Maybe Wang Will Be Back

Nick Cafardo wrote this today about free agent starter Chien-Ming Wang (hat-tip to River Ave. Blues):

Fifteen teams have inquired about the rehabbing righty, according to agent Alan Nero, and while Nero wouldn’t confirm which teams are involved (except the Yankees, who would like to match any final offer) you can bet the Red Sox are one of them. The plan, according to Nero, is for Wang to visit Dr. James Andrews Jan. 4 and get an updated timeframe on his comeback. The big righthander has had foot, hip, and shoulder issues the past year-plus, but appears to be in good shape. Nero said Wang has been long-tossing since Dec. 1 with no issues, and is hoping to return to the mound in early May.

I have to assume the Yankees are Wang's first choice, so if they do match any offer he may remain in Pinstripes after all.

Lowell Trade Dead

Well, it looks like Boston's attempts to shed the contract of Mike Lowell. Pete Abe broke the news. Apparently Lowell's physical revealed a "torn radial colateral ligament" in his right thumb. He'll undergo surgery for it shortly after Christmas and it will take 6-8 weeks for him to recover.

The trade would have gave the Red Sox some salary relief along with the young Max Ramirez. The fact that Lowell's contract will continue to weigh them down probably means that they're out of the Adrian Beltre bidding and an Adrian Gonzalez blockbuster trade is probably even more unlikely now as well.

Cubs Might Be Interested In Melky or Gardner

From Ken Rosenthal:

Chicago GM Jim Hendry may also consider trades. One of the Yankees’ young outfielders — Melky Cabrera or Brett Gardner — could become available this offseason, depending upon how their roster evolves.

As of now I see no reason to trade either, but if the Yankees do sign another outfielder than someone will have to go. But I don't see this happening mainly because I don't think the Yankees are going to add another bat.

Could Damon Be Headed To St. Louis?

Buster Olney wrote today that Johnny Damon would be a "perfect fit" for the Cardinals. I'm not so sure about this. Damon in the NL doesn't make much sense to me, especially for a multi-year deal.

Anyway, Olney also tells us that one of the reasons the Yankees did not bring Damon back was due to "concern in some corners of the Yankees' organization was that in light of Damon's initial insistence on not taking a pay cut, he might have gone into the 2010 season very unhappy if he had surrendered to a deal on the Yankees' terms."

Grading The Yanks' Offseason (So Far)

We all know the Yanks haven't dug deep into their pockets so far this winter, but that doesn't mean the Yankees aren't having a good offseason. So, I'm gonna add in my two cents and look back on what (to me) has been a pretty successful winter so far for the World Champs.

Now I'm not going to say loosing Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui are smart moves, but acquiring Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson aren't bad moves either. I love Godzilla and Damon, don't get me wrong, but Matsui is 35, and one little knee injury may spell the end for the Angels' new DH. Damon, on the other hand, is 36, and would probably get a scarce amount of starts in the outfield. And I know both players bring a lot of upside to the table as well, but I don't see them duplicating the success they had this past season in 2010.

So, let's get to the people the Yankees got to replace them - Curtis Granderson, and Nick Johnson. Granderson is a great player, as he hits for power, has great speed, drives in a lot of runs, and is really just a great guy. Still only 28, Granderson will be a solid player in the Yanks' lineup for many years to come, and to me, Granderson will do just as well, if not better, than Johnny Damon next season.

Johnson, who the Yanks signed today, also brings a lot of talent to the Bronx. He's been injury prone most of his career, but when healthy, he's a very good player. High on-base-percentage, a possible 20 home run hitter, and would probably get 400-450 ABs as the Yanks' new DH. He can also give Mark Teixeira a day off when he needs one, as Johnson also plays first base. I know it's a big "if", but if Johnson stays healthy he can be a solid replacment for Matsui this upcoming season.

All in all, I give the Yanks a solid B+. They got younger by letting Matsui and Damon, but managed to keep the talent with new players in Johnson and Granderson. It's still not over, and the Yanks still may sign a pitcher like Ben Sheets or maybe an infielder like Mark DeRosa. Not big superstar names like last season, but they're still making good moves. They'll get back to their spending ways next season with names like Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, and possibly Joe Mauer on the market.

So, what do you think of the Yanks' offseason so far?

Damon: "I'm not disappointed"

Sweeny Murti has this quote from Damon regarding the end of his days in Pinstripes:

"I'm not disappointed. I'm thankful I got 4 years there."

Then there's this from Tyler Kepner:

Damon came back to Yanks at 2 yrs/$20M late Thurs. But by then, Yanks and Johnson had essentially agreed to 1/$5.5M; there was no going back

Still not a fan of Johnson over Damon, not at all.

Next Move

With Nick Johnson coming back to the Bronx (pending physical), what will the Yanks do next. It's said that they're discussing signing Ben Sheets or Justin Duchsherer, and Aroldis Chapman. I believe they need to do that, plus a guy like Rick Ankiel or Vlad Guerrero as an extra bat. What do you guys think?

Johnson Deal Done

From George A. King III:

The Yankees and Nick Johnson have agreed on a one-year deal that will become official after Johnson takes a physical Monday.

The deal calls for a salary close to $5 million with a chance to add another $1 million in incentives for Hideki Matsui’s replacement at the DH spot.

King also mentions that Johnson will bat second if Johnny Damon doesn't come back. If he can stay healthy there is some value there since he is an on-base machine, but that could be a big IF.

Still, for about the same money they could have brought back Matsui, which is what I think they should have done.