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Yankees Have Yet To Offer Cliff Lee A Contract

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6:01pm: The Yankees have not made Lee an offer and the Yahoo report below is inaccurate, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).

12:29pm: An industry source told Yahoo's Tim Brown yesterday that the Yankees offered Cliff Lee "nearly $140MM over six years, but Lee continues to hold out for a seventh year."  Brown does not appear to have full confidence in the source, as the item was placed low in the column and he notes that he was unable to confirm the offer with the Yankees or Lee's agent.  We found the link via Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues, who has a good take on the rumor.

On Sunday, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote, "Word is the Yankees are in the $115 million-$120 million range for five years."

It seems likely that the Yankees are willing to give Lee a $23-24MM salary, allowing him to top C.C. Sabathia and own that record for a while, not counting Roger Clemens' pro-rated $28MM in 2007.  But if Lee wants to beat or match Sabathia's $161MM for the highest total contract ever given to a pitcher, he needs that seventh year despite being four years older than Sabathia was when he signed.  Lee's agent Darek Braunecker could also attempt to duplicate Sabathia's opt-out clause.  Braunecker famously negotiated such a clause into A.J. Burnett's five-year, $55MM deal with the Blue Jays.

Pettitte Leaning Toward Returning To Yankees

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Free agent lefty Andy Pettitte is leaning toward a 2011 return to the Yankees, tweets Ken Davidoff of Newsday.  Back on November 11th, Pettitte told Matt Musil of KHOU.com, "Right now, I can tell you my heart's right here in Deer Park, [Texas]."

In the more immediate future we'll learn if the Yankees will offer arbitration to Pettitte, a Type A free agent.  Today GM Brian Cashman told ESPN's Wallace Matthews only one of Pettitte, Derek Jeter, Austin Kearns, and Mariano Rivera is likely to get an offer, and that's Wood.  Pettitte was a Type B free agent a year ago and was not offered arbitration by the Yankees.

Pettitte would add stability to the Yankees' rotation.  The 38-year-old lefty posted a 3.28 ERA, 7.0 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, 0.9 HR/9, and 43.9% groundball rate in 129 regular season innings this year, missing time with a groin injury.

Cashman Encourages Jeter To Test The Market

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The game of chicken between the Yankees and Derek Jeter continued today, with GM Brian Cashman making the latest move.  Cashman told ESPN's Wallace Matthews:

"We understand his contributions to the franchise and our offer has taken them into account.  We've encouraged him to test the market and see if there's something he would prefer other than this. If he can, fine. That's the way it works."

On Sunday, Jeter's agent Casey Close told Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News, "The Yankees' negotiating strategy remains baffling.  They continue to argue their points in the press and refuse to acknowledge Derek's total contribution to their franchise."  To that, Cashman responded:

"I certainly was surprised.  There's nothing baffling about our position. We have actually gone directly face to face with Casey and Derek and been very honest and direct. They know exactly where we sit."

Matthews reports the Yankees' offer to be three years and $45MM.  Cashman wouldn't confirm that, but did say, "You can write that they have asked for more. More years and more money."  Matthews says the Yankees informed Close Monday that they will not be offering arbitration to Jeter.  If Jeter does somehow land with another club, he will not come with a draft pick cost.

Minor Deals: Mariners, Sutton, Braves, Burroughs

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Here is today's batch of minor league deals, with the most recent updates at the top:

  • The Mariners signed Luis Rodriguez, a shortstop who played in the majors from 2005-09 with the Twins and Padres, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). The light-hitting 30-year-old exploded with 16 homers and 17 doubles in 400 plate appearances for the White Sox at Triple-A in 2010.
  • The Yankees signed Neal Cotts, the Marlins signed Josh Kroeger and the A's signed Adam Heether and Anthony Lerew, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (all links go to Twitter). Cotts, a 30-year-old left-hander, has pitched parts of seven seasons in the majors, but he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2009 and didn't pitch in 2010 because of hip surgery. Kroeger, 28, has 47 homers and 51 steals over the course of the past three seasons at Triple-A.
  • The Red Sox signed former Reds outfielder Drew Sutton, according to Eddy (on Twitter). The 27-year old has a .229/.302/.381 line in 118 major league plate appearances, but he did hit 20 homers at Double-A two seasons ago.
  • Eddy reports that the Cubs have re-signed longtime minor leaguer Bobby Scales (Twitter link).
  • The Braves have signed four players, according to Eddy (all links go to Twitter). Outfielder Jose Constanza, 27, batted .319/.373/.394 at Triple-A for the Indians; 28-year-old infielder Ed Lucas hit .307/.398/.480 at Triple-A for the Royals; utilityman Wilkin Castillo can catch and play in the infield and outfield, but hasn't hit Triple-A pitching and Shawn Bowman, 25, hit 22 homers at Double-A.
  • The Mariners signed left-hander Fabio Castro to a minor league contract, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (on Twitter). The 25-year-old hasn't appeared in the majors since 2007; he posted a 4.93 ERA with 8.8 K/9 for Boston's Triple-A affiliate in 2010.
  • The White Sox claimed releiver Waldis Joaquin off of waivers from the Giants, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. The 23-year-old made the Giants' Opening Day roster, but allowed six earned runs and seven walks in 4 2/3 innings, so he was demoted to the minors. He posted a 4.43 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 5.5 BB/9 in 40 2/3 innings split between Rookie ball and Triple-A.
  • The Brewers signed signed right-hander Zack Segovia to a minor league deal and invited him to Spring Training, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The 27-year-old has big league experience with the Phillies and Nationals. He spent the 2010 season with the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate and posted a 4.19 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 62 1/3 innings.
  • The D'Backs signed Sean Burroughs, according to minor league transactions cited by Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (on Twitter). The third baseman is reunited with GM Kevin Towers, who signed Burroughs in 1998 to what was then the biggest amateur bonus in team history. Now 30, Burroughs hasn't played pro ball since 2007.

