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Milton Bradley Rumors: Thursday

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3:03pm: Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that if a Bradley trade is close, it's not with the Rays.

1:37pm: USA Today's Bob Nightengale has Cubs officials saying they are close to a Bradley trade, and Nightengale thinks it'll be with the Rays.  MLBTR's source continues to say there's nothing new, however.

7:34am: MLB.com's Carrie Muskat says the Cubs are now scrambling to unload Milton Bradley. Tampa Bay – the team that's been most connected to Bradley through this ordeal – feels that they are in no way obligated to help the Cubbies out, and prefer one year of Pat Burrell to two years of Bradley. Hard to blame them.

Milton Bradley Rumors: Wednesday

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7:05pm: Ian Browne of MLB.com says there's "no chance" the Bradley-Lowell deal goes through. Sounds about right. But ESPN.com's Gordon Edes says the Cubs really did ask.

6:43pm: A Cubs official didn't dismiss the Milton Bradley for Mike Lowell rumor, speaking to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Still, that swap seems unlikely.

3:10pm: Cubs president Crane Kenney implied to the Chicago Tribune's Phil Rogers that the team won't be releasing Bradley.

2:46pm: The White Sox don't consider Bradley a fit, but GM Kenny Williams had kind words for the player today (Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald reporting).

12:38pm: ESPN's Buster Olney says the Cubs would be open to swapping Bradley for Mike Lowell, but that deal is "unlikely to happen."  Lowell, like Pat Burrell, seems like someone the Cubs would have to flip.  Regardless, Sullivan talked to a Cubs official who seemed to shoot this rumor down.

9:53am: With the Cubs' desire to trade Milton Bradley by the end of the Winter Meetings common knowledge, the words "imminent" and "close" have been tossed around a little too freely.  At any rate, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune still likes the Rays as the favorite, while noting the presence of a possible mystery team.  This is good…I always like to bust out my "Mystery Team" category on a post (although MLB.com's Carrie Muskat says there is no such team).  Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times weighs in on the Rays possibility here.

Yesterday, we saw the Mariners, Blue Jays, Rangers, and Royals pretty much dismissed as Bradley suitors.

Cubs Rumors: Bradley, Cameron, Putz

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Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times passes on the latest updates he has heard regarding a potential Milton Bradley trade. His source indicates that neither Texas or Tampa Bay is the destination for Bradley in this rumored scenario, and that the Cubs are "ready to pull the trigger" as soon as the other team is. Here are Wittenmyer's other Cubs rumors:

  • A Cubs source denies that the team has any interest in Melky Cabrera.
  • Mike Cameron is at or near the top of the club's center field wish list.
  • The Cubs are interested in J.J. Putz, and were among the teams that watched the righty throw this winter.
  • Though Chicago was disappointed to miss out on Curtis Granderson, a club source insists that the Bradley discussions didn't hinder the Cubs' ability to pursue Granderson.
  • There is no truth to any Bradley-Carlos Silva trade rumors, according to a Seattle source.
  • If the Cubs can eventually move Bradley, they could be on the market for a mid-level starter.

Cubs Close On Milton Bradley Trade?

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6:03pm: MLB.com's Jordan Bastian says Bradley is not a fit for the Jays.

5:37pm: A high-level Mariners official shot down the Cubs-Mariners rumor, according to Wittenmyer.

5:34pm: Another AL team – not the Angels or Mariners - is involved in the Bradley talks, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.

5:27pm: Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald reports that no deal is imminent. One Cubs person tells Miles that the team is more likely to complete a deal tomorrow.

5:17pm: Yahoo's Tim Brown reports that the Cubs and Mariners are talking about a Bradley for Carlos Silva swap, though nothing is imminent.

5:12pm: Wittenmyer reports that the deal is "three quarters done." Three teams are involved, but the Rangers and Rays aren't among them.

4:12pm: The Cubs are close on trade with a "surprise AL team" for Milton Bradley, tweets Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.  He says the deal could happen tonight.  We know the Royals aren't in on Bradley, and the Rangers or Rays wouldn't be a surprise.  So let's hear your guesses.

On the other hand, we talked to someone familiar with the situation who said there's "nothing new" on Bradley.  Early this morning, the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan had this to say:

Sources outside the organization insist the best bet remains a deal with the Rays involving Pat Burrell, whom the Cubs would try to deal elsewhere, possibly to the Blue Jays for prospects.

