Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Yankees Rumors

Odds & Ends: Butler, Holliday, Counsell

By | at

A batch of links to kick off the work week…

  • Newly minted Royals Player of the Year Billy Butler has not held long-term extension talks with the team, MLBTR learned on a conference call today.  Butler will not be arbitration-eligible until after the 2010 season. 
  • Desipio on the Cubs-Curtis Granderson idea: "In the end, this smells like a winter of Brian Roberts and Jake Peavy trade rumors.  One that ends with us talking ourselves into how Marlon Byrd isn’t so bad after all."
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports believes it's a three-horse race for Matt Holliday: the Red Sox, Yankees, and Angels.
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick writes about Jed Hoyer and the Adrian Gonzalez situation.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that a dozen teams have expressed interest in free agent infielder Craig Counsell.  He'd like a multiyear deal.
  • MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan sums up the Rangers' hot stove storylines.
  • Evan Grant wonders what it would take for the Rangers to acquire Edwin Jackson.
  • ESPN's Keith Law believes it'd be unwise for a team to acquire Dan Uggla and move him off second base.
  • Sean Smith's 2010 CHONE projections for hitters are now available, so take a peek into his crystal ball.
  • Jeremy Greenhouse of The Hardball Times cautions against misuses of the WAR statistic.
  • Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail thinks the Blue Jays "will be all over" Brandon Phillips to play third base if the Reds make him available.
  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post suggests Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd will hold Type A free agent reliever Rafael Betancourt hostage with an arbitration offer.  In my opinion, Betancourt has a decent chance of accepting.
  • Tommy Rancel of DRays Bay talked to Rays VP of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman.

Lyon Aiming For Multiyear Deal

By | at

ESPN's Buster Olney spoke with Brandon Lyon's agent Barry Meister, who believes his client can land a multiyear deal this winter.  Lyon is flexible with his role, whether it be closer, set-up man, or something in-between.  Olney believes the Phillies, Angels, Yankees, and Mets make sense.  Will the Tigers feel safe offering Lyon arbitration?  They could gain a draft pick from the Type B free agent, as it doesn't sound like he'd accept an offer.

Lyon, 30, posted a 2.86 ERA, 6.5 K/9, and 3.5 BB/9 in 78.6 innings this for the Tigers, earning $4.25MM.  He posted his best groundball rate in years – 47.2% – which helps soften the blow of his career-worst walk rate.

Odds & Ends: Morillo, Bay, Cabrera, Gonzalez

By | at

Some links to read before the weekend draws to a close…

Rogers On White Sox, Gamel, Cabrera, Yankees

By | at

The White Sox have a new third baseman of the future, writes Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune. Dayan Viciedo held his own as a 20-year-old in AA this year (.708 OPS), but Brent Morel has passed him on Rogers' depth chart with a torrid stint in the Arizona Fall League. Here are the rest of Rogers' rumors:

  •  A's GM Billy Beane likes what he sees from pitching prospect Fautino de los Santos, who is hitting the mid-nineties as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
  • Casey McGehee has emerged as a solid player, but the Brewers are reluctant to trade Mat Gamel, even if it would net them the starting pitching they covet.
  • The Twins are talking to Orlando Cabrera about returning to play second base.
  • Rogers says the Yankees are more likely to sign Johnny Damon than Hideki Matsui.

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Jeter, Marlins

By | at

Let's take a look at some Sunday morning links….

  • Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says that the Pirates may be able to add one or two low-cost free agents this winter, but, as usual, they won't be making any big splashes.
  • The Boston Globe's Chad Finn thinks that the Red Sox should be doing whatever it takes to acquire Adrian Gonzalez.
  • When it comes to Derek Jeter, the Yankees ought to rethink their rule about not discussing early contract extensions, according to Bob Klapisch of FOX Sports.
  • Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press writes that all of the Curtis Granderson trade rumors could be much ado about nothing.
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff has a few tidbits of info from around the league. He mentions that he doesn't see the Yankees taking care of their outfield/DH situation until after the winter meetings.
  • The latest Marlins mailbag from MLB.com's Joe Frisaro includes a few hot stove inquiries from readers.
  • Roch Kubatko looks back at some of the names that were bounced around Orioles hot stove talks a year ago and wonders if the Orioles will again be linked to Braden Looper, Jon Garland, and Matt Treanor now that they're all back on the market.
  • Joe Pawlikowski at River Ave. Blues hopes to see the Yankees stay internal to solve fill the eighth inning role, rather than venture to the free agent market and spend on a name like Rafael Betancourt, LaTroy Hawkins, or Octavio Dotel.
  • Adam McCalvy at MLB.com examines some of the rumored discussions that obviously fell through when the Brewers and Pirates were talking JJ Hardy.
  • El Lefty Malo crunches some numbers to try to predict how many additional runs the Giants will need to score to approach 90 wins and make a postseason run. 

Discussion: Trade Options For Yankees And Mets

By | at

With so many teams maintaining or reducing payroll this winter, the New York Yankees and New York Mets have an opportunity to take advantage, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Although it's possible that the Yankees' and Mets' 2010 payrolls will be below their 2009 figures, Sherman says each team still has money to spend.

Sherman suggests that the two New York franchises could use their financial flexibility to explore the trade market. The Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds are among the clubs reportedly looking to trade. Sherman thinks that the Yankees or Mets are in a position to take on a bad contract from one of these teams (such as Magglio Ordonez, Bronson Arroyo, or Francisco Cordero) if a more desirable piece, like Curtis Granderson or Brandon Phillips, was also included in the package.

