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Rosenthal’s Latest: Bradley, Burrell, Dunn

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Ken Rosenthal filed a new column earlier today.

  • The Angels are lukewarm on Manny Ramirez, and for now are talking about filling their lineup with internal candidates.
  • Kevin Towers says that if the Jake Peavy sweepstakes heats back up, "nobody is going to know it."  Rosenthal discusses the chances of the Angels or Cubs.
  • Mark Teixeira is "almost certain" to get an escape clause in his deal.
  • The Cubs are confident about signing Milton Bradley, but the Rays, Yankees, and Nationals are interested too.
  • Rosenthal looks at possibilities for Pat Burrell, discussing the Rays, Mariners, Rangers, and Reds.
  • The Brewers expressed interest in Adam Dunn as they were mulling a Mike Cameron trade (Corey Hart would’ve played center).
  • Bobby Abreu "remains in touch with the Yankees."  Surprisingly to hear, as the two sides reportedly had not spoken for quite a while.
  • The Rangers would like to move some salary, with Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, and Hank Blalock the candidates.
  • The Royals like Jerry Hairston Jr., but don’t have the money to sign him.

Teixeira Announcement Expected Today

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1:32pm: Heyman now has the Yanks in "deep discussions" with Tex; he says they’ve stepped up their efforts in recent hours.

1:02pm: Jon Heyman says the Yankees are still in it – they’re "talking seriously with Teixeira’s people."  He agrees that a decision could be made as soon as this afternoon.

12:42pm: Danny Knobler believes it’s down to the Nationals and Red Sox.  His sources say Teixeira hasn’t decided yet but is expected to make up his mind today.

12:08pm: Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has the Nationals at nine years, $180MM and the Red Sox at eight years and around $170MM.

10:55am: Chico Harlan of the Washington Post talked to a Nationals spokesman who is not aware of any plans for an announcement today regarding Teixeira.  WEEI’s Alex Speier notes that it is not a lock that Teixeira signs by Christmas.

10:28am: Buster Olney and Peter Gammons say Teixeira’s decision is "seemingly imminent."  The journalists say the Orioles’ negotiations for Tex "appear dormant."  They suggest the Yankees are lurking in case Boras offers Teixeira to them at a discount (or perhaps just to drive up the price for Boston).

10:20am: According to Thom Loverro of the Washington Times, "there will be an announcement today regarding the future of free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira."  Loverro says there are strong indications the Red Sox will be the victor, though it’s unclear whether those indications are based on inside information.

We learned from Roch Kubatko yesterday evening that the Nationals upped their bid to $178-184MM over eight years (Jim Williams says $178-183MM).

Pirates Pursuing Rocco Baldelli

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Pirates rumors from the tireless Dejan Kovacevic…

  • Kovacevic says the Pirates are in pursuit of free agent outfielder Rocco Baldelli.  The Bucs are serious about him, having spoken to his agents several times.  The Reds, Phillies, Red Sox, and Yankees are considered other suitors.
  • The team’s interest in Ty Wigginton has dropped off.
  • Doug Mientkiewicz remains on the radar, but no offer has been made.
  • Nothing cooking on the Jack Wilson front; he’s likely to remain the Pirates’ shortstop.
  • The Pirates offered slightly more than the $2.6MM Daniel Cabrera signed for with the Nationals.  D-Cab wanted to remain in the area.  The Pirates may choose not to pursue any other free agent starters.
  • We knew extension talks with Nate McLouth had fizzled; turns out nothing is close with Paul Maholm either.  Pirates president Frank Coonelly described the disconnect at Ryan Doumit’s press conference.

Mark Teixeira Rumors: Monday

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8:07pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says baseball people expect Teixeira to sign before Thursday.  Rival execs see the Red Sox as the favorite.  The Orioles and Nationals remain engaged; the Yankees are the wild card.  Heyman says the Yanks would only want to spend slightly more than the $161MM they committed to C.C. Sabathia.

7:20pm: Roch Kubatko of MASN Online learned from multiple sources that the Nationals "have sweetened their proposal to Teixeira, offering him an eight-year deal worth $178-184MM."  He’s been told they’re willing to go nine years and there’s been talk of ten.

