Logan Heads West

Boone Logan, who spent the last four seasons coming out of the Yankees bullpen, is headed to the Colorado Rockies via free agency. CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reported that Logan agreed to a three-year, $16.5MM deal.

The Yankees had negotiated with Logan's representatives, but it's not known if an actual offer was made. What is not said, but certainly known, is there is no way the Yankees would make a three year offer.

Despite a plus fastball and 202 strikeouts in 176 innings pitched as a Yankee, his inconsistency could drive you insane. This past season he also had difficulty with his left elbow during spring training and the problem persisted throughout the season. He had bone spur removed from the elbow in October.

I personally believe that too many appearances contributed to Logan's issues with consistency and his balky elbow. Under Joe Girardi, Logan's games pitched increased from 51 to 64 to 80 in his first three seasons in New York. That doesn't included the number of times he warmed up and didn't enter a game.

He entered just 61 games in 2013 and had a four year low of 39 innings pitched. Logan could come up in with the bases loaded, no one out, and strike out the side, but there were too many times he was called on to face a lefty and walked the most important batter of the apperance. (In 2010 and 2012 he averaged at least 4.5 walks per 9 innings pitched.)

Solid lefty specialists are hard to come by,  but the Yankees made the right move in not meeting Logan's contract demands.

Report: Cano and Mariners Agree to 10 Year, $240MM Deal

How long until Cano makes this face and thinks "what have I done?"

Apparently Robinson Cano was heavily influenced by Jay-Z and Roc Nation Sports or he's just plain greedy and not too bright.

ESPN Deportes' Enrique Rojas and CBS Sports Jon Heyman reported that the Seattle Mariners and Cano have agreed to a 10-year, $240MM contract. Yes, you can put the word crazy in any spot in that sentence.

Cano was originally seeking a 9 or 10 deal worth $235MM to $310MM, depending on who you believe. Despite his supposed desire to remain with the Yankees, Cano felt the Yankees dissed him by giving Jacoby Ellsbury $153MM over 7 years, which in turn limited the money they could give Cano. Cano's father felt the same way and publicly expressed his opinion on the topic.

The Yankees also didn't seem to want Cano back for some reason. GM Brian Cashman, who earlier today praised Cano, spoke about the second baseman a couple of weeks back and only referred to him as "the player". Cano had been a steady bat and glove in the lineup nearly every day - he's only missed 12 games in the last seven seasons.

The Yankees were obviously not going to go overboard after they bid against themselves and gave Alex Rodriguez a ridiculous 10 year contract in December, 2007. But perhaps the Yankees underestimated what it would take to keep Cano in pinstripes. A 10 year, $240MM contract is ridiculous and I'm glad the Yankees did not aqueous, but a 7-year deal for $189 (27 per season) might have done the trick. Instead, the team refused to budget off a range that wasn't that much more per season than Ellsbury's new deal, despite the wide gap in production between the two.

The Mariners are the big losers in this. While Cano will help them offensively, though not as much as they would like in spacious Safeco Field, he isn't going to bring fans out to the ballpark. He's a great player, but he's not Miguel Cabrera or Mike Trout. Also, a 10 year deal for a player 30 or over is as dumb as it gets.

Robbie Cano no longer making fools aware. He is the fool.

Enjoy your Starbucks Robinson.

It's a Wrap - Yankees Sign Reynolds

The ball is ticketed for the catcher's mitt or the left field fence.

According to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman the Yankees have signed the all or nothing Mark Reynolds to share first base with Lyle Overbay, fill in some for Alex Rodriguez at third base (Reynolds is an awful third baseman), do some DH'ing, hit some home runs and strike out a lot.¹

Reynolds burst on to the scene in 2008 with the Arizona Diamondbacks when he hit 28 home runs and struck out 204 times. He topped both the totals the following season when he banged out 44 home runs and struck out a ridiculous 223 times.

More of the same followed after he was dealt to Baltimore prior to the 2011 season. Reynold's OPS made up for his strikeout totals during the 2007-2012 stretch, but he went downhill this season with the Cleveland Indians.

A .215/.307/.373 slash line meant Reynolds was not going to finish out the one year free agent contract he signed with the Tribe this past off-season. He was even worse since the beginning of June, posting a paltry .484 OPS. The Yankees hope that he can help against left-handers, since the right-handed hitter had a .745 OPS against them.

Yes, this is the move of a desperate Brian Cashman, just as most of the Yankees moves have been this year.

