Yankees All-Prospect Team

I decided to figure out what a Yankees team would look like, if it was completely made up of prospects. All of the players on this list are/were top Yankees prospects. Also, players on this list have to have come up with the Yankees organization and are under 28 years old. Inside the ( )s is the players age on opening day, 2009. Players who have made their major league debuts have a * next to their name.

Lineup:

1. R Austin Jackson (22) CF

2. S Melky Cabrera (24) RF*

3. R Jorge Vazquez (27) 1B

4. R Jesus Montero (19) DH

5. L Robinson Cano (25) 2B*

6. R Austin Romine (20) C

7. L Eric Duncan (24) 3B

8. L Ramiro Pena (23) SS

9. L Brett Gardner (25) LF*

Rotation:

1. Joba Chamberlain (23)* RHP

2. Phil Hughes (22)* RHP

3. Dellin Betances (21) RHP

4. Andrew Brackman (23) RHP

5. Zach McAllister (21) RHP

Bullpen:

LRP: Alfredo Aceves (26)* RHP

LHP: Phil Coke (26)* LHP

MRP: David Robertson (23)* RHP

MRP: Kanekoa Texeira (23) RHP

MRP: Brian Bruney (27)* RHP

SU: Pat Venditte (23) Switch-Pitcher

C: Mark Melancon (24) RHP

Bench:

L Juan Miranda (25)* 1B

L Brad Suttle (23) 3B

R Francisco Cervelli (23)* C

Joe Torre Statistics Bias

Now I'm not one to criticize other writers. However, in this particular case, I felt the need to. A writer, who's name will not be mentioned, had a story about Joe Torre in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated. It had to do with all the controversy he's created with his new book, the Yankee years. Now as I was reading it, it all seemed to be going pretty well, except I noticed one thing. The article said that the Yankees had made Torre a 1-year deal worth $5mm, "a 33% pay decrease from his '07 salary." Now 33% sounds like a lot, but don't be deceived. If the offer was for $5mm, then that means that Torre actually made $7.5mm in the previous season, a pay decrease of just $2.5mm. That's $3mm less than the pay decrease that Andy Pettitte would've received if he had taken the Yankees initial offer ($10.5mm). Plus, the most his contract could be worth if he reaches incentives is $12mm, still a $4mm pay decrease. 

So does Torre really have a right to be upset? Did he receive a fair offer from the Yankees considering his club hadn't won the world series in seven years (a lot for the Yankees)? Have you lost your respect for Torre, not just because of this article, but for all that he's done with his book? These are all questions I'd like to hear your answers to. Please comment below.

An Official "No" to Manny in Pinstripes

After signing three type A free agents (Sabathia, Burnett and Teixeira), people around baseball thought the the Yankees actually could sign another. Maybe even Manny Ramirez? However, those hopes were completely diminished today as it turns out that there is a rule against such a signing. That is that after signing 3 type A free agents, a team cannot sign another type A or B free agent, unless it is one of their own team. This means that next season, there will be no Manny Ramirez. No Adam Dunn. And no all the others. Sorry Manny fans, it's not happening.

One Heck of an Off-Season

After not making the post-season for the first time in what seems like a century, the Yankees set their sights on improving their ball club through the free-agent market. Well, that's exactly what they did. By signing CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixiera, the Yankees have had, what I consider to be, the best off-season in team history. Never before have they spent so much money, to acquire such great talent. Now I've heard many people around baseball say that the Yankees are just going back to what they've always done. However, it's not what they've always done. The Yankees used to be the club that signed the over-priced veteran to a contract that's way to long. These players ranged from Kevin Brown to Randy Johnson, Ruben Sierra to Gary Sheffield, and of course, the infamous Carl Pavano. In fact, the only good signing the Yankees have had since the turn of the century, was when they signed Mike Mussina to an 8-year deal in 2000. But that's just about it (unless you count Giambi who was probably one of the better 1-sided players around, but that's not saying much). 

