Mike Mussina Rumors

Yankees Decline To Offer Arb To Pettitte, Abreu, Mussina

8:04pm: One of Abreu's agents, Chris Leible, spoke to Peter Abraham. Though Cashman said he was still engaged with Abreu, Leible says he hasn't heard from the Yankees once since the end of the season. 4:48pm: According to SI.com's Jon Heyman, the Yankees declined to offer arbitration to Type A free agents Andy Pettitte, Bobby Abreu, and Mike Mussina (and all other free agents). Peter Abraham and Ed Price may have had this on the web earlier; it was close. The Abreu decision comes as a surprise; until this morning most believed the Yankees were willing to risk a one-year...   Continue Reading

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Mike Mussina Retires

THURSDAY: Mussina's retirement is official. Peter Abraham and Tyler Kepner give insight into Moose's personality. WEDNESDAY: According to Ken Rosenthal, Mike Mussina is retiring to spend more time with his family. He goes on out top, with a 20 win season in 2008. The Yankees were already operating under the assumption he would retire. Moose finishes with 270 wins and a 3.68 career ERA. Is he Hall of Fame material?   Continue Reading

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Yankees Rumors: Abreu, Burnett, Teixeira

George King of the New York Post and Kat O'Brien of Newsday have the latest on the Yankees, who are in hot pursuit of free agent starting pitching. The Yankees will offer arbitration to Bobby Abreu, according to Jon Heyman. No surprise there. King says the Yankees are preparing an offer for A.J. Burnett, "perhaps a five-year deal worth about $80 million." Burnett's agent says they're just discussing parameters. It would be a strong offer, dwarfing the Blue Jays' four years, $54MM. ESPN's Buster Olney believes a fifth guaranteed year will ultimately result in the winning bid for Burnett. The...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Mussina, Proefrock, Cuban

Links for Monday... Pitcher Kelvin Jimenez was claimed off waivers by the White Sox. The Blue Jays had claimed him from the Cardinals previously. The Yankees hope Mike Mussina decides whether he's retiring soon. He says it might be this week. Aaron Gleeman runs through the more affordable middle relief options. Roch Kubatko had the scoop yesterday - Scott Proefrock, formerly of the Orioles, is the new assistant GM for the Phillies. Trey Hillman is familiar with Kenshin Kawakami, but it's not known whether the Royals are interested. Peter Abraham is wary of five free agents the Yankees might consider....   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Ankiel, Hoffman, Mussina

Linkage for Thursday... Viva El Birdos tries to put a price on Rick Ankiel, and decides now is the time to trade him. Ankiel, a Scott Boras client, is eligible for free agency after the '09 season. Derrick Goold runs through the lefty reliever options for St. Louis on his blog. It doesn't seem like Trevor Hoffman is on the Cardinals' radar. Hoffman wants to remain a closer, so he won't be going to San Francisco either. Brian Cashman explains that $6MM for one year of Damaso Marte was too much, but $12MM over three years works. Ken Davidoff still...   Continue Reading

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Perrotto's Latest: Free Agent Predictions

John Perrotto has his Every Given Sunday column up over at Baseball Prospectus. Perrotto offers a list of some educated guesses as to where some of the top free agents in baseball will land, with some surprises here and there. Let's take a look: Perrotto lists the Yankees loading up on starting pitching, landing C.C. Sabathia and Derek Lowe, while the Dodgers land Manny Ramirez after doubling their initial offer to four years, $100MM. Perrotto says the Nationals will land Mark Teixeira, as they could be prepared to offer Teixeira - a Maryland native - ten years, $200MM. Turning down...   Continue Reading

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Yankees Rumors: Sabathia, Pettitte, Mussina

Some new Yankees rumors surfaced at Joe Torre's charity event in New York last night. Derek Jeter talked to C.C. Sabathia about what it's like to play for the Yankees but says he's not "trying to sell anyone on New York." According to Newsday's Kat O'Brien, Andy Pettitte isn't looking for a long-term deal. He's waiting to hear from the Yankees, who know that "one year's fine" for Pettitte. Brian Cashman said this week he's looking to bring Pettitte back, and that was before Pettitte said he was looking for a one-year deal. Peter Abraham has news on Mike Mussina....   Continue Reading

