Yankees Rumors

Yankees Claim Chad Huffman

By Steve Adams | April 7, 2010 at 1:28pm CDT

WEDNESDAY, 1:28pm: The Yankees claimed Huffman off waivers from the Padres, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. Huffman will head to Triple A. Baseball America ranked Huffman 21st among Padres prospects, noting his strong batting eye and good power but various limitations. Their bottom line quote: "He looks like a future regular on his best days and a part-timer on his worst." Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues and MLBTR has a hunch Kevin Towers' fingerprints are all over this pickup.

SUNDAY, 3:09pm: The Padres designated outfielder Chad Huffman for assignment in order to clear a space on the 40-man roster for veteran slugger Matt Stairs, according to a team press release.

Huffman, 25 later this month, was a second-round pick for the Friars back in 2006. He hit .269/.361/.469 for the Padres Triple-A affiliate in Portland last season, but managed just one hit in 23 spring at-bats. For his career in the minors, Huffman owns a respectable .289/.385/.474 line over four seasons and 1885 plate appearances.

Looking At The Needs Of Some Contenders

By Mike Axisa | April 3, 2010 at 8:33pm CDT

With Spring Training wrapping up around the country, teams are finalizing their rosters and picking the 25 players they'll start the season with. There's always room for improvement, but some contenders have some very obvious weak spots on their rosters. Here's a look at some of them, which may need to be addressed during the season…

Angels, third base: Brandon Wood and Maicer Izturis will get the first cracks at replacing Chone Figgins, but if neither is up to par, the Halos might be looking for a fill-in at the hot corner.
Braves, outfielder: Superstar in training Jason Heyward will start the year in right, but incumbent centerfielder Nate McLouth had a brutal spring (6-for-51), which may push Melky Cabrera into full-time duty.
Rays, setup man: With J.P. Howell on the shelf due to a bum shoulder, the team has no obvious candidate to hand the ball off to new closer Rafael Soriano. Dan Wheeler and Grant Balfour represent solid options, but if Howell misses more time than expected, the Rays might be looking to add a reliever.
Twins, closer: This is the most obvious hole of them all. Joe Nathan is out for the season after having elbow surgery, and Jon Rauch will get the first chance to replace him.
Yankees, left field: The team is breaking camp with Brett Gardner, Randy Winn, and Marcus Thames set to share time in left, but we've already seen a scenario laid out in which they might need help sooner rather than later.

That doesn't include all of the clubs that could very well be looking to add a starting pitcher at some point, like the Mariners, Mets, Phillies, Cubs, and Dodgers. Some other holes aren't so obvious though. Maybe the Red Sox could use another reliever (who couldn't?), or perhaps Seattle will go looking for a big bat that fits into their extreme run prevention plan.

What other areas of need to do you see out there for contenders?

Yankees Release Mike Rivera

By Mike Axisa | April 3, 2010 at 5:32pm CDT

The Yankees have released catcher Mike Rivera according to GM Brian Cashman, tweets Marc Carig of The Newark Star-Ledger. The writing was on the wall once the Yanks signed Chad Moeller this morning.

Rivera, 33, struggled in Spring Training (3-for-18) and missed some time with a hamstring issue. He's a .244/.305/.383 career hitter in 582 plate appearances, seeing most of his big league action with the Brewers.

Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Figueroa, Rays, Martinez

By Mike Axisa | April 3, 2010 at 4:22pm CDT

Links for Saturday…

Rule 5 Draft pick Carlos Monasterios will make the Dodgers' Opening Day squad, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. However, Joe Torre will not announce whether the team will carry 11 or 12 pitchers until tomorrow.
Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (via Twitter) says to expect word that Elliot Johnson has cleared waivers and will stay with the Rays at their Triple-A affiliate. Johnson, who was out of options, was waived by Tampa Bay earlier this week.
Righthander Nelson Figueroa was one of six players cut by the Mets, according to MLB.com's Bill Chastain. Figueroa is out of options and has been outrighted before, so he can elect to become a free agent instead of reporting to the minors if he clears waivers.
Victor Martinez doesn't feel he needs promises in his next contract that he will remain at catcher, reports WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. This morning we learned that V-Mart doesn't want talks about a contract extension to take place during the season.
Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies points out that the Rockies will start the year with the highest Opening Day payroll in team history, a cool $85,808,682.
Marc Carig of The Newark Star-Ledger tweets that Marcus Thames has officially made the Yankees' Opening Day roster. He could have opted out of his minor league deal if he didn't make the team out of Spring Training, but now he'll earn $900K for the season.

Yanks Could Be Shopping For Outfielder Soon

By Zachary Links | April 3, 2010 at 2:58pm CDT

Some in the industry are already wondering if the Yankees could be in the market for outfield help soon, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

Both Randy Winn and Marcus Thames have struggled this spring, though Thames officially made the club's Opening Day roster today. The club may find themselves uneasy with the two veterans as starting left fielder Brett Gardner is not yet an established major league hitter. They would be especially thin in the outfield if Curtis Granderson or Nick Swisher are bitten by the injury bug.

Rosenthal writes that the Yankees figure to be more patient with Winn as he is more than four years removed from playing in the AL.

The Yankees investment in Winn and Thames amounts to just $2MM combined. Rosenthal writes that if one or both struggle, and Gardner also stumbles out of the gate, then the team could be seeking an outfielder quickly.