     So is that really the same as signing three of the best players in all of major league baseball? Are these signings really going to help the Yankees? Please leave your comments below.

Who's Next

Now that the Yankees have signed Andy Pettitte, they are pretty much done with their offseason spending. And for all of you Manny Ramirez hopefuls out there, you should probably understand this before you embarrass yourself in front of a friend or co-worker: ahem...MANNY RAMIREZ IS NOT GOING TO THE YANKEES!!!! GET OVER IT!!! 

Okay, so now that i've gotten that off my chest, it's time to go over what this article is really about: who (if anyone) will the Yankees go after next offseason after spending a gagillion ($422mm to be precise) dollars on CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixiera alone. Well, there really isn't that much choice. With most of the top free-agents likely to exercise options or sign long-term deals with their current teams (Josh Beckett and John Lackey to name a few), really the only top-knotch player out there, is Matt Holliday. After being traded to the A's this offseason, it appears that Holliday is headed for free agency (unless of course he gets traded to a club that then signs him to a long term deal, which is extremely unlikely considering his agent is Scott Boras). 

Of course that brings us to the question of "will the Yankees pursue him?" It's the same question that was brought up earlier this offseason with A.J. Burnett, Mark Teixiera, and Manny Ramirez (there was never any question about Sabathia). The Yankees will have $45mm coming off the books as Jose Molina, Johnny Damon, Xavier Nady, Hideki Matsui, and Andy Pettitte will be free agents. More importantly however, with Damon, Nady, and Matsui leaving, it will mean the Yankees will have a vacancy in the outfield and in the DH hole. Now a lot of things could happen with that. Prospect Austin Jackson will be ready to man centerfield, which may or may not put Brett Gardner or Melky Cabrera in left, and would also give Nick Swisher the right field job. For DH, the Yankees could either switch Jorge Posada over there and use a prospect such as Francisco Cerevelli to man the catchers position, call up maybe an Eric or Shelley Duncan, or sign a Carlos Delgado or a Hank Blalock to a one year deal. However, the option that you've all been waiting for: signing Matt Holliday.

Now there are many reasons why the Yankees could probably sign him. Number one, the money. Holliday would probably require Mark Teixeira type money, which the Yankees actually have room for. In fact, they could even sign him and another player if the really wanted to. They have room for him financially. The next reason is that he would fill a potential hole. If the Yankees had an outfield of Matt Holliday, Austin Jackson, and Nick Swisher, I'd be just fine. Plus if someone really didn't like Holliday in the outfield, and wanted Gardner there instead, the Yanks could just slot Matt in the DH spot and it would work perfectly. However, that would have a few ramifications. It would mean that Jorge Posada would be forced into being the full time catcher since he wouldn't be able to turn to the DH role as backup. However, I see the Holliday playing left field scenario as more likely. 

Another thing this would do, would be to allow Jesus Montero the time he needs to develop. I know that some people view him as the predecessor to the Jorge Posada throne, but that's just not very likely for two main reasons: Number 1, when Posada's contract expires after the 2010 season, the Yankees will likely try to sign Joe Mauer (which is a story for another day). But the more important, reason number 2, is that Montero is really lacking as a defensive player. He's overweight, and slow behind the plate. In fact, many scouts and people around baseball see him as a first baseman/DH type of player (just like Jason Giambi). And if the Yankees were to sign Holliday (or just leave things as they are for that matter) it would give Montero the time he needs to fully develop as a hitter and get used to that DH role which he would most likely occupy in the Bronx. A quick note, for those of you who are not familiar with Jesus Montero, check him out. The guy hit over .320 last year in Yankees single-A and has frequently been called the best hitter in the Yankees system. 

