King: Yankees on Verge of Trading For Alfonso Soriano

From George King:

In dire need of a bat with thump and an indication the Yankees may believe that Alex Rodriguez isn’t going to play this season, the toothless Bombers are close to acquiring Alfonso Soriano from the Cubs, The Post has learned.

According to a person familiar with the talks, the Cubs will pay the bulk of what is left on Soriano’s contract. He makes $18 million this year and the same for next season.

Like they did in the Vernon Wells deal, whatever the Yankees pay will be laid out for the little more than the $6 million remaining Soriano’s contract this season. That way the Yankees aren’t on the hook for money next year when they want to get the payroll to $189 million. Soriano has a no-trade clause, but he would not block a deal to put him back in Pinstripes.

In return the Cubs will get a mid-level prospect.

The 37-year-old former Yankees is hitting .259/.289/.476 with 17 HR and 51 RBI in 374 at-bats with the Cubs this year.

It's painfully obviously that they need hitting. Soriano won't solve all their hitting woes, but I guess it's a start.

Should the Yankees give Overbay a shot?

From Bryan Hoch:

The Yankees might consider signing free agent first baseman Lyle Overbay, who was released from his Minor League contract by the Red Sox on Tuesday morning.

Overbay, 36, was a non-roster invitee to Boston's camp and batted .220 with seven RBIs in 19 games this spring.

A .270 career hitter over 12 big league seasons, Overbay played in 65 games last year with the D-backs and Braves, batting a combined .259 with two homers and 10 RBIs in 116 at-bats.

...

"The stuff that's possibly out there that we could add, those decisions aren't in our control," Cashman said recently. "If there are castoffs from other camps that we'll look at and evaluate, we'll wait for that to happen first."

With Jeter hurt, that leave Youkilis starting at third and then, as of now, Juan Rivera at first. I'm not sure how much the 36-year-old Overbay has left in the tank, but I have to believe it's better than what Rivera will give the Yankees.

Do you think the Yankees should give Overbay a shot?

Looks Like The Yankees Are Getting Desperate

Since this obviously didn't work, they've moved on to Derrek Lee and Scott Rolen:

Rumor: Yankees May Be Close To Deal With Travis Hafner

Pronk, who hasn't been able to stay healthy since 2007, only played 66 games for the Tribe last season, hitting .228/.346./.438 with 12 HR and 34 RBI. If healthy, he could be a cheap and decent option at DH.

Yankees Eying Vernon Wells?

From Anthony McCarron:

Next up on the Yankees’ winter shopping list is a righthanded-hitting outfielder, and the Angels’ Vernon Wells reportedly is a potential trade target.

The Yankees and the Angels discussed a possible deal for Wells at the baseball winter meetings in Nashville, according to a report Saturday on FoxSports.com.

The Yanks are also prowling the free-agent market in search of a righty bat to complement their all-lefty outfield of Curtis Granderson, Brett Gardner and Ichiro Suzuki. Ichiro has agreed to a two-year, $13 million contract that will become official once he takes a physical and some contract language is completed.

The Yankees have interest in Scott Hairston, who hit 20 homers for the Mets last year. They might be a match with the Angels for a trade because the Halos just signed Josh Hamilton and now have a glut of outfielders, meaning the 34-year-old Wells could be available.

Wells is due to make $21 million in both 2013 and 2014, which does not fit into the Yankees’ plan to drop their payroll under the luxury tax threshold of $189 million by 2014. So it’s likely that the Yanks would want the Angels to eat much of the contract. Wells’ contract has a no-trade clause, but he waived it for the trade that sent him from Toronto to Anaheim before the 2011 season.

I supposed a right-handed outfielder would help, but I can't see the Angels picking up that much of his salary. Well hit .230/.279/.403 with 11 HR in 77 games for the Angels last year, and hit .218/.248/.412 with 25 homers in 131 games in 2011.

Some Think Youkilis is Waiting For A Non-Yankee Offer

From CSNNE.com:

"You think he just doesn't want to play for the Yankees?" ex-Sox infielder Lou Merloni asked Monday night on 'Uno's Sports Tonight'. "The history, and playing for the Red Sox? . . .

"I think like he's waiting for other offers because he just doesn't want to play for the Yankees."

Here's the video from the article:

It does seem kind of odd that he has not yet accepted the offer from the Yankees, especially when you consider that as of now nobody else is in the mix. Oh well, I assume we'll have our answer in the next day or two.

Youkilis 'Seriously Considering' Yankees as Cleveland Signs Reynolds

From the NY Daily News:

The Yankees could have an answer to their third-base problem shortly and the possibility it’ll be Kevin Youkilis may have gained steam Sunday night when Mark Reynolds reportedly agreed to a deal with the Indians.

Cleveland was viewed as the Yankees’ biggest competition for Youkilis. But CBSsports.com, which first reported Reynolds’ agreement and said he was going to play first base for the Indians, said the move meant Cleveland would use Lonnie Chisenhall at third.

So with one serious suitor down, the Yankees’ chances may have improved, though the Mariners and Dodgers are among the teams that also have reportedly shown interest in Youkilis. Youkilis’ agent, Joe Bick, said Sunday his client is “giving serious consideration to the Yankees” but wouldn’t offer more detail on what other teams were involved.

“Kevin’s in the process of considering options and we’ll obviously make a decision at some point not too far in the future here,” Bick said.

It would appear that the Youkilis signing is inevitable. Stay tuned...

