Yankees Rumors: DeRosa, Molina, Duncan
Joel Sherman of the New York Post tells us why the Yankees weren't serious about Mark DeRosa and adds a couple other rumors:
- They never made a strong push for DeRosa, since they had no logical place to put him.
- The Yankees will have three catchers when Jose Molina joins Francisco Cervelli and Jorge Posada, but they have no plans to deal Molina.
- They would consider promoting Shelley Duncan, who has 21 homers in Triple A, if they want a right-handed bat.
Odds And Ends: Jones, Peralta, Liriano
Lins for Saturday morning…
- As ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports, Adam Jones is pleased that the Orioles have so much pitching approaching the majors, but he wants to win now.
- SI.com's Tom Verducci calls Jones baseball's most improved player and breaks down the outfielder's hot start.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Jhonny Peralta is playing third base for now.
- Rob Neyer of ESPN.com writes that there are no guarantees for Francisco Cervelli once Jose Molina and Jorge Posada are fully healthy.
- Neyer adds that the Twins need Francisco Liriano to take his game to the next level and regain the form that saw him dominate the American League in 2006.
- In a third piece, Neyer weighs in on the White Sox, concluding that there's no reason to panic in a division that the Sox could take with 85 wins. Still, the team has issues in center field and in the middle infield.
The Yankees’ Catching Predicament
MLBTR hosted a discussion on the Yankees' catching situation yesterday that drew a nice response. With Jorge Posada and Jose Molina sidelined, the Bronx Bombers are stuck with a real lack of depth behind the plate. As Ben Nicholson-Smith explained, the club could either decide to let Francisco Cervelli and Kevin Cash man the position until Posada returns, sign a veteran free agent, or make a trade.
Peter Abraham of The Journal News asked Yankees GM Brian Cashman which course of action he'll take on Friday night, and it appears the Yanks have decided to wait out the storm. "A trade would be difficult at this point," admitted the general manager.