Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Yankees Rumors

AL East Notes: Yankees, Big Papi, Markakis, Red Sox

By | at

Yesterday, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com surveyed two National League executives on Robinson Cano and his value as he inches closer to hitting the open market.  Both supported the Yankees spending big on the second baseman and one even said that he has a legitimate case for a $200MM extension.  Here's more on the Yankees and other AL East items..

  • David Ortiz told reporters, including the Boston Herald's Scott Lauber, that he may not play again for the Red Sox this year because of his strained right Achilles. "To be honest with you, what I’m looking for right now is to make sure I heal up the right way," Ortiz said. "I pushed it once. Didn’t work. So I’m not going to push it again." Ortiz, who has played only once since July 16, received a platelet-rich plasma injection nearly two weeks ago that has left him feeling “totally different.” But, he is still wearing a protective boot on his right foot and won’t attempt any baseball activities until at least Tuesday when he’s expected to have it removed. 
  • The Orioles' Nick Markakis is expected to undergo surgery tomorrow to insert a plate into his broken left thumb, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN.com. The surgery could speed up the recovery process, so the Orioles remain optimistic Markakis could return if they go deep into the playoffs, writes Kubatko.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post looks at five personnel decisions that backfired on the Yankees this season.  Sherman writes that the trade of Jesus Montero for Michael Pineda was among the club's biggest mistakes.  Although Pineda could bounce back from injury and fulfill his potential, Montero could have been a long-term answer for the Yankees in the event that Russell Martin leaves via free agency.
  • Theo Epstein only deserves some of the blame for the situation that the Red Sox are in and not all of it, opines John Tomase of the Boston Herald.  While Epstein made the big money deals that tied up the club's payroll, owners John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino had final say over all of them. 
  • Daisuke Matsuzaka's next start with the Red Sox could be his last with the club, writes Michael Vega of the Boston Globe.  "Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll be wearing this Red Sox uniform next year," Matsuzaka said through his interpreter, Jeff Cutler. "As I’ve said before, it’s an honor to be able to wear this Red Sox uniform, but it hasn’t been an added stress for me."
  • Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine told NESN's Tom Caron that the criticism that has been directed at him stems from personal gripes, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.  Valentine believes that he has always received unfair criticism and anticipated more of it when he arrived in Boston.

Edward Creech also contributed to this post.

Stark On Yankees, LaRoche, Phillies

By | at

The Yankees will reach a crossroads with three of their most productive players this offseason when Nick Swisher hits free agency and Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano get a little closer to the open market. Jayson Stark surveyed MLB executives about the value of those Yankees and passed along the results in his latest column at ESPN.com. Here are the details and more notes from Stark…

  • Two National League executives had no reservations about spending on Cano. “Pay him what he's worth," one said. The other said Cano has a legitimate case for a $200MM extension.
  • The execs praised Granderson as a person but questioned his value on the field. A $100MM contract would be excessive in the view of one executive. Both Cano and Granderson will be eligible for free agency following the 2013 season, assuming the Yankees exercise their '13 club options.
  • Similarly, the executives don’t consider Swisher a candidate for a Jayson Werth-type deal (seven years and $126MM). Swisher may look to match Werth’s contract as a free agent this coming winter.
  • The Nationals have considered picking up their side of Adam LaRoche’s $10MM mutual option for 2013 and keeping Bryce Harper in center field, Stark reports. Alternatively, they could sign Michael Bourn when he hits free agency, move Harper to a corner spot and trade Michael Morse. I examined LaRoche’s option in detail last week, before his recent hot streak.
  • The Phillies are looking at third base and left field options for next year and that search includes players already in the organization. One scout has been impressed by 26-year-old Darin Ruf, who hit 38 home runs at Double-A this year. "He might be Matt Holliday," the scout said, praising Ruf's hitting ability.
  • An old friend of Roger Clemens doesn’t believe the seven-time Cy Young Award winner when he says he’s not thinking about playing at the MLB level. The person expects Clemens to sign with the Astros this month.

Quick Hits: Yankees, Guthrie, D’Backs, Brewers

By | at

The Yankees are faced with a number of issues in the short-term and long-term, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  Among their long-term issues is the fact that their position player average age is 32.7 years.  One scout is also concerned that Robinson Cano hasn't looked like himself lately which is an unfortunate development for the Yanks as they appear to be intent on locking him up for the long-term.  Here's more from around baseball.

