Yankees Notes: Sabathia, Lee, Posada
C.C. Sabathia made headlines yesterday when he declined to say definitively that he won't opt out of his contract after the coming season. Here are some updates on Sabathia and his teammates as Spring Training continues…
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Joel Sherman of the New York Post he won't have regrets about granting Sabathia's opt-out clause even if the left-hander exercises it, since the Yankees won a World Series with him (in 2009).
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan says Sabathia will opt out after the season, because the market will allow him to earn more than $92MM in guaranteed money (that's how much will remain on his contract after 2011).
- Sherman says Cliff Lee haunts the Yankees' past, present and future and guesses that it would cost at least seven years and $175MM for the Yankees to re-work Sabathia's contract, partly because of Lee.
- Jorge Posada told Tyler Kepner of the New York Times that it would be "real tough" to play elsewhere after the coming season, when he hits free agency (Twitter link).
Latest On Sabathia Opt-Out Decision
10:38pm: Barring something unforseen, Sabathia is expected to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract, a source with knowledge of the situation told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
9:35am: Not many players would ever think about walking away from $92MM, but C.C. Sabathia is one of the few who could consider it. Sabathia can opt out of his contract with the Yankees after the season, but repeated today that he does not intend to do so. The left-hander told reporters, including Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger, that he will not opt out and that he doesn't intend to address the issue again this season (Twitter link).
However, Sabathia later told Joel Sherman of the New York Post that "anything is possible in a contract," suggesting that he could opt out.
Sabathia, a Legacy Sports client, signed a player-friendly seven-year, $161MM deal after the 2008 season. The contract allows him to choose between $92MM from 2012-15 or another free agent contract. Given the shortage of top available starters Sabathia would have a lot of leverage if he opts out. Sabathia has thrived in the AL East, posting a 3.27 ERA (136 ERA+) in 467 2/3 innings and leading the league in wins in consecutive seasons.
Yankees Notes: Rotation, Sabathia
Some Yankees-related news as things get underway in Tampa..
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman is still on the lookout for a starting pitcher, either via trade or free agency, writes Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees Blog. “If it makes sense, I’m ready to rock and roll,” the GM said. Of course, the Yankees already have plenty of candidates for the backend of the rotation in-house, including Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon, and Ivan Nova, as well as youngsters D.J. Mitchell and David Phelps.
- Meanwhile, manager Joe Girardi says that the competition is wide open at this stage. While that could mean that the club's in-house position battle goes down to the wire, it could also mean that there's enough time for a new acquisition to be worked into the mix. “The chances that the fourth and fifth starter role will be answered sooner than later are not very good,” the manager said. “I think we’ll spend all spring evaluating everybody in our camp…So, basically, we have an open competition until March 30.”
- Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) doesn't blame Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia for keeping his opt-out option open.
- Hank Steinbrenner isn't concerned about Sabathia opting-out of his deal, writes Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com. Steinbrenner also says that fans can expect the Yankees to contend every year.
Yankees Designate Brian Schlitter For Assignment
The Yankees announced that they designated right-hander Brian Schlitter for assignment today to create roster space for Andruw Jones, whose signing finally became official. The Yankees claimed the 25-year-old off of waivers from the Cubs last month.
Schlitter appeared in seven games for the Cubs last year and surrendered 18 hits and five walks in eight innings, striking out seven. He spent most of the season at Triple-A Iowa, where he posted a 3.15 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 45 2/3 innings in his first season at the highest level of the minors.
Chad Jennings of the Journal News heard last month that "Schlitter is built around a fastball that sits around 92 mph and reaches 94-95 with good sink. He also has a changeup and a slider’s that’s “OK” but could get better with a little work."
AL East Links: Rays, Bautista, Yankees
The latest from Florida, where pitchers and catchers are reporting to AL East Spring Training camps…
- Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told Erik Hahmann of DRaysBay that "starting pitching, position players who can help you on both sides of the ball, and impact talent up the middle" are difficult or impossible for the Rays to obtain on the open market. That's why the Rays expect the upcoming draft to be some of "the most important days in the history of [the Tampa Bay] franchise." Friedman admits that the Rays face different challenges than, say, the Yankees or Red Sox, but expects his club to compete in 2011.