Yankees Sign Chad Moeller, Robby Hammock

By Mike Axisa | April 3, 2010 at 10:55am CDT

The Yankees have signed veteran catcher Chad Moeller to a minor league contract according to Chad Jennings of The Journal News, just two days after the Orioles released him.

With catchers Jorge Posada, Francisco Cervelli, and Mike Rivera all battling minor injuries, Moeller will provide the Yankees with some depth at Triple-A. Jennings says the team is expected to release Rivera. Moeller hit .258/.313/.438 in 100 plate appearances for the O's last season, and played for the Yanks in 2008.

Jennings adds that the Yanks also signed utility man Robby Hammock to a minor league deal as well. The former Diamondback spent last season in the minors, and is a career .255/.313/.409 hitter in 525 big league plate appearances.

Kroenke Clears Waivers, Optioned To Triple-A

By Mike Axisa | April 3, 2010 at 10:38am CDT

Lefty reliever Zach Kroenke has cleared waivers and been optioned to Triple-A Reno by the Diamondbacks, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. Arizona selected Kroenke from the Yankees with the sixth overall pick in December's Rule 5 Draft.

Since this was Kroenke's second time through the process (the Marlins selected him in last year's Rule 5 Draft), he had the right to declare free agency if someone claimed him. As Jack Magruder of FoxSportsArizona.com explains, New York was told that Kroenke would elect to become a free agent if they wanted to take him back, so they never bothered to put a claim in. ESPN's Keith Law confirmed with Kroenke's agent that the Diamondbacks' chose to keep him on the 40-man roster even though he cleared waivers.

The 26-year-old Kroenke was the Yankees' fifth round pick in the 2005 draft, and posted a 1.99 ERA with a 6.8 K/9 and a 3.7 BB/9 in 72.1 Triple-A innings last year. He has held lefties to a .256 batting average during his minor league career.

Odds & Ends: Rays, Reds, Pettitte, Robertson

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 2, 2010 at 2:40pm CDT

Here are some links for the day…

Rays GM Andrew Friedman told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that he "doesn't expect" to go outside of the organization for bullpen help (Twitter link). The Rays already added Virgil Vasquez today.
Reds GM Walt Jocketty told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that the team could make a midseason deal or two.
Andy Pettitte hinted to the YES Network's Jack Curry that this may be his last season. The lefty says he wants to spend more time with his family.
Nate Robertson tells Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald that he's glad to be back in Florida, especially since he's surrounded by a number of former Tigers.
Jayson Werth says he isn't thinking about his upcoming contract year, but Phillies hitting coach Milt Thompson told Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer that it can become a distraction for lots of players.
Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle says Buster Posey will likely start the year in the minors, partly because the Giants wouldn't mind slowing down the catcher's service time clock.
Johnny Damon tells the Associated Press that he has been impressed with the Tigers this spring.
Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that the team's front office has been a "pleasant surprise" so far.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Hendry, Lugo, Towers

By Mike Axisa | April 2, 2010 at 10:00am CDT

On this day back in 2003, the Tigers became the first team in baseball history to have four pitchers make their Major League debut in the same game. The starter was 20-year-old Jeremy Bonderman, who gave way to 22-year-old Wil Ledezma, 25-year-old Chris Spurling, and 23-year-old Matt Roney before "veteran" closer Matt Anderson entered the game. Anderson was just 25-years-old at the time, but the first overall pick of the 1997 draft already had 210 big league appearances to his name.

The Tigers went on the finish the season 43-119, and were rewarded by selecting Justin Verlander with the second overall pick the following season. Here's this week's set of links from around the web…

A Cubbies Consilience throws some kudos Jim Hendry's way for his offseason.
Camden Crazies calls the O's trade for Julio Lugo an okay one.
The Kept Faith finds some players Kevin Towers passed on while he was the Padres' GM.
1 Blue Jays Way remembers Roy Halladay's time in Toronto.
Meanwhile, Around The BasePath looks at some expectations for Halladay's first year in Philadelphia.
Drunk Jays Fans wonders why Lyle Overbay was named the team's every day first baseman when he can't hit lefties.
Lookout Landing compares Eric Byrnes and Ryan Langerhans with regards to the Mariners' spare outfielder's job.
Bronx Bombers Beat examines the Yankees' plan for Phil Hughes.
More Hardball lists the players who will begin the season on the disabled list.
Capitol Avenue Club rounds out the Braves' roster.
Crashburn Alley looks at the Phillies' winners and losers from Spring Training.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Derek Jeter’s Position

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 2, 2010 at 8:43am CDT

Derek Jeter was an above-average defensive shortstop last year, but he turns 36 in June and he plays a demanding position, so the Yankees have to be prepared to react in case Jeter's defense deteriorates. To find out how the Yankees might proceed, ESPN.com's Buster Olney polled scouts, talent evaluators and a former GM on Jeter's future. Here are some highlights:

One talent evaluator believes the Yankees would be willing to talk about trading Robinson Cano. This would create an opening at second base, which would allow Jeter to move to the right side of the infield.
Jeter could be an average first baseman in the opinion of one scout, but Mark Teixeira has first base covered for the Yankees.
Another scout believe Jeter will end up in left field. He may not have the speed to play center, but could probably handle left.
Former Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi doesn't see Jeter switching positions for now and can imagine him playing shortstop for another five years.

Does it matter yet? Jeter still plays shortstop well and he's not going anywhere now. But he's entering a contract year and his future position will presumably have an impact on the contract talks that take place between the Yankees and Jeter's agent, Casey Close, have after the season.

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