If the Yankees signed Matt Holliday, it would all but signal the end of Johnny Damon's years in pinstripes, and let me be the first to say "it was a hell-of-a-run." Johnny has really had some great times in the Bronx, with probably the highlight coming last year when he went 6-for-6 in a hot afternoon game against the Royals. However, Damon's leaving really takes a toll on the Yankees' defense as Damon was frequently sacrificing his body for the team. More importantly though, it leaves the Yankees without a true, number one hitter. But not to fear, Austin Jackson is (almost) here! Jackson fits the leadoff hitter model perfectly (speedy guy with decent power who can get on base). Plus, if he can't handle it, they can always try Gardner, or Cabrera or whoever the hell is manning center for the Yankees these days. The Yankees have really seemed to take an over-the-top interest in centerfield lately, I mean, Mike Cameron?? What??!! But I'm getting off topic.

There has also been some speculation that the Red Sox, fresh off of getting beaten by the Yankees in the Mark Teixeira derby, will go all-out for the young left fielder. However, I don't see it. They just don't really have room for him with 2 young players (and J.D. Drew) manning the 3 outfield spots. Of course I mean Jacoby Ellsbury and Jason Bay, both of which are very talented players. And if Ellsbury's not going anywhere (I bet the Twins are regretting not taking that Ellsbury, Lowrie, and Lester for Johan Santana deal right about now), than it seems as though Jason Bay would be the odd-man-out. But hold on a second, the Red Sox are actually quite fond of Jason Bay and aren't about to let him leave. So if there's no room in the outfield, where do you put Matt Holliday? DH? *Buzzer Sound* Big Papi's already got that and isn't about to give it up to some hot-shot kid. Well then is there any where else? No. That's it. The Red Sox just don't have room for Holliday and thus I don't think he's going to go there.

The final point (finally) that I'm going to make has to do with Matt Holliday's family, mainly his Dad. Holliday's Dad is a big fan of the Yankees and it would be a "dream come true" for him to have his son don the pinstripes (of course Scott Boras may beg to differ but that's beside the point). Last year at the 2008 All-Star game at Yankee Stadium, when his son Matt hit a homerun for the NL squad, his dad Tom literally jumped out of his seat and rejoiced. Before Matt had been traded to Oakland, Tom Holliday said, "if someone would have called me today and said Matt had gotten traded to the Yankees, I'd have been hunting for a place to celebrate." Well for now Tom's going to have to stay up watching his sons games on the West Coast. However in future, he might just be playing in a city closer to home: New York.

Pettitte to Be Pinstriped Once Again

Today, Yankees GM Brian Cashman held a conference call with Andy Pettitte to announce the left-hander's re-signing with the club he's been with for 11 of his 14 major league seasons. Pettitte said that he really couldn't imagine playing for any other team and that he really wanted to open up the new Yankee Stadium. However, the main thing preventing the return, was money. The last two seasons, Pettitte has been paid $16mm. He was probably looking for about that this time around as well. However, the Yankees were not as lenient as they've been with him in the past. This was because of a couple things:

Number one, Pettitte didn't have his best year last year by any standards. In 2008, Pettitte went 14-14 with a 4.54 ERA. Also, one of Pettitte's key traits throughout his career, has been his effectiveness down the stretch. Well that also wasn't there last year, as after the all-star break, he went 5-7 with a disastrous 5.35 ERA.

The other reason was the fact that the Yankees really didn't have very much room financially. After investing over $400mm in contracts with CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeira, the Yanks didn't really have very much money to work with. In fact, Brian Cashman even said that they really only had about $10mm left in the budget. Well it appears as though that $10mm (and possibly a little extra) will be going to Andy Pettitte as he signed an incentive-ladened contract with a base of about $5.5mm. If he reaches incentives (that could include innings reached and time on the roster), the deal could be worth about $12mm. 

The great thing this does for the Yankees (besides give them 'ol Andy back) is that it gives them great depth to what could be one of the best rotations in baseball. Before they signed Pettitte, it seemed as if the Yankees were prepared to put the 5th spot in the rotation up for grabs in Spring Training, with youngsters Phil Hughes, Dan Giese, Alfredo Aceves, and Phil Coke viewed as the favorites. However, that spot will now be given to Joba Chamberlain, as he slides into the 5th spot and gives the 4th hole to Pettitte. This gives the Yankees a rotation of: CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, and Joba Chamberlain. Pretty good if you ask me.

