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Derek Jeter

Yankees Notes: Jeter, Ryan, Luxury Tax

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The Yankees placed Derek Jeter on the disabled list today, officially ending his 2013 season. Jeter played in just 17 games this season, slashing .190/.288/.254 as he battled ankle, calf and quadriceps issues. Here's more on Jeter and the team with which he has become synonymous …

  • Calling it a "stretch" to see Jeter as a starting shortstop next year, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com writes that the Yankee legend should hang up his spikes rather than holding on in a utility role. While Jeter has often proved the exception to the rule, reasons Heyman, historical performances by 40-year-old shortstops do not offer much hope, especially given his still-healing ankle. 
  • For his part, Jeter still believes he can play regularly at short, reports Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger. He declined, however, to offer any meaningful insight into his pending decision on a $9.5MM player option for next year. As MLBTR's Zach Links noted yesterday, Jeter would seem to have little hope of getting a better deal if he declines the option. 
  • In the meantime, the Yanks acquired shortstop Brendan Ryan from the Mariners last night to handle some of the load at shortstop. He was inserted directly into the lineup today, as the club squares off in a crucial test against the Orioles. If the Yankees win, they would control their own destiny, notes Ken Davidoff of the New York Post (on Twitter). Ryan acknowledges that it will be hard to man Jeter's spot, but says he is excited at the opportunity to split time with Eduardo Nunez. 
  • With a chance to earn regular playing time, Ryan has a solid shot at becoming the most impactful September acquisition in recent memory. Last year, the only 2012 September deal for a major leaguer was the Brewers' acquisition of catcher Yorvit Torrealba, who only saw six plate appearances in Milwaukee. Among the prior year transactions found on this list, compiled by Mike Axisa for MLBTR, only Willie Bloomquist (picked up by the Reds in 2010) and Octavio Dotel (added by the Rockies in the same year) saw any real action. Neither of those players made a positive contribution, however, making (perhaps unsurprisingly) for quite an unimpressive recent record of September acquisitions. 
  • The Yankees stand to pay an MLB-record $29.1MM luxury tax penalty, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today. That figure represents a 50% tax on the amount the team spent over the $178mm level. The Dodgers will also pay a tax for the first time in franchise history, but will be taxed at a less-onerous 17.5% rate since the club has not incurred an overage in consecutive seasons (yet, anyway). 

Jeff Todd contributed to this post.

Yankees Rumors: Hughes, Jeter, Cano, Sabathia

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There was talk earlier this year of the Yankees giving Phil Hughes a qualifying offer at the end of the season in order to either retain him or secure a draft pick in the event that he signed elsewhere.  However, that ship has pretty much sailed at this point.  "They may make a qualifying offer. And I may run for president," a rival GM told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com last week.  Here's more out of the Bronx..

  • Many in baseball speculated that Derek Jeter would decline his $9.5MM option for 2014 and force the Yankees to give him a new deal, but a friend of the shortstop told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News that he thinks he'll exercise the option and return with a sense of purpose. Feinsand notes that Jeter probably wouldn't have the public on his side as he did three years ago and, more importantly, no one is clamoring to give a 39-year-old shortstop more than $9.5MM.
  • The Yankees want Robinson Cano back in pinstripes next season, but team president Randy Levine made it clear there's a limit as to how far they'll go.  “[Cano] is a great player,” Levine told Bloomberg Television, according to Feinsand. “We will sit down and talk to him. Hopefully he’s a Yankee. Nobody is a re-sign at all costs, but we want him back and we feel good about negotiating something with him. But nobody is a re-sign at any cost.”
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that the Yankees can ill-afford to see CC Sabathia's regression to No. 4 starter come when he has at least three years and $76MM on his contract. The Yankees anticipated such an occurence might happen toward the end of his New York tenure but thought they'd have capable replacements in Michael Pineda, Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos, but none have panned out. Their dearth of pitching talent clouds their goal of staying under the $189MM luxury tax threshhold, Sherman adds.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

AL East Notes: Jeter, Davis, Blue Jays, Orioles

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Mariano Rivera's legendary career began on a humble note, as MLB.com's Adam Berry relates as part of the site's "42 Days Of Mo" series.  Rivera's first contract with the Yankees netted him just a $3K bonus, and it didn't take long for the club to realize they may have had something special when Rivera allowed just one run over 52 rookie ball innings in 1990.

