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Yankees Eyeing Pitching Depth

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The bulging disk in Phil Hughes’ back could prove to be a short-term concern, but the Yankees are preparing for the possibility that they’ll need pitching reinforcements. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Yankees are “fishing around” for a veteran starter who can pitch at Triple-A.

The Yankees plan to watch free agent right-hander Chien-Ming Wang at the upcoming World Baseball Classic, Sherman reports. However, GM Brian Cashman said yesterday that he has no interest in signing Kyle Lohse, the top player remaining on the free agent market. Signing Lohse would require the forfeiture of the 27th overall pick in the upcoming amateur draft.

Cashman said the Yankees will rely heavily on their pitching staff in 2013, adding that he expects a decrease in offense. “We are going to score fewer runs,” he admitted. The Yankees' projected rotation consists of Hughes, CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte. David Phelps and Ivan Nova are competing for the final starting job and Adam Warren provides the club with depth.

Justin Morneau On Future With Twins

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Justin Morneau, who has spent his entire ten-year career with the Twins, told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he’ll understand if he’s no longer part of the organization’s long-term plans. But as Morneau enters the final year of his contract, he’s prepared to talk if general manager Terry Ryan wants to discuss an extension during the season.

“I’m not against it,” he told Morosi. “It’s not something I’d like to do, unless it starts close and seems realistic from beginning. You don’t want to drag negotiations out for weeks in the middle of the year and become a distraction.”

Morneau, 32 in May, will earn $14MM in 2013 before hitting free agency. He hit 19 home runs and posted a .267/.333/.440 batting line in 2012 after battling concussion-related issues and undergoing various surgeries. The New Westminster, British Columbia native says his preference is to stay with the Twins and win in Minnesota. Yet he acknowledged that he’s intrigued by the possibility of playing for the team he rooted for as a kid: the Blue Jays.

"That was my favorite team growing up, so that would be very cool,” he said.

Morneau signed a six-year, $80MM deal before the 2008 season. However, he sustained a concussion in July of 2010 and missed the remainder of the 2010 season and much of the 2011 season. The left-handed hitting SFX client won the 2006 AL MVP.

Quick Hits: Rangers, Nava, Helton, Cano

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The Rangers have financial flexibility following a relatively quiet offseason, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). However, they aren’t desperate for a starting pitcher at this stage. Here are the latest links from around MLB…

  • Daniel Nava represented himself for the early part of his MLB career, but he has now hired an agent, Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports. Joe Sambito of SFX now represents Nava, who posted a .243/.352/.390 batting line in 317 plate appearances for the Red Sox in 2012. Check out MLBTR’s Agency Database for more information on player representatives.
  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post would be “really surprised” if Todd Helton plays again in 2014 (Twitter link). It’d be complicated for the Rockies to bring Helton back in anything but a part-time Jason Giambi-like role. Helton will earn $5MM in 2013 before hitting free agency.
  • ESPN.com’s Buster Olney wonders if the Nationals could pursue Robinson Cano as a free agent next offseason (Twitter link). Cano will appeal to many teams if he reaches free agency, though there’s no guarantee that’ll happen. The Yankees appear to be prepared to discuss a significant long-term contract with their longtime second baseman.
  • Olney suggested in his most recent blog entry that the Cubs and Dodgers could also bid for Cano. The Yankees' baseball operations department could be prepared to commit $189MM or so over seven years for Cano in Olney's view.

Nutting: Pirates Must Take Step Forward

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The Pirates extended general manager Neal Huntington following the 2011 season and extended manager Clint Hurdle this week. Despite those moves, Huntington and Hurdle face pressure from above, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. Owner Bob Nutting said the organization’s decision makers expect to win and that the franchise “must take a step forward." 

"The idea that an extension is somehow a free pass is exactly the message I would not want to send, and not the message Clint heard,” Nutting said. “We've shown we're willing to make a change if we need to, irrespective of the contract terms."

Nutting said the Pirates aim to win the World Series, but declined to clarify what a step forward would look like in further detail. Ending the franchise’s 20-year streak of losing seasons isn’t a goal in itself and would be "an inappropriate target" in Nutting’s view.

The Pirates came close to ending their streak of losing seasons in 2012, but finished with a 79-83 record. Huntington added Russell Martin, Jeff Karstens, Jason Grilli, Francisco Liriano and Jonathan Sanchez this offseason.

Mets Notes: Collins, Bullpen, Byrd

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The latest on the Mets as Spring Training continues in Port St. Lucie…

  • It’s “almost impossible” that the Mets will fire or extend manager Terry Collins during the 2013 season, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports (on Twitter). Collins’ contract expires after the season, and he has said he doesn’t expect the situation to become a distraction.
  • Collins says he's pleased with the array of left-handed relievers in camp this year, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports. "We come into this spring with five legitimate candidates, which we haven’t had in the past,” Collins said.
  • Marlon Byrd told Kevin Burkhardt of SNY.tv that he decided to sign with the Mets because of Collins’ presence and the chance to contribute as a veteran on a young team with upside (video link via MetsBlog.com).