- Jose Bautista, who set a deadline for extension talks with the Blue Jays, told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he is "still very hopeful” about signing long-term with the Jays. Bautista's arbitration hearing is scheduled for today, so we'll know by tomorrow whether he's going to sign an extension or make $10.5MM or $7.6MM this year.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post points out that some aging players are crucial to the Yankees' success in 2011.
Sabathia’s Competition
C.C. Sabathia said this morning that he does not intend to opt out of his contract, but stopped short of guaranteeing a return to the Bronx next year. The left-hander can exercise an opt-out clause in his contract and hit free agency after the season if he and his agent see the opportunity for a better deal on the open market.
Sabathia appears to like New York – he has certainly pitched well since donning pinstripes – so there's no guarantee that he opts out. But we can be reasonably sure of one thing: he won't have much competition from free agent starters if he does choose to explore free agency again. Here's a look at some of the other starters who will be available after the coming season:
- Mark Buehrle – Buehrle, who could retire after the season, has logged 200 innings for ten consecutive seasons and has a career ERA of 3.85. He'll draw lots of interest if he has another strong season.
- Yu Darvish - The Japanese right-hander has ace stuff and plans to play in the Majors in 2012.
- C.J. Wilson - Wilson was fantastic last year, but he has started more than six games in a season once. Sabathia has averaged 32 starts for the last decade.
- Edwin Jackson - Jackson hasn't been nearly as consistent as his rotation-mate, Buehrle. He posted a 4.47 ERA last year and is not a top-of-the-rotation starter despite his no-hit stuff.
- Hiroki Kuroda - Kuroda has been effective in three seasons with the Dodgers, but he's five years older than Sabathia and hasn't been as dominant.
- Joel Pineiro – A capable starter, Pineiro is no Sabathia.
- Bounce-back candidates Brandon Webb, Chris Young, Javier Vazquez, Brad Penny and Jeff Francis will hit the open market.
- Adam Wainwright (vesting), Roy Oswalt (mutual), Ryan Dempster (player) and Chris Carpenter (team) could hit free agency after the season, but all have options for 2012.
It would be hard to fault Sabathia for staying put. The Yankees win and $92MM is a lot of money. But Sabathia has averaged a 3.27 ERA, 234 innings, 197 strikeouts and 20 wins in two seasons as a Yankee. Another similar campaign would put Sabathia in position to obtain more guaranteed money, especially considering the shortage of aces likely to be available in free agency.
East Notes: Millwood, Bartlett, Manuel, Jenks
Pitchers and catchers are reporting in Arizona and Florida, but up in the northeast, it doesn't feel like spring has arrived quite yet. Here are a few AL and NL East-related links while we wait for the snow to melt….
- Although the Yankees and Kevin Millwood are still talking, they have "a ways to go," tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. Yesterday, nearly 43% of over 6,300 MLBTR readers voted that Millwood would eventually sign with the Yanks.
- The Rays were close to sending Jason Bartlett to San Francisco before they worked out a trade with another NL West club, Giants GM Brian Sabean tells Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
- John Gonzalez of the Philadelphia Inquirer wonders why it's taking so long for the Phillies and Charlie Manuel to work out a contract extension.
- The Red Sox topped baseball's list of spenders this offseason, as ESPN.com's Katie Sharp writes. Since the turn of the century, the piece notes, only the 2009 Yankees have won a World Series after having outspent the rest of the league the previous winter.
- Bobby Jenks spoke to the media in Fort Myers today, discussing his decision to sign with the Red Sox. The right-hander said he had offers elsewhere to close, but wanted to play in Boston, adding that he knows his role as a setup man and "didn’t come here to step on anybody’s toes." Alex Speier of WEEI.com has those quotes and more from Jenks.
- Mike Puma of the New York Post and Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun each pose 10 questions that could shape the Mets' and Orioles' seasons, respectively. In addition to discussing how new arrivals will fit in, each article addresses the back of the bullpen. Will the Mets let Francisco Rodriguez finish 55 games to trigger his 2012 option? And will it be Kevin Gregg, Koji Uehara, Mike Gonzalez, or someone else closing in Baltimore?
- For updates all year long on the closing situations in Boston, New York, Baltimore, and everywhere else, be sure to follow @closernews on Twitter. A great resource for fantasy players, @closernews will keep tabs on injuries, ineffectiveness, overuse, and anything else that could affect which relievers are getting save opps.
