Yankees Rumors: Jeter, Rivera
The latest Yankees talk…
- Talks between the Yankees and Derek Jeter are "at a standstill until Jeter and his agent, Casey Close, 'drink the reality potion,'" a source close to the negotiations tells ESPN's Wallace Matthews. The Yankees are stuck on three years and $45MM, while Jeter wants more years and $23-25MM annually. Matthews says the Yankees are not budging from their offer, though SI's Jon Heyman expects them to up the money but not the years this week.
- The Yankees and Mariano Rivera, on the other hand, are progressing smoothly in their negotiations according to ESPN's Andrew Marchand. Rivera could be bumped to $16-17MM per year, but it's unknown whether the Yankees will guarantee two years.
- Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues estimates Phil Hughes' first-year arbitration reward in the $3.2-3.5MM range.
Who’s Looking For Starting Pitching?
We're a week from the Winter Meetings, and starting pitchers Jon Garland, Hiroki Kuroda, Ted Lilly, Javier Vazquez, and Jake Westbrook have already signed – three of them with the Dodgers. For the many teams that can't afford Cliff Lee, it's down to Jorge de la Rosa, Carl Pavano, and a field of comeback candidates or back-rotation arms. Let's take a look at which teams are in the market.
- Astros – They subtracted Felipe Paulino, and have been linked to Brandon McCarthy and Jeff Francis. GM Ed Wade explained earlier this month that he'd like to add someone on a one-year deal similar to the Brett Myers contract.
- Athletics – They showed their desire to add starting pitching by bidding $19.1MM for the right to negotiate with Hisashi Iwakuma. If they're unable to reach a deal with him by Wednesday of next week, the A's could check out the free agent market. They're known to be interested in McCarthy.
- Brewers – They're in on McCarthy, Francis, and Jarrod Washburn, but are expected to focus on trade possibilities as they look to add a starter or two.
- Cubs – The Cubs have five starters, but could add insurance with Jeremy Bonderman, Aaron Harang, Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, or Brandon Webb.
- Diamondbacks – They were linked to McCarthy prior to acquiring Zach Duke. With their front four settled, I expect them to worry about other needs.
- Mariners – They've been linked to McCarthy and Jeff Francis, suggesting they're targeting injury comeback candidates.
- Mets – The rumor mill has been quiet, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post can see them getting in on a reclamation-project starter in the new year.
- Nationals – The Nationals are seeking pitching by trade, free agency, or both. They're in on Lee, De La Rosa, Webb, and Pavano at the least.
- Orioles – They apparently have tepid interest in De La Rosa, and have been linked to position players more frequently this offseason.
- Padres – Garland's gone and Kevin Correia is a free agent. The Padres have been linked to McCarthy and will probably seek late bargains.
- Pirates – They seem very likely to sign some kind of free agent starter this winter. They've moved on from Duke and are eyeing Scott Olsen, De La Rosa, Webb, and Francis.
- Rangers – They could move Neftali Feliz to the rotation, but the top priority is signing Lee. If Lee signs elsewhere they're expected to look into Zack Greinke. They're known to be in on Webb, and happen to employ Webb's surgeon Dr. Keith Meister as the team physician.
- Reds – They've been loosely linked to Webb based mainly on geography, but already made a big commitment to Bronson Arroyo and don't have a ton of spending money.
- Rockies – They're likely to add a starter and are in on Webb and Francis. They could also look at trades and lesser free agents, but at least they've added Paulino.
- Royals – The Royals cut Brian Bannister and are interested in Kevin Millwood, to name one option. If Kyle Davies is non-tendered on Thursday that would heighten their need.
- Tigers – They seem content with their rotation options, but they were among the seven clubs linked to McCarthy.
- Twins – They'll need an arm, possibly Pavano. They placed a bid on Iwakuma and have been tied to Webb. Washburn could also work.
- White Sox – They haven't been linked to anyone, and appear to be in good shape even with Jake Peavy missing the beginning of the season given the possibility of moving Chris Sale into the rotation. However, I won't rule Kenny Williams out if he finds one of the aforementioned free agent arms intriguing.
- Yankees – They're the favorites for Lee, and Andy Pettitte might be leaning toward a return. The Yankees are not expected to participate in the next bracket of free agent starters if one of those options falls through, and the trade market is barren if Greinke is off-limits.
