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Yankees In Serious Discussions With Raul Ibanez

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The Yankees are in serious discussions with free agent Raul Ibanez, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. The ACES client is willing to take less money to play for the Yankees.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported earlier tonight that the Yankees could add a left-handed hitter such as Ibanez, Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui within a week. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said last week that he would like to see GM Brian Cashman add a bat before Opening Day.

Ibanez posted a .245/.289/.419 line with 20 home runs in 575 plate appearances as the Phillies' everyday left fielder last year. The 39-year-old could provide the Yankees with an option at designated hitter or in the corner outfield positions. He owns a .286/.351/.488 line against right-handed pitching in 16 MLB seasons and appears to be a possible platoon partner for Andruw Jones.

Yankees Could Add Lefty Bat Soon

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The Yankees are considering adding a left-handed hitter and could sign Raul Ibanez, Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui within a week, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes. Adding one of the veterans would provide the Yankees with a weapon against right-handed pitching for their open DH spot.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said last week that he would like to see GM Brian Cashman add a bat before Opening Day. The skipper suggested he'd prefer a lefty hitter, someone who can complement the right-handed hitting Andruw Jones. The Yankees will explore alternatives before the July 31st trade deadline if they aren’t getting enough production from their DHs, Olney tweets.

Girardi Hopes To Add One More Bat

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Only one MLB team outscored the 2011 Yankees, but manager Joe Girardi wouldn’t object if GM Brian Cashman adds one more bat to the roster before Opening Day. MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch reports that Girardi suggested he’d prefer a left-handed hitter and openly discussed free agents Johnny Damon, Raul Ibanez and Hideki Matsui.

 "I think we've had a good offseason; I think Brian has done a really good job this offseason in what he's done,” he said. “But I think it's important to our club that you add that other bat. The American League is going to be tough."

Girardi said he’d prefer to add a left-handed hitter, though the club won't rule out right-handed bats. A lefty hitter would provide Girardi with a complement to Andruw Jones, who has power from the right side. The skipper acknowledged that Damon, Matsui and Ibanez have historically been strong offensive players, but cautioned that it’s too early to say which of those left-handed hitters, if any, are serious targets for the Yankees. Damon and Vladimir Guerrero appear to be seeking $5MM contracts for 2012.

AL East Notes: Chavez, Ethier, Jones, Orioles, BoSox

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Here's the latest from the AL East…

  • Brian Cashman said there is still a chance Eric Chavez could return to the Yankees, reports ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand.  Chavez could have the edge over other DH types like Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui since Chavez can still play the field.
  • Mike Axisa of the River Avenue Blues blog sees Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier as an intriguing trade deadline possibility for the Yankees.  Ethier would ideally be paired with Andruw Jones as a lefty-righty DH platoon.
  • The Yankees still see Phil Hughes as a starting pitcher long-term and aren't likely to trade Hughes given that his trade value is "at a low point," writes MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.  Last month for Roto Authority, I wrote that Hughes could be a nice dark horse fantasy option if he's healthy and able to win the No. 5 spot in New York's rotation.
  • Orioles GM Dan Duquette tells MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski that he wants to get Adam Jones' 2012 salary settled before exploring a multiyear extension with the center fielder.  "I've said several times that we like Adam Jones as a player and if we were to consider a long-term deal, that is something that we can certainly consider," Duquette said.
  • Melewski also reports that Jones' arbitration case is set to be heard on February 17.  The Orioles' other two outstanding arb cases (Jeremy Guthrie and Brad Bergesen) are scheduled for February 6 and 8, respectively.
  • The Orioles are still looking for another bat, and it will probably have to come through the free agent market, reports Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  The O's had "tepid interest" in Casey Kotchman but had already moved on before Kotchman agreed to terms with the Indians today.
  • The Red Sox have hired veteran scout Gary Hughes as a special assistant to the club, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter).  Hughes has spent 45 years in a variety of different scouting and front office positions for numerous teams, including the last nine years as Jim Hendry's special assistant with the Cubs.
  • The New York Times Co. has sold 100 shares of its ownership stake in Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Red Sox, reports MLB.com's Evan Drellich.  The sale will net $30MM for the Times Co.  Between this and a larger sale in July, the Times Co. is down to roughly a third of the 750 units it bought in Fenway Sports Group in 2002.  Major League Baseball still has to approve the sale.

