Andy Pettitte Rumors: Thursday
A year ago today, the Yankees and Andy Pettitte reached an agreement to keep the left-hander pitching in New York for at least one more season. Whether that will be Pettitte's last contract remains to be seen. Here are the latest updates on the 38-year-old's talks with the Yankees….
- Brian Cashman spoke to Pettitte again on Wednesday, with the southpaw still on the fence about his decision, tweets Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger.
- According to SI.com's Jon Heyman (via Twitter), Pettitte told the Yanks that pitching itself isn't a problem, but following his groin injury, he's not sure he can still do all the work necessary to pitch.
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday suggests that Pettitte benefits from waiting to see how the Cliff Lee sweepstakes play out – if Lee signs elsewhere, the Yankees will have an increased need for Pettitte, while if the Yankees do land Lee, Pettitte would have additional motivation to return. Cashman believes Pettitte will be a Yankee in 2011, according to Davidoff, who agrees with the New York GM.
Cliff Lee Rumors: Wednesday
SI.com's Jon Heyman reported yesterday that two teams may have offered Cliff Lee seven-year deals, and the rumor mill will be flying again today. Remember, the Yankees, Rangers, Angels, and Nationals all deny such an offer. Here's a look at all of yesterday's rumors, and here are today's:
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports identifies the Red Sox as one of the "mystery teams" who made a seven-year bid for Lee. However, they didn't offer enough money for Lee to realistically consider accepting. Rather, the proposal was about increasing Lee's leverage with other teams and trying to force the Yankees to add an extra year.
- Boston's agreement with Carl Crawford is good news for Lee, who is now the clear top free agent left on the market. Sherman speculates (via Twitter) that the Angels and Rangers, who were in on Crawford, could make a stronger push for Lee now. Brian Cashman, however, says the move won't affect the Yankees' approach on the lefty (Twitter link).
- Rangers president Nolan Ryan told MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan that the Rangers have asked Braunecker to tell them what it will take to sign Lee. The Rangers have not made an offer, but they're considering a six-year deal, since they expect it will take a long-term commitment to sign Lee.
- Lee will decide on his next team by the end of the weekend, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- The Yankees offered Lee a six-year deal worth $140MM, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). George A. King III of the New York Post hears that the team is comfortable offering between $137.5MM and $150MM.
- Cashman confirmed to reporters that the Yankees have made an offer, according to Marc Carig of the Star Ledger (on Twitter).
- GM Mike Rizzo told Ben Goessling of MASNSports that the Nationals did not meet with Lee's agent today (Twitter link).
- The Brewers are not the mystery team interested in Lee, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel confirms (on Twitter).
- Though it appeared that the Yankees were about to make a strong offer, they have yet to propose a deal formally, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter).
- Braunecker has left the building! He wouldn't reveal where he's going, reports CBS Sports' Danny Knobler.
- The Rangers met with Braunecker again this morning, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- Lee's agent Darek Braunecker told ESPN's Richard Durrett that one club has been eliminated.
- The Yankees are going to make a very strong six-year offer in the $140-150MM range to Lee today, tweets Heyman.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders if Lee really has received seven-year offers, and if he'd go to a non-contender that offered seven years. He spoke with two executives who had Lee in their organization once, and both feel he would.
- Sherman also checked around and ruled out the Cubs as a seven-year team. He says there was some buzz about the Brewers, but that the finances are beyond their means. ESPN's Buster Olney rules out the Orioles.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson has a source who says the Nationals aren't out of the Lee sweepstakes "by any means," despite GM Mike Rizzo's comments. Ladson's source feels Jayson Werth's seven-year deal actually increased Washington's chances for Lee.
Russell Martin Rumors: Wednesday
Recently non-tendered catcher Russell Martin is drawing plenty of interest on the open market; here's the latest. He's recovering from a hip fracture, but teams have already examined his medical records.
- Martin has multiple offers, according to Hernandez (on Twitter).
- A return to LA seems unlikely, since the Dodgers are nearing a deal with Dioner Navarro, but Martin has at least one offer from another team, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter).