AL East Notes: Vlad, Anderson, Delcarmen
Here are a few AL East items of note for Feb. 12. On this day in 1981, a contract violation by the Red Sox made catcher Carlton Fisk a free agent. Pudge eventually signed with the White Sox, with whom he spent the balance of his 24-year, Hall of Fame career.
- Vladimir Guerrero's physical with the Orioles is scheduled for Wednesday, blogs Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com. The Orioles' and Vlad's verbal agreement was first reported Feb. 4, so it's been an unusually long period between the agreement and scheduled physical, but O's president Andy MacPhail said that Guerrero's agent, Fernando Cuza, has signed an agreement that he can't accept another offer in the interim.
- Brian Anderson is in Yankees camp and trying to make the team as a reliever, writes Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News. The former outfielder and first-round pick of the White Sox was DFA'd by the Royals in December after spending 2010 in the Kansas City organization, converting to life as a hurler. Anderson, signed to a minor league deal by the Bombers, said he was told by the Yankees that he has a chance to make the team out of camp, but if he doesn't, he will return to the minors to contine working.
- The Rays were one of two finalists to sign reliever Manny Delcarmen, blogs Alex Speier of WEEI.com, but the right-hander ultimately chose Seattle over Tampa Bay. Both clubs offered minor league deals, and as we noted Thursday, Delcarmen also turned down a Major League offer from a National League team.
Quick Hits: Duchscherer, Ramirez, Marmol, Broxton
Links for Saturday..
- Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun called the Orioles' signing of pitcher Justin Duchscherer the latest "late-winter Hail Mary" by GM Andy MacPhail.
- C.C. Sabathia told Mark Hale of the New York Post that he isn't concerned about the Yankees' rotation.
- Carlos Marmol took his physical in Mesa, Arizona today, tweets Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. Marmol and the Cubs should finalize a long-term deal this week.
- The Nationals still have loose ends to tie up from the Esmailyn Gonzalez scandal, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
- Tom Singer of MLB.com will be keeping a close eye on Jonathan Broxton of the Dodgers as he looks to get his career back on track this season. Recently our own Mike Axisa characterized 2011 as a make or break year for the closer as he approaches free agency.
- Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the Cardinals and outfielder Jim Edmonds have not yet scheduled the physical that he needs to pass in order to finalize his minor league deal with the club. GM John Mozeliak confirmed that the agreement is open-ended in order to allow Edmonds time to recover from foot surgery before taking the physical.
- After signing a one-year, $4MM this winter, Aaron Harang is looking to return to old form with the Padres, writes Don Norcross of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- Meanwhile, Eric Chavez is looking for a fresh start with the Yankees, writes Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News.
AL Notes: Millwood, Soria, A-Rod, Barton
MLBTR sends its condolences to the friends and family of Ernie Tyler, who passed away on Thursday night. The long-time umpire attendant at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards worked 3819 consecutive games between Opening Day 1960 and July 27, 2007, only halting his streak when the Orioles' other iron man (Cal Ripken Jr.) invited Tyler to Cooperstown for Ripken's induction into the Hall of Fame. Tyler, 86, is survived by his wife and 11 children.
Some news from the Junior Circuit…
- The Yankees are still considering signing Kevin Millwood, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. We heard about New York's interest in the right-hander last week, and recent rumors have linked him to Cleveland, though the Indians don't want to pay Millwood the $4-5MM he's seeking.
- In a recent online chat with fans, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star said it is "unlikely bordering on inconceivable" that the Royals will look to move Joakim Soria at the trade deadline. We heard earlier this winter that K.C. was firm on keeping Soria in the fold, despite interest from a few other clubs.
- Fangraphs' Dave Cameron argues Andy MacPhail's recent statement that Alex Rodriguez's contract with the Rangers was "the worst signing in the history of baseball." As Cameron notes, the problem wasn't Rodriguez, but rather the fact that the Rangers surrounded him with mediocre talent.
- Is Daric Barton a better first baseman than Ryan Howard and Mark Teixeira? Citing wOBA, defense and contracts, ESPN.com's Evan Brunell believes so.
- John Tomase of the Boston Herald profiles Te Wera Bishop, who is trying to become the first New Zealand-born player in Major League history. Bishop, 17, starred for New Zealand's national softball team before being signed to a $60K contract by the Red Sox.