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Yankees Notes: Millwood, Hughes, Martin

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In the interest of equal time, here are some noteworthy items on the Yankees..

  • Kevin Millwood had a strong showing in the minors today, allowing just one hit across seven scoreless innings, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.  The Yanks brought Millwood in on a minor league deal that will balloon if he can hit certain incentive triggers.
  • Earlier today, Yankees skipper Joe Girardi told the press that the club had planned to send Phil Hughes to Triple-A to work through his troubles, tweets Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com.  Hughes ultimately convinced the Yankees that that wouldn't be the best course of action for his "dead arm".
  • Russell Martin is proving GM Brian Cashman's doubters wrong with his strong performance thus far, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.  Cashman remarked before the season that the $4MM base deal could wind up being a bargain for the club.

Davidoff On Sabathia, Wilson, Calero

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While it's still too early in the season to draw conclusions about a player's performance, Ken Davidoff of Newsday takes note of a few impending free agents who are off to hot or cold starts. Players like Prince Fielder (hot) and Albert Pujols (cold) are locks to put up numbers and score big contracts, but some names Davidoff mentions can significantly affect their stocks based on their performances in 2011. Continued health and success from Jose Reyes should earn him a lucrative deal, while a good year from Edwin Jackson would set him up nicely in a free agent class thin on top starters. Let's check out the other updates from the Newsday piece….

  • Davidoff thinks there's a "decent chance" that the Yankees and C.C. Sabathia work out a contract extension before the left-hander's opt-out date next winter.
  • If that were to happen, C.J. Wilson would likely be the most desirable southpaw on the market, but Wilson is trying to avoid thinking about or talking about his walk year: "I'm just pretty much approaching it like I did last year. I'm not going to be looking at my stats too often, because that doesn't really help."
  • Davidoff wonders if the Mets or another club could take a flier on Kiko Calero, who agent Burton Rocks calls a "no-risk, high-reward, high-return guy for any organization." Health is the concern with Calero, though for what it's worth, Rocks says the 36-year-old is in "fantastic shape."

Stark On Orioles, Beltran, Reyes, Carpenter

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The Yankees weren’t counting on much from Kevin Millwood when they signed him to a minor league deal and, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, that may be a good thing. Stark hears that Millwood “looks terrible” and isn’t throwing as hard as usual in extended Spring Training. Here’s Stark’s latest from around the league:

  • An AL executive expects the Orioles to be one of the most active sellers in baseball if they fade this summer. With Vladimir Guerrero, Derrek Lee, J.J. Hardy and others on the roster, the O’s have a lot of potential trade chips.
  • The Mets would ‘love’ to see Carlos Beltran play well enough to make himself appealing as a trade candidate. Scouts are already watching Beltran in case he’s available at the deadline.
  • One NL scout says he’d recommend Jose Reyes on a two month rental, but wouldn’t advise committing to the shortstop long-term.
  • Despite speculation that Chris Carpenter could be traded, most clubs expect the Cardinals to hold onto him. St. Louis holds a $15MM option for Carpenter in 2012 ($1MM buyout).

Yankees Notes: Marte, Pinto, Torre

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Some Bombers-related items as the Yankees take on the Orioles at home..

  • Earlier today, the Yankees disclosed that Pedro Feliciano may require significant surgery and could miss the entire 2011 season.  GM Brian Cashman says that left-hander Damaso Marte is likely done for the season as well after undergoing shoulder surgery in October.  When asked about a potential replacement for Feliciano, Cashman acknowledged that he would look for one, though he doesn't expect to find one easily.
  • With Feliciano and Marte likely on the shelf for '11, David Villavicencio of FoxSportsFlorida.com (via Twitter) wonders if the Yanks might give former Marlins left-hander Renyel Pinto a call.  Pinto had a brief stint with the Cardinals last season that ended after he posted a 4.78 ERA with 10.6 K/9 and 7.5 BB/9 in Triple-A.
  • Speaking of the Yankees bullpen, Cashman says that the overuse of relievers under the watch of Joe Torre was not his fault, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.  In fact, the GM says that he told relievers to be truthful with Torre and his staff when they were asked about their availability to pitch.

Minor Deals: Mattingly, Mariners, Yankees

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Let's take a look at a few minor deals courtesy of Baseball America's Matt Eddy..

  • The Dodgers welcomed back outfielder Preston Mattingly after he was released by the Indians.  The son of the Dodgers skipper was the club's first-round selection (31st overall) in the 2006 draft.
  • Mariners right-hander Nolan Gallagher has voluntarily retired after injuries limited him to just 22 appearances over the last three seasons.  The 25-year-old was the M's fourth round selection in 2007.
  • The Yankees have signed 24-year-old right-hander Reinier Casanova.  The Cuban-born hurler defected following the 2009 season.

Yankees Will Look For Relief; Move Unlikely

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Pedro Feliciano has a capsular tear in his left shoulder and may require significant surgery, Yankees GM Brian Cashman confirmed to reporters. There's a strong possibility that the Yankees' $8MM free agent signing won't throw a pitch for them in 2011. Cashman says he'll look for another left-handed reliever, but according to Jack Curry of the YES Network, the GM's expectations are low (all Twitter links).