50 Ways to Say That Someone Hit a Home Run

I recently had the idea to make a list of 50 ways to say that someone hit a home run. These include all sorts of things ranging from famous sportscaster calls (in "s), to general terms thrown around by baseball fans. Enjoy:

1. Hit
2. Creamed
3. Crushed
4. Bashed
5. Slaughtered
6. Killed
7. Drilled
8. Slugged
9. Shot
10. "See Ya!"
11. "Gone"
12. "Goodbye"
13. "Adios"
14. "There it goes"
15. "It's out-a-here"
16. Clobbered
17. Murdered
18. "He was all over that one"
19. "Gone to souvenir city"
20. Smoked
21. Blasted
22. Boomed
23. Cracked
24. Deposited 
25. Driven
26. "That one's not coming back"
27. "Whoops"
28. "Oh what a shot"
29. "He squared it up"
30. Beat
31. Pulled
32. Yanked
33. "We have lift-off"
34. Ripped
35. Belted
36. "That's long gone"
37. "He got good wood on that one"
38. "It's up and it is good"
39. "This one is gone"
40. "Back, back, back, back gone"
41. "How about that?"
42. "Kiss it goodbye"
43. "You can put it on the board"
44. "Goodnight Irene"
45. "Touch 'em all"
46. "Holy Toledo"
47. "..he hits it deeeeep..."
48. "Goodbye baseball
49. "It is high, it is far, it is gone!"
50. "Holy cow"

Yanks in Talks With Sheets, Pettitte

The New York Yankees are in talks with free agents pitchers Ben Sheets and Andy Pettitte according to SI.com's Jon Heyman. I recently wrote a post about how the Yankees should try to sign Ben Sheets and it seems as though it may actually take a 2-year deal to sign the injury-prone right hander. Since they are the Yankees however, they might be able to sign Sheets to a 1-year deal with one or two option years.

The Yankees have also "resumed" talks with LHP Andy Pettitte after Pettitte declined the Yankees $10.5mm offer. Pettitte refused the deal due to, in most part, the pay decrease it would result in from last year's salary ($16mm). Unless the two sides are willing to compromise to a deal around $13mm, Pettitte may be forced into retirement.

Yanks Should Go For Sheets

Recently I made a post about why the Yankees should sign Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez. I still support that, but I have another name to float out there: Ben Sheets. With the Yankees recently in the running for Freddy Garcia, it shows that they would still like to add some depth to their pitching rotation. To me, Sheets seems like a much better version of Freddy Garcia, for about the same cost. Garcia's contract from the Mets could be worth anywhere between $6-9mm. Sheets could command a $10mm deal with a couple more million in incentives, plus a few option years. The Yankees do have about $10mm left in their budget for free agents and Sheets would be a great guy to use it on. 

Now the main pitfall to Sheets, has been his injuries. Even last year, when he started the All-Star game for the National League, he still ended the year with an injury and couldn't even pitch in the play-offs. However, if you want to compare him to Freddy Garcia, Sheets is actually less of an injury risk than Garcia. Sheets has pitched 339 innings over the last two years. In that same period of time, Garcia has only pitched 73. Now you can point to the fact that Sheets is a much better pitcher than Garcia, and thus has gotten a lot more opportunities, and that's true. But, one of the main reasons that Freddy hasn't gotten more chances, is because he's been injured most of the time. 

The final  reason why the Yanks should go after Ben Sheets, is the upside. If Sheets can be relatively healthy (decent chance), the Yankees would have an amazing pitching rotation: CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett topping it off, with two other Cy Young candidates in Chien-Ming Wang and Ben Sheets in the middle, and then have an above-par pitcher in Joba Chamberlain round things out. That is a staff that no team would want to face and if you put that with the enhanced lineup that includes the likes of A-Rod, Teixeira, and Jeter, you've got yourself a ballclub. 

