Yankees, Twins discussing Santana trade

From the Associated Press:

Yankees senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner said Monday that discussions are ongoing but it was too early to tell whether they would lead to a deal. He did not detail how far talks had progressed.

"I don't want to get into that at this point, as far as what they want, what we're willing to give and all that," he said. "It's preliminary right now." (ESPN.com)

As I mentioned on Saturday, I'd be willing to part with Phil Hughes and Melky Cabrera. I saw reports today that the Twins are interested in prospect Austin Jackson as well. That is a little steep if you ask me, but Johan Santana is the best pitcher in baseball.

Is it really worth it? Only time will tell.

A-Rod's marketing package

From Ronald Blum:

Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees have agreed on a $30 million marketing package based on home-run achievements that could raise the total value of his new contract to $305 million over 10 years.

Under the agreement, which remains to be finalized, Rodriguez could receive $6 million each for tying the home-run levels of Willie Mays (660), Babe Ruth (714), Hank Aaron (755) and Barry Bonds (762), and an additional $6 million for breaking Bonds' major league record.

The Yankees could designate each level as a historic event, enabling Rodriguez to receive the added money in exchange for additional personal appearances and signed memorabilia for the club. That enabled the agreement to be allowed by the players' association and the commissioner's office. Baseball generally prohibits bonuses based on statistics such as home runs. (Yahoo!)

This type of agreement wasn't unexpected. However, all of this money is relative when you're making as much as Rodriguez will be in this yet-to-be-signed contract.

Yankees expected to make a "good, strong offer" for Santana

Minnesota Twins ace Johan Santana recently declined a four-year, $80 million offer to stay with the team. He will be a free agent after the 2008 season, so he will most likely get traded.

The price, in terms of players, is somewhat coming into play.

From Kat O'Brien:

The Twins are believed to have more interest in Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes than Kennedy, but they also like second baseman Robinson Cano and centerfielder Melky Cabrera. The Yankees have other well-thought-of prospects such as pitcher Alan Horne and outfielder Jose Tabata. Longtime Twins centerfielder Torii Hunter signed with the Angels this week, so the Twins are in need of a centerfielder. (Newsday)

I would give up Hughes and Cabrera before I give up Chamberlain and Cano, even though it is Santana who we are talking about.

The Yankees have young, Major League-ready pitchers aside from Hughes, so I'd be more willing to trade Hughes. I also feel that Cano is too valuable to this Yankee team to be traded. He is part of a solid infield that includes Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.

Melky Cabrera can be replaced, either with Johnny Damon or acquiring Aaron Rowand.

If I was Brian Cashman, I'd start with a package of Cabrera and Hughes to gauge the Twins' interests.

Hunter signs with Angels; White Sox sign Linebrink

Late last night, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim surprisingly signed Torii Hunter to a five-year, $90 million deal. Gary Matthews Jr. will be in the second year of his five-year, $50 million contract, so this move is rather strange.

There are reports out there that reliever Scott Linebrink has agreed to a four-year, $19 million contract with the Chicago White Sox. The Yankees were rumored to be interested in Linebrink's services. I'm rather happy the Yankees didn't sign him, especially for that contract. He has never pitched in the American League and has been on the decline the last couple of years.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'd like to take this time to wish everyone out there a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

If you're traveling anywhere tomorrow, have a safe trip.

Enjoy!

Girardi feels it's important for Pettitte to come back

Newsday reported that manager Joe Girardi spoke to Andy Pettitte last week and hopes to speak with him again after Thanksgiving. Girardi feels that it's too early to tell where Pettitte's mind is.

From Kat O'Brien:

"I think it's very important that he comes back," Girardi said. "I think that he knows the Yankee way, and he was a big plus in the clubhouse, as well as on the field. I know what Andy Pettitte's all about, and I would love to have him back." (Newsday)

It is indeed important that he comes back. The rotation next year, as it stands now, will be very young. It is hard to trust Mike Mussina and Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy are all rookies. The only "sure thing" is Chien-Ming Wang, and he was awful in the playoffs last year. Pettitte has shown no signs of injury and he can stabilize the rotation.

That said, I love Girardi's hands-on approach. He has already traveled to the Dominican Republic to view the young talent and has spoken with Mariano Rivera, which aided in his return to pinstripes. The decision to hire Girardi is looking better and better each day.

Meanwhile, Steve over at Was Watching has introduced Project P46. The idea is to get a mass number of Yankee fans to contact Pettitte and tell him how much he is needed in 2008. It's not a bad idea and it can't hurt, either.

Shelley Duncan's Arm

See what I did there?

Anyway, the Daily News is reporting that Shelley Duncan was hospitalized with an unknown arm ailment last week.

Apparently, it's nothing serious and he should be fine.

