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Yankees Going Hard After Manny?

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Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News talked to one baseball official (presumably not with the Yankees) who believes the Yankees are "going hard" after Manny Ramirez.  That official sees the Yanks willing to offer three years, while other execs see them stopping at two years, $50MM.  Another source told Feinsand that Brian Cashman isn’t keen on Manny but Hank and Hal Steinbrenner are.  Feinsand wonders whether the team’s interest in Ramirez is one reason they’ve put the Mike Cameron trade on hold.

You’ll find a differing point of view from Joel Sherman and Ken Davidoff, who do not see the Yankees signing Manny.  By the way, Jon Heyman talked to a friend of Manny’s who dismissed the idea of retirement.

Mike Cameron-Yankees Rumors

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8:48pm: Tyler Kepner of the New York Times spoke to people involved with the deal and he gets the feeling that "the Yankees are backing away" for baseball reasons, not financial ones. Kepner adds that the Yankees know they don’t have to make this trade immediately if they don’t want to.

6:18pm: MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy heard from a source that talks between the Brewers and Yankees are at a "stalemate," and did not resume today.

Peter Abraham writes that Igawa may no longer be a part of the deal.

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News wrote earlier today that the two teams have agreed on which players to trade. He heard from a source that the Yankees would likely send Igawa, Melky Cabrera and cash to the Brewers for Cameron.

A second source told Feinsand that the Brewers could send Bill Hall along too, an idea Tom Haudricourt suggested last week.

11:54am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Yankees’ talks for Brewers center fielder Mike Cameron are expected to resume soon.  He says the Yankees still want the Brewers to either pick up a few million of Cameron’s $10MM salary or take on some of Kei Igawa’s contract.  The Brewers don’t want to do that.

I’m not sure how the Yankees have managed to steer the conversation toward Cameron being overpaid.  He’s not, and a fair baseball trade would involve the Yankees paying all of Cameron’s salary while giving up something useful.

Mike Cameron Yankees Rumors

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SUNDAY, 1:51pm: George A. King III with the New York Post writes that the Yankees want the Brewers to take on Igawa’s contract as well, but that Milwaukee doesn’t want to pay much of the $12MM he has left. The Brewers are trading Cameron to trim payroll, and don’t want to unload $10MM for Cameron just to take on another $4MM for Igawa.

New York has told Milwaukee that no pitcher on their 40-man roster is available.  Both sides still expect a deal to get done eventually; Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt talks will resume tomorrow.  River Ave. Blues thinks the Yankees should hold off, for now.

FRIDAY, 3:50pm: Haudricourt heard this might get tabled until Monday, though now with Burnett signed maybe the Yankees will switch their focus.  Or maybe they’ll spend the weekend working on Andy Pettitte/celebrating the Burnett signing.

THURSDAY, 5:40pm: Haudricourt now writes that the Cameron negotiations are back underway after a "hiccup". Haudricourt heard from Doug Melvin that there’s a "strong possibility it could still happen." The clubs are negotiating over finances and whether a second player would go to the Brewers with Cabrera.

1:01pm: Cameron’s agent told Tyler Kepner nothing has been completed.  Kepner says the Brewers have actually been asking about Igawa.

11:49am: Joel Sherman talked to a top exec involved in the talks who called the chances of a deal "remote." Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times was told the deal is done, however.

11:17am: Ken Rosenthal says the potential deal hit a roadblock over the Yankees’ desire to have Milwaukee pick up part of the tab on Cameron.  Also, the Brewers want a second player after Cabrera.  Tom Haudricourt says the Yankees tried to unload Kei Igawa on them.

9:28am: The Cabrera for Cameron deal is close but not done, according to Joel Sherman’s source.  He says the Brewers could receive a pitcher as well, with the quality depending on whether they’ll assume salary.

8:41am: Tom Haudricourt is not sure this is done. He says the Yankees like Bill Hall as well.  The Brewers could gain quite a bit of payroll flexibility here.  It’d be interesting to see all three Brewers friends (including Sabathia) move to the Yanks.

7:15am: Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News says the Yankees are set to acquire Cameron for Cabrera.

12:55am: According to Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger, the Yankees met with the Brewers Wednesday to resume trade talks for Mike Cameron that began at the GM Meetings.  Whatever mild concern the Brewers reportedly had about trading away a friend of C.C. Sabathia’s is gone.

On November 7th, Peter Abraham wrote that Ian Kennedy and Melky Cabrera were on the Brewers’ radar.  Clearly the Brewers want to add a starting pitcher.

Lamb Re-Signs With Brewers

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12:33pm: MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy says the deal with Lamb has been finalized, with the Brewers on the hook for something close to the league minimum for ’09.

TUESDAY, 10:58am: Tom Haudricourt says Lamb’s signing will be announced today.  Haudricourt rejects the Rosenthal/Price report about the Lamb signing paving the way for a Hall trade.

MONDAY, 8:07pm: Rosenthal and Ed Price say the Lamb signing could prompt the Brewers to trade Bill Hall.  Hall interests the Yankees, but he has almost $16MM left on his deal.  Rosenthal notes that Yankees targets Hall and Mike Cameron are friends of C.C. Sabathia.

