The LoHud Yankees Blog

Baseball America’s latest minor league transactions includes one new Yankees signing: Outfielder Reid Gorecki.

Once a highly-touted prospect in the Cardinals system, Gorecki’s career momentarily stalled in Double-A. He played just 21 Triple-A games in the Cardinals’ system, but he got his career going again with the Braves. Last season, in the pitching friendly International League, he hit .286 with nine home runs, 27 doubles, six triples and 14 stolen bases. He made his major league debut during the 2009 season, getting just 25 at-bats with the Braves. He has played all three outfield positions, primarily center field.

Barring a big spring training, Gorecki will almost certainly open the season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as a regular in the outfield with Colin Curtis and previous free agent signing, Jon Weber.

UPDATE, 7:27 p.m.: Just a few other notable minor league signings: INF Angel Berroa to the Dodgers, RHP Jeff Kennard (former Yankees minor leaguer traded for Jose Molina) to the Cubs, INF Danny Richar (a solid infielder I saw quite a bit in the IL) to the Marlins, RHP Kevin Cameron (solid reliever in limited big league time) to the Giants.

Mark McGwire, former home run king and new Cardinals hitting coach, admitted today that he used steroids during his career. In his statement released to The Associated Press, McGwire said: “I wish I had never touched steroids. It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era.”

McGwire said he used steroids off and on through the 1990s, including 1998 when he set the single-season home run record. McGwire was hurt quite a lot in his career, and his statement suggests he turned to steroids to help him recover more quickly.

It will be interesting to gauge the reaction around baseball. It surely won’t be a reaction of surprise, and probably won’t be one of outrage either. As we’ve seen in the past — when we agree to talk about the past — admission seems to be the best way to (sort of) clear one’s name in this era of performance enhancing drugs.

Andy Pettitte admitted it, and he was hardly vilified. Alex Rodriguez admitted it, and the story went away fairly quickly. Jason Giambi didn’t quite admit it, but we all understood what he was saying, and he was back to being a fun-loving baseball player. As more and more names come to light, the perception of steroids and steroid users seems to change. Not for everyone, but for a lot of people. McGwire is now in that group that’s asking forgiveness instead of denying the truth.

UPDATE, 4:20 p.m.: Hey guys, Sam here. Just wanted to post the statement that MLB just sent out from Bud Selig on the McGwire admission. Here it is:

“I am pleased that Mark McGwire has confronted his use of performance-enhancing substances as a player. Being truthful is always the correct course of action, which is why I had commissioned Senator George Mitchell to conduct his investigation. This statement of contrition, I believe, will make Mark’s reentry into the game much smoother and easier.

“While we, along with all sports organizations, continue to battle the use of such drugs and continue the intensive search for a valid test for HGH, I believe our drug testing program is the toughest and most effective in professional sports. Last year in the Major Leagues, we had only two positives for steroids out of 3,722 tests. We have banned and aggressively test for amphetamines, substances which club doctors and professional athletic trainers have told me had presented serious problems for the sport for decades. Our minor league program will begin its 10th year in 2010. We conducted 8,995 tests in the minor leagues last year of which less than eight-tenths of one percent was positive.

“The use of steroids and amphetamines amongst today’s players has greatly subsided and is virtually non-existent as our testing results have shown. The so-called “steroid era” – a reference that is resented by the many players who played in that era and never touched the substances – is clearly a thing of the past, and Mark’s admission today is another step in the right direction.”

UPDATE, 5:03 p.m.: Chad here, with rule No. 1 of covering baseball: If you decide to go to the grocery story, the commissioner will issue an official statement the moment you walk out the door. This is not negotiable.

UPDATE, 5:38 p.m.: McGwire is going to be interviewed by Bob Costas on MLB Network tonight at 7 ET. Might be worth watching.

A year ago, Bobby Abreu left the Yankees and ended up taking a paycut of nearly 70 percent from his new team (the Angels) after the free-agent market for him completely bottomed out. This year, with February getting ever closer, could Johnny Damon experience the same thing?

In a conversation with Chad last week, Brian Cashman indicated that the ship has sailed on Damon returning to the Yankees. That follows with what we’ve heard from Scott Boras, too, and obviously the two sides had different valuations on Damon earlier this offseason. But could a reunion still happen?

They key, it would seem, is what Damon is willing to accept in terms of a pay cut. He said this weekend that he understands he’s probably going to lose some salary in his next deal, but could he stomach going from the $13 million he made last year to the $6 million or so it seems that the Yankees believe he’s worth? Sure, most of us would look at it and say ‘it’s still $6 million!’ but how would you feel if you had to take a 50 percent pay cut? The Yankees might (understandably) have concerns about the emotional/mental impact on Damon if he comes back with any frustration about how the negotiations went down.

