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Yunel Escobar

Braves Interested In Ankiel, Hart, Hermida

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11:15pm: Melvin confirmed to Tom Haudricourt that the Braves inquired on Hart.  However, Melvin has no plans to trade his right fielder.  Also, Melvin rejected Dave O’Brien’s suggestion that the Braves have been connected to Hardy.

9:10pm: Doesn’t sound like the Cardinals would want one of the Braves’ middle infielders for Ankiel.  Instead, they want to get a starter back if they trade an outfielder.

6:41pm: Dave O’Brien says Ankiel makes sense for the Braves, because the Cards are more willing to deal him and the price would be more reasonable.  The Braves also like Raul Ibanez, but not his probable three-year, $30MM+ price tag.

O’Brien is hearing J.J. Hardy’s name connected with the Braves, making him suspect Yunel Escobar could be on the move.  Keep in mind though that Doug Melvin did not see inclined to move Hardy in his recent comments.

4:28pm: According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, the Braves have Rick Ankiel, Corey Hart, and Jeremy Hermida on the radar (with more interest in the first two).  Bowman doesn’t believe the Braves have much interest in Ryan Ludwick.

Rafael Furcal Rumors: Monday

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ESPN’s Jayson Stark has the latest on free agent shortstop Rafael Furcal.  Furcal’s agent Paul Kinzer doesn’t see his client signing before the winter meetings, which kick off next week.

Four teams are in on Furcal: the Giants, A’s, Braves, and a mystery team.  Stark talked to execs who guessed the Red Sox or Orioles could be the fourth team.  That team apparently has to make a trade to open up their shortstop position.  In a recent poll of over 6,000 MLBTR readers, the A’s won the vote as the team most likely to sign Furcal.

The Braves’ interest will pick up if they trade shortstop Yunel Escobar first.  We knew about the Padres; Stark says the Cardinals and Royals also expressed interest in Escobar.

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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8:04pm: Furcal is "shocked and excited" about possible interest from the Braves, though Yunel Escobar would have to be traded first.  Furcal already has a three-year, $39MM offer on the table from an unknown team.  Kinzer says it might be a few weeks before his client signs.

MLB.com’s Chris Haft says the Giants are also considering Orlando Cabrera and Edgar Renteria as shortstop options.  However, those players might cost the Giants their second-round draft pick (Furcal wouldn’t).  The Giants are also still pondering making a play for one of the Big Three free agents, according to Jon Heyman.

1:26pm: Mychael Urban of MLB.com talked to Rafael Furcal’s agent Paul Kinzer this morning.  Kinzer says six teams have contacted him about Furcal since free agency opened Friday.  The A’s have yet to make an offer, but Kinzer’s comments imply that the Giants might have.  Both teams have very strong interest in the 31 year-old shortstop, who could sign before the winter meetings.  When asked about the reported four-year, $40MM demand for Furcal, Kinzer said it was in the ballpark. 

It’s hard to peg the other four suitors, but the Cubs, Blue Jays, and Orioles are possibilities.  The Cardinals and Dodgers may be out, while the Royals, Tigers, and Dodgers may balk at the salary or term.  Presumably the Braves are backing off given the state of the Jake Peavy talks.  Kinzer and Furcal will narrow it down to three teams soon.

Braves Near Peavy Deal?

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According to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com, the Padres are expected to request Jake Peavy waive his no-trade clause to go to the Braves.  The deal being discussed:  Yunel Escobar, Gorkys Hernandez, Charlie Morton or Jo-Jo Reyes, and Blaine Boyer or one of two minor league southpaws.  Miller says the Padres are leaning toward Morton and Boyer.

The Braves want an answer by Friday, so they can figure out their free agent needs.  Peavy is said to prefer the Cubs, but we’ll see what happens if the Padres approach him to waive the no-trade for Atlanta.  It hasn’t happened yet.

Jake Peavy Rumors: Tuesday

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12:14pm: Dave O’Brien agrees that the Braves are growing frustrated waiting on Kevin Towers, with the free agent open season creeping up.

10:21am: ESPN’s Buster Olney has the latest on the Jake Peavy trade talks.

Olney says the Braves and Padres are making progress, despite Ken Rosenthal’s report of Atlanta’s frustration.  Olney says the Braves would send Yunel Escobar and Gorkys Hernandez to the Padres, plus Charlie Morton or Jo-Jo Reyes.  They’re haggling over one last player, with the Padres eyeing southpaw Jeff Locke.

The Cubs are still in the mix, and a third team would be included to flip pitching to San Diego.  One way or another, the Cubs would give up Josh Vitters and others.