Rosenthal: Yankees Likely To Resign Ichiro

From Ken Rosenthal:

Ichiro Suzuki enjoyed playing for the Yankees so much, he likely will be back with them again.

The Yankees are showing strong interest in re-signing the free-agent outfielder, according to major league sources.

“They are all over him,” one source says. “That (a deal with Ichiro) will happen.”

That's good to hear..... Rosenthal also mentioned that the Yankees are still exploring the idea of trading Curtis Granderson.

Heyman: Hamilton to Yankees Not Happening

Yankees Check in on Josh Hamilton

Not Cashman? Are the Yankees brass pulling another Rafael Soriano type move here?

There was also an article by Joel Sherman in today's New York Post where he says that George Steinbrenner and the old Yankees brass would never pass up on the chance of getting Josh Hamilton in Pinstripes, which is very true. At the end of the day, this could just be another baseless Winter Meeting rumor, but it will still be interesting to see how this whole thing plays out.

Granderson, Nova & Hughes are Available

Yankees in Talks With A.J. Pierzynski

This would be a solid signing for the Yankees, who as you know are in desperate need of a catcher.

Kepner: Ian Stewart Makes Sense For Yanks

Stewart has been struggling with injuries over the past two seasons, but if he could regain his 2010 form of .256/.338/.443 with 18 HR and 61 RBI he would be a decent and cheap fill-in while A-Rod recovers.

Now most of this is just pure speculation, but other possible replacements I've seen mentioned are Kevin Youkilis, Asdrubal Cabrera, Stephen Drew, Eric Chavez, Hiroyuki Nakajima, Jeff Keppinger, Chase Headley, Mark Reynolds, Scott Rolen, Jerry Hairston Jr. and Marco Scutaro. For more on these possible 3rd base replacements, check out this article by Joel Sherman.

Yankees Open To Trading Granderson & Hughes

Well, there's always this option to replace Granderson:

ESPN's and XM's Jim Bowden really feels like the Yankees may still sign Josh Hamilton. Brian Cashman is once again doing his laying in the weeds thing, before he possibly strikes, Bowden believes.

During Day 1 on Monday, I went on Bowden and Casey Stern's XM MLB Network radio show and, in the midst of our conversation, we came up with something that made some sense. At least, to me.

If the Yankees were to trade Curtis Granderson for a package of young players, they could turn around and use the money they might have spent on free-agent-to-be Granderson on ... Hamilton. Essentially, they would be making a deal of Granderson for Hamilton and the package of young players. Seems to make some sense.

The Yankees do have some doubts about how Hamilton could handle New York. So perhaps Hamilton isn't the guy in the ultimate scenario, but it seems obvious that this is one day the Yankees could make a big splash.

Cashman later appeared on Bowden and Stern's XM show, Bowden asked Cashman, "Is it financially possible to stay within $189M and sign Josh Hamilton?" Bowden even added, "Without trading Curtis Granderson?"

"We have a dynamic, creative front office and ownership," Cashman said. "We are always try to do everything that makes sense in our world."

Obviously there are many legitimate concerns tied to Hamilton, and that's before you consider the huge contract he wants. But when he's hitting the guy is an absolute beast so it's at least something interesting to consider.

Stark: It's Yankees or Japan For Kuroda

From Jayson Stark:

If free-agent right-hander Hiroki Kuroda pitches in the United States next season, it apparently will be for the New York Yankees.

The Yankees are now "very confident" they're going to sign the 37-year-old Kuroda, and believe he will either pitch for them or return to Japan, say agents and clubs that have spoken with them. Meanwhile, other teams that have been reported as having interest in Kuroda -- particularly the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels -- appear to have shifted their focus elsewhere.

...

It's still possible, however, that Kuroda could return to Japan. He has said several times he wants to finish his career there, but hasn't said when.

Hopefully this is not just an empty rumor because it's is great news. They need Kuroda if they're going to compete with the rapidly improving AL East.

Nolasco Drawing Interest From Yankees

Back in July of 2011 the Yankees tried to trade for him so this isn't the first time the Yankees have shown interest in Nolasco.

If this is their plan to replace Kuroda than I really can't figure out what the hell they're thinking. Last season, the right-hander went 12-13 with a 4.48 ERA in 31 starts for the Marlins. In 191 innings he allowed 95 earned runs on 214 hits, walked 47 and struck out 125. I would have to expect those numbers to get even worse with a move to the AL East.

Yankees Have Talked To Ibanez About Returning For 2013

From Dan Martin:

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.

Ibanez, 40, provided some of the only offensive highlights in the postseason for his new team and often delivered in big spots.

There aren't many affordable (Remember, the Yankees are cheap now) options out there so bringing back Raul may be the Yankees best option.

Torii Hunter, who the Yankees had interest in, is now with the Tigers after signing pretty ridiculous two-year, $26-million contract earlier today.

Yankees Interested in Mike Napoli

If they do lose Martin, Napoli would be a pretty good replacement. After a great 2011 campaign, Napoli fell off a bit last season hitting .227/.343/.469 with 24 HR and 56 RBI in 108 games for the Rangers. Not great, but better than the numbers Martin put up the last two years.

Kuroda On Red Sox Radar

Regardless of this rumor, I think the Yankees should do everything they can to make sure Kuroda is back next year.

Sherman: Yanks not in on Justin Upton

From Joel Sherman:

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.

Though Arizona’s Justin Upton has become available at the GM Meetings, a person involved in discussions said, “The Yankees are not on him.”

...

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.

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.