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Yankees Sign Ponson

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The Newark Star-Ledger is reporting that the Yankees have signed Sidney Ponson to a minor league contract.

The Yankees just announced that they have signed right-handed pitcher Sidney Ponson to a Triple-A contract. Presumably, this means Ponson will report to Scranton, but it would seem likely that he’d get a shot in the Yankees’ major-league rotation soon.

Ponson was released by the Rangers on Monday, 10 days after being DFA’d for "disrespectful and adverse reactions to situations unbecoming of teammates." Ponson was 4-1 with a 3.88 ERA in 9 starts with the Rangers.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex and can be reached here.

Possible Replacements For Bavasi In Seattle

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John Hickey of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer is reporting that the Mariners already have a list of names that they are considering to replace the fired Bill Bavasi.

Yesterday, we saw several sources that speculated on the next GM. Hickey spoke with a former GM who came up with a list of eight names that could possibly fill the post.

  • Kevin Towers, current San Diego Padres GM: Hickey notes that Towers has stuck with San Diego through a recent front office transition and may prefer to stay with the Pads.
  • Brian Cashman, current New York Yankees GM: The M’s wanted to talk to Cashman in ’03 but were rebuked. They may get a better chance this time to land a GM that once said "who wouldn’t want [The Mariners] job."
  • Kim Ng, Los Angeles Dodgers assistant GM: Was previously a candidate for the Dodgers job and is considered ready to be a GM.
  • Jerry DiPoto, Arizona Diamondbacks director of player personnel
  • Tony Bernazard, New York Mets vice president of player development: Previously a candidate for the Pirates job, Hickey wonders if Bernazard might want out with the Mets in flux.
  • Chris Antonetti, Cleveland Indians VP of baseball operations: Hickey notes that Antonetti may prefer to stay in Cleveland, having previously turned down an offer from the Pirates to interview for their GM post.
  • Mike Rizzo, Washington Nationals assistant GM and VP of baseball operations
  • Dave Forst, Oakland Athletics assistant GM

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex and can be reached here.

Possible Destinations For Sabathia

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Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer weighs in on the different teams that could land CC Sabathia.

  • Yankees: Despite Ken Davidoff’s report yesterday that the Yankees would not land Sabathia, Hoynes notes that the Yankees are desperate for an ace but acknowledges that they may wait until the off-season.
  • Phillies: Hoynes points out that Sabathia’s first big league manager was Charlie Manuel, but the Phillies may not have enough in the system.
  • Cubs: Hoynes feels that Lou PIniella would trade for Sabathia right now if he could.
  • Red Sox: Hoynes feels the Sox are more likely to wait until the off-season.
  • Rays: Hoynes notes that the Rays have the pieces in the farm system to land Sabathia, but wonders if they are willing to rent a player for a playoff push.
  • Angels: Hoynes points out that Sabathia is from the west coast and the Angels may have a better chance of resigning him.

Hoynes also talked to scouts about what the Indians can expect to receive if they do decide to trade the free agent-to-be.

One scout said that "they could get two young players that were at or close to the big-league level that they could control for a while" while a second scout speculates the bounty could be " two and three prospects, depending on whether that team could sign Sabathia to an extension before he becomes a free agent this winter."

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex and can be reached here.

Davidoff: Sabathia Not Likely For Yankees

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Ken Davidoff provides a reality check to Yankees fans this morning, explaining that Brian Cashman is just lukewarm on C.C. Sabathia (and considers Phil Hughes untouchable).  The Yankees will hang around in the talks, but they are not the frontrunner.  Peter Abraham says the Yanks have six weeks to make a trade, which could be for a lesser pitcher like Paul Byrd or Randy Wolf.

Davidoff says about 20 teams have expressed interest in Sabathia, including the Yankees and Mets.  The Red Sox, Cubs, and Dodgers have also been linked.  According to Davidoff, Mark Shapiro will eventually narrow his list to four or five teams and then get serious.  The Dodgers are one club that has both the need and the goods to make a deal.  Who’s your favorite?

Chien-Ming Wang Injury Repercussions

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We don’t cover injuries here at MLBTR.  But with Chien-Ming Wang’s possibly season-ending foot injuries, I’ve already received a boatload of emails from Yankees fans asking what’s next.

The starting pitching market has already changed since our June 4th post – Sidney Ponson has been released, Miguel Batista demoted to the bullpen, and Odalis Perez, Jeremy Bonderman, and Brad Penny are hurt.  Plus, the Tigers are coming around.

That leaves plenty of viable names for the Yankees to consider, though.  Reasonable acquisition targets include Joe Blanton, Rich Harden, Erik Bedard, Derek Lowe, C.C. Sabathia, Randy Wolf, Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, and Paul Byrd.  Most of these pitchers would probably be an upgrade over the team’s internal options.  The Yankees have multiple young pitchers and outfielders considered to be among the top 100 prospects in the game who could be used as trade chips.  Freddy Garcia could also be a consideration; he may be back by late August and only costs money.

