DANA POINT, Calif. | Let&#8217;s put the disclaimer up front before touching on some of the rumors and chatter circulating this week at the St. Regis Resort as baseball&#8217;s 30 general managers hold their annual meetings.</p><p>Most rumors, even when valid, don&#8217;t lead to anything. Much of the chatter is hot air.</p><p>&#8220;It can&#8217;t have anything to do with us,&#8221; Royals general manager Dayton Moore offered. &#8220;We don&#8217;t have anything going on.&#8221;</p><p>The buzz says otherwise. These meetings typically produce a buzz about every club. Take it for what it&#8217;s worth.</p><p>Speculation links the Royals in possible deals with Atlanta for outfielder Jeff Francoeur, with Seattle for shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt and &#8212; oh, yes &#8212; that rumor about Mark Teahen going to Cleveland for an outfielder just won&#8217;t die.</p><p>As is often the case, each rumor is seasoned with at least a bit of truth.</p><p>The Braves appear willing to deal Francoeur, who slumped badly last season in batting just .239 with 11 homers and 71 RBIs in 155 games. But he had 48 homers and 208 RBIs over the two previous years, while batting .276, and won a Gold Glove in 2007 for defensive excellence in right field.</p><p>Officials from both clubs reacted to this bit of gossip by saying no talks have taken place, but that isn&#8217;t likely to quell speculation &#8212; especially since Francoeur might sit atop Moore&#8217;s acquisition wish list.</p><p>What would it take?</p><p>The Braves could use someone with Teahen&#8217;s versatility but have an over-riding need for starting pitching. The likelihood is they, like many other teams, would demand Zack Greinke.</p><p>And that, probably, would halt any discussion. But would Luke Hochevar be acceptable? Or possibly a top pitching prospect like Danny Cortes? Would the Royals even offer them?</p><p>All grist for the rumor mill.</p><p>The Royals and Mariners did discuss a Butler-for-Betancourt swap before the 2007 season. Seattle rejected the offer before Moore acquired Tony Pe&#241;a as a replacement for Angel Berroa.</p><p>What&#8217;s changed?</p><p>The Mariners have a new general manager in Jack Zduriencik. They lost 101 games last season. Betancourt&#8217;s development plateaued over the last two years. And Seattle can use some punch after scoring fewer runs last season than all but one American League team.</p><p>It&#8217;s a long shot that also produced claims by both clubs that no talks have taken place.</p><p>Even so, the Royals are more likely to trade Butler after acquiring first baseman Mike Jacobs in a trade with Florida. They are also seeking a middle infielder, preferably a shortstop, which would enable them to shift Mike Aviles to second base.</p><p>Plus all signs point to alternatives in the free-agent market &#8212; such as Rafael Furcal, Edgar Renteria and Orlando Hudson &#8212; moving beyond the club&#8217;s fiscal reach.</p><p>Moore admitted, &#8220;We really don&#8217;t have a lot of flexibility, payroll-wise.&#8221;</p><p>The Teahen-to-Cleveland rumor, which surfaced last month, prompted another pointed dismissal from Moore, who previously labeled it &#8220;an absolute lie.&#8221; Nonetheless, the Indians are searching hard for a third baseman and, sources insist, have Teahen on their list.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Could Grud return?</span></strong></p><p>Moore won&#8217;t rule out the possibility of offering arbitration to veteran second baseman Mark Grudzielanek, who filed last week for free agency.</p><p>&#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t say that,&#8221; Moore warned. &#8220;There are some other things that we might have in the works. I can&#8217;t make that decision until it&#8217;s time to make it.&#8221;