Yankees Rumors

Odds And Ends: Santana, Sano, Zambrano

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 26, 2009 at 1:09pm CDT

More links, with less than a week remaining for contenders to add pieces…

Pete Abraham of the Journal News says the Brian Cashman and the Yankees were smart not to trade for Johan Santana, even though it seems likely that the Mets will get their ace back.
Matthew Carruth of FanGraphs argues that Santana won't likely be worth the $90MM-plus remaining on his extension.
Ryan Zimmerman's extension has worked out well for the Nationals, and Tyler Hissey of Around the Majors believes the team deserves some credit.
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that talks between the Pirates and Miguel Angel Sano have stalled. The Pirates made a formal offer at the beginning of July, but pulled it back more than a month ago.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says Carlos Zambrano's next meaningful start will come on Opening Day 2010.
It looks like top Japanese amateur Yusei Kikuchi will play in Japan, as Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker shows.
Jerry Ford of PerfectGame.org says Bryce Harper has been overhyped. But has his ability been overrated? Not at all – Ford says he has tons of potential. Check out the entire piece for a wide-ranging discussion of the top prospect.

Odds And Ends: Selig, Hughes, Byrd, Santana

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 25, 2009 at 4:27pm CDT

More links for the afternoon, as the Red Sox just keeping adding players…

If you've ever wondered about the view from Bud Selig's office, what the commissioner eats for lunch or who his all-time favorite player is, check out Hal McCoy's piece in the Dayton Daily News.
As effective as Phil Hughes has been out of the Yankees' 'pen, the Yanks will have a tough call when it's time to determine his role next season, as Dave Allen of FanGraphs notes.
Jay Jaffe of Baseball Prospectus doubts that teams will overpay Marlon Byrd by much this offseason. Byrd's about to turn 32, but his versatility and pop should attract interest, even if he doesn't see massive offers.
ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says the Mets mishandled Johan Santana by continuing to trot him out there.

Odds And Ends: Wagner, Santana, Strasburg

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 25, 2009 at 1:54pm CDT

Rosenthal On Mets, Cubs, Yankees, Hawkins

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 25, 2009 at 9:08am CDT

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders how Mets GM Omar Minaya and Cubs GM Jim Hendry will untangle themselves from their respective messes. Both execs have overpaid for players in the recent past, but both can point to recent successes. Here are the details:

The Mets are expected to lower their payroll from the $150MM range next season.
The Rockies obtained Carlos Gonzalez from the A's in last winter's Matt Holliday trade and, for all of Holliday's heroics in St. Louis, Gonzalez is out-slugging Holliday by 142 points since the A's flipped him to the Cards.
A Yankees official says it's "very likely" the team will bring Johnny Damon back after the season if he's willing to take a paycut.
Like their cross-town rivals, the Yanks are expected to be operating on a lower payroll next year.
The Yankees figure to be in the mix for Matt Holliday, Jason Bay, or both.
Alex Gonzalez could have vetoed the trade that sent him to Boston.
The Astros placed LaTroy Hawkins on waivers and Rosenthal expects the Rockies, Cardinals and Dodgers to at least consider him.

Odds and Ends: Garland, Ordonez, Pettite, Peavy

By Brian Shephard | August 24, 2009 at 10:27pm CDT

Links from around the league on a slow Monday night…

Keith Law of ESPN says that the Rockies should consider picking up Jon Garland.
In the Detroit Free Press, Jamie Samuelsen argues that the Tigers should keep Magglio Ordonez in the lineup to maintain credibility with future free agents.
When asked whether Andy Pettitte will be brought back by the Yankees next year, ESPN's Buster Olney writes that "given how he's throwing, I'm sure it will happen."
And the White Sox's new acquisition, Jake Peavy, could start on Saturday against CC Sabathia and the Yankees, writes Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.

Heyman On Damon, Minaya, Wagner

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 24, 2009 at 12:28pm CDT

Jon Heyman of SI.com would like to see an Angels-Dodgers World Series. He breaks down lots of great possible matchups and, as always, provides some rumors:

The Yankees plan on bringing back Johnny Damon and they figure to make him an opening offer worth $6-8MM. It would be a big paycut from the $13MM he's currently making, but Damon seems to want to return to the Yanks.
As much as the Yankees like Hideki Matsui, they probably need the DH spot for players like Damon and Jorge Posada. Check out some possible destinations for Matsui right here.
It looks and sounds as though the Mets plan on keeping Omar Minaya around as GM, and the $3.5MM remaining on his contract definitely has something to do with their stance. As Heyman says, one of the best deals Minaya made was his own.
One GM believes Billy Wagner's a "difference maker" and suggested the Mets should seek a decent prospect in return for him.
The Cubs don't appear likely to fire Lou Piniella, Heyman hears.
Heyman guesses Tony La Russa will return when his contract with the Cardinals is up after the season.

Previewing The Hideki Matsui Market

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 24, 2009 at 10:54am CDT

Hideki Matsui has three multi-homer games in the last week and a half, so he's clearly got something left, even at 35. The Yankees have reportedly decided not to bring Matsui back, but his bat should make him appealing to other teams. With 23 homers and just eight more strikeouts than walks, Matsui has a .265/.365/.508 line for the season.

