Yankees Rumors

A-Rod Has Torn Labrum In Hip

By Tim Dierkes | March 5, 2009 at 7:12pm CDT

7:12pm: All A-Rod, All the time…Tom Verducci notes that the A-Rod injury is a sign of a bigger problem, that the Yankees are getting old. Verducci also notes that Mark Teixeira is the player that will be most impacted without A-Rod’s protection and the pressure to live up to the new contract…The New York Post has another comprehensive list of possible A-Rod replacements. The two intradivisional options at the top of their list seem like a long-shot…Ken Davidoff wonders if some time away will help Yankees fans appreciate what they have with A-Rod…Rob Neyer can’t help but wonder if the Yankees are going to have to eat a good chunk of the $178MM they still owe A-Rod.

5:30pm: Even more from Abraham with special bonus audio of Brian Cashman: Abraham says surgery is necessary at some point, but that the Yankees are hoping that rest and rehab will be enough to hold off the surgery until after the season. Abraham notes that Mike Lowell tried the same tactic last season after his injury was discovered in June, but the injury got so bad he was held off the playoff roster.

3:27pm: More details from Abraham: A-Rod has a torn hip labrum that would take four months to repair surgically. He won’t play in the WBC and he’ll play less in Spring Training to try to return soon. Marc Craig of the Star-Ledger writes that A-Rod’s out indefinitely and could still need surgery. The New York Daily News offers more, including analysis from various doctors.

2:40pm: Peter Abraham of The Journal News talked to Yankees GM Brian Cashman, who said Rodriguez’s cyst was drained and they will attempt rest and rehab rather than surgery.

12:59pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post offers other ideas for third base if A-Rod is to be out for a considerable length of time: Scott Rolen, Melvin Mora, Brandon Inge, Hank Blalock, Chone Figgins, Adrian Beltre, Blake DeWitt, Martin Prado, and Mark Teahen.

12:17pm: ESPN’s Peter Gammons comments about the injury, wondering if mid-May is a best case scenario. Gammons speculates that Garrett Atkins or Chad Tracy could be fits for the Yanks, but the price for Atkins could be high. River Ave. Blues likes Mark Grudzielanek or possibly Bobby Crosby as other external options, while ESPN’s Buster Olney speculates on Bill Hall (who is recovering from a torn calf). Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle wonders if Bobby Crosby could fit.

ESPN’s Stephania Bell suggests ten weeks could be a light estimate, if Rodriguez has a labral tear.

10:40am: ESPN’s Enrique Rojas talked to Alex Rodriguez’s brother, who says the Yankees third baseman will miss about ten weeks due to hip surgery to remove a cyst. A ten week rehab would put A-Rod at a mid-May return, so he could miss a quarter of the season. A-Rod’s brother told MLB.com the operation will be performed Monday. The Yankees haven’t confirmed anything yet though. It probably makes sense to hold off on replacement speculation until we get official word on the injury.

Check out my instant fantasy take on the situation over at RotoAuthority.

Yankees Sign 10

By Tim Dierkes | March 3, 2009 at 10:08am CDT

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Yankees finished off their 40-man roster signings by inking ten pre-arbitration players for ’09. They’re all around the league minimum.

Manny Ramirez Rumors: Saturday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 28, 2009 at 7:01pm CDT

7:01pm: According to Tony Jackson of the Los Angeles Daily News, Boras and Dodgers GM Ned Colletti had a conversation earlier today. Colletti called it a "cordial and informative" chat, but contract talks apparently haven’t progressed.

6:49pm: Daniel Barbarisi of the Providence Journal weighs in:

Deferred money or not, Boras and Ramirez seem out of touch to be holding out in a market with no other real bidders. If they don’t take this deal now, a better one probably isn’t coming along.

5:32pm: Twins manager Ron Gardenhire revealed a hunch to Phil Miller of the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Saturday. He thinks the Yankees could make another splash:

"I still don’t think they’re done, I really don’t. I think there’s one more guy out there that eventually, someone’s going to say (sign him)," Gardenhire said. Miller suggests that he could be referring to Manny.

