Mozeliak continues to hammer out the details of a contract with Trever Miller; he hopes to add two lefties to the pen.
Goold says the Cardinals are also considering two righthanded relievers in Brandon Lyon and Jason Isringhausen. Three other teams have expressed interest in Isringhausen, who would like to regain his job as the Cardinals’ closer.
The Cardinals remain in the mix for Edgar Renteria, and they’ll be consulted before a deal is finalized with any other team. They’ll wait until after the December 1st deadline for offering arbitration.
Giants-Renteria Rumor False
6:00pm: Additional denials have come in via Andrew Baggarly and Derrick Goold. Baggarly says Renteria is the Giants’ fallback for Furcal. He notes that the Tigers would’ve loved to see Renteria sign today, as they’re unlikely to offer him arbitration. Goold learned that Meister will double back with the Cardinals before Renteria signs elsewhere.
5:02pm: Via an email from ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, Renteria’s agent Barry Meister says the report of Renteria signing is not true. Renteria is at home in Colombia; nothing is close.
3:59pm: Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle talked to a Giants source who said the below report is not true. Schulman admits the Giants may be splitting hairs, as they might deny a deal if only formalities remain.
Rafael Furcal‘s agent Paul Kinzer says he’s still talking to the Giants, which would seem to indicate a Renteria deal isn’t close.
2:45pm: According to Sweeny Murti of WFAN, the Giants signed shortstop Edgar Renteria to a two-year, $18MM contract. We’ll update the post with more details and confirmation as it becomes available. If the report is accurate, the Tigers tentatively get the Giants’ second-round pick without worrying about whether to offer Renteria arbitration.
Renteria, 33, hit .270/.317/.382 in 547 plate appearances for the Tigers this year. Defensively, he made nine fewer plays than the average shortstop. Will a move back to the NL rejuvenate his career?
Giants Negotiating With Renteria
MLB.com’s Chris Haft talked to Edgar Renteria‘s agent Jeff Lane, who said he’s actively negotiating with the Giants. At least six teams are interested in Renteria, but his future is tied to Rafael Furcal. Furcal is expected to sign first, and the shortstops share many of the same suitors.
The Giants also have serious interest in Orlando Hudson. It’d be surprising to see them sign two middle infielders though.
Orioles Targeting Izturis
According to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles have contacted shortstop Cesar Izturis‘ agent to express interest. Zrebiec believes the 28 year-old defensive whiz tops their list. Izturis earned $3.05MM this year.
The Orioles have also had trade discussions for Khalil Greene and Bobby Crosby. The Padres requested Garrett Olson for Greene, and the Orioles passed.
Zrebiec says the Orioles are not interested in Rafael Furcal, Orlando Cabrera, or Edgar Renteria. If they spend big on a free agent, it’ll be A.J. Burnett or Mark Teixeira. However, Furcal’s agent Paul Kinzer said yesterday that the O’s are one of six teams to have shown interest in his client.
Giants Interested In Hudson
According to Chris Haft of MLB.com, the Giants are seriously interested in signing Orlando Hudson.
The Giants have already signed Jeremy Affeldt and Haft says their big off-season plans could also include C.C. Sabathia, Edgar Renteria, Rafael Furcal and Juan Cruz.
Kevin Frandsen, who’s played mostly at second base, could play third if the Giants obtain Hudson.
The Indians, Mets, Yankees and Dodgers all seem interested in Hudson too.