4:26pm: Ken Rosenthal says the Cubs remain interested in Peavy; they intend to add one starting pitcher. Ryan Dempster is another possibility, and Randy Johnson is also on the radar.
4:14pm: Much ink has been spilled on the possibility of the Braves acquiring Jake Peavy, but GM Frank Wren tabled that idea today. Wren has notified the Padres he’s moving on to other pitchers to fill his rotation. A.J. Burnett, Derek Lowe, and Ryan Dempster are known to be targets.
According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, the Braves and A.J. Burnett have mutual interest. Preliminary talks have taken place. Burnett’s agent, Darek Braunecker, downplayed the idea that Burnett strongly desires to play closer to home. The Braves also like Derek Lowe and Ryan Dempster. They could try to sign two of the three if a Jake Peavy deal cannot be hammered out.
Burnett has a four-year, $54MM offer from the Blue Jays to shop around. The Yankees should make an offer soon.
According to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star, the Blue Jays have a four-year, $54MM offer ready for A.J. Burnett. They’ll apparently leave that proposal out there, let Burnett shop it around, and wait until the situation is resolved before moving on to other free agent pitchers. Surely Burnett can top $13.5MM a year.
Griffin says Ryan Dempster (Canadian!) and Derek Lowe could be targets if Burnett signs elsewhere, assuming they are still on the market. Jeff Blair wrote yesterday that Brad Penny is also on the radar.
Links for Wednesday…
Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune writes today about how the Cubs’ pursuit of Jake Peavy affects their efforts to re-sign pitchers Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood.
Sullivan believes Dempster would be less likely to give the Cubs a discount if they acquire Peavy, who is set to earn an average of $15.75MM per year. Jeff Blair, on the other hand, heard Dempster would be willing to give the Cubs a discount due to his desire to be part of a Cubs super-rotation. It seems that Dempster wants five years and $70MM. Sullivan says the Cubs offered $50MM over four years, while Ken Rosenthal pegged it as closer to Kyle Lohse’s $41MM.
Would acquiring Peavy and retaining Dempster leave any money for Wood? Wood anchors the Cubs’ pen, and his Chicago/Jim Hendry loyalty runs deep. Still, the Cubs would probably have to offer a multiyear deal. Unloading even half of Jason Marquis’ $9.875MM could go a long way.
Here’s a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
John Perrotto has his Every Given Sunday column up over at Baseball Prospectus. Perrotto offers a list of some educated guesses as to where some of the top free agents in baseball will land, with some surprises here and there. Let’s take a look:
5:18pm: More on the Mets: Ken Davidoff says they’re shopping Aaron Heilman, Scott Schoeneweis, and Pedro Feliciano. The A’s, Rays, and Rangers are fans of Heilman. The Rockies, Cardinals, Cubs, and D’Backs were also tossed into the mix by Adam Rubin, though the D’Backs haven’t had recent talks. The Mets would be willing to pick up some of the $3.6MM owed to Schoeneweis next year.
4:58pm: Brian Fuentes’ agent Rick Thurman calls the below rumor of an offer to the Mets a "total fabrication."
10:56am: Checking in on the Mets…
4:05pm: Ken Rosenthal has some of the names being offered by the Braves for Peavy. According to Rosenthal, the Braves are offering Yunel Escobar, either Jo-Jo Reyes or Charlie Morton and an unnamed player believed to be a top prospect. Rosenthal does not have any details on the Cubs’ package but notes that it is likely to be "fluid".
4:00pm: Chris De Luca has updated his earlier piece and now says Dempster is seeking five years, $70MM.
3:03pm: Peter Abraham says that Kevin Towers has told Peavy that he will be traded and that negotiations have been narrowed to three teams. The Yankees are not in the mix as all three clubs are in the NL. Abraham speculates that in addition to the Cubs and Braves, the third team could be the Astros or Cardinals.
11:27am: Chris De Luca says the Cubs are in heavy pursuit of Peavy, partially because of steep contract demands from Ryan Dempster. He’s heard Dempster wants five years, $75MM.
No deal is imminent, but De Luca wonders if pitchers Sean Marshall, Rich Harden, or Jeff Samardzija could be involved. Samardzija has a no-trade clause.
10:02am: ESPN’s Buster Olney says the Padres have interest in Braves prospect Jeff Locke. David O’Brien says the Padres want Tommy Hanson, but are willing to settle for Yunel Escobar and a few lesser prospects.
9:21am: Ken Davidoff is not buying the Feinsand/Yankees rumor. Joel Sherman agrees.
8:55am: Let’s kick off a new Jake Peavy post. Last we heard, Ken Rosenthal was suggesting the Cubs moved ahead of the Braves as the frontrunner.
Today, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News says the Yankees’ chances for Peavy are improving as Kevin Towers struggles to find a match with an NL team on the pitcher’s list. Feinsand says Towers wants two pitchers and an outfielder for Peavy. He believes the Yanks could build a deal around Phil Hughes or Austin Jackson, though they might need to include Ian Kennedy as well. Brian Cashman seems a bit more open to trading Hughes than he was a year ago. The Padres aren’t interested in Robinson Cano.
Ken Rosenthal is working overtime today with his second column. This time Rosenthal reports that the Cubs are willing to give Ryan Dempster a four-year deal even if they land Jake Peavy from the Padres.
The club also is willing to give Dempster a four-year contract, sources say, a decision that should put them in good position to retain the free-agent right-hander.
Even though the Cubs are for sale, team officials apparently believe that they can absorb the four years and $63 million remaining on Peavy’s contract while committing at least $50 million to Dempster over the same term.
Rosenthal notes the close relationship between Dempster and Jim Hendry could keep Dempster from accepting a longer or more lucrative deal with another team.
However, Rosenthal notes there would likely be a ripple effect on the roster if the Cubs were to resign Dempster and trade for Peavy.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
