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Rosenthal’s Latest: Dunn, Burrell, Manny

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6:16pm: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman says the Braves are not interested in Dunn because they seek a right-handed bat.  Does that rule out Raul Ibanez as well?

1:51pm: The latest from Ken Rosenthal:

  • The Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, and Phillies are pursuing free agent outfielder Rocco Baldelli.
  • Now that Adam Dunn wasn’t offered arbitration, the market is starting to take shape.  The Braves, Mariners, and Nationals are interested, and the Dodgers and Angels consider him a fallback option.  How about Dunn and Russell Branyan in the same lineup?  Rosenthal considers the Yankees another possibility.
  • Teams considering Pat Burrell, who was also not offered arb: the Mariners, Angels, and Giants.
  • Rosenthal considers the Giants a darkhorse for C.C. Sabathia.  Tim Brown says the Giants may be closing in on Edgar Renteria; Rosenthal has the Dodgers and Cardinals as other suitors.
  • The Brewers will need to increase their offer to Sabathia to six years to have a shot. 
  • Rosenthal believes Jason Varitek will accept his offer of arbitration.  He also wonders if Orlando Cabrera could accept.  He expects Ben Sheets to decline (I made an error on this eariler).
  • Rosenthal ponders the chances of Manny Ramirez accepting the Dodgers’ offer of arbitration.  Buster Olney says three GMs wondered the same.  I was under the impression Manny declining arbitration was a condition of his trade.
  • The Cardinals want to add a young starter with upside.  They also may go after a closer like Brian Fuentes or Kerry Wood if prices drop.
  • Rosenthal believes the Reds could discuss a two-year deal with David Weathers.

Nationals Rumors: Dunn, Votto, Greinke

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ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick talks about the Nationals in today’s column.  A few hot stove nuggets:

  • Crasnick talked to several agents and execs who just can’t see the Nationals ponying up $20MM+ per year for Mark Teixeira.
  • The Nats crave a lefthanded slugging first baseman, so Adam Dunn could fit the bill.  Crasnick talked to a couple of officials who suggested Dunn might have to settle in the three-year, $36MM range.  However, the Nationals may have to pay a premium to convince any prominent free agent to sign.
  • Crasnick says the Nationals have explored many interesting names: Prince Fielder, Adrian Gonzalez, James Loney, Joey Votto, and Zack Greinke.  They may not have the young talent to pull off that kind of deal though.
  • The Nats are "looking forward to the opportunity" to select Scott Boras client Stephen Strasburg in next June’s draft.

Braves Preparing Five-Year Offer For Burnett

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2:07pm: Dave O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution believes the Braves will probably guarantee a fifth year to Burnett, at a salary of $15-16MM per.

9:56am: Will the Braves be the team to commit five years to A.J. Burnett?  According to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News, they’re preparing such an offer.  Feinsand wonders if Burnett will jump at this offer without waiting to see what C.C. Sabathia does. 

SI.com’s Jon Heyman seems to agree with Feinsand’s report.  He learned from Braves GM Frank Wren that the Braves are in on Burnett but not Jake Peavy, and heard talk that the Braves might consider a fifth year.  Wren described talks for Peavy as "pretty much" over.

Dave O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the Braves are one of six teams in negotiations with Burnett.  Heyman believes the other teams to be the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles, and Nationals.

Dunn Won’t Cost A Draft Pick

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The Diamondbacks’ decision not to offer arbitration to Adam Dunn yesterday was an interesting development.  Now, the top home run hitter on the free agent market will not cost a draft pick to sign.  Ken Rosenthal says Dunn is sitting pretty, and should find increased interest.  He certainly makes more sense for the Nationals now, though they wouldn’t want to go beyond two years.

Rosenthal says the D’Backs made a late run at signing Dunn to a two-year deal shortly before the arbitration deadline.  D’Backs GM Josh Byrnes said getting two draft picks for Dunn was a premise of the July trade, but since then "the poor economy has affected some things."  The Astros had a similar situation with Randy Wolf.  They chose not to offer arbitration to the Type B free agent, who earned $8.5MM this year.

The D’Backs expect the market for Orlando Hudson to be strong, and they were willing to accept the risk of offering arbitration to Brandon Lyon and Juan Cruz as well.

A’s Interested In Nick Johnson, Jason Giambi

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3:06pm: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle has more.  She says the A’s checked in on Johnson a month ago, and they’re looking into multiple first base/DH types that fit the affordable/solid OBP mold.  Slusser believes Jason Giambi remains the A’s top target, assuming he backs off his three-year demand.  She adds that the A’s want to keep Daric Barton and get him back on track.

12:59pm: MLB.com’s Bill Ladson talked to a baseball source who says the A’s received Johnson’s medical records but trade talks have not yet begun.  Ladson’s source added that several other teams have Johnson’s records as well.

9:33am: I missed this nugget in Ken Rosenthal’s column last night, but fortunately DRays Bay found it:

The A’s have requested and received the medical records of Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson, who underwent season-ending wrist surgery last June.

On paper, adding Matt Holliday, Rafael Furcal, and Johnson would transform Oakland’s offense.  Of course, Furcal and Johnson are injury risks.  Johnson is set to earn $5.5MM in ’09 after missing most of the ’08 season.  The asking price for him can’t be terribly high, yet he’s capable of a .400 OBP and would benefit from the chance to DH occasionally.

