Yankees Notes: Pineda, Cashman, Pettitte
Michael Pineda will miss the rest of the season to undergo and recover from arthroscopic shoulder surgery. The injury weakens the Yankees for the current season and creates questions about what the 23-year-old will contribute long-term. Here are the latest links regarding the Yankees and their pitching staff…
- The Yankees were looking forward to strong pitching performances from Pineda at reasonable salaries that would help keep the team's payroll beneath the $189MM luxury tax threshold, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. Yankees GM Brian Cashman says he regrets the injury, but not his team's decision-making process. “The deal we did I would do that ten times out of ten,” Cashman told Sherman.
- Andy Pettitte's return is suddenly much more vital to the Yankees, Sherman notes. The left-hander pitched five innings at Double-A Trenton last night, allowing three earned runs.
- John Harper of the New York Daily News says it's not reasonable or fair to blame Cashman for Pineda's shoulder injury. The Yankees evaluated the right-hander's elbow and shoulder carefully at the time of the trade and his arm seemed fine. "He was strong as a bull in resistance testing," Cashman said.
- Harper points out that scouts and executives liked the Pineda-Jesus Montero trade for the Yankees back in January.
AL East Notes: Yankees, Pettitte, Rays, Blue Jays
The last time the Yankees and Red Sox both started the season 0-3 was all the way back in 1966. Boston finished 9th in the AL while New York wound up 10th. The World Series champions that year? – the Orioles. Here's a look at what's happening in the AL East today..
- Yankees Manager Joe Girardi told reporters including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com that Andy Pettitte will make the first start of his comeback attempt on Monday for Class-A Advanced Tampa. The left-hander has said that he hopes to join the big league team in May.
- Even though it's (very) early in the season, the Rays' decision to hold on to their pitching depth appears to be a wise one at the moment, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Bay was widely expected to add a bat by dealing Jeff Niemann or Wade Davis, but Davis has helped to provide bullpen support with Kyle Farnsworth sidelined.
- The Blue Jays promoted Aaron Laffey from Triple-A to join the bullpen, tweets Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. Laffey's minor league deal with the club calls for him to earn $800K for making the big league roster.
Yankees Notes: Pettitte, Hughes, Nova, Damon
The latest on the Yankees…
- Before Andy Pettitte signed with the Yankees, Lance Berkman tried to recruit the left-hander for the Cardinals, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. Berkman said he was in regular contact with Pettitte and would have approached the front office if he had obtained the go-ahead from his friend and former teammate.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders if the Yankees will look to extend Phil Hughes or Ivan Nova to a Derek Holland-like extension in order to cap costs and avoid MLB's luxury tax.
- There was a split between upper management and the field staff over whether to sign Johnny Damon or Raul Ibanez, Tom Verducci of SI.com writes. Damon told the Yankees he would play for whatever they were offering Ibanez, but it wasn't enough.
- Agent Scott Boras says Damon has received nibbles, but no offers. “We have heard from teams who say 'We have interest in the guy but we want to see what our players are going to do,'" Boras said.
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.
Reactions To The Andy Pettitte Signing
Most of us thought the Yankees were done improving their rotation after acquiring Michael Pineda and signing Hiroki Kuroda, but they added one more veteran piece on Friday. Andy Pettitte decided to come out of retirement and return his old team, signing a one-year, minor league deal worth $2.5MM with no incentives. He won't be ready for Opening Day, but will get back into shape early in the season before rejoining the team. Here's a bunch of news and reactions to the signing, with most links going to Twitter…
- "I am embarrassed to be coming back, but what can I do? My desire has changed," said Pettitte to reporters (including Mark Feinsand of The New York Daily News and Joel Sherman of The New York Post) in a conference call this afternoon. "It was the Yankees or nothing," he added.
- Dialogue between Pettitte and GM Brian Cashman started back in December according to Jack Curry of The YES Network. The team originally offered a one-year deal worth $10-12MM, but the left-hander wanted to work out for six weeks to see how he felt.
- The two sides spoke sporadically over the last year according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The Yankees checked in with Pettitte before signing Kuroda in mid-January, but at that point he wasn't sure if he would return.
- The Yankees had maxed out their budget by the time Pettitte said he wanted to pitch, so owner Hal Steinbrenner had to authorize the signing according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
- The two sides explored a number of different financial packages, including a personal services contract that would not have counted against the luxury tax according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- ESPN's Buster Olney says the Yankees could have signed Mike Gonzalez two weeks ago, but turned it down because of that budget. Pettitte's history with the team worked in his favor.
- The Yankees are very open to trading their excess starting pitching, reports Olney. In addition to Pettitte, they have CC Sabathia, Pineda, Kuroda, Freddy Garcia, Phil Hughes, and Ivan Nova penciled into the rotation.
- Sherman wouldn't be surprised if the Yankees shopped Garcia if they feel Pettitte could help this season. Garcia could be an affordable alternative for clubs looking at Joe Blanton or John Lannan.
- “I don’t think he’s coming back to where he was, call it a hunch," said Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine to reporters (including Scott Lauber of The Boston Herald). "But he’s a good pitcher. Always respected Andy. Always thought he was a borderline Hall of Famer. Add someone like that to your staff, you’re doing good.”
