The Yankees have had preliminary discussions with Raul Ibanez about coming back next season in a platoon role. Ibanez was used more than the Yankees would have liked because of injuries last year, but he showed he was still a dangerous hitter. The lefty-swinging Ibanez was brought in to be a DH against right-handed pitching, but he was forced into the outfield when Brett Gardner was lost for most of the year and Mark Teixeira battled a strained calf.There aren't many affordable (Remember, the Yankees are cheap now) options out there so bringing back Raul may be the Yankees best option.
Ibanez, 40, provided some of the only offensive highlights in the postseason for his new team and often delivered in big spots.
The Yankees are so serious about dropping under that $189 million luxury tax threshold for 2014 that, according to a source briefed on their plans, they would not even do a two-year contract in the $20 million range with Torii Hunter, The Post has learned.I still can't figure out how the Yankees expect to compete and get the salary under that $189M mark. Either way, I don't mind the Yanks passing on Upton or Hunter if he actually demands two years. I still think the best move would be to bring back Ichiro on a one-year deal if that's possible.
Though Arizona’s Justin Upton has become available at the GM Meetings, a person involved in discussions said, “The Yankees are not on him.”
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Upton, a talented, but enigmatic player, has three years at $38.5 million left on his contract and would count as just $8.54 million (the average annual value of his deal) toward the luxury tax payroll. Nevertheless, even committing those kind of dollars plus the cost-effective prospects necessary to land a player of Upton’s ilk currently is against the Yankees strategy. The Rangers and Rays (who are losing Upton’s brother, B.J., to free agency) were considered the early favorites to get Justin Upton, according to a person involved in talks.
The Yankees want to solve right field by committing as few (maybe zero) dollars to 2014 as possible. In fact, if they need to go to two years to keep Kuroda (which they might not agree to do either), it would all but assure not one cent of 2014 money is put toward right field.
Because the Yankees have become a place veterans like to play because of the promise of championship contention and a large bloc of like-minded, similar-aged players, Hunter could follow the lead of vets such as Eric Chavez and Raul Ibanez and spurn better offers to play in The Bronx on a one-year deal.
Baseball sources have confirmed to me that three teams are in play for Ryan Dempster and he will approve a deal to any of the three teams if the Cubs can agree on a suitable return in exchange for the veteran right-hander who is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career. The Los Angeles Dodgers, who have long been Dempster's preferred destination will have to increase their offer as the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees have stepped up their pursuit over the last 48 hours. With Roy Oswalt having another poor performance on Monday evening, the Rangers have decided to upgrade their rotation and are looking at all available options including Dempster and Matt Garza.While he wants to go to LA, the one thing the Yankees have going for them is that he's familiar with pitching coach Larry Rothschild and Jim Hendry from their days in with the Cubs. Dempster is 5-5 with a 2.25 ERA this season for the Cubs, easily his best season so far.
"Texas is serious about adding a starter and Dempster isn't as expensive to trade for as Garza would be, but after finishing as runners-up in the last two World Series and seeing the Angels add Zach Greinke, Texas management has decided to make a run at adding pitching, a baseball source told me. "However, with three teams seriously involved, it won't be cheap to acquire him even though it is potentially a three-month rental."
"Dempster has made it clear to Cubs management that he would like to play in Los Angeles but he also understands that Epstein and Hoyer have a job to do and he will not stand in their way if it means that the best deal is somewhere else," a source with knowledge of the discussions told me this morning. "He never told them he would only go to LA, he only said that he wanted time to make the best decision for him and his family and that is his right as a 10/5 [10 years in the majors, the last five with your current team] man. Ryan is serious about wanting to win a World Series and he will approve a deal if it gives him that chance. People who have been critical of him about the Atlanta deal don't have all of the facts."
Rafael Betancourt is attracting varying degrees of interest from the Orioles, Yankees and Athletics. The Red Sox had interest earlier this month. The White Sox and Angels are also looking for bullpen help...Betancourt has a 3.00 ERA, 9.3 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 for the Rockies this season, while converting 17 of 21 save opportunities. If the price is right, he'd definitely be a nice addition and with Joba coming back the two of them could be a huge boost to this team down the stretch.
