CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett in No Hurry to Make Decisions

Everyone relax.

CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, the top two free-agent starting pitchers, are in no hurry to sign new contracts.

The Yankees are waiting to hear back on their $140 million bid for Sabathia, the most money ever offered a starting pitcher.

The Braves are pushing hard for Burnett, trying to make a pre-emptive strike that would keep him away from the Yankees.

Both situations need to play out a bit longer.

Burnett no doubt wants to hold off the Braves, knowing the Yankees' interest in him only would increase if they lost Sabathia.

Sabathia also stands to benefit by waiting-he likely would emerge as the Angels' No. 1 target if the team failed to keep free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira.

The Yankees, though, still loom as the favorites for Sabathia. Their general manager, Brian Cashman, plans to meet face-to-face with Sabathia in Las Vegas, the site of baseball's winter meetings, in the next week.

Teixeira, meanwhile, continues to be a target of the Nationals, whose owner, Ted Lerner, has spent extensive time with the player's agent, Scott Boras, according to major-league sources.

Boras also represents another free agent drawing widespread interest, right-hander Derek Lowe.

"If CC signs with the Yankees, it will set off a chain reaction," one agent predicts. "If CC goes to the Yanks and A.J. goes to the Braves, there will be a war for Texeira and Lowe, which is exactly what Scott wants. And the Red Sox are coming away with someone."

The Cubs' next priority

With the Cubs' pursuit of Padres right-hander Jake Peavy on hold, the team first wants to acquire a left-handed hitting outfielder, either through free agency or trade.

Once that happens, the Cubs' roster would be virtually complete. The addition of Peavy, if general manager Jim Hendry pulled it off, would be a bonus.

The problem is finding the right bat.

The trade market is thin. The Padres' Brian Giles would fit nicely, but has a full no-trade clause. The Cardinals would not trade Rick Ankiel to their biggest rival. The Marlins' Jeremy Hermida is available, but less than proven.

The Royals are keeping David DeJesus and probably will not move Mark Teahen. The Giants would not trade Randy Winn unless they signed Manny Ramirez or another slugger, a notion that general manager Brian Sabean seemed to dismiss on Thursday.

That leaves free agents.

Adam Dunn is out-Dunn in right and Alfonso Soriano in left would compromise the Cubs too much defensively. Bobby Abreu plays right, but one GM describes him as "brutal" in the field. Raul Ibanez has made only 10 starts in right since 2002, but — like another free agent, Ken Griffey Jr.-played for Lou Piniella in Seattle.

If the Cubs signed a lesser defender, they could replace him with Reed Johnson or Kosuke Fukudome in the late innings. Of course, if that were their plan, they might not want to pay their new right fielder big money.

One more thought, perhaps the most intriguing thought: Milton Bradley. The Cubs would need to be convinced that Bradley, a switch-hitter, could stay healthy for 140 games. And they would need to be confident that Piniella and Bradley could co-exist comfortably.

As for Peavy, the Cubs can not move on him until their new owner is identified. They then will need approval from the new owner to obtain Peavy, who is owed $63 million over the next four years.

The Cubs could clear some money by trading right-hander Jason Marquis and assuming a chunk of his $9.875 million salary, either in the Peavy deal or a separate trade.

Around the Horn

The Red Sox offered salary arbitration to right-hander Paul Byrd knowing that he wants to pitch for a team close to his home in Atlanta. Byrd, 38, is virtually certain to decline the offer. If he can't pitch for the Braves, he could attempt to sign with one of the Florida teams, the Marlins or Rays, or one of the mid-Atlantic teams, the Orioles or Nationals ...

Officials from two teams interested in Mariners closer J.J. Putz say that the M's have yet to decide whether they will move him. Closers generally are less valuable to non-contenders, but the Mariners do not necessarily see themselves as a rebuilding-type club. Putz, who turns 32 on Feb. 22, remains very affordable; he is signed for $5 million next season with an $8.6 million club option for 2010 ...

The Giants' signing of free-agent shortstop Edgar Renteria to a two- year, $18.5 million contract was widely panned in industry circles. "Where was he even getting two times six?" one GM asked. Fair question — and if Renteria had signed for $12 million, the Giants would have had $6.5 million more to offer Sabathia ...

The chances of free-agent right-hander Jon Garland accepting the Angels' offer of salary arbitration are "less than 50-50," according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Many in the industry believe that Garland will command a multi-year deal, even though his 4.90 ERA last season was his highest in seven full seasons as a starter. Garland, 29, has averaged 205 innings per season in that span ...

The Dodgers are not actively pursuing Jack Wilson, Craig Wilson, Preston Wilson, Enrique Wilson or any other player named Wilson. They spoke to the Pirates about Jack Wilson earlier this offseason, but as reported here earlier, the talks broke down about how much money the Pirates would include in the deal and the third player they would receive along with shortstop Chin-Lung Hu and outfielder Delwyn Young. The Tigers are making a more serious push for Wilson ...

The Royals are not necessarily planning on using Mike Jacobs at first base next season. Ideally, the team wants Mark Teahen to win the job full-time; Jacobs then could platoon with Billy Butler at designated hitter. Jacobs, recently acquired from the Marlins, ranked a dismal 35th among qualifying major-league first basemen in the plus-minus defensive ratings last season, according to Bill James Online ...

Phillies minor-league shortstop Jason Donald is drawing significant trade interest after posting an .889 OPS at Class AA last season and putting up big numbers in the Arizona Fall League. Donald, 24, is backed up behind Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins and second baseman Chase Utley, but the Phillies might need Donald to open the season at second with Utley coming off surgery on his right hip.

This article originally published on FOXSports.com.

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