  • Royals General Manager Dayton Moore says that the club will "probably" wait until after the season to explore contract talks with pending free agent Jeremy Guthrie, tweets Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star.  Moore recently said that he will be focusing on the rotation this offseason, which includes trying to re-sign Guthrie.  The 33-year-old is earning $8.5MM this season.
  • One has to imagine that Diamondbacks pitchers Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson regret not signing lucrative extensions when they had the chance prior to this season, writes Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic.  It's not known how much Arizona was offering to each pitcher, but Piecoro estimates that for Kennedy it was something close to $30MM and around $15MM for Hudson.
  • A source tells Ben Badler of Baseball America that the Brewers are not planning to renew the contract of Fernando Arango, who has been one of the team's top scouts in Latin America since 2003.  The club is looking for more production out of their Latin American department as they continue to work with a low-to-mid-range budget.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Ramiro Pena

By | at

We’ll see many outright assignments in the next eight weeks as teams look to create 40-man roster space for call-ups and, eventually, offseason additions. Here are today’s outright assignments…

  • The Yankees outrighted infielder Ramiro Pena to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, according to the team’s website. The Yankees designated the 27-year-old for assignment four days ago after he hit .258/.325/.328 at Triple-A. Pena also appeared in three MLB games with the Yankees in 2012.

Yankees Notes: Steinbrenner, Cashman, Girardi

By | at

The Yankees share the AL East lead with the Orioles after losing again to the Rays last night. It's been a rough week for the Yankees, who have lost five of six, but the team still has an 87.7% chance of making the postseason, according to Baseball Prospectus. Here’s the latest…

  • The Yankees have made it clear that they intend to reduce payroll below the $189MM luxury tax threshold by 2014. But Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders if Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner will change his mind if the team misses the postseason this year. Promising young pitchers such as Ivan Nova, Michael Pineda and Manny Banuelos dealt with injuries in 2012, which will make it harder for GM Brain Cashman to build an affordable rotation.
  • Steinbrenner told Ken Davidoff of the New York Post that he's "frustrated" and still expects great things from his team. However, the jobs of Cashman and manager Joe Girardi aren't at stake, Davidoff reports. "No, not at all," Steinbrenner said.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post looks beyond the reasons often offered for the Yankees’ recent struggles — injuries and a lack of timely hitting — and suggests the team has an offensive attack that’s too one-dimensional and a rotation that surrenders too many home runs. New York’s starting pitchers have allowed 125 homers, more than any other MLB rotation.

Yankees Release Kosuke Fukudome

By | at

The Yankees have released outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, according to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Director of Media Relations Mike Vander Woude (via Twitter).  Fukudome's stint in the Yankees organization was short-lived after signing a minor league deal back in mid-July.

The White Sox cut Fukudome loose in June after signing him to a one-year, $1MM contract in over the winter.  The 35-year-old would play in just in 24 games for Chicago while posting a .171/.294/.195 slash line in 51 plate appearances.  In five big league seasons, Fukudome owns a .258/.359/.395 batting line for the Cubs, Indians, and White Sox.

Astros Claim Brandon Laird From Yankees

By | at

The Astros have claimed Brandon Laird off of waivers from the Yankees, according to Chad Jennings of The Journal News (via Twitter).  The move essentially works as a trade between the two clubs as the Yankees acquired Steve Pearce off waivers from the Astros earlier this week.

The Yankees designated Laird for assignment on August 27th to make room on the roster for Pearce.  Laird, 24, posted a .254/.307/.414 slash line with 15 home runs and 31 doubles in 550 plate appearances for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this year.

