Yankees Notes: Rodriguez, Cashman, Ibanez, Swisher
Here's a look at the latest on the Yankees as they look to stave off elimination in Detroit tonight..
- It wouldn't be surprising to see the Yankees shop Alex Rodriguez this offseason given his struggles, but Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com notes that there would be several hurdles for the club to clear first. Chief among them is Rodriguez's veto power and a friend of the veteran told Heyman that he will "never leave" New York. A report from earlier this evening indicated that Rodriguez would give Miami consideration if the opportunity arose according to a source familiar with his thinking.
- Prior to tonight's game, Rodriguez told reporters that he "loves" the Yankees organization, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
- While Yankees president Randy Levine and Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria have reportedly kicked around the idea of a deal involving Rodriguez, GM Brian Cashman made it clear that he has had no such discussion with the Marlins, tweets Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
- Raul Ibanez and Hiroki Kuroda are among those who have boosted their free agent stock with strong performances during the regular season and playoffs, Heyman writes. Meanwhile, a Jayson Werth-type deal for Nick Swisher can now be ruled out as the slugger has been unable to show that he can perform consistently in the postseason.
Quick Hits: Yankees, Orioles, Scutaro, McCann
The Yankees are not talking about a potential Alex Rodriguez trade with the Marlins, according to GM Brian Cashman. Cashman said Keith Olbermann’s report about trade talks is "not true," according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. It’d be an unusual time to discuss a trade, as the Yankees are still in the playoffs and the Marlins have uncertainty in their front office. On to today’s links…
- Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said Jim Thome "did a nice job" in Baltimore and "added a real veteran presence,” Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports. Thome sounds undecided about his next step, but he could re-sign with Baltimore this coming offseason. Making room for him on the roster could require some creativity on the part of Duquette and manager Buck Showalter.
- Baseball executives Brian Sabean (Giants GM), Dan O'Dowd (Rockies GM) and J.P. Ricciardi (Mets special assistant) agree that Marco Scutaro is a talented played with toughness, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. The Giants infielder stayed in the game to deliver a key hit after being knocked down by Matt Holliday’s overly aggressive slide in the second game of the NLCS.
- Brian McCann could miss the beginning of the 2013 season to recover from shoulder surgery, so the $12MM club option on his contract presents the Braves with a quandary, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes. McCann doesn’t have much to worry about in Olney’s estimation. Either the Braves bring the 28-year-old back or he hits free agency and draws interest from many teams, especially AL clubs looking at him as a catcher/DH.
- It's too soon to know if the Braves will pick up the option, but MLB.com's Mark Bowman would guess that McCann will be back.
AL East Notes: Rays, Buck Showalter, Alex Rodriguez
It'll be interesting to see how the Rays look to improve this winter given their limited financial flexibility, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The Rays, who were last in the majors in attendance, will save more than $22.5MM with Carlos Peña, B.J. Upton, Luke Scott, and Kyle Farnsworth off the books. However, built-in and projected arbitration increases will cost them around $50MM to keep 17 players. After opening the season with a higher-than-planned $64MM payroll, the club is expected to try and scale back the payroll this year, leaving them with limited room. Here's more out of the AL East..
- Yankees President Randy Levine appeared on ESPN 98.7 FM's Sunday Morning with Ian O'Connor (partial transcript courtesy of ESPNNewYork.com's Matt Ehalt) and did not commit to Alex Rodriguez remaining in pinstripes for the duration of his contract through the 2017 season. "That's like one of those questions: Where's the stock market going to be in 2017, who's going to be president on Nov. 15?" Levine said. "If I had crystal ball to predict all of that stuff, I'd be a lot smarter than I am. I'm not going to go there. That's stuff for people to speculate on your show and elsewhere, but it's irresponsible for me to do so."
- Orioles manager Buck Showalter says that he isn't ready to start thinking about a contract extension despite the fact that he enjoys being in Baltimore. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com wonders aloud if the skipper has his eye on becoming a General Manager somewhere. Showalter was interested in running the O's front office before Dan Duquette was brought in as executive vice president.
- The Yankees should have passed on giving Alex Rodriguez a ten-year, $275MM contract following the 2007 season, opines Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News. Lupica notes that the Cardinals made a shrewd business decision by letting Albert Pujols sign a $200MM+ contract elsewhere last winter and now find themselves in the championship hunt.
- With Curtis Granderson struggling, the trade that sent Austin Jackson to Detroit for him no longer seems like a smart move, writes Bill Madden of the New York Daily News. Last year it seemed like both the Tigers and the Yanks came out as winners in that trade, but Madden believes that the W now goes squarely in the Tigers' column.
