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Yankees Unlikely To Sign Sabathia This Winter?

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Newsday’s Ken Davidoff has an interesting take on the Yankees’ chances of signing CC Sabathia this winter.  He finds the Yankees an unlikely match for the big lefty, for a couple of reasons.

By Davidoff’s estimate, the Yankees will have over $60MM off the books for ’09 even if they bring back Jason Giambi and Andy Pettitte.  Breaking off a third of that for Sabathia wouldn’t seem to be an issue, but that does not seem to be Brian Cashman’s preference.  Davidoff puts the chances of Cashman re-signing at about 65%, by the way. 

The other issue is Sabathia’s preference.  Sabathia has some talkative friends, because they’re always being anonymously quoted.  Davidoff talked to "two people familiar with his thinking," who see him choosing the NL and the West Coast.  The Dodgers are named as his first choice.

Perhaps the Yankees will sign a decent starting pitcher who does not require a $100MM outlay – Derek Lowe or Ryan Dempster, for example.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Dunn, Burnett, Ibanez

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Ken Rosenthal’s Full Count video Saturday covered many interesting topics; yesterday he put the info into column form and added even more.

  • Same old story with Adam Dunn – he’s just not drawing much interest.  Even with the whiffs and ugly defense, this is surprising to me.  Rosenthal says the Reds "will take a considerable risk" if they offer Dunn arbitration after the season and he accepts.  Would having Dunn on a one-year deal at market price really be so bad?
  • Rosenthal says "it remains to be seen whether Jim Bowden’s authority will be compromised" in the wake of his involvement in the FBI’s bonus-skimming investigation.  The Nationals have a couple of mildly interesting starters to shop in Tim Redding and Odalis Perez, plus perhaps the top righty reliever in Jon Rauch.  Maybe Rauch will be packaged with a starter.
  • The Angels will try to retain Francisco Rodriguez after the season.
  • The Blue Jays started A.J. Burnett on three days rest in an attempt to maximize his starts before the trade deadline, though the J.P. denies it. Burnett responded well against the Yankees.  Rosenthal wonders whether he would abandon his opt-out clause if his contract was extended through 2011 upon a trade.  A dissenting opinion – Jon Heyman talked to one GM who does not expect Burnett to opt out.
  • The D’Backs apparently do not see Raul Ibanez as much of an upgrade over Chad Tracy. However, Jack Magruder wrote Saturday that the Mariners and D’Backs had discussions on Ibanez.
  • The Dodgers are still interested in Jack Wilson.
  • Rosenthal says some teams are skeptical that the Pirates would offer Damaso Marte arbitration after this season.   Why wouldn’t they?  The Red Sox are interested in the lefty.

Olney’s Latest: Sexson, Ibanez, Ortiz

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Buster Olney’s blog post is overloaded with rumors today. Here’s a rundown:

  • Olney’s Speculation: Will the Red Sox will express interest in Khalil Greene with Julio Lugo on the DL for 4-6 weeks? Olney also wonders if the Dodgers will seek Huston Street if Takashi Saito is seriously hurt.
  • Scout Speculation:  Huston Street and Matt Murton to the Rays for prospects? 
  • Bobby Kielty was granted release by the Red Sox.
  • Richie Sexson could decide where to go based on greatest offered playing time.  I’d say that’s expected for a veteran starter.
  • Olney says that requests for Max Scherzer are keeping the Dbacks from making any moves, such as for Raul Ibanez.
  • David Ortiz is slated to return to the lineup on July 25th, which leaves the Red Sox less than a week to evaluate him and make a move if necessary.  Olney details some options:
    • Acquire a hitter during the waiver period after the deadline.  This would rule out comparable replacements such as Matt Holliday or Mark Teixeira.
    • Make a "preemptive strike" for Holliday or Teixeira costing them "at least one of their best prospects".
    • Target a "second or third tier bat" such as Ibanez or Xavier Nady.
    • Continue on with or without an effective Ortiz, hoping their offense is good enough.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Holliday, Burnett, Rauch, Ibanez

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Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up.

  • The Angels are not interest in Matt Holliday, while the Dodgers and Red Sox "could play" on him.  Rosenthal names the Nationals as an "intriguing dark horse," saying they’ve been checking up on Holliday.  They like the idea of having him for ’09, and could even entertain signing him long-term.
  • The Phillies have minimal interest in A.J. Burnett, plus they’re on his 15 team no-trade list.  Rosenthal notes that Burnett nearly signed with the Cardinals a few years back, but their interest is not mutual.
  • Jon Rauch is a hot commodity, drawing interest from the Rays, Red Sox, and Diamondbacks.  His price will exceed that of Brian Fuentes, since he’s under team control through 2010.
  • The D’Backs would like to add a left-handed hitting outfielder, and Raul Ibanez is under consideration.  Rosenthal suggests Matt Stairs or Tony Clark as possible bench additions.