Yankees Sign Andy Pettitte
A year after retiring, Andy Pettitte is back in pinstripes. The Yankees announced that they signed the 39-year-old left-hander to a minor league contract. Pettitte, a Hendricks Sports client, can potentially earn $2.5MM on the deal, which doesn't include incentives.
Pettitte announced his retirement from baseball after the 2010 season and did not play at all in 2011. He got the itch to return while with the team as a guest instructor earlier this month, ESPN's Buster Olney reports (on Twitter). The Yankees have left the door open for a return since Pettitte retired, so they were able to work a deal out once he decided to return.
It's unlikely that Pettitte will be able to start the season with the team. Joel Sherman of the New York Post says (on Twitter) that he will use the rest of Spring Training to get in shape, then rejoin the club. The Yankees currently have CC Sabathia, Michael Pineda, Hiroki Kuroda, Phil Hughes, Freddy Garcia, and Ivan Nova for five rotation spots, so Pettitte makes seven starters for five spots.
Photo courtesy Icon SMI. Jack Curry of The YES Network first reported the deal. Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.
AL East Notes: Johnson, Pettitte, Blue Jays
The big news out of the AL East today is that longtime Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek will announce his retirement later this week. The 15-year veteran will retire with two World Series rings, three All-Star Game selections and 193 home runs. Here are some notes on his former division rivals…
- Nick Johnson told Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com that the success of his 2012 season will come down to health. The Orioles signed Johnson to a minor league contract, but the first baseman didn't draw much interest this offseason. "There weren't a lot of teams giving me an opportunity," he said.
- Andy Pettitte visited Yankees camp and told reporters, including MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, that he doesn't plan on making a comeback. Pettitte said he's "loving life" away from the ballpark and enjoying time with his family.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports asked Joey Votto about his interest in playing for the Blue Jays and didn't sense much enthusiasm from the Etobicoke, Ontario native (Twitter link). Votto, who is under contract with the Reds through 2013, recently said he prefers to keep contract talks private.
Quick Hits: Pettitte, Granderson, Alomar Jr.
Some late-night linkage for your reading pleasure as the Phillies and Rangers celebrate victories, and the Yankees appear poised to join them …
- Former Yankees lefty Andy Pettitte is enjoying retirement is highly unlikely to return to pitching, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. "I feel the desire [to play] is gone," Pettitte said. "I am retired. I would never say never, but God would literally have to give me desire again… I’m really doing good. I just had a good peace about [retiring]."
- Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News has an in-depth look at the three-way trade between the Yankees, Tigers and Diamondbacks following the 2009 season. There are some interesting insights within the piece regarding the relationships between the general managers, Brian Cashman, Dave Dombrowski and Josh Byrnes, and how they met face-to-face to complete the deal.
- The White Sox will likely consider Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. for their managerial vacancy, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.com. We learned earlier today that Rays bench coach Dave Martinez is among the South Siders' primary targets.
Quick Hits: Cespedes, Ludwick, Pettitte
Congratulations to Hideki Matsui, who hit his 500th professional home run tonight. The 37-year-old slugger has 168 homers in the Major Leagues and 332 more in Japan. Here's the latest from around MLB…
- The Mets, Dodgers and Cubs combined to spend nearly $350MM on payroll this season, but aren't threatening for playoff berths. Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com identifies possible trade candidates for the three big market teams.
- Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald hears that Cuban center fielder Yoenis Cespedes is in the Dominican Republic (Twitter link).
- As Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains, trade candidates Ryan Ludwick and Josh Willingham have their shortcomings, though both can help contenders. The frustration levels are high for buyers who consider asking prices for players like Ludwick and Willingham "ridiculous," according to Rosenthal.
- Though the Giants would like to improve at shortstop or catcher, there isn’t much out there, as ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick notes (on Twitter).
- The Yankees have not contacted Andy Pettitte about coming out of retirement and do not expect to do so, according to Yahoo’s Jeff Passan.
- Lastly, I answered some trade-related questions for the Batting Ninth blog.
Quick Hits: Pettitte, Harper, Gordon
The MLB draft continues today and many of the top remaining players have been selected. High school outfielder Josh Bell went to the Pirates, TCU lefty Matt Purke went to the Nationals and high school righty Dillon Howard went to the Indians. Baseball America has the details and we have some non-draft-related links from around the Major Leagues…
- Andy Pettitte said on the Michael Kay Show on ESPN New York 1050 that he is "loving" being home and that he doesn't expect to play ever again. "If I missed it so much and I felt in my heart like that was the thing I need to do, I would try to start thinking about it and start considering it again," he said. "But I'm just telling you right now, I don't think I will ever pitch again." Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork has the quotes from Pettitte.
- Bryce Harper's arrogance is exactly what baseball needs, according to Yahoo's Jeff Passan. Harper is someone "who permeates popular culture by his actions and achievements," and he's fun to watch, even if you don't always like what he does.
- Though Dodgers prospect Dee Gordon could have used some more minor league seasoning, Rafael Furcal's health issues prompted GM Ned Colletti to call Gordon up earlier than expected, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times.
- Tom Verducci of SI.com looks back at some of the most productive drafts in recent history, including the 2005 class that produced Justin Upton, Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun, Troy Tulowitzki and many others.