Padres Rumors

Cubs Focused On Lefthanded Bat

By Tim Dierkes | November 13, 2008 at 9:35am CDT

Gordon Wittenmyer talked to his sources and agrees with Lou Piniella’s indication that the Cubs are not serious about Jake Peavy. Wittenmyer believes San Diego sources were putting the Cubs rumors out there to drive up the price. He says the Cubs are focused on acquiring an athletic lefthanded hitter this winter.

Wittenmyer says Raul Ibanez, Jeremy Hermida, and Brian Roberts remain on the radar. The latest word on Hermida is that the Marlins will need to be "wowed" to move him.

Braves Near Peavy Deal?

By Tim Dierkes | November 12, 2008 at 10:37pm CDT

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.

Nothing Imminent On Peavy Deal

By Tim Dierkes | November 12, 2008 at 5:48pm CDT

5:46pm: Manager Lou Piniella thinks the Peavy-Cubs rumors are "only talk." At least, he hasn’t talked to Cubs GM Jim Hendry much about it. Piniella remains fixated on a lefthanded hitter.

4:31pm: Yahoo’s Tim Brown has an update on the Jake Peavy trade talks, though it’s not very exciting. A Padres exec says the team has options, but nothing is close. The Padres have not yet asked Peavy to approve a trade.

Interesting note from Brown – the Yankees pushed hard, while the Red Sox and Mets "inserted themselves" into the mix.

Brown notes that Peavy would probably want the fifth year of his contract guaranteed upon a trade. At that point it’d be a five-year, $81MM deal. How much worse off would a team be signing a solid free agent starter at a lower price, while preserving the farm system?

Odds and Ends: Holliday, Takahashi, Lincecum

By Tim Dierkes | November 12, 2008 at 4:00pm CDT

Links for Wednesday…

Richard Justice says the Astros should offer Andy Pettitte $7-8MM to come back.
Joe Christensen doesn’t see Huston Street landing in Minnesota.
Larry Beinfest dismissed a "cyberspace rumor" that the Marlins are planning a run at Manny Ramirez.
Gordon Wittenmyer says the Cubs could fit both Jake Peavy and Ryan Dempster into the payroll, and that the Peavy situation will be resolved first.
Today is the deadline for MLB.com’s Free Agent Frenzy. You have until 4pm CST to submit your picks for 15 free agents. Here are my predictions from November 3rd…I would change the Furcal and Sheets ones for starters.
Who had the Matt Holliday scoop? SI.com’s Jon Heyman broke the story, while Yahoo’s Tim Brown was the first to name the players involved.
Holliday figures to be a three to six month rental for the A’s. Over at FanGraphs, Dave Cameron takes a closer look at Carlos Gonzalez and Greg Smith. ESPN’s Keith Law says the Rockies received a "fair return" for Holliday.
Athletics Nation suggests the A’s sign Derek Lowe.
Ken Davidoff looks at the Yankees’ seesawing philosophy.
Japanese southpaw Ken Takahashi intends to sign with an MLB club, and the Mets may be interested. Nikkan Sports says the Cubs, Padres, and Giants are also in on him.
River Ave. Blues looks ahead to Derek Jeter’s next contract.
Andrew Baggarly reminds us that Tim Lincecum intends to go year to year.
ESPN’s Buster Olney talked to one GM who expects "a whole lot of bargains" in late January, given the nation’s economy.
Rany Jazayerli didn’t like the Royals’ acquisition of Mike Jacobs, but doesn’t think it’s the end of the world.
Braves GM Frank Wren on Jeff Francoeur: "We haven’t talked about him at all. It’s not to say that we wouldn’t."

The Trevor Hoffman Situation

By Tim Dierkes | November 12, 2008 at 11:21am CDT

In a post on his blog, Padres exec Paul DePodesta outlines the progression of the Trevor Hoffman negotiations (and also explains why exercising Brian Giles’ option was an easy call). Tom Krasovic also provides details, including quotes from Hoffman’s agent Rick Thurman.

Thurman believes the $4MM offer for ’09 (with a club option at the same salary for ’10) was insincere. He feels the Padres never intended to sign Hoffman and calls the chances of a deal "miniscule." Hoffman is also upset that owner John Moores did not want to meet with him. Plus, Thurman seems annoyed that Towers contacted Hoffman directly regarding the Moores meeting.
On the Padres’ side, CEO Sandy Alderson notes that the offer was not of the "take it or leave it" variety and it is not common let an offer sit for a prolonged period of time. Thurman did not a make a counteroffer, and the Padres never wanted these negotiations to be public.
This is not a black and white situation. While the Padres’ initial offer was low, the two sides could’ve kept things private and met in the middle in the $5.75MM range. I also think Moores should’ve been willing to meet with Hoffman, as this is not a normal player negotiation.
If Hoffman does leave, Thurman considers the Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Mets, Indians, Angels, and Rangers potential suitors. Why no mention of the Tigers? Jim Baumbach likes Hoffman for the Mets.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Hardy, Flowers, Wolf

By Tim Dierkes | November 12, 2008 at 9:33am CDT

Another day, another column from Ken Rosenthal.

