Olney: Deal with Martin Imminent?

I find myself wondering what this means for Jesus Montero - I doubt that the Yankees would be pursuing Martin to simply serve as a back-up or mentor, and I'm positive that Martin could find a starting job elsewhere. Will Montero begin the season in Triple-A? Will he be in some sort of platoon with Martin? Will he serve as Martin's back-up? Or, more pessimistically, does this mean that he's on the trading block? After all, were the Yankees to whiff on Cliff Lee, Montero would be the Yankees best trading chip.

Report: Rivera Initiated Contact With Sox

From Rod Bradford:

According to multiple major league sources, Mariano Rivera's representatives were the ones to initiate contact with the Red Sox in an attempt to get the team interested in the closer. While the Red Sox would ultimately make a two-year offer to Rivera, according to sources the team's expectation was that he would be returning to the Yankees. The 41-year-old ultimately re-signed with New York, securing a two-year, $30 million deal.

While there was some thought that because of the offer to Rivera the Red Sox were prepared to non-tender closer Jonathan Papelbon, separate sources suggest the Sox were never inclined to let Papelbon become a free agent this offseason. In the short-term, the team valued the reliever's presence in the back-end of its bullpen, while long-term it coveted any draft picks that might come the Sox' way if Papelbon were to sign elsewhere in free agency next year. The Sox' closer is arbitration-eligible for a third time, and is heading into the final season of being controlled by the Sox.

Traitor!

This Week in Yankees History (12/12-12/18)

This Week in Yankees History 

December 12th - December 18th

December 12th

1902 - Former Yankees shortstop Pee-Wee Wanninger (1925) was born. Pee-Wee Wanninger was the regular shortstop for the 1925 New York Yankees. He replaced Everett Scott at shortstop on May 6, 1925 to end Scott's then-record MLB consecutive games streak at 1,307 games. Less than a month later, on June 1st, he would make way for another record-long consecutive streak to start, when a rookie named Lou Gehrig pinch-hit for him. He hit only .236 for the season, with 1 HR with 22 RBIs in 117 games. On December 16,1925, Wanninger was sent by the Yankees to St Paul (American Association) to complete an earlier deal made on August 30,1925. The Yankees sent a player to be named later $25,000 and 3 players to be named to St Paul (American Association) for C Pat Collins.

1907 - The New York Yankees sell C Ira Thomas to the Detroit Tigers. On August 20,1905, Ira was purchased by the New York Yankees from Providence (Eastern). He hit .195 in 124 games for the Yankees. 

1917 - Former Yankees MLB scout and MLB player Clyde Kluttz was born. Clyde Klutz was a New York Yankees MLB scout (1967-1975). He also spent time with the Yankees as Director of Player Development in 1971-1973 and Scouting Director in 1974. His close friendship with Oakland A’s starter Catfish Hunter helped the New York Yankees sign the MLB free agent in December of 1974.

1922 - New York Yankees co-owner Jake Ruppert agrees to buy out his partner Colonel Huston, he gains full control of the Yankees. He would control the New York Yankees until his death in 1939. His estate would run the Yankees with long-time General Manager Edward Barrow in charge, until the sale of the team in 1945 to new co-owners Del Webb, Dan Topping and Larry MacPhail.

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Yanks Won't Increase Offer For Lee

Brian Cashman told George King today that the Yankees will not increase their offer for the left-hander.

No more years. No more dollars.

If Cliff Lee is waiting for the Yankees to up their offer before deciding between The Bronx and Texas, the saga is going to continue.

GM Brian Cashman has spoken to agent Darek Braunecker since Thursday when The Post revealed the Yankees’ three separate offers to the 32-year-old lefty free agent.

The longest one is for seven years and believed to be in the $160 million range.

Asked if during those post-Winter Meeting talks if the Yankees increased their offer to Lee in years or dollars, Cashman said, “No.’’

With Lee deciding between the Rangers and Yankees, Cashman was asked if at some point the Yankees would up their offer.

“No,’’ said Cashman, who spent his time waiting for Lee’s decision Christmas shopping in Connecticut.

There is also this report from Buster Olney, who says a "Yankees official" believes the Yankees have a 50-50 shot of landing Lee.

The Yankees think it's far from a slam dunk that they'll sign Cliff Lee. One of their executives told a general manager from another team that he figures their chances stand at 50-50 -- and if they lose out, they'll probably pursue bullpen and bench help. The odds are that they won't pursue Greinke because of concern about how he would adapt to the New York market.

Another Trade Option: Mark Buehrle

According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the White Sox are listening to offers for lefty Mark Buehrle. While Buehrle is most well-known for tossing a no-hitter in 2007 and a perfect game in 2009, he has been a consistent presence in the White Sox rotation for a decade. Here's a glance at his resume:

2010 - 210.1 IP, 246 H, 49 BB, 99 K, 4.28 ERA, 3.90 FIP, 4.69 xFIP, 45.7% GB
Career - 2271.1 IP, 2389 H, 519 BB, 1287 K, 3.85 ERA, 4.15 FIP, 4.25 xFIP, 46.0% GB

While Buehrle's pitch-to-contact approach does have some inherent risks, it is worth noting that he has had tremendous success while throwing most of his pitches in the incredibly hitter-friendly Cellular Field. Further, as a lefty, he wouldn't be as prone to the perils of the short porch. He's extremely durable, and he pitches deep into games to boot. He'll be 31 on Opening Day, so he should have a decent amount left in the tank, as well.