- The Angels, Blue Jays, Braves, Cardinals, Dodgers, Giants, Indians, Marlins, Phillies, Rays, and Red Sox have either stayed out of the rumor mill or already made their additions. Still, it would not be a shock for some of these teams to add starting pitching.
Odds & Ends: Vazquez, Nationals, Yankees, Werth
Links for Sunday…
- Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel says (via Twitter) that the Marlins never give out no-trade clauses, but they gave one to Javier Vazquez to get his price down.
- Meanwhile, Ben Goessling of MASN Sports looks at some pitching options for the Nationals now that Vazquez is off the board.
- With the Yanks and Derek Jeter still far apart during negotiations, Seth Livingstone of USA Today looks at some other star Yankees that ended their career elsewhere.
- Jayson Werth told CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury that he's not close to signing via text message. "It’s very early. I will make an informed decision in due time," said the free agent outfielder.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains why Juan Uribe would make sense for the Dodgers.
- Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wonders if the Pirates are sincere with their interest in several big name free agents, but he notes they do in fact have money to spend.
- In the wake of Victor Martinez signing with the Tigers, John Tomase of The Boston Herald looks at how the Red Sox have done with their extra draft picks over the years.
- SI.com's Jon Heyman says that Magglio Ordonez remains a possibility for the Tigers (Twitter link), who have already committed close to $90MM for four players this offseason.
- Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News explains how declining his option and not offering Vladimir Guerrero arbitration suggests the Rangers want him back.
- Right-hander Waldis Joaquin, who was released by the Giants then claimed off waivers by the White Sox, have rejected the claim and elected to become a free agent according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin (Twitter link).
Yankees Notes: Burnett, Jeter, Albaladejo
When Javier Vazquez's deal with the Marlins becomes official, the Yankees will have earned a sandwich pick in next year's draft in exchange for losing the right-hander. Here are a few other items of interest out of the Bronx….
- Brian Cashman flew to Maryland this week to meet with A.J. Burnett, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider required). While it's not the first time Cashman has met with one of his veteran players during the offseason, the visit was more noteworthy because of Burnett's disappointing 2010 campaign. The Yanks' GM "made it clear" to the 33-year-old that the team still believes in him going forward.
- Former Yankee Tino Martinez tells George A. King III of the New York Post that he's bothered by the way Derek Jeter is being perceived this offseason: "It's making it seem like he is greedy. He is not being greedy. He is going through a baseball negotiation like everybody else. It's made him look like he doesn't know what's happening in the real world, and he is not like that."
- Within the same piece, King says the Yomiuri Giants sent the Yankees $1.2MM for Jonathan Albaladejo, who finalized a one-year deal with the Japanese club yesterday.
- Chad Jennings of the Journal News considers some potential landing spots for Jeter and shortstop alternatives for the Yankees in the unlikely event that the two sides can't reach an agreement.
Odds & Ends: Tigers, Orioles, Manny, Astros, Uribe
Happy birthday to two former All-Star catchers! Future Hall-of-Famer Ivan Rodriguez turns 39 today, while Angels manager Mike Scioscia turns 52.
Some news items…
- Count Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer as unimpressed by Detroit's contracts with Joaquin Benoit and Jhonny Peralta. Pluto cites Benoit's 4.47 career ERA and Peralta's .696 OPS over his last two seasons.
- The Orioles' failed pursuit of Victor Martinez proves "the issue isn't how much money the Orioles are willing to give somebody. It's whether somebody suitable is willing to take it," writes The Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck.
- Mike Axisa of the River Ave Blues blog thinks Manny Ramirez would be a bad fit on the Yankees.
- By the time the sale of the Astros is finalized, the new ownership group should have few salary commitments to deal with, reports Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle.
- The Giants are betting that other teams don't value Juan Uribe as highly as they do, says CSNBayArea.com's Mychael Urban, which is why the club offered the infielder (a Type B free agent) arbitration. San Francisco thinks Uribe won't be able to find a multi-year deal elsewhere and will thus accept arbitration or re-sign for a $5MM, one-year contract. Even if Uribe does leave for another club, at least the Giants would get a draft pick in compensation.
