Yankees Rumors

Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Holliday, Yankees

By Mike Axisa | January 9, 2010 at 12:35pm CDT

Some Saturday links…

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein expanded a bit on his "bridge year" comment from the Winter Meetings, writes Dan Duggan of The Boston Herald.
FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Players' Union calculates the present day value of Matt Holliday's deal at $113.6MM, or $16.2MM per year. The Cardinals, however, see the present day value as lower because they use a different discount rate. ESPN's Buster Olney has a breakdown of the award based incentives.
Chad Jennings of The Journal News has some more utility player candidates for the Yankees.
Tommy Rancel at DRaysBay wonders if Franklin Gutierrez's contract extension could be used as a blueprint for a potential B.J. Upton extension.

Olney’s Latest: Chapman, A’s, Yankees, Marlins

By Mike Axisa | January 9, 2010 at 10:29am CDT

In his blog post this morning, ESPN's Buster Olney notes that evaluators are split on Aroldis Chapman, as some see him as once in a generation talent, while others see extreme risk because of control and makeup concerns. "Where was Randy Johnson when he was that age?" asked one scout, and the answer is in A-ball walking 94 batters in 119.2 innings.

Here's the latest on Chapman, and here are the rest of Olney's rumors…

Olney hears that if Oakland doesn't commit to a new ballpark for the Athletics, that commissioner Bud Selig will step in and negotiate a lucrative territorial rights deal with the Giants, similar to what happened with the Orioles when the Nationals moved into town. That could result in the A's getting their long desired San Jose stadium.
The Yankees are in no big rush to sign a righty hitting left fielder, and are content to let the market for guys like Reed Johnson and Jonny Gomes play out. Last night we learned that the team had interest in bringing Jerry Hairston Jr. back.
The Marlins continue to scour the free agent market for a closer, however Jose Valverde is too expensive and they aren't expected to bring back Kevin Gregg.

Five Teams Interested In Jerry Hairston Jr.

By Mike Axisa | January 8, 2010 at 8:24pm CDT

Five teams have expressed interest in free agent utility man Jerry Hairston Jr., according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com (via Twitter). Among the interested teams are the Padres, A's (who employ his brother Scott), and the Yankees, with whom he won a World Series ring in 2009.

Rosenthal adds that Hairston would likely receive a $2-3MM salary on a one-year deal, however he's also received multi-year offers. The 34-year-old is a career .259/.328/.373 hitter, and is capable of playing pretty much anywhere on the field except pitcher and catcher.

Odds & Ends: Yankees, Cardinals, Delgado

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 7, 2010 at 8:53pm CDT

Some more links for the evening…

Chad Jennings of LoHud.com provides an extensive breakdown of the Yankees' potential outfield options.
Cardinals GM John Mozeliak says his team will decide in the near future "if we have a bullet to use what would we use it on," according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).
Ed Price of AOL FanHouse tweets that the Pirates are the leaders for D.J. Carrasco, who is being pursued by three other teams. In a separate tweet, Price adds that the Mets plan to scout Carlos Delgado this weekend in Puerto Rico.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that Josh Johnson is definitely not switching agents any time soon. Matt Sosnick represents the big righty.
Justin Sablich lists the best remaining free agents for the New York Times.
Chien-Ming Wang is telling friends he's prepared to move on from the Yankees, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Abraham says Wang should be ready to join an MLB rotation in May.
David Aardsma could come close to tripling his 2009 salary of $419K, according to MLB.com's Jim Street. The reliever is one of five arbitration-eligible Mariners
MLB.com's Dick Kaegel tweets that Noel Arguelles passed his physical with the Royals, making official the five-year $7MM deal he agreed to earlier in the offseason.
Larry Larue of the Tacoma News Tribune says Russell Branyan's likely not returning to Seattle now that the Mariners are poised to add Casey Kotchman.
Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog hears from people connected to the Mets that they are interested in John Smoltz. The NL East is all over Smoltz – the Phils and Nats have interest, too.

Gammons On Chapman, Lowell, Damon

By Luke Adams 2 | January 7, 2010 at 6:15pm CDT

Peter Gammons answered fans' questions today in a chat session for the Boston Globe. Most of the inquiries were Red Sox-related or required some guesswork from Gammons, but let's check out a few highlights….

Gammons speculates that the Angels will end up landing Aroldis Chapman, pointing to Chapman's connection to Kendry Morales as a possible factor.
Mike Lowell's hip is improving and his thumb injury shouldn't be an issue by March. Gammons thinks there will still be some teams that would be willing to take on $2-3MM of the third baseman's contract, and that the Red Sox will eventually be able to trade him.
The Red Sox may try to acquire another big bat sometime down the road, but right now the team doesn't seem too concerned about it. They think their improved defense will help make up for the offense they lost when they parted ways with Jason Bay.
If Johnny Damon can't find a two-year contract that's close to his asking price, Gammons wouldn't be surprised to see the outfielder back in the Bronx next season.

Aroldis Chapman Decision Coming Soon?

By Mark Polishuk | January 7, 2010 at 4:13pm CDT

4:13pm: The Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles haven't been in touch with the Hendricks brothers since telling Chapman's representatives how they valued the pitcher.

1:40pm: Gordon Edes of ESPN.com hears that the Red Sox are still pursuing Chapman and remain "very much in the picture" to sign the lefty. The Red Sox have continued talking with Chapman's representatives since making their initial offer of $15MM-plus. Meanwhile, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe also hears that the Yankees are out.

THURSDAY, 6:35am: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted last night that the Angels are "trying like crazy" to sign Chapman. Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets disagreement from an Angels source: "Despite what you read, we're not in that deep."

6:56pm: Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald tweets that internally, the Marlins have "conceded defeat" in the Chapman sweepstakes.

