Mike Cameron-to-Yankees Dead?
6:07pm: Kat O’Brien just got off the phone with Brewers GM Doug Melvin:
He said: "Nothing new. At this point, I don’t anticipate it’s something that we would (do). … I haven’t talked to Brian (Cashman) since last week." Melvin said they had originally looked at moving Cameron to gain some flexibility on the pitching front but that is no longer such a need.
Melvin added that trading Cameron was "not something that we’re pushing at this time." Sounds like it’s dead. (For now, anyway.)
TUESDAY 3:09pm: Ed Price says the Yankees are discussing this deal internally and don’t feel like they have to rush. Price’s source says a tentative deal has been reached and it’s up to the Yankees now. Tom Haudricourt says the Brewers haven’t heard from the Yanks this week and assistant GM Gord Ash is starting to wonder whether they’re still interested. Yahoo’s Tim Brown says the Brewers will get in on Brian Fuentes if they’re able to move Cameron.
12:10pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Mike Cameron for Melky Cabrera deal is on the backburner for now. Still, he says the Brewers agreed to take Kei Igawa and pay a small amount of the $12MM he’s owed. That amount is not enough for the Yankees, currently.
Sarah Green also contributed to this post.
Daniel Cabrera Suitors
According to John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus, the Pirates top the list of suitors for Daniel Cabrera. He says the Brewers, Padres, Rangers, Blue Jays, and Nationals are also interested.
We learned yesterday that the Blue Jays are interested but haven’t made an offer yet. Cabrera’s agent has heard from about half the teams in baseball, and one even offered a multiyear deal.
Odds and Ends: Ponson, Pie, Dohmann
Links for Wednesday…
- Check out the recent minor league transactions, always some familiar names.
- Scott Erickson‘s wife talks about his comeback bid.
- The Red Sox have had "early-stage conversations" about an extension for Kevin Youkilis.
- The Phillies invited ten players to Spring Training and signed a bunch of minor league free agents. The Royals invited four, including Lenny DiNardo and Oscar Villarreal.
- Roch Kubatko suggests the Orioles should try to acquire Ryan Garko.
- Curt Schilling weighs in on Mark Teixeira‘s options.
- Dayton Moore still doesn’t sound willing to trade Zack Greinke.
- Peter Schmuck and Craig Calcaterra discuss the Sidney Ponson case, which could have a significant impact on the game.
- RotoAuthority looks at the current top fantasy draft picks at each position.
- Gordon Wittenmyer expects Felix Pie to be traded.
- Cesar Izturis‘ contract is actually for two years and $5MM guaranteed, plus incentives.
- John Fay looks at options for a right-handed bat for the Reds.
- Reliever Scott Dohmann is headed to Japan on a $650K deal plus incentives.
- Chris Capuano can earn over $3MM this year based on incentives.
- Willie Bloomquist hasn’t received an offer yet, and he doesn’t expect to return to Seattle.
Sheets Market Still Developing
According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman:
There’s no evidence Ben Sheets has received any proposals for two years or more yet, though he’s drawing interest from at least the Rangers and Yankees, and very likely his old Brewers team, as well.
As Heyman says, Sheets’ timing was terrible. If his flexor tendon injury had occurred in April and he finished the season strong, he might’ve been looking at three or four years. Instead, the lingering memory of the September injury had a huge effect on his market despite the fact that he made 31 starts in 2008. Heyman says the Yankees may wait to bid on Sheets until they hear Andy Pettitte‘s decision.
As Sheets is a Type A free agent offered arbitration, the Brewers could swipe a first-round pick if he signs elsewhere. Assuming they can’t sign him, they have to be rooting for a new team to jump into the fray since they wouldn’t get a first-round pick from the Rangers or Yankees.
Yankees Going Hard After Manny?
Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News talked to one baseball official (presumably not with the Yankees) who believes the Yankees are "going hard" after Manny Ramirez. That official sees the Yanks willing to offer three years, while other execs see them stopping at two years, $50MM. Another source told Feinsand that Brian Cashman isn’t keen on Manny but Hank and Hal Steinbrenner are. Feinsand wonders whether the team’s interest in Ramirez is one reason they’ve put the Mike Cameron trade on hold.
You’ll find a differing point of view from Joel Sherman and Ken Davidoff, who do not see the Yankees signing Manny. By the way, Jon Heyman talked to a friend of Manny’s who dismissed the idea of retirement.
Mike Cameron-Yankees Rumors
8:48pm: Tyler Kepner of the New York Times spoke to people involved with the deal and he gets the feeling that "the Yankees are backing away" for baseball reasons, not financial ones. Kepner adds that the Yankees know they don’t have to make this trade immediately if they don’t want to.
