Yankees Rumors

Quick Hits: Rangers, Astros, Reyes, Burrell, Belt

By Zachary Links | March 26, 2011 at 10:19pm CDT

Links for Saturday, after the Yankees announced that Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia will be their fourth and fifth starters while Bartolo Colon serves as the long reliever…

The Rangers aren't looking for a centerfielder as they believe that Julio Borbon will be okay after suffering an elbow injury, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. It's not realistic to expect the club to land a starting pitcher either as there isn't much out there.
Astros owner Drayton McLane Jr. denied a report saying that he's close to selling the team, writes Stephen Goff of Examiner.com.
Left-hander Dennys Reyes told Alex Speier of WEEI.com that he is healthy after dealing with a forearm strain at the end of last year. Earlier today the Red Sox purchased the veteran's big league contract.
More teams are structuring deals to guard against major injuries to their star players, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
As Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reminds us, chances are that back-of-the-rotation won't be the one the Yankees finish the season with.
Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki that the team's bullpen isn't finalized (Twitter links). "We've still got a few things in the works," said Dubee, which Zolecki says could mean a trade, waiver claim, or an internal option.
Henry Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Bruce Bochy confirmed that Pat Burrell will be the Giants' Opening Day left fielder, meaning Brandon Belt is likely headed back to the minors. Check out Tim Dierkes' recent look at Belt's service time situation.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reminds us that 40-man roster space (or the lack thereof) can often serve as the tie-breaker when teams make roster decisions with non-roster invitees near the end of Spring Training (Twitter link).

Opt-Out Notes: Batista, Isringhausen, Bush, Chavez

By Mike Axisa | March 26, 2011 at 7:00pm CDT

A few notes on veterans with opt-out clauses from around the league…

Non-roster invitee Miguel Batista has earned a spot on the Cardinals roster, writes B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com. The 40-year-old Batista could have opted out of his contract on Monday had the Cards not informed him that he would make the club.
The Mets have not asked Jason Isringhausen if he would accept a minor league assignment, because he has already said in the past that he won't, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
Dave Bush will use his opt-out tomorrow if he doesn't make the Rangers, writes Richard Durrett of ESPN.com. Bush says that he's not sure which way the club is leaning but wants to stay in Texas.
Russell Branyan could have opted out of his contract with the Diamondbacks yesterday, but he was instead informed that he has made the club according to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Brandon Allen is likely to go to Triple-A while the out-of-options Juan Miranda stays with the team.
George A. King III of The New York Post reports that Eric Chavez can ask the Yankees for his release today if he doesn't make the team. "They haven't let me know anything," said Chavez, but his strong showing in camp (.421/.450/.605 in 40 PA) likely won him a bench job.
Isringhausen told Mike Puma of The New York Post that he will not accept a minor league assignment if he does not make the Mets out of Spring Training. There's a possibility Izzy would go to Extended Spring Training if his swollen elbow isn't fully healed though.

Quick Hits: Sabathia, Lopez, Castillo, Rangers

By Luke Adams 2 | March 25, 2011 at 9:05pm CDT

Links for Friday night, as Brandon Beachy continues to impress….

Speaking to Jack Curry of the YES Network, Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia stuck to his vow to avoid commenting on his opt-out clause until after the season. However, he added "I'm a Yankee" and said he can't see himself "playing anywhere else" (Twitter link).
Rodrigo Lopez says he has no regrets about signing with the Braves, despite not earning a spot in the rotation, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman and Alden Gonzalez.
We heard earlier in the week that the Braves were looking to deal Lopez, with MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith running through some potential suitors. Although Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Braves are more likely to trade Lopez than Kenshin Kawakami before Opening Day, he cautions that there's no rush for Atlanta – Lopez has an out in his contract, but not until June.
Within Rosenthal's piece, a scout expresses doubt about Luis Castillo's chances of making the Phillies. MLB.com's Todd Zolecki says time is running out on Castillo's spring audition.
Endy Chavez and Esteban German are among the players the Rangers sent to the minors today, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Meanwhile, with Tommy Hunter likely sidelined until May, Alexi Ogando could re-enter the Rangers' rotation mix, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.

