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Rumor Royalty: Dan Graziano (Yankees)

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Competition for the top Rumor Royalty honor among Yankees writers was fierce.  Such a popular team demands top rumormongering talent and beat writers with connections.

When I first started writing MLB Trade Rumors, I hadn’t heard much of the Newark Star-Ledger’s Dan Graziano.  That soon changed as I realized Dan was a proficient provider of Yankees and MLB hot stove buzz.  In fact, he’s Rumor Royalty for the Yankees.  His archive for the Star-Ledger can be found here.

Dan was kind enough to answer three questions for MLBTR, and he took the time to answer them thoroughly.  I’ll break the answers into separate posts.    

Morning Tidbits

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Hmm. Not much really going on this A.M. Hopefully we’ll see some rumors crop up as the day progresses. Until then, here are just a few teasers on this Black Friday.

  • Remember when the Blue Jays claimed Cory Haerther off waivers from the Cardinals? Well, now the Cardinals have claimed Haerther off waivers from the Blue Jays and have added him to the 40-man roster, thus protecting him from the Rule 5 draft.
  • "Indications are" that the Twins are talking with closer Joe Nathan about a contract extension. Nathan has one year left on his deal, and could price himself out of the Twins range. No word on the number offered.
  • C.J. Henry was a 2005 first-round draft choice of the Yankees. After a rough introduction to the pros, Henry was sent to the Phillies in 2006 as part of the Bobby Abreu deal. Well, the Phils have released him, and despite stories that he was going to play college basketball, he has re-signed with the Yanks.
  • Infielder Ramon Vazquez has re-upped with the Rangers for one year and $810,000. He hit .230/.300/.373 in 300 at bats in 2007.

Joe Pawlikowski is co-author of River Ave. Blues.

Stark’s Latest: Santana, Hamilton, Snell

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Ah, a new Rumblings and Grumblings from Jayson Stark.  Let’s dig in.

  • It sounds like the Yankees would discuss Phil Hughes and the Red Sox might part with one of Ellsbury/Lester/Buchholz to acquire Johan Santana.  The acquiring team would need an extension window though.  The Mets are in on Santana big-time and would have to give up Carlos Gomez and then some.  If the Twins do trade Santana, they would probably hang onto Matt Garza.  But otherwise Garza could be traded for a young hitter, as we’ve been hearing.
  • The Fish want four 0-3 players for Miguel Cabrera, pretty much the names we’ve been tossing around here at MLBTR for a while.
  • The Marlins would ask for two 0-3 guys for Dontrelle Willis, but aren’t inclined to trade him unless they’re blown away.  Stark names the Mets, Mariners, and D’Backs as suitors.  So think Gomez, Adam Jones, or Carlos Gonzalez.
  • The Orioles and Cardinals don’t want to eat any money on Miguel Tejada and Scott Rolen, respectively.  The Cards were asking for too much from the Yanks for Rolen – one of their top three young pitchers (you know the trio).
  • The Reds are willing to trade Ryan Freel or Josh Hamilton to clear space for Jay Bruce. 
  • Ian Snell could be available.  It’s not the first time his name has appeared in the rumor mill.  Hell, Snell for Hamilton kind of makes sense.

Hunter Receives Five Offers

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Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times, normally their Cubs guy, has the scoop on the Torii Hunter situation.

Wittenmyer says Hunter has at least five offers in hand.  Four of them are for five years, while the Rangers have offered six.  This doesn’t count the Twins’ lowball 3/45 offer.

So which five clubs have made proposals to Hunter?  The Rangers, White Sox, Dodgers, Royals, and Nationals comprise the list.  Wittenmyer notes that the Dodgers could get aggressive on Hunter if they miss out on Miguel Cabrera.  Also, the Yankees could trade Melky Cabrera and jump in.  The amounts offered aren’t well known, but Wittenmyer says the Rangers are just under $15MM per year.   

Hunter hopes to decide next week so he doesn’t have to attend the Winter Meetings the week after that.  Don’t underestimate the Royals, who blew everyone away last year by winning the bidding for Gil Meche.  Still, the White Sox and Rangers are the clear frontrunners.

Yankees, Brewers, Giants, Astros, Rays After Percival

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Buster Olney sums up the known Troy Percival suitors thusly: Yankees, Brewers, Giants, Astros, and Rays.  He obviously wouldn’t close for the Yankees, but might be able to pitch the ninth for the other clubs Olney named.

The 38 year-old Percival is a fascinating story.  He missed all of 2006 and joined the Cardinals this year and posted phenomenal numbers – 1.80 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 3.6 K/BB.  Suddenly he’s primed to snag a closer gig again, if he wants it.

Olney named five clubs, but it’s been said that ten teams are in on Percival.  Teams that were confirmed to be involved last summer: Dodgers, Indians, Cardinals, Braves, Athletics, Phillies, Tigers, and Marlins.  I think it’s safe to assume the Phillies are one of the ten. 

Olney On Blanton And Haren

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Buster Olney has been digging up all sorts of good trade rumors, and I’m happy to pass along his info.  Let’s start with the A’s.

We recently discussed Eric Chavez, who as far as we know is staying put but wouldn’t get in Billy Beane’s way if he decides to move him.  However, with apologies to Chavez, the hot stove buzz around the A’s will be focused on their young pitching.

