Yankees Sign Victor Zambrano
According to Peter Abraham, the Yankees have signed 33 year-old righty Victor Zambrano to a minor league deal. Zambrano posted a 9.45 ERA in 40 Triple A innings this year.
Abraham indicates he will stay in Tampa and work out and is coming off surgery. Not sure what surgery that refers to, but Zambrano did spent time on the DL with an elbow strain last year. He also had Tommy John surgery in May of ’06 as well as a procedure to repair a flexor muscle tear. At the time, it was thought to be possibly career-ending.
Nationals Acquire Alberto Gonzalez
Minor move: the Nationals get shortstop Alberto Gonzalez from the Yankees for minor league pitcher Jhonny Nunez.
Lefty Relievers: Ohman, Grabow, Eyre, Mahay
2:50pm: Stark says Ohman’s probably staying put despite interest from ten teams.
2:39pm: Buster Olney says the Phillies will probably come up empty on a lefty reliever.
2:02pm: Rob Bradford of the Boston Herald says the Braves asked for a pitching prospect for Ohman, and the Red Sox passed. Mahay remains a possibility.
1:07pm: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman says the Braves could keep Ohman. So far they’re not finding offers superior to the supplemental draft pick they could get after the season.
THURSDAY, 12:24pm: Jayson Stark has the Yanks and Red Sox battling for Eyre.
WEDNESDAY, 11:50pm: Let’s talk lefty relievers.
- David O’Brien names the Red Sox, Cardinals, Rays, Tigers, and White Sox parties interested in Will Ohman. But the Sox might end up with John Grabow, and the Tigers may be content with Kyle Farnsworth as their relief addition. Grabow may also be on the Rays’ radar.
- MLB.com’s Mark Bowman has the Rays, Yankees, and Red Sox after Ohman, with the Cardinals out of the bidding.
- Sean McAdam sees Boston’s interest in Ohman as minimal. Instead, they’re eyeing Scott Eyre and Ron Mahay. They’ve even offered Brandon Moss for Mahay, which seems solid. Nick Cafardo believes righties Huston Street and J.J. Putz are still in the mix.
- 15 scouts watched Arthur Rhodes struggle tonight.
Yankees Not Eyeing Byrd, Washburn?
12:31pm: Joel Sherman does not agree – he says multiple sources shot down the Byrd idea. Byrd could end up traded in August. Sherman considers the Jarrod Washburn talks dormant, but Jon Heyman does not agree.
12:02pm: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees are "kicking around" Paul Byrd as an option. Names have yet to be exchanged. The Rockies have just mild interest in the 37 year-old righty.
Washburn-Yankees Trade Unlikely
ESPN’s Buster Olney says the Yankees and Mariners are unlikely to resolve their Jarrod Washburn standoff. The Yankees just won’t give up a good prospect at this point. Should they?
LaTroy Hawkins Traded To Astros
According to Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle, the Astros acquired LaTroy Hawkins from the Yankees. The Yanks will receive minor league second baseman Matt Cusick in return. Does this set up a deal for another Astros reliever, or are the ‘Stros just trying to close the 9.5 game wild card gap?
Graziano’s Latest: Schoeneweis, Rhodes, Pavano
Here’s a look at the fresh rumors from Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger.
- The Yankees, Tigers, Rangers, and Rays have talked to the Mets about Scott Schoeneweis. The Mets might prefer to acquire a replacement if they move Schoeneweis. Arthur Rhodes is one possibility if he doesn’t end up in Florida. Geoff Baker believes it’s down to the Marlins and Brewers for Rhodes, with the other getting Eddie Guardado.
- The Yanks might have to acquire a reliever now that they’ve dealt Kyle Farnsworth. Rhodes isn’t on their radar though.
- The Ivan Rodriguez trade could kick off other trades for catchers.
- The Yankees have been getting calls on Carl Pavano. One unconfirmed rumor has the Mets interested.
Jarrod Washburn Rumors: Wednesday
6:41pm: Dan Graziano says the Yankees aren’t looking at other starters. They’re waiting to see if the Mariners will drop their price on Washburn. They may try to acquire him in August.
11:17am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Ms are asking for quite a bit for Washburn – two of one NL team’s top prospects, for example. Meanwhile, Buster Olney talked to one exec who speculated that Washburn might make sense for the Mets.
9:42am: I spoke too soon – the Rockies are indeed interested in Washburn. Tim Redding and Josh Fogg are a couple other names on the radar.
Ken Rosenthal characterizes the Fogg interest as legit, but feels that the Ms are just trying to stir Colorado’s interest in Washburn.
9:29am: According to Ken Davidoff of Newsday, the Yankees’ trade talks for Jarrod Washburn are dead. The Yanks will turn to Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes, and maybe Freddy Garcia. They can also rekindle the Washburn talks in August if they think he will clear waivers (most do).
I am surprised other teams aren’t looking more seriously at Washburn given the weak market for starting pitching. The Rockies, White Sox, and Mets would all make sense.
Yankees Acquire Ivan Rodriguez
In a surprise move, the Yankees have acquired catcher Ivan Rodriguez from the Tigers for Kyle Farnsworth according to Buster Olney. The move should save Detroit about $2.6MM and could help their ‘pen.
Nice pickup for New York, plus he’s a Type A free agent if they want to risk offering him arbitration.
Rangers Rumors: Laird, Greinke, Bonser, Masset
Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has Rangers rumors for us today.
- Wilson sums up the suitors for catcher Gerald Laird: Yankees, Reds, Marlins, and Brewers. The Giants could also jump in if they trade Bengie Molina. Wilson heard that the Rangers are not shopping Laird, though.
- The Rangers inquired on three pitchers recently: Zack Greinke of the Royals, Boof Bonser of the Twins, and Nick Masset of the White Sox. Greinke would be near-impossible to pry loose, though Chris Davis would be an interesting offer.