4:52pm: According to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy, the Brewers are "closing in on a deal to re-sign free agent third baseman Mike Lamb."  GM Doug Melvin will continue discussions with Lamb’s agent later today.

Winter Meetings Previews

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We’ve added a few new Winter Meetings preview to the collection…

  • Yahoo’s Tim Brown runs through plans for all of the American and National League teams.
  • Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post says the Rockies are all about left-handed relief help.  They’ve got several trade chips to work with.
  • Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer has the Phillies covered.  You know the plan: starting pitcher, outfielder.
  • Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reminds us of the Cardinals’ wish list: starter, closer, lefthanded reliever.  Arthur Rhodes would fit, but he’s leaning toward the Reds.  Strauss wonders if John Mozeliak can match up with the Blue Jays to find relief help.
  • The Twins still want to add a shortstop or third baseman according to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, though several options have already been eliminated.  Neal summarizes the players on the radar.  The Twins are also looking for bullpen help.
  • Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune discusses the Padres.  Kevin Towers will keep the Jake Peavy talks going with the Cubs while also searching for a shortstop and veteran catcher.
  • Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reminds us that Peavy and a left-handed hitting outfielder are on the Cubs’ wish list.  The bat comes first, says Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
  • Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star says Dayton Moore has already accomplished his main goals, and now looks to replenish his right-handed relief.  The Royals would also like to add a proven middle infielder and seem to have a glut of corner/DH types.
  • Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and Jack Magruder of the East Valley Tribune analyze the Diamondbacks.  Josh Byrnes seeks a second baseman, left-handed reliever, and pitching in general.  Miguel Montero is the top trade chip.  They have about $10MM to spend, less if Brandon Lyon accepts arbitration.
  • Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News says the Rangers could trade Gerald Laird, Hank Blalock, Kevin Millwood, or Vicente Padilla.
  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel talked to Doug Melvin about C.C. Sabathia, who still hasn’t reacted to their offer.  If Sabathia and Ben Sheets leave, Melvin could add two starters.  Melvin also said it’d be too risky to trade J.J. Hardy and start Alcides Escobar at short.  Rickie Weeks has drawn interest, but Melvin would require "a pretty good hitter" in return.  Mike Cameron is a more likely trade chip.  As for the team’s closer search, Melvin doesn’t expect to be in on the big names.
  • Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post says the Marlins probably won’t steal headlines at these Winter Meetings as they did in ’07.  Still, Jorge Cantu, Matt Treanor, and Jeremy Hermida may be dealt.  The Fish have been "actively shopping" Treanor and Hermida.  The Marlins have mild interest in free agents Ivan Rodriguez and Carl Pavano.
  • Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune says Ken Williams has asked the Reds about Homer Bailey.  Could the Reds match up for Jermaine Dye?  The White Sox hope to add more MLB-ready starting pitching and maybe a backup catcher.
  • The Orioles need starting pitching, with a slew of names under consideration according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun: A.J. Burnett, Paul Byrd, Jon Garland, Mark Hendrickson, Braden Looper, Randy Wolf, Kenshin Kawakami, Koji Uehara, Bartolo Colon, and Matt Clement.  The O’s also hope to extend Brian Roberts, trade Ramon Hernandez, and find a shortstop.  They have interest in Adam Everett.
  • Roch Kubatko of MASN Online explains what it’s like for a reporter at the Meetings.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Teixeira, Closers, Castillo, Cantu

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Ken Rosenthal has a new column up, let’s take a look at the highlights:

  • Rosenthal doesn’t see Mark Teixeira signing with the Nationals, even for the rumored ten-year, $200MM contract. He’s got better options in the Angels, Red Sox, and Yankees. Scott Boras managed to get Alex Rodriguez a ten-year deal with a losing team in 2000 when he signed with the Rangers, but Rosenthal doesn’t forsee a repeat.
  • The Indians are waiting on the Mets’ closer decision to make a decision of their own. Once New York signs or trades for a closer, the market will likely collapse. The Mets are preparing simultaneous offers to Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, and Kerry Wood.
  • The Brewers could spend big money on a closer once they hear from Ben Sheets and C.C. Sabathia. If the Brewers can somehow retain both, they won’t have money to spend on a closer and would likely have to trade Prince Fielder.
  • The Mets are desperately trying to unload Luis Castillo so they can make a run at Orlando Hudson. They’re having no luck though, even in trying to swap him for another bad contract. The Rangers rejected a swap of Castillo for Vicente Padilla.
  • Nationals GM Jim Bowden is interested in Willy Taveras. Doesn’t make any sense to me. The Nats already have Lastings Milledge, Josh Willingham, Elijah Dukes, and Austin Kearns.
  • The Rockies prefer to keep Garrett Atkins, but the Twins, Dodgers, Giants, and Phillies are all interested. Chase Utley has been a long-time supporter of bringing his former UCLA teammate to the Phils for a reunion.
  • The Marlins are getting several inquiries on Jorge Cantu and Dan Uggla. They don’t plan to trade either, though if the Giants were to offer Jonathan Sanchez for Cantu, the Marlins would jump at the chance.
  • Jermaine Dye, Mike Cameron, Marcus Thames, and Marlon Byrd are all available via the trade market, for teams needing a right-handed hitting outfielder. Rosenthal still feels Cameron could still end up in pinstripes.