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Yankees Rumors: Teixeira, Igawa, Sabathia

The Yankees chatter died down a bit today, but here's what we've got. Joel Sherman of the New York Post notes buzz about Robinson Cano going to the Dodgers amid Yankee interest in Russell Martin and Matt Kemp. He admits it's unlikely. Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News talked to one big league exec about whether Mark Teixeira could handle the pressures of New York. Brian Cashman says nobody has asked him about Kei Igawa, who has three years and $12MM left on his contract. Cashman would not rule out the possibility of bringing back both Mike Mussina...   Continue Reading

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Yankees Rumors: Cameron, Melky, Pettitte, Lowe

5:06pm: More on the Cameron situation: Ken Davidoff says Cabrera and Ian Kennedy have been discussed. However, the Brewers will probably wait to see if they can sign Sabathia, since he's good friends with Cameron. 10:26am: The latest Yankees hot stove buzz... According to Joel Sherman and George King of the New York Post, the Yankees inquired with the Brewers on Mike Cameron. The Yanks would be willing to send Melky Cabrera and pitching to Milwaukee. The Yankees are also talking to other teams about Wilson Betemit. The Yankees are only willing to do a one-year deal for Andy Pettitte,...   Continue Reading

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Yankees Rumors: Sabathia, Marte, Mussina

11:09pm: Brian Cashman sums up the Yankees' plan: "We're going to show a lot of love." 12:15pm: It's about time we check in with Yankees links. The Yankees will make their record-breaking pitch to C.C. Sabathia. If it fails, they'll move on to A.J. Burnett, Derek Lowe, and Oliver Perez. Joel Sherman says the Yankees could get involved on Manny Ramirez, but only if they fail to sign Mark Teixeira and manage to trade Hideki Matsui. Sherman says the Yanks are in on the catching market just to be safe, engaging the Rangers about Gerald Laird and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. They'll...   Continue Reading

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Pettitte Looking For Two Years?

8:33pm: Yankees GM Brian Cashman says there's mutual interest with Pettitte. 4:44pm: We know Andy Pettitte wants to pitch in 2009, and he prefers the Yankees. However, the Yanks want to hear from Mike Mussina before they talk to Pettitte. Further complicating matters, Ken Davidoff says Pettitte may desire a two-year deal. Davidoff figures the Astros will try to jump in and sign Pettitte. The Astros seem to have room in the budget for one free agent starter.   Continue Reading

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Heyman's Latest: Sabathia, Burnett, Matsui

Here's a look at the latest column from SI.com's Jon Heyman. C.C. Sabathia is the Yankees' top offseason target, and they'll make him an offer beyond Johan Santana's $137.5MM. Heyman also sees the Yanks pursuing A.J. Burnett, Derek Lowe, and Oliver Perez (with Ben Sheets a less likely target). Heyman's sources believe the Yanks could even attempt to sign three free agent starters. The Yankees aren't counting on Mike Mussina, and may wait on him before considering Andy Pettitte. Contradictory note from Heyman: the White Sox have no plans to try to keep Joe Crede or Juan Uribe, but might...   Continue Reading

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Yankees Rumors: Teixeira, Manny, Mussina

According to Newsday's Ken Davidoff, a Yankees insider thinks that Manny Ramirez is more likely than Mark Teixeira to sign with the club. Hank Steinbrenner and the Yankees haven't ruled Manny out of their plans, but that doesn’t mean they’re likely to sign either Manny or Teixeira. The Yankees’ priority is starting pitching this offseason. Davidoff wrote Thursday that “it would be a shocker” to see the Yankees offer Teixeira a contract of 10 years and $200MM. Last year, Tex turned down an eight-year offer from the Rangers worth around $140MM. According to Peter Abraham, Mike Mussina’s agent, Arn Tellem,...   Continue Reading

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Yankees Rumors: Mussina, Giambi, Teixeira