No corresponding 25- or 40-man roster move has been made yet though it's likely that either Luis Cruiz (sprained right knee), Travis Hafner (strained right rotator cuff), or Zoilo Almonte (sprained left ankle) could be moved from the 15- to the 60-day disabled list.

A bigger question is where does Reynolds fit on the 25-man roster. Jayson Nix is a hard nosed, scrappy player, but his .591 OPS makes him expendable. Otherwise the Yankees would have to reduce their pitching staff from 13 to 12, probably at the expense of Preston Claiborne or David Huff, who was just recalled earlier on Thursday.





1 - CBSSports.com

Peavy, Rios, and Lee and Lots of Phone Calls

The Chicago White Sox have been miserable all year and are having a semi-annual clearance sale. Alex Rios, Jake Peavy, and Alexei Ramirez are among the sale items that have been marked down (or up). Rios and Peavy are among the most sought after veterans as Major League Baseball nears the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.(4 pm EDT)

Peavy was scratched from his scheduled start this evening and is the subject of trade talk between the White Sox and a number of teams. Boston, St. Louis, and Oakland are among those showing interest.

Rios is a conundrum, tagged early in his career as the next Dave Winfield, his career has been a roller coaster.  He made back to back American All-Star teams as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2006-2007, which lead to a seven year, $64MM contract. While his production dipped slightly in 2008, the 2009 season led the Blue Jays to cut salary.

Rios was putting together a decent season with 62 RBI and a .744 OPS in 108 games when the Blue Jays placed him on post-deadline waivers. The White Sox claimed him and the Blue Jays said you could have him. Suddenly, Toronto had a lot less payroll.

Rios meanwhile didn't adjust well to his new surroundings - a .530 OPS in 41 games. Thus began the rollercoaster for Rios' career. The 2010 season saw a resurgence with 21 HR, 88 RBI, 34 stolen bases and a .791 OPS. A year later though, back down came the coaster; a .613 OPS with just 13 HR and 44 RBI in 537 at-bats. 2012? You guessed it, 850 OPS, topped .300 in his batting avg., 25 HR, 91 RBI and a 15th place finish in the AL MVP voting. Rios still has one year left on his deal, but his OPS is about 100 points less than last season and his HR and RBI pace is down again. I would stay away from him unless you have to give up little in return. He's still guaranteed $12.5MM next year.

Teams in play - Pirates, Yankees (Rios willing to waive his no-trade per NY Post's Joel Sherman); Rangers appear to be out of it for now.

Cliff Lee seems to be in this position every year. In 2002, prior to the deadline he was part of a package (Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips, Lee Stevens) that sent Bartolo Colon from Cleveland to Montreal. The '09 deadline saw him and Ben Francisco shipped to Philly for four players. He was sent to the Seattle Mariners that winter and was up for grabs at the 2010 deadline. After it appeared he was going to the Yankees in a Jesus Montero led deal, the Mariners sent Lee to the Texas Rangers for highly touted prospect Justin Smoak and three others.

Lee returned to Philly again as a free agent in 2010 for five years guaranteed (over $100MM) and an option for a sixth year.  It was one of the many recent mistakes GM Reuben Amaro Jr. made that boosted Philly's payroll significantly. Amaro tonight stated that there is "very little chance" that Lee gets dealt" and chances are "remote" that Michael Young does.

The rest of the field:

Ian Kennedy - Angels are going hard after him, willing to deal Howie Kendrick (Ken Rosenthal)

Marc Rzepczynski- A deal is in place that would send the lefty to the Indians (Derrick Goold, St. Louis-Post Dispatch)

Oliver Perez - Yeah, that guy. Multiple teams are said to be interested in adding Perez to their bullpen. (Jon Morosi)

Bud Norris - Astros are getting calls on Norris who would be a middle to back end of the rotation starter.

Youk a Yank, Ichiro Getting Close

The mere thought of Kevin Youkilis donning the Pinstripes has made many a Yankees fan shudder over the years. Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, and Josh Beckett probably topped the list (in no particular order) of the most hated Red Sox in Yankeedom the last few years.

Beckett is now in LA, Pedroia is still covered in mud in Boston, and Youkilis, well, Youkilis is a Yankee (pending a physical). With Alex Rodriguez missing anywhere from four months to eternity with off-season hip surgery, Youkilis and the Yankees have agrreed to the one year, $12MM deal that was bandied about last week.

