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Agreement Reached In Yanks, Tigers, D’Backs Blockbuster

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12:48pm: Heyman tweets that an agreement has been reached, with only medicals pending.  We'll do a fresh post once this trade is official.  To reiterate: the Yankees get Curtis Granderson, the D'Backs get Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy, and the Tigers get Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth, Austin Jackson, and Phil Coke.

Sherman notes that the Yankees managed to pull off the Granderson acquisition without giving up Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, or Mike Dunn.

12:35pm: Olney now says this deal is close.  Sherman says medical records are being exchanged on Granderson.  In another tweet Sherman says there's no deadline on the deal, but one source says it's "on the goal line."  He adds that removing Dunn from the deal was key for the Yanks. 

Tyler Kepner of the New York Times says the deal is "very close," and would be Austin Jackson, Coke, Scherzer, and Schlereth to the Tigers, Edwin Jackson and Kennedy to the D'Backs, and Granderson to the Yankees.

12:19pm: Rosenthal says the revised deal has the Tigers getting two players from the Yanks rather than three, with Coke or Dunn out.  AOL FanHouse's Ed Price tweets that the D'Backs and Tigers are awaiting signoff from the Yankees, and expect an answer within 40 minutes.

11:51am: Morosi sees progress being made, while MLB.com's Steve Gilbert thinks this thing is close; the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro agrees.

11:24am: More from Olney – the D'Backs are aiming to get Edwin Jackson and Kennedy in the deal.  Olney speaks of "growing confidence on at least two of the sides" involved, and his sources have the odds of a deal in the 20-30% range.  One Heyman source said 50%.

11:15am: Rosenthal and Morosi note that the Yankees and Tigers are open to making a Granderson deal and leaving the D'Backs out of the discussion.  Still, the three-team talks are ongoing and fluid, with the Tigers requiring a "high-ceiling, close-to-the-majors center fielder" as part of the Granderson package.  Austin Jackson could be that player.

ESPN's Buster Olney says it's the Tigers that re-ignited the three-way talks, and they've lowered their asking price.

10:33am: Heyman tweets that this deal is "back with a chance." Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News agrees, noting that the Tigers "may be caving" on the price for Granderson.  He says the Yanks would likely downgrade one of the pitchers, most likely Dunn.  Wouldn't be the Winter Meetings without three-team trade scenarios and the constant back-and-forth.

10:30am: Just to add a little intrigue, ESPN's Buster Olney says "one idea raised" was the Yankees getting both Granderson and Jackson.  Regardless, two of the teams involved backed out of this three-team mess.

8:29am: SI's Jon Heyman tweets that this one "looks very unlikely."  In his scenario Heyman had Daniel Schlereth, Scherzer, and more going to Detroit.  He adds that the Yankees are saying no to the deal, which would've cost them the four prospects named below.  Similarly, Morosi now finds the chances of this one to be "not good" because the Yankees balked at the price.

7:35am: Buster Olney adds that the talks progressed to the point where only one team liked the deal; he's not sure whether talks can resume or not.

TUESDAY, 7:00am: Morosi tweets that the deal is still a possibility as of this morning, according to one source.

MONDAY, 11:23pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that the Tigers were never satisfied with the blockbuster talks. 

10:05pm: The D'Backs pushed for a blockbuster three-way deal with the Yankees and Tigers today, only to see one of those two teams veto it, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. However, the teams are discussing the following scenario.

The deal would send Curtis Granderson to the Yanks, along with a prospect or two from the D'Backs. Arizona would obtain Edwin Jackson from the Tigers and Ian Kennedy from the Yankees. The Tigers would obtain Max Scherzer from the D'Backs and Austin Jackson, Phil Coke and Michael Dunn from the Yanks.

Talks are apparently at an "impasse" now, though the D'Backs continue to push for a trade.

Olney On Rafael Soriano, Crisp, Harden

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Rumor nuggets from ESPN's Buster Olney, in his morning blog post…

  • Olney writes of indications that Rafael Soriano will request a trade from the Braves, as GM Frank Wren suggested before the player accepted arbitration.  J.C. Bradbury credits Soriano's agent Peter Greenberg for finding a way around draft pick compensation.  MLB.com's Mark Bowman does not think it will be difficult to trade Soriano, though Joel Sherman tweets that the Yankees are not interested.
  • Olney has about six teams seriously interested in center fielder Coco Crisp, with a $3-4MM price range being bandied about.
  • The Red Sox "do not have serious interest in Rich Harden," Olney reports.

