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Kevin Millwood

Yankees Notes: Silva, Millwood, Colon, Felix

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C.C. Sabathia starts for the Yankees tonight, which means the questions about their rotation can rest, if only for a day. Here's the latest on the Yankees, with an emphasis on their rotation…

  • According to Cashman, Carlos Silva, who was signed by the Yanks to a minor-league deal after he was released by the Cubs, hasn't been assigned to a minor-league club, writes Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com.  In fact, he hasn't even thrown to a hitter yet.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Marc Carig of the Star Ledger that he will review video of Kevin Millwood pitching in the minor leagues before deciding whether to promote the right-hander to the Major Leagues (Twitter link). Millwood can opt out of his contract with New York this Sunday.
  • Paul Swydan of FanGraphs identifies some warning signs on the horizon for the resurgent Bartolo Colon, but maintains that the right-hander could help the Yankees form a devastating rotation.
  • The Yankees can probably forget about acquiring the reigning Cy Young winner for now. Felix Hernandez told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he’s happy playing for the Mariners and isn’t looking for a trade. A number of executives tell Morosi they expect King Felix to stay put this season, partly because he’s under team control through 2014.

Stark On Millwood, Nationals, Fuld

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ESPN.com's Jayson Stark breaks down the possible implications of expanded playoffs before providing some rumblings from around the league. Here they are:

  • Even though Kevin Millwood has won both of his minor league starts and posted a 1.29 ERA, scouts say he doesn’t look very good. Millwood, whose fastball is averaging 85 mph, can opt out of his contact with the Yankees this Sunday.
  • Rival teams are eyeing the Nationals’ catching depth, but they’re finding that after missing two seasons with labrum surgery, Jesus Flores isn’t ready.
  • Sam Fuld has become an important piece for the Rays, but the Cubs expected to move him last offseason, according to Stark. Fuld had a history of getting injured, was behind Kosuke Fukudome and Tyler Colvin on the depth chart and was out of options and when the Cubs sent him to the Rays.

Yankees Notes: Millwood, Hughes, Martin

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In the interest of equal time, here are some noteworthy items on the Yankees..

  • Kevin Millwood had a strong showing in the minors today, allowing just one hit across seven scoreless innings, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.  The Yanks brought Millwood in on a minor league deal that will balloon if he can hit certain incentive triggers.
  • Earlier today, Yankees skipper Joe Girardi told the press that the club had planned to send Phil Hughes to Triple-A to work through his troubles, tweets Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com.  Hughes ultimately convinced the Yankees that that wouldn't be the best course of action for his "dead arm".
  • Russell Martin is proving GM Brian Cashman's doubters wrong with his strong performance thus far, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.  Cashman remarked before the season that the $4MM base deal could wind up being a bargain for the club.

Stark On Orioles, Beltran, Reyes, Carpenter

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The Yankees weren’t counting on much from Kevin Millwood when they signed him to a minor league deal and, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, that may be a good thing. Stark hears that Millwood “looks terrible” and isn’t throwing as hard as usual in extended Spring Training. Here’s Stark’s latest from around the league:

  • An AL executive expects the Orioles to be one of the most active sellers in baseball if they fade this summer. With Vladimir Guerrero, Derrek Lee, J.J. Hardy and others on the roster, the O’s have a lot of potential trade chips.
  • The Mets would ‘love’ to see Carlos Beltran play well enough to make himself appealing as a trade candidate. Scouts are already watching Beltran in case he’s available at the deadline.
  • One NL scout says he’d recommend Jose Reyes on a two month rental, but wouldn’t advise committing to the shortstop long-term.
  • Despite speculation that Chris Carpenter could be traded, most clubs expect the Cardinals to hold onto him. St. Louis holds a $15MM option for Carpenter in 2012 ($1MM buyout).

Yankees Close To Signing Kevin Millwood

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The Yankees are close to signing Kevin Millwood to an "incentive-laden" minor league contract, reports Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link).  Millwood is represented by Scott Boras.

The free agent right-hander has been linked to the Yankees at several points this winter, and turned down a minor league offer from the club last month.  We heard last week that the Yankees offered another minor league deal in the low seven-figure range after watching Millwood in a throwing session, but the veteran was still hoping for a Major League contract in the neighborhood of $4MM.

Though New York has been looking for pitching all winter, the timing of this signing is a bit ironic since it seemed as if the questions about the back of the Yankees' rotation had largely been answered during Spring Training.  Ivan Nova has reportedly locked up the No. 4 spot behind C.C. Sabathia, Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett, while either Freddy Garcia or a resurgent Bartolo Colon would be the fifth starter.  Of course, neither Nova, Garcia or Colon are sure things, so it helps the Yankees to have a proven innings-eater like Millwood on the roster.  As Heyman notes in a follow-up tweet, Garcia or Colon will begin the season as the No. 5 starter while Millwood gets into pitching form.

The Yankess will be Millwood's sixth franchise in his 15-year Major League career.  The 36-year-old has thrown at least 168 2/3 innings and made at least 29 starts in all but three of those seasons.  Millwood is coming off a rough year with Baltimore in 2010, when he posted a career-high fly ball rate, a career-low ground ball rate and a 5.10 ERA in 31 starts with the O's.