George King of the New York Post has a handful of Yankees rumors this morning. Mike Mussina's agent, Arn Tellem, will travel to his client's Pennsylvania home this week to talk about the pitcher's future. The general vibe is that Moose will retire, but he may file for free agency after the World Series to keep his options open. I imagine the Yankees would like to resolve this quickly. Currently, GM Brian Cashman is not counting on Mussina. Tellem told King that Jason Giambi would like to stay in New York if they'll have him. While it may not be...   Continue Reading

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Davidoff's Latest: Mussina, K-Rod, Manny

Ken Davidoff of Newsday has some new hot stove info in a blog post. Davidoff would be shocked if Mike Mussina does not retire. He expects a news conference after the World Series, and gives a 1% margin of error for his prediction. Bold prediction; Buster Olney felt differently in his blog a week ago. Yankees beat writer Peter Abraham agrees with Davidoff that Mussina will retire. The Mets apparently do not believe Francisco Rodriguez is worth his asking price. They're also not intending to pursue Manny Ramirez. Not exciting news for fans, but Omar Minaya can't acquire players based...   Continue Reading

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Heyman's Latest: Yankees Offseason Plans

The latest column by Jon Heyman of SI.com is full of all kinds of Yankees notes: They will pursue a top-of-the-rotation starter, and yes, C.C. Sabathia is one of them, but the list also includes A.J. Burnett, Jake Peavy, Derek Lowe, and possibly Ben Sheets. As we wrote yesterday, Peavy's agent said he'd need "a lot of convincing" to approve a deal to the American League. According to Heyman the goal is for the Bombers to "secure more than one of them." The Yankees have targeted Mark Teixeira but may also take a look at Manny Ramirez (Heyman has mentioned...   Continue Reading

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Olney On Pettitte, Mussina

THURSDAY: Olney says Pettitte's agent Randy Hendricks informed the Yankees that his client wants to pitch for them in 2009. Olney says the interest is mutual. WEDNESDAY: Lots of good stuff from ESPN's Buster Olney today. His scoop on the Yankees' free agent starters: A longtime friend of Andy Pettitte reiterated that the left-hander intends to pitch in 2009 -- and there is a growing sense that Mike Mussina may return for another season, as well, although Mussina has not indicated a final decision, one way or another. Intriguing news on Mussina, since he's suggested it'll be either three more...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Manny, Mussina, Cano, Lowe

Ken Rosenthal's latest column at FOX Sports is jam-packed with rumors. Manny Ramirez will generate plenty of interest on the free agent market; he wants at least four years. There was a report earlier this month that Scott Boras expected to get five years. The term will be a crucial factor. Rosenthal names the Phillies, Mets, and Yankees as three teams that may pursue Manny. The Mariners' rebuilding effort will likely be spearheaded by a first-time GM, not an ideal scenario in the opinion of some baseball people. The Dodgers lost Shane Victorino twice in the Rule 5 draft. Tony...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Moore, Manny, Hudson

Reading material for Thursday... NBC San Diego reports that John Moores plans to sell his 49% of the Padres as part of his divorce settlement. Derrick Goold looks at the many teams that might consider Rafael Furcal, including the Cardinals. Imagine the kind of contract he'd be looking at if he'd been healthy all year. I did a Q&A with Sox and Pinstripes recently. According to Mariners president Chuck Armstrong, the new GM will have less power and a smaller payroll than Bill Bavasi. The list of candidates is down to ten. MLB.com's Dick Kaegel talked to Royals GM Dayton...   Continue Reading

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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Holliday, Teixeira, Mussina

A look at what is being written around the Blogosphere... MetsBlog recognizes that Francisco Rodriguez will improve the team and appease fans, but is not sure he is worth a four or five-year deal. Mets Geek projects the Mets '09 roster and looks at some options from outside the organization with Pat Burrell and Derek Lowe being the biggest offseason targets. Was Watching says bringing back Brian Cashman was a mistake. River Ave. Blues assesses the Matt Holliday market and feels that Phil Hughes and Robinson Cano for Holliday "doesn't make much sense." Sox and Pinstripes provides an in-depth preview...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Lowe, Redmond, Timlin