Yanks Lose to Mets on Garcia

According to numerous reports, the New York Mets have come to an agreement with RHP Freddy Garcia. It is a minor league deal that could be worth $7-9mm if Garcia reaches the incentives. The Yankees were also in the running for the aging right-hander, but were apparently beaten out by the Mets.

Manny to Yanks? Unlikely

I recently read an anonymous comment from someone that asked me what I thought of the possibility of Manny Ramirez signing with the Yankees. Well, this topic has been floating around all winter, and actually really heated up at one point right before the Yankees signed Mark Teixiera. However, it remains very unlikely for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Manny would have to DH, a role currently occupied by Hideki Matsui. The Yankees are already shopping Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher, and they would have to move another outfielder/DH in addition to them in order to make room for Manny. That doesn't seem like an option however, because the Yankees only want to trade one of Nady/Swisher and they can't find anywhere to trade Matsui, who would have to move. The second reason is the money factor. Manny already commands a 2-year, $45mm offer from the Dodgers, and they would likely go a little bit higher than that to sign him. However after investing almost $400mm in contracts to CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeira, the Yankees wouldn't be able to go very high and thus Manny would still most likely wind up with the Dodgers.

It sure would be nice to add Manny to the already powerful A-Rod and Tex combo, but it just isn't going to happen. Wrong place, wrong time.

Yanks, Mets Front-Runners for Garcia

According to a report by FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees and Mets are now the front-runners for landing RHP Freddy Garcia. Previously it had seemed like the White Sox and Mets were leading the pack, with the Yankees all but dropping out. But it now appears as if they are right back in it. If the Yankees or Mets gets Garcia, neither will give him a rotation spot, but rather use him as rotation depth or let him battle for a fifth-spot in the Spring. Garcia has spent the majority of his career with the Seattle Mariners, with a few recent stints with the White Sox, Phillies, and Tigers.

Garcia, Yankees Interested

As reported by SI.com's John Heyman, RHP Freddy Garcia will sign a deal within the next few days. Garcia has shrunken his list of possible teams to just three: The White Sox, Mets, and Yankees and he is likely to sign with one of them. This would provide excellent rotation depth for the Yankees who could have Garcia, Phil Hughes, Alfredo Aceves, Dan Giese, and Jason Jennings fight for the fifth rotation spot in Spring Training.

Pettitte-Yanks Talks Dwindling

Talks between LHP Andy Pettitte and the Yankees are starting to cool off. After Pettitte rejected the Yankees' 1 year, $10mm offer, talks have all but stopped and one baseball executive even said there was less than a 50% chance of Pettitte putting the pinstripes back on.

My Pitch to The Yankees; Sign El Duque!

We've heard so much talk this offseason about "bargains" and "cheap players." Well my pitch to the Yankees and Brian Cashman; bring back El Duque! After Andy Pettitte rejected the Yankees offer, they could use a no. 4 or 5 starter and Hernandez could fill that spot. He was a fan-favorite during his time in the Bronx side of town and would come VERY cheaply. In fact, the Yanks could probably just ink him to a cheap, minor-league deal and have him fight it out in Spring Training. He is old, but hey, as the Red Sox have demonstrated over the last couple years, pitching depth never hurts. The Yankees could use him at the beginning of the year (or start him in triple-A) and if he gets injured, or starts pitching badly, then they can just demote him. It would be a very low-risk, good reward move for the Yankees (something the Red Sox have been doing a lot of lately).

The one obstacle might be Orlando Hernandez's possible retirement. However, if there's one team that could convince him otherwise, it's the Yankees. The team that he left his country to play for.

Pettitte Has Put a Black Mark Next to Legacy

By turning down the Yankees' 1-year, $10mm offer the other day, Andy Pettitte did a number of things; he not only all but removed himself from the Yankees 2009 rotation, but he has forever put a black mark on his Yankee legacy. One larger than when he tested positive for human growth hormone (HGH). For a little more than a decade now, Pettitte has been adored by Yankee fans and has been a face of the franchise. They have always stood by each other. When Pettitte was apologizing about the HGH results, the Yankees took him in and allowed him the time he needed. All along this off-season, Pettitte has claimed that "he only wants to play for the Yankees" and that he wants to play in the new stadium. However, now that he's rejected their offer (which is quite fair for a pitcher who went 14-14 last year) it appears that those are publicity-lies, meant to look good. Now I'm not against Pettitte. In fact, I'd love it if he comes back. But if he doesn't take their offer and joins another team instead, his reputation, his legacy, will be ruined.