9:52am: According to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney some baseball executives estimate that the deferred money offered by the Dodgers would be worth roughly $41MM in present value, including $22.5MM this year. As Olney says, that’s still more than the combined base salaries of Bobby Abreu, Orlando Hudson, Pat Burrell, Joe Crede, Cliff Floyd, Mark Loretta and Takashi Saito.

9:19am: Yesterday, we heard that the Dodgers’ most recent offer to Manny Ramirez included deferred money, but Manny and Scott Boras want a deal without deferred payments. Today, a trio of LA Times writers kick off the Manny rumors.

Dylan Hernandez reports that Manny and Scott Boras are waiting to hear whether the Dodgers will accept their counter-offer of two years and $45MM, without any deferred money and with an opt-out clause for Manny at the end of this year.

Bill Shaikin points out just how much the economy has changed since the Dodgers first offered Manny a deal and Brian Kamenetzky writes that Manny shouldn’t expect to make as much as A-Rod.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Yankees, Oil Can, Halladay, Mets

By Cork Gaines | February 27, 2009 at 1:08pm CDT

On this date 21 years ago, the Baltimore Orioles traded Ray Knight to the Tigers, only one year after signing the World Series hero as a free agent. The O’s received Mark Thurmond, who would go 1-8 in 1988 with an 85 ERA+. Knight would only play 105 games for the Tigers before retiring. With spring training now in full swing, several veteran free agents are still without contracts or guaranteed jobs and may be on the verge of retirement. Let’s take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

More Hardball puts together a 25-man roster of veteran players in camps on minor league deals.
6 Pound 8 Ounce Baby Joba spoke with Yankees beat writer Bryan Hoch about a number of topics including what the will happen once the current contracts for Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter expire.
Sully Baseball makes a case for a team, any team, signing Oil Can Boyd.
The Phrontiersman takes a look at the possibility of the Phillies trading for Roy Halladay at some point during the season.
Megamets argues for the Mets adding Dennys Reyes, over the other available lefty relievers.
The Sports Banter puts together their own list of off-season winners.
Midwest Sports Fans project the Twins opening day roster.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.

Rosenthal On Cabrera, Cruz, Nady, Swisher

By Tim Dierkes | February 23, 2009 at 8:57am CDT

Let’s take a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

The A’s are offering more at-bats to Nomar Garciaparra than the Phillies. If the A’s sign Nomar, that wouldn’t stop them from adding Orlando Cabrera. However, Rosenthal’s source says Cabrera and the A’s "are not even close" in terms of his value.
Nothing is close with the Juan Cruz situation; "New teams entered the mix after the sign-and-trade option became more realistic." Rosenthal says it’s still possible that a team will simply sign Cruz and give up a draft pick. La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Twins have made an offer to Cruz, but did not speak to his agent yesterday.
Even with the Orlando Hudson signing, Blake DeWitt still has a role with the Dodgers pitching in at second base, third base, and even shortstop.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman "didn’t particularly like" any of the offers he’s received for Nick Swisher and Xavier Nady.
Rosenthal leaves the door slightly ajar for the Astros and Pudge: "the team continues to indicate that it cannot afford free agent Ivan Rodriguez unless his price drops significantly." Astros GM Ed Wade said on Wednesday: "We’re not signing Pudge. Put that one to rest. We have no expectation to sign Pudge."