"Yeah, I'll look," Cashman told Curry. "But I'm not going to find [a quality left-hander] too easily."

The Yankees would like to have a second left-hander out of the bullpen to go along with southpaw Boone Logan, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch (on Twitter). The Blue Jays expect to trade lefty David Purcey, but he doesn't seem like a fit since the Yankees and Blue Jays play in the same division and Purcey handles right-handers better than left-handers.

Quick Hits: Feliciano, Twins, Rendon, Oswalt

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 Links for Wednesday, after a walk-off win for Brandon Inge and the Tigers…

  • Yankees manager Joe Girardi says Pedro Feliciano has a "damaged shoulder" according to Ben Shpigel of the New York Times (on Twitter). It sounds like surgery is a possibility for the Yankees' $8MM investment.
  • Tsuyoshi Nishioka’s leg injury weakened the Twins' middle infield, which means they may look for infield help, rather than relievers in potential deals, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Trade candidate Kevin Slowey hasn’t pitched in a game since April 4th because of bursitis in his right shoulder, but he could become available again this season.
  • Anthony Rendon nudged out Gerrit Cole for top spot on Baseball America’s updated list of top draft eligible players.
  • The Yankees were frustrated that the Astros never made them fully aware that Roy Oswalt was available last summer, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Credit Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. for acquiring Oswalt quietly and later denying the Yankees their primary offseason target, Cliff Lee.

Heyman On Hamilton, Young, Felix, Royals

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Rangers left fielder Josh Hamilton is out for six to eight weeks after enduring a non-displaced fracture of his right shoulder and, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com, some people in Cincinnati may not be completely surprised. After the 2007 season, Reds medical people strongly suggested that the front office should trade Hamilton because of his health reports. Here’s the latest on the Rangers and other notes from around the league:

  • The Rangers were “extremely close” to sending Michael Young to Colorado about a month before Spring Training, according to Heyman. The Rockies loved Young and he would have welcomed a trade to Denver or to either L.A. team. The infielder has since reconciled himself to his role in Texas.
  • A rival GM says he’d trade Felix Hernandez to the Yankees for Ivan Nova, Dellin Betances, Manny Banuelos and Jesus Montero if he were running the Mariners.
  • One GM says Royals GM Dayton Moore did a good job of ‘bottom feeding’ this winter to come up with left-handers Bruce Chen and Jeff Francis on affordable deals.
  • Andres Torres suffered an Achilles injury, so the Giants need outfield depth and are unlikely to release Aaron Rowand soon. Rowand has a .923 OPS so far including two hits yesterday.

Upcoming Player Options

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Teams covet options and are reluctant to provide them to players when it's not absolutely necessary, so there are about ten times as many club options as player options coming up after the season. Here's a look at the four upcoming player options and whether they're likely to be exercised:

  • Marco Scutaro, Red Sox – If the Red Sox don't exercise Scutaro's $6MM option, he can remain in Boston for $3MM instead of taking a $1.5MM buyout. Top shortstop prospect Jose Iglesias is now at Triple-A and could position himself to take over the regular shortstop job in 2012. Scutaro, who turns 36 before the offseason, may be choosing between free agency with a $1.5MM buyout or a backup job with a $3MM salary.
  • Ryan Dempster, Cubs - With a typical season (200-plus innings, sub-4.00 ERA, 8.0 K/9, 48% ground ball rate) Dempster would be one of the top pitchers available in a weak free agent class. He'll be 34 after the season, but that's how old Ted Lilly was when he signed his current three-year deal.
  • Rafael Soriano, Yankees – Soriano can opt out and collect $1.5MM or exercise his $11MM player option and stay in the Bronx for another year (or two). Agent Scott Boras did well to bypass GM Brian Cashman and find his client a player-friendly deal last offseason and it's hard to imagine a better opportunity arising for Soriano, even if he reproduces his tremendous 2010 numbers. Soriano's leverage will be reduced with so many quality relievers hitting free agency at once.
  • C.C. Sabathia, Yankees – Sabathia will be the top free agent starter if he opts out and, with respect to Dempster, Mark Buehrle and C.J. Wilson, it's not that close. Sabathia can exercise a four-year, $92MM option if he gets hurt, has an off-year or decides free agency is too much of a hassle, but the early expectation is that he'll opt out. It's a win-win decision for the big left-hander.

Heyman On Manny, Mets, Yankees, Dodgers

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Jon Heyman of SI.com points out that despite all of his antics, Manny Ramirez earned more than any players other Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. And unlike Jeter and Rodriguez, Ramirez was not a well-rounded player. Here’s Heyman’s latest from around the league:

  • There’s ‘growing suspicion’ that the Mets will look to trade veterans such as Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and Francisco Rodriguez if they are not contending midseason. Plus, Mike Pelfrey could find himself on the block.
  • Though the Yankees maintain that Phil Hughes is healthy, it’s troubling for them to see him pitching with reduced velocity. It’s part of the reason they have continued adding starting pitching depth, most recently with Carlos Silva.
  • Dodgers owner Frank McCourt had proposed a deal that would have seen FOX advance him $200MM, but MLB rejected it, according to Heyman. McCourt is losing the support of fellow owners, Heyman reports.
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