Yankees position players are due in Tampa on Friday, and new designated hitter Raul Ibanez will be among them. The latest on the team:
- The Yankees are now in talks with third baseman Eric Chavez, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, who says it'd be a Major League deal. Speaking to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez last night, Chavez pegged his chances of returning to the Yankees at 50-50. ESPNNewYork's Andrew Marchand is more confident, writing, "Considering that Chavez thought about retiring and has plenty of dough, they are expected to come to an agreement."
- Closer Mariano Rivera on whether he will retire after this year: "I know now, but I don't have to tell you." ESPN's Buster Olney had the quote, among others. According to Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger, Rivera also said, "This one is different. This is it," comparing his decision to previous retirement talk.
- Catcher Russell Martin told Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal he talked this winter about a three-year deal with the Yankees, but the discussion never progressed beyond the initial stages. Martin avoided arbitration with a $7.5MM contract for 2012.
- The Yankees have no interest in re-signing Damaso Marte and GM Brian Cashman could imagine Pedro Feliciano helping in September at best, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman looks at all the Yankees roster possibilities in this blog post.
- "The bullpen has become a cheap thing for me," Cashman explains in this article from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. On the other hand, Cashman spent plenty on his rotation this winter, whether through free agent dollars or the loss of Jesus Montero.