My gut is that someone will eventually offer a two-year deal to Damon and that he’ll take the extra security. If that doesn’t happen, though, and if there are only one-year offers out there, it’s absolutely possible that Damon ends up back in the Bronx. Likely? No. I still think Damon will end up elsewhere. But possible? Yes.

As much as anything, that says a lot about the financial situation in baseball (and this country). A few years ago, such a scenario would have seemed outlandish. In today’s economy, however, many of the old rules for salaries and free agency just don’t apply.

The big baseball news* of the past 24 hours is the Reds’ signing of Aroldis Chapman, but Jorge Arangure last week brought up the idea that the Yankees might not have been in the Chapman sweepstakes because of concerns about his makeup. I can’t say one way or the other about Chapman’s makeup, but Arangure does bring up an interesting idea about the Yankees roster.

What role does character play is building a winning team?

The Yankees seem to have gone out of their way to add high-character players. They signed CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira last season. They traded for Curtis Granderson and Javier Vazquez this winter. I don’t know that there’s a way to quantify the impact of player personalities — Nick Swisher’s laid back attitude, Derek Jeter’s ability to stay cool under pressure – but those intangibles must play some role.

What do you think? Do the players’ personalities affect the team as a whole? Does that make a difference when chasing a championship?

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* The big non-baseball story of the weekend was the possibility of a Derek Jeter wedding. Maybe it’s going to happen. Maybe not. It’s not something I get too worked up about, but feel free to discuss.

Throughout the Aroldis Chapman speculation, there was always a sense that no one had a great feel for where the young lefty would end up. Turns out, the Reds were willing to pay absurd money.

Not exactly a team that ever seemed to be at the top of the list, but clearly the Reds’ scouts like what they’ve seen.

Some now speculate that Chapman might be more of a closer than a front-of-the-rotation starter. Whatever his fate, there is a great deal of risk in signing him. There’s risk in every prospect, but this one comes with huge money. It’s rare that an international player gets this much attention, and the attention won’t stop now that he’s signed.

One way or another, this is not the last we’ve heard of Chapman.

I’m having some Internet access issues today, so this brief message is brought to you by the iPhone.

The good news is there doesn’t seem to be a lot of Yankees news happening other than ongoing rumors of interest in bringing back Jerry Hairston Jr. As we’ve discussed, Hairston makes a lot of sense, I only wonder if he’s being viewed as a utility man or if he might be the right-handed outfielder Brian Cashman is after.

The bad news is that Aroldis Chapman seems to be off the market, having reportedly signed with an unknown National League team. So much for those Angels and Blue Jays rumors.

From 1990 to 1992, Randy Johnson led the American League in walks three years in a row. In 1991 he ranked fourth, in 1992 he ranked eighth, and he never again finished in the top 10. By 1999, Johnson’s walk total was less than half his 1992 total, despite the fact he threw 60 more innings.

When he announced his retirement this week, Johnson talked about his progress as a pitcher, and his story reminds me of the Yankees’ 6-foot-10, first-round pick Andrew Brackman.

“It took me a while to understand my mechanics, to understand there’s a reason why there’s only been a handful of pitchers over 6-8, 6-9 that have ever had any kind of success in this game,” Johnson said. “This isn’t a tall man’s sport. Basketball is. Pitching, you have to have all of your parts move all at the same time or have some sense of rhythm out there. Early in my career I didn’t have that and I didn’t understand that. here would be a game when I’d go out and dominate, and then five days later I’d go out and walk seven batters and be out after three innings because I’ve already gotten to my pitch count.”

Brackman struggled last season. Coming back from surgery, his numbers in Low-A Charleston were awful, but it might not be time to give up on him just yet. Beyond the surgery – and the fact he was not a fulltime baseball player in college – Brackman has the added hurdle of being enormous. Pitching is about repetition, and it’s tough to repeat with so many oversized moving parts. Brackman might need time to work through those issues.

It’s a bit absurd to expect that he’ll ever be as good as Johnson, but it might be equally absurd to give up on him after one bad year.

“It took a lot of work on my part of work on those things in the bullpen and in games and in spring training,” Johnson said. “But eventually things kind of came together and instead of fighting myself, I was able to put everything that I had into the pitch and know where it was going.”

Some of these guys might not be any better than the four young infielders already on the Yankees 40-man, but they’re all free agents and some would sign for less money than Jerry Hairston Jr. Do any of these five stand out as good options for the Yankees?

