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Yankees Sign Matt Holliday

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The Yankees have announced the signing of Matt Holliday to a one-year deal.  The Scott Boras client will reportedly receive a guarantee of $13MM for the 2017 season.

Matt Holliday

While Holliday has been a left fielder for 1698 of his 1773 career games, he isn’t likely to get much time at that position in New York (at least not unless Brett Gardner is traded).  Holliday will instead serve as the Yankees’ primary designated hitter and possibly also get some time at first base; he appeared in 10 games at first for the Cardinals last year.

The signing will bring some veteran stability to an intriguing but rather inexperienced first base/DH mix in New York.  Youngsters Greg Bird and Tyler Austin are expected to get the bulk of time at first, with Aaron Judge on hand as both a DH and right fielder.  (Austin can also play right.)  Holliday, Austin and Judge are all right-handed hitters, with Bird hitting from the left side and the switch-hitting Aaron Hicks traditionally performing much better against southpaws over his career.

Holliday hit .246/.322/.461 with 20 homers over 426 PA for St. Louis in 2016 in a season shortened by a thumb fracture.  Between that injury and a pair of quad strains in 2015, Holliday has only appeared in 183 of 324 games over the last two years, though a move to DH should help the 36-year-old (who turns 37 in January) stay healthy.  Defensive metrics like UZR/150 and Defensive Runs Saved have been down on Holliday’s left field glovework for the last five years, so a move out of left is also likely to help Holliday’s overall value.

Holliday’s below-par 2016 season led the Cardinals to decline their $17MM club option on the longtime St. Louis staple.  Over 13 seasons and 7489 career PA with the Cards, A’s and Rockies, Holliday has a very impressive .303/.382/.515 slash line, 295 home runs and 49.9 fWAR.  Though his walk rate, line drive rate and overall hitting numbers declined in 2016, Holliday hit with much more power last year than in 2015 and his overall hard-hit ball rate was above his career norms.  A .253 BABIP may have also been partially responsible for Holliday’s somewhat disappointing (by his standards) 2016 campaign.

Holliday ranked 40th on MLBTR’s list of the top 50 free agents of the 2016-17 offseason, with Tim Dierkes predicting Holliday to land a one-year, $10MM deal.

The Yankees had been linked to several veteran bats this winter, ranging from top-of-the-market names like Yoenis Cespedes and Edwin Encarnacion to players like Holliday who would be available on shorter-term deals.  In signing Holliday to an affordable one-year commitment, GM Brian Cashman could now use any affordable payroll room on the bullpen (the Yankees have been widely tabbed for a reunion with Aroldis Chapman) or perhaps the starting rotation, via free agency or the trade market.  Gardner and Chase Headley have been rumored to be available in trade talks, so more moves could also be forthcoming to the Yankees’ lineup.

WFAN’s Sweeny Murti was the first to report (Twitter link) that the two sides were close to a deal, and FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reports that Holliday will earn $13MM for the one-year contract.

Yankees Interested In Ruben Tejada On Minors Deal

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Cashman Doesn't Expect To Add Starter

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  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman doesn’t expect to add a starting pitcher at the Winter Meetings, telling reporters (including George A. King III of the New York Post) that “it’s a tough market and the price tags are extremely high. We could play on a lot of things because we have a lot of prospects people desire and we desire them, too. I would say it’s less likely for us to acquire a starter.”

Aroldis Chapman Reportedly Has $92MM Offer

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One of the top three relievers, Mark Melancon, is off the board after agreeing to a record-setting $62MM deal with the Giants yesterday. But both Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen, the top two relievers of the winter, remain unsigned. Both are likely to make Melancon’s time as the relief contract record holder brief, and we’ll track today’s updates on their market here…

  • The Yankees haven’t gone as high as $92MM in their offers to Chapman, and the Marlins aren’t believed to be willing to spend quite that much, Heyman reports (Twitter links).
  • Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has indeed given his front office the green light to spend on signing Chapman or Jansen, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports, though this “preliminary approval” of funds may still not be enough to outbid other big spenders on either ace closer.

