Braves Join List of Suitors for Righty Burnett

Add the Braves to the list of teams showing interest in free-agent right-hander A.J. Burnett.

In a perfect world, the Braves would add two top-of-the-rotation starters, then slot righty Jair Jurrjens as their No. 3.

"They've shown no reservations acknowledging that they need that guy going forward, especially if (John) Smoltz and (Tom) Glavine aren't back," Burnett's agent, Darek Braunecker, said Monday.

"They see the significance long-term of having a guy who can be at the top of the rotation and have the desire and capability of leading a staff. They've communicated that to me better than any club."

Of course, "communicating" and "signing" are two different things, particularly with the Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Orioles expressing varying degrees of interest in Burnett.

To get Burnett, a team almost certainly will need to sign him for five years. The Braves haven't awarded a five-year deal to a pitcher since signing Greg Maddux to an extension of that length in August 1997.

Then again, Padres right-hander Jake Peavy likely would require a minimum five-year investment if the Braves ever acquired him in a trade. Peavy, who is owed $59 million over the next four years, almost certainly would want his $22 million club option for 2013 guaranteed and possibly an extension to waive his no-trade clause.

Burnett, 31, is four years older than Peavy, but could end up in the same five-year, $80 million range. Some teams will balk at that length of contract, knowing that Burnett has exceeded 166 innings only twice in the past six seasons. Giving Burnett five years would be out of character for the Braves, and the Red Sox, too.

For now, the Braves are intrigued by their addition of left-handed reliever Erik O'Flaherty, whom they claimed on waivers from the Mariners last week. O'Flaherty, 23, did not pitch after June because of a back injury, but the Braves consider him a potential sleeper.

The team's bullpen, in fact, could emerge as a strength — the Braves will either re-sign or replace Will Ohman as their main situational left-hander, and lefty Mike Gonzalez and righties Rafael Soriano and Peter Moylan could form an imposing late-inning trio.

Moylan, recovering from Tommy John surgery, should be ready early in the season, if not Opening Day.

Hell's bells, Hollywood style?

Imagine "Hell's Bells" blaring at Dodger Stadium to herald the entrance of Trevor Hoffman in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The idea of the Dodgers signing Hoffman makes a lot of sense.

The Dodgers have so many holes, they might be unable to spend heavily if they replace closer Takashi Saito, who will be 39 next season and coming off an elbow injury.

Hoffman, 41, could serve as a one-year mentor for setup man Jonathan Broxton, who is still only 24. Staying in the NL West almost certainly would appeal to Hoffman. So would the chance to stick it his former team, the Padres.

The Red Sox's potential logjam

The Red Sox seem to believe that they will find a taker for third baseman Mike Lowell if they sign free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira.

Lowell could be a candidate for Frank McCourt's Los Angeles Red Sox if the Dodgers failed to re-sign free agent Casey Blake.

Other rival executives, however, are skeptical that the Red Sox could move Lowell quickly.

Lowell, who turns 35 on Feb. 24, is coming off hip surgery and guaranteed $24 million over the next two seasons.

The Red Sox are confident he will be fine, but one general manager countered, "I don't think anybody will take a chance on Mike Lowell until you see him play next spring."

The blueprint for a Lowell trade might be last winter's Scott-Rolen-for-Troy Glaus deal, in which the Cardinals and Jays exchanged high-priced, physically questionable third basemen.

Finding a match for Lowell might be more difficult. To further complicate matters, the Red Sox also are trying to work a salary exchange with shortstop Julio Lugo, who is less productive than Lowell and owed $18 million over the next two seasons.

As for trading designated hitter David Ortiz, good luck. Ortiz, as a player with 10 years of major-league service, five with the same team, has the right to veto any deal. Plus, as a designated hitter, his market would consist only of American League teams.

To Dye for?

The White Sox are asking teams for a young starting pitcher plus additional players for right fielder Jermaine Dye. The Mets, Rays and Phillies are among the teams balking at such a price.

Dye, earning $11.5 million in the final year of his contract, amounts to a one-season rental. He can block trades to six clubs, most of which are in the northeast, according to a major-league source.

One potentially interested executive said his team was concerned that Dye batted only .210 with runners in scoring position and two outs last season — 36 points below the American League average.

