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Brett Gardner

Yanks Could Be Shopping For Outfielder Soon

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Some in the industry are already wondering if the Yankees could be in the market for outfield help soon, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. 

Both Randy Winn and Marcus Thames have struggled this spring, though Thames officially made the club's Opening Day roster today.  The club may find themselves uneasy with the two veterans as starting left fielder Brett Gardner is not yet an established major league hitter.  They would be especially thin in the outfield if Curtis Granderson or Nick Swisher are bitten by the injury bug.

Rosenthal writes that the Yankees figure to be more patient with Winn as he is more than four years removed from playing in the AL.  

The Yankees investment in Winn and Thames amounts to just $2MM combined.  Rosenthal writes that if one or both struggle, and Gardner also stumbles out of the gate, then the team could be seeking an outfielder quickly.

Rosenthal On Beckett, Lee, Gardner

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports examines the Red Sox' negotiations with Josh Beckett and the Yankees' center field decision in a pair of new columns. Let's check out some noteworthy points:

  • Rosenthal points to the lack of top starting pitching talent available in the next two or three free agent classes, suggesting that this could make signing Beckett more important for the Red Sox.
  • Although the Sox generally don't like committing long-term contracts to pitchers, Rosenthal opines that keeping Beckett might be less risky than losing him, due to the lack of viable replacements.
  • The other top starting pitcher whose contract expires this season is Cliff Lee, who "most baseball people agree" will go to the highest bidder. That may end up being the Yankees, who could use Lee to replace Javier Vazquez.
  • At least four teams (the Royals, Reds, Padres, and White Sox) attempted to acquire Brett Gardner this winter, hoping to start him in center field.

Odds & Ends: Calero, Nats, Byrnes, Fogg, Timlin

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Links for Thursday…

Davidoff On Damon, Draft Picks, Pavano, O’s

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Newsday's Ken Davidoff has his Baseball Insider column up (subscription required); let's take a look at the highlights:

  • The Yankees would love to have Johnny Damon back. The catch there is that they'd love to have him back for $2MM, which Davidoff doesn't see happening. I agree Damon doesn't seem likely to take that drastic of a pay cut, but his options are dwindling.
  • Yankees general manager Brian Cashman says the club acquired Curtis Granderson to be their center fielder, though some scouts have said Granderson struggles in center and is better suited for left field. The Yankees could use Brett Gardner in center, who doesn't profile as much of a corner outfielder offensively anyway.
  • MLB and the MLBPA are actively working to alter draft pick compensation for relievers. Davidoff writes that the Elias Ranking system fails Type-A setup men in particular. Most teams are unwilling to sacrifice a draft pick for an eighth inning role, leaving Type-A setup men with little choice but to accept arbitration. The current goal is for the rankings to favor saves more and wins less.
  • Tom O'Connell, the agent for Carl Pavano, did well to accept arbitration from the Twins and guarantee Pavano $7MM. As Davidoff points out, O'Connell guaranteed his client more money than a free agent such as Doug Davis, who signed for one year and $5.25MM with Milwaukee.
  • In this separate piece, Davidoff praises the work the Orioles have done this offseason, bringing in Kevin Millwood, Mike Gonzalez, Garrett Atkins, and most recently, Miguel Tejada.

Odds & Ends: Valverde, Gardner, Wells

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Rounding up some news from around the majors on this Tuesday night….

  • MLB.com's Jason Beck cites a report from an unnamed radio station which states the Tigers' offer to Jose Valverde is for two years.  In another piece, Beck calls Detroit "the most logical destination" for Valverde.
  • Brett Gardner has two backers (sort of) in Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News and ESPN's Keith Law.  McCarron would like to see the Yankees acquire a "get-the-uniform-dirty type" but thinks Gardner should get "a real chance" to play every day.  Law would let Gardner start the season because he feels that potential signings Reed Johnson or Xavier Nady are "marginal improvements that may not justify the cost."
  • Jordan Bastian of MLB.com says the Blue Jays aren't thinking of moving Vernon Wells to a corner outfield spot in spite of Wells' declining UZR numbers in center.  One factor might be that the Jays don't really have any other solid CF options, especially with Alex Rios no longer on the roster. 
  • C.J. Wilson is not a candidate to be traded despite the Rangers' signing of Darren Oliver, reports Ben Rogers of ESPNDallas.com.
  • MLB.com's Jim Street says Miguel Tejada's asking price is too high for the Mariners to make a play for the free-agent infielder.
  • Brian McTaggart of MLB.com passes along a report from Houston's KRIV-TV that Great Court Capital is the investment company negotiating to buy the Astros from Drayton McLane.
  • Eric Hinske tells David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Atlanta "really seemed like the best situation" out of the clubs who made him offers.
  • Doug Miller of MLB.com provides a quick round-up of some of the remaining free agents on the market.

