An observation I heard Sunday night may turn out to be true. These meetings are being held hostage by the Twins and Marlins, and until Johan Santana and Miguel Cabrera get traded, we may be in for another big standing around contest. Until Santana gets dealt, I’m afraid to even go to sleep.
In a private session with beat reporters, Brian Cashman would barely acknowledge he knew who Johan Santana was, let alone discuss any details of talks with the Twins. It’s pretty clear Cashman doesn’t love Hank Steinbrenner’s vocal style of negotiating, even if it provides some entertainment for the rest of us.
Andy Pettitte’s decision, announced by his agent Randy Hendricks, makes for the biggest news so far. In my mind, it doesn’t make the Yankees any less desperate to land Santana. They still need a number one, because even with Pettitte back they are the same team as last year and still not as good as Boston.
The only other moves here: the Yankees officially signed Jose Molina for 2 years and $4 million. The Rays traded the troubled Elijah Dukes to Washington for a minor league pitcher. The Nationals new outfield features both Dukes and Lastings Milledge.
The most random sighting I can remember at a baseball Winter Meetings: Jerome Bettis. The Bus was hanging out in the lobby bar Monday. Apparently he is a part owner of two Pittsburgh Pirates farm teams.
Mark Loretta was a name the Yankees have looked at in the past as a first base/utility type. He’s a free agent now, but the Yanks would have to give up a draft pick to sign him so that may be prohibitive. But after designating Andy Phillips for assignment (to make room on the roster for Jose Molina), the Yanks may need another first-base type. Right now they’re looking at Shelley Duncan, Wilson Betemit, and Jason Giambi. They also have Juan Miranda, the Cuban defector who hit 16 HR with 96 RBI between A and AA last year. He also had a productive Arizona Fall League and should see some time in spring training.
I’m told the backup infield spot could be up for grabs between Nick Green, Chris Woodward, and Alberto Gonzalez among others. Green was a Yankee briefly in 2006 and is a free agent. Woodward spent some time with the Mets and is a free agent.
Luis Vizcaino may get too pricey for the Yankees (believe it or not). The market for relief pitchers keeps going up and Vizcaino is fielding interest from multiple teams, including the Mets. Vizcaino is pretty essential to the success of the Yankee bullpen, but do you want to commit 3 years and 12 million dollars (or more)? And he may just be trying to get the price down on some other choices, but Brian Cashman listed Sean Henn, Chase Wright, and Kei Igawa as options for a lefty reliever spot.
Speaking of bullpen, Brian Cashman says he has been getting numerous calls about Kyle Farnsworth but doesn’t anticipate moving him. “I think he’s here to stay,” said Cashman. Beside the fact they literally have no one else signed to fill the late inning setup roles, Joe Girardi (who caught Farnsworth for two years in Chicago) is a big supporter.
Cashman also reiterated that the plan for Joba Chamberlain is to start. They keep referring to “the plan” which leads you to believe there are circumstances that could send him back to the setup role. The only likely one would be if they had a rotation consisting of Santana, Wang, Pettitte, Mussina, and Kennedy. That would allow Joba to fill that valuable setup role. However, I continue to hear from one scout after another about Joba’s potential as a starter, about his 4-pitch arsenal, and how he’s a number one in waiting.
If they end up trading Melky Cabrera, Johnny Damon is the in-house option for centerfield but I believe they will explore the free agent options. Andruw Jones will price himself out and Aaron Rowand may do the same for that matter. Cheaper alternatives (in years and/or dollars) include Mike Cameron and Milton Bradley. Remember, because they have re-signed A-Rod, whoever the other outfielder is will be batting in the bottom third of the order, so you can go cheaper based on defense and not think so much about the offense.
Omar Minaya refuted a story that he asked for and was denied a contract extension. Minaya said he has two years left on his contract and has been told by ownership in the past that he will be here “for a very long time.”
Omar didn’t address any specific trade opportunities but did say that “all these guys being reported, we are having dialog with those clubs.” It is logical that he is referring to guys like Dan Haren and Erik Bedard. However, Omar later said that some names being talked about have not necessarily been made available by GM’s he’s spoken with.
From what I know, the Mets would kill to get Bedard and as long as they don’t have to give up Wright or Reyes they would make the deal in a second. But the Orioles may be moving a little more slowly. They have to consider very carefully what they’re telling their fans by trading the best pitching prospect they’ve turned out since Mike Mussina. But the accepted theory is that they are two years away from being serious contenders and Bedard is two years away from free agency, making him more valuable to them based on what he can get back in a trade. If I’m Andy McPhail, I keep Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis and ditch everyone else.
Omar said he doesn’t feel like he has to make a trade, but everyone knows he hasn’t done enough to address his pitching staff. After losing Tom Glavine, Omar says he now has a full season of Pedro Martinez, but can you count on him to make 34 starts? Tough bet to take right now.
Mets fans may not love the idea of Livan Hernandez, but a Diamondbacks exec told me he’s still a heavy innings eater and they would love to keep him, but he’s going to be too pricey for them at about $8 million. That’s a lot of money, but it happens to be the going rate for a veteran pitcher who can throw 180-200 innings.
Billy Martin Jr. was in the lobby today, and he was a little upset that his father didn’t get more support in the Hall of Fame balloting by the re-vamped Veterans Committee. Martin finished with only 3 votes from the 16-member panel (12 were needed for election). Martin Jr. is here as an agent. He was escorting his client Joe Nathan, who was not here because his name has come up in trade talks. Rather, Nathan was here because he recently moved to nearby Knoxville, and Martin thought it was a good opportunity to just to see what this madness is all about.
Check back later for more updates. You can send questions and comments to Yankees@wfan.com. Don’t forget to listen in during the 11 o’clock hour every morning for my extended reports with Joe Benigno & Ed Coleman (filling in for Evan Roberts). You’ll also hear from our newest free agent signing, Jon Heyman, during the week with Mike & The Mad Dog. If you miss any of it, check back on our audio page by clicking here.
Go back to 1997, the year after the Yankees won their first World Series under Joe Torre, and two of the most talked about players were a couple of kids who were less than two years removed from their big league debuts in Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.
Welcome to February. It may not feel like it outside, but spring is right around the corner. Pitchers and catchers are just two weeks away, and if that’s enough to warm you up right about now then try another pair of socks and some hot tea.
I can’t imagine I’ll ever have the privilege of covering a player like Hideki Matsui again. The word “unique” is thrown around too much, but this was indeed a unique experience, right from Day One.
A few thoughts heading out of Indianapolis: *Assume for a moment no Johnny Damon in the 2-hole. On days when Jorge Posada doesn’t catch and bat 5th, who’s the best option for the Yankees in the 5-hole behind Alex Rodriguez?
Andy Pettitte’s one-year renewals have worked out very well for the Yankees. After signing for the 2010 season for essentially he is now entering the final year of a 4-year, $54.25 million contract.
Yankee fans should be thankful Curtis Granderson’s OBP dipped down to .327 last season (from .361 and .365 the previous two years). The price the Yankees paid for Granderson wasn’t very high if you think about it.
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