Giants, Rangers Talking Blalock?
T.R. Sullivan writes that the Rangers and Giants will discuss a potential deal to send Hank Blalock to San Francisco.
The teams match up well on paper, with the Giants needing offense and the Rangers in need of pitching. Texas is interested in Matt Cain, but know the Giants won’t move him easily (especially for Blalock). Their focus will likely shift to Jonathan Sanchez.
Blalock still doesn’t seem like enough for Sanchez. Can the two teams work out a package?
Heyman’s Latest: Furcal, Sabathia, K-Rod
Jon Heyman has a few new posts on his Fan-Nation blog:
- Heyman thinks its peculiar that Rafael Furcal passed up his last offer of 4 years, $35-40MM, especially while the shortstop market is thinning out. The Giants signed Edgar Renteria. The Cubs want a lefty-bat. The Braves need to deal Yunel Escobar before they’ll be interested in Furcal. Again, Buster Olney noted today that Furcal was asking 4 years, $52MM.
- Can the Giants afford CC Sabathia? They’ve already signed Renteria, Jeremy Affeldt, and Bobby Howry. And he would be the team’s second $100MM contract having already made the mistake of overpaying Barry Zito. They admit they need a bat more than another arm. And while Sabathia would like to play in San Francisco, would he like to make less than Zito’s $18MM on the same team?
- No surprise that Francisco Rodriguez is sitting atop the Mets closer wish-list. According to Heyman, he’s followed by Brian Fuentes, Kerry Wood, and then a combination of Trevor Hoffman and Huston Street, who would need to be dealt from the Rockies. Heyman doesn’t complete the list beyond those 4 options and notes that the Hoffman/Street option is a popular idea in the organization. For K-Rod, 3-4 years would be the Mets threshold.
C.C. Sabathia Rumors: Saturday
11:17pm: Ken Rosenthal explains why the idea of Sabathia signing with the Red Sox is not far-fetched. He notes that free agent markets in years to come may not offer a pitcher of Sabathia’s character.
7:23pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman jumps in on the Brewers angle. He says Sabathia is telling friends he expects the Brewers to upgrade their offer soon, perhaps when they get together at the Winter Meetings. Heyman’s heard deferred money in the Brewers’ current offer makes it closer to $90MM over five years.
9:14am: According to Newsday’s Ken Davidoff, the Brewers might offer a six-year contract to C.C. Sabathia. Davidoff has a source who said the possible sixth year would bring the total value of the deal to about $110MM, still $30MM short of what the Yankees have offered, but $10MM more than Milwaukee’s initial proposal. Jayson Stark first reported on Thursday that the Brewers could offer a six-year $110MM deal.
Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News has a source of his own who doubts Sabathia has serious suitors other than the Yankees and Brewers at this point. The source said to McCarron that a deal with the Giants is "not happening," and doubts that the Angels were ever involved. Yesterday, Jon Heyman wrote that the free agent lefty received two offers from teams other than the Yankees and Brewers.
The San Francisco Chronicle’s Bruce Jenkins thinks that the Giants have a chance with Sabathia even if they can’t compete dollar for dollar with the Yankees.
Six Suitors For Randy Johnson
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.
Giants Interested In Encarnacion
According to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Giants are interested in Reds third baseman Edwin Encarnacion. Fay considers EE the most likely Red to be traded, with Homer Bailey second on that list. Encarnacion, 26 in January, hit .251/.340/.466 in 582 plate appearances while playing poor defense. He’s arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter, so he’s under team control for three more seasons.
Fay also notes that Walt Jocketty and Jim Bowden haven’t matched up on a trade in over ten years, and Joey Votto isn’t going anywhere. Yesterday ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick said the Nationals explored trading for Votto (among others).
One more note: David Weathers is negotiating with several teams, Reds included. Nothing is close.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Byrd, Putz, Wilson
Rumor machine Ken Rosenthal has a new column…
- Free agent starters C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett are in no hurry to sign. Makes sense; they’re obviously special compared to the other starters on the market.
