Yankees baseball blog

A.J. who?, Yanks boost pitching staff with trade for Pineda

The Yankees’ quiet offseason morphed into a blaze of activity Friday as the Bombers mortgaged perhaps their top young talent — slugger Jesus Montero — in a four-player trade to add a promising young starter and then agreed with veteran free-agent righthander Hiroki Kuroda on a one-year contract, too.

The Yankees are sending Montero, who thrived last year during a September call-up and would’ve been their primary designated hitter in 2012, and Hector Noesi to the Mariners for righty Michael Pineda, an All-Star last year, and Jose Campos, a right-handed pitching prospect, two baseball sources said. The trade won’t be finalized until all the players involved pass physicals, the sources said.

Kuroda, meanwhile, agreed to a one-year deal worth $10 million, which is also pending a physical, one of the sources said. The Yankees had long been interested in him, but shied away from his price tag, which was $13 million-$14 million for one year at the beginning of the offseason. Kuroda will be 37 next month, but he was 13-16 with a 3.07 ERA (ninth in the National League) in 32 starts for the Dodgers last season, striking out 161 in 202 innings. (continue)

Yanks sign Freddy Garcia to a one year deal

In reaching agreement with Freddy Garcia on a one-year contract for about $5 million, the Yankees retained a veteran pitcher they liked and alleviated their anxiety about engaging in a free-agent market that doesn't impress them and a trade market that doesn't encourage them.

Garcia, 35, will earn about $5 million to pitch for the Yankees next year, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed. The New York Times first reported that Garcia and the Yankees were closing in on a deal.

Garcia was 12-8 with a 3.62 ERA in 26 games (25 starts) in 2011. He and Bartolo Colon stunned the Yankees with excellent results in 2011, helping the team record an AL-leading 97 victories. A Garcia return particularly interested the Yankees because he pitched fairly well for the White Sox in 2010, because of Garcia's leadership in the clubhouse and because of his youth relative to Colon, 38. (continue)

C.C. no opt-out a treat for Yankees

The Yankees and their ace reached agreement on a new five-year, $122 million deal with a vesting option for a sixth year that can bring the total value of the contract to $147 million, prompting Sabathia not to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract.

The new deal essentially boils down to a one-year extension worth $30 million, plus the vesting option for 2017 that could add another $25 million to the total. The sixth-year option becomes guaranteed if Sabathia does not finsh the 2016 season on the disabled list because of a left-shoulder injury, does not spend more than 45 days of 2016 on the DL with a left shoulder injury or does not make six or more relief appearances in 2016 because of shoulder problems.

Assuming Sabathia's left shoulder remains healthy, he will have earned a total of $216 million over nine years in pinstripes.
 
Had Sabathia opted out, he would have immediately become the top pitcher available on the free-agent market, but in the end, his desire to stay in New York - and the fact that the Yankees' offer might have been higher than anything another team would have proposed - led to him staying put. (continue)

Yanks pick up Swisher's option

The Yankees' offseason plans are officially in motion.

The team announced last night that it had exercised the 2012 options for both Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher, locking up both players for next season.

“This is my favorite thing to do in the world and my favorite place to do it,” Swisher told the Daily News last night. “To have another year in pinstripes, I couldn’t be happier.”

Cano’s $14 million option was a mere formality, as the second baseman has blossomed into the best all-around hitter on the team, hitting .314 with an average of 27 home runs and 104 RBI over the past three seasons.

Swisher’s situation was a little less certain, as there had been whispers during the past week that the Bombers were considering a change in right field.

Swisher, who spends most of his offseason in Los Angeles, hadn’t spent much time worrying about the option or following the hot stove rumors.

“Being out here in L.A., you’re a long way away from all that,” Swisher said. “You just take it day by day. Regardless of what people say or write, until it’s official, you always think about what’s up next. Being back in New York, I couldn’t be happier." (continue)

No chance C.C. goes to Red Sox

While they would never admit it, you have to think the Yankees got a shiver when they heard Tuesday that Boston’s John Lackey will miss all of 2012 due to Tommy John surgery, news that could make the winter as sticky as a humid summer for the Yankees.

After all, increasing the Red Sox’s need for pitching does not dovetail well with the Yankees’ desire to improve their own rotation, especially in what is a limited free-agent market. The Yankees certainly don’t want another deep-pocketed competitor bidding for scarce talent.

Worse, what if their rich rival makes a play for the Yankees’ own ace, CC Sabathia, if - when? - Sabathia triggers the opt-out clause in his contract?

