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Mets Open To K-Rod Deal; Yankees “Marginally Interested”

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The "door is wide open" for a team to acquire Francisco Rodriguez as the Mets are shopping the reliever, a Yankees source tells Bob Klapisch of FOX Sports (Twitter link).  The Yankees themselves "are only marginally interested" in Rodriguez, however, since Rafael Soriano is tentatively scheduled to return from the DL after the All-Star Break.

Rodriguez specifically cited the Yankees and Rays as two of the "good teams" he would consider waiving his no-trade clause to join, but the right-hander has been adamant that he would prefer to remain a Met. 

Rodriguez's $17.5MM option for 2012 will vest if he finishes 55 games this year and gets a clean bill of health from doctors once the season is over.  He is on pace to pass that 55-game plateau (Rodriguez has finished 31 games thus far) but obviously wouldn't get a chance to close with the Yankees unless Mariano Rivera suffered an injury.  While the Yankees probably wouldn't have to worry about the vesting option, Rodriguez is still owed roughly $5.7MM in salary this year and even the Yankees don't want to spend that much more on late-game relief when they're already paying Rivera and Soriano a combined $25MM.

Brewers Among Clubs With Interest In Padres’ Arms

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The Brewers are among the teams that have contacted the Padres about their relievers, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Yankees, Rangers, Phillies and Cardinals have also contacted San Diego about possible trades for relievers.

Though the Padres haven’t begun exchanging offers for players like Heath Bell and Mike Adams, discussions will likely intensify at the All-Star Break. The Yankees will likely pursue relievers aggressively, but Adams will only be available for an “extraordinary” offer, according to Rosenthal and Morosi. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported last week that the Yankees prefer Adams, who is a free agent after 2012, to Bell, who hits the open market this offseason.

Yankees Sign Miguel Andujar

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The Yankees signed Dominican third baseman Miguel Andujar, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. The 16-year-old obtains a $700K bonus.

Andujar plays in the Dominican Prospect League and has lots of international experience, according to Badler's subscriber-only scouting report. The right-handed hitter has a good swing, good bat speed and a good approach. He has the potential to hit for average and power and can handle third base.

Quick Hits: Hanrahan, Harden, Dodgers, Ring

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Some links for Sunday afternoon…

Yankees Release Carlos Silva

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The Yankees have released Carlos Silva, according to Donnie Collins of the Scranton Times-Tribune (via Twitter).  Silva was cut loose due to shoulder problems, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

The veteran was released by the Cubs in late March before signing a minor league deal with the Yankees on April 9th.  The 32-year-old started seven games at various levels of the Yankees' system, posting an ERA of 2.75 with 7.0 K/9 with 1.5 BB/9.

Silva may be without employment at the moment but he's being compensated well in 2011.  The Mariners are paying him $5.5MM while the Cubs are on the hook for $7.25MM, plus $2MM in 2012.

Olney On Deadline Plans For AL Teams

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ESPN's Buster Olney outlined plans for National League teams heading into the trade deadline yesterday, and today he follows up with the American League in an Insider-only column that comes highly recommended. Here's a brief recap…

  • The Mark Ellis trade could just be the first domino that falls for the Athletics. Other veterans like Josh Willingham, Coco Crisp, and Grant Balfour could follow him out the door.
  • The Twins aren't as willing to trade now as they were a few weeks ago, and the big question they have to ask themselves is if eating a chunk of the $5.5MM left on Michael Cuddyer's contract is worth it to trade him.
  • We've heard this before, but B.J. Upton and Kyle Farnsworth of the Rays figure to draw interest.
  • The Red Sox and Angels don't have a lot of financial flexiblity and are more likely to target smaller pieces.
  • Jeff Francoeur, Melky Cabrera, and Wilson Betemit are all affordable and reasonably productive, but Olney notes that the Royals might want to keep some veterans around so the youngsters don't get pounded.
  • The Indians and Mariners will not blow up their rebuild processes despite their surprising runs at contention. Erik Bedard's injury took away Seattle's best chip.
  • Poor seasons from Alex Rios and Adam Dunn make it difficult for the White Sox to do anything. They need those two to get back on track more than anything.
  • The Yankees are convinced their internal pitching options are better than what's available on the market right now. A Rafael Soriano setback would put them in the reliever market.
  • It's all about right-handed relief pitching for the Rangers, who will have plenty of options to choose from. The Blue Jays have lots of bullpen help to deal.
  • The Tigers are asking around about pitching, specifically left-handers.
  • The Orioles are having an internal debate about whether or not to trade Jeremy Guthrie, but they are expected to at least listen to offers.

