Impacto Deportivo Manny Report
5:02pm: Hal Steinbrenner denies the report as well, says Kat O’Brien. She says no offer is on the table for Manny. Interestingly, O’Brien said she’s heard the names Pat Burrell and Jason Giambi mentioned for the Yankees.
3:34pm: Impactivo Deportivo sticks to its guns despite the Cashman denial.
MONDAY, 8:27am: MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch asked Yankees GM Brian Cashman about this report. Cashman responded: "Not true."
SUNDAY, 10:53pm: According to a report in the Dominican newspaper Impacto Deportivo, the Yankees are on the verge of signing Manny Ramirez to a three-year, $75MM deal. The report says negotiations are advanced and an announcement would take place Monday or Tuesday. If true, this would be an incredible scoop. However, there is reason for skepticism. The money and timing just don’t seem right.
A look at Impacto Deportivo’s recent history:
- 11/24/08: Reported the Braves as the mystery team in on Rafael Furcal, offering four years and $52MM. The offer was inaccurate, but they did nail the mystery team.
- 11/12/08: Correctly scooped the Damaso Marte signing.
- 2/21/08: Incorrectly indicated the White Sox reached an agreement with Bartolo Colon. Also incorrect on a similar rumor involving the Royals.
- 1/21/08: Correctly scooped the Octavio Dotel signing.
- 11/18/07: Correctly scooped the Luis Castillo signing.
Yankees Sign Chien-Ming Wang
According to a press release, the Yankees signed arbitration-eligible starter Chien-Ming Wang for 2009. Wang is under team control through the 2011 season. River Ave. Blues notes that the two sides went to a hearing about $600K last year, and the Yankees’ victory continues to pay off.
Odds and Ends: Napoli, Schilling, Bradley
Links for Monday, to be updated as more come in.
- RotoAuthority suggests Mike Napoli could be a top five catcher in fantasy baseball next year with enough playing time.
- Curt Schilling gives his thoughts on agents.
- Geoff Baker thinks Milton Bradley would be a good fit for the Mariners.
- River Ave. Blues likes Gabe Kapler for the Yankees.
- Nationals pitcher Collin Balester calls it – World Series sweep if they sign Mark Teixeira. Balester keeps a blog here, check it out.
Pirates Sign Bootcheck, Bautista
According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
The Pirates today agreed to terms with six players on minor league contracts and an invitation to spring training: relievers Chris Bootcheck, Denny Bautista and Juan Mateo; infielders Garrett Jones and Andy Phillips; and outfielder Jeff Salazar.
I’m curious to see if Bootcheck is still represented by Scott Boras. You may recall that the Pirates non-tendered Bautista earlier this month.
Ricciardi Mentions Giambi, Hudson
Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi tossed out a few names in a conversation with Nick Cafardo:
"Orlando Hudson is out there. Jason Giambi is out there. We’ll have to see who’s out there still when the music stops and see who we might be able to get."
MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian says the Blue Jays have a payroll of around $84MM for 2009, meaning they’d have to trade someone before signing a significant free agent.
Furcal Comments On Braves
The AP has quotes from Rafael Furcal regarding the Braves negotiations: "We never, not my agents nor me, agreed to anything with the Braves."
Furcal also revealed Oakland’s approach: an initial four-year, $32MM offer, followed by a four-year $35MM offer of the "take it or leave it" variety.
How Will The Angels Spend Their Money?
12:02pm: Boras gave a prepared statement regarding the Angels and Tex, saying that the player’s interest has been sincere. Boras left the door open for the Angels, but why wouldn’t he?
11:28am: So the Angels are out of the running for Mark Teixeira. Now what? They’ve re-signed Juan Rivera, making Manny Ramirez a "reach" according to Jerry Crasnick’s source. Mike DiGiovanna has suggestions:
The Angels…could also look to bolster their offense by pursuing a free-agent outfielder such as Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, Adam Dunn, or, possibly, Manny. Or, they could look to trade for a hitter such as Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko, Garrett Atkins or Joey Votto. They will probably use some of the money budgeted for Teixeira to sign closer Brian Fuentes, who is seeking a three-year, $30-million deal and has said that the Angels are his first choice.
Votto seems a long shot to be traded. Acquiring Dye or Atkins would require young pitching the Halos may not be able to spare. Adding another outfielder would not be ideal, with Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter, Rivera, and Gary Matthews Jr. in the mix for those three spots and the DH spot. Still, it could be done. Burrell or Dunn can at least play some first base. The Konerko idea seems reasonable, if he’d approve the trade.
What’s Next For The Braves?
David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution sums up the Braves’ current known targets in his latest blog post. As O’Brien notes, things have not gone according to plan for the Braves this winter.
- The Braves have yet to indicate interest in Adam Dunn or Pat Burrell for their left field vacancy. Juan Rivera might’ve been an option; he re-signed with the Angels. Since the Braves struggled against lefties in 2008, Burrell would be a better fit.
- They have not indicated any interest in Ben Sheets, nor have they shown serious interest in Derek Lowe. The Braves’ #7 draft pick next year is protected, should they sign one of the two.
- The Braves are "squarely in the bidding" for Japanese starter Kenshin Kawakami.
Mark Teixeira Rumors: Sunday
11:37pm: Kat O’Brien and Ken Davidoff have a new column up. They say that despite John Henry’s Thursday statement, the Red Sox did not pull their $170-180MM offer. The Yankees have not made an offer; they’re debating it internally.
6:18pm: The Angels confirmed to Mike DiGiovanna that they’ve pulled their offer and are no longer pursuing Teixeira.
6:02pm: Brown, who seemingly had the Angels’ withdrawn offer scoop first, has more. He says Arte Moreno decided that Tex did not intend to play for the Angels and were being used to drive up the price.
Brown also learned that the Red Sox have not spoken to Boras since Thursday night.
5:15pm: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Angels withdrew their offer to Teixeira. He says the Angels’ decision "appears more final" than Boston’s "not going to be a factor" statement. Rosenthal believes the Angels offered around $160MM over eight years, but Tex wants to be on the East Coast. Tim Brown says the Halos will not re-enter the bidding for Teixeira.
1:56pm: A few Mark Teixeira notes from Buster Olney’s blog this morning:
Olney talked to someone who talked to a member of the Nationals’ front office. The word is that the Nationals "absolutely do not expect to win the bidding for Teixeira."
Olney also heard that the Yankees did make an offer to Tex at some point, but it’s now off the table. Kat O’Brien explains that Scott Boras is trying to bring the Yankees into the bidding, and their front office is divided.
Dan Graziano says Teixeira is "as on-board with the Boras plan as any client he’s ever had besides his ultimate client, Alex Rodriguez." Stan McNeal offers a Boras translation machine at Sporting News.
Reds Sign Aaron Fultz
According to MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon, the Reds signed veteran lefty reliever Aaron Fultz to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite. Fultz, 35, didn’t pitch much in ’08.