Yankees Rumors

Yankees To Sign Eric Milton

By Tim Dierkes | July 11, 2008 at 4:32pm CDT

Eric Milton, remember him? The AP is reporting that he is set to rejoin the Yankees after working out at the team’s minor league complex. The 33 year-old lefty had Tommy John surgery in June of last year. He’s said to be six weeks away from pitching in games, and the Yankees have 2009 in mind as well.

Milton was a top prospect in the Yankees’ system back in the late nineties before being traded to the Twins in the Chuck Knoblauch deal. He never pitched above Double A in the Yankee organization.

Yankees Considering Sexson?

By Tim Dierkes | July 11, 2008 at 1:59pm CDT

From Joel Sherman of the New York Post:

The Yankee problems against lefty pitching are so dire that they will meet in the next day or so to determine whether to make a play for Richie Sexson, Hardball has learned.

The Yankees have a .729 OPS against southpaws this year, which ranks 7th in the American League. Sexson has a 1.045 OPS against lefties this year, but it’s only been 70 plate appearances. He was nothing special against lefties in 2006-07. Peter Abraham offers his take on the idea of signing Sexson over at his blog.

Stark’s Latest: Burnett, Nady, Greinke, Burrell

By Tim Dierkes | July 11, 2008 at 1:36pm CDT

FRIDAY: We have an update to Stark’s column – he is now saying that Burnett does have veto power over 15 teams.

THURSDAY: Let’s take a look at Jayson Stark’s latest over at ESPN.com.

The Phillies and Yankees both made failed runs at CC Sabathia. The Phils wouldn’t include Carlos Carrasco or Lou Marson, while the Yanks insisted on a negotiating window. The Phils are looking at Erik Bedard and A.J. Burnett by default, while neither of those pitchers makes sense for the Yankees. The Yanks checked in on Aaron Harang, but that’s a moot point since he’s ailing.
Despite the Dodgers’ run at Sabathia, they’re apparently not looking at other starters.
Ken Rosenthal recently wrote that Burnett had veto power over 15 teams, but Stark’s source says it’s just a handful of teams. It’ll be tough to convince Burnett not to opt out of his contract after the season, unless he’s hurt.
The Braves still haven’t made the buy/sell decision. If they buy, Xavier Nady is the top target. If they sell, Mark Teixeira is the best chip. Apparently Scott Boras is talking about $23MM per year for Tex this winter.
The Giants are pretty clearly not trading Matt Cain.
The Orioles, making a run at .500, don’t seem motivated to move George Sherrill or othe top veterans.
The Brewers’ Plan B beyond Sabathia was Zack Greinke, rather than Rich Harden. Ken Rosenthal recently said the Royals were "decidedly uninterested in moving Greinke," however.
Stark says it "wouldn’t be out of the question" for the Cubs to pursue a lefthanded starter like Randy Wolf, despite the Harden acquisition.
Extension with the Phillies for Pat Burrell did not get very far.

Odds and Ends: Kemp, Kearns, Carrasco, Garcia

By Tim Dierkes | July 11, 2008 at 10:32am CDT

Friday linkage…

Yesterday I linked to Dave Cameron’s piece, in which he wondered whether Matt Kemp is overrated. Here’s the other side of the debate, a response from Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness.
Joe Sports Fans names the seven worst trades of the decade. I have some arguments here; what do you think? I wrote this post on the Pierzynski/Nathan/Liriano/Bonser deal two years ago, but I still think it holds that Brian Sabean’s trade looked reasonable at the time.
Joel Sherman wonders if the Mets and Yankees should consider trading for Washington outfielder Austin Kearns.
Matt Gelb takes a look at Phillies prospect Carlos Carrasco, who does not want to be traded.
The Yankees rightfully don’t view Freddy Garcia as much of an upgrade, since he won’t be ready until late August at the earliest.
Tracy Ringolsby runs through various players on the trade market. Interestingly, he does not see A.J. Burnett being traded.
Cardinals Diaspora suggests the Cards tangle with Billy Beane again, this time for Joe Blanton.
Dave Dombrowski doesn’t see Ryan Perry in the Tigers’ bullpen this year, after all.
Armchair GM challenges SI.com’s Jon Heyman to put his money where his mouth is.

No One Wants Bonds

By Tim Dierkes | July 11, 2008 at 9:25am CDT

FRIDAY: Just to hammer it home a little further, we have Bonds rejections from the Dodgers, Yankees, Cardinals, and Phillies today.

THURSDAY: Barry Bonds’ agent Jeff Borris makes it clear that none of the 30 teams are interested in his client:

"I am not talking to any club about Barry Bonds, because they all made it very clear to me they are not interested in him. Every club. I can’t believe he doesn’t have a job. No one has offered even the minimum salary. He made the All-Star team last year, and there’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t have a repeat performance in 2008, except for the conspiracy against him."

Borris says Bonds could be ready in ten days. Contenders such as the Angels, Rays, Tigers, and A’s have gotten subpar performance out of the DH spot but they’ve all decided to pass on Bonds for various reasons. Borris would have to admit that even some of these clubs would have trouble fitting Bonds onto the roster.

Molony’s Latest: Mahay, Loretta, Erstad, Guzman

By Tim Dierkes | July 10, 2008 at 11:01am CDT

Let’s check in with MLB.com’s Jim Molony.