- Boston's interest depends on Martin's willingness to play other positions than catcher, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (on Twitter).
- The Red Sox remain in play on Martin but haven't made a decision, tweets Edes.
- The Dodgers' final offer to Martin was $4.2MM plus $1.5-1.7MM in incentives based on games played, reports Yahoo's Steve Henson. Henson says letting Martin go was a gut-wrenching decision for GM Ned Colletti. Will he match the amount he turned down from the Dodgers?
- Teams are now making offers to Martin's agent Matt Colleran, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, and the Yankees and Red Sox are in the center of the mix. Gordon Edes' source says the Red Sox are making a strong push.
Seven Teams Interested In Octavio Dotel
Seven clubs are interested in Octavio Dotel, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes (on Twitter, in Spanish). The Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Orioles, Twins, Pirates and Yankees have inquired on the right-hander, Rojas writes.
The 37-year-old bounced from the Pirates to the Dodgers to the Rockies in 2010 and posted a 4.08 ERA along the way. He picked up 21 saves as the Pirates' closer and struck out over a batter per inning (10.5 K/9) overall. Dotel walked lots of hitters as usual (4.5 BB/9), but limited hits.
Carl Crawford Rumors: Wednesday
Carl Crawford is the biggest free agent prize among position players, but who can afford him? The latest:
- One Red Sox source says the market is likely "too crazy" for Boston to get seriously involved, according to ESPNBoston's Gordon Edes (on Twitter).
- Multiple baseball sources and people close to Crawford tell Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles that they expect the left fielder to sign with the Angels.
- Crawford was at the dinner with GM Brian Cashman and agent Brian Peters, according to Mark Feinsand and Bill Madden of the New York Daily News. The Yankees are "very interested" in Crawford and could pursue him even if they sign Lee.
- The Rangers met with Crawford's agent, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman had a long Crawford-related meeting yesterday, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. Joel Sherman tweets that Cashman met with his agent Brian Peters at a restaurant away from the meetings. Olney feels the Yankees are "preparing to zig off Cliff Lee if necessary." Meanwhile Olney's colleague Jayson Stark tweets that the Yankees are hinting that if Andy Pettitte retires, it becomes more likely they can afford both Crawford and Lee. One Yankes official described that scenario as "highly unlikely" to Sherman.
Odds & Ends: Iwakuma, Heisey, White Sox, Feliciano
One year ago today, the Yankees, Tigers and Diamondbacks finalized the trade that sent Curtis Granderson to New York, Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy to Arizona and Max Scherzer and Austin Jackson to Detroit. As we await this year's answer to that 2009 blockbuster, here are some links to enjoy…
- Phil Coke, who was also in that trade, is set to move to the Tigers' rotation, but Detroit isn't desperate for left-handed relief help. Daniel Schlereth, yet another product of the trade, could be a cog in the Tigers' 'pen, so they're showing limited interest in free agents like J.C. Romero and Ron Mahay, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck.
- The agent for Hisashi Iwakuma, Don Nomura, told the Associated Press (via ESPN) that the A's showed no respect for his client in their recent negotiations. The agent is clearly frustrated by what he perceives to be a lack of sincerity from Oakland.
- The D'Backs have some interest in outfielder Chris Heisey, but have yet to approach the Reds about him, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link).
- The Phillies are still interested in a potential deal with Chad Durbin, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- White Sox GM Kenny Williams tells Jayson Stark of ESPN.com that his team is "about tapped out" in terms of payroll flexibility (Twitter link).
- The Indians officially announced their minor league deal with Paul Phillips today.
- The Yankees met with Pedro Feliciano's representatives today, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff (on Twitter).
C.C. Sabathia Unaffected By Cliff Lee
Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia has the ability to opt out of the remaining four years and $92MM remaining on his contract after the 2011 season. It's been suggested that a Cliff Lee megadeal could prompt Sabathia to bail in search of more money or years, but he told George King of the New York Post, "It has no effect on me at all." But as Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues points out, Sabathia did not directly slam the door on the opt-out.
