Yankees Notes: Millwood, Hughes, Martin
In the interest of equal time, here are some noteworthy items on the Yankees..
- Kevin Millwood had a strong showing in the minors today, allowing just one hit across seven scoreless innings, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN. The Yanks brought Millwood in on a minor league deal that will balloon if he can hit certain incentive triggers.
- Earlier today, Yankees skipper Joe Girardi told the press that the club had planned to send Phil Hughes to Triple-A to work through his troubles, tweets Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com. Hughes ultimately convinced the Yankees that that wouldn't be the best course of action for his "dead arm".
- Russell Martin is proving GM Brian Cashman's doubters wrong with his strong performance thus far, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. Cashman remarked before the season that the $4MM base deal could wind up being a bargain for the club.
MLBTR Originals
Here's a look back at some of the original analysis and reporting MLBTR's writing team delivered this week..
- Days after announcing his retirement, Carlos Delgado talked to Ben Nicholson-Smith about his career.
- Do you have the MLBTradeRumors app on your iPhone? This week, Howard Megdal learned that Tim Byrdak does.
- Tim took a look at some of the most regrettable high-priced contracts from the 2009-2010 offseason.
- Three years and one day ago, the Blue Jays cut Randy Wells, allowing him to re-sign with the Cubs.
- We asked our readers if MLB should change the luxury tax deadline.
- Jered Weaver could be considered an extension candidate and a trade candidate, writes Mark Polishuk.
- The Offseason In Review series rolled on with a look at the Phillies, Tigers, and Astros.
- Here's an explanation of the many ways to enjoy MLB Trade Rumors.
- Here's an updated list of the largest contracts by service time in the majors. We also broke down all of Boston's long-term commitments in one handy post.
- Have you taken a gander at our agency database? It's constantly updated with all of the latest representation changes.
- The Blue Jays expect to move David Purcey soon and Ben identified some possible destinations for the hurler.
- This week we introduced our 2012 Contract Issues series by looking at the Pirates, Orioles, and Marlins.
- Mike Axisa rounded up some of the best baseball analysis on the web in this week's Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
- Twenty years later, Ben took a look back at the 1991 draft.
- Check out the transcript of Tim's Wednesday chat with MLBTR readers.
- We broke down the four upcoming player options this winter.
Rosenthal On DeRosa, Rangers, Gonzalez, Garcia
Let's dive into the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- It's early in the season, but it already seems like the Giants' Mark DeRosa could be the odd man out in San Francisco. DeRosa is obviously versatile, but the club seems to be set at shortstop, second base, third, and in the outfield. The veteran is earning $6MM and he seems like a prime candidate to be traded.
- The Rangers are off to a hot start but the club is concerned about their lack of a dominant right-handed set-up man. Alexi Ogando was supposed to fill that role but instead, he's flourishing as a starter. Darren O'Day is coming off two strong seasons but he's viewed as more of a "seventh inning guy". Because of that, look for Texas to target a strong right-handed reliever before the deadline.
- The next young starters in line for contract extensions might be the A's Gio Gonzalez and the Cardinals' Jaime Garcia following the deals given to Trevor Cahill and Clay Buchholz. However, Gonzalez is a Super Two player, meaning that the A's might have to guarantee him another year to cover his first year of free agency.
Quick Hits: Mariners, Indians, Orioles
Links on a rainy Saturday afternoon in New York..
- Buster Olney of ESPN (via Twitter) believes that Jack Zduriencik's challenge with the Mariners is a lot like Neal Huntington's when he took over with the Pirates. Both GMs, he says, had to work from almost nothing in the farm system.
- The Indians will have to make a move to create a roster spot for the returning Grady Sizemore, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer. The Tribe could theoretically shed spare outfielders Austin Kearns or Shelley Duncan but will most likely demote Travis Buck as he has an option remaining.
- Steve Melewski of MASNSports writes that Orioles newcomers Vlad Guerrero and Derrek Lee usually get off to solid starts. Early on in 2011, both veterans have struggled at the plate.
Braves Acquire Stefan Gartrell
The Braves have acquired Triple-A outfielder Stefan Gartrell from the White Sox for cash considerations, according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (via Twitter). The 27-year-old has been with the White Sox since 2006, when he was taken in the 31st round of the amateur draft.
In 177 career Triple-A games, Gartrell owns a .258/.318/.460 slashline with 32 homers.
Quick Hits: Zito, Rangers, Morgan, Angels
Links for Thursday night..
- The Giants likely can't get much for Barry Zito and therefore a deal involving him is unlikely, writes MLB.com's Chris Haft.
- Ryan Theriot enjoyed his brief stint with the Dodgers last season, writes Quinn Roberts for MLB.com. After playing 54 games for the club last season, he was shipped to the Cardinals for reliever Blake Hawksworth.