Duncan should have a big role with the team this year. He could get a decent amount of time at first base if he hits well and can be a backup outfielder. Hopefully this injury doesn't linger.

Coaching staff made official

This was reported a few weeks ago, but the coaching staff has finally been made official.

For those that need a reminder, here's Bryan Hoch:

Hitting coach Kevin Long and first-base coach Tony Pena will return, while Dave Eiland has been promoted to pitching coach. Rob Thomson becomes the new bench coach, and both third-base coach Bobby Meacham and bullpen coach Mike Harkey -- both members of Girardi's 2006 Marlins' coaching staff -- have joined New York. (MLB.com)

iPod question

Frequent readers of the blog will know that my hard drive crashed on Friday.

The replacement came today and everything is working fine so far.

Anyway, I have a quick question regarding iPods. Does anyone out there know how to get music off of the iPod and onto the computer? I have tried some programs and I have tried searching through the hidden folders inside the iPod folder. However, these haven't worked and I'm getting errors saying that the source files cannot be found.

Rodriguez wins MVP, but not unamimously

It wasn't shocking that Alex Rodriguez won his third MVP this afternoon. What is shocking, however, is that he didn't get all 28 first-place votes.

From Bryan Hoch:

A-Rod, who became the fifth AL player to win the award three times, did not win the coveted honor unanimously. Rodriguez picked up 26 out of the 28 first-place votes, with Detroit's Magglio Ordonez, who came in second place, earning the other two first-place votes. (MLB.com)

My reaction to this story is a lot different than it would have been a week ago. With Rodriguez on his way to returning to the Yankees, Yankee fans can celebrate Rodriguez winning his second MVP as a Yankee.

But we all know that personal accolades haven't brought championship No. 27. Hopefully 2008 will be different.

Caldera: Rivera coming back

From Pete Caldera:

Mariano Rivera has agreed to accept the Yankees' three-year, $45 million offer, according to a friend who spoke with Mo today.

Last night, Rivera returned from giving baseball clinics in the Dominican Republic. He told the friend that he intended to sign when he returned, but that Hank Steinbrenner's comments about his age might have caused some hard feelings that led to a week of speculation about Rivera's pinstriped future.

Either way, Rivera would have returned to the Yankees. "He would have taken two years and an option,'' the firend said, adding that Rivera did not really want a fourth year. Perhaps that was meant to make the Yankees uncomfortable for Steinbrenner's remarks about his age. (Pinstripe Posts)

That whole bit about the two years and an option is interesting. That was my ideal contract for Rivera.

If the Yankees negotiated with Jorge Posada and Rivera during Spring Training, maybe they could have gotten cheaper and shorter deals for both players.

Whatever the case, the Yankees retained both of their major free agents and Alex Rodriguez. Things are really looking up all of a sudden.

Post: Rivera expected to take three-year offer

After returning from the Dominican Republic tonight, Mariano Rivera is going to huddle with his representatives tomorrow and according to several sources is expected to accept the Yankees' three-year, $45 million offer early next week.

The future Hall of Fame closer isn't happy about Hank Steinbrenner talking as much as he has about the contract offer that will make Rivera the highest paid closer by $4 million, but that doesn't appear to be a deal killer. (New York Post)

There isn't much more to say about this issue. The $45 million offer is the best he'll get anywhere.

Girardi visits with Rivera

New manager Joe Girardi met with Mariano Rivera earlier this week.

According to Bill Madden and Anthony McCarron, there are signs that Rivera will accept the previous offer of $45 million over three years as a result of this meeting. Girardi thinks that "there is a good chance that he will return to the team."

This is very good news. A few days ago, I wrote that Rivera wanted four guaranteed years. I think the $45 million offer is the best he'll get by anyone and he is foolish to request anything more.

The sooner they get this done, the sooner they can bring back Alex Rodriguez and figure out the bullpen situation.

That's not going to be good for business

Headquarters for Scott Proctor's Arm (AKA my laptop) is down. My hard drive crashed overnight and the new one will arrive on Monday.

I don't know how much I'll be able to post over the weekend, but I'll try to best to post some news.

Please bear with my this weekend.

Thanks.

Yankees, A-Rod agree to contract outline

From the Associated Press:

Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees have agreed to the outline of a $275 million, 10-year contract, a deal that potentially would allow him to earn millions more if he sets the career home run record.

The amount of the guaranteed money was revealed by a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn't been finalized. A-Rod met Wednesday in Tampa, Fla., with the Steinbrenner brothers but the parameters of the deal were set in place last weekend. (ESPN.com)

It's rather surprising to hear that they were discussing this last weekend.

