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Blue Jays Rumors: Burnett, Manny, Ryan

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10:07pm: Dave O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution heard the Blue Jays will make Burnett a "take it or leave it" offer of four years, $54MM ($13.5MM per year).  Burnett’s agent hasn’t heard that, and Ricciardi says there’s no offer on the table currently.  Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail says the Jays have indicated privately they’ll do a three-year, $48MM deal ($16MM per year).  On the open market, Burnett can probably get four or five years at a higher salary.

10:06am: A little more on Ricciardi’s talks with Burnett’s agent.  Here, Ricciardi says talks have been "very productive."  But here, Ricciardi says they’re "not going bad, they’re not going good.  They’re fine."

8:42am: Talking to Cathal Kelly at the Toronto Star, Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi gives the standard line of being willing to trade any player if it makes the team better. Beyond that, he gave some quotes about his offseason plans.

  • Ricciardi says payroll will be $100MM, which should mean $15MM+ to spend after A.J. Burnett leaves for greener pastures.  Ricciardi may allow for uncertainty in the rotation and spend that money on a slugger.  He likes Manny Ramirez, but doesn’t sound optimistic on signing him.
  • Burnett hasn’t officially decided whether to opt out, but…c’mon.  The Jays’ exclusive window to talk to him will depend on when he opts out.  Burnett’s agent set salary expectations at more than Derek Lowe, less than C.C. Sabathia.
  • Ricciardi says trading B.J. Ryan is not a priority for the Jays at present.
  • To sum it all up: Burnett is a long shot, he won’t be replaced with another free agent starter, Manny is unlikely, Marco Scutaro is the shortstop, and Ryan is probably staying put.  If all of those things hold true, it may be difficult to improve in 2008.  On the other hand, full seasons of Vernon Wells, Adam Lind, Aaron Hill, Travis Snider, and a free agent hitter could result in a decent offense.

Jays Add Loewen, Bullington

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3:01pm: Loewen is a Blue Jay, according to the Globe and Mail. The Jays also claimed Bryan Bullington off waivers from the Indians.  Loewen talked to Kubatko today about his tough decision.

1:57pm: It sounds like Gaston’s pitch worked – Orioles president Andy MacPhail expects Loewen to sign with the Blue Jays.  It’s not about money, but rather Loewen’s lifelong dream to play ball in Canada.

FRIDAY, 10:02am: Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun says Jays manager Cito Gaston called Loewen to sell him on the organization.  Elliott says the Mariners and Orioles also want to sign the converted outfielder.  Roch Kubatko is convinced Loewen will re-sign with Baltimore.

THURSDAY: Loewen cleared waivers; he’s now a free agent.  He’s receiving more interest than anticipated.

TUESDAY: According to Roch Kubatko at  MASN Online, the Orioles released Adam Loewen yesterday.  Loewen was chosen fourth overall in the 2002 draft.

Loewen reached the Majors and tallied 164 innings, but elbow problems prompted him to reinvent himself as an outfielder this summer.  According to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles hope Loewen will clear waivers today so they can sign him to a minor league deal.  He is out of options, but the Orioles want to be able to send him to the minors.  If claimed, Loewen would need to remain on the 40-man roster and would earn $700K.  Orioles GM Andy MacPhail doesn’t expect that to happen, nor does he expect Loewen to ink a minor league deal with another club.

Heyman’s Latest: Manny, Holliday, Peavy

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SI.com’s Jon Heyman has a new rumor-packed article up.

  • Heyman suggests the battle for the three elite free agents – Mark Teixeira, Manny Ramirez, and C.C. Sabathia – will mostly be fought by the New York and Los Angeles clubs.  Heyman talked to one GM who believes the country’s economic situation will not affect the big names but could be bad for the lower-tier guys.
  • Heyman’s potential Manny suitors: the Mets, Yankees, Blue Jays, Orioles, and Phillies.  The Phillies’ interest will depend on whether Pat Burrell stays.  I’m not sure why the Orioles would be in the mix.
  • The Rockies are "very likely" to trade Matt Holliday. The Rox would be willing to sign Holliday for five years and $100MM, but that won’t cut it.  The team’s focus in a trade will be a young starter.  Heyman echoes a Ken Rosenthal thought from a few months ago: surprising small-market teams may enter the Holliday bidding.
  • Heyman has the Mets, Rangers, and Indians as teams looking at Brian Fuentes.  The Mets are the favorite to sign him in the three-year, $36MM range.
  • Jake Peavy has already turned down one American League team.  Heyman believes hes particularly opposed to the Rangers and has mixed feelings about the Yankees.  Peavy is reeling from the Padres’ decision to shop him. 
  • Heyman has unkind words for Luis Gonzalez, who may not be welcomed back to the D’Backs based on his "uneasy relationship" with Stephen Drew and Chris Young.
  • Heyman does not think MLB has any evidence against Nationals GM Jim Bowden in the scout skimming scandal.
  • Heyman gives Ruben Amaro a slight edge over Mike Arbuckle to replace Pat Gillick as Phillies GM.
  • George W. Bush as baseball’s next commissioner?  "Many have long believed" that Bush would like to be Bud Selig’s successor.

Odds and Ends: Schilling, Manny, Mateo

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Links for Thursday…

Dodgers To Offer Shorter Term, Higher Salary To Manny?

