Yanks To Pursue Rowand?
A source of mine with Yankee connections had some good info for me today. Much was discussed yesterday in Tampa.
For starters, the Yanks are expected to make "eye-popping" offers to retain Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera before the World Series ends. The team does not want the pair to file for free agency.
Additionally, the Yankees may make a big play for Aaron Rowand. They believe a package of Melky Cabrera, Chien-Ming Wang, and Ian Kennedy would entice the Twins for Johan Santana. That’s a huge price, but doesn’t seem out of line to me for the best pitcher in baseball.
My source didn’t have anything about Andy Pettitte, who hated seeing Joe Torre go and will take a month to decide if he’s even going to play next year.
Odds and Ends: A-Rod, Boras, Pettitte
Early Monday morning reading material…
- Interesting article in the New York Daily News regarding Scott Boras and Alex Rodriguez. Boras insists that many of his clients have not taken the largest deal offered to them, giving examples. The article also touches upon recent Boras clients connected to performance-enhancing drugs (Rick Ankiel and Scott Schoeneweis). Boras’ agency is known for its obsessive attention to detail for all of its clients, and seeing a few of them busted raises some questions.
- Last winter, we discussed the possibility of Hiroki Kuroda coming over from Japan. Well, he’s a free agent again, and Nick Cafardo is wondering if 2008 will be the year. Cafardo also noted that Daisuke Matsuzaka did not earn the Red Sox nearly as much marketing revenue as Scott Boras suggested.
- Newsday’s Ken Davidoff says Andy Pettitte intends to exercise his $16MM player option for 2008. Davidoff points out that Pettitte has the same deadline for this decision as A-Rod has for his opt-out. Davidoff also mentions that Roger Clemens‘ most likely destination for 2008 appears to be back in Houston, if he plays.
- You’ve probably heard by now that Hank and Hal Steinbrenner will have final say on baseball decisions (especially Hank). Hank will insist Joba Chamberlain be used as a starter in ’08, heightening the need to re-sign Mariano Rivera.
- The Hardball Times tries to place dollar values on some top free agents, plus Adam Dunn.
Yankees Or Retirement For Pettitte
On September 6th, Jayson Stark mentioned hearing speculation that Andy Pettitte would opt out of his contract after the season and become the best available starter. But even then his source thought Pettitte’s main motivation would be to get more money or years and stay with the Yanks.
It’s clear now that Pettitte has no interest in sparking a bidding war for his services, even if he could. According to Ed Price of the Newark Star-Ledger, it’s the Yankees or retirement for Pettitte in 2008. It’s kind of like Kenny Rogers‘ situation, only with an added focus on the desires of family. Reading the quotes from Pettitte, it almost seems like he could just exercise the $16MM option rather than opt out to extract a few more million from the Yankees. He just seems like the kind of guy who wouldn’t care.
You know what would be kind of funny? If the Astros somehow convinced him to return, gave him $16MM, and then his elbow blew up. OK, that might not be funny for some people.
Stark’s Latest: Clemens, Pettitte, Lowell
Jayson Stark has a new Rumblings and Grumblings column up at ESPN. Let’s discuss.
- Most folks think Roger Clemens will retire after the season. The "will he, won’t he" storyline is one I won’t mind avoiding this winter. Remember, back in February Roger said he told his son it was "80-20 that I wasn’t going to play." He also said, "I’m not leaving anybody hanging. I don’t want to play." Good riddance.
- Andy Pettitte has a $16MM player option for 2008. This is similar to an out clause, where it’s win-win for the player. He only exercises it if he couldn’t get it on the open market. Pettitte’s the best free agent starting pitcher if he opts out. Stark seems to think he’d decline the option but then just re-up with the Yankees for more money and/or years.
- Word is that Mike Lowell would enjoy playing for the Phillies if the Red Sox don’t re-sign him. Gordon Edes isn’t sure if the Red Sox would offer him three years, and believes another team might go four. A four-year deal would cover his age 34-37 seasons…probably a bad move. Then again, what do I know? I thought he was toast after 2005.
