SAN FRANCISCO — Rebuffed in their efforts to sign Esteban Loaiza, the Giants are expected to intensify their pursuit of right-hander Matt Morris.
But with the market for starting pitching slow to develop, Giants GM Brian Sabean said he probably would turn his immediate attention to the bullpen.
"We went as far as we thought was reasonable on Loaiza, and we're committed to straighten out our pitching," Sabean said. "But it might not be as simple as (signing) a starter first. We may have to use our resources first in the bullpen."
In replacing Scott Eyre, Sabean said he wouldn't limit himself to a left-hander. He is looking for a quality short reliever "capable of pitching an entire inning." But with several teams looking for late-inning relief, even top quality set-up men such as Tom Gordon are being offered closer-type money.
And the starters aren't going to come cheap, either.
Morris' agent, Barry Axelrod, said he considers his client a more valuable commodity than Loaiza, who turned down the Giants' overtures to sign a three-year, $21 million contract with the A's on Monday.
"I'd expect Matt to be paid more than Loaiza," Axelrod said.
Sabean contacted Axelrod over the Thanksgiving holiday. Axelrod characterized the Giants as one of the most aggressive teams but wouldn't say whether an offer was on the table.
With the market inching higher, Axelrod doesn't intend to act quickly.
"Two other teams emerged over the weekend," said Axelrod, who put the number of seriously interested teams at five or six. "Other teams have given us indications of their
interest as well. We're not trying to drag our feet, but if you have this many parties interested, it behooves a free agent to take his time."
The Dodgers reportedly are among the teams to make a serious overture to Morris, setting up a potentially intriguing faceoff between Sabean and former top lieutenant Ned Colletti.
Starting pitching remains the top priority for Sabean, who also must find a left-handed first baseman or outfielder and a backup catcher despite limited means.
It's becoming clear that Brett Tomko is not in the Giants' plans. Tomko's agent, Joe Longo, said he only heard from the Giants once this offseason — and that conversation was with Colletti before he left for the Dodgers.
Longo said he has talked terms on one-year contracts with two teams, and six others have expressed sincere interest.
"Brett is open to the Giants, he wants to win badly and he feels that is a possibility there," Longo said. "But we haven't heard from them. We're getting interest from other teams and it's looking like we'll have to go down that road."
The Giants have until Dec. 7 to offer arbitration to their own free agents, a list headed by Tomko and J.T. Snow. A failure to offer arbitration would essentially mean cutting ties with those players, since they could not be re-signed before May 1.