Yankees Prefer To Offer Rivera One Year

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The Yankees want to re-sign Mariano Rivera to a one-year deal, but the closer wants a two-year contract worth about $18MM per season, according to Yahoo's Jeff Passan (on Twitter). Jon Heyman of SI.com reported on Friday that Rivera was looking for a two-year deal and it now appears that the 40-year-old wants a raise from his 2010 salary of $15MM.

Like longtime teammate and fellow free agent Derek Jeter, Rivera will likely return to New York, but there's no guarantee that negotiations will go smoothly for either player. With 559 regular season saves, a career 2.23 ERA, strong peripherals and a history of relatively good health, Rivera has considerable bargaining power. The Yankees can point to Rivera's age – he turns 41 in a week – and suggest a one-year deal is fair, but Rivera has posted ERAs below 2.00 and been an All-Star each season from 2008-10.

21 Teams Facing Tomorrow’s Arbitration Deadline

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21 of baseball's 30 teams must make at least one decision prior to tomorrow's deadline for offering arbitration to free agents.  The Rays lead with nine eligible Type A or B free agents, six of which are relievers.  We'll have predictions and polls later today, but here's a team-by-team look.

Sherman’s Latest: Rivera, Jeter, Mets

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Joel Sherman's latest column for the New York Post touches on some issues relevant to both New York teams. Let's take a look:

  • Sherman wonders why Derek Jeter's contract situation has garnered such overwhelming amounts of attention, while Mariano Rivera's has drawn significantly less. Sherman opines that Rivera may be the most irreplaceable pitcher in baseball over the past 15 years, and that his contract situation is equally important and deserving of attention.
  • The Mets know their flexibility is lacking this offseason, and may have as little as $3MM-$5MM to spend on free agency.
  • The Mets' managerial search will likely be over no later than Tuesday, according to Sherman.
  • Sherman expects the Mets to wait until later in the offseason (after January 1 perhaps) for free agent prices to drop. He says the Mets will try to sign a reliever, possibly two, and possibly an affordable second baseman and reclamation project starter.

New York Notes: Jeter, Rivera, Mets Manager

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Here are the latest rumblings out of New York, with an emphasis on Derek Jeter's contract discussions and the Mets' managerial opening….

  • Jeter's agent, Casey Close is baffled by the Yankees' negotiating tactics, writes Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News. "There's a reason the Yankees themselves have stated Derek Jeter is their modern-day Babe Ruth," Close said. "Derek's significance to the team is much more than just stats."
  • Jeter "has every right to battle the Yankees," says Newsday's Ken Davidoff.
  • Ian O'Connor of ESPNNewYork discusses the future of the Yankee captain with Jeter's trainer, Jason Riley, who thinks the 36-year-old could have another seven good years left in him. I can't say I share Riley's optimism, though a bounceback 2011 season from Jeter wouldn't surprise me.
  • Jon Heyman of SI.com reported on Friday that Mariano Rivera has told friends he'd like a two-year deal with the Yanks. MLB.com's Bryan Hoch doesn't expect that to be a problem for the team.
  • Former Mets skipper Davey Johnson tells Mike Puma of the New York Post that, as much as he likes Wally Backman, Terry Collins should be the club's next manager.
  • According to major league executives that spoke to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, the Mets are placing a high value on past major league managerial experience, making either Collins and Bob Melvin the likely choice.

Cafardo On Crawford, Lee, Upton, Dodgers

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This week's Sunday Baseball Notes piece from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe is packed with juicy hot stove tidbits. According to one of Cafardo's major league sources, the Angels have had "serious talks" with Carl Crawford. The team's front office has been mum on the subject, but they've long been viewed as a strong potential suitor for the speedy outfielder. When five MLBTR writers predicted free agent destinations, all five guessed Crawford would sign with the Halos. Here are some of the other highlights from Cafardo's column:

  • "Word is" that the Yankees are currently willing to offer Cliff Lee about $115MM over five years. Cafardo says the Rangers are aiming to match whatever the bidding gets up to, while the Nationals are also still in the hunt. Earlier in the week, Nolan Ryan said he didn't expect Texas to be able to outbid the Yanks for Lee.
  • One National League scout said if he had limited trade chips to put toward a big bat, he'd acquire Adrian Gonzalez over Justin Upton. Gonzo is, as the scout notes, currently a "much better hitter," though he's also five years older than Upton and only under contract through 2011.
  • While Cafardo adds Kansas City to the list of teams who have "considerable interest" in Upton, we learned Friday that the 23-year-old can block a trade to the Royals.
  • The Dodgers would like to add a veteran "who can step up and be vocal when times are tough." Cafardo speculates that A.J. Pierzynski, Juan Uribe, or Johnny Damon could be a good fit.
  • The Dodgers are also considering signing a low-cost starter, and haven't ruled out bringing back Vicente Padilla.
  • "More and more teams" in need of middle infield help are eyeing Uribe.
  • The Nationals and Giants, in addition to the Orioles, have some interest in trading for Jason Bartlett. The Rays are looking for young bullpen help in return.
  • Mark Prior, attempting to make it back to the bigs, has three teams waiting on his decision, according to his agent, John Boggs.
  • Not all of the clubs who are showing interest in acquiring Marco Scutaro would necessarily use him at shortstop. The Dodgers could have interest in Scutaro as a second baseman, Cafardo says.

New York Notes: Terrasas, Mets Manager, Jeter

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The latest on both teams in the Big Apple…

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