6:18pm: MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy heard from a source that talks between the Brewers and Yankees are at a "stalemate," and did not resume today.
Peter Abraham writes that Igawa may no longer be a part of the deal.
Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News wrote earlier today that the two teams have agreed on which players to trade. He heard from a source that the Yankees would likely send Igawa, Melky Cabrera and cash to the Brewers for Cameron.
A second source told Feinsand that the Brewers could send Bill Hall along too, an idea Tom Haudricourt suggested last week.
11:54am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Yankees’ talks for Brewers center fielder Mike Cameron are expected to resume soon. He says the Yankees still want the Brewers to either pick up a few million of Cameron’s $10MM salary or take on some of Kei Igawa‘s contract. The Brewers don’t want to do that.
I’m not sure how the Yankees have managed to steer the conversation toward Cameron being overpaid. He’s not, and a fair baseball trade would involve the Yankees paying all of Cameron’s salary while giving up something useful.
Multiple Offers For Kawakami?
Patrick at NPB Tracker writes that Kenshin Kawakami‘s agent says he’s received official offers from "more than one team."
It’s not known which teams offered contracts, but the Braves are interested and Patrick lists the Orioles, Red Sox, Angels, Giants, and Brewers as other possible suitors.
Here’s the link to the Hochi Sports article in Japanese.
Brewers Re-Sign Chris Capuano
According to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy, the Brewers are close to finalizing an incentive-laden minor league contract with starter Chris Capuano. Capuano was non-tendered on Friday. He had his second Tommy John surgery in May of this year.
Mike Cameron Yankees Rumors
SUNDAY, 1:51pm: George A. King III with the New York Post writes that the Yankees want the Brewers to take on Igawa’s contract as well, but that Milwaukee doesn’t want to pay much of the $12MM he has left. The Brewers are trading Cameron to trim payroll, and don’t want to unload $10MM for Cameron just to take on another $4MM for Igawa.
New York has told Milwaukee that no pitcher on their 40-man roster is available. Both sides still expect a deal to get done eventually; Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt talks will resume tomorrow. River Ave. Blues thinks the Yankees should hold off, for now.
FRIDAY, 3:50pm: Haudricourt heard this might get tabled until Monday, though now with Burnett signed maybe the Yankees will switch their focus. Or maybe they’ll spend the weekend working on Andy Pettitte/celebrating the Burnett signing.
THURSDAY, 5:40pm: Haudricourt now writes that the Cameron negotiations are back underway after a "hiccup". Haudricourt heard from Doug Melvin that there’s a "strong possibility it could still happen." The clubs are negotiating over finances and whether a second player would go to the Brewers with Cabrera.
1:01pm: Cameron’s agent told Tyler Kepner nothing has been completed. Kepner says the Brewers have actually been asking about Igawa.
11:49am: Joel Sherman talked to a top exec involved in the talks who called the chances of a deal "remote." Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times was told the deal is done, however.
11:17am: Ken Rosenthal says the potential deal hit a roadblock over the Yankees’ desire to have Milwaukee pick up part of the tab on Cameron. Also, the Brewers want a second player after Cabrera. Tom Haudricourt says the Yankees tried to unload Kei Igawa on them.
9:28am: The Cabrera for Cameron deal is close but not done, according to Joel Sherman’s source. He says the Brewers could receive a pitcher as well, with the quality depending on whether they’ll assume salary.
8:41am: Tom Haudricourt is not sure this is done. He says the Yankees like Bill Hall as well. The Brewers could gain quite a bit of payroll flexibility here. It’d be interesting to see all three Brewers friends (including Sabathia) move to the Yanks.
7:15am: Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News says the Yankees are set to acquire Cameron for Cabrera.
12:55am: According to Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger, the Yankees met with the Brewers Wednesday to resume trade talks for Mike Cameron that began at the GM Meetings. Whatever mild concern the Brewers reportedly had about trading away a friend of C.C. Sabathia‘s is gone.
On November 7th, Peter Abraham wrote that Ian Kennedy and Melky Cabrera were on the Brewers’ radar. Clearly the Brewers want to add a starting pitcher.
Brewers Interested In Unit, Moyer, Smoltz, Wolf
Tom Haudricourt has the latest from Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin as the Brewers try to strengthen their rotation. Melvin just confirmed interest in Randy Johnson, Jamie Moyer, Randy Wolf and John Smoltz.
Melvin acknowledged that “nobody’s going to replace C.C.,” but the Brewers have “ongoing discussions” with all four of the pitchers he mentioned.
Haudricourt writes that of the four, only Wolf seems likely to get offers longer than one year.