Earlier Updates

  • The Yankees are “determined” to land Chapman, Heyman tweets. It’s not clear, however, that they’re the team that offered Chapman $92MM.
  • One team believes Chapman has a $92MM offer in hand, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets.
  • The Yankees have made offers to both Chapman and Jansen, reports MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (on Twitter).
  • Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times tweets that the Dodgers are remaining “competitive” in the markets for Jansen and Chapman, and they’ve also chatted with the Royals about closer Wade Davis.
  • Chapman has received multiple offers that have passed the $80MM threshold, Heyman tweets. The Yankees still see him as their priority, but the Dodgers and Marlins are in the mix as well. He also suggests that the Nationals could join the fray for Chapman, pointing out that GM Mike Rizzo and manager Dusty Baker (who managed Chapman in Cincinnati) both love Chapman.
  • There’s an expectation that Jansen will sign before Chapman, reports ESPN’s Jim Bowden.
  • The Yankees are more focused on Chapman than Jansen and are willing to offer a five-year deal in the range of $80MM, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman. Chapman said yesterday that he’s hoping to receive a six-year deal, but the Yankees won’t go to that level to sign him, according to Heyman. For the Yankees, Jansen is more of a backup plan to Chapman than a prime target.
  • The Marlins are firmly in the mix for both top closers, at owner Jeffrey Loria’s behest, but their preference between the two differs from the Yankees, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Miami has preferred Jansen to Chapman from the start of free agency, despite the fact that he comes with the burden of draft pick compensation after rejecting a qualifying offer. Sherman notes that if the Marlins are able to land Jansen before Chapman signs, that could push the Dodgers to make a strong run at Chapman, potentially throwing a wrench into the Yankees’ winter plans. The Dodgers are trying to retain Jansen, according to Sherman, but they’d seemingly shift course to Chapman if Jansen came off the board.

Yankees Continuing To Listen To Offers For Brett Gardner

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The Yankees are listening to offers for outfielder Brett Gardner, but have not yet traded him because they haven’t yet received an offer suitable to them, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com writes.

“He’s here not because I can’t move him; he’s here because I’m not comfortable moving him, or haven’t been satisfied in my asks that would make me move him,” says GM Brian Cashman. “You’re going through the process, and you see if that changes. So far to this point, I’ve said no to a lot of different concepts thrown my way on it.”

The 33-year-old Gardner is guaranteed $25MM over the next two seasons, including a $2MM buyout on his $12.5MM option for 2019. He’s remained quietly productive in his last few seasons as a Yankee, with a skill set built around on-base percentage, respectable corner outfield defense, and very good baserunning. At last check, though, he wasn’t receiving significant trade interest, although, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams pointed out last week, that might change once more free agent outfielders come off the board. Gardner remains atop the Yankees’ depth chart in left field, although his departure could open playing time for a higher-wattage acquisition, for one of the Yankees’ younger players or even, occasionally, for new acquisition Matt Holliday (who figures to play mostly DH).

Four To Five Teams Interested In Brian Dozier

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TUESDAY, 6:08am: On the contrary, the Yankees aren’t involved in the Dozier sweepstakes, general manager Brian Cashman told MLB Network Radio on Monday (Twitter link). “I haven’t had any dialogue with the Twins about Dozier. That’s a false report,” Cashman said.

12:48am: The Yankees have checked in on Dozier, though it’s unclear how serious they are about acquiring him, reports Heyman. New York traded for second baseman Starlin Castro last winter, but his recent track record pales in comparison to Dozier’s. Castro hit .270/.300/.433 with 21 homers in 610 plate appearances in his first year with the Yankees and is owed $31MM through the 2020 season.

MONDAY: The notion that the Dodgers have “piqued” the Twins’ interest in trade discussions for second baseman Brian Dozier is “more rumor than substance,” a source told Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link). That could change, however, as talks will pick up during this week’s winter meetings, per Wolfson.

In a potentially interesting development, Dozier will attend the meetings in National Harbor, Md., and is scheduled to arrive Monday, according to Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press. Dozier will be on hand because of a marketing commitment, not necessarily to help facilitate a trade, but he’ll likely to have the chance to meet with newly hired Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine for the first time. Levine said earlier this week that the Twins would have to be “really inspired” to trade Dozier, but it’s nonetheless easy to imagine the rebuilding club dealing him on the heels of a career year.

While Dozier has been a more-than-steady contributor since 2013, he burst on the national scene in 2016 by becoming just the fourth second baseman to ever reach the 40-HR plateau in a season. Dozier swatted 42 homers, to be exact, and he displayed more than power with an impressive .268/.340/.545 batting line in 691 plate appearances, 18 steals and and a superstar-caliber fWAR (5.9).

