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Offseason In Review: New York Yankees

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The Yankees seem determined to avoid the luxury tax in 2014, yet the club entered the 2012-13 offseason with a variety of major needs. They addressed most of them with short-term solutions, only to see more issues emerge. 

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Trades and Claims

  • Acquired RP Shawn Kelley from Mariners for OF Abraham Almonte.
  • Claimed UT Russ Canzler off waivers from Indians.  Later claimed off waivers by Orioles.
  • Claimed RP Jim Miller off waivers from Athletics.
  • Claimed RP Mickey Storey off waivers from Astros.
  • Claimed RP Josh Spence off waivers from Padres.
  • Claimed RP David Herndon off waivers from Blue Jays.
  • Claimed C Eli Whiteside off waivers from Giants. Later claimed off waivers by Blue Jays.

Notable Losses

Ichiro Suzuki - Yankees (PW)

Needs Addressed

Lavish spending set the Yankees apart from other MLB teams for years. No other franchise spent as aggressively, and it was difficult to argue with the results: five championships since 1996. Their wild spending habits have now disappeared, but Brian Cashman’s job description hasn’t changed. He’s still tasked with bringing another championship to New York.

Cashman retained starters Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte on one-year deals, solidifying the rotation for 2013. The veteran pitchers didn't require long-term commitments — a bonus for any team, especially the suddenly cost-conscious Yankees. 

Mariano Rivera returns for a 19th season in pinstripes after signing a one-year deal. Spending $10MM on a reliever returning from a lost season wouldn’t make sense in most instances, but this is the greatest closer of all time, someone who has proven he can succeed past his 40th birthday.

The Yankees added a number of accomplished but aging position players in Ichiro Suzuki, Kevin Youkilis, Travis Hafner and Juan Rivera. Suzuki required a two-year commitment, which was something of a surprise considering his combined .308 on-base percentage for 2011-12. Yet Suzuki played well after joining the Yankees in a midseason trade, providing strong defense. Plus, the Phillies reportedly offered more than the Yankees did, so the market for Suzuki was strong. 

The addition of Youkilis makes sense in my view. He’s not the player he once was, but considering the thin offseason market for third basemen and Alex Rodriguez’s hip issues the Yankees did well to acquire Youkilis, a longtime New York nemesis. 

Though Hafner is another player in decline, the Yankees don’t need him to perform at the level he did seven or eight years ago. Instead, they’ll hope his left-handed swing translates into lots of Yankee Stadium home runs. It’s a gamble worth taking and — notice a pattern here? — it’s just a one-year commitment.

Questions Remaining

Even though the free agent market for catchers featured Russell Martin, Mike Napoli and A.J. Pierzynski, the Yankees passed, choosing instead to rely on Chris Stewart and Francisco Cervelli behind the plate. Neither Stewart nor Cervelli has played 100 games in a season, so the Yankees are taking on significant risk here.

The starting rotation must be considered a concern, especially now that Phil Hughes may not be ready for Opening Day. Pettitte hasn’t started 30 games since 2009 and can’t be counted on for a full season. And while David Phelps, Ivan Nova and Adam Warren are valuable arms, the Yankees would presumably prefer not to have to rely on these players to lead them to October.

Health is a concern for many Yankees, including Derek Jeter, who’s recovering from ankle surgery, and Rivera, who missed almost all of the 2012 season. The embattled Rodriguez won’t be back before midseason due to his hip issues.

Another infielder, second baseman Robinson Cano, has received a "significant" contract offer from the Yankees. The club must now determine whether Cano and agent Scott Boras define "significant" differently than they do, or if a long-term deal remains within reach.

The Yankees also have a potential need in left field, now that Curtis Granderson is sidelined with a broken arm. In one sense the timing is ideal — half of Granderson’s recovery period overlaps with Spring Training. In another sense, it’s too late for Cashman to pursue upgrades now that the best trade candidates and free agents are no longer available. 