Yankees Don’t Expect To Find Top Pitching In Trade

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As Bartolo Colon, Phil Hughes and Rafael Soriano work their way back from injuries, their general manager is surveying the trade market for possible targets. Yet Brian Cashman doesn’t see many quality arms available, so he expects his strongest pitching reinforcements to come from within the organization, according to Newsday’s Ken Davidoff.

"I'd be shocked if I could trade for anything better than what I'm getting off the DL, both with starters in Colon and Hughes and in the bullpen with Soriano," Cashman said.

The trade market develops quickly, especially in late July, so the Yankees may find an elite starter or reliever on the market eventually. They’ll look everywhere for possible upgrades with an emphasis on improving the rotation, according to Davidoff.

C.C. Sabathia has been one of the best pitchers in the league, Colon and Freddy Garcia have been pleasant surprises and A.J. Burnett has been passable. Fifth starter Ivan Nova has a 4.19 ERA with 5.0 K/9, 3.7 BB/9 and a 56% ground ball rate in 86 innings. Though Brian Gordon has been fine as a spot starter, the Yankees presumably want to limit their reliance on him. As a group, the rotation ranks 12th in MLB with a 3.81 ERA (3.84 xFIP).

Starting Pitchers Among Best Low-Risk Pickups

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Bartolo Colon didn’t pitch an inning in the Major Leagues last year. Neither did Erik Bedard, or Brandon McCarthy, or Ryan Vogelsong. Halfway through the 2011 season, each one of them has already made a difference at the highest level. The quartet of reclamation projects has combined for 309 2/3 innings of 2.88 ERA baseball this year with three times as many strikeouts (257) as walks (77).

Vogelsong

A year after splitting his time between two Triple-A teams, Vogelsong (pictured) is a key contributor on one of baseball’s most effective pitching staffs. His 2.09 ERA leads a San Francisco rotation that includes the likes of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain.

Yet there’s no denying that the same issue that kept the others off of MLB mounds in 2010 – health – persists. Colon could return from the disabled list this weekend; the Mariners placed Bedard on the DL today; McCarthy has been on Oakland’s disabled list for more than a month.  

But before their respective teams placed them on the disabled list, their contributions surpassed all expectations. It’s been six weeks since McCarthy toed the rubber, yet A’s fans probably haven’t forgotten the 3.39 ERA and 37K/10BB ratio he posted through 63 2/3 innings.

The Yankees will be hoping for more of the same from Colon when he returns from the DL. The former Cy Young Award winner has tremendous numbers in 2011: a 3.10 ERA with a 72K/18BB ratio in 78 1/3 innings.

Two years after Colon won his Cy Young, Bedard posted a 3.16 ERA with 10.9 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 en route to a top-five finish for the award. If the lefty’s 2011 numbers look familiar, it’s probably because Bedard was pitching as well as ever before hitting the DL. He has a 3.00 ERA with an 85K/26BB ratio 90 innings into the season.

Don’t forget that the Mariners signed Bedard for just $1MM. McCarthy signed with Oakland for the same amount and the Yankees’ deal with Colon is worth just $900K in base salary. Like Colon, Vogelsong signed a minor league contract in January.

The pursuit of high-risk, high-reward arms does not guarantee success by any means. Brandon Webb ($3MM) and Rich Harden ($1.5MM) signed for more than any of the pitchers above and neither has thrown a pitch in the majors this year.  

Naturally, that won’t stop teams looking to gamble on seemingly injury-prone pitchers this offseason. Someone – Ben Sheets, Jeremy Bonderman or 48-year-old Jamie Moyer perhaps? – will return from the discard pile after a year-long absence and make an impact, whether it's for a handful of starts or an entire season season. It’s just a question of who will resurface and which team will sign him.

Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

Yankees Designate Buddy Carlyle For Assignment

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The Yankees designated Buddy Carlyle for assignment, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch (on Twitter). The move creates roster space for Sergio Mitre, who is headed back to New York and will rejoin the Yankees tomorrow.

Carlyle, 33, has a 4.70 ERA with 10.6 K/9 and 8.2 BB/9 in 7 2/3 innings for the Yankees this year in his first MLB action since 2009. The 1996 second rounder spent last year in Japan, where he posted a 4.88 ERA with 4.6 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 27 2/3 innings.

Yankees Acquire Sergio Mitre

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Sergio Mitre is heading back to the Bronx. The Yankees acquired the right-hander from the Brewers for cash considerations, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). Milwaukee designated Mitre for assignment Monday and he has since drawn interest from other teams.

Mitre, 30, has posted a 3.27 ERA in 33 innings since Milwaukee acquired him from the Yankees for Chris Dickerson in March. The right-hander has a 14K/10BB ratio with a typically high 50.9% ground ball rate in his return to the National League.

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