Yankees Re-Sign Andy Pettitte
12:26pm: The deal is official, tweets Sherman.
10:13am: Sherman says the Yankees re-signed Pettitte for one year and $11.75MM. The Yanks have certainly accomplished their early-offseason goals. Pettitte was one of the better free agent starters available, though he wasn't really available to other teams.
9:40am: Newsday's Ken Davidoff sees the deal being for about $11.5MM, and believes it will be finished in the next day or two. Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the exact number is $11.75MM.
9:11am: The Yankees are closing in on a deal with Andy Pettitte for about $12MM, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. He says the contract will be finalized today.
Randy Wolf To Sign With Brewers
11:46am: Haudricourt writes that there is a fourth-year club option and the value of the deal is "just under $30MM." Rosenthal says the final number is $29.75MM.
11:22am: Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that the Brewers will agree with Wolf today on a three-year deal worth just under $30MM. Ken Rosenthal says an agreement has been reached. ESPN's Buster Olney agrees with Haudricourt's figure: $27MM.
WEDNESDAY, 9:22am: Haudricourt says the Brewers have a meeting with Tellem today, and they expect a response on Wolf. If they sign him, they'll next look for a set-up man, possibly Kevin Gregg. If they don't get Wolf, Jon Garland is Plan B.
11:39pm: Now, Haudricourt says the Brewers offered $27MM over three years. They are hoping for a response tomorrow.
2:46pm: Haudricourt believes the Brewers offered Wolf three years and $31MM. He should probably sign that.
9:32am: The Mets will meet with Wolf's agent Arn Tellem today, says Haudricourt, suggesting the Brewers' offer is being shopped around.
TUESDAY, 8:37am: ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that the Brewers offered Wolf more than Tim Hudson's three-year, $28MM deal, but a half-dozen other teams remain in the mix. Heyman tweets that the Mets aren't giving up, but hope two years will be enough.
MONDAY, 11:06pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Brewers are "on [the] verge" of signing Wolf to a three-year pact.
10:02pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Brewers did offer Wolf a third year. The Brewers are the "frontrunner" for Wolf's services and a deal could apparently go down within days.
9:34pm: Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel hears that it will take a three year offer to lure Wolf to Milwaukee. The Brewers appear willing to offer the lefty a third year. The Dodgers didn't offer him arbitration, so at least he won't cost a draft pick. Still, the deal's far from a certainty at this point.
9:22pm: Ed Price of AOL FanHouse hears that the Brewers are closing in on a three-year deal with Wolf. Price writes that he's "trying to confirm" the rumor, so it's definitely not a sure thing. Stay tuned.
7:21pm: A source close to Wolf calls this rumor "nonsense," according to Yahoo's Tim Brown.
6:41pm: A Randy Wolf signing may be imminent, if you believe the word of "one high-ranking club executive" who spoke to USA Today's Bob Nightengale. We learned today that the Mets plan to meet with Wolf's agent, and the Brewers are making a "strong run" at the lefty. Wolf was also linked to the Mariners for the first time, by SI's Jon Heyman.
Odds & Ends: Sheffield, Matsui, Darvish
Kicking off a fresh Odds & Ends post for Day 3 of the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis…
- NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman says reliever Ryota Igarashi received a one-year big league offer from an unknown team.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says Justin Duchscherer would like to pitch for the D'Backs, but a deal is not likely. He also notes that the D'Backs denied offering Chris Snyder to the Rangers for C.J. Wilson.
- Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe learned that Gary Sheffield has four suitors currently, the Red Sox not among them.
- John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle names the A's as a "possible suitor" for Hideki Matsui, which ESPN's Keith Law thinks would be pointless.
- Wezen-Ball gives us the history of the highest-paid player in baseball, from Nolan Ryan onward.
- Yu Darvish became the youngest player in Japanese baseball history (he's 23) to reach 300 million yen when he re-signed for 330 million, reports Kyodo News. That comes to about $3.75MM currently.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff notes that Rudy Seanez wants to pitch next year.