Rosenthal On Pierzynski, Ortiz, Cardinals, Marlins

By | at

Here's a look at the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • A.J. Pierzynski is in a slump but all in all, he's having a strong year at the age of 35 and could be an interesting name on the open market.  The Yankees could have interest if they look to replace Russell Martin, the Marlins could look to reunite him with Ozzie Guillen and Mark Buehrle, and the Dodgers were close to signing him after the 2010 season.  As for the White Sox, no one knows what direction they'll head in, but price could be a major factor.  The catcher is making $6MM this year.
  • David Ortiz accepted arbitration from the Red Sox last season to take himself off of the open market, but this year could be a different story.  This would be a smart time for him to reject a one-year deal and pursue a multi-year contract with leverage on his side.  Both the Yankees and Blue Jays could have interest in him as a DH.
  • The Cardinals are unlikely to re-sign Kyle Lohse, who should be one of the top starters available this winter.  They also are unlikely to overpay on an extension for Adam Wainwright, who has one year left on his contract.  St. Louis has a glut of talented starters both in the majors and waiting in the wings and is against locking up too much money in the rotation long-term.
  • The Marlins' top front office execs are signed through 2015 but other clubs say owner Jeffrey Loria is considering a major shakeup.  Team president David Samson told Rosenthal that they'll go through their usual evaluations after the season and take a hard look at everyone, but he added that it is only September 1st and they'll won't get into it until after the season.

Yankees Designate Ramiro Pena For Assignment

By | at

The Yankees have designated Ramiro Pena for assignment, reports Peter Botte of The New York Daily News (on Twitter). The move clears room on the 40-man roster for Chris Dickerson, who was recalled from Triple-A as rosters expand today.

Pena, 27, hit .258/.325/.328 in Triple-A this summer while playing second, third, and shortstop. He had one single in four plate appearances with the Yankees earlier this season and is a .233/.266/.288 career hitter in 338 big league plate appearances.

Quick Hits: Swisher, Utley, Hamilton, Hairston

By | at

Chris Corrigan of the High-A ball Palm Beach Cardinals made history tonight by throwing a perfect game in his start against the Charlotte Stone Crabs.  Corrigan, 24, was a 30th-round selection for the Cardinals in the 2009 amateur draft and carried a career 4.04 ERA in 102 minor league games (25 starts) entering tonight.  Corrigan's gem was the first minor league perfect game since Jeanmar Gomez threw a perfecto for Double-A Akron in 2009.  As for the Stone Crabs, they're an affiliate of (who else?) the Rays, who have been perfecto'd three times in the last four years at the Major League level.

Some news and notes from around the baseball world…

  • “Every team needs a guy like [Nick] Swisher,” an AL executive tells Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.  “You watch him play every day and you can see how much he cares. I wish every player cared that much.”  Feinsand suggests that the Yankees could re-sign Swisher and move Brett Gardner to center field, thus creating room to trade the more expensive Curtis Granderson.  MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith recently looked at Swisher's free agent stock.
  • Chase Utley took some groundballs at third base before today's game and he told reporters (including MLB.com's Todd Zolecki) that he had approached the Phillies about getting some reps at third in order to "create some more flexibility as far as the organization is concerned."  Utley spent a season playing third in 2002 in Triple-A before but hasn't played at the hot corner since.
  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. commented on Utley's trial, noting that "in a perfect scenario," Utley could hold down third base until prospect Cody Asche is ready, theoretically for the 2014 season.  Amaro cautioned reporters (including Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer) that it's hypothetical since Asche has yet to play above Double-A.
  • Billy Hamilton will "probably not" be called up for September, Reds general manager Walt Jocketty tells MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.  Jocketty noted that the decision wasn't finalized yet, however, and that he was going to watch Hamilton play in person this weekend.
  • Mets outfielder Scott Hairston believes the Diamondbacks claimed him off waivers, he tells Adam Rubin of ESPN New York (Twitter link).  The Giants were known to be interested in outfield help and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports speculated earlier this month that the D'Backs would likely try to block Hairston or Juan Pierre from getting to their NL West rivals.  Rosenthal also reported that the team that claimed Hairston did so as a blocking maneuver.
  • Roger Clemens is planning to start again for the Sugar Land Skeeters on September 7, according to a text the pitcher sent Mark Berman, sports director of FOX 26 KRIV (Twitter link).  Clemens, 50, threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings in his first start with the Skeeters on August 25.
  • Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston suggests a few moves the Red Sox should make this offseason, including re-signing David Ortiz and Cody Ross and trying to add Justin Upton and a top-tier starting pitcher.
  • Major League Baseball is investigating whether agents Sam and Seth Levinson arranged for former client Paul Lo Duca to meet with PED distributor Kirk Radomski, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top