Heyman On Hamilton, Yankees, Youkilis, Dodgers
Here's a look at the latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com..
- The Yankees aren't involved with Josh Hamilton at this stage and would only consider it if he fell into their laps at a low number, Heyman tweets. In short, Heyman says it's not happening. The Yankees reportedly had people other than GM Brian Cashman running background checks on Hamilton.
- The Dodgers will consider a shortstop or third baseman but don't appear to be in on Kevin Youkilis at the moment, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Heyman (via Twitter) also says not to be surprised if the Dodgers go after Anibal Sanchez or Kyle Lohse regardless of what happens with Hyun-Jin Ryu.
- In today's conference call, Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels said (via Twitter) that he hasn't had a "final conversation" with the free agent slugger. Last week, manager Ron Washington revealed that Hamilton told the club that he will give them a chance to make a final offer before signing with another team.
East Notes: Phillies, Yankees, Youkilis, Pierzynski
Links out of the AL and NL East..
- The Phillies recognize that the newly acquired Michael Young isn't a perfect option at third base but they didn't have any viable alternatives, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. The club hopes that 22-year-old Cody Asche will be ready in a year but the jury is still out on him.
- Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) says that it would be at least be a mild surprise if Kevin Youkilis turns down the Yankees' offer. Youkilis is deciding between a two-year, $18MM offer from the Indians and a one-year, $12MM deal from the Bombers.
- The Yankees are hesitating on A.J. Pierzynski because they only view him as an average defender, Heyman tweets. The catcher is coming off of a big year but the market for him remains a mystery. General Manager Brian Cashman confirmed earlier this week that he has checked in with Pierzynski's representatives.
- Next up for the Phillies will be finding a setup man and more outfield help, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Cano Will Not Give Yankees A Hometown Discount
Robinson Cano is due to hit free agency after next season, and Mark Feinsand and Christian Red of The New York Daily News hear the second baseman will not give the Yankees a hometown discount. One source said Cano could seek a contract in line with Alex Rodriguez's.
"He’s not giving them a hometown discount, and they seem to be more interested in keeping their payroll down than winning," said one source while another added: “He knows he’s the best player on the Yankees … There’s no reason for him not to be paid that way.”
Cano, 30, hit .313/.379/.550 with a career-high 33 home runs this past season and has produced a .314/.365/.534 line with 115 homers over the last four seasons. He's also proven to be extremely durable, playing in no less than 159 games in each of the last six seasons.
The Yankees will have paid Cano a total of $57MM through next season as part of the extension he signed prior to 2008. They have upwards of $80MM slated to come off the books after 2013 but are trying to get under the $189MM luxury tax threshold in 2014 and don't figure to reinvest all of that into the team. Cano hired Scott Boras prior to 2011 and told the Daily News he would "love" to remain a Yankee, but added: "I know this is a business … It’s up to them."
I looked at Cano as an extension candidate back in April. Joel Sherman of The New York Post first reported last month that the second baseman would look for a market value deal after already signing one team-friendly contract.
Minor Moves: Rockies, Jayson Nix, Travis Webb
Here are some minor transactions from around baseball…
- The Rockies have signed Justin Berg, Hernan Iribarren, Jeff Manship, Gustavo Molina and Henry Wrigley to minor league contracts, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post. All five are invited to the Rockies' big league Spring Training camp.
- The Yankees have outrighted Jayson Nix off the 40-man roster and assigned him to Triple-A, tweets Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. Nix accepted his assignment after being designated for assignment and clearing waivers, as he agreed after signing his one-year, $900K contract with the club last week.
- The Brewers have signed left-hander Travis Webb to a minor league contract, the team announced. The deal contained an invitation to the Major League Spring Training camp. Webb, 28, has a 4.13 ERA and 8.5 K/9 rate in 186 career games (88 starts) in the Reds' minor league system since 2006, pitching primarily as a reliever over the last two seasons.
Free Agent Rumors: Dempster, Ichiro, Jackson, Tejada
Approximately half of the free agents on MLBTR’s top 50 list remain unsigned, which means there will be lots of action in the next few weeks. Here are the latest free agent updates from around MLB…
- The Brewers, Red Sox and Royals are the "three main teams" looking at Ryan Dempster, reports Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). This would seem to eliminate the Cubs, who we recently heard weren't negotiating with Dempster.
