Bob Nightengale of USA Today has an update on Brian Wilson.
Former #SFGiants closer Brian Wilson has 5 offers-from 4 NL teams and 1 AL team with #Pirates and #Dbacks considered strong front runners.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 29, 2013
We heard about Wilson last Thursday. Nate Barnes wrote about him here. I talked about how you can never have too much depth, and while the Pirates don’t need him, it definitely would be a luxury for the bullpen. Then we discussed him in last week’s podcast. So check those links for plenty of analysis on Wilson.
At the time we just heard the Pirates linked to Wilson, but this news from Nightengale obviously boosts the interest level. In those cases where a team is watching someone, you never know the actual interest. I still wouldn’t say it’s a guarantee that the Pirates get Wilson, but at least now it seems like it could be a strong possibility, and we know that they’re going after him stronger than other teams.
UPDATE 5:26 PM: Steve Gilbert, who covers the Diamondbacks for MLB.com, says he hears the Diamondbacks aren’t in on Wilson.
Hearing #Dbacks are not in on free agent Brian Wilson.
— Steve Gilbert (@SteveGilbertMLB) July 29, 2013
That means one of two things. Either the Pirates are now the sole front runner, or the original report isn’t correct about the market for Wilson.
UPDATE 7:00 PM: John Gambadoro of 620 KTAR also says the Diamondbacks aren’t in on Wilson.
Diamondbacks not in on free agent reliever Brian Wilson who had Tommy John surgery in April of 2012
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) July 29, 2013
UPDATE 8:25 PM: Scott Miller of CBS Sports says the Pirates and the Giants are both “serious suitors” for Wilson. He also says the Diamondbacks and Dodgers have shown interest, although based on the above reports, the Diamondbacks don’t seem to be in it. Miller quotes scouts and people close to Wilson who say he is getting close and that he feels major league ready.
Miller also says that Wilson wants to land with a contender and has an affinity for Los Angeles, which could help the Dodgers in their pursuit.
UPDATE 10:25 PM: Jim Bowden of ESPN narrows it down to Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and San Francisco as the leaders for Brian Wilson. The tweet goes along with other reports of the three teams being among Wilson’s top options.
Giants, Pirates, Dodgers front runners for Brian Wilson
— Jim Bowden⚾️