Youkilis probably could have gotten a two year deal elsewhere, but it wasn't apparent that any of the rumored teams had a better or as good a chance of making the post-season as the Yankees do year in and year out.

I wrote last week that Youkilis can turn Yankees fans around just like Wade Boggs did when he came to New York and I still maintain that opinion. (Roger Clemens did so to some degree as well though he then turned just about all teams' fans against him in recent years.) On the other hand, Youkilis' return to Boston may not be so happy since he'll be returning in the New York road greys. He got a nice ovation last year when the White Sox traveled to Boston after Youkilis changed Sox.

Youkilis has shown some decline the last few seasons, primarily because of nagging injuries. His best stretch as a pro was from 2006-2008 when he played more than 140 games for the only time in his career. He'll turn 33 shortly before the start of the 2013 season.

 Be sure to check out Jack Curry's Youkilis-Paul O'Neill comparison.

The Yankees are also said to be closing in on bringing back Ichiro Suzuki in what would likely be part of an outfield platoon. After he posted the worst numbers of his career in Seattle last season, Ichiro got red hot down the stretch after being acquired at the trade deadline. He finished with a .322 average and .794 OPS as a Yankee and finished the season with a solid performance in the ALCS. According to CBS' Jon Heyman, the deal could include an option for 2014.

Holliday Gets Big Gift

SI's Jon Heyman reported earlier this evening that the St. Louis Cardinals and free agent outfielder Matt Holliday have agreed to a seven year deal.

Holliday, who tore up NL pitching after his trade from Oakland to St. Louis on July 24, gets a mulligan for the costly error he made in this past season's playoffs. And he'll be be paid handsomely to do so. The Cards gave Holliday $120 million reasons to stay in St. Louis.

MLB Network Rules

By now most of you have turned on the MLB Network to either watch a game, highlight shows, or discussions and highlights with "look ins" at the various live games. The MLB Network rules, especially during the season.

Remember when we all loved Baseball Tonight? But like everything else on ESPN, it has become as tired as John Kruk's belt.

The nightly discussion of games is done by a panel of experts made up of studio hosts and former major leaguer players and front office personnel.

For the most part everyone is good, though there are exceptions. There are three studio hosts- Victor Rojas (has a great rapport with us fans on Twitter), Greg Amsinger, and Matt Vasgersian that moderate/control the discussions with ex-pros. Rojas and Vasgersian are excellent. Good pipes, very knowledgeable, enjoyable to listen to. Amsinger on the other hand should be hosting a game show. He's awful in his delivery, the quality of his voice his grating, and he doesn't seem to be much of a subect expert.

Among some of those ex-pros rotating in and out are- Harold Reynolds (who I never liked on BBTN, but do on MLB Network), Mitch Williams (my personal favorite), Joe Magrane, John Hart (my Dad's favorite), Dan Plesac (who is a real loon), Billy Ripken Jr., Sean Casey, Dave Valle, Barry Larkin, Al Leiter (very rarely) and "newly acquired" Tony Clark.

Ther are baseball writers who appear occassionally as well - Tom Verducci, Jon Heyman, and Ken Rosenthal chief among them.

Quick Pitch is another good feature, showing game highlights in rapid, or quick pitch, fashion. Hazel Mae and Matt Yallof do a good job pulling it all together.

You can see the rest of on-air personalities right here.

But who do you like? Take the new polls and let me know.

Twins Closing in on Crede

SI's Jon Heyman is reporting that the Twins are close to bringing in Joe Crede to fill their third base vacancy.

After putting up career numbers (30 HR, 94 RBI) in 2006, Crede was limited to just 144 games over the last two seasons due to back trouble.

The contract is expected to be heavily laden with incentives.

Heyman: 5 Teams in on Abreu

Bobby Abreu may not have to collect unemployment much longer. SI.com's Jon Heyman, who we believe did not break into Bobby Abreu's house to get his info, reports that the Angels, Reds, Mets, Braves, Dodgers, Pirates, and Mariners are all showing an interest in the right fielder.

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports that the Angels and Abreu are in serious talks on a 1 year deal.

Andruw Has No Jones to be a Yankee

SI.com's Jon Heyman is reporting that free agent Andruw Jones rejected a minor league contract offer by the Yankees. Jones would have come to Tampa as a non-roster invitee, but said "no thanks".

Heyman believes the Rangers, Mets, Braves, and Phillies are all interested in Jones, and correctly speculates that he would benefit from a top hitting coach, such as the Yankees' Kevin Long or the Rangers' Rudy Jaramillo.