We know Dan Haren would draw a huge bounty of three to five very good young players.  We can assume that Joe Blanton would command a similar price, maybe slightly less.  Olney revealed today that Billy Beane isn’t likely to rebuild and try to contend simulataneously.  Instead, he would have a massive fire sale.  If Haren goes, Blanton and Huston Street probably would too.  Olney says Beane’s plan would be similar to the Marlins with Miguel Cabrera – target specific blue-chip prospects and approach those teams.

The Dodgers, Mets, Diamondbacks, and Yankees are named as teams that would figure to be in on an Oakland fire sale.  Those are the clubs with top shelf prospects that are going hard after starting pitching this winter.  This is shaping up to be one hell of a hot stove league.  Matthew Cerrone adds that if the Angels strengthen themselves by adding Cabrera (which Olney expects), that would further encourage the A’s to punt on ’08.

Yankees Interested In Mahay, Linebrink

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According to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News, the Yankees are interested in relievers Ron Mahay and Scott Linebrink.  Offers have not yet been extended.

Signing Linebrink would be costly beyond the three years and $12MM+ he might require.  Assuming the Brewers offer arbitration and Linebrink declines (a safe assumption), the Yankees would have to hand over their 28th overall pick next June. It’s known that the Astros already have an offer out to Linebrink, and the White Sox and Pirates may also be interested.

Since he’s a Type B, Mahay doesn’t carry the same risk.  The Braves, Brewers, Rays, Rockies, and Royals are in on him currently.

Rivera Agrees To Deal With Yanks

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UPDATE: Kat O’Brien’s sources also indicate that Rivera has accepted the offer.  We can close the book on this one.

Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record has the scoop: Mariano Rivera has agreed to the Yankees three-year, $45 million offer. Caldera’s source is a friend who spoke to Rivera today, so I suppose it’s not official official.

Caldera also reports that the friend said, "He would have taken two years and an option." Wonderful. So not only did the Yankees overpay, but now it’s rubbed in their faces.

This will surely somehow factor into the deal for Francisco Cordero, now the best closer option on the market. Maybe moreso, it could affect the Joe Nathan negotiations, scheduled to begin about a year from now.

Joe Pawlikowski is co-author of River Ave. Blues.

Odds And Ends: Cordero, Torrealba, Koskie, Clement

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Just browsing the web this morning:

  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post speculates that the Mets deal with Yorvit Torrealba might have fallen apart because of the catcher’s shoulder issues. This is based on Torrealba having missed time in 2006 with two shoulder injuries. The deal fell apart when it was thought to be complete, with only the physical remaining.
  • The Rockies have also inquired on Matt Clement. Renck mentions the Diamondbacks as also having interest in the 33-year-old righty, adding them to the aforementioned Padres and Royals. Clement has thrown just 65.1 innings in the past two years.
  • The Yankees have identified Francisco Cordero as their Plan B closer, should talks with Mariano Rivera fall apart. It should be moot, though, as Rivera is expected to sign this week. Cordero has not made any significant strides in talks with the Brewers.
  • The Twins, who could use an upgrade at third base, aren’t interested in Corey Koskie, who was drafted by the team in 1994 and played with them until he reached free agency after the 2004 season. Koskie missed 2006 with symptoms related to post-concussion syndrome.
  • It is unclear whether the Marlins are still interested in Yorvit Torrealba, writes Joe Capozzi. The price tag could be prohibitive. If the Marlins gave Torrealba the same three-year, $14.4 million deal he was to get with the Mets, he would become their second highest paid player. A catcher was the Marlins highest paid player last year, but they look to be severing ties with Miguel Olivo. I’m not sure Torrealba is much of an upgrade, though. At least Olivo has some pop, having hit 16 homers in each of the last two years.

    Remember, Torrealba hit just .212/.292/.326 away from Coors Field. Then again, Olivo had some pretty severe home/road splits: .247/.277/.493 at home, .228/.249/.325 on the road. You can decide for yourself what that could mean.

Joe Pawlikowski is co-author of River Ave. Blues.

Odds and Ends: Fukumori, Rivera, Haerther, Walker

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Some small notes from various sources:

  • According to the North County Times, the Padres brought in Japanese righty reliever Kazuo Fukumori for a workout at Petco last week. The Padres haven’t yet been mentioned as suitors for Fukumori. The Rockies, Royals, Rays, and Red Sox have previously been linked to the free agent.
  • New York Daily News writers Bill Madden and Anthony McCarron spoke to sources close to Mariano Rivera, who reveal that the 38-year-old closer could accept the Yankees current offer of three years, $45 million as soon as this weekend. Rivera was seeking a fourth year guaranteed, citing the deal the Mets gave to Billy Wagner before 2006, and the contracts the Yankees are giving teammates Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez. Unfortunately, Rivera doesn’t compare well with any of those signings.
  • As mentioned in the comments, the Blue Jays have claimed former Cardinal Cody Haerther off waivers. Haerther, a left-handed leftfielder, hit .292/.385/.494 in 154 at bats in the minor last year, most of which was spent at AA. He seems to have no immediate spot with the Blue Jays. As we’ve mentioned, left field is pretty jammed, and it’s believed that Haerther can’t adequately handle any other position.
  • The Giants re-signed righty reliever Tyler Walker to a one-year, $750,000 deal. They had declined his $1 million team option before the re-signing. Walker posted a 1.26 ERA last season, striking out nine and walking four in 14.1 IP. He returned to the majors on August 29 last year, after undergoing Tommy John surgery in mid-2006.

    The Yanks fan in me also has to mention that the Giants hired Roberto Kelly as their first base coach.

Joe Pawlikowski is co-author of River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog

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