Peter Gammons, Nick Cafardo, and Steve Buckley were guests of Bob Lobel on Sawxheads daily Winter Meetings call-in. I asked them reflect on the Red Sox chances of signing Teixeira. Call highlights include Gammons saying listening to Scott Boras answer questions was like listening to Sarah Palin; he didn't understand any of the answers. He also said he believes Manny will end up on the Nats. Listen below, there's some great stuff:
According to T.J. Simers of the L.A. Times, Terry Francona was at the blackjack table at the Bellagio before 10 am this morning. I guess everything doesn't stay in Vegas.
Two free agent names keep getting discussed by multiple teams and everyone else seems to be waiting until one of them signs.
The Red Sox are most interested in Teixeira but they did meet with Sabathia yesterday. Boras floated the idea of a 10 year $200 million contract to get Teixeria which is most likely too steep for Boston. Right now the teams most interested in Teixeria are the Nats, Orioles, Angels, Red Sox, and Yankees to a lesser extent. New York, LAA, and Boston have the money but Washington and Baltimore have the hometown advantage.
The Yankees have the most interest in Sabathia but he wants to play on the West Coast, he may have even said he wants to be a Dodger. The Angels also like him and must decide if they want him over Tex, they can't afford both. Most believe that the Sox are talking to Sabathia to drive up the price.
Eric Ortiz at NESN.com believes that A.J. Burnett is also a name being thrown around by multiple teams including the Red Sox. Late last week it seemed the Braves had a done deal but it looks like that fell through.
The Latest from the Winter Meetings in Vegas:
The Tigers said they were interested in Tek before the Red Sox offered him arbitration but did not want to give up a draft pick. The Tigers were interested in Napoli from LAA too, but thought the price was too high. The Red Sox are also looking at Napoli
Steve Phillips of ESPN says the Red Sox are still interested in obtaining Teixeira.
Theo has left Nashville, he did not need the gorilla suit to escape the media because there was no big news to be had. Nashville was filled with rumors about Santana...it's close...the Yankees are in front...Angels want him..etc. But in the end it was fairly quiet. The Tigers and Marlins made the big news of the week and by today the only real news that came out of Nashville was Andruw Jones to LA for $18 million/year...kinda makes J.D. Drew look like a bargain. Theo went to Nashville not having to make a deal but with the wish to get Johan if he could. The Santana story does not end with the Winter Meetings; it will continue until he is traded or the trade deadline passes next season. The rumor mill will slow down but the Yankee/Red Sox pursuit of Santana will continue to make headlines. Theo will soon be forced to make a decision about Coco Crisp. How long can he wait on the Twins before Coco's value goes down? Also, time is ticking for Eric Gagne to accept arbitration, tomorrow is the deadline.
As we wait for more info on the Twins/Red Sox negotiations here is some other news coming from the Winter Meetings:
The Diamondbacks and A's did not get far in the negotiations for Haren so the Yankees and Sox still could come calling.
Several sources have reported the Rangers spoke with the Twins about Santana but I would not take it very seriously, they have tried to play with the big dogs before (A-Rod) and we all know how that turned out.
The Tigers became a big market team today with the addition of Cabrera and Willis; their payroll could jump to $110 million. Tito's reaction to the trade:"Wow, there's a lot of American League pitchers (and teams) that just got real nervous. And we're one of them. That's quite a lineup."
Theo and the group will resume trade talks with Twins after midnight. Get out your Ipod for some Eric Clapton.
The Hank deadline ended without any action and the Yanks negotiations with the Twins are "probably off." The Red Sox are now the solid front runner in getting Santana and may be able to do so for a cheaper price. The latest report says Jacoby Ellsbury is not in the current offer to the Twin which includes Coco, Lester, Masterson, and Lowrie. Theo has sent no deadline for acceptance of the offer and can afford to sit back and wait. The Twins have to make a choice to deal Santana now or keep him for the entire '08 season and watch him walk. They still need a center fielder so the Red Sox may have an offer they can't afford to refuse. Everything else in Nashville seems to be on hold until the Santana deal is worked out.
UPDATE: The Boston Herald is reporting that serious negotiations are taking place right now and a deal is in the works. The Globe says teams are exchanging medical info on Lester and Santana indicating that a deal may be close.
With just a few hours left in the Hank imposed deadline for the Yanks it is very quiet in Nashville. Theo said he has no ongoing discussions with the Twins and no deals are being held up by waiting for Santana. If the Yankees are truly out of the picture (doubtful when you look at Hank Steinbrenner's short track record) the Red Sox chances of signing Santana are pretty high. Meanwhile things are getting a little uncomfortable in Baltimore as the Ravens just took the lead in the third quarter.
UPDATE: As the clock continues to tick ESPN is reporting that neither the Twins nor the Yankees budged on their offers and New York may drop the idea of getting Santana altogether. On the football front Tom Brady just marched the Pats down the field to take the lead with under a minute to play and stay undefeated.
UPDATE 2: Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports is reporting that a Red Sox official said the Yankees and Twins are "very close" to a trade deal for Santana.
Brian Cashman did not arrive in Nashville until this afternoon. The Twins have scheduled talks with the Red Sox and the Yankees this evening so it may not be until halftime of the Pats game(they should have a solid lead by then) before we know what's going on with Santana.
Read more...
Nashville is the center of the baseball universe for the next week and there is sure to be some big news. By the end of the week we should know about Santana, Haren, Miguel Cabrera, and Tejada with a possible other big surprise deal. The Red Sox do not need to make any deals this week but it should still be a busy time for Theo who is always looking to improve the team. MLB.com has a special section on the Winter Meetings here. After the Santana news clears look for Boston to try to sign a backup catcher and a corner infielder.
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