Yankees Rumors

Offseason Questions For The AL East

By Tim Dierkes | April 1, 2010 at 9:53am CDT

You've laughed, cried, nodded, and shaken your head in disbelief as you read my offseason reviews for all 30 teams. Now it's time to pose a question or two for each club, starting with the AL East.

Was there a way for the Orioles to add sufficient veteran respectability for 2010 for less than the $33MM spent on Kevin Millwood, Mike Gonzalez, Miguel Tejada, Garrett Atkins, and Mark Hendrickson? Did giving up two years of Chris Ray and the #53 pick in this year's draft fit with the long-term plan?
Will Boston's defensive improvements really add eight or nine wins? Will Mike Cameron, Adrian Beltre, and Marco Scutaro contribute enough offensively?
Can Nick Johnson, Brett Gardner, and Randy Winn adequately replace Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui? Will Javier Vazquez match his 3.72 ERA projection?
Will Mitch Talbot blossom with the Indians, as other ex-Rays Jason Hammel and Edwin Jackson did with their new clubs? Will the Rays regret failing to upgrade at designated hitter? Will their bullpen be crippled by a Rafael Soriano injury?
Did the Blue Jays waste $2.75MM on Kevin Gregg? Will Kyle Drabek, Travis d'Arnaud, and Brett Wallace justify the Jays giving up a year of Roy Halladay and $6MM?

Odds & Ends: Gaudin, Stairs, Lowell, Darvish

By Tim Dierkes | March 29, 2010 at 9:55pm CDT

Links for Monday…

FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi spoke to one executive who thinks the lack of open 40-man roster spots is inhibiting trades. There are only 28 open spots across the league, and more than half of the teams are maxed out.
Chad Gaudin said he considered "a couple" of other teams before deciding to rejoin the A's, reports MLB.com's Jane Lee.
MLB.com's Corey Brock reminds us that the Padres will have to remove someone from their 40-man roster before Opening Day to make room for Matt Stairs.
The Rangers have a scout on hand to watch Mike Lowell play third base tonight, tweets ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes. This deal has to get done eventually, right?
The Braves were concerned the Marlins would take Jason Heyward at #12 in the 2007 draft, writes Yahoo's Jeff Passan.
Yu Darvish hinted for the first time that he might be willing to come to MLB, says Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. Newman passes along a Sponichi report in which Darvish said, "Well, I’m planning on climbing the ladder, step by step," when asked about moving to MLB one day. Newman notes that Darvish isn't close to free agency, so the Nippon Ham Fighters would have to post him.
SI's Jon Heyman writes that the Mariners and Jarrod Washburn "are believed to remain apart on the dollars for a new deal."
Brian Cashman and Johnny Damon met in person for the first time since Damon left the Yankees, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
MLB.com's Peter Gammons names six clubs that might be better than you think.

Chad Gaudin Agrees To Sign With A’s

By Zachary Links | March 28, 2010 at 8:55pm CDT

Pitcher Chad Gaudin has reached agreement with the A's on a deal worth $700K. The righty turned 27 years old on Wednesday and was cut loose by the Yankees on Thursday.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement and Jon Heyman of SI.com followed up with the contract details (via Twitter).

After starting 25 games last season for the Padres and Yankees, it is likely that Gaudin will be slotted into Oakland's bullpen. Several Athletics relievers have been bitten by the injury bug, including Michael Wuertz, Andrew Bailey, and Craig Breslow.

Do The Yankees Have A Leg Up For Recruiting Werth?

By Mike Axisa | March 27, 2010 at 10:32am CDT

Phillies' rightfielder Jayson Werth will be one of the hottest commodities on the free agent market next year, and the Yankees might have an ace in the hole if they choose to pursue him. As if they need any more help, Joel Sherman of The New York Post notes that Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson – a special advisor for the Yanks – has a longstanding relationship with Werth's family.

Jackson became good friends with Werth's stepfather Dennis when the two patrolled the Yankees' outfield in the late-70's/early-80's, and he also played with Dick Schofield during his Angels years, who is Jayson's uncle (his mother's brother, to be specific). Sherman says that Jackson and Werth had lunch together before the two teams played yesterday, and then were spotted on the field chatting before first pitch. The commissioner's office frowns upon members of different organizations interacting like that, but Sherman says it happens all the time and the league would have to be able to illustrate tampering to act in any way.

GM Brian Cashman said he didn't know of the meeting and was unaware of Jackson's relationship with Werth's family, but history has shown that he's not above bringing the heat to recruit big free agents. Last offseason he brought Jackson along to a key meeting during their courtship of CC Sabathia.

Werth, 31 in May, finally started to deliver on some of the promise that landed him on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects List four times from 1999 to 2003. A career .265/.360/.467 hitter in close to 2,300 big league plate appearances, Werth has hit .276/.376/.494 since arriving in Philadelphia during the 2007 season. His power has improved every year since then, topping out at 36 bombs last year, and he's a top notch defender in all three outfield spots according to UZR. Werth will earn $7MM this season as part of the two-year deal he signed last January.

