Yankees baseball blog

Yankees may gun for Manny

Manny Ramirez doesn't fit the Yankees' desire to get younger and more athletic, but several industry sources believe the Yankees will make a serious push for the free agent to play right field next year. Though GM Brian Cashman says the top offseason priority is starting pitching, he did not rule out interest in the 36-year-old Ramirez.

"We are looking at starting pitching," Cashman said when asked about the team's interest in Ramirez. "We will see how the free agent and trade markets are." The Dodgers have offered Ramirez a two-year deal worth $60 million to remain in Los Angeles, but he is expected to file for free agency and look for a four-year deal in the $80 million range. Continue

Agent: Mussina still hasn't decided

Most people expect Mike Mussina to announce his retirement sometime in the next month, but agent Arn Tellem said Mussina hasn't made up his mind yet. After winning 20 games for the first time in his 18-year career, Mussina indicated at the end of the season that he was strongly considering retirement. But Tellem said in an e-mail: "Mussina has not made a decision." He also said he has had no conversations with the Yankees regarding Mussina's future.

The Yankees will be thrilled if Mussina decides to pitch again in 2009, as he would give them one more solid member in a shaky rotation. The soon-to-be 40-year-old was 20-9 with a 3.37 ERA this season. The Yankees hardly are counting upon his return, though. Continue

Yanks' plans may include Cameron

General manager Brian Cashman refused to confirm or deny that Mike Cameron is high on the Yankees New York Yankees ' list of free-agent signings if the veteran outfielder becomes a free agent. According to an industry source, the Yankees are waiting to see if the Brewers pick up a $10 option on Cameron, who will be 36 in January. Continue

Cell phone picture taking said basis of Joba incident

The altercation between Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain and fellow patrons at the Night Before Lounge, which initial reports said were a result of taunts from a Red Sox fan, actually escalated because members of Chamberlain's party accused a woman of taking pictures of Chamberlain on her camera phone, people at the bar that night said yesterday.

"There was a verbal exchange, and I approached the two groups to try and figure out what was going on," said Steve Meisinger, who has been a bouncer at the Night Before Lounge for three years. "They were supposedly taking pictures, so we asked them to leave." Continue

Joba jawed with Red Sox fan at nudie bar before he got busted

Yankees star Joba Chamberlain downed vodka-and-sodas and caroused at a Nebraska strip club in the hours before he was busted for drunken driving, the Daily News has learned. The 23-year-old pitcher went drinking at a bar in downtown Lincoln and then capped off his Friday night at a local jiggle joint, where he got into a tiff with another customer over the rival Red Sox, witnesses said.

Chamberlain - who had a blood-alcohol level more than 1-1/2 times Nebraska's legal limit when he was nabbed - was heckled as he and friends watched the dancers at the Night Before Lounge, witnesses said. "Some guy yelled out, 'If you played for the Red Sox, you wouldn't be sitting here,'" clubgoer Gary (Bo) Bohaty said. Continue

Joba Chamberlain arrested for DUI

New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain has been arrested for allegedly driving under the influence, speeding and having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle. Deborah Collins is a spokeswoman for the Nebraska State Patrol. She says Chamberlain was stopped for speeding on U.S. 77 near his hometown of Lincoln at about 1 a.m. on Saturday. Collins says Chamberlain was taken to the Cornhusker Place Detox in Lincoln, which she says is the normal protocol. Continue

Yankees' 2009 plan starts with Joba Chamberlain on mound

Yankees brass began its offseason meetings Thursday in Tampa, determined to figure out what went wrong in 2008 and how to get the Bombers back in the playoffs in 2009. One decision that appears to have been made is to include Joba Chamberlain in the starting rotation. The 23-year-old righty has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen during his two seasons in the Bronx.

"The plan as of right now is Chamberlain is going to be a starter," co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner told The Associated Press outside the team's training complex. "Everybody's pretty much in agreement with that." Continue

Yankees to talk about CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira in Florida

While the Red Sox and Rays are preparing for the ALCS, Thursday the Yankees will be looking ahead to 2009.Will CC Sabathia be fitted for pinstripes? How about Mark Teixeira? Will Robinson Cano be sent packing? These are some of the questions the Yankees will discuss in Tampa, as the front office gathers at Steinbrenner Field for its annual organizational meetings. Among those to attend are co-chairmen Hank and Hal Steinbrenner, president Randy Levine, COO Lonn Trost and GM Brian Cashman. Continue

Yanks crack door for Willie

The Yankees need a third-base coach, and Willie Randolph needs a job. So there is a chance the former Mets manager might return to The Bronx. In a move that shows the honeymoon between Joe Girardi and the Yankees is officially over, Bobby Meacham, a close friend of Girardi's, is out as third-base coach, a move that was announced yesterday. Continue

Sabathia, Burnett figure in Bombers' offseason plans

Brian Cashman shunned a trade last winter for Johan Santana essentially for this reason: He did not think it was the proper moment in an ongoing renovation process to invest the level of prospects and dollars necessary to obtain even someone as special as the left-handed ace. He was looking toward when the farm system had a little more time to grow and the payroll had a little more time to decrease to make such a bold move. In other words, he was waiting until now.

The Yanks have roughly $88 million in salary potentially vanishing, and Yankees officials already are building toward a consensus how to use those dollars. Based on multiple interviews the initial plan looks like this: Continue