Linkage for Friday... River Ave. Blues discovered that Mike Mussina's wife may be a bigger factor than we thought in regard to his retirement decision. David O'Brien tosses out some names for the Braves to consider: Derek Lowe, Matt Cain, Roy Oswalt, and Josh Willingham. Everyone likes Lowe...Anthony McCarron says the Yankees and Mets should consider him. Those clubs could also enter a bidding war for C.C. Sabathia, says Bob Klapisch. Will C.C.'s postseason record diminish his contract? I don't think so. Greg Couch doesn't want Javier Vazquez pitching for the White Sox again. Maybe Ozzie is right, Vazquez is...   Continue Reading

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Cashman Comments

Peter Abraham has interesting quotes from Yankees GM Brian Cashman: The Yankees are trying to improve their process for scouting Japan. Thinking back to Kei Igawa in '06...that seemed like a direct response to the Red Sox getting Daisuke Matsuzaka. Cashman thinks Mike Mussina is leaning toward retirement. That would complicate Cashman's situation. It seems that Hal Steinbrenner has gotten Hank under control, which would make Cashman's job easier. There will be no advisory board, by the way. Joel Sherman says Cashman is now fighting for his reputation. Cashman cautioned fans against getting too attached to any one free agent....   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Manny, Laird, Strasburg, Chipper

Let's gather up today's linkage. Andy Pettitte will probably pitch next year, but Mike Mussina remains an unknown. Reader Peter H. reminds us that the Brewers' playoff berth means the Indians get to choose the player to be named later in the C.C. Sabathia deal. Ross Newhan finds it indisputable that the Dodgers and Angels have to re-sign Manny Ramirez and Mark Teixeira at any cost. Manny generated an estimated $7.6MM in extra revenue for the Dodgers. T.J. Simers snagged all kinds of quotes from Manny in recent articles, including one about Red Sox traveling secretary Jack McCormick dissing Manny...   Continue Reading

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Week In Review: 9/21 - 9/27

Here's your weekly look back at some of the biggest stories we've covered on MLBTR! The Pedro Alvarez drama may finally be behind us. The Pirates' first-round pick agreed to terms with the organization on a new four-year, $6.355MM major league contract. Jim Callis and Dejan Kovacevic have some more insight to offer on the signing here. The contract was officially signed later in the week, and the grievance was resolved. Royals fans and Eric Hosmer are also both relieved that this is over I'm sure. The Blue Jays began talking extension with A.J. Burnett this week. Later on, we...   Continue Reading

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Mussina Speaks About Future

Mike Mussina, who goes for his first 20 win season today, is unsure about his future although he does seem open to stay in the game for at least one more year, this according to Kat O'Brien of Newsday. O'Brien writes, "If my intent is going for 300, then if I'm in for one, I'm in for three," Mussina said. He added that if he pitched one year and pushed past the 280-win mark: "By then, I would absolutely owe it to myself to try." If he does return, Mussina said his first choice is to pitch for the Yankees....   Continue Reading

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Will Mike Mussina Retire?

Roch Kubatko recently spoke to Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, who recently spoke to Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina. When Palmer asked Mussina if he'd play in 2009, Mussina replied, "I don't think so." Everything I've read says Mussina doesn't care about 300 wins. With 31 more to go, the plateau may require three more seasons. Regardless, it'd be a shame to see Moose retire when he's clearly not finished as a pitcher. It'd also throw a wrench in the Yankees' plans, as they'd probably like to bring him back on a one-year deal at $12-14MM.   Continue Reading

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Mussina Willing To Return

According to Josh Thomson of The Journal News, Mike Mussina said last night he'd return to the Yankees next year if they'll have him. Mussina is earning $11MM this year. Mussina, 40 in December, bounced back from a lousy '07 to post a 3.57 ERA in 189.1 innings. The difference? More strikeouts and fewer walks despite losing a mile per hour on his fastball. Mussina is throwing more breaking stuff this year, apparently. I can envision an '09 Yankees rotation with C.C. Sabathia, Chien-Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlain, and Mussina locked in. Then Phil Hughes and others would battle it out...   Continue Reading