Losing Sabathia to any team would be damaging to a Yankee rotation that has only Phil Hughes, A.J. Burnett and Ivan Nova signed for next season. Losing Sabathia to the Red Sox? Potential baseball disaster. (continue)

C.C not a lock ts stay with Yanks

A.J. has a better chance of being in the Yankees’ 2012 rotation than CC and way better likelihood than C.J.

This is the Yankees’ initial problem this offseason.

At this moment, the Yankees rotation for next season is A.J. Burnett, Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes and, perhaps, Hector Noesi — or Three Men and a Maybe. Actually it is more akin to a bunch of backup singers in need of a front man. Sabathia would be the most obvious choice in a return engagement and C.J. Wilson could be added as a sidekick.

But the Yankees are bracing for potentially difficult negotiations with Sabathia while showing limited-to-no fascination with Rangers free agent Wilson. (continue)

C.J. Wilson on Yankees radar

With so much still in front of the Texas Rangers this October, it's tough for Nolan Ryan to predict whether his club can re-sign ace lefty C.J. Wilson, a pending free-agent starter who is a likely target for the Yankees.

But Ryan, the Rangers president and CEO, knows "there are going to be challenges there" in vying to retain Wilson's services. That's probably where the Yanks come in.

"You know that there are going to be some clubs out there that have a lot of resources that are always looking for pitching," Ryan said, responding to a question about recent speculation linking Wilson and the Yankees, who are desperate to improve a subpar starting rotation.

"Every ballclub in baseball is always looking for pitching, so when you have someone of C.J.'s caliber that's going on the market, you know there are going to be challenges," Ryan added. (continue)

Yanks lose 5-3, series tied one each

Saturday night the Tigers resembled the teams from the AL Central the Yankees had gotten used to pummeling in the Division Series.

Sunday came a reminder these aren't the Twins.

Getting a surprisingly dominant six-plus innings from Max Scherzer and a not-at-all surprising standout performance from Miguel Cabrera, the Tigers held off the Yankees in a 5-3 victory in Game 2 of the ALDS in front of 50,596 at the Stadium.

Jose Valerde allowed two runs in the ninth but got Robinson Cano, with runners on first and second and two outs, to ground out to second to end it.

The series, tied at one game apiece, heads to Detroit where Game 3 is Monday night followed by Game 4, in which A.J. Burnett starts with possibly the season on the line, Tuesday night.

Cabrera, the lesser-discussed of the Tigers' AL MVP candidates behind Justin Verlander, who starts Monday, blasted a two-run homer in the first inning off Freddy Garcia and added a run-scoring single in the two-run sixth. (continue)

Cano/Nova lead Yanks to a 9-3 victory over Tigers

The rookie looked out at a roomful of media Friday afternoon and gave a familiar smile. "I don't get nervous,'' Ivan Nova said. And last night, the 24-year-old righthander proved it.

Nova pitched into the ninth inning and Robinson Cano drove in six runs with a trio of two-out hits -- including a grand slam in a six-run sixth -- as the Yankees beat the Tigers, 9-3, in Game 1 of their ALDS in front of a noisy Stadium-record crowd of 50,940.

"I was really excited,'' Nova said. "I was more confident and slowed everything down. So it was good.''

The game, suspended in the bottom of the second inning Friday night because of heavy rain, was resumed at 8:36 last night with Never Nervous Nova, 12-0 with a 3.25 ERA in his last 16 starts of the regular season, taking over for CC Sabathia.

"He did exactly what we needed him to do,'' said Derek Jeter, who went 2-for-5 and scored three runs. "He's been doing it all year.'' (continue)

A.J Burnett would start game four

Barring a sweep in this series, the Yankees will now need a fourth starter for the ALDS. It appears that will be A.J. Burnett.

Manager Joe Girardi would not say who's starting beyond Ivan Nova in today's Game 1 resumption and Freddy Garcia in tomorrow's Game 2.

But when asked whether his fourth starter candidates would be equipped to handle the new development of now starting a game in this series, Girardi hinted Burnett would be the most likely choice.

"That's something we'll have to talk about," Girardi said last night. "A.J. is obviously the most stretched out for us in that situation."

So Burnett, beaten out by Garcia as the Game 3 starter, very likely will get to start an ALDS game after all.

That's hardly a great development for the Yankees, considering the season Burnett has had. The $82 million right-hander went 11-11 with a 5.15 ERA. (continue)