I’m sure you know by now that the Yankees didn’t make a transaction during the Winter Meetings, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t productive. Yesterday was the final day of negotiations in Nashville, and although they left with one more need, a vacant third base, it wasn’t necessarily a failure.
Signings
- The Braves agreed to a one-year deal with outfielder Reed Johnson.
- Koji Uehara and the Red Sox agreed to a one-year deal worth $4.25 million.
- The Cubs had agreed to re-sign third baseman Ian Stewart to a one-year $2 million contract with incentives. The deal also has some sort of team option that the Cubs can use during the 2013 Spring Training.
- The Twins extended reliever Jared Burton to a two-year $5.5 million deal that includes a $2.6 million team option for 2015.
Trades
- It’s not completed yet, but it seems that the Phillies and Rangers have agreed to trade Michael Young, however the infielder has a no-trade clause, and the decision is now in his hands.
- The Phillies acquired outfielder Ben Revere from the Twins for starting pitcher Vance Worley and pitching prospect Trevor May.
Yankees News And Notes
- Scott Boras met with Giants’ personnel sometime during the meetings to discuss one of his closers, that would be Jose Valverde or ex-Yankee Rafael Soriano.
- Don’t get your hopes up about trading for Corey Hart, because the outfielder has a limited no-trade clause and dislikes Spring Training in Florida.
- Though there seemed to be a lot of interest in Nick Swisher on Wednesday, many teams were ruled out on yesterday. The Giants, Orioles, and Red Sox have all fallen out of the race.
- Supposedly, the Yankees offered Kevin Youkilis a one-year $12 million contract. He also has other offers, one of which is from the Indians, where former buddy Terry Francona now manages. Unless he holds a massive vendetta against the Red Sox (which he may) and their fans, I really wouldn’t count on him signing with the Yankees.
- The Mickey Storey era is now over. The right handed reliever was claimed by the Houston Astros, who the Yankees claimed him from originally.
- The Yankees and Mets had talks about R.A. Dickey, but the teams didn’t end up matching up.
- For a third day in a row, the Yankees were said to be listening on Curtis Granderson trades. Yesterday, they added Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova to the trade block, but acknowledged that losing Granderson or Hughes would hurt them in the short term.
- Agents have been discussing the Yankees’ funds, and they’re saying that ownership has taken the money out of Cashman’s hands. Word is that he wasn’t allowed to spend anything without ownership’s approval, which would be a new thing. This might sound like doomsday, but in reality it’s more likely that agents are just trying to fish the Yankees back into the free agent market without angering Cashman.
- Finally, the Rule 5 Draft was held yesterday morning and the Yankees didn’t pick anybody, nor did they lose anybody. The draft was rather limited anyway.
Overall, it was a pretty disappointing Winter Meetings from a fan’s perspective. Not only did the team fail to make a single acquisition, but they announced that they lost Alex Rodriguez for the first few months of the 2013 season. They’ve gone backwards, but at the same time, the team certainly didn’t miss any opportunities on the free agent market. Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino, Dan Haren, and Angel Pagan were perhaps the biggest signings, and none of them fit very well into the Yankees’ plans.
There are two ways I see the team moving from here. The first is to actually trade Granderson and Hughes for young major league ready prospects. I’m not sure who they could obtain, but it could leave them with a high upside team below this year’s $178 million luxury tax. That would mean they take care of the budget a year early, but at the risk of the 2013 season.
The second direction would be to empty the farm system for the cheaper position players closer to their prime. They’d be going all out in 2013, the swan song year for Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera, but at the cost of the future. It wouldn’t entirely destroy the farm though, since the team projects to have 3 first round picks during the 2013 amateur draft.
What I am certain of, is that the team won’t enter next season with this roster. They haven’t re-signed Hiroki Kuroda, Pettitte, and Rivera just to give up. Something is brewing, and the front office planted plenty of seeds this week. Brian Cashman is no dummy, and after making the Yankees the best team in baseball over the last 15 seasons, we should really trust in him. Sure, he had his Kei Igawas and Carl Pavanos, but he’s also carried the team to 14 playoff appearances, while making the idea of “rebuilding” obsolete. He might be the best GM in the game, but for now…
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7 Responses to Winter Meetings Day Four Wrap Up
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TIQ IQ
I agree pretty much what has been said here. The pitching looks good right now but holes in the field need to be filled. I think if they could find a way to pluck Juston Upton from Arizona that would be the move. I don’t know how Arizona feels about Granderson, Hughes, Nova or anyone in the system.
I really don’t see how they could get much for Granderson besides salary relief. Hughes might bring back better prospects but he’s one year away from FA and not a top of the rotation guy so, you know, curb your enthusiasm.
Trading those guys (absent other moves) is kind of punting on 2013 and if that were the plan I doubt they would have brought back Pettitte and Mo.
Michael Young to the Phillies for a relif pitcher and a minor league player? And Texas eats half the salary? Wow, Cashman asleep at the wheel. Young has never been to the DL…hits to all fields. Won a Gold Glove…can play 3rd, SS, 2nd…so why chase Youk, the guy who has a bad back, who is on a faster decline than Young, if Young is even on a decline…he did have an off year in 2012 but 2011 was a monster year for him. 8 mil for Young and 12 mil for Youk….who would you rather have? I’d take Young in a heartbeat.
I’d take Youk in a heartbeat over young.
cant expect Cashman to deliver what ain’t available…there ain’t no great free-agent outfielders other than Hamilton and there ain’t no free-agent third basemen any better than Youkilis
and there dang sure ain’t any free-agent catchers.
Cashman might be able to get Justin Upton if he could convince Arizona to take our shortstop in exchange…but the guy has a no-trade clause and would likely block the deal.
He has a limited no trade clause, he can only block trades to four teams. The reports are that the Yankees use to be on that list but no longer are, so if they made a deal for him he’d be a Yankee.
The problem is Kevin Towers knows our system as well as anyone, if he’s trading with us he’s going to know exactly what he wants. I think we have the pieces to land Upton, start with Williams, Nova, and Nunez, but it seems as if the Yankees want to fill RF while spending next to no money, which likely means Ichiro or someone like Ryan Sweeney on a 1 year deal. The shame of it is Upton is the perfect fit for what they want to do, he’s under control at a good price, he’s super young, and players who produce the kind of seasons he’s had at that age go on to be superstars.
Mark Feinsand is reporting Cano has no intention of cutting the Yankees a break on his contract and one source says he’s looking for a contract in line with Arod’s. The Yankees need to seriously look into trading Cano now, with the Dodgers spending money like the Yankees of old I wouldn’t be shocked to see them lining up say one with an 8-10 year contyract, the Yankees simply can not afford to give him anything over 6 years at this point, especially when he’ll be going into his age 31 season in the first year of the deal.
At this point I’d honestly rather have 4-5 year of Josh Hamilton than re-sign Cano to an 8+ year contract next offseason.