- The Yankees are still talking to Ichiro Suzuki as they continue waiting to hear from Kevin Youkilis, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Youkilis is weighing multiple offers and the Indians are also bidding for his services.
- The Royals and other teams seem “very cool” to Edwin Jackson, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports (on Twitter). In other words they aren't overly eager to spend aggressively on him.
- Braves GM Frank Wren said he has interest in certain outfielders as one-year stopgaps, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports (on Twitter). The Braves need another outfielder, even after signing B.J. Upton.
- The Diamondbacks are very interested in Miguel Tejada, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com reports (on Twitter, in Spanish). The team offered Tejada a minor league deal, but he’d like a guaranteed contract.
- The Marlins are only interested in Carl Pavano if he’ll accept a low base salary of $3MM or so plus incentives, Phil Mackey of ESPN 1500 reports (on Twitter). Pavano’s agent met with the Twins yesterday, Mackey adds.
Yankees, Brett Gardner Avoid Arbitration
2:22pm: It's a $2.85MM contract, the Associated Press reports (via the Boston Herald). The deal also includes $150K in performance bonuses.
1:09pm: The Yankees announced that they avoided arbitration with Brett Gardner, Chad Jennings of the Journal News reports. Gardner, a client of Pro Star Management, Inc., agreed to a one-year deal for the 2013 season.
The 29-year-old had a projected salary of $2.8MM, according to MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. That's the amount Gardner earned in 2012, when he was limited to 16 games because of an elbow injury. As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, the Yankees now have four unsigned arbitration eligible players: Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Boone Logan and David Robertson.
Josh Hamilton Rumors: Friday
The Winter Meetings are over and the top free agent position player remains unsigned. Josh Hamilton has drawn serious interest from the Mariners and Rangers, and the Red Sox continue checking in on the outfielder. Here's the latest…
- The Phillies have shown very little interest in Hamilton and they seem wary of him, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports (on Twitter).
- One GM wondered to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com why teams would make Hamilton offers if the outfielder will take the offers to Texas and provide the Rangers with the chance to match (Twitter link).
- As Joel Sherman of the New York Post explains, much would have to fall into place for the Yankees to sign Hamilton. At this point the chances of him joining the Yankees seem slim at best.
Earlier updates:
- Baseball people suggest Hamilton and agent Michael Moye are still holding out for a six or seven-year contract worth $25MM or so per season, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports.
- A rival general manager says Yankees people other than GM Brian Cashman are quietly running a background check on Hamilton, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (on Twitter). Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio recently suggested the Yankees should be viewed as a potential destination for Hamilton. However, the team aims to lower payroll below $189MM by 2014, so some creativity would be required to add a premium player such as Hamilton.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post"will only believe the Yankees are truly out" on Hamilton when he's at a press conference wearing another team's jersey. While GM Brian Cashman has discussed the importance of remaining patient, Sherman senses that the Yankees are "incredibly touchy" to recent criticism and could pursue the slugging outfielder.
Indians Continue Pursuing Youkilis, Swisher
The Indians offered Shane Victorino four years and $44MM before he signed with the Red Sox, an indication that Cleveland has the capacity to spend on at least one major free agent this offseason. Here's the latest on the Indians, starting with a pair of free agent pursuits…
- While the Indians are hoping to sign Swisher to a four-year deal in the $48-50MM range, his market has shifted and he might now command a four-year, $60MM contract, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio reports (on Twitter).
- The Indians may have offered Youkilis more than $18MM for two years, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports (on Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- Kevin Youkilis must decide whether to accept a two-year, $18MM contract to play for Terry Francona and the Indians or take a one-year, $12MM deal to play for the Yankees, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes (on Twitter).
- It appears as though Cleveland could be in the best position to sign Nick Swisher, Olney reports (on Twitter).
AL East Notes: Yankees, Nova, Vargas, Rays
Links out of the AL East..