9:02am: ESPN’s Buster Olney sums up the Mark Teixeira situation in his blog today.  Olney says Teixeira’s "leverage has probably maxed out, and now only runs the risk of being diminished."  The status of the involved teams:

  • Angels: out of the running.
  • Yankees: Olney says they initially made an offer that was markedly less than other teams, and have since withdrawn it.
  • Orioles: Olney says they’re at seven years, $140MM (as opposed to the $140-150MM range we’ve seen reported).  Offer has not been upgraded.
  • Nationals: eight years, $160MM based on published reports.  Olney is not sure whether the Nats have raised this offer but heard from confidants of "one high-ranking executive" that they have not.  Olney’s Nationals sources expressed pessimism about their chances.
  • Joe Posnanski: out of the bidding.
  • Red Sox: Were willing to do $170-175MM when they flew out to meet Teixeira and Scott Boras; "might be nudged to $180MM."  We know that the Red Sox did not pull their offer, but haven’t spoken to Boras since Thursday night.
  • Olney wonders: will Boras shoot for $190MM with the intent of topping Derek Jeter’s $189MM?  If he tops it, Boras would secure the third-largest contract in MLB history for Teixeira (with his Alex Rodriguez deals taking the first two slots).

Odds and Ends: Napoli, Schilling, Bradley

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Links for Monday, to be updated as more come in.

Mark Teixeira Rumors: Sunday

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11:37pm: Kat O’Brien and Ken Davidoff have a new column up.  They say that despite John Henry’s Thursday statement, the Red Sox did not pull their $170-180MM offer.  The Yankees have not made an offer; they’re debating it internally.

6:18pm: The Angels confirmed to Mike DiGiovanna that they’ve pulled their offer and are no longer pursuing Teixeira.

6:02pm: Brown, who seemingly had the Angels’ withdrawn offer scoop first, has more.  He says Arte Moreno decided that Tex did not intend to play for the Angels and were being used to drive up the price.

Brown also learned that the Red Sox have not spoken to Boras since Thursday night.

5:15pm: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Angels withdrew their offer to Teixeira.  He says the Angels’ decision "appears more final" than Boston’s "not going to be a factor" statement.  Rosenthal believes the Angels offered around $160MM over eight years, but Tex wants to be on the East Coast.  Tim Brown says the Halos will not re-enter the bidding for Teixeira.

1:56pm: A few Mark Teixeira notes from Buster Olney’s blog this morning:

Olney talked to someone who talked to a member of the Nationals’ front office.  The word is that the Nationals "absolutely do not expect to win the bidding for Teixeira."

Olney also heard that the Yankees did make an offer to Tex at some point, but it’s now off the table.  Kat O’Brien explains that Scott Boras is trying to bring the Yankees into the bidding, and their front office is divided.

Dan Graziano says Teixeira is "as on-board with the Boras plan as any client he’s ever had besides his ultimate client, Alex Rodriguez."  Stan McNeal offers a Boras translation machine at Sporting News.

Mark Teixeira Rumors: Saturday

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11:01pm: Michael S. Schmidt at the New York Times writes:

"The Yankees are interested in signing Teixeira, according to two people in baseball with knowledge of the matter, but for the moment are unwilling to pay him more than $160 million over eight years, one of them said."

10:18pm: An update from Kat O’Brien at Newsday says "the Yankees remain on the periphery of the bidding" for Teixeira.

Scott Boras has apparently contacted Brian Cashman to inform him that an 8-year/$180MM contract would be needed to land Tex. This contradicts recent reports that estimate that the Boston Red Sox have made such an offer, since they have not signed the free agent yet.

The article also reiterates the fact that the Yankees do not have an offer out to Teixeira.

6:50pm: Lyle Spencer and Bill Ladson of MLB.com report that Teixeira will decide on where to sign in the next few days. 

12:49pm: Jack Curry of the New York Times examines Boras’ "patient, defiant style" and suggests the Red Sox are throwing it right back at him.

Roch Kubatko talks about how Washington’s Ted Lerner is the one owner who could blow the other teams away with a Teixeira offer.  Many people seem to believe they’re willing to go to ten years, $200MM.  Bill Madden suggests Lerner could be this year’s "One Dumb Owner."

9:24am: Yesterday we tracked the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes as the Red Sox seemed to back out, but ultimately remained interested; the rumors continue today.

Jon Heyman writes that talks have resumed between Scott Boras and the Yankees and Angels. The Yankee front office is still deciding which slugger to pursue: Teixeira or Manny Ramirez. Heyman sees signs that "the Angels might be readying for a move," since owner Arte Moreno could consider boosting his bid from the $160-170MM range.

Heyman hears that the Red Sox bid close to $180MM, but ESPN.com reports that their bid was $165-170MM. ESPN heard from an "executive familiar with the meeting" between Teixeira’s people and the Red Sox that Scott Boras seeks an eight-year deal worth $195MM.

However, when Jerry Crasnick asked Boras about this figure, he heard it was "inaccurate" and that there was "very limited discussion of economic considerations" Thursday night.