Here are some items from around the AL East…

  • Even though Derek Jeter has spent almost the entire 2013 season on the DL, ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider subscription required) notes that the shortstop could have enough leverage to negotiate another multiyear deal from the Yankees this winter.  Jeter has an $8MM player option that would net him $3MM from New York if he opts out.
  • It seems unlikely that Rajai Davis will re-sign with the Blue Jays this winter, MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm writes as part of a reader mailbag piece.  While Davis may not find a full-time job on the free agent market this winter, he should be able to find more playing time than he would in Toronto given the Jays' crowded outfield situation.
  • Also from Chisholm, he notes Brett Cecil isn't likely to be converted back into a starter given his All-Star performance out of the bullpen this season.  Munenori Kawasaki's presence on the Jays' Major League roster in 2014 is still up in the air and Brandon Morrow's health may be the key to Toronto's starting rotation next year.
  • The Orioles have a number of options for their September call-ups, and MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko gives his take on who the O's might add once the rosters expand on September 1.
  • From earlier today in the AL East, the Red Sox called up Xander Bogaerts and released Jose Contreras and made a few other minor roster moves….we learned the Sox aren't pursuing Cuban shortstop Alexander Guerrero….Phil Hughes wants to remain a starting pitcher….the Yankees released Luis Cruz.

AL East Links: A-Rod, Jeter, Ellsbury, Myers, Jones

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According to a "60 Minutes" report, members of Alex Rodriguez's inner circle obtained unredacted Biogenesis documents in February and leaked the names of Ryan Braun, Francisco Cervelli and Danny Valencia (who was later cleared) to Yahoo Sports.  Michael Radutzky of CBS News writes.  Rodriguez talked to the media (including Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York) today and denied leaking the names of any fellow player, particularly his Yankee teammate Cervelli.  The third baseman also warned that more details in the case would be made public in the coming days: 

"You know, I've been a member of this union for 20 years, and it is important for all the guys to understand that my loyalty is to this union and it would never happen, it would never occur and it didn't happen. Let's make one thing clear: For the next seven weeks, it is going to be a very bumpy road. Every day expect a story like this, if not bigger."

Here are some more items from around the AL East…

  • Given the uncertainty of Rodriguez's situation and Derek Jeter's health, the Yankees will need to explore alternatives at third base and shortstop this winter, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes.  Under Sherman's scenario, Jeter would play half his games at shortstop and the rest at first base or as the Yankees' primary DH against right-handers.
  • As least 12 teams project to be suitors for Jacoby Ellsbury this winter, Fangraphs' Paul Swydan writes.  The Red Sox are one of those teams, as "GM Ben Cherington isn’t letting Ellsbury go without a fight," though Swydan notes that the Sox could be in a position crunch in left field (with Jackie Bradley, Daniel Nava and Jonny Gomes) if they re-sign both Ellsbury and Mike Napoli.
  • The Rays still look like the winners of the Wil Myers/James Shields trade, despite the Royals' recent hot streak, Grantland's Rany Jazayerli opines.
  • The hiring of Buck Showalter was the key move that turned the Orioles from also-rans into contenders, outfielder Adam Jones writes in a guest piece for Buster Olney's column (ESPN Insider subscription required).

AL Notes: Jeter, Mills, Angels

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A setback in Derek Jeter's ankle injury will keep the Yankees shortstop out until after the All-Star break, Mark Feinsand of New York Daily News reports. Jeter's doctor found a "small crack" near where Jeter's injury originally occurred. He will not need surgery as a result of the setback, but this news ensures that the Yankees' lineup will be without its highest-profile star, in a season in which the lineup has frequently been filled with new Yankees like Vernon Wells, Lyle Overbay, Brennan Boesch and Ben Francisco. Here are more notes from around the American League.