- Nationals owner Ted Lerner "has spent extensive time" with Scott Boras, presumably in regard to Mark Teixeira.
- The Cubs want to acquire their left-handed hitting outfielder before worrying about Jake Peavy. Rosenthal says the trade market is bleak, suggesting free agents such as Raul Ibanez and Milton Bradley might make sense. As we’ve said, there is no perfect fit for the Cubs’ right field vacancy (unless Brian Giles will waive his no-trade clause).
- Paul Byrd is "virtually certain" to decline Boston’s offer of arbitration. He aims to pitch near his Atlanta home – the Braves, Marlins, or Rays could work for him.
- A Rosenthal source pegged Jon Garland‘s chance of accepting arbitration at less than 50-50. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick recently indicated it was 75-25 he’d decline. Buster Olney says "some executives are stunned" that Garland will seemingly not accept.
- Rosenthal spoke to officials from two teams interested in Mariners closer J.J. Putz. The Ms haven’t decided yet whether to make him available, contrary to a previous report. Jack Zduriencik apparently doesn’t consider his club in rebuild mode.
- The Giants’ signing of Edgar Renteria: "widely panned in industry circles." Joel Sherman found the same consensus. This differs from the web, where Keith Law and Dave Cameron liked it.
- Rosenthal says the Dodgers are not pursuing Jack Wilson; those talks broke down earlier in the offseason. Who to believe? He says the Tigers are making a "more serious push."
- Phillies shortstop prospect Jason Donald is a popular trade target, but the Phils might need him to fill in for Chase Utley at the start of the season.
Odds and Ends: Renteria, Burnett, Delmon
Interesting linkage this Thursday evening:
- ESPN’s Keith Law gives a thumbs up on the Giants’ signing of Edgar Renteria.
- Jesse Spector examines comparables for A.J. Burnett.
- Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News suggests the Rockies could be a fit for Delmon Young. Young doesn’t seem to be in Ron Gardenhire’s preferred starting outfield.
- Tony Massarotti at the Boston Globe points out that Junichi Tazawa‘s signing may help mitigate the loss of a draft pick in the event that the Red Sox were to sign a Type A free agent that had been offered arbitration (examples would be Derek Lowe or Mark Teixeira).
- The Dodgers will likely acquire their 2009 starting shortstop via trade, writes Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. Renteria has been signed by the Giants, Rafael Furcal is too expensive, Orlando Cabrera has been offered arbitration, and the rest of the free agents just aren’t that good.
Sabean On Manny, Sabathia, Sanchez
Andrew Baggarly offers some quick points following a discussion with Giants GM Brian Sabean.
- Manny Ramirez is not on the Giants’ radar. Sabean says the team does not need another outfielder. Most would likely agree, with Fred Lewis, Aaron Rowand and Randy Winn all on the roster already.
- Offers for CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira seem unlikely, but Sabean refuses to rule them out. However, Sabean also says: “We’re not out there swimming with the sharks. There are too many teams with more seemingly to offer financially than where we’re at right now.”
- Jonathan Sanchez isn’t going to be traded for, as Baggarly calls it, "any old player." This comment appears to be referring to recent rumors surrounding a Sanchez-for-Jorge Cantu swap.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Johnson, Cano, Peavy
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.
Edgar Renteria Signs With Giants
1:33pm: Henry Schulman says Renteria’s deal has a $9.5MM option for 2011 with a $500K buyout. Also, Renteria can void the option and take the buyout if he’s traded during the contract.
10:49am: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Giants signed shortstop Edgar Renteria worth $18.5MM. Obviously the Giants feel Renteria will bounce back from last year’s .270/.317/.382 line. His defense was below average too, though, and at 33 that may not change. That Renteria was able to get this deal speaks to the scarcity of available shortstops.