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Brewers Looking For Pitching

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9:00pm: Tom Haudricourt has an update.  Nothing came of Doug Melvin’s talks with the Rangers, and he denied talking to the Giants or Mariners.

The Brewers haven’t made an offer yet to Randy Johnson, who seems to prefer the West Coast.  Melvin says he won’t pursue Hoffman.  And, some of the $100MM offered to Sabathia is available for pitching.

5:06pm: MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan says Melvin spoke to the Rangers about pitching.  Melvin is said to hold Kevin Millwood in high regard.

3:27pm: Danny Knobler heard from two sources that Brewers GM Doug Melvin can’t shift any of the $100MM offered to C.C. Sabathia to players, and the Brewers are "very unlikely" to pursue a closer (this despite meetings with closers that are known to have taken place).

1:51pm: This information has all pretty much surfaced prior to today, but let’s put it all in one place.  The Brewers are considering Brian Fuentes and Trevor Hoffman as closer options, with Randy Johnson a rotation option.

Randy Johnson Rumors

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WEDNESDAY, 1:11pm: Nolan Ryan confirmed the Rangers’ interest in Johnson.

TUESDAY, 8:37pm: Jack Magruder says the Astros and Angels met with Johnson’s reps at the Meetings.  He adds that the Rangers, Brewers, and Cubs touched base before the Meetings.

2:54pm: Four California teams are said to be eyeing Randy Johnson: the Dodgers, Angels, Giants, and A’s.  Mike DiGiovanna learned that the Dodgers and Angels are more on the fringes.  We’ve also seen Johnson linked to the Cubs as a fallback for Jake Peavy.

Jake Peavy Rumors: Tuesday

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11:07pm: Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune has Phillies sources saying the deal is in place if the Cubs will pull the trigger with the Padres.  Sullivan also talked to chairman Crane Kenney, who implied the Cubs included Peavy’s contract within projected budgets to bidders.

Sullivan adds that the Cubs have not had talks for Bobby Abreu yet.

9:17pm: Stark says there’s no way such a complicated trade will get done before the end of the Meetings.  He adds that extra teams are not necessarily requirements.  The Cubs will need to move a contract and get ownership approval, though.

8:39pm: Ruben Amaro Jr. came close to acknowledging the Phils are involved in the Peavy deal, says Jayson Stark.

8:31pm: Jeff Passan: the lone holdup in this complicated trade is the Cubs moving Marquis.  A deal is not imminent, though, according to Towers.

7:26pm: Brock talked to Towers, who met today with Hendry and said a trade seems more likely today than it did yesterday.  They’ll meet again tonight.  If a deal is reached, it’d be announced after Thursday’s Rule 5 draft.  Brock says the Phillies are believed to be the third team.

3:31pm: MLB.com’s Corey Brock says nothing is imminent and the Cubs appear reluctant.

2:25pm: The saga continues…Kevin Towers does not think this deal lost steam in the last 24 hours, according to Yahoo’s Tim Brown and Gordon Edes.  However, they say the Cubs are having second thoughts about this four-team mess.  The Cubs source says the price is too steep for them right now and they’re looking at another short-term option for the rotation (Randy Johnson maybe).

2:02pm: Tom Krasovic says the Padres are not seeking J.A. Happ or Chris Coste as has been previously rumored.  Also, Ronny Cedeno is not the Padres’ first choice to replace Khalil Greene at short.  Krasovic adds that the Braves apparently are now happy the Padres didn’t take their offer for Peavy.

Kras adds that the Padres did some fact-finding with Mark Grudzielanek’s agent.  Grudz wants to play for a winner though.

1:10pm: Roman Modrowski of the Chicago Sun-Times says Peavy sang "Go Cubs, Go" at a Vegas bar last night.  Good times.  But did Roy Oswalt sing along?  Also, Modrowski believes the Cubs would be willing to eat as much as $6MM of Marquis’ $9.875MM.

Jayson Stark says an Aaron Heilman-Marquis deal appears unlikely, as the sides cannot agree on what portion of Marquis’ contract the Cubs would assume.

12:08pm: Rosenthal says the Cubs maintain they’re not close on Peavy.  And they still need to identify their new owner before a deal can get done.  The Cubs are mulling Randy Johnson as a backup plan, and continue to prioritize the lefthanded bat.

10:36am: Phil Rogers says the key to this potential four-team Peavy trade would be the Phillies or Orioles taking on Marquis and some of his contract.  Rogers says "it will be a stunner if the Cubs don’t acquire Peavy."

1:00am: Chris De Luca says a source close to Jim Hendry characterized a Peavy deal as "very close."  De Luca’s sources say a Cubs-Orioles component is set (Felix Pie for Garrett Olson).  This runs counter to Roch Kubatko’s report below.  De Luca says the Cubs still want to trade Marquis and acquire a lefthanded hitter before closing the Peavy deal.

12:41am: Ken Rosenthal’s source says the Cubs’ attempts to bring in a third team have involved "probably 20 names with four to five clubs."  So it’s not necessarily DeRosa or the Phillies.  Rosenthal says an agreement is still not close.

12:30am: To summarize yesterday: Kevin Towers has facilitated an apparent three-team Jake Peavy trade that he will present to the Cubs.  I say three because Roch Kubatko says the Orioles don’t know of any agreement.  So the best guess right now (based on reports) is that the Cubs would send Mark DeRosa to the Phillies, and both teams would send young players to the Padres.  The Cubs could offload Jason Marquis in the deal, and the savings from Marquis and DeRosa would seem to neatly equal Peavy’s $11MM salary for ’09.

Six Suitors For Randy Johnson

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Jack Magruder of the East Valley Tribune has the scoop on Randy Johnson’s suitors.  He says the Giants, Dodgers, Brewers, A’s, Rangers, and Cubs have expressed interest in the 45 year-old lefty.