Odds and Ends: Wade, Crisp, Holliday

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Links for Thursday…

Stark’s Latest: Putz, Manny, Lackey, Ibanez

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Let’s take a look at the latest column from ESPN’s Jayson Stark.

  • Stark does the math and finds 15 potentially available closers versus six clubs in the market for one.  Should result in a few bargains or teams holding on to their surpluses.
  • The Mets don’t seem willing to extend to four years for Francisco Rodriguez.  Stark says J.J. Putz would become the Mets’ top closer target if he’s made available.  MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone wrote a few days ago that the Mets are likely to trade for a reliever with closing experience before attempting to sign one.
  • J.P. Ricciardi quote: "We won’t be involved with Manny."  Ricciardi last month: "He’s on our radar, but maybe not on our radar like some people will report."
  • Despite reports to the contrary, Stark talked to a rival executive who says Jake Peavy made it "onto [the Angels’] radar pretty hard."  Stark speculates that Peavy could fit if the Halos sign Mark Teixeira.
  • It seems likely that the Angels will put out an offer to Teixeira with a deadline, and then either sign him or move on.
  • John Lackey’s been telling friends he expects to have an extension with the Angels by Opening Day.  Lackey indicated last month he’d wait to see the Halos’ offensive plans before re-signing.
  • Stark suspects the Players Union might be OK with C.C. Sabathia turning down a larger offer from the Yankees if he still signed for more than Johan Santana’s $23MM per year.  I don’t really see why Sabathia would worry about the union in any regard.
  • The Dodgers inquired on the asking price of Jason Varitek, with the idea of moving Russell Martin to third base in mind.  They balked at Scott Boras’ demand for Tek, however.
  • Curt Schilling is "more likely than ever" to attempt a late June or early July comeback.
  • Tons of teams have expressed some degree of interest in Raul Ibanez: the Mets, Phillies, Cubs, Cardinals, Nationals, Braves, Royals, Rays, Blue Jays, Rangers, Angels, and Mariners.  Some interesting new ones in there.
  • The Phillies never made a two-year, $21MM offer to Pat Burrell.  Will the Phils at least offer him arbitration?  The rumored offer was questionable from Day 1, as Paul Hagen said Burrell "reportedly turned down a two-year, $22MM offer" but didn’t reference a specific report.
  • Stark believes that the Brewers were not thrilled with the Yankees’ "overbid" for C.C. Sabathia, and therefore would prefer not to trade Mike Cameron to them.  Dan Graziano wrote yesterday about the Yanks’ conversations for Cameron.
  • Roy Oswalt wants the Astros to sign Ben Sheets, but the price tag may be too high.  Stark has the following names on their radar: Randy Wolf, Mike Hampton, Freddy Garcia, Paul Byrd, and maybe Pedro Martinez.  Is Drayton McLane willing to bring Andy Pettitte back?  GM Ed Wade seemed interested in his chat yesterday, saying, "We’ll have to see what develops down the road."

Rosenthal’s Latest: Hardy, Flowers, Wolf

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Another day, another column from Ken Rosenthal.

  • With multiple vacancies in the rotation and bullpen, the Brewers may need to see what kind of pitching Mike Cameron and/or J.J. Hardy can bring in return.  GM Doug Melvin is not ready to shop Hardy.  He’s received interest, but most teams have not given names (one team suggested swapping him for a pitcher Melvin termed, "a fifth starter.")
  • The Padres have asked the Braves to substitute catcher Tyler Flowers for center fielder Gorkys Hernandez in their Jake Peavy offer.  Dave O’Brien sees this as unlikely.
  • If they can’t sign Mark Teixeira, the Angels are ready to shift gears to C.C. Sabathia, Francisco Rodriguez, or other players.  The idea of a Manny Ramirez pursuit was "tabled rather quickly."
  • The Cardinals plan to add one or two lefthanded relievers, probably free agents.
  • In his quest for righthanded power, Reds GM Walt Jocketty inquired on Matt Holliday and Josh Willingham before they were traded.  Purely speculative – Jermaine Dye could be a nice fit.
  • At least half a dozen teams have expressed interest in free agent starter Randy Wolf.

Cameron Not Likely For Yankees

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Peter Abraham suggests that the Brewers may be willing to trade center fielder Mike Cameron if his friend C.C. Sabathia does not sign.  He says Ian Kennedy and Melky Cabrera are on Milwaukee’s radar.  Brewers GM Doug Melvin admitted to talking trade with the Yanks, but says nothing is imminent.

Ken Davidoff and Kat O’Brien of Newsday report that the Yanks are not optimistic about acquiring Cameron.  Center field is not a top priority for the Yanks, and they’re not inclined to include Kennedy.

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