- Urban also notes that the Giants are "tire-kicking" J.J. Hardy and Miguel Tejada as other infield options. Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun predicts Tejada will be the best free agent bargain of the winter.
- In his look at the offseason needs of the AL Central clubs, The Kansas City Star's Bob Dutton names Detroit prospects Andy Oliver and Jacob Turner, Minnesota outfield prospects Joe Benson, Aaron Hicks and Ben Revere, and Kansas City's Robinson Tejeda and Alex Gordon as young players within the division who could be dealt. (Oliver and Turner only in "major trade talks" since "neither will be cheap.") Dutton adds that Grady Sizemore probably won't be dealt in the winter but "interest should quickly escalate" if Sizemore gets off to a healthy and productive start in 2011.
This Date In Transactions History: November 27th
Let's hope into the wayback machine and look at a few notable moves that took place on past 11/27s…
- The Phillies agreed to terms with Adam Eaton to a three-year, $24.5MM contract on this date in 2006. Since the Phils went on to win the World Series in 2008, this signing was totally worth it, right? Believers in the butterfly effect might agree, but to most, Eaton was a huge bust for Philadelphia. The right-hander posted a 6.10 ERA in 51 appearances (49 of them starts) and the Phillies outright released Eaton before the 2009 season and ate the remaining $8.75MM on his contract.
- The Yankees made a much more valuable signing on November 27, 2006, inking Mike Mussina to a two-year, $22MM deal. The Moose struggled in 2007 but bounced back in a major way in 2008 — a 3.37 ERA, 4.84 K/BB ratio and tied for the league lead with 34 starts. Mussina turned 40 in December 2008 and decided to retire, thus missing out on New York's World Series title the next season.
- The Dodgers took a chance on the oft-injured Eric Davis when they acquired the Reds star (and pitcher Kip Gross) from Cincinnati on this date in 1991 in exchange for Tim Belcher and John Wetteland. Davis posted just a .677 OPS in 730 plate appearances with L.A. before being traded to Detroit on August 31, 1993. Davis didn't regain his old form until 1996-98, when he delivered three solid seasons with the Reds and Orioles. The key figure in this trade ended up being Wetteland, but the Reds flipped him to Montreal just two weeks after acquiring him from Los Angeles. Wetteland developed into a star closer for the Expos, Yankees and Rangers, and was named MVP of the 1996 World Series.
- Speaking of Yankee postseason stars, the Bronx Bombers picked up third baseman Graig Nettles on this day in 1972. Nettles and catcher Jerry Moses were acquired from the Indians for an unremarkable four-player package. The defensively-stellar Nettles made five All-Star appearances in his 11 seasons as a Yankee, racking up 1396 hits and almost as many witty quotes to sportswriters.
- Finally, one more New York team made an important addition on this date in 1967. The Mets acquired manager Gil Hodges from the Washington Senators (now the Texas Rangers) in exchange for pitcher Bill Denehy and $100K. Denehy only pitched in 34 more games in the majors, while Hodges went on to lead the Mets to their Amazin' upset win in the 1969 World Series. The former Dodger great managed the Mets for two more seasons before his untimely death of a heart attack at age 47.
Derek Jeter Rumors: Saturday
The latest news on the tug-of-war between Derek Jeter and the Bronx Bombers…
- We've already heard (Twitter link) from Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman that the Yankees were willing to increase their offer of $45MM over three years to Jeter. Heyman now tweets that the increase is worth "a couple mil a year," but Jeter will "have to accept [a] pay cut to stay."
- The Yankees "would like to make inroads" about a Jeter contract next week and perhaps have things worked out by the winter meetings, says Heyman in a follow-up tweet.
- The difficulty of these negotiations has already harmed both Jeter's reputation and the Yankee brand, argues Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News. Raissman speculates that Brian Cashman may be emboldened to take such a firm stance on Jeter's contract since the GM experienced no backlash when dealing with another beloved Yankee, Bernie Williams.
- ESPN's Rob Neyer says that a new deal for Jeter isn't really a sure thing, even though most assume it is.
- A four-year contract worth around $70MM (a "painful sacrifice" for both sides) should be enough to get Jeter re-signed, argues Ian O'Connor of ESPNNewYork.com.