Morneau Should've Been MVP

Many of you Red Sox fans will probably disagree with me, but I believe that Justin Morneau should've been the American League MVP, not Dustin Pedroia. Now before you go ballistic, let me give you my argument:

I'll start off with stats; Pedroia's batting AVG (.326) was 26 points higher than Morneau's (.300), but, as we saw last year with A-Rod and Ordonez, if the other stats are large enough, batting average doesn't matter as much. In 2008, Morneau drove in 129 runs, good enough for 2nd in the American league (Josh Hamilton had 130). However, Pedroia only had 83 which is 27th in the AL! That's also a difference of 46 RBI! Morneau also had 23 HR while Pedroia only had 17. And for all those people saying "but wait, the Red Sox made it to the playoffs and the Twins didn't." Well that would work except for the fact that the Twins only missed the playoffs by 1 stinking game. The discussion of playoff-team players shouldn't be included because of that. So as you can see, it should be Morneau, not Pedroia, owning the hardware and on the front of MLB '09 the Show.

AL East Best Player List

ESPN.com has MLB player rankings on their site. They use a combination of 2008 statistics and formulas to determine the best players in the league. I've put together my own list using the same basic principles but I factored in new players as well

Top 10 Position Players:

1. Alex Rodriguez NYY

2. Mark Teixeira NYY

3. Dustin Pedroia BOS

4. Kevin Youkilis BOS

5. Nick Markakis BAL

6. Brian Roberts BAL

7. Derek Jeter NYY

8. Carlos Pena TB

9. Alex Rios TOR

10. B.J. Upton TB

Top 10 Starting Pitchers:

1. CC Sabathia NYY

2. Roy Halladay TOR

3. Daisuke Matsuzaka BOS

4. Chien-Ming Wang NYY

5. A.J. Burnett NYY

6. Jon Lester BOS

7. James Shields BOS

8. Josh Beckett BOS

9. Scott Kazmir TB

10. Joba Chamberlain NYY

Ultimate Lineup:

1. Dustin Pedroia 2B

2. Derek Jeter SS

3. David Ortiz DH

4. Alex Rodriguez 3B

5. Mark Teixeira 1B

6. Nick Markakis RF

7. Jason Bay LF

8. Jorge Posada C

9. B.J. Upton CF

Ultimate Rotation:

1. CC Sabathia

2. Roy Halladay

3. Daisuke Matsuzaka

4. Chien-Ming Wang

5. A.J. Burnett

Free Agent Team

On Buster Olney's blog, he created a team out of the remaining free agents. I've put done sort of the same thing. Instead of using the best of the remaining free agents, I used the best of the players that were on the market (via trade or free agency). Here's what I got:

Lineup:

1. Brian Roberts 2B

2. Orlando Cabrera SS

3. Jermaine Dye RF

4. Manny Ramirez DH

5. Adam Dunn LF

6. Nick Swisher 1B

7. Jim Edmonds CF

8. Joe Crede 3B

9. Jarod Saltalmachia C

Starting Rotation:

1. Ben Sheets

2. Derek Lowe

3. Andy Pettitte

4. Randy Wolf

5. Jon Garland

Closer:

Bobby Jenks

Yanks to Lower Pettitte Offer?

According to Joel Sherman of the NY Post, the Yankees have lowered there $10mm offer to Andy Pettitte. This is coming after Pettitte rejected the offer and it appears as though the Yankees are standing pat on what they have been saying all along: they weren't going to budge on their offer.

