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Yankees Notes: Rivera, Betances, Rodriguez

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It sounds as though 2012 may be the final season of what will surely be a Hall of Fame career for Mariano Rivera. Here’s the latest on the Yankees and the back end of their bullpen as Spring Training 2012 gets underway…

  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post doubts the Yankees will spend on the best free agent closer available, though it’s a strategy they might have chosen in the recent past. Brian Cashman believes it’s unwise to sign relievers other than Rivera to significant contracts, and the GM aims to keep payroll under $189MM by 2014.
  • David Robertson and Rafael Soriano are internal candidates to close if Rivera retires, as Sherman points out. Many baseball people believe the Yankees should use prospect Dellin Betances out of the bullpen, but he has just two MLB games to his name at this point.
  • The Yankees don’t expect Alex Rodriguez to be a vital part of their team four or five years from now, but there’s $143MM remaining on his contract, so the team needs to get as much value as possible from A-Rod.
  • The Yankees will obtain another closer, but they won’t replace Rivera, Sherman writes.
  • Robertson, Soriano and Joba Chamberlain told Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger that they aren't thinking about replacing Rivera just yet.

Yankees Notes: Cashman, Sabathia, Swisher

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There's a 100% chance GM Brian Cashman signs a new contract with the Yankees before long, based on what Joel Sherman of the New York Post is hearing (Twitter link). However, many questions about the 2012 Yankees persist. Here's a look ahead at some of the team's upcoming decisions…

  • The Yankees haven't had any contract talks with Cashman at this point, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. Feinsand hasn't heard from anyone who thinks the sides will fail to reach a deal.
  • C.C. Sabathia told Mark Hale of the New York Post that baseball is a business, while acknowledging that it would be difficult to leave New York. The left-hander will likely opt out of the four years and $92MM remaining on his seven-year, $161MM deal. Cashman says the Yankees haven't started talking extension with Sabathia.
  • Manager Joe Girardi says he doesn't want to imagine his rotation without Sabathia, according to Feinsand (all Twitter links). Girardi says he's sure the Yankees will look to add top-of-the-rotation pitching even if Sabathia returns.
  • Girardi says he expects Alex Rodriguez to start at third, rather than DH, in 2012, according to Feinsand.
  • Sherman knows that it'd be easiest for the Yankees to pick up Nick Swisher's $10.25MM option and work Jesus Montero into the lineup, but he makes the case that Carlos Beltran is in many ways preferable to Swisher. It will cost more than $10.25MM to sign Beltran, who could obtain a three-year deal this winter.

Yankees Notes: Montero, Cashman, A-Rod, Sabathia

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You knew there would be a lot of Yankee news the day after the Bronx Bombers were eliminated from the postseason.  Ben Nicholson-Smith already gave us one batch of items out of New York today, and now here are a few more tidbits as the Yanks look ahead to next year…

Yankees Notes: Sabathia, Posada, Cashman

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The Yankees won 97 regular season games and two more in the playoffs, but their quest for a 28th World Championship fell short in the Bronx last night, as the Tigers beat them 3-2. Here are some links as the Yankees look ahead to another offseason…    

  • Tyler Kepner of the New York Times says retaining C.C. Sabathia is the most pressing task of the Yankees' offseason. If they let him slip away, the Red Sox could have interest, as Kepner points out.
  • Jon Heyman of SI.com points out that the Yankees' biggest offseason need is once again starting pitching and runs through a number of other issues facing the Bronx Bombers this winter.
  • Sabathia can opt out of the four years remaining on his seven-year, $161MM contract after the season and the left-hander says he can't wrap his head around the decision yet, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. However, Sabathia repeated that he loves it in New York.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post suspects that the Yankees will wait, instead of extending Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson this offseason. Both players are eligible for free agency after 2013 (assuming New York exercises Cano's two options).
  • Alex Rodriguez told Sherman that the Yankees' season was a "major failure" though they finished with the best record in the American League. Rodriguez says he has a lot to prove and is looking forward to the challenge of "coming back with a vengeance."
  • As Mike Vorkunov of the Star-Ledger explains, Jorge Posada may have played his final game in Yankee pinstripes and the catcher turned DH is emotional about the possibility.
  • Brian Cashman reiterated that he wants to return to the Yankees, according to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger. The GM's contract expires after the season, but the Yankees want him back, so a new deal appears likely.

Dan Lozano To Represent Alex Rodriguez

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Agent Dan Lozano signed Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez for all baseball-related work, reports Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal (subscription required).  On the surface it doesn't seem that A-Rod has much need for an agent, since he is signed through 2017.  Rodriguez left the Boras corporation last summer.  Steve Loy of Gaylord Sports Management handles Rodriguez's marketing.

Lozano left Beverly Hills Sports Council about a year ago.  His robust client list includes impending free agents Albert Pujols and Jimmy Rollins, as MLBTR's agency database shows.