Heyman On Emaus, Red Sox, Yankees, Rangers

By Luke Adams 2 | March 25, 2011 at 7:28pm CDT

In a column for SI.com, Jon Heyman discusses the new-look Rays, examining the team's chances in a competitive AL East. While one Rays person candidly acknowledges "we've got a lot of holes," the general consensus around baseball is that it would be a mistake to discount the defending division champs. Here are a few other highlights from Heyman:

Rule 5 pick Brad Emaus has the Mets' second base job locked up "no matter whether they pretend there's still a competition ongoing."
Jarrod Saltalamacchia seems ready to become a starting catcher in the bigs, says one scout. Even so, the Red Sox would like to add a third backstop, if one were available via trade, to start the year in the minors behind Saltalamacchia and Jason Varitek.
Heyman thinks Austin Romine may be the best bet for the Yankees' backup catcher opening. However, as we heard yesterday, Gustavo Molina continues to look like the favorite for the roster spot, according to Ben Shpigel of the New York Times. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports agrees, and suggests the role will be important, given potential concerns about Russell Martin.
The Rangers made attempts to acquire a closer, but never came close to landing one, which resulted in Neftali Feliz keeping the job.
Heyman adds Jorge Cantu's name to the list of possible fits at third base for the Marlins.

Yankees Sign Kevin Millwood

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 25, 2011 at 12:24pm CDT

The Yankees signed Kevin Millwood to a minor league contract, the team announced. The deal is contingent on the right-hander passing a physical. Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork reports that the contract is for a pro-rated $1.5MM with incentives and that Millwood has to be on the 25-man roster by May 1st or the deal is void.

Freddy Garcia or Bartolo Colon will still start the season as the Yankees' No. 5 starter behind C.C. Sabathia, Phil Hughes, A.J. Burnett and, it seems certain, Ivan Nova. Agent Scott Boras represents Millwood.

Millwood turned down a minor league offer from the Yankees in February and they made him another minor league offer last week. He was looking for a guaranteed contract in the $4MM range, but the Yankees offered a contract in the low seven-figure range.

Millwood allowed 30 homers last year and posted a 5.10 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9. Despite the ERA, homers allowed and career-high fly ball rate, the 36-year-old started 31 games and logged 190 2/3 innings. He has averaged 31 starts per season since 1998, though reaching those marks will be particularly challenging this year given his late deal.

Jon Heyman of SI.com first reported the deal (on Twitter).

Brewers Acquire Sergio Mitre

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 25, 2011 at 10:04am CDT

The Brewers have acquired Sergio Mitre from the Yankees for Chris Dickerson. The move provides the Brewers with the pitching depth they coveted and opens up a spot in the Yankees bullpen, possibly for Freddy Garcia or Bartolo Colon.

The Brewers have been considering adding pitching since they learned that Zack Greinke will miss some time to recover from a cracked rib. Their need for depth became more pronounced when Mark Rogers (shoulder) and Manny Parra (back) also encountered health issues.

It's not clear whether the Brewers will use Mitre as a long man, as the Yankees did, or insert him into the rotation over internal starting candidates such as Marco Estrada. Mitre has started games in every one of his seven major league seasons, but has only been a full-time starter once, for the 2007 Marlins. Last year, the 30-year-old right-hander posted a 3.33 ERA with 4.8 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 54 innings as a swingman. Mitre, a veteran of Tommy John surgery, missed 49 days with an oblique strain in 2010.

The Yankees appear set to open the season with a rotation of C.C. Sabathia, Phil Hughes, A.J. Burnett, Ivan Nova and Colon or Garcia. If the Yankees, who just signed Kevin Millwood, insert Colon into the rotation, they could take Garcia up on his offer to become a long reliever and use him to replace Mitre.

The Brewers acquired Dickerson last summer in the trade that sent Jim Edmonds to Cincinnati. Dickerson hit .206/.250/.268 for the Brewers and Reds last year, but he showed more pop in 2009 when he posted a .743 OPS. The 28-year-old has played all three outfield positions in the majors and will provide the Yankees with some welcome depth.

ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick first reported the move (on Twitter) and both teams have since confirmed it.

