Yankees Rumors

Minor Deals: Antonelli, Parraz

By Zachary Links | December 17, 2010 at 6:17pm CDT

We'll keep track of all of today's minor deals in this one handy post. The most recent updates are up top:

Matt Antonelli announced that he has signed with the Nationals on his personal blog. The Padres' first-round selection in the 2006 draft carries a reputation as a second baseman with a solid glove and bat but doesn't possess a great deal of power, writes Pete Kerzel of MASNSports.com.
The Yankees have claimed outfielder Jordan Parraz off of waivers from the Red Sox, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The 26-year-old's time in the Boston organization was rather brief as the club claimed him off of waivers from the Royals just three weeks ago.

Odds & Ends: Angels, Greinke, Tigers, Gregg

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 17, 2010 at 4:34pm CDT

Links for Friday, as we await the holidays and debate the merits of multiyear deals for relievers…

The Angels have been slow to address their weaknesses this winter, opines Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Earlier today Halos owner Arte Moreno denied that the club made a formal offer to outfielder Carl Crawford who was long considered to be the team's top free agent target.
Zack Greinke has changed agents, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (on Twitter). Jeff Berry and Casey Close of CAA now represent the right-hander, who had been with SFX.
John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press explains why the Tigers may not need more left-handed relievers than Daniel Schlereth and Brad Thomas. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Tigers add a low-cost free agent lefty like Mark Hendrickson or Will Ohman if one is available in the new year.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports calls Kerry Wood's decision to return to the Cubs the most touching story of the offseason.
The Yankees have spoken to the Astros about acquiring Jeff Keppinger for their bench, Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi report. The infielder is available, but a trade does not appear close.
The agent for Kevin Gregg told Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun that the Orioles are one of "a few teams" still in the mix for the reliever. Gregg would like to work out a deal by the holidays and could choose a team soon.

Yankees To Sign Pedro Feliciano

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 17, 2010 at 9:13am CDT

The Yankees have agreed to sign Pedro Feliciano, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link). MDR Sports represents the left-hander. The two-year deal will be for $8MM and include an option for 2013.

The 34-year-old is durable, effective against left-handed hitters and used to pitching in New York. Feliciano has led the National League in appearances in each of the past three seasons for the Mets, the team with which he has spent his entire eight-year career. Overall, Feliciano posted a 3.30 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 62 2/3 innings in 2010.

Feliciano limited left-handed hitters to a .211/.297/.276 line last year. He did not allow a home run in 139 matchups against lefty batters.

The Yankees will not have to surrender a draft choice, but the Mets will obtain a supplementary first round pick, since Feliciano turned down their offer or arbitration. The Red Sox, Rockies and Phillies also had interest in the reliever.

The Yankees now seem likely to pursue starting pitching, a right-handed reliever and an outfielder who bats from the right-side.

Yankees Rumors: Soriano, Hall, Garcia, Joba

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 16, 2010 at 6:46pm CDT

We found out lots about the Bronx Bombers' search for pitching yesterday: it seems likely that Andy Pettitte will return to the Yankees, they don't like Brandon Webb that much and they're looking at left-handed relievers. We've since learned that they're making progress with Pedro Feliciano and that deals for Carlos Zambrano or Felix Hernandez seem unlikely at best. Here's the latest on their pitching hunt, plus news on a position player:

The Yankees are not in on Rafael Soriano, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link). They aren't anxious to pay closer money for a pitcher who will set up for Mariano Rivera. ESPN.com's Buster Olney agrees that the Yankees are not in on Soriano (Twitter link).
The Yankees and Dodgers are the "most aggressive" of the four teams interested in Bill Hall, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. We heard about the Yankees' interest in Hall last month, and the Astros and Pirates are probably the other two clubs in the hunt.
The Yanks have asked for the medicals on Freddy Garcia, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).
In spite of the club's lack of rotation depth, Brian Cashman tells MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez that Joba Chamberlain will remain in the bullpen.
In another piece from Alden Gonzalez, Mariano Rivera says that the Red Sox did pursue him this offseason, but he can't really imagine pitching for Boston.

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post

Greinke Can’t Block Trades To Angels, Rangers, Tigers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 16, 2010 at 4:59pm CDT

Zack Greinke can block trades to 15 teams and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that the Yankees, Red Sox and Nationals are among them. The Tigers, Angels and Rangers, however, could acquire the right-hander without his permission.

The Yankees reportedly have limited interest in Greinke, but the Nationals have shown interest in acquiring Greinke or Matt Garza. Though the Tigers and Angels haven't been linked to Greinke much this offseason, the Rangers are often mentioned as a possible destination for the 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner. They prefer him to Fausto Carmona, according to Morosi (on Twitter). Greinke has two years and $27MM remaining on his contract.