Breaking News: Yankees, Pettitte in Serious Talks

SI.com's Jon Heyman is reporting that the Yankees and Andy Pettitte are in serious contract talks and are optimistic something will get done.

Interestingly enough, Heyman is indicating that Pettitte would receive less, not more, guaranteed money than previously offered.

The Daily Yankeeland - 1/22

The oldest former Major Leaguer, Billy Werber, passed away earlier today at age 100. Werber was a member of the '27 Yankees, and in fact played bridge with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Bill Dickey.
UPDATE 1/23 - Steve Politi of the Star Ledger fondly remembers Mr. Werber.

Friday is moving day for the Yankees. Employees of the team, players not included, will be moving from the their offices in the current/old Stadium to the new park.

ESPN.com' Keith Law released his ranking of the top 100 prospects in MLB. Orioles cathcer Matt Wieters took the top spot with Rays pitcher David Price ranked number two. Three Yankees made the list - Austin Jackson (46), Jesus Montero (83), and Andrew Brackman (95). Dellin Betances narrowly missed the top 100.

River Ave. Blues has a good profile on Betances, who along with Andres Perez, honored scout Cesar Presbott at this past weekend's New York Professional Baseball Hot Stove League Dinner.

Lanny Breuer, who represented Roger Clemens during last year's Congressional hearings, was named assistant Attorney General, for the Justice Department's Juvenile criminal division, by Barack Obama.

Jon Heyman ranked his top 15 teams that could still spend some big money in the free agent market. The Yankees are ranked 12th.

12. Yankees. Even after spending $423.5 million on Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Teixeira, they're always a threat to spend, especially if they can find a taker for Nady, or even better, Swisher (who has $21 million to go). One person said it's "less than 50-50'' that they take back Andy Pettitte. But where else is he going to go?

MLB.com's Bryan Hoch spoke with hitting coach Kevin Long about the new lineup.

Turn up the Hot Stove

Maybe it will melt the ice from the frozen tundra we had formed by freezing rain overnight. Don't worry with Carl Pavano and Jason Giambi off the market, there's still plenty of big names left out there.

The all-time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman, has been offered similar one year deals by both the Brewers and Dodgers. Jon Heyman believes the Brewers have made a stronger push.

Heyman was on with Mike Francesa yesterday and had some guestimates as to where some of the remaining free agents would end up.

Manny Ramirez - Dodgers reportedly made a 2 year, $45 million offer and aren't likely to increase it. Heyman still thinks another team will jump in.

Adam Dunn - Nationals; teams aren't willing to throw big money at him.

Ben Sheets - Rangers

Bobby Abreu - Still a good possibility of him going to Oakland. We think he could end up with the Angels.

The Rangers are reportedly checking out the medical records on free agent third baseman Joe Crede. Pitcher John Patterson has decided to retire at age 30 due to persistent arm problems.

Ken Rosenthal says the Diamondbacks made an offer to free agent pitcher Jon Garland, but are no longer pursuing him. K-Ros points to Pat Burrell's ($8 mill per year) new contract to show just how difficult it is for the Mets to deal Luis Castillo and his $6.25 mill per year. Like a lot of us, K-Ros also doesn't understand the Angels lack of maneuvering.

According to the Boston Herald, the Red Sox are targeting John Smoltz for the rotation. Of course, most of what is said in the Herald isn't true.

Don't cringe Mets fans, but the Mets have reportedly made an offer to Tim Redding.

Turn up the Hot Stove

Maybe it will melt the ice from the frozen tundra we had formed by freezing rain overnight. Don't worry with Carl Pavano and Jason Giambi off the market, there's still plenty of big names left out there.

The all-time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman, has been offered similar one year deals by both the Brewers and Dodgers. Jon Heyman believes the Brewers have made a stronger push.

Heyman was on with Mike Francesa yesterday and had some guestimates as to where some of the remaining free agents would end up.

Manny Ramirez - Dodgers reportedly made a 2 year, $45 million offer and aren't likely to increase it. Heyman still thinks another team will jump in.

Adam Dunn - Nationals; teams aren't willing to throw big money at him.

Ben Sheets - Rangers

Bobby Abreu - Still a good possibility of him going to Oakland. We think he could end up with the Angels.

The Rangers are reportedly checking out the medical records on free agent third baseman Joe Crede. Pitcher John Patterson has decided to retire at age 30 due to persistent arm problems.