AL West Notes: Rangers, Trumbo, Morales, Mariners

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Here's the latest from the AL West…

  • The Rangers may be trying to trade Koji Uehara to clear payroll space for not necessarily Roy Oswalt, but rather a left-handed reliever like Mike Gonzalez, tweets FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.  We heard last month that Texas was interested in Gonzalez.  Both Uehara and Gonzalez were acquired by Texas in separate trades with the Orioles last summer, but while Gonzalez pitched for the Rangers throughout their playoff run, Uehara struggled in the ALDS and ALCS and was left off the World Series roster.  Uehara, who has a limited no-trade clause, already rejected one deal that would've sent him to the Blue Jays.
  • MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez looks at various scenarios facing the Angels surrounding Mark Trumbo's ability to play third base and Kendrys Morales' health.
  • The Mariners have two players on their 40-man roster who are out of options: Mike Carp and Cesar Jimenez.  As MLB.com's Greg Johns explains, Luis Rodriguez is also out of options but, as a non-roster invitee to Spring Training, he isn't on Seattle's 40-man roster.
  • Also from Johns' mailbag piece, he doesn't think the Mariners need to sign a veteran DH like Johnny Damon or Vladimir Guerrero, arguing that the playing time is better served for young players like Carp, Jesus Montero and Casper Wells.
  • The Mariners inquired about Yankees prospect Mason Williams during the Michael Pineda trade talks, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).  Williams, a 20-year-old center fielder, enjoyed a breakout campaign at low Class-A Staten Island last season, hitting .349/.395/.468 in just his second year of pro ball.  Heyman is "hearing raves" about Williams' potential.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Burnett, Blue Jays

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The Yankees signed Alfredo Aceves on this date in 2008. The investment paid off, as the Yankees obtained 126 innings of 3.21 ERA baseball from the right-hander before non-tendering him last offseason. He signed with the rival Red Sox about a year ago and excelled in 2011, his debut campaign in Boston. Aceves' arbitration case remains unresolved and his 24-3 career record and 2.93 ERA should be enough to make things interesting should the sides go to a hearing. Here are today’s AL East links…

Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Kevin Whelan

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The latest players to be outrighted off of big league rosters…

  • The Yankees outrighted Kevin Whelan to Triple-A, MLB.com's Bryan Hoch tweets. Whelan posted a 2.75 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 52 1/3 innings at Triple-A in 2011. The 2005 fourth rounder owns a 3.23 ERA with 11.1 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 in seven minor league seasons. He was designated for assignment last week.

Yankees Hire Jim Hendry

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4:00pm: The Yankees announced that they have hired Hendry as a special assignment scout.

11:57am: The Yankees have hired former Cubs GM Jim Hendry as a special assistant, ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine reports. The Cubs dismissed Hendry in August, before hiring Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer.

The Cubs won three division titles under Hendry (2003, '07, '08), but finished 71-91 in 2011 despite an Opening Day payroll of roughly $134MM. Overall, Chicago posted a 749-748 record under Hendry from 2002-11. MLBTR's Transaction Tracker details his moves, from the $91.5MM extension for Carlos Zambrano to his bargain signing of Kerry Wood last offseason. 

Current D'Backs GM Kevin Towers worked for the Yankees after his tenure in San Diego ended, so this isn't the first time Brian Cashman has asked a former counterpart to join his baseball operations team. Hendry obtained a multiyear deal from the Yankees.

Minor Moves: Delcarmen, Tolbert, Gonzalez

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The latest minor moves from around MLB…

  • The Yankees signed Manny Delcarmen to a minor league contract, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. The right-hander, who last pitched in the Major Leagues in 2010, owns a 3.97 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 292 2/3 innings over the course of six MLB seasons. Delcarmen spent the 2011 season with the Triple-A clubs for the Rangers and Mariners.
  • The Cubs announced that they signed infielders Edgar Gonzalez and Matt Tolbert to minor league deals that include invitations to MLB Spring Training. Tolbert appeared at short, second and third for the 2011 Twins, posting a .518 OPS in 226 plate appearances. The Twins outrighted him off of their roster in October. Gonzalez, 33, picked up MLB experience with the Padres in 2008-09, but spent last year with San Francisco's top affiliate. He posted a .315/.378/.457 line in 564 Triple-A plate appearances last year.
  • The Cubs also confirmed their deals with Rodrigo Lopez, Manny Corpas, Trever Miller, Jason Jaramillo, Alfredo Amezaga, Bobby Scales and Joe Mather.

Yankees In Serious Talks With Bill Hall

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The Yankees are in serious talks with utility man Bill Hall, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Rosenthal thinks Hall could reprise a 2010 Red Sox-type role, and notes that the 32-year-old works out in the offseason with Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long.  No deal is imminent and Hall is still considering a couple of teams, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.

Hall began the season as the Astros' starting second baseman, but finished with a .211/.261/.314 line after adding a stint with the Giants.  He received the contract on the strength of his 2010 season, in which he hit 18 home runs in 382 plate appearances.  Hall seems highly likely to sign a minor league deal this offseason.

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