Braves Get Their Man

After losing out on A.J. Burnett and seeing their long time starter/closer John Smoltz head north to Boston, the Atlanta Braves came to an agreement today with free agent starter Derek Lowe. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that terms are 4 years and $60 million.

The Braves offer for Burnett fell short of the money the Yankees came up with and they weren't willing to guarantee enough money for Smoltz's liking. So while they talked to Lowe along with teams such as the Mets (Seriously Omar and the Wilpons, how could you not make a comparable offer? Tim Redding?), they bided their time by bringing in Japanese starter Kenshin Kawakami.

Lowe will be playing for his 4th team in his 13 year career, the last 4 of which were spent with the LA Dodgers. He's coming off a solid 14-11, 3.24 campaign and has tough 200 innings in 5 of the last 7 seasons (he missed out on a 6th by just 2/3 of an inning).

Share

Breaking News: Hoffman Agrees to Terms with Brewers

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that the all-time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman, has come to terms with the Brewers on a 1 year, $6 million contract. It's possible a second year, either guaranteed or an option, could be added to the deal.

Hoffman has spent his entire 16 year career with the Padres, compiling 554 saves.

Share

You Can Go Home Again

Especially if your name is Jason Giambi. The former leader of the Oakland A's playoff teams of 2000-2001 has re-signed with the A's after 7 years in New York. Giambi passed his physical, enabling him to put his John Hancock on a 1 year, $5.25 million contract to play for Oakland.

Giambi built his reputation as a slugger, and steroid user, while averaging 35 home runs and 122 RBI from 1998-2001. He won the AL MVP Award his last season in the Bay area before bolting to the Yankees for 7 years and $120 million.

His time in New York was a mixed bag of home runs, walks, strikeouts, injuries, golden thongs, and of course, the steroid scandal. While he screwed up, he still had the backing of his teammates, most notably the Yankees captain, Derek Jeter, and was well liked by the fans and media.

Good luck in Oakland, Big G.

Share

Andy, We Hardly Know Ye

Today we have a very special post, from a very special woman...my wife. Mrs. MM puts in her 2 cents on Andy Pettitte's future in or out of NY.

What the heck happened to the home grown, stand-up guy with the "aw, shucks" humble attitude and a boat load of talent?

After weeks of foot dragging, Andy Pettite has finally made a public decision to reject the Yankees' offer of $10 million to pitch for them for 2009. In my mind, if he indeed walks away, he just went from a talented, if flawed, guy who had the good fortune to have been part of a successful dynasty and could have proudly wrapped up a great career and rode into the sunset to acclaim... to a chump. Now he is just like every other greedy sports figure who shamelessly and publicly does a money grab first, and considers how it affects his reputation later. In this case, that's a huge mistake.

How did this evolve? Well, first a little history on the subject...
Pettite came up through the Yankees farm system and eased his way in as a big left-hander from Texas with lots of guts and heart for the game. He paid his dues and when opportunity struck to hit the majors, he did so with humility and spirit. He became known as a leader in the clubhouse, an affable guy, and one who gave his all to win and for his teammates. Off the field, he was a family man and a devout Christian. That, plus being known as a reliable pitcher with one of the most effective pick-off moves in all of major league baseball.

He was the real deal, and his consistency and tenacity garnered everyone's respect and earned him 4 World Series championship rings as an integral part of 4 outstanding Yankee teams.

In 2001, Pettite had gotten killed in Game 6 of the World Series against the Diamondbacks, (and then we all know about how Game 7 ended). Then, after losing the 2003 World Series, in which Pettitte turned in a star performance, Yankees brass knew that it was time to re-tool a bit. They spent the off-season jockeying for players with some additional offense to offer, and landed Kenny Lofton, Tony Womack and one of the "big fish" that year- Gary Sheffield. With their attention turned elsewhere, the powers-that-be in Tampa (G. Steinbrenner, Randy Levine, et al) neglected to recognize the value of their coveted veteran lefty pitcher. During that final year of his contract, they didn't dangle the possibility of a lucrative contact extension.