Deal of Note

Credit the Yankees for their handling of free agents Kuroda, Rafael Soriano, Nick Swisher. All three players obtained qualifying from the Yankees early on in the winter, and all three players declined the $13.3MM offers. The results could hardly have been better from the Yankees’ perspective. Kuroda later signed a one-year deal with New York, where he’ll look to build on a strong 2012 season. Swisher and Soriano left, bringing the Yankees valuable compensatory picks in the upcoming amateur draft. 

In particular, the Yankees’ dealt with Soriano much differently than they did two offseasons ago, when they initially signed him. During the 2010-11 offseason, upper level Yankees executives were intent on signing Soriano, even though it cost them a draft pick to do so. Two winters later, the Yankees preferred the draft pick to the player.

Overview

The Yankees’ offseason moves weren’t particularly exciting. The organization changed course, bypassing the elite free agents they would have pursued five or ten years ago in the hopes of avoiding baseball’s luxury tax by 2014. Limited by this goal, Cashman signed veterans to short-term deals, addressing most needs, and setting the team up for another run at a championship. After a good, but not great offseason, the Yankees have a good, but not great team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Robinson Cano Rumors: Friday

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GM Brian Cashman announced yesterday that the Yankees extended a "significant offer" to Robinson Cano. Agent Scott Boras responded, stating that discussions will remain confidential and suggesting that talks will end if they become a distraction. It sounds as though the sides intend to limit leaks for now, but we’ll pass on any Cano-related updates here…

  • Cano told reporters this morning that he wants to "focus on baseball," but he acknowledged that contract talks are "never" going to be off of his mind completely, Dave D'Alessandro of the Star-Ledger reports.
  • Cano didn't say whether he had declined the Yankees' offer, Dave Waldstein of the New York Times reports. In fact, Cano didn’t even confirm that he had received an offer.
  • There’s some disagreement as to whether the Yankees made Cano an official offer, Buster Olney said on ESPN.com’s Baseball Tonight podcast. Some of Olney’s sources say it was more a discussion of concepts and comparables. It’s still early, yet the sides are talking about some “really big numbers,” according to Olney. It’s possible the Yankees would offer $27-28MM per season on a seven-year deal. The club would probably prefer to avoid a ten-year commitment in Olney’s view.

Vladimir Guerrero Seeks Minor League Deal

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12:30pm: Darren Wolfson ‏of ESPN 1500 heard that Guerrero's representatives approached Twins GM Terry Ryan about a possible deal (Twitter link). However, the Twins said 'no thanks.'

8:52am: Vladimir Guerrero is attempting a comeback and is willing to accept a minor league deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).  The veteran, who is now represented by California Sports Management, released a promotional video this week.

The Yankees, Rosenthal adds (Twitter link) are not interested in the veteran's services.  The 38-year-old last appeared in the majors with Baltimore in 2011.  Last year, he signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays but asked for his release after 12 games in their system. 

Guerrero was previously a client of Proformance.  For agency info on more than 1,700 players, be sure to check out MLBTR's Agency Database.

Quick Hits: Cano, Cashman, Perez, Snyder, Mets

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The Cardinals are better-positioned for success over the next five years than any other team in the majors, according to the latest edition of ESPN's Future Power Rankings (Insider subscription required).  Jim Bowden, Keith Law and Buster Olney rank each club in five categories (Major League roster, minor league system, finances, management and mobility) and the Cards have the best overall grade, jumping to #1 after finishing third in the last edition of the rankings in August.