Johnson wants to play for a contender, and also wants to reach 300 wins and 5,000 strikeouts.  He could get the five wins he needs in the first half, but it’ll take a full, excellent season for him to rack up 211 strikeouts.  Johnson’s agent Alan Nero expects the market for his client to get moving once some of the other top free agent starters sign.

A’s Out Of Running For Furcal

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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.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Johnson, Cano, Peavy

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4:54pm: The Big Unit is open to the Giants or A’s, not a big surprise.  Johnson’s agent says about ten teams have expressed interest, Giants included.

11:49am: Ken Rosenthal is working overtime; here’s his latest.

  • The A’s remain the frontrunners for Rafael Furcal.  Also, they’re targeting starter Randy Johnson to add a veteran presence to their rotation.  Rosenthal adds that the A’s may prefer Nick Johnson over Jason Giambi.
  • The Phillies made an offer to Derek Lowe, who seems to be their backup plan if they can’t sign Jamie Moyer.  Rosenthal speculates that the Dodgers could consider Moyer.  If the Phils sign Lowe, they may have to go cheap in left field.
  • Oliver Perez and Randy Wolf are on the Yankees’ radar.
  • The Braves haven’t ruled out five guaranteed years for A.J. Burnett.  Rosenthal agrees with Mark Bowman that the Braves actually have little interest in Adam Dunn.  He adds that Raul Ibanez might be out of their price range.  Instead, the Braves could choose to trade Kelly Johnson for an outfielder.
  • Rosenthal believes the Dodgers will renew talks for Robinson Cano at the Winter Meetings, and the Yankees will again ask for Matt Kemp.
  • The Cubs are speaking daily to the Padres about Jake Peavy.  Rosenthal says the Orioles do not seem to be the third team at this time.
  • Rosenthal believes the Royals could make a run at Kyle Farnsworth.

Dodgers Starting With Infield

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More from Ken Rosenthal.  The FOX hot stove guru says the Dodgers plan to sort out their infield before worrying about starting pitching.  They can use Blake DeWitt at second or third, but that still leaves them two infielders short.

Casey Blake is the obvious free agent fit at the hot corner; maybe the Dodgers will stretch and give him that third year.  If they miss out on Blake they could always go for Joe Crede.  It doesn’t sound like Ned Colletti plans to sign any of the top three free agent shortstops, while talks have stalled for Jack Wilson.  Just wondering, how about a trade for Miguel Tejada or Jason Bartlett?

Rosenthal sees plenty of starting pitching options for the Dodgers, tossing out names like Randy Wolf and Randy Johnson.  Meanwhile Tom Krasovic says the Dodgers are gathering information on Johnson, Andy Pettitte, and Trevor Hoffman.  Ken Gurnick adds Russ Springer to the mix.  The Dodgers are searching for a veteran who can help the team’s young pitchers.

Rosenthal considers re-signing Manny Ramirez a longshot, meaning the Dodgers may have to turn to another free agent like Adam Dunn to replace his OBP and power.

Braves Rumors: Hampton, Lowe, Burnett

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Dave O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the latest on the Braves in a new blog post.

  • The Braves never intended Mike Hampton to be one of the two front-rotation starters they acquire this winter, so his rejection of their offer doesn’t affect their plans much.
  • O’Brien notes that he’s heard no indications that the Braves are actively pursuing Derek Lowe.  A.J. Burnett seems to be their top target, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Jake Peavy talks revived at the Winter Meetings.
  • The Braves made trade inquiries on Roy Oswalt and Matt Cain and "haven’t received favorable replies in those pursuits."
  • Free agents Ben Sheets and Randy Johnson don’t seem to be on the radar due to concerns over their reliability.
  • The Braves continue to seek a power bat, with Ryan Ludwick and Jermaine Dye the two targets mentioned in recent weeks.

Cards Decline To Offer Arb To Springer, Looper, Isringhausen

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TUESDAY: Another note from Strauss – it seems the Cardinals are moving on from Springer.

MONDAY: According to MLB.com’s Matthew Leach, the Cardinals declined to offer arbitration to Russ Springer, Braden Looper, and Jason Isringhausen (as well as their other free agents).  The Looper decision comes as a surprise, as he earned only $5.5MM in ’08 and would’ve been a solid addition or trade chip for ’09.  He’s a Type B free agent, but the Cards won’t get a pick now.  Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Looper is seeking at least a three-year deal.  Springer is a Type A, so now he’s much more attractive to other teams.

Strauss has a few other Cards notes.  He says the Cardinals are not one of the teams interested in Randy Johnson, but may have interest in Andy Pettitte.  Also, the signing of lefty reliever Trever Miller is being held up due to health concerns that surfaced at the physical.

D’Backs Offer Arb To Cruz, Lyon, Hudson; Not Dunn

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Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic has the D’Backs arbitration decisions.  They offered arb to Juan Cruz (Type A), Brandon Lyon (Type B), and Orlando Hudson (Type A) while declining to offer it to Adam Dunn (Type A).  I’m surprised by all but Hudson.  The D’Backs are taking on a risk, as they don’t really have room in the budget for the two relievers.  They must be confident they’ll decline or they can make trades. 

Dunn at one year is a worthwhile risk with two draft picks at stake, but the D’Backs were apparently scared off by a possible payday north of $13MM.  GM Josh Byrnes said of the decision, "The poor economy has affected some things."  I’m sure Dunn doesn’t mind; he just became more attractive to other teams.  We should know soon whether the Phillies offered arb to his righthanded counterpart, Pat Burrell.

Also, MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert adds that Randy Johnson (Type B) was not offered arbitration.  No surprise there.

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