Jake Peavy Rumors: Monday

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Summing up this weekend’s Jake Peavy information…

  • David O’Brien noted that the friendship between Padres GM Kevin Towers and Peavy’s agent Barry Axelrod has raised some eyebrows.  O’Brien also learned that Peavy’s concern over Yunel Escobar being in the deal was overblown – it’s more a general concern that the pitcher joins a strong team.
  • On Saturday, Ken Rosenthal had the Braves and Cubs as frontrunners with the Yankees and Dodgers on the backburner.  He said the Padres discussed keeping Peavy if offers do not suffice.  The Braves were said to be growing impatient.
  • Astros owner Drayton McLane indicated the Padres’ demands for Peavy were too high for his club – "multiple players and some of our best players."
  • Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times had it as a race between the Cubs and Braves, with the Dodgers a long shot.  De Luca said no other teams will be considered at this point.  A Cubs deal would apparently include Sean Marshall, and possibly Kevin Hart and Mike Fontenot.  Jeff Samardzija is not in the mix.
  • Dave O’Brien says the Braves’ offer looks something like this: Escobar, Gorkys Hernandez or Jordan Schafer, and one or two pitching prospects (possibly Charlie Morton or Jo-Jo Reyes among them).  Tommy Hanson is not in the mix.  O’Brien agrees that it’s between the Braves and Cubs, and likes the Braves’ package more.  O’Brien expects a deal before Thanksgiving, which is November 27th.

Cardinals Rumors: Hudson, Lopez, Kennedy

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The Cardinals have moved on from Matt Holliday for the time being; let’s see what else is cooking.  Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has the latest.  Middle infield seems to be the primary concern now. 

One option is to pursue a trade for Kelly Johnson or Yunel Escobar of the Braves, but that will probably require Ryan Ludwick.  However, those talks must wait until the Braves resolve their chase of Jake Peavy.

On the free agent front, the Cardinals are interested in Orlando Hudson but not Felipe Lopez. Scott Boras seems to be aiming for a multiyear deal for Lopez. 

Adam Kennedy wants out of St. Louis, and the D’Backs may be interested.  GM John Mozeliak is said to be reluctant to eat a "significant piece" of Kennedy’s $4MM.  The D’Backs barely seem willing to spend that amount on Randy Johnson.

The bullpen is the other concern, but Trevor Hoffman is apparently not on the radar.

Twins Rumors: Blake, Escobar, Hardy

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Joe Christensen has an update on the Twins’ search for help on the left side of the infield. Minnesota is one of seven teams interested in Casey Blake, according to Blake’s agent Jim McDowell.

Blake hit .274/.345/.463 last year for the Indians and Dodgers this year. He’s been released twice by the Twins, but he could come back to stabilize their third base situation.

Christensen has sources who suggest that the Twins are also targeting Yunel Escobar and J.J. Hardy in trades. If no deal is made, they could re-sign Nick Punto, who played 61 games at shortstop in 2008.

The Twins are also interested in trading for Garrett Atkins, who’s six years younger than Blake.

Jake Peavy Rumors: Friday

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1:47pm: This Scott Miller column is from yesterday, but it has some good info.  Miller’s source believes the Braves are the frontrunners for Peavy and are willing to include Gorkys Hernandez.  Additionally, the source said the Cubs are very aggressive and the Dodgers are making a strong pitch.

12:53pm: Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald says Samardzija is not on the table and has a full, not partial, no-trade.  Additionally, the Cubs have not thrown Fontenot into the mix.  Miles gives a 50-50 chance of the Cubs getting Peavy.

9:39am: GM Kevin Towers expects to trade Jake Peavy before the winter meetings, saying, "The train’s kind of left the station."  Continuing the metaphor, Barry Axelrod said, "The only thing we’ve got is a brake."

According to Yahoo’s Jeff Passan, the Cubs have moved in front of the Braves in the battle for Peavy.  Passan says the Padres want Jeff Samardzija (who has a limited no-trade clause), and the Cubs could also include players such as Felix Pie, Sean Marshall, Ronny Cedeno, Kevin Hart, and Donald Veal.  Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times suggests Rich Harden or Mike Fontenot could be involved.  De Luca notes that a Peavy trade would probably prevent the Cubs from acquiring Brian Roberts.  ESPN’s Buster Olney believes Josh Vitters would have to be involved, while the Daily Herald’s Bruce Miles adds Jose Ceda, Welington Castillo, and Mitch Atkins as possibilities.  Miles does not see the Cubs as a player for C.C. Sabathia, by the way.

The Padres would prefer a deal with Atlanta, but can’t pry Tommy Hanson loose.  The Braves are willing to trade Yunel Escobar, Charlie Morton, and Jordan Schafer.

Meanwhile, Tom Krasovic at the San Diego Union-Tribune says Peavy and Barry Axelrod are concerned about the Braves’ shortstop situation if they are to include the defensively-talented Escobar.  Perhaps the Braves could sway them by outlining some contingency plans at the position.

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