A's Still After Furcal, but May Chase Big Unit Too

The A's remain the front-runner to sign free-agent shortstop Rafael Furcal, but that might not be their last major off-season move.

Picture Randy Johnson in the green and gold, winning his 300th game in an Oakland uniform.

The idea is not as bizarre as it might sound.

The A's are targeting Johnson to be their fifth starter, major-league sources say, figuring he would give their rotation a veteran presence while commanding only a one-year deal.

At the moment, the A's top four starters are Justin Duchscherer, Dana Eveland, Gio Gonzalez and Sean Gallagher. None of them threw as many innings last season as Johnson did for the Diamondbacks — 184.

Johnson, who is only five victories short of 300, could boost attendance as he approached that milestone. With Johnson, Furcal and left fielder Matt Holliday, the A's would gain not only star power, but also the chance to contend.

Don't look for free-agent designated hitter Jason Giambi to join that group. Rather than bring him back, the A's might prefer to take a chance on a trade for Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson, who missed most of last season with a right-wrist injury.

Phils: Waiting on Moyer, pursuing Lowe

The Phillies can't figure out why free-agent left-hander Jamie Moyer is proving so difficult to re-sign. Hence, they're exploring other options -- most notably, free-agent right-hander Derek Lowe.

The only way the Phillies would sign Lowe is if they lost Moyer. They have discussed Lowe with his agent, Scott Boras, "pretty extensively," according to a source familiar with the club's intentions. The Boston Globe reported on Thursday that the Phillies already have made Lowe an offer.

Moyer, who went 16-7 with a 3.71 ERA in 196 1/3 innings in the regular season, then won Game 3 of the World Series, might simply be exploring a relatively thin free-agent market for left-handed starters. After CC Sabathia, the top lefties available are Oliver Perez, Andy Pettitte, Randy Wolf and Randy Johnson.

The Yankees, faced with the possible loss of Pettitte, are monitoring all of those pitchers except Johnson, who had a rocky run with them in 2005 and '06. The Dodgers have shown interest in Pettitte, and conceivably could turn to others in the above group, including Moyer.

Lowe, 35, obviously would command a far bigger deal than Moyer, 45, forcing the Phillies to structure his contract creatively — and likely pursue an inexpensive replacement for free-agent left fielder Pat Burrell.

Ten Phillies are eligible for salary arbitration, and their combined raises likely will total between $25 million and $35 million. Thus, one year of Moyer — even at an increase from his $5.25 million average salary — would be more affordable than say, a three-year, $42 million contract for Lowe. The Phillies also have spoken to Darek Braunecker, the agent for free-agent righty A.J. Burnett, but Burnett's price figures to be even higher than Lowe's.

The Phillies did not offer salary arbitration to Moyer, preferring to stay flexible in their off-season maneuvering. They would not receive a high draft pick if they lost Moyer as a free agent. They would lose one if they signed Lowe or Burnett.

THE BRAVES' NEXT STEP

The Braves, while not yet ready to make Burnett a five-year offer, are not ruling out the possibility. They prefer Burnett to Lowe, and not simply because Burnett, 31, is three-and-a-half years younger. Burnett, club officials believe, has gained maturity, benefiting from the influence of Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay.

A front three of Burnett, Jair Jurrjens and Javier Vazquez would help the Braves in two ways, making them more competitive next season while also enabling them to better develop their next wave of young starting pitchers, beginning with Charlie Morton, Jo-Jo Reyes and Tommy Hanson. Vazquez is a 200-inning horse, and Burnett can be — when healthy.

Contrary to what I wrote in an earlier report, the Braves — for the moment — have minimal interest in Adam Dunn and the rest of the free-agent hitters. Raul Ibanez, who probably would be the team's No. 1 choice, might rise out of the club's price range.

One way for the Braves to add a bat would be to trade second baseman Kelly Johnson, who continues to draw strong interest from rival clubs. Martin Prado could replace Johnson, and the Braves recently added another second baseman, Diory Hernandez, to their 40-man roster.

Around the horn

One possibility I failed to mention when discussing the Dodgers' infield in a recent column: A trade for Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano. The teams are expected to renew their talks about Cano at the winter meetings, and the Yankees again figure to ask for outfielder Matt Kemp. Cano, however, is red-hot in winter ball, and the Yankees will value him as the offensive machine he was in 2006 and '07, not the player who slumped in '08 ...

The Cubs continue to speak daily with the Padres about a trade for right-hander Jake Peavy, according to a source with knowledge of the discussions. The teams still might need to involve a third team, the source said, but that team — at least for the moment — is not the Orioles. The possibility of the Orioles entering the talks surfaced when The Baltimore Sunreported about the team's renewed interest in outfielder Felix Pie and the Padres' continued interest in Orioles left-hander Garrett Olson ...

Don't be surprised if the Royals make a run at free-agent reliever Kyle Farnsworth. The Royals want to add a hard-throwing, right-handed setup type after trading Ramon Ramirez for Coco Crisp and Leo Nunez for Mike Jacobs. Farnsworth, 32, performed well for the Braves when Royals GM Dayton Moore was with Atlanta in 2005, and Royals pitching coach Bob McClure works well with power relievers ...

So, how good is Tyler Flowers, the Class A catcher whom the Braves sent to the White Sox in the Vazquez deal? His offensive potential is not in question, and pitchers like throwing to him. But at 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, Flowers might just be too big to be a long-term catcher. The White Sox, of course, will have the option of using him at DH.

This article originally published on FOXSports.com.

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