I initially had a note here about Jim Bowden and Billy Beane matching up in ’03 on the Jose Guillen–Aaron Harang trade, but I just read that Bowden was fired a few days before the deal.

Looking Beyond Varitek

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According to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald, a slew of catchers are being shopped to the Red Sox.  Among them: Jeff Mathis, Mike Napoli, Brian Schneider, Miguel Montero, John Buck, Ramon Hernandez, Bengie Molina, Carlos Santana, Kelly Shoppach, Victor Martinez, Jesus Flores, Kenji Johjima, Jeff Clement, Yorvit Torrealba, and the Rangers’ guys.  Silverman says the Braves, Cardinals, and Rays also have catchers available.  It seems that teams are asking for players like Justin Masterson, Clay Buchholz, or Lars Anderson in some cases.

On the Jason Varitek front, Scott Boras told the AP yesterday that he’s had no financial discussions with the Red Sox.  He expects the matter to be discussed after Thanksgiving.  Curt Schilling commented last week about Varitek possibly playing fewer games in 2009, but Boras shot down the idea of a reduced role.

Odalis Perez Rumors

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9:24pm: I can’t remember a day where so many rumors were floated and then debunked.  The latest: Perez’s agent and a source familiar with the team’s thinking tell MLB.com’s Bill Ladson that no multiyear deal is in the works with the Nationals.

4:06pm: ESPN’s Enrique Rojas talked to free agent southpaw Odalis Perez, who said he has received offers from the Yankees, White Sox, and Nationals.  Perez intends to stay with the Nationals, and his agent is working on a two or three-year deal with them.

Perez, 31, posted a 4.34 ERA in 159.2 innings for the Nats this year.

Mark Teixeira Rumors: Sunday

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To recap: Teixeira told Erin Andrews on Thursday that he wants to have it finished before Christmas, according to Mike Scarr of mlb.com. It’s reasonable to anticipate the winter meetings, December 8-11, to be a suitable high profile venue  for Boras to break the news. The Angels are preparing an offer for Mark Teixeira, perhaps with a deadline. If he doesn’t accept it, they may make a move for Jake Peavy. The Yankees are "set to be aggressive" if they only land one of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, or Derek Lowe. The Red Sox are apparently "lusting" for him, but are otherwise hush-hush, a sign that they might offer Teixeira the biggest contract in club history, predicts Tony Masarotti of the Boston Herald.

Teixeira seems to be leaning towards East Coast teams, says Randy Youngman of the Orange County Register. Says Youngman,

"I don’t think it will be with the Angels. If he were going to re-sign in Anaheim, I think it already would have happened. Just a gut feeling. Even the people I talk to in the organization don’t seem optimistic. Teixeira would be ridiculed if he signed with perpetual losers such as the Baltimore Orioles or Washington Nationals, so my guess is he’ll sign with the Boston Red Sox."

The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo thinks Teixeira will wind up with the Angels because, while the Angels might struggle to afford him, they simply can’t afford to lose him.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Pedro, Sabathia, Peavy

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A look at what is being written about the hot stove in the Blogosphere…

  • Fire Brand of the American League looks at the ramifications of the Coco Crisp trade and what could happen if the Red Sox acquire Mark Teixeira and are unable to move Mike Lowell.
  • Baseball Opinion says the Crisp deal leaves the Royals with a crowded outfield and a depleted bullpen and wonders if Mark Teahen or David DeJesus will be the next to go.
  • Nationals Pride sees the Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham trade as a good start towards building a team with a core of young veterans that will be in place when the prospects are ready to contribute.
  • The ’Burgh Blues would like to see the Pirates go after Pedro Martinez, noting his close relationship with Joe Kerrigan and Denny Bautista.
  • Sox and Pinstripes is worried about a potential signing of A.J. Burnett by the Red Sox and would prefer Derek Lowe.
  • BaseBlog has a "tale of the tape" comparing C.C. Sabathia’s 2008 season to Johan Santana’s 2007 season.
  • Goat Riders of the Apocalypse wonders if the Cubs are better off with Jake Peavy and Kosuke Fukudome versus Jason Marquis and a high-priced free agent right fielder.
  • DC Sports Plus takes a closer look at 79 minor league free agents, focusing on former major leaguers, former top prospects and left-handed relief pitchers.
  • Padres Revolution offers up a list of the 10 best trades brokered by Kevin Towers.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Teixeira, Lowe, Everett

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Time to discuss Ken Rosenthal’s latest…

  • Mark Teixeira is likely to sign before Manny Ramirez.  The Nationals and Orioles are in the mix, but the Angels and Red Sox are more likely destinations.
  • One GM predicted Raul Ibanez will receive a three-year deal worth $8-12MM per year.  Not exactly going out on a limb there.  ESPN’s Jayson Stark named a dozen teams that have expressed interest.
  • Rosenthal says the Mets are more likely to sign Brian Fuentes or Francisco Rodriguez than to acquire a closer via trade.  Doesn’t exactly fit with Stark’s statement that J.J. Putz would go to the top of the Mets’ list if available.
  • Scott Boras emphatically disputed the notion that he wants a Barry Zito-like contract for Derek Lowe.
  • Rosenthal wonders if Adam Everett would make sense for the Tigers.
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