ByT.J. Beam has been non-tendered. Pour one out for him. Joining him in free agency are Darrell Rasner and Mighty Matt DeSalvo. And thus the Yankees have freed up their 40-man spots for all of the returning players.
On another note, Mark Prior has also been non-tendered. Isn’t that one oh-so-tempting? · (18) ·
ByChad Jennings updates us with a few losses in the Yanks minor league system. Angel Chavez has gone to the Dodgers, Raul Chavez is off to Pittsburgh, and Charlie Manning heads to the Nationals. Nothing big, as you can see, though Manning does throw with his left arm, which apparently will get you chance after chance after chance in the bigs. Anyone seen Wayne Franklin lately? · (4) ·
ByI’m covering over at MLB Trade Rumors tonight, so I’m going through the normal channels to find the latest transactions. You gotta believe this bit from RotoWorld made me snarf my beer:
Dodgers signed RHP Tanyon Sturtze
Yeah, there were 10 other names on that list — including former Yankee farmhand John-Ford Griffin.
The only remaining question: How’s Joe going to burn out Proctor’s and Sturtze’s arms? He’ll be pulling his starters in the fifth inning every game! · (12) ·
By…and his name is not Hideki Matsui. The Giants signed Aaron Rowand to a five-year deal today. I’m not quite sure how this would impact the discussions between the Yanks and Giants concerning Hideki Matsui. The Giants do still need a left-fielder, but Brian Sabean probably feels he has his bat in Rowand. · (27) ·
ByWhile not nearly as nifty as the dipping set, here’s another great gift idea for the baseball fan in your life: Manny Ramirez’s game-used spandex. Right now, they’re going for $120 on eBay. If that doesn’t float your boat, you can get Terry Francona’s used socks or Kevin Youkilis’ used spandex, which is just a disturbing thought. · (5) ·
Why I love Andy Pettitte
By · CommentsSome of you might have caught my interview at YanksBlog.com, in which I said that my favorite Yankees, past or present, is Andy Pettitte. Today, he reaffirmed my sentiments:
“I guess there has been a lot of speculation that we need a true power arm, ace or whatever. I disagree with that,” he said. “I think Wang is an absolute stud. I think he is an ace. I understand he struggled in the postseason but that’s going to happen. I’ve struggled in the postseason before then come back and pitched extremely well. … To say we need (Santana) to be successful, that’s hard for me to say.”
Preach on, Brother Andy.
ByMiguel Tejada, who in his career against the Yanks has hit .305/.359/.457, has been traded to the Astros for five uninspiring players. Ladies and gentlemen, your last-place AL East team in 2008 is now the Baltimore Orioles. · (19) ·
ByThe Yanks’ once and future ace Chien-Ming Wang would like a long-term deal from the Yankees, but as we know, the Yanks are loathe to give those out to their youngsters. More newsworthy in that Peter Abraham piece, however, is word that Wang thinks his agent is working on a deal. Last we heard, Wang’s agent approached the Yanks about a long-term deal, and when the Yanks told him to make the initial offer, he opted against doing so. That’s no way to run a business. · (26) ·
Prospect Profile: Damon Sublett
By · Comments
Damon Sublett | 2B
Background
Sublett grew up in Wichita, KS, where he starred as both a hitter and pitcher for Northwest High School. Sublett lettered all four years, and batted .468 over his high school career. He also throw a complete game one-hitter with 14 strikeouts against rival Southeast, helping the Grizzlies to the state tournament. He was named the team’s MVP and First Team All-State in 2002 and 2004 (his sophomore and senior years), and also earned First Team All-City honors from 2002 to 2004.
Yanks to offer Bruney a contract
By · CommentsIt’s non-tender day, one of the more exciting days of the post-Winter Meetings off-season. The Yankees have four such decisions to make: Robinson Cano, Chien-Ming Wang, Wilson Betemit, and Brian Bruney. Tendering contracts to the first three is a no-brainer. There has been some debate about the erratic Bruney, though.
According to Mark Feinsand, the Yanks plan to tender Bruney and have him compete for a bullpen spot in Spring Training. Given his up-and-down 2007, Bruney won’t be in for a serious raise, so the only issue in tendering him is finding other places on the 40-man roster for Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera, and LaTroy Hawkins.
The Yanks likely won’t be players in the newly-created free agent market, as they’re having a hard enough time finding three spots. So while they’ll go and check out Kris Benson’s throwing session, chances are minuscule that they’ll make a serious offer. Same goes for the non-tendered reliever Matt Wise, and projected non-tender Mark Prior.