Distracted by other holes in the leaky boat, the Yankees didn't show Pettitte the respect that he had certainly earned in all of his successful years of service. Instead, at the eleventh hour, they contacted him about a new contract. It was a fair contract that offered a generous salary, but the timing made it seem like an afterthought. So, feeling overlooked and dissed, Andy walked. And they let him go. "It isn't the money", he said at the time. It was the principle. So he took the road back to Houston. He accepted less money in exchange for recognition and respect. And the bonus was the chance to be around home more with his kids, and where he could help to shape the up and coming younger Astros players with the counsel of a seasoned veteran. By and large, Yankees fans understood the logic of Pettite's decision. He had been overlooked by Yankees management and the decision had to do more with his requirement of being treated with respect than anything money could buy. Who could argue with that?

Pettite gave 3 years of service to Houston, sharing the Astros' rotation with fellow Texan, ex-Yankee, friend, and workout partner Roger Clemens. And from 2004-2006, the Yankees struggled to fill the hole left in the wake of Pettite's departure. Kevin Brown couldn't begin to fill those shoes nor could anyone else. So following the 3-year stint and elbow surgery in Houston, Mr. Home Grown returned to New York and was warmly welcomed back by Yankees fans in 2007. He spent the first year back reminding fans of what they'd missed. He got over his snit of having been ignored, and the move implied that he had returned for his love of the game and recognition of all the good memories that he had made on his way up to the majors and his respect for the specialness that is the Yankee legend. He was part of that elite group that had been the heart of the team for years: Jeter, Mo, Posada, and Pettite. You got the feeling that this was where he wanted to play and where he wanted to wrap up his career.

But then the whole steroid mess began to unfold in 2007-2008 and Pettite's solid reputation was rocked by scandal. Bam! Roger Clemens slinked away under a veil of suspicion, and despite all protests to the contrary, he looked like a selfish, guilty fool. And out trickled a nasty little sidelight: Pettite had used HGH, too. You might just as well have read that there was no tooth fairy. It made all of us wonder about the myth we had bought into regarding Pettite as a man of character who you could expect to uphold principle and do the right thing. The same guy who we would smile at because he was a man with such a great sense of decency that when he got frustrated with his performance during a game you could often witness him screaming obscenities into his glove rather than let anyone else see or hear him do it. The same guy.

So what did this stand-up guy do when faced with the white light of scrutiny in the press and under oath at a Congressional hearing? He came clean about his steroid use. Sorta. Eventually. When he had no other choice. He distanced himself from Clemens, claiming that their friendship was never as close as we had thought. He involved his wife, Laura, in his affidavits, as if throwing her under the bus with her testimony would somehow corroborate his assertion that he only used illegal substances to heal an injured arm and return to his team. Except that he eventually admitted that wasn't really the whole truth. But, we bought it. Because we wanted to believe in him.

And Yankees management backed him. Because they needed to. And because of his prior reputation, he kind of got a pass on the whole ugly mess in the court of public opinion. But even if what he said was true, is intention a sound defense when lies were told knowingly and the law was broken?

Then the disappointing 2008 season came and went. Plagued all season with injuries and bad pitching, the pitching staff was in shambles and Pettitte contemplated the 2009 season. The Yankees knew they had shuffling and trading and rebuilding to do and they needed to have a solid rotation to put on the field in the new Yankee Stadium. Knowing they would likely only need one of their veterans, Mussina or Pettitte, Moose made their choice easy by retiring on an up note, with class and dignity. And that left Pettite.

A 1-year contract was offered to Pettitte. Maybe not a stellar contract compared to the deal that CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett got, but one that would keep him in New York and allow him to pitch for the team he said he loved. And $10 million is nothing to sneeze at. The team he said he wanted to pitch for at the new stadium. And the one that stood behind him just the year before as he squirmed uncomfortably at that press conference where he had to stand up and explain his steroid usage (with his loyal buds Jeter, Mo, and Posada lending their unwavering moral support from the front row).

And instead of taking the offer, this man of principle who we believed in and whose faults we forgave and who we stood behind..... is ready to walk away again. But this time for selfish reasons: money. It is just mind boggling that after all this time with all his millions and all of his so-called principles, he's no better than any other bottom feeder. And so careless with his once carefully crafted reputation. What a shame.

In an era where people love to build up and tear down their heroes, here is one great athlete who doesn't need tearing down. Pettite is doing a fine job of it all by himself.