As a result of both his stellar production and affordability – he’ll make a combined $15MM over the next two seasons – four to five teams are pushing to acquire Dozier, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). The only identified suitor is the Dodgers, whose interest in the 29-year-old has been known since November.

Yankees Interested In Several Free Agent Relievers

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Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is in touch with the representatives for free agent relievers Greg Holland, Koji Uehara, Brad Ziegler and Mike Dunn, report George A. King III and Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Given their vast experience as closers, any of Holland, Uehara or Ziegler could end up as fallback ninth-inning options if the Yankees aren’t able to land either Aroldis Chapman or Kenley Jansen. As of now, the only somewhat established southpaw in New York’s projected bullpen for 2017 is Tommy Layne, so adding a left-handed setup man like Dunn – a former Yankees farmhand – would seemingly make sense.

Yankees Rumors: Encarnacion, Valbuena

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Free agent designated hitter/first baseman Edwin Encarnacion has three preferred landing spots – the Blue Jays, Red Sox and an unidentified team – a major league source told Rob Bradford of WEEI. The mystery club isn’t the Yankees, per Bradford, and they’re likely out of the running for Encarnacion (if they were ever in it) after adding Matt Holliday. The Blue Jays could be out, too, as they’ve reached deals with two first base/DH types in Kendrys Morales and Steve Pearce this offseason. The fact that Toronto moved on to other options so quickly after Encarnacion rejected its four-year, $80MM offer came as a surprise to the longtime Jay, tweets Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

  • The Yankees are one of “several” teams engaging in “ongoing” dialogue with free agent infielder Luis Valbuena, his agent, Steve Schneider, told Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Bombers have so far balked at the demands of Valbuena, who is seeking a multiyear deal and wants an everyday role. New York won’t be able to offer a daily place in its lineup to Valbuena unless it deals third baseman Chase Headley, but the club hasn’t had any luck doing that. Valbuena, 31, spent the previous two years in Houston and is coming off his third straight strong offensive campaign, though his season ended in August because of hamstring surgery.

Cashman Acknowledges Pursuit Of Chapman

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  • The Yankees are pursuing Aroldis Chapman and will “compete to a certain extent” for his services, GM Brian Cashman told media, including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (Twitter links).  The club is also talking to Kenley Jansen and looking at trade opportunities, so the Yankees are clearly flexible in their search for back-end relief help if Chapman’s bidding gets too high.

Bullpen Rumors: Melancon, Marlins, Lefties, Diamondbacks

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There’s plenty of bullpen chatter circulating as the Winter Meetings get underway. Here’s the latest…

  • The latest updates on Mark Melancon last night revealed that the three-time All-Star has received multiple four-year offers, potentially in excess of $60MM in some cases. The Nationals have indeed made a four-year offer to closer Mark Melancon, according to Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post, but their offer was for less than $60MM guaranteed. That makes a reunion look unlikely for now, barring an increase in the offer from the Nats.
  • FanRag’s Jon Heyman writes that Melancon is the Giants’ top target, and Greg Holland could be their primary alternative, as opposed to either Aroldis Chapman or Kenley Jansen. Heyman feels it’s unlikely that they’d pursue either Jansen or Chapman if they fall to land Melancon. The Giants and Nationals are pushing the hardest for Melancon, tweets Heyman.
  • The Nationals, Marlins, Cubs, Dodgers, Yankees and Giants are all in on Kenley Jansen, per ESPN’s Jim Bowden. Heyman tweets that the Marlins are intent on adding a top closer, and owner Jeffrey Loria is a fan of Chapman in particular. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Loria is at the Winter Meetings and is participating in meetings with the representation for top-tier bullpen arms.
  • The Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays, Indians, Dodgers, Rockies and Diamondbacks are all in the market for a bullpen lefty, putting names like Mike Dunn, Boone Logan and Jerry Blevins in a good position, Heyman tweets. Heyman also tweeted this morning that the D-backs are focused on the bullpen at the moment and have no plans to “shock the world” like they did last offseason.
  • Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets that veteran southpaw Joe Beimel is at the Winter Meetings and is seeking a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. Beimel, 40 in April, hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2015 but had a nice two-year stretch in Seattle from 2014-15, posting a 3.12 ERA in 92 1/3 innings.
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