Sherman’s Latest: Mets, Molina, Damon, Granderson

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Here's a quick look into Joel Sherman's latest column:

  • The Mets need to add a starting pitcher, and given all of the already-volatile options in their rotation, they're likely to pursue someone more "vanilla" as Sherman describes. He names Kevin Millwood, Doug Davis, Jon Garland, and Jason Marquis. We've already seen that the O's may be closing in on Millwood today.
  • While acquiring Roy Halladay is a pipe dream, a full-on pursuit for John Lackey isn't quite as far-fetched, and Lackey would be every bit the No. 2 starter to complement Johan Santana that the previously mentioned options simply are not.
  • Minaya will meet with Lackey's representation but isn't confident; he'd prefer to wait for the price to come down, so as not to spend most of the Mets' available funds on one resource. If that price drops, though, suitors for Lackey will abound.
  • The Mets are confident that they can improve their pitching staff by improving their catching core; they're confident they can land Bengie Molina and believe he and Henry Blanco can help stabilize the staff.
  • If the Yankees acquire Curtis Granderson, they can use him as leverage against Johnny Damon. Adding Granderson will allow the Yanks to pose a "take it or leave it" offer to Damon, and remove some of the leverage Damon and Scott Boras may have. Sherman lists free agent alternatives to bring in should Damon leave in that scenario, including Mike Cameron or re-signing Xavier Nady.

Pettitte Rejects Yanks’ Initial Offer?

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TUESDAY, 7:10am: Sherman calls Pettitte the "linchpin" of the Yankees whole offseason. Sherman feels signing Pettitte removes pressure to pursue Lackey or Halladay, which allows the Yankees to focus on adding an arm such as Harden, Duchscherer, etc. From there, the Yanks can address the Johnny Damon/Hideki Matsui issue, and decide if they'd like to retain one of the two or step up pursuits of Curtis Granderson or sign Mike Cameron.

Sherman suggests an $11MM base salary plus $3MM worth of incentives as a suitable offer.

MONDAY, 12:36pm: Olney expects the offer to Pettitte to be $11MM+.

10:47am: Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News has a source saying no official offer has been made to Pettitte, but a contract north of $10MM will be proposed today.

8:46am: Talks between the Yanks and Pettitte are expected to pick up this week, with Sherman and Jon Heyman both expecting an offer exceeding $10MM.

6:27am: Buster Olney tweets that Pettitte has "for sure decided to pitch again in 2010," and that not surprisingly, his preference is the Yankees.

6:05am: Joel Sherman reports that Andy Pettitte has turned down a one-year deal from the Yankees, believed to be in the $10MM range, which is roughly what Pettitte earned last year through base salary and performance incentives.

Pettitte posted a 4.16 ERA through 194.2 innings, striking out 148 and walking 76. The Yankees have previously stated that Pettitte is their top priority this offseason.

Sherman cites an NL executive who is confident that a deal will still be reached between both sides, saying that Pettitte wants to return to the Bronx. According to Sherman, if Pettitte returns, the Yankees are unlikely to pursue John Lackey, but could be inclined to roll the dice on a high-upside reclamation project such as Ben Sheets, Justin Duchscherer, or Rich Harden.

At that point, says Sherman, the only other potential target would be Roy Halladay. That, however, will depend on the number of prospects desired by Alex Anthopolous, whether or not Halladay will require an extension, whether or not the Yankees really have a budget, and if Brian Cashman is even genuinely interested or just trying to drive up the price for other bidders.

What type of deal will it take to bring Pettitte back to the Bronx, and more importantly, is he worth more than the rejected $10MM that the Yankees reportedly offered?

Curtis Granderson Rumors: Monday

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10:31pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Yankees spent "much of the day" trying to acquire Granderson. They still haven't offered Johnny Damon a contract. 

9:49pm: MLB.com's Doug Miller hears from one source who says the Mariners "might" be in the mix for Granderson. That's hardly a surprise, given that they've been linked to him in recent weeks.

5:14pm: Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times talked to a Cubs source who's heard nothing to support rumors that the Tigers are trying to move Granderson this week.

4:05pm: With USA Today's Bob Nightengale suggesting the Tigers hope to trade Curtis Granderson this week, the center fielder requires his own post.

ESPN's Peter Gammons says the Tigers wanted shortstop prospect Starlin Castro and two others from the Cubs.  That price is too high for the Cubs.  Gammons' colleague Buster Olney says the Tigers want Phil Hughes and Austin Jackson from the Yankees for Granderson.

Odds & Ends: Reed Johnson, Laynce Nix, Counsell

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Links for Monday, the first day of the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis…

Nationals Acquire Brian Bruney; Release Saul Rivera

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4:11pm:  The Yanks will receive the Nationals' Rule 5 pick for Bruney, reports Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.