Rockies Could Trade For Starter

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The Rockies' offense out-scored all but two National League clubs in 2012, even though Troy Tulowitzki missed two thirds of the season. The Colorado offense should again be prolific, but the pitching staff remains a concern. In an attempt to balance out their roster, the Rockies might trade a position player for a starting pitcher, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.

The Rockies aim to add another capable starting pitcher to a rotation that now includes Jhoulys Chacin, Jeff Francis, Jorge De La Rosa, Drew Pomeranz and Juan Nicasio. According to Rosenthal, the Rockies hope to add someone in the Josh Fogg mold — a pitcher capable of posting a 4.50-4.75 ERA for 150-175 innings.

The Rockies might look to bolster their pitching staff by trading a catcher. Wilin Rosario, Ramon Hernandez, Jordan Pacheco and Yorvit Torrealba provide manager Walt Weiss with an abundance of choices behind the plate. Hernandez is the player the Rockies would most like to deal, Rosenthal writes.

The Dodgers have starting pitching depth and might be positioned to trade someone like Chris Capuano. I expect they could match up with the Rockies depending on their confidence in the tandem of A.J. Ellis and Tim Federowicz and their willingness to trade within the division.

AL East Notes: Cano, Soriano, Orioles

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The Yankees and Orioles made the playoffs last year and a third AL East club, the Rays, won 90 games. The Blue Jays and Red Sox disappointed in 2012, but after a winter of offseason moves both teams hope to contend in 2013. Here are the latest AL East links at a time that the division truly seems wide open…

  • The Yankees say they’re prepared to discuss a significant long-term contract with Robinson Cano, but as Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes, there’s lots of rhetoric involved at this stage. The sides will declare their mutual interest in working out a new deal while remaining inflexible on financial details. Sherman expects agent Scott Boras to seek a ten-year deal in the $225-240MM range. The Yankees could start by suggesting a high average annual value for a shorter term, perhaps $170-175MM for seven years.
  • The Yankees would not give up a good prospect to acquire Alfonso Soriano, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Heyman suggests the Yankees would pay $10MM of the $36MM remaining on the left fielder's contract. Soriano has indicated he'd consider trades to a group of six or seven teams, including the Yankees.
  • The Orioles announced that they promoted Brady Anderson to the role of VP of baseball operations. Ned Rice, who had been the club’s assistant director of Major League operations, was promoted to director of Major League administration.
  • The Mariners have a list of Red Sox players that they're looking at as a player to be named later in the Mike Carp trade, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times (on Twitter).  All four players are lower level non-premium minor leaguers in the Red Sox system.
  • Here are some more notes on the Red Sox.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Team Facebook/Twitter/RSS

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If you prefer your MLBTR fix limited to only your favorite team, we've got you covered.  Below are links to our team Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds.

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Transactions only: Twitter / RSS

Red Sox Notes: Carp, Overbay, Hanrahan

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Earlier this morning the Red Sox acquired Mike Carp from the Mariners for a player to be named later or cash considerations. The move provides the Red Sox with another lefty hitting option while creating some additional pressure for other players competing for playing time. Here’s the latest on the Red Sox…

  • The Red Sox aren’t expected to give up a significant prospect in the deal, Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports. Carp is out of options and takes up a 40-man roster spot, which limited his trade value. The primary cost of acquiring Carp was cash, Speier writes.
  • Lyle Overbay, who joined the Red Sox on a minor league deal earlier this year, could be the odd man out now that the Red Sox have acquired Carp. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders if Overbay could end up returning to the Brewers, who now need a first baseman (Twitter link). Overbay told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he's prepared to compete for a roster spot with the Red Sox.
  • Joel Hanrahan is willing to discuss an extension with the Red Sox if the team is interested, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports. "It has been great here so far," Hanrahan said.
  • Kevin Youkilis said the Red Sox called his agent during the offseason, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (Twitter link). Discussions didn't intensify and the longtime Red Sox star signed with the Yankees.

Red Sox Acquire Mike Carp

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The Red Sox acquired Mike Carp from the Mariners for a player to be named later or cash considerations, the teams announced. The Red Sox placed outfielder Ryan Kalish on the 60-day disabled list to create 40-man roster space for Carp.

Multiple teams expressed interest in Carp after the Mariners designated him for assignment. The Twins, Astros and Brewers were all linked to the 26-year-old earlier this week.

Carp, a left-handed hitting first baseman/outfielder, has played for the Mariners in parts of four seasons, compiling a .255/.327/.413 batting line with 18 home runs and 28 doubles in 608 plate appearances. Seattle originally acquired him from the Mets in the three-team trade involving Jason Vargas, J.J. Putz and Franklin Gutierrez four offseasons ago.

Carp has a .300/.341/.462 batting line against left-handed pitching for his career and a .241/.323/.398 line against right-handers. I expect his .372 batting average on balls in play against southpaws is driving that discrepancy; Carp won't necessarily hit left-handers better than right-handers going forward.

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