Meanwhile Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that Seattle is a possible destination for Bradley, in a trade for Carlos Silva.  Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Rangers are no longer interested.

Milton Bradley Rumors: Monday

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8:20pm: ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports that the Rays haven't backed off on a possible Milton Bradley deal, even though talks with the Mets involving Pat Burrell are now dead. Money is currently the biggest obstacle between the two clubs and a deal. Two or three new teams have apparently expressed interest in Bradley since the meetings began this morning.

7:51pm: Royals GM Dayton Moore tells MLB.com's Dick Kaegel that the Bradley-Meche rumors are "unbelievable." However, no player on the Royals is untradeable, though Zack Greinke and Billy Butler are among the Royals who are almost certainly staying put.

1:06pm: The Cubs shot down Levine's report of meeting with the Royals about Bradley, tweets Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.    

12:44pm: Danny Knobler of CBS Sports says two new teams approached the Cubs about Bradley, aside from the Rays and Rangers.  Perhaps the Royals, mentioned below, are one.

11:46am: ESPN Chicago's Bruce Levine says the Cubs and Royals met last night to discuss Bradley-Gil Meche scenarios.  The money matches up pretty well here, as both players are signed through 2011.  And don't forget the Cubs tried to sign Meche as part of the 2006-07 offseason spending spree.  On the flip side, the Kansas City Star's Bob Dutton tweets that the Royals would have to be "overwhelmed" to trade Meche.  Bradley could technically be described as overwhelming, but not in the way the Royals meant.

11:00am: The Cubs are dead-set on trading Milton Bradley, and Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune has the latest.

Sullivan says the Cubs are letting Bradley's agents, the Levinson brothers, talk to other teams in an attempt to repair Bradley's reputation.  Sullivan adds that the Cubs are focused on the Rays moreso than the Rangers.

As you might expect, it's all about money: the Rays would want the Cubs covering most of the $15MM difference (Cot's has the difference at $12.2MM) between Bradley and Pat Burrell's contracts.  Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times sees Bradley's commitment as $24MM due to incentives, but most of those are awards bonuses.  We've heard Rosenthal calling the Rays frontrunners for Bradley, but Joel Sherman said a few hours ago that the Rays were "growing less hopeful of swapping Burrell to the Cubs."

The Rangers want the Cubs assuming most of the remaining money owed to Bradley.  What's more, Sullivan found one potential Rangers bidder who would want no part of Bradley if he gets the team.

Mets Not Interested In Burrell, Bradley

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11:34am: Newsday's David Lennon tweets that the Mets have no interest in Burrell, in any way.  Nor are they interested in Milton Bradley, tweets Sherman.

6:58am: Dating back to being suspended for the final weeks of the season by the Cubs, the writing has been on the wall that Milton Bradley's time in Chicago is ticking. Lately, we've heard quite a few rumors about a possible swap with the Rays for Pat Burrell, depending on money kicked in by the Cubs.

This morning, according to a tweet from Joel Sherman, we learn that if the Rays and Cubs can indeed work out a swap, the Mets would consider a Burrell-for-Luis Castillo swap. They're hesitant, however, because of Burrell's defensive issues.

Does this three-team exchange of bad contracts make sense for all parties? That answer likely depends on how much of Bradley's salary the Cubs are willing to take on. While Burrell's down season in 2009 makes him a less-than-ideal option for the Mets in their search for a power-hitting outfielder, a return to the NL East could prove beneficial, while saving the Mets a few million dollars over the next two seasons.

Rays Rumors: Bradley, Shouse, Lindstrom

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8:48am: Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the "Rays are growing less hopeful of swapping Burrell to the Cubs."

12:28am: Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times has a few pieces of info from Indianapolis as we approach the early stages of the Winter Meetings:

  • Joe Maddon has arrived in Indianapolis, but executive VP Andrew Friedman won't arrive until tomorrow, so don't look for any moves just yet.
  • The Cubs are confident that they'll move Milton Bradley and his attitude out of Chicago, but if it's going to be to Tampa Bay for Pat Burrell, it will require "serious negotiation." Topkin notes that there's a near $15MM difference between the money owed to the two.
  • Brian Shouse is unlikely to accept arbitration.
  • The Rays are interested in Matt Lindstrom, as we've heard, but as of Sunday night, nothing is close between the Marlins and Tampa Bay.