Stark’s Latest: Burnett, Nady, Greinke, Burrell

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FRIDAY: We have an update to Stark’s column – he is now saying that Burnett does have veto power over 15 teams.

THURSDAY: Let’s take a look at Jayson Stark’s latest over at ESPN.com.

  • The Phillies and Yankees both made failed runs at CC Sabathia.  The Phils wouldn’t include Carlos Carrasco or Lou Marson, while the Yanks insisted on a negotiating window.  The Phils are looking at Erik Bedard and A.J. Burnett by default, while neither of those pitchers makes sense for the Yankees.  The Yanks checked in on Aaron Harang, but that’s a moot point since he’s ailing.
  • Despite the Dodgers’ run at Sabathia, they’re apparently not looking at other starters.
  • Ken Rosenthal recently wrote that Burnett had veto power over 15 teams, but Stark’s source says it’s just a handful of teams.  It’ll be tough to convince Burnett not to opt out of his contract after the season, unless he’s hurt.
  • The Braves still haven’t made the buy/sell decision.  If they buy, Xavier Nady is the top target.  If they sell, Mark Teixeira is the best chip.  Apparently Scott Boras is talking about $23MM per year for Tex this winter.
  • The Giants are pretty clearly not trading Matt Cain.
  • The Orioles, making a run at .500, don’t seem motivated to move George Sherrill or othe top veterans.
  • The Brewers’ Plan B beyond Sabathia was Zack Greinke, rather than Rich Harden.  Ken Rosenthal recently said the Royals were "decidedly uninterested in moving Greinke," however.
  • Stark says it "wouldn’t be out of the question" for the Cubs to pursue a lefthanded starter like Randy Wolf, despite the Harden acquisition.
  • Extension with the Phillies for Pat Burrell did not get very far.

Odds and Ends: Kemp, Kearns, Carrasco, Garcia

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Friday linkage…

No One Wants Bonds

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FRIDAY: Just to hammer it home a little further, we have Bonds rejections from the Dodgers, Yankees, Cardinals, and Phillies today.

THURSDAY: Barry Bonds’ agent Jeff Borris makes it clear that none of the 30 teams are interested in his client:

"I am not talking to any club about Barry Bonds, because they all made it very clear to me they are not interested in him. Every club.  I can’t believe he doesn’t have a job. No one has offered even the minimum salary. He made the All-Star team last year, and there’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t have a repeat performance in 2008, except for the conspiracy against him."

Borris says Bonds could be ready in ten days.  Contenders such as the Angels, Rays, Tigers, and A’s have gotten subpar performance out of the DH spot but they’ve all decided to pass on Bonds for various reasons.  Borris would have to admit that even some of these clubs would have trouble fitting Bonds onto the roster.

Jays Scouting Dodgers’ A Ball Team

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Yesterday I neglected to mention a nugget from Jeff Blair’s blog post:

Sources say the Blue Jays have also zeroed in on the Los Angeles Dodgers, and have had people at games involving their Single-A Great Lakes Loons affiliate.

The best prospects on that team are probably Bryan Morris and Andrew Lambo, according to Baseball America.  But how would the Dodgers and Jays match up?

Matt Stairs might make sense for the Dodgers.  On July 1st, Ken Rosenthal suggested he’d be perfect and that the two teams had spoken.  The Dodgers have also been linked to David Eckstein.  A.J. Burnett is unlikely – Jayson Stark said yesterday that the Dodgers probably weren’t looking for pitchers after missing out on CC Sabathia.

Phillies Like Burnett, Lowe

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12:58pm: Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail has details on the Phillies’ pursuit of Burnett.  He says the Jays are scouting the Phils’ Double A club, and like Greg Golson, Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, Jason Donald, and Brad Harman.  It seems that Carrasco, Golson, or Marson would have to be in a deal.  Blair says the Phillies might try to convince Burnett not to opt out of his contract so he can remain near his Baltimore home for the 2009-10 seasons.

Additionally, the Phillies inquired about Derek Lowe’s availability with the Dodgers.

11:46am: Pitching and hitting…two things you need to win baseball games.  Insightful, eh?  The Philles are looking for both – manager Charlie Manuel wants a "blue-chip pitcher" as well as a "good bat."

Pitching is the team’s priority.  David Murphy bandies about names like A.J. Burnett, Roy Oswalt, and Erik Bedard.  Or the Phillies could look to the B list, like they did last year when they acquired Kyle Lohse.  Lohse, by the way, wasn’t a fan of the "B list" comment by Pat Gillick.

So who’s on the ’08 B list?  I’ll suggest Bronson Arroyo, Joe Blanton, Boof Bonser, Greg Maddux, Randy Wolf, Jarrod Washburn, Odalis Perez, Jason Marquis, Tim Redding, and Paul Byrd.  Most of these guys appeared on my June 4th look at the starting pitching market.  I’ll try to revisit that list this afternoon with a fresh post.

On the hitting side, the Phillies don’t have an obvious position to upgrade.  Thoughts?

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