Team USA Roster

A look at the USA team roster so far:

Starting Pitchers:

John Lackey LAA

Roy Oswalt HOU

Jake Peavy SD

Relief Pitchers:

Jonathan Broxton LAD

Brian Fuentes LAA

Matt Lindstrom FLA

Joe Nathan MIN

J.J. Putz NYM

B.J. Ryan TOR

Scot Shields LAA

Matt Thornton CHW

Infielders:

Mark DeRosa CLE

Derek Jeter NYY

Chipper Jones ATL

Dustin Pedroia BOS

Jimmy Rollins PHI

David Wright NYM

Kevin Youkilis BOS

Outfielders:

Ryan Braun MIL

Curtis Granderson DET

Grady Sizemore CLE

Catchers:

Brian McCann

Type-A Free Agents Remaining

Here is a list of all the Type-A Free Agents remaining:

• C Jason Varitek
• 2B Orlando Hudson
• SS Orlando Cabrera
• LF Adam Dunn
• LF Manny Ramirez
• RF Bobby Abreu
• SP Derek Lowe
• SP Oliver Perez
• SP Andy Pettitte
• SP Ben Sheets
• RP Juan Cruz
• RP Russ Springer
• CP Trevor Hoffman

So as you can see, there's still a lot left, and for it being January already, this list is a lot bigger than normal.

Yanks Make Small Moves

On a day in which the Yankees made a big splash, they also made a lot of little ones too. They signed Angel Berroa, Jason Johnson, and John Rodriguez to minor league deals. Berroa, 30, will likely compete with Cody Ransom for the job as the Yankees' utility man. Johnson, 35, will compete for the fifth-starter spot in the Yankees' rotation and is known for inducing ground-balls. The Yankees signed John Rodriguez for a little over $400k.

Mitre Slammed With 50-Game Suspension

Sergio Mitre, now on the Yankees' Triple-A roster, was handed a 50-game suspension, along with Phillies reliever J.C. Romero, by Major League Baseball. Both pitchers said they had unknowingly ingested banned substances that were in unmarked containers, however they both lost their cases.

Note On Teixeira Announcement

Today Mark Teixeira was announced as the newest member of the New York Yankees (I'm sorry for not announcing this news earlier). At first he seemed a little tense, but after a couple minutes of being up there, he seemed to fit right in as he was beaming through the whole thing. And that's pretty much how his basic season goes; he gets off to a bad start, but then comes through big at the end and produces good season numbers. Teixeira said it was mostly his wife's decision for coming to the Yankees and he is glad to be here after idolizing them for so long as a kid. A few notes on Teixeira's signing:

• Final contract: 8 years, $180mm with a $5mm signing bonus
• Teixeira will wear number 25, which is interesting because that not only used to be Joe Girardi's number, but it was also worn by the man Tex will be replacing at first base, Jason Giambi.
• In order to make room Teixeira on the Yankees 40-man roster, they designated Shelley Duncan for assignment.
• Teixeira wanted #23 because he grew up idolizing former Yankees 1B, Don Mattingly. Who, interestingly enough, is the one that retired that number.

Pettitte Rejects Yankees' Offer; Return Unlikely?

According to a person with knowledge of the negotiations said that Andy Pettitte has rejected the Yankees' 1-year, $10mm offer. At the beginning of the offseason, it appeared as though a reunion between Pettitte and the Bronx was inevitable. However, after signing CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeira, Pettitte's future in pinstripes became in doubt and it now appears as though it might be over. The Yankees have been stubborn as to giving Pettitte more than $10mm and if he holds out for more, he probably will have a forced-retirement, something that he does not want.

Teixeira Announcement Set For Tuesday

The Yankees have made plans to announce Mark Teixeira as the newest Yankee at a press conference on Tuesday. Mark is currently in town and will take a physical tomorrow. The Yankees reached an agreement with Mark Teixeira for an 8-year, $180mm contract.

