We have a ton of natural bad links pointing to one of our sites. Since these are natural, many have no contact forms, or email addresses listed for us to be able to contact them.

In an effort to not be a statistic when the next Penguin rolls out, I'm trying to be proactive and rest easy that these links can't be taken the wrong way by the bot.

I just found that a reputable site posted an article, and that article links to our site. That article was syndicated to what looks like at least 1300+ sites.

I was planning to disavow them, but know you are not supposed to unless you receive a warning, or unless you file a reconsideration request after.

What's the best way to tackle this to keep us from getting a penalty from this type of "negative seo".

Thanks