Cliff Lee talks expected to move forward this week

Via Buster Olney of ESPN: Executives involved in the bidding for Cliff Lee believe the negotiations will gather momentum in the week ahead, perhaps to a point where the All-Star left-hander will choose his next employer sometime during the winter meetings that start Dec. 6. No surprise here, really, as these talks always seem to “heat [...]

Sunday Morning Bits: Derek Jeter

Morning everyone–here are a few quick items to kick off the day: SI‘s Jon Heyman believes the Yankees could up their offer to Derek Jeter by “a couple of mil a year.” However, he adds that Jeter would still have to accept a pay cut to return. Heyman also tweets that the Yankees hope to [...]

Jeter’s agent shoots down 6-year, $150M proposal

A few minutes ago, Derek Jeter’s agent Casey Close shot down the Daily News‘ report from earlier today suggesting that Jeter was seeking a 6-year, $150M contract from the Yankees. “The recently rumored terms of our contract extension are simply inaccurate,” said Close to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports (props to MLBTR). Good thing, too. To [...]

With Jeter, Cashman wants a fair contract

Derek Jeter’s agent Casey Close recently characterized the Yankees’ handling of his client’s contract negotiations as “baffling.” Well, Casey–I think GM Brian Cashman disagrees with you. Also, he believes the reported 3-year deal worth $45M is fair. Via Wallace Matthews of ESPN: “We’ve made an offer and we hope they strongly consider it,” Cashman said. [...]

Mariano Rivera wants $18M per year

Via Jeff Passan of Yahoo!, we learn that while the Yankees are interested in offering Mariano Rivera a one-year deal, Rivera is seeking a two-year deal worth $36M. Yes, you heard me right–at the age of 40, he wants $18M per year. This annual figure, to put it bluntly, is beyond exorbitant. With that said, [...]

Yanks and Girardi agree on 3-year deal

Mark Feinsand has the news. It’s a 3-year deal worth $9M (that’s a $3M annual salary via Joel Sherman). Girardi’s new contract isn’t a surprise, of course, as the Post reported that a 3-year deal was likely earlier this week. For all of his flaws, in my opinion, Joe Girardi deserved a new deal. What [...]

A.J. Burnett not worth $16.5M per year

Though I have discussed this at length in a number of previous posts, after last night’s brutal start, I have to say it once more–A.J. Burnett is not and and was not going to be worth $16.5M, which is what he currently collects from the Yankees each season. Brian Cashman simply overpaid him when he [...]

Checking in on Carl Pavano

Believe it or not, but, loathed former Yankee, Carl Pavano, is one of the more effective pitchers in the American League. On the season, he has posted a 4.11 ERA—that’s with an impressive 3.82 FIP and 3.74 xFIP, leaving his worth at a more than respectable mark of 1.2 WAR. Essentially, in Minnesota, Pavano is [...]

Heyman: Teixeira’s bat not as good as Howard’s bat

Here’s an interesting comparison via Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated: That [Ryan] Howard received $2 million more than [Mark] Teixeira also seems about right under the circumstances. Teixeira has a more diverse set of skills, is slightly younger and signed in New York as a free agent, but he couldn’t make a case that he [...]

Hal Steinbrenner “can’t imagine” Yanks without Girardi

Via Barry Bloom of MLB.com: Steinbrenner took over as managing general partner after the 2008 season when his father, George, essentially retired from the day-to-day club operations. Hal Steinbrenner said he had a conversation with Girardi about his future with the organization. “Quite frankly, I had a talk with him,” Steinbrenner said. “I said, ‘Joe, [...]

Cashman blames Igawa debacle on Igawa

Here’s an interesting item on Kei Igawa from the NY Times‘ Joe LaPointe: Despite having two seasons left on a five-year, $20 million contract and despite retiring all five hitters in his spring debut Friday, Igawa is mostly out of sight and pretty much out of mind. He is rarely mentioned in conversations about the [...]

Poll: What will Mariano’s annual salary be?

Here’s a question for the night—how much should Mariano Rivera make, per year, after re-signing (with the Yankees, I assume)? His last contract was a three-year deal worth $45 million, so he has been receiving $15 million per year.

Taveras to sign with Washington

Via ESPN, we learn that the Washington Nationals have agreed to a deal with outfielder Willy Taveras, who was recently released by the Oakland A’s after having acquired him from the Cincinnati Reds. Taveras’ deal is a minor-league contract with an invite to Spring Training. If he makes the team’s 40-man roster, he will earn [...]

Yanks should not break the bank on Jeter

EJ Fagan of TYU offers us a piece today on Derek Jeter and writes about the speculation surrounding what Jeter could ultimately receive from the Yankees when they attempt to re-sign him at the end of the year. Many of the figures being discussed, as EJ points out, are genuinely silly, mostly because they consider [...]

Randy Winn could earn an additional $900K versus LH pitching

From ESPN, we learn that the Yankees have officially announced their signing of veteran outfielder, Randy Winn. Winn will receive a base salary of $1.1 million in 2010, though he can actually earn an extra $900K in plate appearance incentives against left-handers. Winn would receive $100K each for 50, 75, and 100 plate appearances, and [...]

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