Share

There's Someone for Everyone

The Indians have signed Carl Pavano to a 1 year, $1.5 million contract. "American Idle" (possibly the best nickname that was ever given to a player) can make another $5.3 million with incentives. Those carrots on a stick begin with 18 starts and 130 innings.

Share

3rd Night of Hanukkah or Christmas Comes Early

It doesn't matter how you slice it. Whatever holiday you celebrate, you've gotten this season's big ticket items. CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and now you can add your very own Mark Teixeira. Big Tex is coming to town on the wings of an 8 year, $180 million contract. Sticker shock? Nah. Small peanuts for a big cash(ew) team.

The Washington Times had reported earlier today that there was to be a decision today on Teixeira's future. Most thought the Red Sox would be inking him to a new deal despite owner John Henry's claim that the Sox were back away. Teixeira's current team, the Angels, decided a new deal was too rich for their blood and had pulled out of the running. Fringe teams like the Nationals and Orioles were thought to have offered, or were preparing to offer, a mega-deal.

But when it came right down to it, the Yankees played it slowly and wisely (as it turns out). They figured out who the real competition for Teixeira's services were, and how much money would be involved. Then they waited for some of the players to drop out and dropped some more millions on the pile.

The Yankees now have an incredible lineup, one even stronger than the nine they wrote in every day in 2007 when they scored runs (until the playoffs) like there was no tomorrow. Buster Olney was on with ESPN radio's Max Kellerman and the two speculated that Teixeira would bat in front of Alex Rodriguez with Hideki Matsui likely to be in the 5-spot.

Why? Tex should clearly bat cleanup to serve as protection for A-Rod not the other way around. A-Rod needs someone to take the pressure off of him and Matsui, nor anyone else in the lineup, will do that.

What about the outfield and DH? The Yankees now have Johnny Damon, Xavier Nady, Melky Cabrera, Brett Gardner, Hideki Matsui, and Nick Swisher for 3 spots in the outfield and 1 spot in the lineup as DH.

The time has come to trade Hideki Matsui. We love Godzilla, and he's been an effective run producer, but his body and defense have deteriorated as has his power. If you are going to have Swisher, you might as well use him. He's not a good defender, so you can give him the bulk of at-bats at DH, throwing some time to the aging legs of Johnny Damon. We could see the Yankees waiting to deal Matsui until closer to the season opener to be sure that Jorge Posada is healthy and ready to be in the lineup every/almost every day.

Swisher can occasionally player either of three outfield positions to spot players some rest. The season could open with a Gardner/Cabrera platoon in center field. You don't need a mega-watt star at every position. Mike Cameron is definitely NOT needed or necessary. Gardner/Cabrera could battle for time in the 9-hole in the lineup. If both continued to suck, you can look elsewhere, perhaps a veteran who would come cheap via a trade.

The lineup we would put out there:

Damon
Jeter
A-Rod
Teixeira
Nady
Posada
Cano
Swisher
Gardner/Cabrera

Happy Holidays!

Share

CC Says Yes Yes

The Yankees have landed the big fish, the number one target in their free agent quest. Several sources are reporting this morning that CC Sabathia and the Yankees have agreed to a 7 year, $160 million deal, contingent on the big guy passing a physical.

Brian Cashman left the winter meetings in Las Vegas last night and flew to the Bay Area to meet with Sabathia and his wife Amber with the hope of getting a deal done. And it happened, though it took another year and $20 million.

Jon Heyman also reported last night that the Yankees had topped the Braves' bid for A.J. Burnett, supposedly offering 4 years for $64 million.

Yankees rotation at the moment - Sabathia, Chien-Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlain. Should the Yankees sign Burnett they may use Phil Hughes to get a bat (perhaps Prince Fielder?) rather than make Hughes or Andy Pettitte the #5 starter.

Share

Breaking News: Mets Get Their Closer

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Mets have indeed reached a contract agreement with free agent closer Francisco Rodriguez. The deal is reportedly worth $37 million over 3 years, and has a vesting option for a fourth year at $14 million.