WEDNESDAY, 3:55pm: At least three teams are out on Chapman: the Astros, Yankees, and Mets (ESPN's Buster Olney via Twitter, and MLB.com's Brian McTaggart).

TUESDAY, 8:48pm: Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that the Aroldis Chapman sweepstakes may be nearing a close. According to Rodriguez, Chapman is saying that he "expects to sign within the next three or four days." As many as 15 clubs have shown some degree of interest in the Cuban left-hander, including several small-market franchises.

One such team, the Marlins, are particularly taken with Chapman since they hope that South Florida's large Cuban population will tempt the 21-year-old into signing at something of a hometown discount. Rodriguez reports that the Marlins have already made a $13MM contract offer to Chapman and have now raised that offer — a wise move given that the Red Sox have already offered Chapman $15.5MM.

The Marlins' maneuvering may be all for naught, however. An unnamed source tells Rodriguez that the Angels and Blue Jays seem to be the favorites to sign the Cuban left-hander, and that Chapman will sign with one of the two clubs for "around $21MM."

Odds & Ends: Epstein, Cards, Contracts, Greene

By Tim Dierkes | January 7, 2010 at 10:25am CDT

Links for a snowy Thursday…

MLB.com's Lyle Spencer tweets of the Dodgers' interest in Robb Quinlan for a fourth outfielder role. The Rockies and Twins are other known suitors.
Red Sox GM Theo Epstein appeared on the Toucher and Rich show this morning. He spoke about the team's offense, Adrian Gonzalez, Mike Lowell, and the "bridge period" comment; MLB.com's Ian Browne provides the transcript.
MASN's Steve Melewski says the Red Sox rescinded the contract given to reliever Bob McCrory after he failed his physical.
Tommy Rancel of DRays Bay looks at the team-friendly deals signed by Paul Cohen clients.
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa told Cam Inman of The Contra Costa Times there's a non-zero chance the team adds Mark McGwire to the player roster on August 31st.
There is currently no timetable for the Cardinals to sit down with Albert Pujols' agents, GM John Mozeliak told Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Cards are ready to talk when Pujols is.
Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball is beta-testing an MLB salary database. Also of note: Cot's Baseball Contracts has joined the Baseball Prospectus family.
ESPN's Buster Olney wrote yesterday that Khalil Greene is working hard and seeks a big league deal. Greene can play shortstop or third base, and Olney sees Oakland as a potential match.
The Pirates aren't far apart with Zach Duke on his 2010 salary, writes Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Kovacevic believes Duke's $2.2MM salary could double in his second arbitration year. A multiyear deal is not in the works.
Murray Chass chronicles the blank contract Andre Dawson gave to the Cubs in the spring of '87.
Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues looks at Nick Johnson's injury history in detail.
A December 30th tweet from SI's Melissa Segura notes that Dominican lefty Victor Payano signed with the Rangers. Payano had a deal with the Red Sox in July for $900K that was voided due to shoulder concerns. Here's a video of the 16-year-old courtesy of Kiley McDaniel.

Comments From Brian Cashman

By Tim Dierkes | January 6, 2010 at 4:29pm CDT

Chad Jennings of The LoHud Journal spoke to Yankees GM Brian Cashman today. A few notes…

Cashman seeks a right-handed hitting outfielder to come off the bench on occasion. Reed Johnson is the oft-mentioned name, though free agents such as Jonny Gomes and Rocco Baldelli are also available.
Cashman's comment that he doesn't need a left-handed bat for the outfield makes one wonder if Johnny Damon's time with the club is up. Click here for more on that situation.
As far as backup infielder/catcher roles, Cashman seemed OK with internal options. Still, the slight hedging in the GM's quotes led Jennings to wonder if Cashman will continue to monitor the market.
Bullpen help is not Cashman's focus – instead it's "non-roster invites and position player bench." The Yankees have actually agreed to several minor league deals that have yet to be announced.

Yankees, Sergio Mitre Reach Agreement

By Tim Dierkes | January 6, 2010 at 12:26pm CDT

The Yankees and pitcher Sergio Mitre avoided arbitration, reaching an agreement for $850K plus incentives tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Mitre had Tommy John surgery in July of '08, and was released by the Marlins in September of that year. The Yankees signed him a few months later and were able to retain him for 2010 even after declining his option.

Mitre, 29 in February, served a 50-game PED suspension as he recovered from the elbow surgery. He ended up tossing 54.3 strong minor league innings and 51.6 ugly big league frames. He could become trade bait if the Yankees go elsewhere for their fifth starter.

Heyman On Damon, Tejada, Pineiro, Molina

By Tim Dierkes | January 6, 2010 at 12:10pm CDT

The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

Heyman believes the Yankees would not go beyond one year and $6MM to re-sign Johnny Damon. On MLB Home Plate Boras said Damon "would just have to move forward," while not faulting the Yankees for sticking to a budget. Heyman suggests four alternatives for Damon: the Giants, Mariners, Braves, and Angels. The Angels would be a tough fit barring a Juan Rivera trade, as their outfield and DH spots are full. The problem with the Braves is that they're approaching their payroll limit.
Despite a report that the Cardinals probably can't afford Miguel Tejada, Heyman sees them as the best fit. Heyman's $8MM idea seems too pricey though.
The Mets debated offering Joel Pineiro a two-year, $15MM Jason Marquis special, but at this point Pineiro seems to be seeking Randy Wolf's three-year, $29.75MM deal. MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone sees the team landing Jon Garland instead.
Heymans says the Mets "seem serious about sticking with an offer of one year and a vesting option" for Bengie Molina. However, Cerrone "gets the feeling the Mets might have a two-year deal on the table."

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