Graziano On Greinke, Pettitte
Good stuff today from Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger. Here’s my summary:
- Beyond the Cubs, Graziano lists the Braves, Dodgers, and Diamondbacks as teams interested in pitcher Zack Greinke. If the initial asking price for Octavio Dotel was as high as reported, I can’t imagine what Dayton Moore would want for Greinke.
- Graziano’s Dotel suitors: Cubs, Dodgers, and Brewers. The Red Sox, Rockies, and Indians have been mentioned by other sources. Quite a market for this guy.
- David Weathers is seen as the poor man’s Dotel/Gagne. Let’s see if Wayne Krivsky can get something useful for him. Stormy makes another $2.75MM in ’08 before his contract is up.
- The Mets are mostly focused on a power relief arm, as Roy Oswalt and Dontrelle Willis are said to be unavailable. I have no idea why Willis keeps getting lumped in with Oswalt; they are nowhere near equal. Graziano says the Mets still like Javier Vazquez but the White Sox keep trying to pawn off Jose Contreras instead.
- The Braves are trying to deal for southpaw reliever C.J. Wilson of the Rangers. The 26 year-old has an undeserved 2.81 ERA right now. His control has been worse this year, so he’d have to remain unhittable to be effective.
- The Mariners inquired on Andy Pettitte, but the Yankees aren’t giving up yet.
Randy Hendricks Interview
A must read: the Houston Chronicle’s interview with Randy Hendricks, who represents Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte.
The Clemens situation remains unchanged, but you should read Hendricks’s take on it. He thinks it’s 50/50 that Clemens plays in ’07 and that it would be a shortened season.
Hendricks also offers a lot of insight into Pettitte’s decision and the way the Astros felt about him.
Yankees Sign Andy Pettitte
The Yankees have signed Andy Pettitte to a one-year deal for $16MM with a player option for 2008. Take that, Thomas Wolfe.
Looks like it’s officially time for the Astros to move on to other options. Will someone pry away Jason Hirsh?
Astros’ Options Remain Wide Open
One way or another, Tim Purpura is going to acquire a decent starting pitcher.
The Houston Chronicle reports that Purpura is still in touch with the White Sox, but has a host of other active scenarios as well. In the article, Purpura goes to great lengths to confirm that starter Taylor Buchholz is healthy without actually confirming that he could be involved in a trade. It remains possible that the Astros trade for Jon Garland.
They won’t, however, acquire both Garland and Andy Pettitte. The Astros still have a one-year, $12MM offer out there. The Yankees have already blown that away, even offering to add a second year. It seems clear that Pettitte will only stay in Houston for geographical reasons. Richard Justice
Check out Jose de Jesus Ortiz’s take on the whole Garland thing yesterday. He initially reported the deal was close, based on info from Astros President Tal Smith.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post suggests that the Astros could take another run at Jason Jennings, perhaps offering Jason Hirsh, Willy Taveras, and Dan Wheeler. As I said earlier, that far outweighs Freddy Garcia‘s price and they are comparable pitchers.
Pettitte To Pitch In 2007
Well, the fire is still there for Andy Pettitte. He’ll play next season, and will choose between Houston and New York. He’ll also take his sweet time deciding.
Peter Abraham seemed to indicate a while back that Pettitte’s wife was not altogether thrilled with the idea of a return to New York.
This morning, Will Carroll reported that Pettitte was "reportedly close to signing with the Yankees, but close isn’t done."
Pettitte back to New York?
The Yankees may have offered Andy Pettitte $15 million for one year. There’s also a deal on the table from Houston, and he could decide within the week. If Pettitte really is mulling retirement, this may be more appealing then a multi-year deal for less money. Personally, I hope Pettitte signs a multi-year deal somewhere; the guy’s only going to be 35 next year, and he’s already started in on the Roger-esque will-I-or-won’t-I business. C’mon Andy, you want to pitch!
In other news, the Greg Maddux contract with the Padres is still almost done, but 2008 may be a player option (perhaps vesting) instead of the club option that Rosenthal reported earlier.
By Jeff Sackmann, Brew Crew Ball