East Notes: Wright, Salty, Bixler, A-Rod

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Rainfall on the East Coast has already postponed a couple games on Friday night, but here's some items of note to hold you over …

  • Mets third baseman David Wright's days in New York may be winding down, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The Mets, who may be in full-on rebuild mode as soon as midseason, could opt to trade Wright because he is signed to team-favorable terms through 2013 and would therefore yield a better haul in a trade than Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran or Francisco Rodriguez, writes Rubin. That the Mets could entertain this is indicative of how far they've fallen the past couple years; it once seemed likely Wright would spend his entire career in Queens.
  • Red Sox catchers Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jason Varitek have struggled so far this season, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com, but with underwhelming and unready in-house options and limited trade or free-agent targets out there, a move is not imminent. Bengie Molina, 36, is still unsigned, but as Speier points out, would he be much of an improvement?
  • The Nationals have purchased the contract of infielder Brian Bixler from Triple-A Syracuse, tweets Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com. A corresponding move on the 40-man roster was to be announced. Bixler, a second-round pick of the Pirates in 2004 out of Eastern Michigan, last appeared in the bigs in 2009. In 166 career plate appearances, he has a .178/.238/.237 line.
  • Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has hired Steve Loy of Gaylord Sports Management to handle his marketing. As our Agency Tracker shows, A-Rod has not officially announced an agent since parting ways with Scott Boras, and he may not need one for a while considering he's signed through age 42. For a complete list of Scott Boras clients, click here.

Heyman On Young, Emaus, Rays, Wilson, Melky

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The Rangers were close to sending Michael Young to the Rockies for two young players before the season, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. The deal didn’t go through, but the Rangers appear to have assured the Rockies that they’ll have  the first chance to acquire Young if he becomes available once again. Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors:

  • One GM told Heyman that Mets Rule 5 selection Brad Emaus looks like a Quadruple A player.
  • The Rays could have interest in adding a hitter now that Manny Ramirez isn’t around and Heyman suggests Chris Davis would be a fit. I wrote last month that the Rays are one team that could have interest in the first baseman if the Rangers make him available.
  • C.J. Wilson could ask for $82.5MM on his next contract, as Heyman points out. The left-hander hits free agency after the season and could compare himself to A.J. Burnett and John Lackey in negotiations with the Rangers and/or other clubs.
  • Alex Rodriguez worked out with Melky Cabrera this offseason and “begged” the Yankees to sign the outfielder to no avail.
  • The Orioles are “very high” on Jake Arrieta, the 25-year-old who made 18 starts as a rookie in 2010 and remains in Baltimore’s rotation.

AL Notes: Millwood, Soria, A-Rod, Barton

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MLBTR sends its condolences to the friends and family of Ernie Tyler, who passed away on Thursday night.  The long-time umpire attendant at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards worked 3819 consecutive games between Opening Day 1960 and July 27, 2007, only halting his streak when the Orioles' other iron man (Cal Ripken Jr.) invited Tyler to Cooperstown for Ripken's induction into the Hall of Fame.  Tyler, 86, is survived by his wife and 11 children.

Some news from the Junior Circuit…

  • The Yankees are still considering signing Kevin Millwood, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman.  We heard about New York's interest in the right-hander last week, and recent rumors have linked him to Cleveland, though the Indians don't want to pay Millwood the $4-5MM he's seeking.
  • In a recent online chat with fans, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star said it is "unlikely bordering on inconceivable" that the Royals will look to move Joakim Soria at the trade deadline.  We heard earlier this winter that K.C. was firm on keeping Soria in the fold, despite interest from a few other clubs.
  • Fangraphs' Dave Cameron argues Andy MacPhail's recent statement that Alex Rodriguez's contract with the Rangers was "the worst signing in the history of baseball."  As Cameron notes, the problem wasn't Rodriguez, but rather the fact that the Rangers surrounded him with mediocre talent.
  • Is Daric Barton a better first baseman than Ryan Howard and Mark Teixeira?  Citing wOBA, defense and contracts, ESPN.com's Evan Brunell believes so.
  • John Tomase of the Boston Herald profiles Te Wera Bishop, who is trying to become the first New Zealand-born player in Major League history.  Bishop, 17, starred for New Zealand's national softball team before being signed to a $60K contract by the Red Sox.

Odds & Ends: Diamondbacks, Lindstrom, Lee, Ramirez

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Merry Christmas everyone!  Let's see what tidbits of information Santa has for us under the tree..

Rangers Rumors: Daniels, Hicks, A-Rod

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As the Rangers prepare to face off against the Yankees, GM Jon Daniels faces speculation that he'd be interested in running the team he grew up rooting for: the New York Mets. But as Newsday's Ken Davidoff reports, Daniels remains focused on his team's playoff run and the Mets haven't asked to speak to anyone in the Rangers organization. Here's the latest on Daniels and the Rangers:

  • Davidoff says "even if the Mets don't look at [Daniels] personally, they should at least look at the Rangers and try to emulate them." 
  • Daniels told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that the Rangers' success comes from a simple approach. "Our plan isn't rocket science," the GM said. "We're not the first team that said, 'Hey, let's build from within.' We've had success to this point because our evaluators are good. Our scouts are good. Our development people are good."
  • Daniels wouldn't have the chance to opt out of his Rangers contract if Tom Hicks hadn't sold the team. Now on the outside looking in, Hicks tells Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork that he regrets signing Alex Rodriguez to a ten-year $252MM deal.
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