Betancourt is under contract next year [$4.25MM] with a mutual option [$4.25MM] for 2014. To move him, the Rockies would require a valuable piece in return.
Have the Yankees changed their “fix-from-within” philosophy on third base?Interesting. Is Cashman pulling another "Bubba Crosby is our centerfielder" here? Possibly, but it's worth adding that last night, Jim Bowden tweeted that the Padres are leaning towards keeping Headley.
They have talked to the Padres about San Diego third baseman Chase Headley, according to a major-league source. But the source characterized the discussion as the Yankees merely checking in on Headley’s market.
“Names have not been exchanged,” the source said Saturday, although it’s always possible that talks could move forward.
Fox Sports first reported that Headley was “not out of the question” for the Yankees as a possible stopgap at third base as the broken bone in Alex Rodriguez’s left hand heals and as a potential replacement in the outfield in 2013 for Nick Swisher, who is a free agent after the season. Oakland, Philadelphia and Baltimore have also been mentioned in various media reports as possible suitors for Headley.
In their search for an outfielder with Brett Gardner likely out for the year, the Yankees "are in on everybody,'' says a rival executive. That means they've checked in on Shane Victorino, Justin Upton and Denard Span, and presumably others.Heyman also mentioned that the DBacks may wait until the winter to trade Upton. As for Victorino,
But so far they have nothing going with any of those guys for a variety of reasons. Here's a rundown.
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3. Span. The Yankees like him, too. But one source said "the Twins are asking for a ton.'' That's probably not a shock considering the interest all-around in center fielders. The Twins seem more open to dealing him than Josh Willingham, for instance, but that doesn't mean they're completely open to it.
the Phillies are shopping no one and instead concentrating on trying to keep star pitcher Cole Hamels with a long-term deal. One competing exec said he sees the Phillies even keeping Victorino through the season, then taking a draft choice when they lose him in the winter.As of now it appears that this search won't go anywhere for the Yanks, but things like this change with the weather, so we'll see what happens.
The easy route would be to do nothing and hope the old guys, Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones, continue to produce loud hits for the Yankees.Victorino is making $9.5 million this year and is also having one of, if not his worst season at the plate, hitting just .254/.317/.392 with 8 HR, 38 RBI, and 21 stolen bases.
The Yankees, though, need to make a deal for an outfielder. Send a limo down the New Jersey Turnpike to pick up speedy Shane Victorino from the Phillies.
Victorino would put the Yankees that much closer to victory. The Athletics beat them for the second straight night, 3-2 at O.co Coliseum.
Rent Victorino for the rest of the season. The Yankees have done a fantastic job overcoming all their injuries to forge the best record in baseball, but sooner or later, all those injuries will catch up to them. Speed is a most valuable component the Yankees lost when they lost Brett Gardner to an elbow injury.
To make matters worse, Nick Swisher had to leave Friday night’s game with a strained left hip flexor in the seventh inning.
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The Yankees need Victorino’s speed. A change of scenery is needed by Victorino, who is a free agent after the season. The Phillies need bullpen help, so surely Yankees general manager Brian Cashman can come up with a deal that is reasonable for both sides. The Phillies are dead in the water, the Yankees are riding the wave, but they need more to get where they need to be to try to win World Series No. 28.
Victorino is brash enough to be a short-term success. A move north would re-energize the Flyin’ Hawaiian, who would be a perfect fit in manager Joe Girardi’s offense. Girardi loves to put pressure on opposing defenses, but he does not have that speed component with Gardner out and undergoing elbow surgery next week.
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The price for a Victorino rental would be much less than trying to acquire the Diamondbacks’ Justin Upton. It would be difficult for the Yankees to put together such a package for Upton. Arizona general manager Kevin Towers knows the Yankees system well because he worked for them in 2010.
The answer to the Yankees’ lack of speed and outfield shortfall is close at hand, just a short drive down the Turnpike, in Shane Victorino.
