Yankees Rumors

Teixeira Had Higher Offer From Nationals

By Ben Jones | December 25, 2008 at 10:38am CDT

Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com is reporting that the Washington Nationals offered about $5MM more to first baseman Mark Teixeira than the New York Yankees did, even though Teixeira struck a deal with the Yankees on Tuesday.

Kubatko adds that the Nationals would have gone even higher, but they were never given a chance to compete with the Yankees’ offer. He guesses that it wasn’t all about the money after all.

Kubatko also writes that the Baltimore Orioles are still looking to add another bat to the lineup, possibly a first baseman, outfielder or designated hitter.

Yankees Done With Pettitte?

By | December 25, 2008 at 2:03am CDT

Kat O’Brien of New York Newsday has learned from a source that the Yankees are "pretty happy" with their current roster and may no longer care to bring back Andy Pettitte. The club could soon pull its one-year, $10MM offer. Pettitte, 36, went 14-14 in 2008 with a 4.54 ERA.

O’Brien also presents us a timeline of Tuesday’s deal for Mark Teixeira, from the Yankees’ perspective.

UPDATE: Ken Davidoff of Newsday thinks Andy Pettitte will wind up coming back. Most experts seem to agree.

Odds & Ends: Lowe, Penny, Padres, Red Sox

By | December 24, 2008 at 10:25pm CDT

A couple of links from around the baseball world on a slow Christmas Eve…

Ben Shpigel of the New York Times believes Derek Lowe will settle for a three-year deal with a vesting option. The Mets might be willing to make that offer.
Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune presents seven candidates for the Padres’ 2009 starting rotation.
The New York Times jokes that Brad Penny "may be too cheap for the Yankees’ taste."
According to the Providence Journal, the Red Sox could see a payroll drop of nearly $20MM if they make no further moves this offseason.
New York Yankees’ president Randy Levine backs up the club’s wild spending this offseason. Levine claims that the dollars spent "are essential to the revenues generated by Major League Baseball and its networks and other entities.”

Manny Ramirez Rumors: Wednesday

By Ben Jones | December 24, 2008 at 4:31pm CDT

4:31pm: Rob Neyer’s latest post on ESPN.com discusses what Ramirez’ chances are to claim himself a big contract. Neyer doesn’t like the odds. His guess is two years for $45MM. He lists the Dodgers as the likely match.

8:55am: Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger tells us to take the New York Mets off the Manny List. Graziano writes that GM Omar Minaya is having trouble selling Ramirez to ownership, despite how well he would fit in with the team. He adds that despite the Red Sox missing out on Mark Teixeira to the Yankees on Tuesday, Ramirez had a worse day. As Graziano puts it, “Because, honestly, where is he going to go now?”

8:01am: Common sense tells T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times that Manny’s best — and possibly only — option is a contract with the Dodgers. He wonders if the Dodgers and owner Frank McCourt really even want Ramirez to return. Regardless, Simers doesn’t see the slugger ending up with a small- or mid-market franchise.

Jesse Spector of the N.Y. Daily News writes the New York Yankees could still sign Manny, even after taking on more than $400MM in payroll in the past week, and have a 2009 payroll less than the 2008 version. His hypothesis hinges on not bringing back left-hander Andy Pettitte and trading Hideki Matsui in particular.

More Mark Teixeira Signing Reactions

By Ben Jones | December 24, 2008 at 4:01pm CDT

4:01pm: Peter Gammons of ESPN writes the Yankees are just being American.

1:26pm: FOXSports.com’s Dayn Perry believes the Yankees are taking a risk with the Teixeira deal. Perry points out that the Yankees’ spending will add even more pressure onto the franchise to win. He also thinks the Yankees needed to make this deal.

Former pitcher Jim Kaat is in line with Perry. Kaat believes there will be an adjustment period for all three of the Yankees’ big signings. He writes that players sometimes try too hard to live up to their big contracts in the first season, and that could take place here.
Murray Chass says Mark Teixeira banned himself from Boston.

11:33am: Add Rays skipper Joe Maddon to the list of baseball people who aren’t scared by the Yankees’ recent moves. This, via Mike DiGiovanna and the LA Times.

Curt Schilling weighs in.

10:01am: Since this is the major topic today — unless anything breaks — I’ll update this periodically.

Buster Olney of ESPN weighs in on the winners and losers of the Teixeira deal.
Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post writes that the Washington Nationals’ attempt to sign Teixeira was admirable. He says the Nationals showed they are willing to spend money, although a need to gain credibility as a franchise stood in the way of them and Teixeira.
Check out this post from Tuesday for more notes regarding the deal.

8:49am:

Sports Illustrated and Tom Verducci have a Q&A posted about the Yankees’ deal with Mark Teixeira. In short, Verducci likes the move for the Yankees.
“WE’RE BACK!” At least Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan says about the Yankees and the Steinbrenner family’s spending.
Boston fans lost a big present from under the Christmas tree, Adam Kilgore of the Globe writes.
Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer opines that the Yankees are bad for sports. He cites the national economic struggles as a top reason the Teixeira/Yankees deal makes no sense.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle writes that the Yankees’ signing is good for baseball.
Orioles fans are upset that the hometown boy will only be returning to town wearing Yankees gray, Baltimore Sun’s Childs Walker writes.
Mike Lupica of the N.Y. Daily News wonders if the Yankees have spent enough this offseason to “buy back a World Series.”
Besides an apology to his wife for reporting from his vacation, New York Post writer Joel Sherman notes how Teixeira turns 29 in April. The new Yankees have become younger, he adds. He slips in that Manny Ramirez never made sense for the Yankees.
Bill Burt of the North Andover (Mass.) Eagle-Tribune writes the Red Sox didn’t want Teixeira enough to pull the trigger on the deal. He adds that the Sox will do nothing — and that they don’t need to.

