Yankees Rumors

Odds & Ends: Nationals, Yankees, Red Sox

By Howard Megdal | February 24, 2010 at 7:30pm CDT

If you read these very slowly, maybe they'll last until Opening Day!

MLB.com's Bill Ladson has a terrific Q&A up with Nationals President Stan Kasten. Among the topics covered: will Stephen Strasburg make the Opening Day roster (almost certainly not) and early returns on GM Mike Rizzo (positive).
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark provides an entertaining look at just how certain Derek Jeter is to stay with the Yankees, even though his contract is up at the end of the season. Stark quotes one Yankee official as giving Jeter's chances of leaving as "zero", but then amending them to "none and none".
The Boston Globe's Peter Abraham describes just how well the Billy Wagner trade has worked out for the Red Sox. In short: the 20th and 57th picks in next year's draft belong to them, they got fifteen terrific appearances from Wagner, and all they gave up were a pair of low-level prospects. Abraham also covets Adrian Gonzalez for the Red Sox here.
Ryan Franklin is considering retirement after the 2011 season, writes Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. Mark Buehrle might, too, according to Chicago Breaking Sports.

Derek Jeter On His Next Contract

By Tim Dierkes | February 24, 2010 at 9:46am CDT

Unsurprisingly, Derek Jeter's news conference today broke little ground. MLB.com's Bryan Hoch has the choice quotes from the Yankees' shortstop:

"This is the only organization I've ever wanted to play for. I've never envisioned myself playing anywhere else. Hopefully I don't have to. I've never been a free agent, and I've never wanted to be a free agent."

Jeter will not discuss his contract again publicly. The one interesting note to come out of the conference was that Jeter had his agent Casey Close reach out to the Yankees over the winter but was told the team will stick to their policy and discuss contracts after the season.

So far this winter we've seen writers toss around Jeter contract estimates ranging from three years and $60MM to four years and $100MM. He'll turn 37 during the 2011 season.

Jose Julio Ruiz Close To Signing

By Mike Axisa | February 24, 2010 at 4:50am CDT

FEBRUARY 24, 4:50am: Jesus Gallo, trainer for Ruiz, tells Rangel at the Nuevo Herald that Ruiz has received bids from six major league teams and "concrete proposals" from at least three. All of the offers exceeded $1MM, but none have been sufficient to ink the 25-year-old first baseman. Last Thursday, ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure, Jr. wrote that some teams view Ruiz as being ready to join major league rosters immediately.

Gallo labels the Cuban defector's most recent try-out, on Monday against members of the Blue Jays, "his last before signing." He says Ruiz will make a decision between Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

FEBRUARY 14: Cuban first baseman Jose Julio Ruiz may be close to signing according to a report from Luis E. Rangel of the Miami-based Nuevo Herald, which was passed along by MLBTR's resident translator Nick Collias. Here are some quotes from Ruiz's agent, Jorge Luis Toca…

“In the coming week he should be signed. Perhaps we’ll be announcing something on Wednesday.”

“Toronto, Texas, Boston, San Francisco, Tampa Bay and Colorado are the ones who have shown the most interest. We are also expecting an offer from the Yankees.”

“The idea is to find a team where there is the most opportunity to rise quickly.”

With regards to the last point, Toca noted that the Yankees are the least appealing team because of the presence of Mark Teixeira. Despite that, Ruiz is currently working out at the Yanks' complex in the Dominican Republic, and Toca indicated that "millions" of dollars were being discussed with teams, as well as an invitation to Spring Training.

The 25-year-old Ruiz hit .305/.408/.467 over 52 games in the Serie Nacional last season before suddenly defecting to the Dominican. ESPN's Jorge Arangure noted that he was more than just a masher relegated to first base, offering speed and athleticism.

Odds & Ends: Yankees, Brewers, Mets, Paulino

By Mike Axisa | February 23, 2010 at 9:07pm CDT

Some links for Tuesday evening…

In an appearance on Jim Bowden's XM-175 radio show, Yankees' GM Brian Cashman said the team never made an offer to Hideki Matsui, and that their offer to Johnny Damon was conditional (link goes to Twitter).
MLB.com's Adam McCalvy tweets that the Brewers have agreed to terms with four of their pre-arbitration eligible players.
Chad Jennings of The Journal News mentions that the contracts of Sergio Mitre and Chad Gaudin are not guaranteed. The Yanks could cut them in Spring Training and would only be required to pay them 30-45 days of termination pay.
Luis Castillo spoke about all of the offseason trade rumors he was involved in, writes MLB.com's Marty Noble.
A Mets' official told Adam Rubin of The New York Daily News that the team would like to sign a lefty reliever like Joe Beimel, as long as the pitcher was willing to accept a contract worth about $1MM for just one year.
The Astros signed Felipe Paulino to a one-year deal that will pay him $415K if he makes the big league roster, according to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez (via Twitter). Paulino is likely to be arbitration eligible for the first time as a Super Two next season.
SI.com's Jon Heyman reports that the Diamondbacks and Mark Reynolds have agreed to negotiate a contract extension until Opening Day, though talks will cease after that. Heyman spoke to some executives who think Prince Fielder's two-year, $18MM deal could be used as a comparison.
ESPN's Buster Olney hears from officials involved in the Felipe Lopez bidding that they think the free agent infielder is likely to end up back in St. Louis (link goes to Twitter).
Former Blue Jays' GM J.P. Ricciardi is joining ESPN as a television analyst, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.
Now that the Rod Barajas deal is official, the order for the 2010 draft is set. The Blue Jays, Barajas' former team, hold ten of the first 126 picks.