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SI.com’s Jon Heyman talked to "people familiar with the Dodgers’ thinking" recently.  One such person told Heyman the Dodgers may offer Manny Ramirez a short term with a very high annual salary, perhaps something like $55MM for two years.  GM Ned Colletti has taken this approach in the past with free agents Jason Schmidt, Rafael Furcal, and Andruw Jones.

Heyman’s sources say the Dodgers are "strongly disinclined" to give Manny five or six years.  Colletti himself noted the Dodgers don’t have six-year contracts.  However, "there are some who believe" Scott Boras won’t even sit down with a team offering four or fewer years.  I can see Boras eventually finding a team willing to give four years.

Heyman lists six other potential suitors for Manny: the Phillies, Yankees, Blue Jays, Mets, Orioles, and Rangers.  Some of those suggestions are questionable though.

Ricciardi On Burnett, Manny, Shortstop

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports talked to Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi today.

Re-signing A.J. Burnett is one of Ricciari’s primary goals, but Rosenthal says J.P. won’t spend $15-18MM on another free agent starter if Burnett leaves.

The Jays also want to add a hitter.  Ricciardi’s take on Manny Ramirez:

"Manny is not priority No. 1. I can’t even say he’s priority No. 2.  It would really be a long shot for us to bring him to Toronto. He’s on our radar, but maybe not on our radar like some people will report.  I don’t see us getting involved in unbelievable, astronomical numbers. We would not go down that path."

The Jays are expected to add some kind of hitter, with free agent Raul Ibanez a person of interest from July.  Rosenthal has also mentioned Jason Giambi as someone to consider.  A shortstop signing seems unlikely.  Ricciardi said he would "really need to be knocked over" to replace Marco Scutaro as the starter.

Odds and Ends: Dice-K, Varitek, Rolen

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Links for Monday…

  • Tim Brown and Peter Abraham offer their takes on the top free agents.
  • A note from Abraham – if Daisuke Matsuzaka finishes top three in the AL Cy Young vote, he’ll get an extra $2MM in each of the ’09 and ’10 seasons.
  • The Mariners could hire their new GM as soon as tomorrow.  Geoff Baker discussed the merits of the four candidates in two recent posts.
  • Jason Varitek was mum on his future last night.
  • Joe Frisaro has the Marlins’ 2009 payroll in the $30-35MM range.  They have 15 arbitration-eligible players.
  • I came across an interesting note about B.J. Upton.  Back in 2004, Devil Rays GM Chuck LaMar wanted to sign Upton to an unprecedented eight or nine-year contract before he reached the Majors.  The new Rays regime eventually succeeded with a similar deal for Evan Longoria.
  • The Diamondbacks signed a Korean high school catcher named Kim Jae-yoon for $150K.
  • Jordan Bastian would be stunned if Scott Rolen exercises his right to opt out of his contract or demand a trade.
  • T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers are not in the running for C.C. Sabathia.
  • SI.com’s Jon Heyman looks at how the Phillies were built.

Cafardo’s Latest: Lowe, Maddux, Peavy

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Here’s a look at the latest column from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.

  • Interestingly, the Red Sox are reportedly Derek Lowe’s preferred destination.  It’s unknown whether the Sox intend to add a starter this winter, but they may lose free agent Paul Byrd (and will have to decide on Tim Wakefield’s $4MM option).  Cafardo names a dozen other clubs interested in Lowe: the Yankees, Mets, Tigers, Indians, Cardinals, Cubs, Angels, Braves, Phillies, Rangers, Astros, and Blue Jays.
  • Bill Mueller, 38 in March, admits he’d like to play again.  Medically, it’s a long shot because he’d need to regrow cartilage in his knees.
  • One of Greg Maddux’s teammates feels he’ll retire. Maddux could return to the Padres as a player/coach (specifically, he’d prefer a bench coach gig).
  • The Brewers as a sleeper for Jake Peavy?  They’re not on his list, but he’s named other midwest clubs.
  • Cafardo believes catchers Bengie Molina and Ramon Hernandez will be available this winter.  Makes sense, given the weak free agent market at the position.

Six Years For Manny?

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5:45pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman also talked to Boras, and the word "iconic" was used.  Uh-oh.  Six years, $150MM?  Heyman sees the Yankees, Mets, and Blue Jays as suitors aside from the Dodgers.

4:36pm: When the idea of a six-year contract for slugger Manny Ramirez first surfaced (from Manny himself), it was not considered a serious possibility.  However, the New York Post’s Joel Sherman had a long conversation with Scott Boras, who strongly hinted that Manny legitimately deserves six years.

Boras points to Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez, two iconic players paid to age 42.  Boras brushed off the messy Boston exit, referring only to "internal issues that were a concern."

Here’s the thing about Boras: he says or strongly implies a lot of questionable things.  Recent examples:  12 years for A-Rod, the Cardinals failing to win the division in ’07 because they didn’t sign Jeff Weaver, and Oliver Perez not being erratic.  It’ll be a winter full of amusing Boras rhetoric, with Perez, Joe Crede, Eric Gagne, Felipe Lopez, Derek Lowe, Ivan Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Jason Varitek also eligible for free agency.

Odds and Ends: Steinbrenner, Burnett, Sabathia

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Links for Sunday, before I head out to Chipotle…

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