Yankees Notes: Colon, Garcia, Molina, Pitching

By Mark Polishuk | March 24, 2011 at 6:10pm CDT

A few items from the Bronx Bombers' camp…

Bartolo Colon has looked very good this spring, but lingering doubts about his conditioning and his durability are the only reason the Yankees haven't officially given him a rotation job, writes Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com.
The other veteran contender for that open rotation spot, Freddy Garcia, has offered to be a long reliever if it will get him on the Yankees' roster, reports Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger.
Also from Carig, he thinks Gustavo Molina could be a legitimate contender to start the season as New York's backup catcher while Francisco Cervelli is on the DL. Molina, signed to a minor league deal in December may get the nod given that the Yankees' more vaunted catching prospects (Jesus Montero and Austin Romine) haven't stood out this spring.
Brian Cashman tells Chad Jennings of the LoHud blog that he's received a few calls from other general managers in regards to the extra pitchers in New York's camp. "It’s been very quiet for the most part….Everybody’s just picking the phone up and checking in with each other, myself included," Cashman said.

Yankees Close To Signing Kevin Millwood

By Mark Polishuk | March 24, 2011 at 2:00pm CDT

The Yankees are close to signing Kevin Millwood to an "incentive-laden" minor league contract, reports Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). Millwood is represented by Scott Boras.

The free agent right-hander has been linked to the Yankees at several points this winter, and turned down a minor league offer from the club last month. We heard last week that the Yankees offered another minor league deal in the low seven-figure range after watching Millwood in a throwing session, but the veteran was still hoping for a Major League contract in the neighborhood of $4MM.

Though New York has been looking for pitching all winter, the timing of this signing is a bit ironic since it seemed as if the questions about the back of the Yankees' rotation had largely been answered during Spring Training. Ivan Nova has reportedly locked up the No. 4 spot behind C.C. Sabathia, Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett, while either Freddy Garcia or a resurgent Bartolo Colon would be the fifth starter. Of course, neither Nova, Garcia or Colon are sure things, so it helps the Yankees to have a proven innings-eater like Millwood on the roster. As Heyman notes in a follow-up tweet, Garcia or Colon will begin the season as the No. 5 starter while Millwood gets into pitching form.

The Yankess will be Millwood's sixth franchise in his 15-year Major League career. The 36-year-old has thrown at least 168 2/3 innings and made at least 29 starts in all but three of those seasons. Millwood is coming off a rough year with Baltimore in 2010, when he posted a career-high fly ball rate, a career-low ground ball rate and a 5.10 ERA in 31 starts with the O's.

Minor Deals: Raynor, Ortegano, McCulloch

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 23, 2011 at 9:37pm CDT

The Nationals claimed Lee Hyde off of waivers from the Braves earlier today. Here are the rest of the day's minor moves…

John Raynor requested his release and the Marlins granted it, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). The outfielder posted a .722 OPS in 41 Triple-A contests last year
The Braves lost a second player on waivers today, when the Yankees claimed left-hander Jose Ortegano. The Yankees optioned the 23-year-old to Triple-A, according to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter). In 131 minor league innings spent mostly at Triple-A last year, Ortegano posted a 5.98 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 as a starter.
The Reds acquired right-hander Kyle McCulloch from the White Sox for cash considerations, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). The 2006 first rounder spent last year in the upper minors, where he posted a 5.77 ERA with 3.7 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 as a swingman.

Stark On Phillies, Marlins, Young, Morgan, Astros

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 23, 2011 at 7:20pm CDT

As ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark points out, the Phillies’ decision to sign Luis Castillo suggests they aren’t overly optimistic about the timetable for Chase Utley’s return. According to Stark, the Phillies heard that there is no guarantee that surgery would make Utley healthy again, so they’re hoping rehab works. Here are the rest of Stark’s rumors…

The Marlins have decided that Matt Dominguez isn’t ready for the majors, so they’re “actively exploring” outside options. Earlier tonight, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports heard that the Marlins were “unlikely” to look outside of the organization for help at the hot corner.
Though the Pirates are still shopping Ryan Doumit, teams that have spoken to Pittsburgh say the catcher/outfielder is not drawing much interest.
Multiple teams, including the Phillies, Marlins and Cubs, appear to be eyeing Michael Young. None of those clubs can afford Young’s annual salary of $16MM and the Rangers expect a “massive” return if they’re going to eat a significant amount of Young’s salary.
Scouts covering the Nationals say Nyjer Morgan is very much available. “They're trying to give him away," one scout said, before suggesting that the Nationals could release him.
Scouts watching the Yankees expect the team to add a veteran catcher in the next week.
The Phillies are looking for a veteran outfielder who’s capable of playing center field.
Teams that have spoken with the Astros say they’d like to add a veteran catcher, but have very little money to spend.

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