The Rays are scouting lefty relievers Brian Fuentes and Ron Mahay. The issue? The price for Fuentes seems exorbitant, and Mahay may not be available. Troy E. Renck names the Yankees, Mets, Cardinals, and Marlins as the main suitors for Fuentes aside from the Rays.
A few contenders have inquired with the Astros as to the availability of Mark Loretta and Darin Erstad.
As you might imagine, the Rangers are open to trading Frank Catalanotto. We mentioned yesterday that his contract is a bit of a burden.
It seems that Jim Bowden is listening to offers for Cristian Guzman while also trying to sign him to an extension. From Guzman’s point of view, it might make sense to enter a weak shortstop market this winter.
The Matt Capps injury apparently affects Damaso Marte’s availability.
The Marlins may make Mark Hendrickson available. The big lefty was replaced in the rotation by top prospect Chris Volstad.

Odds and Ends: Taveras, Kemp, Mota

By Tim Dierkes | July 10, 2008 at 10:39am CDT

Today’s random linkage.

Correction to the Justin Duchscherer post – he only has one more arbitration year, not two. He’s set to reach free agency after the ’09 season.
Rob Neyer points us to a quality interview with Yankees beat writer Tyler Kepner over at NoMaas.org.
MLB.com’s Jim Molony says the Marlins have renewed interest in Rockies center fielder Willy Taveras.
LEN3 thinks the Twins need a reliever more than anything.
Dave Cameron wonders if Matt Kemp is overrated.
Craig Brown of Royals Authority examines the team’s trade candidates.
The Padres’ Paul DePodesta runs through his team’s top trade candidates as well as general considerations in trading.
The Dodgers are close to signing their first-round pick, Ethan Martin.
Oscar Villarreal refused the Astros’ assignment to the minors and may be released. Also at this link, the Astros have an offer out to first round pick Jason Castro.
The Indians signed Bryan Bullington, the Pirates’ first overall pick in ’02.

CC Sabathia Links

By Tim Dierkes | July 8, 2008 at 3:28pm CDT

The CC Sabathia trade is complete, but there’s still some good info floating about.

Michael Silverman says the Brewers wanted players such as Michael Bowden, Lars Anderson, Jed Lowrie, and Josh Reddick from the Red Sox in various Sabathia scenarios.
The Dodgers apparently talked about dealing Matt Kemp and one of Jonathan Meloan/James McDonald for Sabathia, Casey Blake, and Jamey Carroll.
Baseball Prospectus’ Joe Sheehan analyzes the trade.
Turns out Sabathia prefers CC over C.C.
The agent for Brewers prospects Michael Brantley and Taylor Green believes both are in play as the player to be named later in the Sabathia deal.
MetsBlog reports that Mark Shapiro approached Omar Minaya, suggesting the Mets had the necessary players to make a trade for Sabathia. Matthew Cerrone believes the Mets would’ve had to give up Fernando Martinez and two pitching prospects.
The Phillies were the Indians’ backup plan in case the Milwaukee deal fell through. The Phillies weren’t a great fit because the Indians preferred a young power hitter to a young pitcher.
The Yankees had interest, but the price was too high for Brian Cashman. That price may have included Phil Hughes. The Yanks reportedly required a signing window in any Sabathia deal, also.
Cubs GM Jim Hendry says nothing’s changed for his team.
Brewers fans are ecstatic to have Sabathia.

Sabathia To Brewers Trade Official

By Tim Dierkes | July 7, 2008 at 11:09am CDT

Let’s round up today’s C.C. Sabathia links in a fresh post.

The Brewers’ trade for ace pitcher C.C. Sabathia is official. As a reminder, the Indians will receive Matt LaPorta, Rob Bryson, Zach Jackson, and maybe Taylor Green. Paul Hoynes says Michael Brantley could end up the player to be named later instead of Green. Ken Rosenthal suggests Lorenzo Cain may also still be possible. MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo analyzes the prospects received by the Indians.
Here’s an interesting link. This is apparently the blog of agent Joshua Kusnick of Double Diamond Sports Management. Among others, Kusnick represents Cain, Brantley, and Green. He says Green hasn’t been informed of anything but seems more likely to be included than Brantley.
Yahoo’s Jeff Passan calls the package of players an "OK haul."
ESPN’s Keith Law agrees, suggesting that Mark Shapiro should’ve held out for a higher probability return. He sees Bryson as the key to the deal. The 20 year-old is a projectable live arm.
Joel Sherman says the Brewers aren’t done – they want to add a late-inning reliever as well.
Indians owner Paul Dolan explains the Sabathia trade in a letter to fans.
Rosenthal has details of other teams’ attempts to acquire Sabathia. He says the Dodgers wanted the Indians to package Sabathia with Casey Blake. Surprisingly, the Yankees were "very heavily involved." They did not want to give up Phil Hughes, however.
Most articles seem to assume that the Brewers have no chance of signing Sabathia. I agree that it’s unlikely, but I wouldn’t rule it out. We’ve read repeatedly that Sabathia does not intend to chase every last dollar. What if he loves Milwaukee and he leads the team deep into the playoffs? The Brewers could let Ben Sheets and Eric Gagne leave and put that money toward a competitive five-year Sabathia offer. It’s not out of the question.

Odds and Ends: Jack Wilson, Victor Zambrano, Bedard

By Tim Dierkes | July 7, 2008 at 9:52am CDT

Time to round up some non-Sabathia links.

The Dodgers are restructuring their offer for Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson, according to Ken Rosenthal.
Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times has sources who believe at least one general manager is under suspicion as part of the Dominican player bonus-skimming investigation. Additionally, MLB might look into the Michel Inoa signing on the Rangers’ behalf.
The Yankees plan to scout starter Victor Zambrano. He’ll be 33 soon, and has a 9.45 ERA in 40 Triple A innings.
Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times talks about Erik Bedard, who is now the best available southpaw starter.
The Brad Lidge extension means Brett Myers will not close for the Phillies again.

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