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Cashman Comments

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Peter Abraham has interesting quotes from Yankees GM Brian Cashman:

  • The Yankees are trying to improve their process for scouting Japan.  Thinking back to Kei Igawa in ’06…that seemed like a direct response to the Red Sox getting Daisuke Matsuzaka.
  • Cashman thinks Mike Mussina is leaning toward retirement.  That would complicate Cashman’s situation.
  • It seems that Hal Steinbrenner has gotten Hank under control, which would make Cashman’s job easier. There will be no advisory board, by the way.
  • Joel Sherman says Cashman is now fighting for his reputation.
  • Cashman cautioned fans against getting too attached to any one free agent.  He may have been implying C.C. Sabathia.

Odds and Ends: LaCava, Colletti, Andruw

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Links for Wednesday…

Cashman Signs Extension With Yankees

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8:39pm: The extension runs through 2011.  Cashman looks forward to the challenge.

4:16pm: Kat O’Brien of Newsday is reporting that Brian Cashman and the Yankees have reached an agreement on a three-year extension.

Brian Cashman has agreed to return as the Yankees general manager on a three-year contract, Newsday has learned. Cashman deliberated over the decision about whether it was time to move on after 11 seasons as GM, but gave the Yankees an affirmative answer this afternoon. In the end, a Yankees source said, it came down to what was best for his family. The new contract will be for slightly more than Cashman had been making, putting it at in the ballpark of $2-million per year.

This move is not unexpected as both Jon Heyman and George A. King III had reported in recent days that Cashman wanted to return to the Yankees.

A formal announcement from the Yankees is expected later today.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Yankees Rumors: Jeter, Sabathia, Hudson

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Let’s talk Yankees.

  • Ken Davidoff makes recommendations for the ’09 Yankees.  He would sign Derek Lowe and Andy Pettitte, and offer arbitration to Damaso Marte and Bobby Abreu.
  • Jim Baumbach explains a tricky situation coming up: re-signing Derek Jeter.
  • Peter Abraham takes a look at various free agents on the minds’ of Yankees fans.
  • Tyler Kepner of the New York Times says first priority for the Yankees is to re-sign Brian Cashman.  I imagine they already have a Plan B in place, but recent reports lean toward Cashman returning.
  • Kepner says the Indians were aggressive in pursuing a deadline deal involving Phil Hughes and C.C. Sabathia.  Now, Kepner says the Yankees are skeptical they’ll be able to sign Sabathia.  For Plan B, the Yanks seem to prefer pitchers with American League experience.  They’ll probably stand pat on the bullpen, though a decision must be made on Damaso Marte’s option.
  • If the Yankees can engineer a Robinson Cano–Matt Kemp swap (unlikely), they could then sign free agents Mark Teixeira and Orlando Hudson.  The right-side infield defense would be drastically improved.
  • Bill Madden of the New York Daily News is more pessimistic – he doesn’t see the team’s internal center field options working out, nor does he consider the free agent signings wise.

Heyman’s Latest: Manny, K-Rod, Cashman

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Lets discuss the latest column from SI.com’s Jon Heyman.

  • The Mets are "disinclined" to go after Manny Ramirez or break up the Jose Reyes–David Wright–Carlos Beltran core.
  • Heyman, like Ken Davidoff, feels the Mets can’t afford to sit out the Francisco Rodriguez sweepstakes.  If not him, then at least Brian Fuentes.
  • Heyman says Brian Cashman "appears likely" to return as Yankees GM.  He notes that Cashman wouldn’t have ended up in Seattle anyway because of the return of Mariners chairman Howard Lincoln.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Mariners GM, Burnett

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Check out Ken Rosenthal’s Full Count video from last weekend.  Some highlights:

  • The Mariners are looking for fresh blood in their GM search.  A few names in the mix: Kim Ng, Jerry DiPoto, and Tony LaCava.  If the Mariners opt for experience they could try to lure Brian Cashman or even Brian Sabean.
  • Rosenthal notes that an offer of essentially four years, $54MM from the Jays won’t cut it for A.J. Burnett.  Instead of $13.5MM a year, he’ll receive $15-20MM per according to Rosenthal.  Ken sees the Yankees, Red Sox, and Mets in the mix if C.C. Sabathia winds up on the West Coast. 
  • Jeff Blair muses on Burnett in the Globe and Mail today.  He sees Burnett getting between $15-18MM per year, and more than the four years the Jays are willing to give.  Interesting note from Buster Olney last weekend – he says the Braves have been scouting Burnett closely.

Odds and Ends: Manny, Laird, Strasburg, Chipper

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Let’s gather up today’s linkage.

Week In Review: 9/21 – 9/27

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Here’s your weekly look back at some of the biggest stories we’ve covered on MLBTR!

