Winter Meetings Day One Wrap Up

Usually the first day of the meetings is slow, but a surprising amount of news and signings happened yesterday.

Signings

• The Rays agreed to sign James Loney to a one-year $2 million deal with incentives. He’ll replace Carlos Pena and his .684 OPS at first base.

• The Padres agreed to sign New York native Jason Marquis to a one-year $3 million contract. While he wasn’t likely a target for the Yankees, he’s always linked to the two New York teams because of his connection to the area.

• The Giants agreed to sign Angel Pagan to a four-year $40 million deal. The 31 year old outfielder was likely on the Yankees list of potential right fielders, however the organization appears wary of multi-year contracts this season.

• The Red Sox agreed to sign Mike Napoli to a three-year $39 million deal. The Red Sox are set at catcher, so we can assume that he’ll be playing first base for Boston. The Yankees were rumored to have interest in Napoli, most likely as a one-year bounce back DH candidate.

• The Rangers agreed to sign Joakim Soria to a two-year $8 million contract with a possible third-year option. Soria had interest in setting up for Mariano Rivera, but the multi-year deal was likely a deal breaker for the Yankees.

• The Rangers also agreed to re-sign Geovany Soto to a one-year $2.75 million deal plus incentives. Soto was one of the few catchers on free agent market with decent upside.

Yankees News And Notes

• Yesterday started off with the big news of Alex Rodriguez‘ labrum tear in his hip, and the Yankees new interest on the infield market.

• Some writers believe that the Padres may be willing to trade Chase Headley to the Yankees, however that theory was quickly shot down by a Padres official.

• Apparently the Diamondbacks were throwing off aggressive signals about trading Justin Upton yesterday. Though the Yankees haven’t been well-linked, he would fit well into the team’s plans.

• The Red Sox are still in on Nick Swisher. That would not be cool Swish.

• There were some rumblings from Giancarlo Stanton‘s agent yesterday, saying that he’s unhappy with the Marlins organization. Putting that kind of information public likely means he’s requesting a trade, however the Yankees and their farm system would still be a long shot. I’m not getting my hopes up.

• Eli Whiteside road out of town after he was claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays. Should of kept.

• Cashman didn’t say much in his conference about Rodriguez yesterday, but he did say that the team will be actively looking to upgrade at third base. Considering they don’t have a third baseman, that’s a good idea.

• The Yankees are still in on Scott Hairston, although it looks like he could obtain a two-year deal, which as I mentioned above, the team is unwilling to give out.

• Supposedly, the Yankees checked in on the Rockies’ third baseman Chris Nelson last season, who could become a reasonable target this season. Unfortunately, his home and away splits are disappointing.

• Cody Ross is still available, and the Yankees are still interested. They even requested his medical information some time this week.

• People with the Tigers are saying that the organization has no interest in Rafael Soriano. Not sure what to make of that considering they’re considered his biggest suitor.

• Shane Victorino, who’s been linked to the Yankees, is said to be looking for a three-year $30 million deal. Also, he supposedly already has a few three-year/four-year offers, which I don’t believe.

• There’s been some chatter between Ichiro Suzuki and the Phillies.

• Another Marlins player, Ricky Nolasco, wants to be traded out of the organization. The Yankees have been linked to him as a buy-low candidate as recently as last month, though his salary outweighs his performance.

• The Yankees and their $189 million budget are supposedly a realistic landing spot for Josh Hamilton. Suuuuuurrrree.

• Robinson Canowill be playing in the 2013 World Baseball Classic for the Dominican Republic. I know everyone is interested in Francisco Cervelli, but there’s no word if he’s playing or what team he’ll choose to play for.

• In Derek Jeter news, he’s not fat. Also, he expects to be fully healthy for opening day.

• The Diamondbacks have also been discussing outfielder Jason Kubel, and writers are wondering if the Yankees are involved.

• The Yankees, amongst a few other teams, have checked in on the Marlin’s new shortstop, Yunel Escobar.

If you couldn’t tell, I am extremely skeptical about the majority of the rumors from yesterday. At this time of year, agents, players, and owners makes up all sorts of stuff to try to manipulate the free agent market. There are quite a few rumors that directly contradict each other, and in the fast paced environment of the hot stove season, many reporters go unchecked. You really can’t trust anyone until sources start to agree on a subject, but there are certain writers that are notorious for knowingly stating shady rumors.

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