Adam Kilgore heard from a GM involved with Teixeira who believes "the Red Sox have the best offer on the table."

Michael Silverman thinks the Red Sox need to go all out for Tex and Peter Schmuck doesn’t want a few million dollars to stop the O’s from signing him.

Nationals Sign Daniel Cabrera

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10:26pm: Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports the contract for Daniel Cabrera is a one-year deal worth $2.6 million, about a million less than he’d have been owed after arbitration.

1:24pm: According to MLB.com’s Bill Ladson, the Nationals signed Daniel Cabrera to a one-year deal (pending a physical).  One of Ladson’s sources says the Nats beat out the Mets and Pirates for him.  So far this offseason the Nationals have added Cabrera and Scott Olsen to their rotation.

Cabrera, 28 in May, made 30 starts for the Orioles in 2008 with a 5.25 ERA.  His walks remained high, while his strikeout rate was way down and he lost 1.7mph off his average fastball.  Cabrera’s season ended in September with an elbow sprain, which did not require surgery.

Odds and Ends: Redding, Turnbow, Looper

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Links for Saturday…

  • RotoAuthority looks at projections for Chris Davis.  35 home runs next year?
  • Bill Madden suggests Paul Kinzer screwed up in both the Rafael Furcal and Francisco Rodriguez negotiations.
  • More details on Dan Johnson – the Rays are selling him to a Japanese team for $100,000-500,000.
  • Tim Redding’s agent says "the Mets are very much in the mix" for the righty.
  • Juan C. Rodriguez confirms the Marlins’ interest in Derrick Turnbow, but says they aren’t going after Ray King.
  • The Rockies could pursue Braden Looper.
  • The Orioles have expressed interest in Phillies catcher Chris Coste.
  • New National Josh Willingham likes the Marlins’ young talent.
  • New Phillie Raul Ibanez likes the chances that the Mariners will have a better offense in 2009.
  • The AP has details on the perks in the C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett deals.
  • Ken Davidoff looks at the impact Mark Teixeira’s decision will have on six teams. Amazing how one deal will shape so many teams’ plans.
  • Buster Olney writes that many players are going to make much less than expected in 2009, including Manny Ramirez.  In that same blog post, Olney notes that his colleague Jerry Crasnick says the Angels’ signing of Juan Rivera takes them out of the market for Manny.
  • The D’Backs’ discussions for Tony Clark are progressing.

Mark Teixeira Rumors: Friday

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3:48pm: Jon Heyman believes the Red Sox are at their final number, at least $180MM.  Scott Miller explains why you shouldn’t be surprised if the Nationals sign Teixeira.

2:39pm: Buster Olney and Peter Gammons suggest a lower amount was offered by Boston: $165-170MM.  That’s seemingly at least $20MM short of what Boras wants.  He might be happy with eight years, $184MM ($23MM per).

Olney, Gammons, Adam Kilgore, and Nick Cafardo are all on board with the sentiment that the Red Sox remain in the mix for Teixeira.

9:33am: Jon Heyman says the Red Sox remain interested in Teixeira, but are sticking to their eight-year offer of $180MM or so.  Nick Cafardo has a similar take.  Tony Massarotti and Thomas Boswell are good reads as well.

9:05am: George King learned from Brian Cashman that it was not the Yankees who outbid the Red Sox for Teixeira (if they were indeed outbid).  Chico Harlan says the Nationals are in a holding pattern until the Tex situation is resolved.

8:03am: Mike DiGiovanna says Boston’s eight-year offer in the $175MM range was "significantly" better than the Angels’ eight-year proposal.  But DiGiovanna talked to Torii Hunter, who spoke to Teixeira and said the Angels "gave him an offer that blew everyone away."  Also, DiGiovanna finds it doubtful that the Angels would match the two-year, $45MM offer the Dodgers made to Manny Ramirez.

7:50am: Alex Speier of WEEI examines both vague statements, as well as past Red Sox-Boras battles.  Meanwhile, Joel Sherman offers thoughts on the idea of Teixeira signing with the Nationals, drawing parallel to the Rangers’ A-Rod contract.

12:52am: Yesterday evening we received this surprising statement from Red Sox owner John Henry:

"We met with Mr. Teixeira and were very much impressed with him. After hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not going to be a factor."

Michael Silverman was able to get this quote from Scott Boras as a semi-response:

"The Boston ownership was kind enough to request and travel to meet with Mark Teixeira. While it was a very positive meeting Mark was candid and advised he is in the process of making a decision and is now attempting to eliminate teams."

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