  • The Pedro Alvarez drama may finally be behind us. The Pirates’ first-round pick agreed to terms with the organization on a new four-year, $6.355MM major league contract. Jim Callis and Dejan Kovacevic have some more insight to offer on the signing here. The contract was officially signed later in the week, and the grievance was resolved. Royals fans and Eric Hosmer are also both relieved that this is over I’m sure.
  • The Blue Jays began talking extension with A.J. Burnett this week. Later on, we learned that the Jays would offer a two-year, $30MM extension onto the remaining two years of his contract, bringing the total remaining value to four years, $54MM. Burnett seemed pleasantly surprised with the amount of money the Jays were said to offer. He expected they’d offer less. You’re always going to be wondering just how many innings he can give you in a season, but in a world where Carlos Silva makes $12MM per season, if Burnett is healthy he’d be a steal at this price.
  • Lots of question marks for another AL East team’s rotation, with the Yankees trying to figure out just what exactly Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina are planning for 2009. Pettitte has said that he’ll play for the Yankees or retire. Bringing Pettitte back only makes sense if he’s willing to take a much smaller contract. I think around $10MM would make sense; someone also suggested a $7-8MM deal with incentives. That seems fair as well. As for Mussina, he initially said that he didn’t think he’d pitch in 2009, but later at least discussed the possibility of pitching for 300 wins. His first preference would be to pitch for the Yankees again. Congrats to Moose on picking up win number 20 today, by the way. Another milestone in a great career.
  • Erik Bedard’s injury and operation weren’t as serious as thought, and the Mariners now face more of a decision on bringing him back. If he’s healthy enough to pitch, I can’t see a reason not to bring him back. Maybe they can at least get a few months of the pitcher they initially thought they were getting, and get something in return in July.
  • Curious about what it will take for your club to reel in that free agent you’re craving? Buster Olney took a look at the market earlier this week that might shed some light on the issue.
  • One player who will be in that free agent pool is Orlando Cabrera. He openly criticized his teammates, saying that none of them wanted to win enough, and that "they were the problem," not him. Cabera’s hitting a very weak shortstop market; he should draw a lot of interest from numerous clubs. Interestingly, that article suggests Chicago’s biggest rival – Minnesota – as a possible landing place for Cabrera.
  • Two players officially called it quits this week. Todd Jones retired, notching 319 saves in his career. Elsewhere, J.T. Snow signed a one-day contract with San Francisco, so he could officially retire as a Giant.
  • Tim updated the Offseason Outlook series with entries for the Reds, Rockies, and Rangers.
  • Has anyone seen Brad Penny recently? No? Apparently, neither have the Dodgers.

Mussina Speaks About Future

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Mike Mussina, who goes for his first 20 win season today, is unsure about his future although he does seem open to stay in the game for at least one more year, this according to Kat O’Brien of Newsday.  O’Brien writes,

"If my intent is going for 300, then if I’m in for one, I’m in for three," Mussina said. He added that if he pitched one year and pushed past the 280-win mark: "By then, I would absolutely owe it to myself to try."

If he does return, Mussina said his first choice is to pitch for the Yankees. If he wants to pitch and they do not want him back, he will look elsewhere, but only within a limited radius of his home in Montoursville, Pa., and only in the American League. Said Mussina: "My market’s pretty limited."

If Mussina does continue on a grail quest to reach 300 wins, which he acknowledged does in fact matter if attainable, seems to have limited himself to three teams in the AL East (New York, Boston, Baltimore) and maybe certain AL Central teams like Chicago, Cleveland, or Minnesota. I’ll posit that Kansas City would not be both too far and not provide the opportunity for wins a guy seeking 300 would want.

Tyler Kepner of the New York Times suggests Moose is more tentative. Writes Kepner,

"Mussina has studied the careers of pitchers with comparable statistics, noticing that many limped to the finish. He would rather leave while pitching well, but his career wins total complicates things."

Odds & Ends: Roberts, Holliday, Cashman

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Some points of interest:

  • Brian Roberts, once a sure-fire bet to be dealt, is now a priority for the Orioles to resign according to Marc Carig of the Washington Post. The second baseman wants to play for a contender and says all the right things about wanting to stay with Baltimore. Roberts is 31 and will finish in the top 5 in average, doubles, stolen bases, and runs scored.
  • According to Troy E. Renck, Matt Holliday is not happy about the idea that his back injury might influence contract talks with Colorado. Renck quotes Holliday, "It’s a stiff back, and it could get worse if I pushed it. Back stiffness and having surgery, that’s a little different. It’s just ridiculous," Holliday said. "If we were playing meaningful games, I would be in there."
  • George A. King III of the New York Post tells us Brian Cashman has informed Hal Steinbrenner he would like to return. An announcement could come as soon as tomorrow.
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