Nick Green
Yes: Started 74 games at shortstop for the Red Sox last season and got off to a strong start. He’s versatile and has some experience playing in New York after 75 at-bats with the Yankees in 2006. Probably available on a minor league deal.
No: Cooled considerably as last season progressed, finishing with a .236 average and .303 on-base percentage. Struggled with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2008. Has outfield experience, but he’s not especially good out there.

Khalil Greene
Yes: Generally considered a plus defensive player, has shown good power in the past and hit enough to be a solid everyday player in San Diego for five seasons. Got some time at third last year. He just turned 30 in October.
No: Past two years have been brutal, and last year he went on the disabled list with an anxiety disorder while playing in St. Louis. Moving to Yankee Stadium probably would not improve that situation.

Adam Kennedy
Yes: Coming off a strong year with Oakland, where he hit .289 with 11 home runs while playing second and third. For his career he’s a .277 hitter. Stole 20 bags last year. Like Greene, he’s had considerable experience as an everyday player.
No: Hardly any experience at shortstop. Most of his big league time has come at second base, where the Yankees already have a pretty good left-handed hitter. You know, that Cano guy.

Felipe Lopez
Yes: Hit .310/.383/.427 last season. Also has solid speed, though his stolen base total has significantly declined since his 44-steal season in 2006. Good mix of power and speed, very versatile.
No: His year-to-year stats have been fairly unpredictable. Most problematic, though, is the fact he signed for $3.5 million last year and hit more than enough to expect at least a similar contract this year.

Mark Loretta
Yes: Career .295 hitter four years removed from making the all-star team. Hit at least .280 for 12 straight seasons heading into last year. Considerable experience at every infield position.
No: Last season was by far the worst of his career: .232/.309/.276. He hit no home runs in 2009 for the first time in his career. He turns 39 in August.

There are others who might be available on a minor league deal — Ramon Martinez, Chris Burke, Miguel Cairo, etc. – but it might also be tough to sign one of those deals because of all the Yankees infielders already on the 40-man. If a veteran were to sign a minor league deal and not make the big league team in camp, his chances of a call-up out of Triple-A might not be good. Even his chances of playing time in Triple-A might not be good.

Utility infielder is an interesting role for the New York Yankees. Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter each played at least 163 games last season. Alex Rodriguez would have done the same had he not opened on the disabled list. Every team needs a backup infielder, but the Yankees don’t need one very often.

Right now, the 40-man roster has four young infielders who could play the part. Or, the Yankees could go after a free agent. The one who seems to make the most sense, is also the one who’s most familiar. Jerry Hairston Jr. played the part pretty well last season, and the Yankees could try to bring him back for 2010.

Should the Yankees be aggressive in going after Hairston?

Yes: Hairston isn’t especially expensive, he’s familiar and he can do more than play the infield. The fact he would give the Yankees a right-handed outfield option would be a definite plus. He also has some speed off the bench, which could be helpful when Brett Gardner is in the starting lineup. In his career, Hairston has played at least 62 major league games at six different positions. That’s great flexibility, and that makes him a great fit for this team.

No: Hairston is cheap but he’s not free, and the Yankees do seem to be working within a budget this winter. They could spend $2 million on Hairston, but that’s $2 million they might not be able to spend on a more offensive-minded outfielder. Also, utility infielders are easy to trade for during the season. If the young guys were to fall flat, the Yankees could get a mid-season replacement without much trouble. Getting Hairston wasn’t exactly difficult last year. Hairston fits, but he’s not the only option.

The New York chapter of the Baseball Writer’s Association of America puts on a terrific (and star-studded) gala every year, and this year figures to be no exception. The dinner will be held on Saturday, Jan. 23, at the New York Hilton. Cocktails are at 6 p.m. with the program beginning at 7.

All of the major award winners are expected to be there, as well as the recipients of the New York chapter awards and other assorted stars. Current Yankees that should be in the house include Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera. Joe Mauer, Tim Lincecum, Albert Pujols and (your favorite) Mike Scioscia are among others expected to attend as well. Hall of Famers usually stop by, so don’t be surprised to see Andre Dawson there, too.

I can’t stress how great an event this is if you’re a baseball fan. I still remember going to my first dinner and listening to Sandy Koufax – Sandy Koufax! – talk pitching. There aren’t too many meals where that happens.

If you’re interested in attending this year, tickets are $225 and can be purchased by getting in touch with Phil Pepe either via e-mail or phone at 201-871-5924.