The contract isn't terrible, considering the circumstances. Last night, I wrote about the contract being "heavily backloaded," with Rodriguez making less money these next three years, meaning he'll make the most money when he's oldest. However, he'll be nearing Barry Bonds' record around that time, so he'll be earning a lot of money for the Yankees anyway.

I am honestly shocked that Rodriguez is returning. I thought he burned all of his bridges during Game 4 of the World Series.

Now it's time to lock up Mariano Rivera and improve the rest of the bullpen. The outlook for 2008 is very much improved.

Peavy wins Cy Young Award unanimously

From Mike Fitzpatrick:

The San Diego Padres ace received all 32 first-place votes and finished with 160 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Arizona sinkerballer Brandon Webb, last year's winner, was a distant runner-up with 94 points. He was listed second on 31 ballots and third on one. (Yahoo News)

Jake Peavy won the pitching triple crown, so this doesn't come as a shock.

The AL MVP Award will be announced on Monday, and the NL MVP Award will be announced on Tuesday.

Rosenthal: Rivera wants four years

Ken Rosenthal cites Major-League sources, saying that Mariano Rivera wants a fourth guaranteed year.

You have got to be kidding me. Rivera deserves, at most, the three-year $45 million offer. Now he's just being a baby.

Rivera claims that he wants the same contract as Jorge Posada. Rivera, however, is two years older than Posada. Rivera showed a decline last year; Posada had the best season of his career. The Yankees had no viable replacements for Posada; they have a viable replacement for Rivera in Joba Chamberlain.

Star-Ledger: Yankees, A-Rod close to deal

From Ed Price and Dan Graziano:

According to a person who was briefed on the discussions, Rodriguez and the Yankees are already in negotiations on a 10-year contract worth approximately $280 million.

The person, who requested anonymity because he is not directly involved, said the deal would be heavily backloaded, with only about $50 million of it coming in the first three years.

The Yankees made it clear to Rodriguez that the only way they would do the deal is if he agreed to a much lower salary in 2008, 2009 and 2010. When Rodriguez went back to the Yankees and told them he wanted to come back, he agreed to essentially make up for the Texas money by accepting a lower salary for the next three years.

After 2010, Rodriguez's salaries would increase to an average of more than $30 million per year. The deal would also include incentive bonuses that could push Rodriguez salary higher, even in the first three years, if he met certain performance thresholds.

The average annual salary of $28 million would be more than $27 million a year he would have made in the peak-salary years of his previous contract and would match Roger Clemens' record salary of $28 million from 2007.

The person said the deal was complicated and could take a few days to finalize, but that both sides seemed confident it would eventually get done. (Ledger on the Yankees)

It looks like this thing is really going to get done. All of a sudden, 2008 isn't looking terrible, even though I didn't mind the loss of Rodriguez.

Personally, I hate backloaded contracts. See: Jason Giambi. He made $8 million in 2002 and is making $21 million this year. He got paid the least during his most productive years as a Yankee.

However, with Rodriguez's reported contract, it's all relative. I can't see Rodriguez having a "Giambian" decline in the near future.

From the horse's mouth (or fingers)

The article cited in the previous post cites an entry from www.AROD.com.

Here is Alex Rodriguez's official statement:

After spending time with Cynthia and my family over these last few weeks, it became clear to me that I needed to make an attempt to engage the Yankees regarding my future with the organization.

Prior to entering into serious negotiations with other clubs, I wanted the opportunity to share my thoughts directly with Yankees' ownership. We know there are other opportunities for us, but Cynthia and I have a foundation with the club that has brought us comfort, stability and happiness.

As a result, I reached out to the Yankees through mutual friends and conveyed that message. I also understand that I had to respond to certain Yankees concerns, and I was receptive and understanding of that situation.

Cynthia and I have since spoken directly with the Steinbrenner family. During these healthy discussions, both sides were able to share honest feelings and hopes with one another, and we expect to continue this dialogue with the Yankees over the next few days. (AROD.com)

Newsday: Rodriguez wants to return

From Jim Baumbach:

"It appears at this point that he wants to be a Yankee." Steinbrenner told Newsday in a cell phone conversation just a few minutes ago.

Despite so vigorously stating they would not negotiate with A-Rod after he opted out, the Yankees are entertaining this surprising new development because Rodriguez is willing to take sacrifices.

"The reason we didn’t entertain it in the first place is because of the opt out and the loss of the Rangers money and so forth," Steinbrenner said. "But at this point it appears he’s willing to make sacrifices to be a Yankee. Basically that’s it in a nutshell."

In his statement, Rodriguez referenced potential sacrifices -- which would include taking less money to account for the $21 million subsidary from the Rangers he cost them by opting out. (Newsday: On the Yankees Beat)

So there you have it. I honestly can't say I saw this coming.