- Despite all of the uncertainty about their rotation heading into this season, it seems like the Rangers pitching is just fine, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
- After bouncing around from the Pirates to the Nationals to the Brewers, Nyjer Morgan seems to be carving out a niche for himself in Milwaukee, writes George Von Benko for MLB.com. The Brewers acquired Morgan in exchange for Cutter Dykstra in late March.
- Major League Baseball announced the selection order for the draft (June 6-8) and the Padres own five of the first 58 overall selections, writes Corey Brock of MLB.com. In addition to their own first-rounder, the club has the ninth pick for failing to sign their 2010 first-round pick, pitcher Karsten Whitson. They also have three compensatory picks for Jon Garland (Dodgers), Yorvit Torrealba (Rangers) and Kevin Correia (Pirates).
- The Angels are grateful to have picked up left-handed relievers Hisanori Takahashi and Scott Downs this offseason, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
Yankees Notes: Marte, Pinto, Torre
Some Bombers-related items as the Yankees take on the Orioles at home..
- Earlier today, the Yankees disclosed that Pedro Feliciano may require significant surgery and could miss the entire 2011 season. GM Brian Cashman says that left-hander Damaso Marte is likely done for the season as well after undergoing shoulder surgery in October. When asked about a potential replacement for Feliciano, Cashman acknowledged that he would look for one, though he doesn't expect to find one easily.
- With Feliciano and Marte likely on the shelf for '11, David Villavicencio of FoxSportsFlorida.com (via Twitter) wonders if the Yanks might give former Marlins left-hander Renyel Pinto a call. Pinto had a brief stint with the Cardinals last season that ended after he posted a 4.78 ERA with 10.6 K/9 and 7.5 BB/9 in Triple-A.
- Speaking of the Yankees bullpen, Cashman says that the overuse of relievers under the watch of Joe Torre was not his fault, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. In fact, the GM says that he told relievers to be truthful with Torre and his staff when they were asked about their availability to pitch.
Minor Deals: Mattingly, Mariners, Yankees
Let's take a look at a few minor deals courtesy of Baseball America's Matt Eddy..
- The Dodgers welcomed back outfielder Preston Mattingly after he was released by the Indians. The son of the Dodgers skipper was the club's first-round selection (31st overall) in the 2006 draft.
- Mariners right-hander Nolan Gallagher has voluntarily retired after injuries limited him to just 22 appearances over the last three seasons. The 25-year-old was the M's fourth round selection in 2007.
- The Yankees have signed 24-year-old right-hander Reinier Casanova. The Cuban-born hurler defected following the 2009 season.
Athletics, Trevor Cahill Agree To Multiyear Deal
Billy Beane continued an Oakland tradition today, locking up yet another promising young starter. The A's GM agreed to sign Trevor Cahill through his arbitration years and then some with a five-year deal that the team confirmed this afternoon.
The contract, which is worth $30.5MM in guaranteed money, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney, buys out Cahill's last pre-arbitration season, his three arbitration years and at least one free agent year (Twitter link). The A's have two options worth $13MM and $13.5MM for 2016 and 2017, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
Cahill's contract is along the lines of the five-year, $30MM deals signed by Ricky Romero, Jon Lester, Yovani Gallardo and, more recently, Clay Buchholz. Cahill's deal, negotiated by agent John Boggs, is a record for pitchers with two to three years of big league service, beating Romero's mark from last summer.
The deal represents a departure from Oakland's earlier pitcher extensions. Beane didn't guarantee more than $12.65MM to Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, Rich Harden, Dan Haren or Brett Anderson when he locked them up to long-term deals (keep in mind that those contracts covered different chunks of the players' careers).
Cahill, a California native, turned in a 2.97 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 across 30 starts in 2010. His first two starts have gone well in 2011; he has struck out 15 in 12 2/3 innings, allowing just 7 hits and 4 walks for a 1.42 ERA.
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com first reported the agreement.
Tim Dierkes and Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.
Pedro Martinez Looking To Return
Free-agent pitcher Pedro Martinez is waiting for a call to help a team win a World Series, writes Joe Brescia of the New York Times. The 39-year-old says that he could get himself into playing shape rather quickly.
"I’m in shape right now and I’m training and I’m playing catch, so getting to full strength would probably take me a month, month and a half, to be on a mound," said the eight-time All-Star.
Martnez was asked if he would choose the Yankees, BoSox, or Phillies if all three teams called and offered the same salary. The vet said that he would probably choose Boston, so that he could retire and enter the Hall of Fame with the same hat. He would consider the Phillies though as he would like to win a championship in the National League.
The right-hander last pitched in 2009 for the Phillies, posting a 3.63 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in nine starts.