Market For Russell Martin Intensifying
The market for Russell Martin is intensifying, with three AL East teams showing varying levels of interest, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays are all interested in the catcher, who may have other suitors.
The Mets appeared to have interest, but the chances of Sandy Alderson signing Martin seem slim now that the GM has agreed to sign Ronny Paulino. The Dodgers could re-enter the sweepstakes at some point.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported this week that Martin, a Montreal native, would like to sign with an East Coast team (Twitter link).
Cliff Lee Rumors: Tuesday
We heard yesterday that the market for Cliff Lee was beginning to heat up, and that at least one team would be willing to offer Lee a seven-year deal, but it wasn't the Yankees. Here are today's Lee rumors for your reading pleasure:
- It sounds like the Yankees made Lee an offer. Braunecker spoke to Cashman tonight and when the YES Network's Jack Curry asked if the Yankees presented a proposal, the agent declined comment and smiled (Twitter link).
- The Angels reached out to Lee's representatives and started pursuing him today, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. Crasnick hears that it's doubtful Lee signs before the Winter Meetings end.
- The Nationals are not in on Lee, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link). GM Mike Rizzo said earlier today that he has some interest in the lefty.
- Though GM Tony Reagins downplayed the Angels-Lee connection, Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse hears that the Halos are discussing Lee and will stay in touch with his agent (Twitter link).
- The Yankees are on the verge of making Lee a lucrative offer and are awaiting the go-ahead from Braunecker, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com. GM Brian Cashman says he's ready to get serious.
- Lee now has two seven-year offers for $20MM or more per season, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
- Angels GM Tony Reagins tells Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times that the Angels are not the mystery team that has offered Lee seven years.
- Rangers president Nolan Ryan is more optimistic about signing Lee this week than he was last week, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter).
- Rizzo confirmed that he met with Lee's agent again, but says the Nationals are a "real long shot" to sign him, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (on Twitter). Meanwhile, Angels manager Mike Scioscia told Yahoo's Steve Henson that a pitcher like Lee makes a team better (Twitter link).
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo met with Braunecker for the second time this week today, reports Mark Zuckerman.
- A Yankees official told Feinsand that Lee getting seven-year offer "won't affect what we do." They will not go past six years for the lefty. The Yankees are frustrated with the slow pace of the Lee talks, reports Rosenthal.
- Lee has at least one seven-year offer for $20-25MM – not from the Nationals – tweets Heyman.
- Lee's agent Darek Braunecker described his discussions with the Rangers and Yankees as "positive" and "productive," talking to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Braunecker also said he's "maintaining dialogue" with the Nationals.
- The Nationals are prepared to offer Lee a seven-year deal, reports Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. But talking to two Nationals sources, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports that such an offer has zero chance of happening. The contract length is very important to Lee, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. There is growing speculation among rival executives and agents that the Nationals will throw a huge number at Lee, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that the Yankees have vowed not to exceed six years or the $161MM that they gave Sabathia for Lee. Sherman feels the Yankees will top out at $144MM-$150MM over six years. As GM Brian Cashman said, Sabathia's presence as an ace makes Lee a "pleasant addition," but not a necessity. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports discusses how signing Lee could affect Sabathia.
Yankees, Rangers Finalists For Mark Prior
Cliff Lee isn't the only pitcher the Yankees and Rangers are bidding against each other on. Those two clubs are the finalists for Mark Prior, according to Tom Krasovic of AOLFanHouse (on Twitter). The 30-year-old right-hander has a connection to both clubs; he pitched in the Rangers' minor league system last year and the Yankees selected him 43rd overall in the 1998 draft, but were unable to sign him.
Prior soon became one of the National League's best pitchers after the Cubs drafted him second overall in 2001. He posted a 2.43 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 as a 22-year-old just a year and a half after being drafted. A series of shoulder problems derailed Prior's career, but he has tried to resurrect it with stints in the Padres' and Rangers' systems. He has not pitched in a big league ballgame since 2006.