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Rafael Furcal

Perrotto’s Latest: Teixeira, Burnett, Wilson

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John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus has his Sunday article up. Let’s go through it:

  • The Angels may be willing to match the Yankees $140MM offer to CC Sabathia. They won’t offer 10 years to Mark Teixeira. If they can’t land Teixeira, they will consider Pat Burrell for first base.
  • A.J. Burnett is looking at the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Yankees, Braves, Orioles, and Phillies.
  • The Twins want a left-side infielder for Delmon Young, so they can open a spot for Denard Span in the starting lineup.
  • The Tigers are pursuing Jack Wilson from the Pirates and Matt Treanor from the Marlins. They are also putting high priority on signing Joe Beimel who’s getting interest from a number of teams.
  • The Dodgers will not re-sign Rafael Furcal for health reasons so the Giants, Athletics, and Reds are his most likely destinations.
  • The Cubs will need to offer more than Jason Marquis to the Royals for David DeJesus. If they can’t get it done, they’d sign Raul Ibanez over Bobby Abreu.
  • The Braves are interested in Javier Vazquez and Jermaine Dye…
  • The Reds need to offer more than Homer Bailey to get Dye.
  • The Mets are considering Jon Garland, Vazquez, Edwin Jackson, Andy Sonnanstine. The Rays want more than Aaron Heilman for either of their starters.
  • The Mets could soon become suitors for Manny Ramirez.
  • The Brewers could soon become suitors for Francisco Rodriguez.
  • The Astros are targeting Paul Bako and David Ross as backup catchers.
  • The Rockies are trying to find lefthanders, eyeing Alan Embree, Will Ohman, Brian Shouse, and Glendon Rusch.

A’s Rumors: Furcal, Embree, Thomas

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Joe Stiglich of the Contra Costa Times has a few A’s rumors:

  • Stiglich spoke with Rafael Furcal’s agent, Paul Kinzer, and heard that it will be the middle of next week at the earliest that Furcal decides where he’d like to sign. It no longer seems likely that Furcal will narrow his options down to two teams this weekend.
  • In a poll earlier in the week, 32% of MLBTR readers said they expected Furcal to sign with the A’s, who had the most votes of any team by far.
  • The Rockies are interested in free agent reliever Alan Embree, but the A’s are considering brining him back for another year.
  • And the A’s are deciding whether to offer arbitration to Embree and Frank Thomas.

Dodgers Talks For Wilson At Impasse

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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.

Rafael Furcal Rumors: Wednesday

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7:58pm: Kinzer told Joe Stiglich of the Contra Costa Times that the A’s are "right at the top of the list."

7:05pm: Kinzer revealed to Yahoo’s Tim Brown that the two unknown Furcal suitors "have to make some moves first."  So think of teams with incumbent shortstops, like the Braves.  Or perhaps a team that has to clear payroll like the Cubs.

4:25pm: Kinzer told Haft they’ll have it down to two teams before Monday or Tuesday.  The A’s, Giants, and two other clubs are still in the mix for Furcal.  This time, Kinzer told Haft he did talk to the Giants yesterday.  It’s unknown whether he has an offer from San Francisco, but there’s nothing from the A’s yet.

12:55pm: Susan Slusser and Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle learned that Kinzer did have talks with the Giants about Furcal on Tuesday.  MLB.com’s Chris Haft had Kinzer saying last night that he hadn’t spoken to Giants officials in two days.

10:11am: Rafael Furcal met with the A’s yesterday, and it’s not a stretch to suggest they’re the frontrunner for his services.  SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the A’s, Giants, Cubs, Dodgers, Braves, and a mystery team remain involved.  Interesting note from Heyman:

Furcal’s agent, Paul Kinzer, said by phone that he hasn’t fielded a correct guess from any media member on said mystery team. I gave it a shot on Tuesday night, throwing out the Reds — who appear to be in the mix on some surprising names — but he said that was incorrect.

Jon!  No!  You wasted your guess.  I believe the mystery team boils down to the Indians or Twins.  Thoughts? 

Rafael Furcal Rumors: Tuesday

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10:30pm: Ken Rosenthal reports that Furcal, his wife, and his agent Paul Kinzer met with the A’s in Oakland today.  He received the full tour.  They may discuss financial terms tomorrow.  The Giants and a mystery team are also said to be in the mix.  However, MLB.com’s Chris Haft learned that Kinzer hasn’t spoken with the Giants in two days.