Angels Getting Interest In Matthews Jr.?

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According to a tweet from Yahoo's Tim Brown this morning, the Angels are getting enough interest in Gary Matthews Jr. to believe that it's possible they get a deal done to move his salary off the books.

Matthews, 35, has two years and $23.5MM remaining on the five-year, $50MM he signed with the Angels back in 2006 (he gets a $500K bonus if traded). He's been a disappointment since coming to the Angels, and has been thought to be virtually immovable in years past.

However, we've seen several teams as of late looking to exchange bad contracts in an effort to free payroll or address other needs. Some that have been mentioned as of late include Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell, Derek Lowe, Luis Castillo, and Juan Pierre.  A few days ago Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports noted that the Angels were working hard to trade Matthews to clear payroll, so taking back a bad contract might not fulfill that goal.

If the Angels are getting genuine interest in someone taking on Matthews Jr.'s contract, who are some possible fits, and what pieces do you see going back to the Angels?

Overnight Links: Red Sox, Jays, Posey, Past Deals

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Some overnight links for your viewing pleasure as we start to get into the real late hours of the night:

  • USA Today's Bob Nightengale says good morning with a series of tweets; Nightengale says he continues to hear Edwin Jackson's name floated about, and that "most executives" feel he'll be traded soon. He also wouldn't be surprised to see Adrian Beltre fall into Boston's lap if he declines arbitration. Not sure where he envisions Mike Lowell in that scenario.
  • Jeff Zrebiec lists ten trade targets for the Orioles, though he admits that some are highly unlikely. In a separate piece, Peter Schmuck opines that it's not a waste of money if the O's spend money on free agents this offseason to add a few wins and show future free agents that Baltimore is trending in the right direction.
  • Alex Speier of WEEI.com explains why it would be unlike the Red Sox sacrifice a high draft pick for a free agent reliever such as Mike Gonzalez or Rafael Soriano.  As you know, Boston currently owes their first-round #29 pick to the Blue Jays for signing Marco Scutaro.
  • Anything can happen at the Winter Meetings, writes Peter Schmuck, who reminds us of the 1990 deal between the Blue Jays and Padres that sent Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez to San Diego for Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter. That trade started off as a minor discussion.
  • The Boston Herald has ten things to keep in mind at this year's Winter Meetings.
  • Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch looks at how the economy will affect this year's Winter Meetings, and poses five key questions to keep in mind this time around.
  • Gordon Wittenmyer looks at why the Cubs are optimistic that they can move Milton Bradley this offseason.
  • Count Tim Wakefield and Daniel Bard among those in the Jason Bay camp for the Red Sox, says Michael Silverman. While Matt Holliday may be a more complete player, Wakefield and Bard would prefer their friend and proven AL East commodity. Good read, if for no other reason than Wakefield's quote at the end on how closely he follows the offseason: "…We’ll be sitting in the dugout in spring training in Fort Myers and I’ll look across and be, ‘How the hell did he get over there?’ ”
  • John Tomase touches on the Red Sox needs this offseason. Tomase hits most of the names we've already heard, and throws Mark DeRosa and Jamey Carroll into the mix as well.
  • Quick! Who do you see spending the most money on the draft in 2010? Bet you didn't guess the Blue Jays (unless of course you took into consideration the large hint I provided in the title of this post). Reports are that the Jays will have a ridiculous $16MM to spend on the draft in 2010. The Jays have eight picks in the first three rounds (nine if Rod Barajas signs elsewhere), and plan to take full advantage of it.
  • El Lefty Malo takes a look at the possibility that the Giants sign Jason Kendall as their starting catcher because of the belief that Buster Posey isn't ready. Apparently, it's not a thought that sits well.
  • MLB.com looks back at some of the best trades and free agent signings by each club in the National League and American League since the era of Divisional play began. They've also got a more generic list of the best moves of the past 40 seasons.
  • Per Kyodo News, several teams have expressed interest in So Taguchi, according to his agent Alan Nero. Several teams? Can't say I expected that one.

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Martinez, Blanton, Putz

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A few links the night before all Hot Stove hell breaks loose…

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