Olney On Vlad, Zambrano, Yankees, Fuentes

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 16, 2010 at 3:31pm CDT

The latest from ESPN.com's Buster Olney on potential contracts and trades:

The Rangers and Vladimir Guerrero are now "on the same page" and are discussing the parameters of a one-year deal. Vlad originally sought a multiyear contract.
Though there's been speculation that the Yankees could inquire on Carlos Zambrano, Olney reports that they will not attempt to acquire him.
Now that the Red Sox have agreed to sign Bobby Jenks, their payroll is higher than the Yankees' (Twitter link).
Brian Fuentes is looking for a deal that resembles the three-year $15MM contract Scott Downs signed, according to Olney (on Twitter).

Yankees Nearing Deal With Feliciano

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 16, 2010 at 12:02pm CDT

FRIDAY, 8:23am: The sides are nearing a two-year agreement that will pay the lefty $4MM per season and include an option for 2013, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).

THURSDAY, 12:02pm: The sides have made "a little progress," Feliciano's agent tells Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com.

9:43am: The Yankees are getting closer to a deal with Pedro Feliciano, according to Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record (on Twitter). The 34-year-old is durable, effective against left-handed hitters and used to pitching in New York. Feliciano has led the National League in appearances in each of the past three seasons for the Mets, the team with which he has spent his entire eight-year career. Overall, Feliciano posted a 3.30 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 62 2/3 innings in 2010.

Feliciano limited left-handed hitters to a .211/.297/.276 line last year. He did not allow a home run in 139 matchups against lefty batters.

The Yankees are also looking at Brian Fuentes, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).

Odds & Ends: Nady, Rangers, Felix, Gregg

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 16, 2010 at 11:31am CDT

Eight years ago today, the Twins released David Ortiz. He has since hit 291 regular season homers and 12 more in the playoffs, all for the Red Sox. Here are today's links…

The D'Backs chose Xavier Nady over Austin Kearns, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter). Arizona agreed to a one-year, $1.75MM deal with Nady last night.
Rangers GM Jon Daniels told Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com that he would welcome Vladimir Guerrero back under the right circumstances, but isn't sure when he'll have the team's DH situation resolved.
The Rangers signed Japanese outfielder Hirotoshi Onaka, according to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (on Twitter). He was not selected in the NPB draft.
The Yankees called the Mariners about Felix Hernandez and heard that he is absolutely not available, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
Russell Martin needs knee surgery, but the Yankees don't consider the injury serious, so they signed him anyway, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link).
The Orioles continue to negotiate with Kevin Gregg, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.

“Heavy Action” On Bobby Jenks

By Mike Axisa | December 16, 2010 at 10:34am CDT

THURSDAY, 10:34am: Jenks is looking for "closer money," according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link). Heyman suggests that means Jenks is looking for at least $8MM.

WEDNESDAY, 9:07pm: It's a good time to be a free agent reliever, and one of the biggest on the market (both literally and figuratively) is former White Sox closer Bobby Jenks. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that there is "heavy action" on the right-hander, with both the Rays and Yankees showing interest. Jenks is not close to a decision, however.

Jenks, 30 in March, was non-tendered a few weeks ago after earning $7.5MM in 2010. Although his 4.44 ERA this season was the worst of his career, he struck out 10.4 batters per nine innings while walking just 2.9 unintentionally. Jenks also had a 58.3% ground ball rate, tenth best among relievers with at 50 IP, and his trademark velocity even crept up late in the season.

Rafael Soriano is the best reliever on the market, but Jenks represents a reasonably priced alternative for teams looking to add a proven closer. The Rays are looking to replace Soriano while the Yankees have some money to spend after losing out in Cliff Lee. They would use Jenks in a setup role, of course.

Yankees Rumors: Pettitte, Lefty Relievers, Lee, Martin

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 15, 2010 at 7:22pm CDT

The latest on the Yankees:

Andy Pettitte is likely to return because his family supports it, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. The lefty will not take a "lowball" offer, however.
The Yankees "seem to be looking" at lefty relievers at the moment, says SI.com's Jon Heyman. He lists Arthur Rhodes, Brian Fuentes, and Pedro Feliciano in his tweet.
Darek Braunecker, agent for Cliff Lee, told reporters "The fact of the matter is, there's nothing the Yankees could have done differently" at today's introductory press conference according to Marc Carig of The Star Ledger. MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez adds this (via Twitter) from Lee himself: "There wasn't anything that scared me away from playing in New York."
Russell Martin's contract guarantees him $4MM and the catcher could earn another $1.4MM in incentives, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times. If Martin catches 120 games, he'll earn the full $1.4MM in incentives.
The Yankees expect Andy Pettitte to tell them whether he intends to retire within a few days, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link). They're cautiously optimistic that he'll return.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Yankees will be a deeper, less top-heavy team without Cliff Lee. Expect the Yankees to sign a couple relievers and an outfielder who bats from the right side as they continue to monitor the market for starting pitching.
So which starters might the Yankees pursue? In a separate piece, Sherman says the Yankees don't like Brandon Webb all that much. However, they will consider pursuing a veteran with "good stuff but questionable health."
Bill Madden of the New York Daily News says Carlos Zambrano is a "likely target" for GM Brian Cashman. Like new addition Mark Prior, Zambrano knows Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild from their time in Chicago.
The Yankees are believed to be on Felix Hernandez's no-trade list, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).

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