The Yankees are looking harder at the outfield market than the pitching market, as they still have concerns about Brett Gardner's elbow situation.Either would be a nice pick up, but I still find it hard to believe that the Yankees will add much to the payroll. Either way, this will be something to follow as Brett Gardner tries to come back. If for any reason he can't, then I'd say the likelihood of a move will increase greatly.
They've talked to the Phillies about Shane Victorino and the Diamondbacks about Justin Upton, but Upton is a major long shot for them and right now they see the price tag as too high on either. Victorino may be slightly more realistic eventually, though.
GM Brian Cashman said on Sunday asking prices are generally too high, and that the deals available weren't worth it to make "marginal'' improvements.
The short answer is yes, the Yankees absolutely will be in the loop as the shockingly horrid Phillies field offers for Hamels while also trying to re-sign him. Yet you shouldn’t expect the Yankees to go as hard after Hamels as they did Lee, and that has nothing to do with Hamels and everything to do with the new collective bargaining agreement.The Yankees should definitely stay away fro Greinke, it's painfully obvious from everything I've read that the guy would shrink under the bright lights of the Big Apple.
The CBA, in its first season, discourages all teams generally and the Yankees specifically from making the sort of trade-deadline, headline-grabbing moves that so delighted the late George Steinbrenner.
Generally? As the Post’s Joel Sherman noted yesterday in a column, teams no longer receive compensatory draft picks for players acquired in their walk year. That means any team acquiring Hamels, who beat the Rockies yesterday in Colorado with eight innings of one-run ball, will rent the left-hander for two to three months and then, if he signs elsewhere — the Dodgers are favored to land him — will have nothing else to show for its efforts.
Specifically? The increase of the luxury-tax threshold to $189 million in 2014 has Hal Steinbrenner determined to lower the Yankees’ payroll to that number. In order for that to become a reality while the Yankees also retain their best players — Cashman said yesterday the club will contemplate extending Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson, both of whom can be free agents after next year — they will need to surround them with cheap, productive talent.
That would be the sort of cheap, productive talent that would go to Philadelphia in a Hamels trade. The Yankees might not have a great match with the Phillies, anyway, because their best prospects (outfielders Tyler Austin and Mason Williams, catcher Gary Sanchez) are several seasons away from the major leagues and Philadelphia wants to dive right back into major-league contention next year.
Oh, and as long as we’re on the subject? The Yankees are not interested in Milwaukee’s Zack Greinke, just as they didn’t engage Kansas City in Greinke talks during the 2010-11 offseason. They don’t view his personality as a good fit in New York.
During his weekly Thursday spot for Sports Radio WIP in Philadelphia, MLB Network’s Peter Gammons suggested that the Phillies, due to their last-place standing and the changes in compensation for free agents, may explore getting into an area where they can sign pending FA Cole Hamels and trade Cliff Lee, who turns 34 next month and signed through 2015 with an option for 2016.Even though Lee isn't the same pitcher he's been in recent years, there is little doubt in my mind that the addition of Cliff Lee (or Hamels for that matter) would easily favorites to win it all. However, I think we all became pretty sick of Cliff Lee, and all the talk about him coming here, when he decided to sign with the Phillies instead of signing with the Yanks a couple off-seasons ago.
If that were the case, Gammons said a big-market team would go for Lee in a hurry, and one of those teams could be the Yankees. Ironically, the Yankees were this-close to trading for Lee in 2010 before the Mariners chose to do business with the Rangers. That winter, Lee turned down the Yankees’ seven-year, $148 million offer for five and $120M in Philadelphia, a place he claimed he never wanted to leave. (Lee was traded from the Phillies to the M’s in December 2009).
.... The Yankees have professed fiscal responsibility and are aiming for a payroll under $189 million by 2014. Lee will cost a contender top prospects and the acceptance of the left-hander’s contract. That along with Brian Cashman’s insistence he’s not looking to do anything big by the July 31 trade deadline would put the Yankees out of play.