- ESPN's Mike Salk says the Mariners "specifically chose" Jack Wilson over J.J. Hardy.
Market For Mike Cameron, Marlon Byrd
WEDNESDAY, 11:15am: Jon Paul Morosi says the markets for Cameron and Marlon Byrd are running parallel, with the Braves, Angels, Cubs, Yankees, Mariners, Mets and Giants checking in on both.
TUESDAY, 4:29pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has thoughts on the market for free agent center fielder Mike Cameron. He names the Mariners, Cubs, Red Sox, and Yankees as potential suitors Cameron, who turns 37 in January. Rosenthal notes that Cameron would move from center to left field for the right team.
Regarding the Cubs, Rosenthal explains that they can pursue him if they free up "a good amount" in their Milton Bradley trade. Marlon Byrd and Scott Podsednik could be other options if they save less.
Boof Bonser Designated For Assignment
WEDNESDAY, 10:47am: La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Twins attempted to sign Bonser to a one-year deal recently, but were turned down. He's expected to be released.
TUESDAY, 1:32pm: The Twins designated pitcher Boof Bonser for assignment to make room for Carl Pavano, tweets Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The 28-year-old Bonser had labrum and rotator cuff surgery in February. Bonser sports a 5.12 ERA, 7.3 K/9, and 2.9 BB/9 over 391.6 career innings spanning three seasons.
Orioles Rumors: Millwood, Uggla, Atkins, Beltre
WEDNESDAY, 10:02am: Millwood update: Zrebiec says the Rangers originally wanted David Hernandez and a low-level prospect for Millwood, and were willing to pay $3MM of the $12MM owed to the veteran. Meanwhile Zrebiec's colleague Peter Schmuck says Chris Ray could be involved and the Rangers would pick up most of Millwood's salary, in one scenario.
TUESDAY, 9:36pm: Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that the O's are still exchanging trade proposals with the Rangers for Kevin Millwood. T.R. Sullivan reported that the Rangers wanted Chris Tillman initially, but talks have since developed. The Orioles are among the frontrunners for Millwood.
The O's met with the Marlins about Dan Uggla, but the Marlins want two pitching prospects in return and the Orioles are reluctant to hand that kind of package over. The Marlins have one less suitor for Uggla, according to Andrew Baggarly, who says the Giants aren't serious bidders, so that could lower the asking price for the arbitration-eligible infielder.
Here are even more O's rumors:
- Kevin Kouzmanoff and Garrett Atkins interest the O's to an extent.
- Joe Crede and Pedro Feliz remain options for Baltimore, but Adrian Beltre has priced himself out of reach.
- We heard about their interest in Hank Blalock, Carlos Delgado and Nick Johnson earlier today.
- They also have "tepid" interest in Russell Branyan.
- The Orioles aren't particularly intrigued by Joe Blanton and Derek Lowe, who are both available via trade.
- Vladimir Guerrero, Adam LaRoche, Jose Valverde and Kevin Gregg all interest the O's slightly.
- They do have interest in Rafael Soriano, and spoke with the Braves about him.
- They're not interested in J.J. Putz.
- MLB.com's Spencer Fordin reports that the Royals engaged the O's in Felix Pie trade talks without ever coming close to a deal.
Blockbuster Reactions
WEDNESDAY, 9:03am: Let's add Nick Piecoro's take from the Arizona Republic. I'm with him – I don't hate it for Arizona as much as most people. – Tim Dierkes
TUESDAY, 8:27pm: Dave Dombrowski and Brian Cashman might not be commenting on today's big trade, but lots of other people sure are:
- Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press says it's a "damn shame" the Tigers had to trade Curtis Granderson.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Tigers had to make the move because they're overpaying a group of underperforming veterans.
- MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo breaks down the minor leaguers in the deal. For those of you wondering about Austin Jackson's defense, Mayo offers the following: "Many feel he has the skills to be an everyday center fielder at the Major League level, with above-average range and a solid arm." But will he have Granderson's knack for the spectacular play?
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says the deal is very good for the Yankees, okay for the Tigers and bad for the D'Backs.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law says he has "no idea" why the D'Backs would make this deal. Law considers the Tigers and Yankees winners.
- Frankie Piliere of AOL FanHouse says the Tigers are "clear winners" in this deal.
What do you think about the deal?
Yankees Outfield Situation
The Yankees' acquisition of Curtis Granderson yesterday obviously affects their other outfielders and free agents Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. ESPN's Buster Olney says that if the Yanks re-sign Damon, they're more likely to trade Nick Swisher. He finds it "increasingly unlikely" that they re-sign Matsui, whether or not Damon returns. Olney doesn't mention it, but we also have to consider the possibility Melky Cabrera is dealt. Damon, for his part, still thinks there's a window for him to return (talking to Tyler Kepner of the New York Times).
Swisher, 29, hit .249/.371/.498 in 607 plate appearances this year, drawing 97 walks and hitting 29 home runs while playing right field and a little first base. He's guaranteed $16.75MM over the next two seasons. Do you prefer Swisher or Damon, if you had to choose one?
Overnight Links: Wolf, Crisp, Yankees, Halladay
MLBTR's 24-hour coverage of the winter meetings continues as we gear up for whatever Day Three may bring. In the meantime, let's check out some overnight links from around the majors….
- In a pair of tweets, Buster Olney of ESPN.com passes on these notes: The Brewers expect a decision from Randy Wolf today, and the Red Sox have interest in Coco Crisp.
- Of the expensive arms linked to the Orioles, Kevin Millwood makes the most sense, according to the Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck.
- The New York Post's Joel Sherman speculates about what Curtis Granderson's arrival could mean for the futures of Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui in New York.
- Bill Madden of the New York Daily News opines that the Yankees still need to make Damon a priority, even with Granderson on the roster.
- John Harper of the New York Daily News wonders if the Granderson trade will prompt the Red Sox to pursue Roy Halladay more actively.
- The Angels are the front-runners to acquire Halladay, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Renck ranks the Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers respectively as the other contenders.
- Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times says that although the Dodgers would like to sign or trade for a pair of starters this winter, they might be content to just add one.
- Crisp could end up back in Kansas City next season, writes MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. Both parties are currently exploring their options.
- John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle details what would have to happen for Hideki Matsui to end up in Oakland.
- In a separate piece, Shea explains why the Giants are re-thinking their approach to filling their opening behind the plate.
- The Yankees' acquisition of Granderson has the Boston media even busier than usual. Rob Bradford of WEEI hears that the Tigers asked Boston for either Clay Buchholz or Jacoby Ellsbury in exchange for Granderson. The Boston Herald's Michael Silverman doesn't think the Red Sox will feel forced to strike back immediately, while Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports that the Sox have no plans to replace their departed bullpen arms with pricey free agents. Speaking of pricey free agents though, John Tomase of the Boston Herald fully expects Boston to sign either Jason Bay or Matt Holliday.
Mets Focused On Five Starting Pitchers
The New York Mets have targeted five free agent starting pitchers, according to the New York Post's Joel Sherman: John Lackey, Joel Pineiro, Jason Marquis, Jon Garland, and Doug Davis.
The Mets have yet to make any offers to free agent starters, but have met with Lackey's representation and are having an internal debate on whether to "go all-in" for the right-hander. With the club feeling that they're unlikely to invest heavily in a catcher or left fielder, some of the team's brass think they should spend their money on the best pitcher available, rather than saving it for other positions.
Of the five pitchers Sherman mentions, the Mets are only willing to offer more than three years to Lackey, and no more than two years to Marquis, Garland, and Davis.