  • Despite the news of Jeter's extended absence, the Yankees will stick with Eduardo Nunez and Jayson Nix at shortstop, GM Brian Cashman tells MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. Not only is it difficult to make trades early in the season, but Cashman says he feels Nunez and Nix have earned more playing time (although neither of them have an OPS higher than .603). "Those guys have done a nice job. They've earned the right, and regardless, this time of year is certainly going to be a factor in anything that happens," says Cashman.
  • Now the third-base coach of the Indians, former Astros manager Brad Mills returns to Houston Friday night with no regrets, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart writes. Mills was fired last August 18. There's been plenty of roster turnover since then, and the Astros are also playing in a new league. "It's going to be different, no doubt," says Mills. "It's going to be fun to see some of the fans, fun to visit with some of the players and some of the workers there at the stadium, people you gain a relationship in three years."
  • The Angels are off to a 4-10 start, but we shouldn't expect them to make a trade anytime soon, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com writes. As MLBTR noted last week, it's difficult to make early-season trades (and Gonzalez notes that the Angels' trade for Ernesto Frieri in May 2012 was tricky). Also, the Angels would prefer to stay beneath the Competitive Balance Tax threshold, and that gives them little flexibility. "We put ourselves in this situation, and we have to figure out a way to get ourselves out," says Angels GM Jerry Dipoto.

AL Notes: Yankees, Happ, Indians

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The Yankees made some last minute moves this week when they traded for Vernon Wells and picked up the recently-released Lyle Overbay.  Both Wells and Overbay have made the club along with Ben Francisco and Brennan Boesch, leaving Juan Rivera as the odd man out.  Tbe first baseman/outfielder was cut loose, though he did cash in on a $100K retention bonus for staying on the roster beyond Tuesday's Article XX(B) deadline.  Here's more from the Junior Circuit..

  • It's time for the Yankees to start looking for a replacement for Derek Jeter, Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com writes. Eduardo Nunez, who is manning shortstop in Jeter's absence, is not a good solution for the long haul, Matthews argues, and Jeter's age and injury status are both worrisome. Matthews also suggests that the Yankees should have acquired Jose Reyes or Yunel Escobar in the offseason.
  • Having gone in just days from being ticketed for Triple-A to being in the big-league rotation with a new contract extension, Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ is thrilled with his recent streak of good fortune, reports MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm. "It certainly has been a great few days," says Happ. "There was a long time before that where it wasn't quite as easy, but this kind of makes it all worth it."
  • After his team's signings of Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn, GM Chris Antonetti hopes the Indians will snag a playoff spot, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. The organization felt it needed a splashy offseason to maintain the attention of its fanbase, Pluto writes. "There is risk whenever you make substantial investment," says Antonetti. "But for us, there was even more risk if we didn't."

Quick Hits: Rivera, Jeter, Orioles, Harang

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GM Brian Cashman explains how the Yankees nearly traded Mariano Rivera for shortstop Felix Fermin in spring of 1996, as noted by Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. To describe the deal as "franchise-altering" would be an enormous understatement, since it would have affected not only Rivera but also then-rookie Derek Jeter.

Cashman, then an assistant GM, says that then-owner George Steinbrenner was concerned about entrusting Jeter with the starting shortstop job, and "it was a fight to convince The Boss to stand down" and avoid trading Rivera or Bob Wickman to the Mariners for Fermin. "And it wasn't because we knew what we had in Mo or Wickman," Cashman says. "It was, we had committed to go with young Jeter, and thankfully we didn't do that deal." As it turned out, Jeter won the 1996 AL Rookie of the Year award, Rivera finished third in Cy Young balloting, and the Yankees won their first World Series title since 1978. The Mariners, meanwhile, released Fermin in April, and he only ended up posting 19 more plate appearances in the majors. Here are more notes from throughout baseball.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Ichiro, Jeter, Orioles

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MLBTR’s offseason in review series is just getting started, but the AL East is now complete. Click here to see how the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, Blue Jays and Orioles navigated their respective offseasons. Here are some more links from the division…