Here's the latest from around the league as we head into March…

  • The Yankees usually don't offer to extend players before their contracts are up but GM Brian Cashman tells reporters (including Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News) that the club is flexible in this regard, such as when the Yankees tried to extend Russell Martin last season and their current talks with Robinson Cano.  "Since we’re the team, we have the right to change our mind and adjust the policy whenever – especially ownership. It’s not like it’s a country club and here’s the code of conduct that we can’t deviate from," Cashman said.
  • The Yankees may be reacting to criticism from fans that they're sacrificing short-term competitiveness in order to get under the luxury tax cap by 2014, opines Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter links).  Sherman argues that if the team's management wasn't feeling this pressure, Cashman wouldn't have told the media about the team's "significant offer" to Cano.
  • The Giants and Phillies were both interested in Indians closer Chris Perez this offseason, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.  The Dodgers were also linked to Perez this winter, as the Tribe was shopping Perez due to his large salary and his criticism of both the team's management and Cleveland's fanbase last season.
  • Chris Snyder has an out clause in his minor league deal with the Nationals that will allow him to request his release if he isn't on the club's Major League roster by March 24, Amanda Comak of the Washington Times reports.  It could be a tough fit for Snyder as Comak notes the Nats' 25-man roster is virtually set.
  • Omar Quintanilla was re-signed by the Mets since the team wanted infield depth if Ruben Tejada was dealt for Justin Upton, a Mets source tells John Harper of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).  We heard earlier this week that the Mets explored a trade that would've brought Upton to Citi Field in exchange for pitching prospects and one of Tejada or Daniel Murphy.
  • Baseball America's Matt Eddy recaps the week's minor league transactions.

Cashman: Yankees Made Cano ‘Significant Offer’

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4:45pm: Scott Boras didn't comment on the offer, telling CBS Sports' Jon Heyman that "Robinson is focused on preparing for and playing the 2013 season.  By agreement discussions shall remain confidential. Also by agreement, discussions will cease if they are a distraction to Robinson's performance and leadership of the 2013 Yankees.''

3:43pm: The Yankees made Robinson Cano "a significant offer" that would keep the second baseman off of the free agent market, GM Brian Cashman confirmed to reporters, including MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said earlier this month that the Yankees were prepared to offer Cano a significant long-term deal. It's now clear that the Yankees have made the 30-year-old an offer.

Cano, who's scheduled to hit free agency following the 2013 season, is a client of agent Scott Boras. Boras might expect opening bids for ten years at $20-25MM per season, Joel Sherman of the New York Post recently suggested. However, Sherman wrote that the Yankees would prefer a shorter term, perhaps $171MM for seven years. Cano recently told reporters that “it’s not about the money,” for what it's worth.

Yankees, Indians Not In On Lohse

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The market for Kyle Lohse still seems quiet, even as Opening Day approaches. Agent Scott Boras called the Yankees about Lohse this week only to hear that they aren't interested, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (Twitter links). The Indians aren't in on Lohse either, having already expanded payroll to accommodate free agents Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn.

The Yankees' rotation looks vulnerable now that Phil Hughes is questionable for Opening Day. However, the Yankees avoided free agents linked to draft pick compensation this winter and seem intent on keeping their first round pick. Plus, signing Lohse to a multiyear deal could make it difficult to avoid baseball’s luxury tax by 2014.

The Indians would only have to surrender a third round selection to sign Lohse, so draft pick compensation isn't an issue for them, Olney writes. Instead, Lohse's asking price seems to be the primary obstacle. The Indians’ rotation includes considerable uncertainty from top to bottom, so interest in Lohse would make sense at the right price.

MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk recently examined the market for Lohse in detail. Other potential suitors include the Angels, Brewers and Cardinals.

AL East Notes: Chamberlain, Damon, Rolen

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MLBTR’s Offseason in Review series began today with a look at the Rays’ busy winter. Here are some notes from the rest of the AL East…

  • The Yankees are tired of the physical and verbal risks surrounding Joba Chamberlain in the view of Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The team expects to benefit from having Chamberlain in the bullpen this year, but won’t want to invest multiple years in him when he hits free agency next offseason.
  • Teams were once willing to overlook Johnny Damon’s below-average defense to obtain his bat, but Damon hit poorly in 2012. As Sherman notes, teams like the Yankees want offense, yet are passing on the 39-year-old because of doubts regarding his ability.
  • The Red Sox haven’t called on free agent third baseman Scott Rolen, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. However, there’s a belief that Rolen would be interested in talking to the Red Sox. It’s not something the Red Sox are expected to consider unless Will Middlebrooks’ wrist injury turns out to be more serious than initially anticipated.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Chamberlain, Drew