River Ave. Blues discussed replacement options this morning, but Brian Cashman says "there is no trade market at the moment."

C.C. Sabathia Rumors

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This topic isn’t going anywhere.  Let’s take a look at today’s C.C. Sabathia rumors.

Gammons’ Latest: Sabathia, Dunn, Harden

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ESPN’s Peter Gammons has a new blog post up.

  • The Indians are "thoroughly scouting" eight teams that may be interested in C.C. Sabathia, including the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, and Dodgers (the Mets may be another).  Gammons agrees with Ken Rosenthal that Mark Shapiro may trade Sabathia soon to maximize his value.  Gammons does not see the Yanks jumping in with Phil Hughes or a multi-prospect offer, unless Chien-Ming Wang’s injury forces their hand.  He does not think the Cubs or Phillies have the goods, but suggests the Rangers as a dark horse.
  • If the Cubs don’t have enough for Sabathia, Plan B could be Randy Wolf, Greg Maddux, or even Erik Bedard. The Padres and Mariners have been informed of the Cubs’ interest.
  • Gammons seems to indicate that Mark Teixeira could be available if the Braves fall out of the race (although Tex is not mentioned by name).
  • The Dodgers may have been open to trading Brad Penny, but his shoulder injury puts the kibosh on that.
  • Adam Dunn’s whifftastic ways scare the Red Sox, who might pass even if David Ortiz needs surgery.  Gammons suggests Josh Willingham would be a better fit.
  • Rich Harden could be a huge acquisition, one of the game’s most dominating pitchers.  It’s the same story though – will any team be willing to meet Billy Beane’s asking price given Harden’s injury history?

Sherman’s Latest: Sabathia, Fielder, Marte

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The New York Post’s Joel Sherman has a host of rumors in his new column.

  • Sherman believes the Indians are leaning toward trading C.C. Sabathia.  He names the usual suspects (Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs) but also throws the Brewers into the mix based on the opinion of an "AL talent evaluator."
  • Speaking of the Brewers, Sherman believes Prince Fielder will be available "almost definitely in the offseason" and perhaps even this summer.  Doug Melvin says he’s not exploring it but never rules out anything.  The presence of Mat Gamel and Matt LaPorta plus Fielder’s unwillingness to sign long-term could lead to a deal.  Fielder figures to jump up to at least $7-8MM upon reaching arbitration for the first time.
  • The Yankees have Damaso Marte atop their list, but the Pirates want something better than two draft picks in return.  He’s looking like a Type A free agent.
  • Walt Jocketty wants to "clean house."  The usual players are named, but Sherman also mentions Bronson Arroyo as a possibility.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Sabathia, Durham, Bedard

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A few random musings from the Blogosphere…

  • In the wake of the recent C.C. Sabathia-to-the-Yankees rumors, River Ave. Blues lays down a few ground rules for commenting on trade rumors.
  • Bottom 9 insists that the Indians have the pitching to stay in the race and Sabathia is not going anywhere.
  • Indians Confidential is also emphatic that Sabathia is not going to be traded and is still holding out hope that the Indians and Sabathia can agree to a long-term extension.
  • Yankees Chick is not anxious to trade away Robinson Cano and/or Melky Cabrera but notes that if the Yankees are going to make a playoff push the pitching staff needs an upgrade.
  • Rivera’s Cutter speculates that the Yankees could just trade for Sabathia as a rental and let him leave after the season and take the free agency compensation draft picks.
  • Viva El Birdos would like to see the Cardinals upgrade at second base and believe Ray Durham would be a nice alternative if Brian Roberts is unattainable.
  • Phillies Nation is not convinced that Erik Bedard would be a nice addition to the Phillies rotation, noting that Bedard has been awful away from the pitcher-friendly Safeco Field.

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.

Yankees-Sabathia Chatter

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Tyler Kepner of the New York Times believes Victor Martinez’s injury "will probably lead to a trade of the ace left-hander C.C. Sabathia."  He says the Yankees will have "strong interest" if Sabathia becomes available.  Kepner also expects the Cubs and Red Sox to be in the mix.

As for a return, Kepner suggests the Yankees could match the Indians’ needs of pitching and infield help.  He does not see Robinson Cano as a possibility, though.

According to Baseball America, the Yankees have three Top 100 prospects aside from Joba Chamberlain: Jose Tabata (#37), Austin Jackson (#41), and Ian Kennedy (#45).  Others on the fringe of the Top 100 when BA compiled the rankings in March: Alan Horne, Jeff Marquez, and Jesus Montero.  Some of these players have seen their stock drop, however.  What do you think it’d take to get a deal done?

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