Derek Jeter Needs To Get In The Gym

Yikes, Jeter.

Heyman: Yankees & Rivera Agree on One-Year Deal

Not a surprise here as recent reports indicated this was close, but glad it's sorted out. Also, $10 million for Mo is pretty much a steal, even coming off of an injury.

Russell Martin Heading To The Pirates

From Erik Boland:

Add catcher to the list of offseason needs for the Yankees.

In a move that came as a surprise to many, a club source said Russell Martin agreed to a two-year deal with the Pirates early Thursday night. The deal is reportedly worth $17 million.

While there were reports the Yankees had made their own two-year offer, the source said the club never made an offer of any kind.

...

Currently, the Yankees have Francisco Cervelli, who spent the majority of last season at Triple-A, light-hitting Chris Stewart and Austin Romine as their options. Romine, once one of the organization's blue-ribbon prospects, missed most of 2012 with a back injury. His defense is considered major league-caliber, but his bat is suspect

The free-agent market is thin, led by Mike Napoli and A.J. Pierzynski. But both are likely to command dollars similar to what Martin did, dollars the Yankees have made clear to this point -- at least at catcher -- they're not willing to commit.

I can't say I'm surprised the Yankees let him walk with that kind of money being offered. Honestly, he's just not worth it. That being said, the catching market is pretty non-existent so it's going to be interesting to see who they can replace him with.


However, Jon Heyman reports that the Yankees did offer Martin 2 years for somewhere around $12 to $14 million. Also, the Dodgers have emerged as a potential suitor for A.J. Pierzynski so his name may come off the board pretty soon as well.

Pettitte Coming Back For One More

From Bryan Hoch:

Andy Pettitte has said that he feels like his left arm still has plenty of important innings to offer. The Yankees are counting on it.

Pettitte and the Yankees officially agreed to a one-year contract on Wednesday, representing the second major move of New York's offseason following last week's re-signing of right-handed starter Hiroki Kuroda.

The 40-year-old Pettitte will earn a base salary of $12 million for his services, plus potential awards bonuses. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, the Yankees designated catcher Eli Whiteside for assignment.

It's also being reported that the Yankees are close to agreeing on a one-year deal with Mariano Rivera. With the signings of Kuroda, Pettitte and hopefully Rivera, the Yankees pitching staff is looking pretty strong.

Yankees Resign Kuroda

From Anthony DiComo:

Hiroki Kuroda will be back with the Yankees next season on a one-year contract. The Yankees did not release details, but ESPN's Buster Olney reported the deal to be worth $15 million, plus incentives of less than $1 million.

...

Though Kuroda recently rejected the Yankees' one-year, $13 million qualifying offer, it was widely assumed that he was still interested in a one-year deal. He was also reportedly considering a return to Los Angeles, where he played from 2008 to 2011 with the Dodgers, or Japan, where he broke into professional baseball with the Hiroshima Carp in 1997.

"I am very happy and excited to re-sign with the Yankees," said Kuroda. "I am very grateful for all of the interest and all of the offers that I received from the various teams that courted me. It was a tough decision for me to make, but at the end of the day, I wanted to try to win a championship with the teammates that I went to battle with last season."

Nice!

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.