Discussion: Left Field In The Bronx

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The Yankees finished most of their offseason shopping when they traded for Javier Vazquez and Curtis Granderson, then signed Nick Johnson as a free agent, but the one spot left on the team that warrants an upgrade is left field. 

At the moment, Brett Gardner and Rule 5 Draft pick Jamie Hoffmann are scheduled to start the season in a defense-heavy platoon and hit ninth. GM Brian Cashman has indicated that the team is approaching it's 2010 payroll limit, and it appears they're only willing to spend about $5-6MM for an upgrade. This morning we learned that they're planning to wait out the free agent market before making any moves.

Looking at the list of available free agents, there appears to be plenty of second and third tier outfield options available. What do you think the Yankees should do about their left field situation? Should they stick with the Gardner/Hoffmann platoon, or bring in someone like Reed Johnson or Ryan Church or Rick Ankiel?

Odds & Ends: Braves, Yankees, Encarnacion

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A few Saturday night links to peruse….

  • The Braves' outfield trio pales in comparison to those of their division rivals, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). O'Brien says the team is still trying to add another outfield bat.
  • LoHud.com's Chad Jennings wonders if the Yankees' lineup would seem better if Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner swapped positions, since Granderson has the power of a corner outfielder and Gardner has the speed of a center fielder. Jennings isn't suggesting they should swap, but calling attention to traditional expectations for offensive production at certain positions.
  • MLB.com has posted a series of articles highlighting burning questions that each team must answer as they head into the 2010 season.
  • Shi Davidi of the Canadian Press tweets an encouraging update on Edwin Encarnacion, following a fireworks accident. Paul Kinzer, Encarnacion's agent, says the third baseman is "doing really great" after an initial scare.

Cubs Rumors: Byrd, Capps, Bradley

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After finally trading Milton Bradley, the Cubs are in position to move forward and address the rest of their offseason priorities. Let's round up some Cubs-related links….

  • Jon Heyman tweets that before the Cubs traded Bradley, their choices for center fielders were Marlon Byrd, Rick Ankiel, Melky Cabrera, and Scott Podsednik.
  • A center fielder and a setup man are two of the Cubs' most pressing needs, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. There is mutual interest between Marlon Byrd and the Cubs, and the team could also be one of two finalists for Matt Capps (the other being the Nationals).
  • Wittenmyer also points out that, of the $9MM coming to Chicago in the Bradley-Carlos Silva swap, $5.5MM will be applied this season, giving the team a little more flexibility for 2010 salaries.
  • Erik Manning of Fangraphs wonders if moving Bradley is actually addition by subtraction for the Cubs.
  • Yesterday we heard via a FOX Sports report that the Cubs might look into acquiring Brett Gardner or Melky Cabrera from the Yankees. LoHud.com's Chad Jennings examines the Yankees' perspective of such a move, arguing that the world champions' center field depth is a necessity, rather than a luxury.

Odds & Ends: Bedard, Phillies, Yankees

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Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but these links are so delightful…

  • Don't count on Erik Bedard signing anytime soon, says Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.  Until teams get a better handle on when he will be healthy enough to pitch again, you won't see money being thrown his way.  When he does sign, Baker expects his deal to be heavily loaded with incentives – even more so than the contract given to Rich Harden by the Rangers.
  • With Brad Lidge and J.C. Romero recovering from elbow surgeries, the Phillies are turning their attention to the bullpen, writes Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.  While common sense dictates that GM Ruben Amaro would sign two relievers to fill the void, he says that the team might just ink one and let their younger pitchers take the remaining jobs.  Zolecki floats the names of three potential free agent targets: Bob Howry, Miguel Batista, and Kiko Calero, adding that the club has liked Howry and Batista in the past.
  • The Cubs are in need of a center fielder after the trade of Milton Bradley, but they are not leaning towards any particular candidate, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  According to sources, Marlon Byrd and Scott Podsednik are the strongest options on the open market.  However, the duo writes that GM Jim Hendry may also look into striking a deal with the Yankees for Brett Gardner or Melky Cabrera if they become available.
  • Speaking of Bradley, Steve Henson of Yahoo Sports says that the Mariners will come to regret dealing for the troubled outfielder. 

White Sox Interested In Brett Gardner

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Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times hears from a scout familiar with the situation that the White Sox covet Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner. The Yankees, who just acquired Curtis Granderson, have extra outfielders so the White Sox and Royals have inquired on Gardner.

The White Sox had Scott Podsednik around last year, but Cowley says they haven't offered him the two-year deal he wants. The Royals and Tigers are also unwilling to give Podsednik a second year at this point.

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