Rosenthal’s Latest: D’Backs, Robertson, Pirates

By Mike Axisa | March 27, 2010 at 9:32am CDT

Some notes from Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com…

The Diamondbacks continue to pursue a number three or four starter in the wake of Brandon Webb's setback. A club official acknowledged that such a pickup was possible, but “I don’t think any team will be willing to give up that kind of pitcher at the start of the season.”
Rosenthal says the team has infield depth to use in a trade, and reiterated that they'd love to move Chris Snyder and the $11.25MM left on his contract. The Rangers and Red Sox are said to be looking for infielders, and the Mariners could join them following Jack Hannahan's injury.
The Tigers are shopping Nate Robertson, but Arizona doesn't consider him enough of an upgrade. Zach Duke and Paul Maholm are not available.
The best available starter may be Chad Gaudin, who was released by the Yankees on Thursday.
The Brewers considered a Jeff Suppan for Snyder trade, but didn't want to take on Snyder's 2011 salary. Suppan will earn $12.5MM this season, the final one on his contract.
The Cubs do not expect to make a trade for a reliever before Opening Day, but they've scouted Jason Frasor and Scott Downs, plus Luke Gregerson of the Padres.
Nick Green has an out clause in his minor league contract, but the Dodgers may add him to the roster to serve as the backup shortstop.

Yankees Release Chad Gaudin

By Tim Dierkes | March 25, 2010 at 3:01pm CDT

3:01pm: The Dodgers are in too, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The D'Backs are not interested, tweets Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

11:38am: The Mets are discussing Gaudin, tweets Newsday's David Lennon.

7:57am: The Yankees released pitcher Chad Gaudin, tweets Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger. Gaudin had been placed on waivers on Tuesday, but no team claimed his $2.95MM salary. Since he was on a non-guaranteed contract, the Yankees will only pay a quarter ($737,500).

A year ago when Gaudin was released by the Cubs, he chose the Padres in part because of the opportunity to start. In that role in '09 he posted a 4.76 ERA, 8.37 K/9, and 4.69 BB/9 in 134.3 innings. The Mets, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Mariners are among the clubs looking a little short on arms. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tells us that the A's are not interested in a reunion with Gaudin.

Rafael DePaula May Sign Soon

By Tim Dierkes | March 24, 2010 at 1:32pm CDT

17-year-old righty Rafael DePaula may sign soon, reports MLBTR contributor Blake Bentley on the scene in the Dominican Republic. Bentley sees a two-horse race between the Yankees and Mariners, with a bonus in the $1.5-2MM range possible.

DePaula threw a showcase yesterday, working in the 92-93 mph range. You can view Bentley's video of that here. ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. reported in January that DePaula's birth date was verified as April 1, 1992 by Junta Central, "the Dominican's official registrar." Previously MLB had suspended DePaula for a year on the belief that he lied about his age.

Yankees Place Chad Gaudin On Waivers

By Tim Dierkes | March 23, 2010 at 8:40am CDT

The Yankees placed righty Chad Gaudin on waivers, tweets Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. Assuming he's not picked up, the Yankees can then release him and pay a quarter of his $2.95MM salary ($737,500) or send him to the minors and pay his full salary.

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News wrote yesterday of whispers of the Yanks sending Gaudin or Sergio Mitre to the Dodgers for Jamie Hoffmann, though you have to think Gaudin's salary would be an issue. A year ago, after the Cubs released Gaudin, the Nationals, Rockies, and Athletics expressed interest before he signed with the Padres. The Rockies went in a different direction with their acquisition of Jason Hammel, one of the best trades of the year.

Odds & Ends: Helton, Gaudin, Hensley, Papelbon

By Mike Axisa | March 22, 2010 at 9:39pm CDT

Links for Monday…

Troy Renck of The Denver Post has the details of Todd Helton's new contract extension. He can void the deal if two of three general partners sell their controlling interest in the team, and it contains $13.1MM in deferred money at three percent interest.
The Yankees could look to move Chad Gaudin soon, according to Rosenthal (via Twitter). In another tweet, he mentions that Clay Hensley can opt out of his contract with the Marlins if he's not on the roster by April 1st.
Jim Bowden shows off his post-trade fist pump in his latest GM's Corner video for FOX Sports. Bowden asked a slew of GMs about their processes for making deals; Frank Wren estimated that less than ten percent of discussions lead to trades.
In considering Jonathan Papelbon's future, WEEI's Alex Speier demonstrates just how risky large multiyear deals for relievers have been.
FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal says the Blue Jays "will not settle for fringe prospects in return" for relievers Scott Downs and Jason Frasor, and they could use them to continue the rebuilding effort.
Rosenthal adds that Gary Sheffield is talking to a NL club, though it's not clear which one.
Meanwhile, Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com notes that both Jamey Wright and Austin Kearns have out clauses in their contracts, but a club official said the provisions will not impact the makeup of the team. A source added that there are "no trades on the horizon" for Cleveland.

Could The Yankees Get Hoffmann Back?

By Mike Axisa | March 22, 2010 at 4:45pm CDT

Earlier today the Yankees returned Rule 5 selection Jamie Hoffmann to the Dodgers, however the doesn't mean they lost him forever. Mark Feinsand of The New York Daily News notes that there have been "plenty of whispers in recent weeks" about the two teams working out a trade to keep Hoffmann in pinstripes, possibly involving Chad Gaudin or Sergio Mitre.

Los Angeles already has plenty of options in camp for the back of their rotation, though many of those pitchers have unfavorable contract situations. Both Gaudin and Mitre are out of options, but there's a chance the Dodgers' brass feels more comfortable with one of them in the rotation instead of their current fifth starter hodgepodge. Last week we heard that the Yanks were "almost certain" to deal one of Gaudin or Mitre.

If a trade is made, it would allow the Yankees to stash Hoffmann in Triple-A, something they couldn't do with the Rule 5 strings attached. After dealing both Melky Cabrera and Austin Jackson earlier this offseason, the team is looking to rebuild some outfield depth.

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