  • The Red Sox aren't close to bumping up against MLB's luxury tax, as Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com shows. With commitments in the $163MM range, the Red Sox have $15MM separating them from the $178MM threshold.
  • Ichiro Suzuki explained to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post that he wanted to re-sign with the Yankees because of the team's focused emphasis on winning. “Those are things that I wanted in a clubhouse and on a team, and I didn’t know that it existed,” Ichiro said. “I kind of had given up hope that I would find that ideal clubhouse, kind of how I felt how about a clubhouse should be. And I was able to find that last year, and that was here.”
  • In a video blog Davidoff explains that Brian Cashman's recent misadventure won't stop him from doing his job as the Yankees' general manager. Cashman broke his right fibula and dislocated his right ankle after jumping out of a parachute to raise awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project two days ago.
  • Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner are among the ten most powerful people in baseball, Tom Verducci writes at SI.com. Commissioner Bud Selig tops Verducci's list.
  • The Orioles like what they see from Jair Jurrjens this spring, Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports. Jurrjens, who signed a minor league deal with Baltimore this past offseason, is one of 13 Orioles pitchers competing for a rotation spot this spring.

AL East Notes: Jeter, Morse, Red Sox, Duquette

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The Yankees could have another tricky negotiation with Derek Jeter on the horizon, writes Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York.  Jeter is entering the last guaranteed year of his current deal and he holds a 2014 player option worth $9.5MM ($8MM in base salary plus $1.5MM that Jeter has thus far earned in incentives).  If Jeter comes back from offseason ankle surgery and continues to hit well, the Yankee icon will surely be looking for a longer commitment beyond 2014.  Knowing the Yankees' stance on extensions, however, I'd expect the team to not discuss another deal with Jeter until after the 2014 season, when Jeter will be 40 years old and the Bombers will have a better idea if their captain is worth another multiyear contract.

Here are the latest items from around the AL East…

  • The Yankees have "nothing alive" with the Nationals in regards to a deal for Michael Morse, reports Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees blog (Twitter link).  New York was one of several teams interested in Morse, who has been on the trade block since the Nats re-signed Adam LaRoche.
  • In an interview on WEEI radio's Hot Stove Show (partial transcription from WEEI.com's Kirk Minihane), Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said that there is no news about the team and Mike Napoli.  The Sox are continuing to talk with Napoli while also exploring other options at first base.
  • Speaking of those first base options, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports that the Red Sox "have explored" signing Casey Kotchman and Nick Johnson and also checked in with the Mariners about a trade for Justin Smoak.
  • The Orioles are looking for pitching depth as they head into Spring Training, executive VP Dan Duquette tells MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli.  Though the O's haven't made any major transactions this winter, Duquette believes his team has improved itself, though he did vaguely mention a few deals that didn't happen.  "We looked around the industry for that middle-of-the-order bat," Duquette said. "There was one free agent that was a significant player. There have been some other players available in a trade that I'm not sure they were better than what we had, and the cost of the acquisition has been a little pricey for us."

AL East Notes: Jeter, Yankees, Red Sox, Hamilton

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Earlier today, the Blue Jays shipped catcher Yorvit Torrealba to the Brewers for cash considerations or a player to be named later.  More out of the American League East..

  • Derek Jeter says that suggestions that he wants to play elsewhere are "comical," and that he obviously wants to end career with the Yankees, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch (via Twitter).  Yesterday, Jeter seemed to imply that he would be open to playing for another club once his contract expires.  The shortstop is under contract for 2013 with an $8MM player option for '14.
  • Most members of the Red Sox braintrust are keeping a close eye on whether the team will have a top-ten pick in this year's draft, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.  Outside of the obvious benefits of having a higher pick, top ten selections are protected, giving the Red Sox flexibility in the event that they wanted to pursue a free agent such as Josh Hamilton.  In the case of Hamilton, multiple sources say that Boston is unlikely to join the fray for the 31-year-old, which is in line with what has been previously reported.
  • Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star isn't quite sure if Alex Anthopoulos is the General Manager to take the Blue Jays to the next level.  However, Griffin believes that Anthopoulos is ready to do more traditional things this winter like signing short-term veteran free agents and packaging prospects to land one solid major league talent.
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