Burrell Unlikely To Return To Philly
4:29pm: ESPN’s Jayson Stark says the Phillies will not tread water to see if they get DeRosa from the Cubs. A friend of Ibanez told Stark the Phils are his first choice, so there seems to be mutual interest. The problem: the Cubs want Ibanez too and may not be willing to move DeRosa until they get their outfielder.
3:46pm: Pat Burrell‘s agent Ed Hayes would be surprised if his client re-signs with the Phillies, as would most observers. Todd Zolecki believes the Phils’ top three candidates to replace him in left field are Raul Ibanez, Mark DeRosa, and Juan Rivera.
Giants Rumors: Burrell, Turnbow, Sanchez
9:22pm: Baggarly says Brian Sabean touched base with 25 teams today. Baggarly does not buy recent rumors connecting the Giants to Cantu, Encarnacion, and Hank Blalock.
6:08pm: Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News provides the Giants rumors…
- Pat Burrell would love to play for the Giants, but he’s far down on the team’s list due to defensive concerns.
- The Giants offered Derrick Turnbow a non-guaranteed contract. The Pirates are another team eyeing Turnbow.
- Jonathan Sanchez is a popular name in trade talks. Baggarly doesn’t foresee a Sanchez for Edwin Encarnacion or Jorge Cantu straight up type deal.
Rays Rumors: Bradley, Rivera, Griffey
4:44pm: Mike DiGiovanna says the Rays are also believed to be interested in Juan Rivera.
3:14pm: Rosenthal adds that Bradley went to lunch today with Rays officials.
3:12pm: According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, the Rays are "thought to be considering" Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell, Bobby Abreu, Jason Giambi, and Raul Ibanez. Heyman adds that Ken Griffey Jr. would be thrilled to play for the Rays.
I imagine the Rays will wait back until January in hopes of signing somebody to a one-year deal.
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.
Cafardo’s Latest: Halladay, Hermida, Abreu
Time for a look at the latest column from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- Relievers on the Tigers’ radar: Trevor Hoffman, David Weathers, Arthur Rhodes, and Joe Beimel.
- Blue Jays J.P. Ricciardi is frank: "We will not trade Roy Halladay."
- Marlins right fielder Jeremy Hermida is said to interest the Reds, Rays, and Giants. John Perrotto says the Rays have inquired on Hermida.
- Cafardo believes the Dodgers will turn to Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, or Jermaine Dye if they fail to re-sign Manny Ramirez.
- Cafardo likes the Angels and Brewers as dark horses for Jake Peavy.
- Cafardo says not to discount the possibility of the Nationals signing Ken Griffey Jr.
A’s Out Of Running For Furcal
According to Ken Rosenthal, Rafael Furcal declined the A’s contract proposal of four years in the $35-40MM range. The A’s then told Furcal’s agent Paul Kinzer they’re moving on. Kinzer says the door is still open, but Rosenthal says the A’s won’t raise their offer. The A’s were thought to be Furcal’s most likely suitor after they wined and dined him in Oakland. Rosenthal ponders whether Furcal would be willing to play second base to expand his market.
The A’s will pencil in Bobby Crosby for another year while moving on to free agent targets such as Randy Johnson, Adam Dunn, Pat Burrell, and Jason Giambi.
Phillies Rumors: Moyer, Lowe, Burrell
The latest buzz around the Phillies…
- It’s unclear what’s holding up the Jamie Moyer negotiations, but Todd Zolecki guesses it’s money rather than years. Moyer’s agent admits he’s spoken to other teams. Still, ESPN’s Buster Olney says Moyer and the Phillies maintain mutual interest.
- Zolecki’s source says the Phillies have not made an official offer to Derek Lowe, but parameters have been discussed. Yesterday morning, Tony Massarotti said the Phils made him an offer, but Jayson Stark couldn’t confirm it. Ruben Amaro Jr. would only confirm interest. The Phils have talked to other free agent pitchers too, A.J. Burnett among them.
- Pat Burrell seems to be on the backburner for the Phillies, who have prioritized pitching ahead of left field.
Olney’s Latest: Manny, Peavy, Fuentes
ESPN’s Buster Olney has a bunch of new info in today’s blog.
- Olney continues to wonder if Manny Ramirez and Scott Boras will "wave the white flag" and accept the Dodgers’ offer of arbitration. It could result in a huge one-year salary, and the current market for Manny is not robust. However, Peter Abraham said in July that a condition of Manny’s trade was that he would decline arbitration. Did anyone else write this? Hopefully a journalist will ask Boras about it soon.
- Olney says the Cubs would love to have Adam Dunn in their lineup, but he’s a stretch as a full-time right fielder. The Cubs are willing to sacrifice some defense in right, but how much?
- Could Dunn or Pat Burrell wind up with the Rays on an affordable one-year deal?
- The Cubs and Padres "have a basic framework in place" for a Jake Peavy deal built around third baseman Josh Vitters. Things may pick up after the Cubs’ ownership situation is resolved.
- The Astros don’t have a ton of flexibility to move their high-salaried stars, but Jose Valverde is one they can deal without restriction. He’s due for a nice raise from this year’s $4.7MM.
- Olney suggests the Rockies were wise to trade Matt Holliday when they did, or they might’ve gotten significantly less.
- Olney speaks of "a belief within the Rockies’ organization" that Brian Fuentes could come back on a multiyear deal. The Rockies could trade Huston Street in that case.
- The Braves may push A.J. Burnett for an answer before C.C. Sabathia signs, in case the Yanks miss out on C.C. and come after Burnett.
- Apparently there is "serious tension" between Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland.
- Olney sees Rafael Furcal signing with the A’s.
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.
Phillies Decline To Offer Arbitration To Burrell, Moyer
According to Todd Zolecki of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Phillies declined to offer arbitration to Type A free agents Pat Burrell and Jamie Moyer. The decisions are somewhat surprising; MLB.com had a story this morning saying arb offers were likely for both. Paul Hagen adds that Type B free agent Rudy Seanez also did not receive an offer.
Sluggers Burrell and Adam Dunn were both denied today, as the Phillies and D’Backs didn’t feel two draft picks were worth the risk. The Phils are still working to re-sign Moyer.