2:56pm: I exchanged emails with Yancen Pujols, sports editor at the El Caribe newspaper.  He reminded me that the author of their article, Rafael Fellito Ortiz, quoted Furcal himself regarding offers from the A’s and Mets.  So the unanswered question here is why Furcal said these things.

9:23am: Let’s sort out the facts involving free agent shortstop Rafael Furcal.

  • Reports about Furcal from yesterday from El Caribe and Impacto Deportivo have been dismissed.  There has been no four-year, $48MM offer from the A’s, no four-year, $52MM offer from the Braves, and no interest from the Mets.  MLB.com’s Mark Bowman says the Braves wouldn’t be in a position to make an offer unless they dealt Yunel Escobar or Kelly Johnson first.
  • Three teams have made offers for Furcal, at least one of them for four years according to Dylan Hernandez.  The A’s and Giants seem to be in the lead, while the Dodgers are slipping out of the picture.  Hernandez says they’re "reluctant to even match the three-year, $39 million contract he completed this year." 
  • Susan Slusser expects negotiations for Furcal to drag into December.
  • The third team making an offer seems to be the "surprise team."  That team is not the Mets, and probably not the Dodgers, Reds, or Braves.  Brown wondered if it could be the Cubs, Orioles, or Cardinals.

Rafael Furcal Rumors: Monday

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6:20pm: Impacto Deportivo says the surprise team is the Braves, possibly offering four years and $52MM.  It’d be wise to treat the report with caution until it is confirmed by another source.

6:09pm: The Reds had a brief conversation with Kinzer about Furcal, but it probably isn’t going anywhere.

3:58pm: ESPN’s Enrique Rojas says Furcal traveled to the West Coast today, where he could sign with the Giants or A’s.  However, a third team remains involved.

1:36pm: Yahoo’s Tim Brown talked to Furcal’s agent, Paul Kinzer.  Kinzer called the El Caribe report "bogus."  Apparently there has been no four-year, $48MM offer from Oakland nor are the Mets interested.  And Furcal doesn’t want to move to second base anyway. 

The A’s and Giants are leading the charge for Furcal, with a "surprise team" also in the mix.

12:26pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman does not believe the Mets made an offer to Furcal.

12:11pm: Susan Slusser’s A’s source calls the below report "untrue," but it’s unclear to what degree.

8:40am: Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times passes along a report from El Caribe, a newspaper in the Dominican Republic.  In the report, Rafael-Fellito Ortiz talked to free agent shortstop Rafael Furcal.  Furcal says he has a four-year, $48MM deal on the table from the A’s (with another $2MM in incentives).  Surprisingly, he also has an offer from the Mets, who would use him as a second baseman.  Ortiz believes Furcal might sign soon.

Giants-Renteria Rumor False

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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?

Cafardo’s Latest: Teixeira, Ramirez, Baldelli, Furcal

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The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo has a new article up with a few Red Sox rumors, and one for Oakland:

  • Cafardo thinks Mark Teixeira and Manny Ramirez will not change jerseys this offseason because, while their teams might struggle to afford them, they can’t afford to lose them. Teixeira is the protection and future replacement for Vladimir Guerrero that they have been seeking for a long time. He doesn’t rule out the Yankees however.
  • Rocco Baldelli could be Coco Crisp’s replacement as Boston’s fourth outfielder.  Cafardo says Baldelli met with the Red Sox last week.
  • He continues to hit on the Julio Lugo for Dontrelle Willis or Nate Robertson deal, but now suggests Theo Epstein may also eat some of Lugo’s salary and deal him elsewhere.
  • The A’s are looking closely at Rafael Furcal.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Furcal, Burnett, Halladay

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Ken Rosenthal has a new column up this evening.

  • The A’s and Giants remain the top suitors for Rafael Furcal, and the team that’s willing to give him four guaranteed years may win the bidding.  The Dodgers, Braves, and Cubs are also in the mix.
  • Rosenthal talked to a source with knowledge of the Blue Jays’ thinking, and that person can’t imagine them giving A.J. Burnett five years.  Rosenthal says to forget the idea of a Roy Halladay trade, unless they attempt and fail to sign him to an extension.  And if Burnett is signed, a Halladay extension would be next on the docket.
  • Luis Gonzalez wants to play next year.
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