The Rays: Laying in wait

The Rays are one team that could pounce if the prices of free-agent hitters plummet.

The club's best-case scenario is to add a DH who could play nearly every day, plus a right-handed hitting platoon partner for Gabe Gross in right field.

The market offers several intriguing options.

Milton Bradley, Adam Dunn, Pat Burrell, Jason Giambi and even Manny Ramirez are among the free-agent DH types. But the only way any of them would appeal to the Rays is if they failed to generate strong multi-year interest and suddenly became bargains.

Such a development is not out of the question: The state of the economy, the number of sluggers available and the desire of many clubs to become younger, more athletic and better defensively all could work to the Rays' advantage.

Ranger roulette

The Rangers are open to moving right-hander Kevin Millwood and/or righty Vicente Padilla, but it's not as if they're itching to make a deal.

Millwood, soon to be 34, and Padilla, 31, will provide valuable innings for a young rotation. They also should be motivated entering contract years.

The last time Millwood was on the verge of free agency, he won the 2005 American League ERA title for the Indians. Padilla fared nearly as well in his last salary drive, earning 15 wins and pitching 200 innings for the Rangers in '06.

Teams such as the Mets and Braves are not currently interested in either pitcher; Millwood will earn $11 million next season, Padilla $12 million. However, the demand for both could increase once free- agent pitchers start changing teams.

Millwood, coming off consecutive years with 5.00-plus ERAs, has lost 15 pounds since the end of the season. He needs to work 180 innings next season to guarantee his $12 million option for '10.

Around the horn

The Angels continue to keep their options as they await the outcome of the Mark Teixeira negotiations. CC Sabathia remains Plan B, but if the Angels fail to land him, they could turn back to Francisco Rodriguez or pursue the No. 2 closer on the free-agent market, lefty Brian Fuentes. Free-agent left fielder Pat Burrell also is on the Angels' radar, but would only be an alternative if the team struck out with Teixeria and Manny Ramirez ...

The Brewers are another possibility for Fuentes, but GM Doug Melvin points out that both the Brewers and Rays won 90 games last season without a closer who earned 30 saves. Melvin might simply choose to wait out the market and load up on less expensive setup types — particularly after getting a poor return on his $10 million investment in Eric Gagne last season ...

The Mets, in search of starting pitching as well as a closer, aren't enamored with the White Sox's Javier Vazquez, who lasted only one season with the Yankees. Rays right-hander Andy Sonnanstine, a strike thrower and dogged competitor, represents a more desirable target, but the Rays are forever reluctant to trade pitching. The Mets are intent on adding players who can handle New York ...

It's a given that the Yankees will offer salary arbitration to free- agent outfielder Bobby Abreu, even if it means paying him between $18 million and $20 million to be their No. 3 hitter for one more season.

Abreu, who turns 35 on March 11, would accept the Yankees' offer only if it appeared he would not receive the multi-year deal he wanted from another club. In this economy, that's no guarantee.

Twins left fielder Delmon Young is "very, very much out there," according to one rival GM. Young, a right-handed hitter, would make particular sense for the Phillies, but the Twins will need to be careful in any trade discussions. Getting poor value for Young would only compound their mistake in acquiring him as part of a six-player trade in which they sent shortstop Jason Bartlett and right-hander Matt Garza to the Rays ...

The Diamondbacks, facing the losses of free-agent relievers Juan Cruz and Brandon Lyon, would benefit from the short-term addition of Trevor Hoffman or Kerry Wood, but lack the payroll flexibility necessary to sign either closer. Instead, the D-Backs are likely to stick with their affordable late-inning trio of Chad Qualls, Jon Rauch and Tony Pena, who will combine to make less than what Hoffman or Wood likely will command in 2009 — Hoffman for one year, Wood on a multi-year deal.

The Rockies, at least for the moment, seem content to keep third baseman Garrett Atkins and the three players they acquired in the Matt Holliday trade — left-hander Greg Smith, outfielder Carlos Gonzalez and reliever Huston Street. The team is looking for a left-handed reliever; free agent Alan Embree is one possibility.

This article originally published on FOXSports.com.

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