One agent tells Sherman that the Mets "are not a destination spot right now, especially if you are a hitter. You would be going to a questionable team playing in a huge park." As such, Sherman implies that if the Mets aren't able to blow away a hitter like Matt Holliday or Jason Bay with a ton of money, the trade market could serve them better.

It's a decent idea in theory, but I'm not sure it's necessarily the right move for either team. For instance, Sherman rightly points out that the Granderson-Ordonez pair will be less expensive next year ($23.5MM) than what the Yanks paid for Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui this year ($26MM). However, he neglects to mention that Damon and Matsui outproduced the two Tigers in 2009, and it's unlikely that the Yankees' pair will cost $26MM again in 2010. Plus, as MLBTR's Mike Axisa tweets, there's no guarantee that taking on a bad contract would reduce the price of a player like Granderson or Phillips.

If you were running the Yankees or Mets, would you be calling up the Reds, Tigers, and other cost-cutting franchises that are looking to deal? Or would you be more inclined to stick to the free agent market?

Olney On Lackey, Astros, Rangers, Doumit, Carroll

By | at

In today's blog post at ESPN.com, Buster Olney writes about Michael Bourn, and how he went from hitting .218 with a .273 OBP in the first half of 2008 to hitting .285 with a .354 OBP in 2009 thanks to a suggestion from Astros' coach Dave Clark.

Here's a roundup of Olney's rumors…

  • The Angels last offer to John Lackey was a $72MM package, made earlier this year.
  • Olney's educated guess is that the Mariners are the best bet to sign Lackey, followed in order by the Angels, Brewers, Mets, Red Sox, and Yankees.
  • Olney hears that the Astros "are cutting payroll, and will have the flexibility to make only minor moves, such as getting a right-handed hitting third baseman, to platoon with Geoff Blum."
  • Tom Hicks is still trying to find a way to hold onto the Rangers, but bids from prospective buyers are due next week.
  • The Pirates "first made it clear" they were willing to deal Ryan Doumit before the trade deadline, while the Dodgers have been having "internal conversations" about bringing Jamey Carroll aboard as a utility infielder.

Odds & Ends: Lackey, Bay, Matsui, Wilson

By | at

Some links to start off your weekend…

  • Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says the Red Sox are just doing their due diligence by touching base with John Lackey's agent, reminding us that they also spoke to CC Sabathia's and A.J. Burnett's representatives last offseason.
  • WEEI.com's Alex Speier breaks down Joe Urbon's pitch for his client, free agent outfielder Jason Bay.
  • Hideki Matsui acknowledged that he'd be disappointed if he didn't return to the Yankees, according to Anthony McCarron of The NY Daily News. Godzilla says that his agent Arn Tellem is taking care of the situation, but he doesn't think the two sides have had any discussions yet.
  • ESPN's Rob Neyer says that Jack Wilson's defense is definitely worth the $10MM the Mariners gave him yesterday.
  • Steve Slowinski at DRays Bay goes back and evaluates the deal that brought Mitch Talbot and Ben Zobrist to Tampa in exchange for Aubrey Huff.
  • Edgardo Alfonzo still thinks he could be valuable utility player and has two or three years of baseball left, according to The NY Post's Kevin Kernan. The 36-year-old hasn't played in the big leagues since 2006.

Curtis Granderson Rumors: Saturday

By | at

Cubs' GM Jim Hendry "absolutely" is interested in offering a prospect-heavy package to the Tigers for Curtis Granderson according to a source close to the team, says Phil Rogers of The Chicago Tribune. Yesterday we heard that the two sides were not yet in trade talks, but Rogers' source says that Hendry and Tigers' GM Dave Dombrowski "spoke about Granderson and other Tigers players during the GM meetings earlier in the week at the O'Hare Hilton."

So far we've heard that the Cubs, Angels, and Yankees have interest in the 28-year-old outfielder. Granderson hit .249/.327/.453 in 710 plate appearances this year, though ESPN's Keith Law says he's become just a platoon player because of his struggles against southpaws.

Odds & Ends: Lackey, Upton, De La Rosa, Wood

By | at

Some more links to check out as you celebrate the end of the work week…

  • MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez confirms that the Red Sox did indeed meet with John Lackey's agent. This morning we learned that Boston expressed preliminary interest in the free agent hurler.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Rangers asked the Rays about outfielder B.J. Upton as part of their offseason routine, but no talks are ongoing.
  • Rockies' GM Dan O'Dowd said that they will only look at a one year deal for the arbitration eligible Jorge De La Rosa, according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post.
  • ESPN's Keith Law writes that Indians' closer Kerry Wood could be a "nice pickup on the cheap for a team unwilling to go multiple years" on some of the free agent closers. Wood is owed $10.5MM in 2010, with an $11MM club option for 2011 that could vest based on games finished.
  • The Pirates intend to be more aggressive in Japan, says MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. Picking up Akinori Iwamura will help put the team on the radar of Japanese players looking to come to the U.S.
  • ESPN's Peter Gammons writes about the impact of the economy on the free agent market, among other things.
  • Giants' prospect Angel Villalona had his visa revoked by the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic, reports Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. Villalona was charged with killing a man in the Dominican back in September.
  • Ben Kabak at River Ave. Blues takes a look at each of the Yankees' five arbitration eligible players.
Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top