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There's no denying that David Ortiz has been the game’s top designated hitter over the course of the last decade. You arrive at the same conclusion whether you use home runs, OPS or wins above replacement; no one has been better than Ortiz. Yet the rest of the designated hitters in the AL East aren't nearly as imposing: Adam Lind, Luke Scott, Travis Hafner and Wilson Betemit. Here are the latest links from the division…

  • MLBPA Executive Director Michael Weiner told reporters, including Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News, that he has his doubts about the Yankees’ plans of avoiding the MLB luxury tax by 2014 (Twitter link). "I imagine Mr. Steinbrenner is sincere when he says that, but like a lot of things, I’ll believe it when I see it," Weiner said, in reference to managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner.
  • Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues expects some team to give Joba Chamberlain the chance to start next offseason, when the right-hander hits free agency. Axisa suggests a two-year, $10MM deal such as the one Carlos Villanueva signed could be enough to land Chamberlain. Don’t expect the Yankees to sign him for that kind of money, though.
  • The Red Sox didn't sign free agents just to trade them midseason, Nick Cafardo writes in a mailbag at the Boston Globe. However, Cafardo could imagine the Red Sox trading Stephen Drew if Jose Iglesias blossoms into a passable offensive contributor.

Quick Hits: Diaz, Lohse, Yankees, Chamberlain, Cubs

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Major League Baseball's investigation into the age of Cuban shortstop Aledmys Diaz is still ongoing, multiple sources tell Ben Badler of Baseball America.  Diaz has been presenting himself as a 23-year-old, which would make him exempt from the international bonus pools.  However, previous documentation of his age would indicate that he is 22 or possibly as young as 21.  If MLB determines that Diaz presented any false documentation, the league could declare him ineligible to sign for one year.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • Kyle Lohse has only his union to blame for his predicament, opines Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal.  Because the players' association gave in to owners' demands that draft bonuses be reined in, teams are more protective of their draft picks than before.  Yesterday, ESPN.com's Buster Olney wrote that AL talent evaluators are concerned about his track record in the league.
  • Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain has re-opened the debate on whether he would be better utilized as a starter or a reliever, writes Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.  The Yanks avoided arbitration with the oft-injured hurler on a one-year deal this winter that includes a bonus for games finished.
  • Kerry Wood is getting a taste of coaching with the Cubs in spring training, but he has no aspirations of pursuing it as a full-time job right now, writes Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com.
  • Cubs president Theo Epstein would obviously like to see his club be competitive in 2013, but he will quickly discard his short-term assets if the playoffs aren't in sight, writes David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune.

East Notes: Young, Phillies, Orioles, Yankees

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Phillies offseason acquisition Michael Young won't come out and say it, but his frosty relationship with his former team's front office likely has to do with the Rangers' decision to put him on the trading block immediately following the 2010 World Series, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Statistically minded analysts don't love Young because of his relatively low walk totals and questions about his defense, but he's looking forward to having the chance to play third base in Philly.  Here's more out of the AL and NL East..

  • In a piece for Insider subscribers, ESPN.com's Jim Bowden has five crucial questions for the 2013 Phillies.  Ben Revere should have no problem manning center field, but Bowden is concerned about Delmon Young in right and the group of players vying for the job in left.  A last minute deal for Alfonso Soriano is still possible in his eyes but the veteran's below-average defense won't solve their issues.
  • The Orioles' bullpen was remarkably strong in 2012 and Matt Vensel of the Baltimore Sun asks if they can replicate their success this season.  The O's pen will look rather similar this season but the group's low strikeout totals coupled with the workload of Jim Johnson and Darren O'Day could raise issues for Baltimore.
  • After a relatively quiet offseason, the Yankees have a great deal of uncertainty surrounding them as they look ahead to April, writes Hal Bodley of MLB.com. 
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