The problem is, he hasn't played an inning in the outfield this year and he played just 24 games in the field last season. He would like to play defense, but even when he has taken the field, Matsui has been a consistent liability, according to UZR. It's hard to imagine an NL team paying millions for Matsui, so let's consider some possible AL destinations.

The Red Sox, Indians, Twins and Rays have DHs under contract for next year, so unless they get creative, Matsui won't fit. The Angels and White Sox will see their own DHs hit free agency after the season; The Royals have Billy Butler and Mike Jacobs under control next year and the A's may be reluctant to bring in an aging DH for a second straight year. The Rangers could have interest depending on what they do with Marlon Byrd, Hank Blalock and Julio Borbon; The Jays could have interest if they have enough money; and it wouldn't be fair to completely rule out the Mariners, Tigers or Orioles.

Matsui hits free agency alongside Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero and Gary Sheffield, so there could be more DHs than DH jobs this offseason. The league-wide emphasis on defense and youth doesn't help Matsui's value, either. It only takes a couple injuries or trades to change that dramatically, but at this point, the offseason market for Matsui doesn't look promising, in spite of his hot streak.

Yankees Rumors: Damon, Pettitte, Matsui

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 24, 2009 at 9:23am CDT

Last year it was Mussina, Abreu and Giambi. This year we've got another set of free agents-to-be in the Bronx, so let's take a look at the latest rumors surrounding them:

Johnny Damon doesn't expect to negotiate with the Yankees before the season's over, but he tells Yahoo's Gordon Edes that he likes New York so much he hopes to "lock something in for a couple more years."
Andy Pettitte tells Christian Red of the New York Daily News that he knows he wants to avoid drawn-out contract negotiations after the season. Pettitte, who says he's focused on winning now, admits he decided to return to the Yankees "no matter what" last winter.
Hideki Matsui likes New York and wants to play defense, but other than that he's not thinking about his upcoming free agency, according to Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News.

Odds & Ends: Wagner, Yankees, Pirates, Astros

By Steve Adams | August 23, 2009 at 3:01pm CDT

A few links on a slow Sunday afternoon:

Buster Olney says (Insider required) that the Red Sox made a "worthwhile gamble" placing a claim on Billy Wagner. Olney feels that with no obvious fixes to their starting rotation, trying to make their bullpen overpowering is a good strategy. As we learned last night, Jonathan Papelbon and Manny Delcarmen don't necessarily agree. Olney says the Mets "are crazy" if they pass the opportunity to move Wagner's salary.
Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger says that the Yankees need to address the communication problems between A.J. Burnett and Jorge Posada. Both players have said they "couldn't get on the same page" during the recent blowout the Yankees suffered at the hands of the Red Sox.
Dejan Kovacevic has a letter from Jack Wilson to the fans of Pittsburgh, thanking them for their support during his time as a Pirate. It's a good read; Wilson's a class act. Kovacevic's article also has Neal Huntington's thoughts on the extensions offered to Wilson and Freddy Sanchez, as well as a report on the Pirates' draft spending.
MLB.com's Jen Langosch has Huntington's thoughts on September call-ups for the Pirates this season.
Meanwhile, MLB.com's Alyson Footer tells fans what she would like to see the Astros do with the little money they have to spend this offseason. Her suggestions begin with picking up Brian Moehler's option and signing Randy Wolf. Moehler's option will be worth either $2.3MM or $3MM, depending on whether or not he exceeds 150 innings this season. Footer's rotation would consist of Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodriguez, Wolf, Bud Norris, and Moehler. Is Moehler worth that money, or should the Astros pursue a cheaper free agent option?

Discussion: Johnny Damon

By Eddie Schmid | August 22, 2009 at 1:18pm CDT

On the first three years of his four-year, $52MM deal, Johnny Damon had been an above-average outfielder for the Yankees, worth roughly $36MM of the $39MM he was paid according to Fangraphs' metrics. This year, however, Damon is on pace for a career season at age 35, and is set to surpass his career high in homers while currently holding a stout .284/.364/.517 slash line. It's got all the makings of the infamous "contract year," and Damon has recently expressed an interest in staying with the Yankees.

Earlier in the year, Damon said he'd prefer to get a two-year deal, but said he'd settle for a one year deal with a vesting option if need be. He also said back in May he didn't expect to be brought back in pinstripes, but now it looks like the Yankees may consider taking him on in a one-year deal through arbitration as Damon is set to become a Type A free agent.

Damon has a .979 OPS at the new Yankee stadium and .785 away from there, and much has been made of the park being a haven for left-handed batters, so perhaps it'd behoove him to stay there. Arbitration is a possibility for the Yankees, but Damon is probably due for a large raise and the Yankees have been uncharacteristically stingy of late. They also declined to go into arbitration with Bobby Abreu last season. And perhaps a multi-year offer could tempt him out of New York, despite his desire to stay.

So a couple questions here: If you're the Yankees, would it be an easy call to offer Damon arbitration? Or should they hand him a multi-year contract instead? If the Yankees do offer arbitration, do you see Damon accepting or opting for greener pastures? Have at it in the comments.

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