- The Yankees are still listening to offers on Curtis Granderson, Phil Hughes, and Ivan Nova, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Team executives have acknowledged that Granderson and Hughes have come up in trade talks but say that it would be tough to replace both in the short-term.
- Right-hander Claudio Vargas has agreed to a minor league deal with the Blue Jays, according to Metis Sports Management (via Twitter). Vargas retired in summer 2011 before inking a minor league deal with the Brewers this past spring.
- The Rays aren't going to be shaking things up right away but there could be some trades on the horizon, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. "At the very least we have more clarity. I wouldn't say anything is imminent. But we just have more clarity on how we might be able to complete this offseason looking out over the next six-to-eight weeks," said executive VP Andrew Friedman.
- It seems that almost everyone in Nashville this week was poised to spend big bucks except for the Yankees, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Scott Boras and two other agents who have discussed clients with the Yankees in recent days said their perception was a clamp had been placed on spending with the team’s payroll already at $168MM for 2013. Meanwhile, the Yanks still have major needs in right field, the left side of the infield, and at catcher.
R.A. Dickey Rumors: Wednesday
Dollars, rather than years, are holding up extension talks between the Mets and R.A. Dickey, as we heard yesterday. That divide could make a trade more likely, though New York is still weighing its options. The team left the Winter Meetings without a resolution. Here are Wednesday’s Dickey-related rumors, with new updates added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Blue Jays and the Rangers are involved in the talks for Dickey, Heyman tweets. Toronto is thought to be unlikely to part with Travis D’Arnaud but may be willing to trade Anthony Gose.
- The Rangers like Dickey but the Mets’ prospect request at this point is too rich for them, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
- “I think the Mets are going to sign him,” an executive with a club that has tried to trade for Dickey told Jon Paul Morosi.
- The Mets talked to the Yankees and Nationals (prior to their Dan Haren signing) this week about Dickey, tweets Andy Martino, but the Yankees don’t have the pieces and GM Sandy Alderson wouldn’t trade within the division.
- The Mets are hoping for the Rangers in the Dickey trade talks, tweets Jon Heyman.
Earlier updates:
- Dickey’s asking price appears to be two years and $26MM in addition to his $5MM salary for 2013, writes Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Mets officials have told Martino that they’re sitting on at least one “acceptable” trade offer, but Martino reports that Alderson would like to keep the knuckleballer.
- Although Dickey was at the Winter Meetings, he only went to congratulate David Wright on his new contract, and left without negotiating with the Mets, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. His situation remains in limbo.
- The Mets are sitting on a number of potential trades for Dickey, tweets David Lennon of Newsday. He says that if a team caves and adds a necessary piece, a deal could be done quickly. The Mets are also working on a trade for an outfielder that does not involve Dickey.
- Dickey is seeking a two-year deal worth roughly $30MM, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, while the Mets are around two years and $20MM.
- GM Sandy Alderson now believes the most likely scenario involves the Mets keeping Dickey without an extension, tweets Bob Nightengale of the USA Today. However, that’s not the team’s preferred option.
- Speaking to the media, Jeff Wilpon reiterated that Dickey could return to the Mets for 2013 without an extension, and made that option sound more realistic than a trade, according to ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin (Twitter link).
- Dickey himself told Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and SiriusXM that he feels like he and the Mets are “inching toward” an extension (Twitter link). The knuckleballer also spoke to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney, repeating that he’s “hopeful” about a deal with the Mets, but understands that it’s Sandy Alderson’s job to make the Mets better (Twitter link).
- The Mets know they can sign Dickey to a two-year extension worth about $13MM annually, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. However, the team doesn’t appear willing to go quite that high yet.
- If no trade or extension is worked out, the Mets have the “safety net” of having Dickey on an affordable deal in 2013, with the opportunity to trade or extend him later, says Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Although GM Sandy Alderson hasn’t indicated when the team would move on from trade and extension talks if no deal can be reached, one Mets official hinted to Sherman that it could happen between next week and Christmas.
- Mets officials suggest the chances of Dickey remaining a Met are in the 55-45 range, says Sherman. The Mets’ asking price remains high, as one rival executive tells Sherman: “Any team would take Dickey. But this is not Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee being traded. I would take him, but for top prospects, no.”