Ken Rosenthal says the Diamondbacks made an offer to free agent pitcher Jon Garland, but are no longer pursuing him. K-Ros points to Pat Burrell's ($8 mill per year) new contract to show just how difficult it is for the Mets to deal Luis Castillo and his $6.25 mill per year. Like a lot of us, K-Ros also doesn't understand the Angels lack of maneuvering.

According to the Boston Herald, the Red Sox are targeting John Smoltz for the rotation. Of course, most of what is said in the Herald isn't true.

Don't cringe Mets fans, but the Mets have reportedly made an offer to Tim Redding.

Yankees Going out for Some Tex-Mex?

SI's Jon Heyman is reporting that Scott Boras is now in talks with the Yankees and Angels for free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira. This comes after Red Sox owner John Henry said Boras' contract demands (notice we didn't say Teixeira's demands) were too high - believed to be $184 for 8 years.

The Angels were previously thought to bid $165, but are probably willing to up the ante. The Yankees, meanwhile, were thought to be debating whether to go after Teixeira or Manny Ramirez. (You know where we stand on that topic).

The Yankees may be waiting for the final numbers to fall into place before coming in with a big bid like they did with Johnny Damon prior to the 2006 season. Just keep Mike Cameron out of My Pinstripes.

Yankees Going out for Some Tex-Mex?

SI's Jon Heyman is reporting that Scott Boras is now in talks with the Yankees and Angels for free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira. This comes after Red Sox owner John Henry said Boras' contract demands (notice we didn't say Teixeira's demands) were too high - believed to be $184 for 8 years.

The Angels were previously thought to bid $165, but are probably willing to up the ante. The Yankees, meanwhile, were thought to be debating whether to go after Teixeira or Manny Ramirez. (You know where we stand on that topic).

The Yankees may be waiting for the final numbers to fall into place before coming in with a big bid like they did with Johnny Damon prior to the 2006 season. Just keep Mike Cameron out of My Pinstripes.

Vegas Update - Day 4 - 11:30 AM EST

Jason Varitek may just be a Boston Red Sox again after all. The Boston Herald is reporting that Varitek's agent Scott Boras has had in depth discussions with Boston regarding a 2-year deal. Money will be the biggest issue here as Varitek, looking for Jorge Posada like money, is coming off a horrid offensive season.

With Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz no longer available, the Cardinals are making closer Brian Fuentes their top priority.

Ramon Vazquez has been holding out for a 2 year deal and it looks like he'll get his wish. The downside is that it means playing for the Pirates.

The Diamondbacks have inked infielder Felipe Lopez to a one year deal.

The Dodgers have reportedly made a 2 year offer to retain the services of Rafael Furcal.

The Royals agreed to a 2 year, $9.5 million deal with former Yankee, Kyle Farnsworth.

Vegas Update - Day 4 - 11:30 AM EST

Jason Varitek may just be a Boston Red Sox again after all. The Boston Herald is reporting that Varitek's agent Scott Boras has had in depth discussions with Boston regarding a 2-year deal. Money will be the biggest issue here as Varitek, looking for Jorge Posada like money, is coming off a horrid offensive season.

With Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz no longer available, the Cardinals are making closer Brian Fuentes their top priority.

Ramon Vazquez has been holding out for a 2 year deal and it looks like he'll get his wish. The downside is that it means playing for the Pirates.

The Diamondbacks have inked infielder Felipe Lopez to a one year deal.

The Dodgers have reportedly made a 2 year offer to retain the services of Rafael Furcal.

The Royals agreed to a 2 year, $9.5 million deal with former Yankee, Kyle Farnsworth.

Yankees Going After Tex

According to SI's Jon Heyman, the Yankees are back in the mix for free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira. With rumors of big offers and talks concerning Teixeira and the Angels, Red Sox, Nationals, and Orioles, the Yankees have shifted some of their focus off of pitching and back to the lineup.

The addition of Mike Cameron certainly didn't add much to the offense, and the Yankees are aware they still need a big bat or two.

Yankees Going After Tex

According to SI's Jon Heyman, the Yankees are back in the mix for free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira. With rumors of big offers and talks concerning Teixeira and the Angels, Red Sox, Nationals, and Orioles, the Yankees have shifted some of their focus off of pitching and back to the lineup.

The addition of Mike Cameron certainly didn't add much to the offense, and the Yankees are aware they still need a big bat or two.