- The Orioles will likely be forced to make a decision between Nate McLouth and Nolan Reimold as to which ballplayer will be called upon to man left field next season, writes MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski. While Reimold got off to a strong start to the season before succumbing to injury, McLouth proved to be a valuable asset for Baltimore towards the end of the year and playoffs.
Edward Creech and Daniel Seco contributed to this post.
Quick Hits: Astros, Blue Jays, Yankees, Wolf, Appel
Blue Jays first round draft choice Marcus Stroman has been suspended for 50 games for violating the minor league drug prevention and treatment program, the team announced. Stroman, who obtained a $1.8MM bonus earlier in the summer, maintains that he “unknowingly ingested a banned stimulant that was in an over-the-counter supplement.” He wasn’t the only former first rounder suspended today. Josh Sale, who was selected 17th overall by the Rays in 2010, also obtained a 50-game suspension, according to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune (on Twitter).
Here are Tuesday’s links…
- “We’re continuing to assess our list of candidates,” said Astros GM Jeff Luhnow to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart about the club's managerial search. “We need someone that’s going to be good at teaching, someone good at inspiring and basically working with the front office and help us achieve our goal of becoming as competitive as possible."
- The Yankees hadn’t placed Alex Rodriguez on waivers as of yesterday morning, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post reports. Though the Yankees would like to dump Rodriguez and the $114MM remaining on his contract for luxury tax purposes, Davidoff says A-Rod and the Yankees have a pretty good relationship these days.
- ESPN officially announced an eight-year extension for the rights to broadcast MLB games. John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal reports that the deal is worth $700MM per year for a total of $5.6 billion. The deal also covers digital, international and radio rights.
- Four teams showed interest in Randy Wolf when he hit the free agent market, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). The Athletics were one of the teams with serious interest in Wolf before he agreed to sign with the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (on Twitter).
- ESPN.com's Keith Law previews the 2013 amateur draft class, suggesting it projects as one of the weakest in years. Mark Appel, the Pirates' first round selection in 2012, projects as a top talent for 2013 along with college right-hander Ryne Stanek.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Dodgers Inquired On Sabathia, Teixeira
The Dodgers called the Yankees to inquire about the possibility of trading for C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. The Yankees told the Dodgers they had no interest in moving either player despite their substantial contracts (four years and $99MM remain on Sabathia’s deal; four years and $90MM remain on Teixeira’s deal).
Los Angeles recently acquired Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto from Boston by agreeing to take on $260MM in future salaries. Dodgers officials weren’t inspired by the upcoming free agent class, so they explained to rival teams that they’re willing to take on substantial contracts. This gave the Dodgers the leverage to complete many deals — few clubs could add substantial payroll midseason.
There are no signs the Dodgers were interested in Alex Rodriguez, Sherman writes. Some executives question Rodriguez’s ability to play third base every day at this stage in his career, and he might be best-suited for the American League. Furthermore. the Dodgers view Hanley Ramirez and Dee Gordon as solutions on the left side of the infield.
The Yankees would love to move Rodriguez for payroll reasons, according to Sherman. Yankees executives aim to avoid the $189MM luxury tax threshold for 2014, and Rodriguez’s contract limits their flexibility (five years and $114MM remain on Rodriguez's deal). However, Rodriguez has a no-trade provision, as do Sabathia and Teixeira.
AL East Notes: Yankees, Hanley, Orioles
Alex Rodriguez broke his hand last night, when he was hit by a pitch from Felix Hernandez in Seattle. The injury is expected to sideline Rodriguez for six to eight weeks, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Not surprisingly, the news will affect the Yankees' summer shopping list. Here are the latest notes from the AL East…
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman said he’ll engage the market for a third baseman, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. The Yankees will consider all third base options, including Chase Headley of the Padres, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports (on Twitter). It seems unlikely that the Yankees would meet the Padres' asking price for Headley, Heyman writes (on Twitter).
- The Red Sox asked the Marlins about Hanley Ramirez before last night’s trade, but Boston’s interest was in acquiring the infielder and flipping him to a third team, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. It sounds as though the Red Sox were going to flip Ramirez to either the A’s or the Dodgers, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter).
- The Orioles announced that they signed 25-year-old Cuban outfielder Henry Urrutia to a minor league contract. The Orioles will assign the 6’5”, 195-pound switch-hitter to Double-A Bowie. Urrutia did not play in 2011 following an unsuccessful attempt at defection, according to the Orioles. He established residency in Haiti after successfully defecting from Cuba.