The White Sox are willing to deal Buehrle due to his pending free agency. Buehrle is owed $14 MM in 2011 and is likely to be a Type-A free agent after the season.

One-Stop Shopping in Florida

With Yankees news and rumors essentially revolving around baited breath, the fact that the team's pitching staff is rife with question marks seems to have fallen by the wayside. Fans and analysts alike are quick to point out that the Yankees could dominate with a one-two punch of Sabathia and Lee, yet fail to discuss the fact that the team must have some sort of consolation plan in effect should Lee sign elsewhere. As the offseason has progressed, most of the more palatable free agent have been snatched up - Jorge De La Rosa, Jon Garland, Hiroki Kuroda, Jake Westbrook, Aaron Harang, Ted Lilly, Vicente Padilla, Hisanori Takahashi, and Kevin Correia are gone, leaving Freddy Garcia and Carl Pavano as the best of the rest. A trade, then, seems like a likely scenario.

According to the Miami Herald, the Marlins are gauging interest in twenty-eight year old Ricky Nolasco. Here's a quick look at his resume:

2010 - 157.2 IP, 169 H, 33 BB, 147 K, 4.51 ERA, 3.86 FIP, 3.55 xFIP
Career - 716.1 IP, 732 H, 169 BB, 638 K, 4.45 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 3.81 xFIP

Nolasco throws a low-90s fastball with good movement, a mid-80s slider, a mid-70s curveball, and a mid-80s splitter. His slider and curveball are his out pitches swing-and-miss pitches, but his splitter is somewhat inconsistent. Nolasco has a reputation for being somewhat unlucky (as his ERA and peripherals would suggest), but the talent is obviously there.

The Marlins are also listening to offers for reliever Leo Nunez, who is coming off of a very good season as the team's closer. With the Yankees being linked back to Kerry Wood, it appears that they may be interested in an established arm for the eighth inning - a role that Nunez could fill ably.

As I'm sure many have already assumed, the Marlins are willing to deal these two fine pitchers for financial reasons - Nolasco is likely to earn between $6 and $7 MM in arbitration, and Nunez $4 MM or so. Never a team to simply let a player walk, few expect to see the Marlins retain these two for much longer.

I'm not quite sure what sort of return the Marlins would expect for Nolasco and Nunez, I doubt that they would terribly cheap. While neither has the assurance of a long-term deal, both come with a year of team control, for which they will likely earn a team friendly salary (at least, friendly to the Yankees). Perhaps Ivan Nova, Brandon Laird, Corban Joseph, and another arm could get the ball rolling.

Rangers Manager Thinks Lee's Staying in Texas

From SI.com:

Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington has a gut feeling about Cliff Lee.

"That he'll be here," he said Saturday.

...

"I think everything that needs to be done has been done. ... We just have to wait," Washington said.

...

"They had a good visit, and now we're waiting for some type of decision," Washington said Saturday at a luncheon where he was inducted into the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame.

Washington hasn't had any conversations with Lee and doesn't think any are needed. He knows the outcome is crucial for both the Rangers and Yankees.

"It would be huge simply because you'd have a No. 1 starter," Washington said. "Since we had him for 2½ months, we know what he brings. We'd like to see that over the long haul of a full season. Once again it comes down to waiting on Cliff Lee and his family, and they have to decide what they want to do. It's tough to speculate because you don't know. I told you what my gut said."

The decision might not come until Monday or later in the week.

"I can wait until they decide what they want to do," Washington said. "When a decision comes, it's going to be yea or nay. There's nothing more you can do about it. I have no idea when he's going to make a decision. I don't think he needs to make one until opening day of spring training."

This isn't really news, I mean, what else is he going to say? But it's been a slow Saturday so I figured I'd post something.

Hank Talks About Cliff

From Ronald Blum:

“For somebody of that stature, it would certainly behoove him to be a Yankee, which would probably be for the rest of his career,” Steinbrenner, the Yankees’ co-chairman, said during a telephone interview Friday with The Associated Press. “I think that would be a great move for him but, of course I’m prejudiced.”

...

“Everything is progressing,” Steinbrenner said. “We made the offer. It’s a very good offer, and we certainly hopes he takes it. It’s all up to him and his agent. We’ll see what happens.”
...

Lee would be 39 in the contract’s final season, but Steinbrenner isn’t worried. He cites the example of Pettitte, who at 38 was 11-3 with a 3.28 ERA this year while missing two months because of a groin strain, a year after going 14-8 with a 4.16 ERA.

“Looking at how well Andy pitched up until this year and so forth, and he’s a lefty, the same kind of pitcher as Andy, I don’t really see a problem,” Steinbrenner said. “I think Cliff’s the kind of guy that can get it done and be effective for a long time. He’s a great pitcher.”
...

“Having Cliff and CC would be huge for us,” Steinbrenner said. “But it would be huge no matter whether they were lefty or righty, because they’re just that good.”