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.
Odds & Ends: Upton, Blue Jays, Miner, Pirates
A round of Thanksgiving links…
- Justin Upton is not on the Blue Jays' radar anymore, according to Shi Davidi of The Canadian Press. The Diamondbacks simply want too much for the outfielder.
- Meanwhile, Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos told Ken Fidlin of The Toronto Sun that he's not necessarily afraid of players with bad reputations, but it "depends how significant the baggage." Manny Ramirez's name has been linked to the Jays, and he certainly brings some baggage.
- John Lowe of The Detroit Free Press explains that Tigers reliever Zach Miner is a non-tender candidate, joining Joel Zumaya.
- Remember Dinesh Patel, the reality show contestant who signed with the Pirates? Pittsburgh released him and eight other minor leaguers, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.
- Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News argues that the Yankees' offseason checklist is still incomplete. The Bronx Bombers have not signed Cliff Lee and there's a lot of uncertainty surrounding their two biggest free agents, so it's hard to argue with Feinsand here.
- Paul White of USA Today explains why the Brewers may trade Prince Fielder: they'd "have to be quite creative with their future finances to offer [the first baseman] a competitive deal."
- There's a "miniscule" chance that the Dodgers bring George Sherrill back in 2011, according to Steve Dilbeck of the LA Times. The lefty specialist is sure to be non-tendered after a disappointing season in which he earned $4.5MM.
Yankees Notes: Rivera, Jeter
It's a winter of turbulence for the Yankees' core four. Here's the latest on the kind of interest two longtime Yankees might draw from other teams:
- Mariano Rivera will have many teams looking to pry him away from the Bronx if negotiations with the Yankees sour, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
- John Harper of the New York Daily News writes that Derek Jeter would look hypocritical if he left the Yankees over a financial dispute after years of saying winning matters more than anything.
- MLB executives tell George A. King III of the New York Post that they firmly believe Jeter will re-sign with the Yankees. One person pointed out that Jeter needs the Red Sox to bid on him, but cautioned that Boston won’t likely get involved. An AL official named the Orioles, Nationals, Cardinals and Giants as teams that could have interest in the shortstop.
Olney On Dunn, Lee, Greinke, Jeter, Pena
The Rangers have money to spend and ESPN.com's Buster Olney suggests they could spend it on Adam Dunn. GM Jon Daniels could pursue Carl Crawford or another free agent if Cliff Lee signs elsewhere, but Dunn would provide the Rangers with a formidable power threat. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:
- The Rangers' priority is still to sign Lee.
- Rival executives see Texas as the team that's most likely to acquire Zack Greinke from the Royals.
- To create leverage with the Yankees, Derek Jeter will need another club to make a significantly better proposal than the three-year $45MM deal the Yankees are offering. Needless to say, it will be difficult for agent Casey Close to find such an offer for a 36-year-old coming off a down year.
- Olney hears that the Nationals are the most enthusiastic team about signing Carlos Pena.