MLBTR's Mike Axisa contributed to this post
“Half-Dozen Teams In The Mix” For Cliff Lee
Cliff Lee has already generated a lot of buzz this winter, but according to ESPN's Buster Olney, the market for the star left-hander will "heat up" over the next week and Lee could be signed during the winter meetings. Darek Braunecker, Lee's agent, tells Olney that he and Lee are scheduled to meet with as many as three teams over the next week.
"We've got a fair number of teams trying to work through the process," Braunecker said. "It's probably fair to say we've got a half-dozen teams in the mix."
The Rangers and Yankees have already met with Lee, which is no surprise since they're the two biggest suitors for the free agent starter. The Nationals are also known to be interested, and other teams like the Angels, Astros, Cubs, Dodgers, Phillies and Red Sox have also at least checked in on Lee. Washington could make things interesting with a big offer, but it's a pretty safe bet that Lee will pitch in either New York or Texas next season. Though the Rangers have some extra revenue to work with, Olney points out that Lee alone could take up 20-30% of the Texas payroll next season. That's a major commitment for a team that isn't quite a big-market player and might also have to fit in a Josh Hamilton extension.
Odds & Ends: Garland, Tigers, Manny, Astros
Links for Saturday, exactly six years after the Pirates traded Jason Kendall to the Athletics for Mark Redman, Arthur Rhodes, and cash…
- The Rockies offered Jon Garland a similar deal to the one he agreed upon with the Dodgers, tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post.
- Tigers owner Mike Ilitch is willing to spend in order to make Detroit a winner again, writes Peter Gammons for MLB.com.
- The Yankees have signed right-hander Brian Anderson and left-hander Andy Sisco to minor league contracts with invites to Spring Training, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Anderson was recently cut by the Royals and is new to pitching after playing the outfield his entire career. Sisco threw 66.2 innings for the Giants Double-A affiliate this year after having Tommy John surgery in 2008.
- ESPN's Buster Olney asked several talent evaluators for their opinion of Manny Ramirez (Insider req'd). Most see him as a designated hitter (unsurprisingly) that is good offensively but no longer elite. One compared him to a healthy Nick Johnson, meaning good average, great OBP, some power. Almost everyone Olney polled suggested an incentive-laden deal, which is what Scott Boras is seeking.
- Richard Justice of The Houston Chronicle says the Astros need to make a big move in free agency if Drayton McLane really hopes to sell the team for $800MM. He throws the names of Carl Pavano, Jorge de la Rosa, Jeff Francis, Rafael Soriano, and Dan Wheeler out there as possibilities.
- Jonathan Albaladejo finalized a one-year contract with the Yomiuri Giants that will pay him $950K according to the AP (via ESPN New York). The Yankees released Albaladejo at his request earlier this month.
Jeter & Yankees Are Far Apart
7:39pm: Michael S. Schmidt of The New York Times reports that Jeter is seeking a four- or five-year deal worth $23-24MM annually according to "a person in baseball who had been briefed on the matter."
3:24pm: Close tells Yahoo's Tim Brown that the Daily News report is off base (Twitter link). "The recently rumored terms of our contract extension are simply inaccurate," Close said.
10:12am: Jeter is asking for less than $150MM over six years, according to Jim Baumbach of Newsday (on Twitter).
8:06am: Derek Jeter’s representatives are asking for at least $80MM more than the Yankees are willing to offer in negotiations for the free agent shortstop, according to Bill Madden of the New York Daily News. The starting point for Jeter and agent Casey Close was six years and $150MM, according to Madden, who reports that the Jeter camp is not budging from demands for a $25MM annual salary. Alex Rodriguez’s contract “is at the crux of Jeter’s and Close’s stance,” according to Madden.
The Yankees have offered Jeter multiple deals, including one that would pay the 36-year-old $45MM over the course of the next three seasons. Close suggested that the Yankees' tactics are "baffling," so Yankees GM Brian Cashman encouraged Jeter and his agent to test the free agent market in search of a more generous deal.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post proposes that the Yankees could sign Jeter to a six-year $75MM deal that could become more lucrative if Jeter reaches incentives based on plate appearances. The suggested deal would pay Jeter $20MM per season from 2011-13 and shield the Yankees from the luxury tax.