Heyman On Blalock, Crawford, Reynolds

By Tim Dierkes | February 22, 2010 at 4:11pm CDT

The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

Heyman writes that the Rays and Marlins are thought to have interest in Hank Blalock. We discussed Blalock here; his prospects are dim now that the Indians, Orioles, Braves, and Pirates have gone in different directions.
Heyman notes that the Yankees love Carl Crawford and that could be one reason they were reluctant to give Johnny Damon a two-year deal. We discussed Crawford's situation earlier today.
The Diamondbacks offered Mark Reynolds an extension to cover his first three arbitration years, in the $11MM range. That'd be quite a concession, since he should easily top $5MM in his first arbitration year.
Heyman tweets that the Braves and Reds "could be in the mix" for outfielder Garret Anderson. Presumably, Anderson is in line for a minor league deal. He was linked to the Dodgers before they signed Reed Johnson.

Odds & Ends: Floyd, Looper, El Duque, Manny

By Tim Dierkes | February 22, 2010 at 1:16pm CDT

Links for Monday…

Cliff Floyd is currently doing TV work, writes Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.
MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweeted that the Nationals offered contracts to Chan Ho Park and Braden Looper. Park went with the Yankees, while Looper told the Nats he's going in a different direction.
Orlando Hernandez is looking to get back in the game, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.
Magglio Ordonez wants to play at least four more years, reports Tom Gage of the Detroit News.
FOX Sports' Jim Bowden questioned Justin Upton, Theo Epstein, Jon Daniels, Dayton Moore, Kevin Goldstein, and Dave Cameron about modern statistics, and it made for an amusing video segment.
Chico Harlan of the Washington Post talked to several Nationals players about their arbitration hearings, which were not enjoyable. ESPN's Rob Neyer doesn't think it makes sense for players to attend.
Manny Ramirez believes this is his last year with the Dodgers, reports Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times.
Duaner Sanchez signed with the Mexico City Red Devils, reports Noroeste. Though Sanchez is said to be throwing "an easy 90 mph," his shoulder is still not 100 percent. He hopes to find his way back to the bigs after being released by the Padres in May of '09. Thanks to Nick Collias for the translation.
Jesse Lund of the Twinkie Town blog has an excellent discussion with Twins assistant GM Rob Antony. Antony provided details on the J.J. Hardy trade talks, and also noted that the Kevin Kouzmanoff rumors were "a little blown out of proportion."
Joel Sherman of the New York Post doesn't buy the idea that the pressure will be off for Javier Vazquez as the Yankees #4 starter.
Regarding catcher A.J. Pierzynski entering his contract year, White Sox GM Kenny Williams told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, "At some point, we'll check in with A.J. and his guys on expectations."
The Diamondbacks offered Dominican shortstop Edward Salcedo around $1MM, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Upton, Damon, White Sox

By Zachary Links | February 21, 2010 at 10:54pm CDT

Sunday night linkage..

Confidential documents in the McCourts' divorce hearing reveal that the Dodgers may seek to spend on players at level pace while doubling ticket prices and revenue through 2018, writes Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. This is bad news for Dodgers fans as the uncertain financial status of the club has limited their activity this winter.
The Indians are keeping mum on their feelings about Edward Salcedo's reportedly impending deal with the Braves, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer. Salcedo, according to a Dominican paper, was signed by the Tribe in 2007. The club denied this and word that the prospect lied about his age followed.
Todd Wellemeyer is fighting for a spot with the Giants in Spring Training, writes Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News. Wellemeyer had a disappointing 2009 for the Cardinals, posting a 5.89 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9.
Even though the D-Backs find themselves with two starting-caliber catchers in Miguel Montero and Chris Snyder, GM Josh Byrnes won't try to trade the latter, writes Gilbert. Snyder was nearly dealt for Lyle Overbay in November before the Blue Jays got cold feet.
Justin Upton has had discussions with the Diamondbacks regarding a contract extension, writes Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. The 22-year-old is under contractual control for four more years.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that some Scott Boras detractors believe he sacrificed Johnny Damon for Matt Holliday. Some rival agents and club executives assert that the super-agent declined to negotiate with the Yankees regarding Damon early on, allowing the possibility that they could pursue Holliday. Boras scoffed at the notion when asked about it by Rosenthal.
Jake Peavy would have liked to see Damon join the White Sox, writes Scott Merkin of MLB.com.

Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Burnett, Chapman, Reyes

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 18, 2010 at 9:32pm CDT

Links for Thursday…

GM John Mozeliak and manager Tony LaRussa both mentioned to MLB.com's Matthew Leach that the Cardinals are not in a rush to add an infielder despite Brendan Ryan's recent wrist surgery.
Rangers GM Jon Daniels knows that it's far from a foregone conclusion that his team will win 87 games again, according to ESPNDallas.com reporter Richard Durrett.
Reds GM Walt Jocketty tells MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that Aroldis Chapman has looked "very impressive" so far.
Jose Reyes tells Kevin Kernan of the New York Post that he wants to finish his career with the Mets. Reyes says he's not thinking about the $11MM option the Mets have for his services in 2011.
The Nats outrighted Doug Slaten to Triple A, according to the team's Twitter. They designated him for assignment two days ago.
The Rockies and Mariners offered Mark McGwire hitting coach positions, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Mariners made their offer in 2003; the Rockies made theirs a few years ago.
Victor Martinez tells Alex Speier of WEEI.com that he'd "obviously" like to stay in Boston. The catcher says the negotiations are now under the team's control.
Carlos Zambrano tells Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald that he would have vetoed a trade had the Cubs approached him about one this offseason.
Andrew Friedman says he and his front office have assembled "the most talented team in Rays history," according to the Tampa Tribune (via Twitter).
USA Today's Peter Barzilai looks back at some historically good free agent signings.
Greg Burke cleared waivers, tweets Dan Hayes of the North County Times. The club placed Burke on unconditional waivers ten days ago.
Dodgers GM Ned Colletti tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney that the club find its fifth starter outside of the organization. "We'd love to have a bona fide No. 5 starter," Colletti said.
Mariano Rivera tells MLB.com's Brian Hoch that he doesn't know how long he's going to continue playing (Twitter link).
Rockies manager Jim Tracy told Denver Post readers that he helps Dan O'Dowd make personnel decisions when the GM is looking for input.
In anticipation of the club's scheduled arbitration hearing with Ryan Theriot, Cubs GM Jim Hendry tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that the arbitration process is sometimes unavoidable.
The Braves signed 17-year-old infield prospect Alejandro Sanchez Martinez to a seven-year contract out of Spain earlier in the winter, according to David Menayo of Marca.com. Thanks to Nick Collias for the translation.

Heyman On Yankees, Park, Lincecum

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 18, 2010 at 12:12pm CDT

Jon Heyman of SI.com expects the Yankees to reach resolution with Joe Girardi, Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter without much fanfare after the season. Heyman imagines a three or four year deal for Jeter at $20-25MM per season. Here are the rest of his rumors:

Yankees GM Brian Cashman says he's confident in Curtis Granderson's defense. "We still have him as a plus defender," Cashman said.
The Yankees could add Chan Ho Park, who the Cubs and Rays are eyeing, too.
If the Rays add Park, they would likely be done and Russell Branyan could be out of luck. A Rays person tells Heyman the club has enough money for one signing only.
The Giants never offered Tim Lincecum anything more than a three-year deal. Heyman hears that the club offered Lincecum $36MM, not $37MM, as we heard earlier.

Offseason In Review: New York Yankees

By Tim Dierkes | February 17, 2010 at 11:10am CDT

Next up in our Offseason In Review series, the Yankees.

Major League Signings

Andy Pettitte, SP: one year, $11.75MM
Nick Johnson, DH: one year, $5.75MM. Includes $5.5MM mutual option for '11 with a $250K buyout.
Randy Winn, OF: one year, $1.1MM.
Total spend: $18.6MM.

Notable Minor League Signings

Marcus Thames, Mike Rivera, Jason Hirsh, Dustin Moseley, Royce Ring, Reid Gorecki

Trades and Claims

Acquired Rule 5 pick OF Jamie Hoffmann for RP Brian Bruney
Acquired OF Curtis Granderson from Tigers, giving up SP Ian Kennedy, CF Austin Jackson, RP Phil Coke
Acquired SP Javier Vazquez and RP Boone Logan from Braves for P Arodys Vizcaino, LF Melky Cabrera, and P Michael Dunn
Acquired OF Greg Golson from Rangers for 1B Mitch Hilligoss

Notable Losses

Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Melky Cabrera, Chien-Ming Wang, Phil Coke, Brian Bruney, Austin Jackson, Ian Kennedy, Arodys Vizcaino, Jose Molina, Eric Hinske, Jerry Hairston Jr., Xavier Nady, Kevin Cash, Shelley Duncan, Mitch Hilligoss, Michael Dunn, Josh Towers

Summary

The Yankees limited their free agent spending this offseason, making only two major moves in Pettitte and Johnson. They kept both to one-year commitments. GM Brian Cashman was an active trader in adding Granderson and Vazquez, and he didn't surrender a ton or take on ridiculous contracts. Cashman's fine offseason was not about payroll clout this time.

CHONE projections have the new Yankee lineup scoring over 5.8 runs per game. Even if that's optimistic, it still looks like the best offense in the league. The addition of Vazquez plus Phil Hughes possibly replacing Joba Chamberlain is likely to push the Yankees' rotation ERA below 2009's 4.48 mark. Cashman should be applauded for affordably improving upon a World Series champion, at least on paper.

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