Teams Avoiding Boras

With Mark Teixeira being the only exception, most baseball teams (including the Yankees) have been avoiding Scott Boras clients. In fact, Teixeira is really the only Scott Boras client to sign this winter. CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett had different agents, and both Manny Ramirez and Derek Lowe (Boras' top free agents left) haven't signed. The most likely reason behind this is the economy. Boras always advertises his clients to be worth more than they are. However, now teams don't have the financial stability to go that high. Derek Lowe is a great example of that. Lowe is probably worth somewhere between $13mm-$15mm a year (Mets offer is 3-years, $36mm). However, Boras has been trying to get him between $16mm-$19mm a year, its just not happening. Boras needs to lower his demands, because he needs to realize that teams just aren't going to pay that much.

He's getting lucky with Manny Ramirez as now that the Giants are in it too, he can produce a bidding war between them and the Dodgers. The cool thing about that, is that which ever one gets him, pretty much gets the division.

Odd Sabathia Contract Note

In my research, I found something very odd in CC Sabathia's contract. When Sabathia was a free agent, he had a desire to pitch in the National League as he enjoyed hitting. So, when the Yankees gave him a 7-year, $161mm deal, they had to add a little something extra: a listing that Sabathia has to record at least 10 AB during his contract. This not only means that he will be pitching in inter-league play more often, but we may even see him pinch-hit a couple times.

Jorge Vazquez

In 2008, the Yankees signed a 1B out of the Mexican League's named Jorge Vazquez. There, he hit .339 with 18 HR, 59 RBI, a 1.010 OPS and a .398 OBP in 224 AB. He's currently playing Mexican Winter League and, well, he's raking there too: .348 AVG, .636 SLG%, 15 HR, 46 RBIs, and a .416 OBP in 54 games. Vazquez, 27 on opening day, is a legit prospect and probably will be with the Yankees in no time.

Free Agent Picks

As many of you know, at the beginning of the year, MLB.com had a game called Free Agent Frenzy. You would pick which teams you thought would sign certain free agents and the level of confidence you had in that. Some of my picks were spot on, but others weren't unfortunately. Anyways, here are my picks along with my current picks (you can't change your picks anymore):

(Confidence level 15 high 1 low, player name, team)

15. CC Sabathia NYY-signed with NYY

14. Mark Teixeira NYY-signed with NYY

13. Ryan Dempster CHC-signed with CHC

12. Derek Lowe BOS-Mets appear to be the front-runners as the Red Sox have very little interest in bringing back Lowe

11. A.J. Burnett LAA-signed with NYY, stupid decision on my part.

10. Oliver Perez NYM-Mets have the most interest of any team but do not want to pay Perez what he an agent, Scott Boras, are looking for.

9. Manny Ramirez LAA-I meant to say he'd go to LAD but I accidently hit LA instead.

8. Pat Burrell LAA-Same as above although it appears he's going to neither of them.

7. Adam Dunn TB-Rays have interest in Dunn, although if the Dodgers don't get Manny, they become the front-runners.

6. Kerry Wood CHC-Signed with CLE, I made that decision before the Cubs got Kevin Gregg.

5. Francisco Rodriguez NYM-Signed with NYM

4. Bobby Abreu NYM-No team has really expressed a lot of interest in Abreu but there have been a lot of nibbles including some from the Mets.

3. Rafael Furcal LAA-Signed with LAD, same as with Manny and Burrell, why can't there just be one LA team??!

2. Milton Bradley OAK-Almost definitely headed to the Cubs.

1. Ben Sheets STL-Don't ask. Also no team has really expressed much interest now that the Rangers have all but dropped out.

Other free agents that weren't on the list:

Jason Giambi OAK-no team wants to go anywhere near the 3-year deal he's asking for, but if he were willing to except a 1-year deal, expect Billy Beane and the A's to pounce.

Brian Fuentes LAA-signed with LAA and that's been a given pretty much since K-Rod left.

Ken Griffey Jr. SEA-no team has really even mentioned Ken Griffey Jr. but the general sense around baseball is that he'll have a Seattle return (maybe indicating who he'll go in the HOF as).

*Also this is my first post of 2009! Happy New Year Everybody!