Share

Breaking News: Giants Ink Renteria

WFAN is reporting that the San Fran Giants have signed free agent shortstop Edgar Renteria to a 2-year, $18 million deal. Renteria spent the past season, his 13th in the bigs, with the Tigers. Hit .270-10-55, scored 69 runs, and stole just 6 bases, the lowest total of his career.

Renteria is one player who seems to play, both offensively and defensively, in the National League. It looks like he'll get that chance again.

UPDATE 9:35 PM - Earlier this evening Edgar Renteria's agent Barry Meister shot down reports that Renteria and the Giants had agreed to a deal. Meister said the two sides have talked, but are not close to any deal.

Share

Marte Back for 3 More

Reliever Damaso Marte had his option declined by the Yankees for 2009, but the Pinstripes brass never had any intention of letting Marte get away. The Yankees announced today they had signed Marte to a 3-year, $12 million deal that will keep him in the Bronx through 2011.

The 33-yr old was acquired along with Xavier Nady at last season's trade deadline for prospects Jose Tabata, Dan McCutchen, Russ Ohlendorf, and Jeff Karstens. Marte was inconsistent in his first half-season in the Bronx, but the Yankees are very high on his stuff and they also realize the need to keep more than one good left-hander in the pen. The Yankees will also be counting on rookie Phil Coke to fill that need.

Share

Cashman Re-Ups

Brian Cashman said he still has a job to do. He's got three years to do it. The Yankees general manager signed a new, three year contract that will keep as the head honcho through 2011.

"I know I've said it before, but it's an incredible opportunity and honor to hold the title of general manager for the New York Yankees," Cashman said. "With it comes a great responsibility to ownership, the people who wear the uniform and our fan base. I've got a job to finish here. That's the bottom line."

The Steinbrenner boys were happy to have Cashman back in the fold.

"Before we could move forward as an organization this offseason, we needed to come to a resolution on the person who would hold the important position of general manager and allow us to make another run at a 27th world championship," Hal and Hank Steinbrenner said in a joint statement released through the team.

"We are thrilled that Brian has accepted to renew his commitment to this organization for at least three more years."

Share

Results of the Manny Ramirez-Yankees Poll

We'd like to thank everyone who participated in the "Should the Yankees try to sign Manny Ramirez in the off-season?" poll. The results surprised us a bit.

53% of you said, "No way, no how, Uh uh". We didn't think the anti-Manny sentiment would be that high. Maybe we underestimated just how much his recent behavior affected the thinking of our readers.

39% of you do want him though, with the majority of that vote swinging heavily (23%) towards get it done no matter what, over only for the right priced deal (9%).

The remaining 8% of the voters were unsure whether the addition of the Man-child would be a good or bad thing.

Share

Indians Trying to Keep C.C.

Ed Price of the Star Ledger is reporting that the Cleveland Indians are making one last effort to sign their ace C.C. Sabathia to a long term contract. That according to a major league executive familiar with the situation.

Negotiations on a new deal broke down during spring training and Sabathia said he did not want to negotiate during the season. He's believe to be looking for a deal similar to the 6-yr, $137.5 million contract Johan Santana received from the Mets.

Share

That's about 25,000 a Walk

Brian Bruney avoided arbitration by agreeing to a 1-year $725,000 deal. Bruney falls into that pile of relievers that would be good, "if they could only harness that fastball". Nice job keeping the bullpen in shambles, Cash.

Maybe he should get his tattoo on home plate.

Share

Friday Hot Stove

With reports of the Yankees close to tying up Robinson Cano with a long term deal, the Twins are doing likewise with Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau. Cuddyer inked a 3-year, $24 million deal, and Morneau, the 2006 AL MVP, will get $80 million over 6 years.

The Yankees are close to a minor signing with veteran utility man Chris Woodard.

The A's added Jeff Fiorentino off of waivers from the Reds. The A's are Fiorentino's 3rd team in 3 weeks. The once highly thought of prospect, who's still just 24-yrs old, was released by the Orioles on January 2nd.

Buster Olney says that the Giants and Mariners are the favorites to land veteran 1st Baseman Tony Clark.

The Rocky Mountain News is claiming the Mets are close to signing Livan Hernandez. It would be great to see him as a teammate of his brother, El Duque.