Odds and Ends: Smoltz, Crede, Burnett

By Tim Dierkes | February 22, 2009 at 6:38pm CDT

A few links for Sunday evening…

Chicago Tribune reporters Todd Lighty and Oscar Avila have more info on the David Wilder bonus-skimming scandal.
Terence Moore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution talked to John Smoltz recently about players leaving or choosing not to sign with the Braves.
SI.com’s Pablo S. Torre digs into Ken Griffey Jr.’s decision.
Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel learned that Marlins third baseman Dallas McPherson (42 home runs at Triple A last year) would like 500 at-bats, but a bench role is more likely. McPherson is out of options.
Joe Crede talked about the White Sox going young, but Ozzie Guillen did not agree.
Newsday’s Kat O’Brien talked to A.J. Burnett, who was leaning toward the Yankees well before he signed. He chatted often with Alex Rodriguez and Johnny Damon this winter.
Speaking of Damon, River Ave. Blues points out a passage in Joe Torre’s book about how the Yankees chose Rondell White over him back in ’02.
Nationals special assistant Jose Rijo is taking a leave of absence, partially because of the Esmailyn Gonzalez scandal. ESPN’s Jorge Arangure Jr. has much more on the situation, after talking to Gonzalez/Lugo’s trainer.
South Side Sox takes a stab at fixing free agent compensation.
Orlando Hudson could’ve had $24MM for 2009-11 if he’d taken an offer the D’Backs made before the ’08 season. Nick Piecoro says Hudson’s counteroffer was "so unrealistic that it actually upset people with the Diamondbacks."

Odds And Ends: Royals, Zimmerman, A-Rod

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 21, 2009 at 10:04am CDT

Links for Saturday…

ESPN.com’s Buster Olney breaks down the 2009 Royals and considers them an improvement over last year’s team.
According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Brendan Ryan is not yet out of options because of the time he spent on the DL back in 2006.
Yahoo’s Tim Brown writes that the Nationals lack stability. He wonders "if the organization really is getting anywhere."
Chico Harlan of the Washington Post heard that Ryan Zimmerman thinks the time is right for a long-term deal with the Nats, despite the weakened market and his 2008 injuries.
Wallace Matthews of Newsday thinks Hank Steinbrenner should have let Alex Rodriguez sign elsewhere after 2007 because the slugger’s become a "toxic mortgage" to the team. Say what you will about A-Rod, it’s hard to match his production.
The Tigers don’t have the organizational depth they did when they dealt for Miguel Cabrera, but FanGraphs examines what’s left in the minors.

Odds and Ends: Lester, Arbitration, Beimel

By Tim Dierkes | February 20, 2009 at 3:00pm CDT

Links for Friday…

RotoAuthority hosts a roundtable discussion of the worst fantasy picks of the first three rounds.
Nationals president Stan Kasten expects "heavy trade talk," given the team’s surplus of first basemen/outfielders. Nick Johnson is the most likely candidate.
Mark Sweeney may be forced into retirement, according to Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News.
Joe McDonald of the Providence Journal wonders if Jon Lester could be the next Red Sox player to get a long-term extension.
Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball analyzes the salary arbitration class of 2009.
Brian McTaggart of the Houston Chronicle has Astros GM Ed Wade explain split contracts.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes the Yankees outfielders and Scott Boras clients Xavier Nady and Johnny Damon have been affected by the Stanford financial scandal.
MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan says Joe Beimel turned down a minor league offer from the Rangers about a month ago. Tough time to be a lefty reliever.

Padres Closing In On Deal With Walter Silva

By Tim Dierkes | February 19, 2009 at 1:52pm CDT

1:52pm: MLB.com’s Corey Brock says the Padres are closing in on a minor league deal with Silva.

11:29am: According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Yankees and Padres are in the bidding for pitcher Walter Silva. Olney says the 32 year-old righty "had a strong showing in the Mexican Winter League" and must be purchased from the Monterrey franchise.

Braves Leaning Toward Internal Options In OF

By Tim Dierkes | February 19, 2009 at 1:12pm CDT

ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick talked to Braves GM Frank Wren, who says the Braves are more likely to try their young outfielders than acquire a veteran outfielder after failing to sign Ken Griffey Jr.

Crasnick adds that the Braves "aren’t very excited" about Garret Anderson and have little to no interest in Jim Edmonds and Luis Gonzalez. He says the salaries of Xavier Nady or Nick Swisher might be prohibitive. Pure speculation on my part – the Braves could definitely afford Luke Scott if he’s available for trade.

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