With multiple vacancies in the rotation and bullpen, the Brewers may need to see what kind of pitching Mike Cameron and/or J.J. Hardy can bring in return. GM Doug Melvin is not ready to shop Hardy. He’s received interest, but most teams have not given names (one team suggested swapping him for a pitcher Melvin termed, "a fifth starter.")
The Padres have asked the Braves to substitute catcher Tyler Flowers for center fielder Gorkys Hernandez in their Jake Peavy offer. Dave O’Brien sees this as unlikely.
If they can’t sign Mark Teixeira, the Angels are ready to shift gears to C.C. Sabathia, Francisco Rodriguez, or other players. The idea of a Manny Ramirez pursuit was "tabled rather quickly."
The Cardinals plan to add one or two lefthanded relievers, probably free agents.
In his quest for righthanded power, Reds GM Walt Jocketty inquired on Matt Holliday and Josh Willingham before they were traded. Purely speculative – Jermaine Dye could be a nice fit.
At least half a dozen teams have expressed interest in free agent starter Randy Wolf.

Could Braves Target Cain?

By Tim Dierkes | November 11, 2008 at 5:11pm CDT

This is more speculation than rumor, but David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wonders if the Braves could go after Matt Cain if their Jake Peavy pursuit falls through.

It’s an interesting thought, given reports of the Braves’ mounting frustration with the Padres. At $13-15MM over the next three years, Cain is incredibly affordable. And I imagine the Braves’ primary Peavy trade chips, especially the position players, would appeal to the Giants. Still, when asked last week if Cain is untouchable, Giants GM Brian Sabean replied in the affirmative.

Hoffman, Padres Reach Impasse

By Tim Dierkes | November 11, 2008 at 5:02pm CDT

5:02pm: Padres exec Sandy Alderson told MLB.com’s Corey Brock he’s perfectly willing to talk to Hoffman.

10:53am: The door is closed on both sides, according to Olney. Hoffman is upset with the Padres’ handling of the situation.

TUESDAY, 8:00am: Hoffman’s agent considers his client "the cream of the closers." The Indians are expected to be one interested party, according to Barry Bloom and Corey Brock of MLB.com. The Tigers at least inquired about some unknown players represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council, possibly Hoffman. Jon Paul Morosi says he fits their profile.

MONDAY, 10:34pm: Olney is now more emphatic in saying Hoffman "will not return to the Padres for 2009."

10:01pm: Tom Krasovic says the Padres withdrew their $4MM offer.

9:32pm: According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Padres and legendary closer Trevor Hoffman have reached an impasse in contract negotiations. The team offered Hoffman $4MM plus incentives (perhaps with a club option for ’10). Olney believes Hoffman’s Padres career is over, "barring a dramatic turn in negotiations."

The Cardinals don’t have Hoffman on the radar, but the Indians will give him a look.

Odds and Ends: Pettitte, Zaun, Blanco

By Tim Dierkes | November 11, 2008 at 5:00pm CDT

Links for Tuesday…

Scott Bordow feels the D’Backs and Randy Johnson should meet at $5MM, which still seems light.
David Murphy explains why the Phillies make more sense than the Mariners for Jamie Moyer, geographically.
David Ortiz would like the Red Sox to add a 30 home run bat.
Richard Justice wants the Astros to sign both Randy Wolf and Andy Pettitte. He says the Cubs and Cardinals will be talking to Pettitte even though his heart is with the Yankees.
El Lefty Malo recommends the Giants sign Derek Lowe. The Giants are at least considering the big-ticket free agents.
Jeff Blair runs through a few options for the Blue Jays if A.J. Burnett leaves.
Free agent catcher Gregg Zaun is not pleased with Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi.
The D’Backs want Miguel Montero showcased as a catcher.
Ken Davidoff has a list of nine intriguing (and older) free agents.
Joel Sherman joins Buster Olney in saying Brian Giles vetoed a trade to the A’s in August, after the Red Sox won the claim and failed to make a deal. How is this possible?
Geovany Soto expects Henry Blanco to re-sign with the Cubs.
Tony Massarotti looks at possible trade partners for the Red Sox.

Jake Peavy Rumors: Tuesday

By Tim Dierkes | November 11, 2008 at 12:14pm CDT

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.

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