Rod Barajas was supposed to be the Blue Jays starting catcher last year, but free agent talks broke down at the last moment. This time around Barajas has signed on with Toronto as a back up to Greg Zaun. Had Barajas' deal gone through last year, the Jays would have let Zaun go.

The Braves have signed reliever Rafael Soriano to a new 2-yr, $9 million contract. Atlanta decided to buy out Soriano's 1st year of free agency, by paying more than he requested in arbitration.

If the Orioles can't find themselves a closer to replace the injured Chris Ray, Andy MacPhail indicated that Greg Aquino may be the 1st option.

Share

Breaking News: Cano Close to 4-year Deal

FoxSports' Ken Rosenthal is reporting the Yankees and Robinson Cano are close to agreeing on a 4-year deal that would be worth a reported $30 million. The deal would include all of Cano's arbitration years and 1 or 2 years of free agency.

Cano and the Yankees were getting ready to go to arbitration with the two sides far apart. Cano had submitted a proposal of $4.55 million, while the Yankees submitted a figure of $3.2 million.

Cano qualifies as a "super-two" player, meaning he gets four years of arbitration eligibility, instead of the normal three years.

Share

Cano Looking to Future

The Yankees have not had a long-term 2nd Baseman since Mets' manager Willie Randolph manned the position in the 1970's and 1980's. (Pat Kelly only played more than 100 games twice in his 7 years in the pinstripes, and Chuck Knoblauch lasted only 4, mentally challenged years in the Bronx.) But Robinson Cano would like to change all of that. Entering his 4th full season in the majors, the native Dominican would like to sign a long term deal with the Yankees, and avoid arbitration.

In his first year of arbitration eligibility, Cano's reps a proposal of $4.55 million. The Yankees' proposal is well below that at $3.2 million. Cano started out poorly in '07, but finished with career highs in home runs and RBI, and has a lifetime batting average of .314. With help from former coach Larry Bowa, Cano's defense has also improved greatly and he is blossoming into one of the better defensive 2nd Baseman in the AL.

Cano's agent Bobby Barad told Newsday's Kat O'Brien that no negotiations have begun with the Yankees. But Barad said that Cano would be open to have his status locked up early, as the crosstown Mets did with David Wright and Jose Reyes.

"Could it get done? That's more complicated", said Barad. "It depends on, there's so many factors that would determine that."

With large salaries already being paid to a number of older veterans and others, such as Derek Jeter, having contracts coming up for renewal sooner rather than later, it's understandable that the Yankees may not want to throw too much money at Cano too soon. Then again they may want to learn a lesson from their previous contract negotiations with Jeter, who made much more money after the Yankees decided not to initially offer him a long term deal.

As Don Mattingly once said, referring to contract status, "This year they (the Yankees) have the hammer. Next year I will.".

Share

White Sox Ink Dotel

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Chicago White Sox have attempted to strengthen their bridge to Bobby Jenks by signing Octavio Dotel to a 2-year deal. The 34-yr old will reportedly make $11 million.

The signing means the White Sox have invested $30 million in the pen for Dotel and Scott Linebrink.

Share

LaTroy Makes it Official

LaTroy Hawkins has officially signed his contract, one that will guarantee him $3.75 million next season. Now if we could only guarantee he won't stink.

Here's the official news release:

The New York Yankees made it official Thursday, signing veteran reliever LaTroy Hawkins to a one-year deal.

According to Rocky Mountain News, Hawkins will make $3.75 million next season.

The 35-year-old Hawkins went 2-5 with a 3.42 earned run average with five saves in 62 appearances with the NL Champion Colorado Rockies last year.

Over 13 seasons in the majors, he has posted a 56-76 record with 75 saves and a 4.68 ERA in 631 games, which has included 98 starts. He played his first nine seasons in Minnesota and has also had stints with the Cubs, Giants and Orioles.

Share

Whatchu talkin' 'bout Willis?

Earlier reports of the Tigers and Dontrelle Willis making good progress on a contract extension were not just rumors. The recently acquired lefty agreed to a 3-year, $29 million deal, with incentives that could push the value above $30 million in total.

Willis had to have realized his value is not what it once was. And though he could certainly re-establish his value, another bad season would have meant a possibly big hit to his value on the free agent market after the '09 season.

Share