12:51pm: The Nationals confirmed the deal via a press release.  They released Saul Rivera to make room for Bruney.  Rivera, 32 today, posted a 6.10 ERA in 38.3 innings for the Nats this year.  Releasing a man on his birthday…for shame!  Saul did receive one gift: he's now on our 2010 free agents list.

11:56am: The Nationals acquired reliever Brian Bruney from the Yankees for a player to be named later, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  Bruney, who is arbitration-eligible, is due a small raise on this year's $1.25MM salary.  He's under team control through 2011. 

The hard-throwing righty, who turns 28 in February, posted a 3.92 ERA in 39 innings this year, striking out 36 but walking 23.  Plagued by elbow troubles, Bruney was bumped from the Yankees' set-up role for Phil Hughes in July.  He figures to be high in the pecking order of Washington's pen, perhaps even a closer candidate if Mike MacDougal is non-tendered.

Heyman On Mariners, Valverde, Damon

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A look at the latest column from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • Aside from Jason Bay and John Lackey, Heyman names Marlon Byrd, Rich Harden, Randy Wolf, and Joel Pineiro as Mariners targets.  That's the first I've heard of Byrd, Wolf, or a Pineiro reunion.  Heyman names the Cubs and Braves as other Byrd suitors.
  • Heyman says "execs expect" Jose Valverde to remain in Houston, whether through accepting arbitration today or just re-signing later.
  • Heyman expects the Yankees to offer about two years and $20MM to Johnny Damon, and otherwise move on to Mike Cameron, Jermaine Dye, Curtis Granderson, or possibly Byrd.

Odds & Ends: Melky, Green, Branyan, Lowe

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It's officially Winter Meetings time! New thread for links as the folks in Indianapolis begin to wake up and get going:

  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets an interesting situation: the Cubs and Yankees both like Mike Cameron, while the Cubs like the Yanks' Melky Cabrera.  The Cubs will need to clear payroll space before they can try for Cameron though.  Also muddying the picture: both clubs may have interest in Curtis Granderson.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney is hearing that the starting pitching market is "intensifying."
  • Larry Stone of the Seattle Times has all kinds of amusing Winter Meetings memories from years past, and he explains why the Meetings were cancelled for five years in the nineties.
  • David Lennon of Newsday says Mets COO Jeff Wilpon is not scheduled to come to Indianapolis this week, suggesting the team won't be signing major free agents at the Meetings.
  • The Dodgers met with Nick Green's agent, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.  Green, 31, hit .236/.303/.366 in 309 plate appearances for the Red Sox this year while playing all around the infield (mainly shortstop). 
  • The Mariners have begun preliminary negotiations with Russell Branyan, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Branyan already rejected an offer from the Mariners in November.  The Mets appear to be among Branyan's other suitors.
  • Jon Heyman reports, via Twitter, that Adrian Beltre is "not likely" to accept Seattle arbitration offer. They'll still likely try to retain him, however.  It might be difficult to keep Branyan, Beltre, and Jose Lopez, with Ken Griffey Jr. already signed.
  • In case you were wondering, Morosi tweets that nothing is cooking with the Braves and Diamondbacks for Derek Lowe.  Nor are the D'Backs in on Bronson Arroyo.
  • Dan Uggla doesn't like the uncertainty surrounding what uniform he'll be wearing in five months. The Marlins slugger says he still sees himself as a second baseman, though many teams would like to move the 30-home run machine to third base. Matt Lindstrom is in a similar spot.
  • Andy MacPhail told Steve Melewski that free agents are beginning to look at Baltimore in a different light, thanks to the great reviews their farm system is getting in the national media. That said, Melewski still feels that if the O's add a big name this offseason, it'll be through a trade.
  • Alex Speier takes a look at what pieces the Red Sox could potentially use as trade bait.
  • Joel Sherman explains why Andy Pettitte is so important to the Yankees, why personal relationships matter among GMs, and the Mets struggles in finding a taker for Luis Castillo.
  • Mark Feinsand gives Yankee fans five situations to watch this week, including Pettitte, Roy Halladay, Johnny Damon, the Tigers, and Hideki Matsui.

Brian Bruney Braves Rumor

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George A. King III of the New York Post talked to an official from a team interested in Yankees reliever Brian Bruney, and was told, "We asked about him but hear he is going to the Braves."  The Braves would seem an odd match for Bruney, who is arbitration-eligible and due a raise on last year's $1.25MM salary.  The Braves already signed Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito and might be saddled with Rafael Soriano if he accepts arbitration.  Honestly, I'm not buying this rumor.

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