No More Personal Service Deals & Milestone Bonuses
Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have agreed to put an end to personal service deals and milestone bonus clauses, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports. Existing contracts with these deals or bonuses won’t be affected by the changes, which were agreed to this month.
Albert Pujols and Ryan Zimmerman recently signed long-term contracts which include personal services provisions and Alex Rodriguez has milestone bonuses associated with his contract. However, MLB and the union say these bonuses violate baseball’s collective bargaining agreement. The sides have agreed that the CBA doesn’t allow players to agree to deals that include obligations beyond their playing careers.
MLB is trying to prevent teams from finding loopholes that enable them to evade the luxury tax, Stark reports. Personal service deals and milestone bonuses aren’t considered guaranteed money and therefore don’t count against the luxury tax.
Yankees Notes: Kuroda, Rodriguez, Sabathia, Cano
In the eyes of people like Derek Jeter, the season doesn't truly begin until the Yankees play their first home game. Here are some Yankees-related notes as the Bronx Bombers prepare to host their first game of the season…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post points out that transitioning to the AL East can be a daunting task for starting pitchers, but Yankees GM Brian Cashman says Hiroki Kuroda can succeed in his new division. "Our scouts really liked Kuroda and feel he will be a contributing member to an AL rotation," he said.
- Scouts haven't been impressed with Alex Rodriguez's mechanics so far this season, George A. King III of the New York Post writes. However, scouts tell King that Jeter has actually gotten faster.
- C.C. Sabathia should recover from a somewhat disappointing start to the season, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post writes. But Sherman suggests Sabathia's been a different pitcher since last July. The Yankees signed the left-hander to a nine-figure extension soon after the 2011 season ended.
- In a piece at River Ave. Blues, Mike Axisa says it's too early to worry seriously about Sabathia and explains why he fully expects the Yankees to spend big on Robinson Cano next offseason. The 29-year-old Cano is an extension candidate.
Quick Hits: Rodriguez, Spilborghs, Votto, Hamels
Matt Cain signed a five-year extension today and Joey Votto is nearing a long-term deal of his own. Here are some more links from around MLB…
- Alex Rodriguez spoke glowingly about Miami and the Marlins' new stadium this weekend, as Steve Henson of Yahoo Sports writes. The Miami native didn't hold back, uttering phrases like "such a beautiful stadium," "I get chills," "a very special day" and "the Marlins do a phenomenal job." Henson wonders if the Marlins could trade for Rodriguez at some point before 2017, when his contract with the Yankees expires.
- Indians outfielder Ryan Spilborghs will report to Triple-A tomorrow, unless he finds a job in the Major Leagues today, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian tweets.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs discusses the Votto contract talks, writing that "you have to wonder if the Reds got inspired to kick things into high gear after they saw what the new owners were willing to invest in Los Angeles."
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney points out that Cole Hamels gained tremendous negotiating leverage with Matt Cain's $112.5MM extension (Twitter link).
Yankees Links: Pettitte, Garcia, Posada, Wise, A-Rod
Twelve years ago today, the Expos sent Christian Parker to the Yankees as the player to be named later in the Hideki Irabu trade. The two teams made the deal a few months earlier, with prospects Jake Westbrook and Ted Lilly going to New York. Parker eventually flamed out, but both Westbrook and Lilly went on to have long and productive careers, just not in pinstripes. Here's the latest from the Bronx…
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post says the Andy Pettitte signing was a move from the vintage George Steinbrenner playbook, a "sensationalistic lightning bolt" signing.
- "You play for the Yankees, nothing surprises you," said Freddy Garcia to reporters (including Marc Carig of The Star Ledger) when asked about the Pettitte signing this morning (Twitter link). Garcia is a candidate to be traded once the left-hander is in game shape.
- Sherman checked with Jorge Posada following the Pettitte signing, and confirmed that the team's long-time backstop is staying retired (Twitter link).
- “We’ve been trying to sign him for the last few years,” said GM Brian Cashman to Jack Curry of The YES Network about Dewayne Wise. The team sees him as a valuable reserve outfielder with above average defense. Wise joined the club on a minor league contract this offseason.
- Alex Rodriguez told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that he'd like to own a baseball team one day (Twitter link). According to the game's bylaws, A-Rod will have to wait until he's no longer under contract with one of the 30 clubs to do so.
- MLBPA head Michael Weiner told Carig that he expects the Yankees to remain under the $189MM luxury tax threshold in 2014 and 2015 (Twitter links). That will qualify them for rebates in 2016, and Weiner then expects them to raise payroll.