Or would it?
“The Yankees can say all they want that they won't trade,” Gammons said. “I do think it's not exactly in Brian Cashman’s DNA to trade young players, but it's different when you're Cliff Lee. I think there's a possibility. I really do. I think (the Phillies) can get more for Cliff Lee than for Cole Hamels.”
"I never wanted to leave [Philly] in the first place," Lee said. "To get an opportunity to come back and be part of this team and this pitching rotation is going to be something that's historic, I believe."So Cliff, how's that working out for you?
Soler and the Cubs agreed to a nine-year deal worth approximately $30MM, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. At least three or four teams placed bids of $20MM plus, according to Heyman. Depending on how long Soler spends at the minor league level, the deal could cover all of his arbitration seasons and multiple free agent years.The Yankees had been interested in Soler, but obviously did not have the winning bid.
Soler can opt out of his yearly salaries and file for arbitration once eligible, ESPN.com's Keith Law reports. As Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains, this means Soler could earn more than $30MM with the Cubs.
According to an industry source, free agent outfielder Jorge Soler is expected to agree on a four-year deal before tomorrow.Buster Olney said yesterday that the Yankees were one of the most aggressive teams in pursuit of the Curban outfielder.
The Yankees and Cubs have expressed strong interest in the 20-year-old, who some scouts believe is a better player than fellow Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes, 26, who signed with the Athletics.
The Yankees don’t have Nick Swisher’s replacement in the system if he leaves via free agency and Soler would represent a smaller investment than chasing free agent Josh Hamilton.
If the Yankees decide they need a starter at the trade deadline, and it's loooking more likely they might, the pitcher that interests them most is Matt Garza of the Cubs.After going 10-10 with a 3.32 ERA last year for the Cubs, Garza is 2-3 with a 4.22 over 9 starts this year. In 2010, his last season in the AL, Garza won 15 while posting a 3.91 ERA for Tampa. Rodriguez has gotten off to a much better start this year. Through 11 starts with Houston, he's 4-4, with an impressive 2.49 ERA.
The Red Sox also could have interest in Garza, which could result in another showdown between baseball's biggest rivals. That would also represent a big benefit to the Cubs.
Yankees people like the fact Garza is battle-tested in the American League East after acquiring too many pitchers from the National League who haven't been able to make a seamless transition to the A.L. The Yankees seem to have little interest in Brewers stars Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum or the other top Cubs starter Ryan Dempster, as they have concerns about Greinke in New York and Marcum and Dempster in the A.L. Even though Marcum pitched pretty well for the Blue Jays, the Yankees are concerned about his low radar readings in the A.L.
A backup plan to Garza for the Yankees could be Houston's Wandy Rodriguez, who the Yankees pursued at last year's deadline. Last summer the Yankees offered to pay $21 million of what's left on Rodriguez's deal, which now amounts to $33 million through 2014 if he's traded (the '14 option becomes a player option if he's dealt).
The Yankees were hoping they could bring back Bobby Abreu to be their designated hitter by swapping A.J. Burnett to the Angels, but the righthander would not waive his no-trade rights, according to two baseball executives with knowledge of the talks.Abreu still draws his walks, but at this point in his career that's about all he does. With that said, I really hate that AJ has a no trade clause, because that's certainly not something he's earned.
So rather than having their winter business concluded and a DH in place, the Yankees Wednesday were still working on sending Burnett to the Pirates for two marginal prospects, one of the executives said. The executive said the trade could be consummated by the weekend — Burnett is slated to report to Yankees spring camp Sunday.
“It’s not a deadline, but it doesn’t make sense for him to go to Yankee camp if he’s going to get traded,” the executive said. Some deal for Burnett appears likely — the Yankees are talking to two other teams about him, too. The Yankees have suspended their pursuit of free agent DHs such as Raul Ibañez until the Burnett matter is settled.
Burnett is allowed to pick 10 teams he can refuse to be traded to and the Angels are one of them, as are the Mariners and the other West Coast teams. Burnett and his family live in Maryland.
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