Brewers Considering External Rotation Candidates

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Though the Brewers will likely call on one of their current pitchers to fill out their rotation, the team is monitoring arms that could become available on waivers or through trades, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. GM Doug Melvin says he will “probably” fill the rotation from within.

"It's very difficult to make trades at this time of year because other teams are trying to preserve their depth,” Melvin said. “We're making a lot of calls."

Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum, Melvin's two primary offseason acquisitions have had setbacks this spring. Greinke will miss at least one start with a cracked rib and Marcum has a stiff shoulder. The Brewers appeared to have depth early in the spring, but Mark Rogers (shoulder) and Manny Parra (back) have dealt with injuries as well.

The Brewers are not interested in Doug Davis, Oliver Perez or Kevin Millwood, according to McCalvy. Milwaukee has a full 40-man roster, which means they would have to remove a player from the roster to create space for a new addition. Internal rotation candidates Wily Peralta, Marco Estrada, Eulogio de la Cruz and Tim Dillard are among those on the roster.

Quick Hits: Putz, Castillo, Varitek, Pirates, Ortiz

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Links for Saturday evening..

Yankees Watched Millwood Pitch

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7:53pm: The Yankees were the only team to watch Millwood today, according to Sherman (Twitter links). The Yankees clocked his fastball at 85 mph and say they'll only offer a minor league deal. However, Millwood still wants a Major League contract.

Millwood seeks $4MM and the Yankees are willing to offer a low seven-figure (presumably minor league) deal, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).

3:38pm: The Yankees were among the teams that watched Kevin Millwood throw this morning, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter links). Millwood rejected a minor league offer from the Yankees less than a month ago, but the team appears to maintain interest in the right-hander.

Millwood posted a career-low ground ball rate and a career-high fly ball rate last year and allowed 30 homers. He posted a 5.10 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 last year in his first season as an Oriole.

The numbers aren't particularly impressive, but Millwood's durability is. The 36-year-old has averaged 31 starts per season since joining the Braves' rotation in 1998. Last year was typical for Millwood, as he started 31 games and logged 190 2/3 innings.

Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon and Ivan Nova have pitched well enough that the Yankees don't seem as desperate for starting options as they did earlier in the winter, when Andy Pettitte first announced his retirement. The Cardinals, another potential destination for Millwood, appear to have found their fifth starter in former setup man Kyle McClellan, so they are not longer an obvious fit for Millwood, either. 

Wainwright Will Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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THURSDAY, 10:01am: GM John Mozeliak confirmed that Wainwright will undergo Tommy John surgery according to the team's official Twitter feed. The injury will keep him on the shelf for all of 2011.

WEDNESDAY, 8:59am: Adam Wainwright is heading back to St. Louis to have his right elbow examined, and right now the team expects the worst. "I can say just based on the initial evaluation from our training staff, things do not look encouraging," said GM John Mozeliak according to Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. ESPN's Buster Olney says (on Twitter) that it appears the team is expecting their ace to have Tommy John surgery, which would keep him out for all of 2011.

Wainwright, 29, has been one of the game's best pitchers in recent years, pitching to a 2.53 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 463 1/3 innings over the last two seasons. He finished second in the NL Cy Young voting last season and third in 2009. Rival executives are speculating that the Cards will pursue Kevin Millwood in the wake of the injury, according to Olney (on Twitter). Over the weekend we heard that Millwood was "waiting for the right widespread panic."

If Wainwright finishes the 2011 season on the disabled list, his $9MM option for 2012 and $12MM option for 2013 will not vest. 

Potential Pitching Options For The Cardinals

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The Cardinals are expected to receive some bad news pretty soon, as it appears as though right-hander Adam Wainwright will miss the 2011 season with Tommy John surgery. Manager Tony LaRussa told Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that they "have to overcome this," though St. Louis still has a formidable front of the rotation featuring Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia, and Jake Westbrook.

Reliever Kyle McClellan is already working under a starter's program this spring according to Goold, so he could be first in line for the vacated rotation spot. The team could also turn to Brian Tallet, Miguel Batista, Ian Snell, P.J. Walters, or Lance Lynn if needed. What about external options? Let's take a look…

  • Kevin Millwood – The 36-year-old free agent is said to be "waiting for the right widespread panic," and Wainwright's injury would certainly qualify. Millwood was rumored to be seeking $4-5MM, and recently declined a minor league offer from the Yankees. 
  • Joe Blanton – It's long been speculated that the Phillies would try to unload the $17MM owed to Blanton over the next two years, though St. Louis' payroll is said to be "leaking." Philadelphia would likely have to eat a significant portion of Blanton's contract to facilitate a trade, defeating the point of moving him.
  • Jeremy Bonderman – Still just 28, Bonderman has been connected to the Indians recently but is still without a job for 2011.
  • Chad Durbin – At least one team (the Red Sox) have interest in him as a starter, but he'd have more of an opportunity with the Cardinals. Durbin has 75 big league starts to his credit, but none since 2007. He could also provide bullpen depth if McClellan moves into the rotation.
  • Bartolo Colon or Freddy Garcia – both right-handers are with the Yankees on minor league contracts that allow them to become free agents if they don't make the team out of Spring Training.

There's no way to replace a pitcher of Wainwright's caliber, so the Cardinals will have to hope that whoever takes his place in the rotation simply provides quality innings while the rest of the team takes their game up a notch.

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