Yankees Rumor Roundup

Too many Cub rumors for you, eh?  Let’s round up all the Yankee-related happenings in one convenient post.

Carl Pavano: the Rockies would have him, but only at the price of $12-13MM for 2007-08.  According to the New York Post, the Yankees will hold off on this one but could revisit it.  Back in ’04, Pavano ranked 15th in the NL with a groundball percentage of 48.2.  Hard to believe Carl once threw 222 innings in a season.  Ah, contract years. 

A-Rod: talk of his out clause was strong enough to bring a statement out of him.  He said all the right things, but you have to wonder.

After retaining Mike Mussina, the Yankees might turn their focus to Barry Zito (scroll to bottom).  Failing that, 28 year-old righty Gil Meche could be the target.  And don’t forget Randy Wolf.  The Yankees also are expected to bid on Kei Igawa.  Finally, the Yankees are interested in Ted Lilly, whose deal will exceed four years and $34MM. 

Internally, New York has talked about the possibility of adding Dontrelle Willis.  Could they flip Humberto Sanchez and Melky Cabrera to Florida?  Would that be enough?  Bill James projects Cabrera to hit .285/.351/.411 as a 22 year-old.  On top of that, James’s panel of experts ranked him as the fourth best defensive LF in the game.  As for Sanchez, George King confirmed his availability.  ZiPS projects a 4.42 ERA for him next year.

As the Yanks are looking for a right-handed hitting first baseman, Nomar’s name has surfaced again.  James’s experts labeled Nomar the fifth best defensive 1B in baseball.  However, Ken Davidoff says that Garciaparra "seems poised to re-sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers."  How many right-handed hitting 1Bs are left?  Kevin Millar, Phil Nevin, or Chris Shelton could fit the bill. 

Finally, Brian Cashman is looking for a backup catcher after failing to sign Henry Blanco.  Where’s Sal Fasano’s mustache when you need it?

By Tim Dierkes