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Hank Steinbrenner Forming Advisory Group

SATURDAY: Cashman responds to the advisory group comments. He wouldn't say whether he wants to return. THURSDAY: Peter Abraham relays comments Hank Steinbrenner made to the AP today. Hank will review the entire organization and put together an advisory group for decision-making. Brian Cashman would still be in charge, but it sounds like too many cooks in the kitchen. Cashman probably will not want to stay if he loses autonomy. Speculation is that Cashman could consider the vacancies in Philadelphia or Seattle. One thing's for sure - the Yankees are prepared to throw around some cash this winter. Steinbrenner seemingly...   Continue Reading

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Will Yanks Make Any Trades?

Joel Sherman of the New York Post discusses the Yankees' trade prospects in a blog post today. The Yankees have a 3-5% chance of making the playoffs this year, according to Baseball Prospectus. Sherman suggests Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, and Carl Pavano as players with a slight chance of being dealt. No-trade clauses would present an obstacle for most of these players, however. As Sherman notes, Abreu is locked in as a Type A free agent. For the Yankees to receive draft picks for him this winter, they'd have to offer him arbitration and have him...   Continue Reading

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Looking At The Yankees' Impending Free Agents

The Yankees have several big-name free agents looming this off-season, including Bobby Abreu, Andy Pettite, Ivan Rodriguez, Mike Mussina, and Jason Giambi ($5MM buyout for his $22MM option). Deciding who to bring back, who to let walk and who to offer arbitration could be the key decisions that have a ripple effect throughout the rest of baseball. Tyler Kepner says the Yankees have already decided to not bring back Abreu and Giambi at their current salaries, $16MM and $21MM respectively. However Kepler says the Yankees may be open to bringing Abreu back at a reduced rate, especially without any obvious...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Broussard, Ledezma, Cooper

More random linkage. The Yankees have released first baseman Ben Broussard. The Padres designated Wil Ledezma for assignment. The 27 year-old could help someone as a reliever. The first first-rounder of '08 has signed: David Cooper of the Blue Jays. He could be in High-A ball by year's end. Last year's 17th pick, Blake Beavan, got about $1.5MM. By the way, only 26% of readers thought the Jays made the right choice with Cooper (according to our in-draft poll). Funny Mike Mussina quote from John Feinstein's new book.   Continue Reading

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Phillies Have Mild Interest In Mussina

The Yankees' rotation currently consists of Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, and Ian Kennedy. That leaves both Mike Mussina (owed $11MM in '08, no-trade protection) and Kei Igawa (owed $16MM over 2008-11) without starting jobs. It wouldn't be a bad move to just keep the depth, if you consider it depth. After all, the three kids aren't going to combine for 600 innings. But Mussina and Igawa might be available. Bob Matthews of the Times-Union Democrat and Chronicle (yes we're really digging for rumors) notes today that the Phillies have "mild interest" in Mussina. The 39 year-old..   Continue Reading

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Mussina Back With Yankees

Looks like Mike Mussina has agreed to a 2-year, $22.5 million contract with the Yankees. No big surprise here: there was never much talk that he could've been going elsewhere. That gives the Yankees a projected rotation of Chien-Ming Wang, Randy Johnson, Mussina, and some combination of free agents (Gil Meche? a White Sox starter via trade?) and Carl Pavano, Humberto Sanchez, Darrell Rasner, and Jeff Karstens. And, of course, the possibility of Philip Hughes. By Jeff Sackman   Continue Reading

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Miscellaneous Rumors

There are a few trade-related nuggets in the newspapers today, but I don't expect anything major to go down until June. The Reds are trying to find a taker for Tony Womack, who has thankfully been pushed out of their infield and demoted. That is what we call a million dollar mistake. I guess Brandon Phillips makes up for it, at least until his bat runs cold. Jay Payton and his agent are being vocal about finding him his 500 ABs with another team if necessary. The best fit I can find is the Cardinals. The Yanks plan on declining..   Continue Reading

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