Trading Partners For The Yankees

By Ben Jones | December 24, 2008 at 12:54pm CDT

Reports are all over the place about the Yankees being too stocked with corner outfielders. The four names that continue to surface are Xavier Nady, Hideki Matsui, Nick Swisher and Johnny Damon. Here’s a list of stories about potential trading partners:

Joel Sherman of the N.Y. Post thinks the Angels, Rays, Rangers and A’s could be possibilities, but he reminds us that there still are a number of similar-style hitters on the free agent market.
MLB.com writer Chris Haft thinks the San Francisco Giants could be a good suitor for Xavier Nady, who grew up in the Bay area.

Yankees Moving On From Pettitte?

By Tim Dierkes | December 23, 2008 at 10:54pm CDT

Peter Abraham of the LoHud Journal suggests the Yankees may be ready to move on from Andy Pettitte. He says that unless they’re able to trade an outfielder such as Nick Swisher or Hideki Matsui, they may prefer not to pony up the $10MM for Pettitte.

Yankees Sign Kevin Cash

By Tim Dierkes | December 23, 2008 at 9:29pm CDT

The Yankees are unstoppable! Joel Sherman says they’ve added catcher Kevin Cash on a minor league deal potentially worth $700K.

Mark Teixeira Signing Reactions

By Joe Pawlikowski | December 23, 2008 at 7:53pm CDT

Here’s a quick look at some of the reactions to the Mark Teixeira signing. If you guys find any you find particularly remarkable, hit me up (josephp, Shift+2, riveraveblues dot com) and I’ll add it if it adds something. But for now:

RotoAuthority has the fantasy analysis.
Interesting angle from Joel Sherman – he says the team’s poor choice of passing on Carlos Beltran taught them to sign Teixeira now. He says they’d prefer to trade Hideki Matsui, among their outfield surplus. The Braves like Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher.
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio suggests a salary cap for the sport.
Gordon Edes calls this a "staggering blow" to the Red Sox and Angels. I’m not sure I would go that far, at least in the case of the Angels. That could be my bias speaking, though.
Jesse Spector of the New York Daily News notes the long-term implications of the deal. He wonders if Teixeira is really a $20 million player (or, rather, a $22.5 million player) and calls into question committing eight years to a position that serves as a transition for older players.
Roch Kubatko got some quotes from Andy MacPhail. "We can’t devote that many resources to one player, no matter where he’s from," was the telling line. Roch wonders if the Orioles were even given a chance to counter the Yankees offer.
Jeff Zrebiec backs up Roch. Boras didn’t give the Orioles a chance to counter. He instead informed MacPhail that Teixeira was going in another direction.
Peter Abraham has learned a lesson from this. "This will also teach me not to believe anything Cashman says about living under a budget."
Tony Massarotti isn’t pleased with how this turned out. "Instead, the Sox lost Teixeira for what amounted to about $10-$15 million over eight years, which is chump change for a franchise with an estimated value (including NESN and Fenway Park) or somewhere in the range of $1 billion." He notes also that the Sox had plenty of contracts coming off the books, much like the Yankees.
Over on my home turf, Ben notes the obvious: "What this Teixeira signing indicates though is that a new generation of Steinbrenners is willing to spend what it takes to win just like George."
Keith Law on the signing: "Signing three of the top four free agents on the market is a sign that they have excellent taste, even if they don’t seem to have a credit limit."

Yankees Sign Mark Teixeira

By Tim Dierkes | December 23, 2008 at 3:58pm CDT

3:58pm: Joel Sherman says the Red Sox were at eight years, $168MM, so the Yankees outbid them by $12MM.

3:38pm: The contract does not include an opt-out clause, according to Danny Knobler. Knobler agrees with Olney that the Red Sox fell about $10MM short. He says the Sox are not inclined to react by "stepping up their pursuit of Derek Lowe or any other top starting pitcher."

2:55pm: Olney now agrees it’s an eight-year, $180MM deal ($22.5MM per year). Bill Madden says Teixeira told the Yankees he preferred them all along, after the Angels and Red Sox backed off. Ha. Joel Sherman says the Yankees made this decision with the 2010 season in mind, given the weak free agent market. He says they’ll now attempt to trade one of Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Xavier Nady, and Nick Swisher.

2:26pm: Buster Olney says the Yankees have reached an agreement with Teixeira on an eight-year deal worth more than $170MM.

Aside from the Red Sox, the Brewers and Blue Jays also lose here. Each team’s draft pick from the Yanks is pushed back one round – the Brewers get a second-rounder from them for C.C. Sabathia, the Jays get their third-round pick for A.J. Burnett.

2:17pm: According to Jon Heyman, the Yankees are on the verge of signing Mark Teixeira to an eight-year, $180MM deal with a full no-trade clause.

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