The LoHud Yankees Blog

We keep hearing — and I keep writing — that this winter’s free agent market offered very little in terms of rotation options. But just how true is that statement?

The Yankees focused on Cliff Lee and hoped that Andy Pettitte would decide to pitch again, and now that Lee is gone and Pettitte is still uncertain, there are few alternatives available. Should the Yankees have been more aggressive early? Have they missed out on legitimate pieces because of their pursuit of Lee?

Using the handy free agent tracker over at MLBTradeRumors — I prefer that one to the MLB.com version — I’ve listed every starting pitcher who has signed this winter. I’d say the idea of a thin market is absolutely accurate. This list offers very few sure things, and although hindsight is never fair, it’s worth looking back to the month and a half before Lee signed — and those frantic days when Lee was making his decision — to try to find missed opportunities. The Dodgers were the most aggressive team in the beginning of the offseason, re-signing Ted Lilly before he hit the open market and locking up two more starters before the end of November.

Off the board quickly
As you might expect, most of the early moves were re-signings.
This period covers the start of spring training through the Winter Meetings.

Hiroki Kuroda
Dodgers: 1 year, $12 million
Kuroda will be 36 this season and he’s spent his entire three-year career with the Dodgers. He’s been good for them — losing record but a 3.60 ERA and a good strikeout-to-walk ratio — and it’s hard to say whether he would have been willing to leave, especially with the Dodgers making an early push.

Jon Garland
Dodgers: 1 year, $5 million (plus vesting option)
In retrospect, this is the kind of durable starting pitcher who might have helped the back of the Yankees rotation. Nothing flashy, but Garland is consistently good for 200 innings (of course, we said the same about Javier Vazquez). His career NL ERA is 3.74. His career AL ERA is 4.47.

Jorge De La Rosa
Rockies: three years, $32 million
The Rockies had a deal to re-sign De La Rosa in place before the first of December. It was the crew at FoxSports that broke the news, and they noted that De La Rosa wanted to stay in Colorado. They also reported: “The Yankees also have checked in, as they do on most prominent free agents, but their priority is Lee.”

Jake Westbrook
Cardinals: two years, $16.5 million (plus mutual option)
The Cardinals traded for Westbrook last season, then they moved quickly to re-sign him this winter. Westbrook is a bit of an injury risk, he came back from Tommy John surgery last season and pitched well, especially after moving to the National League.

Erik Bedard
Mariners: one year, $1 million
This market has no shortage of Bedard-type starters. He’s made a total of 30 starts in the past three seasons, none of them coming in 2010. The Mariners are still hoping to get something out of him, and they moved quickly to re-sign him to a non-guaranteed deal.

Javier Vazquez
Marlins: one year, $7 million
No chance the Yankees were going to re-sign him. No chance Vazquez was going to try to come back. Best for everyone to move on, and that’s exactly what they did.

Aaron Harang
Padres: one year, $4 million (plus mutual option)
Harang is from San Diego. In the past three years, pitching in the NL Central, he’s gone 18-38 with a 4.71 ERA and a steadily increasing WHIP. If I’m the Yankees, I’d rather take my chances with Sergio Mitre, but that’s just me.

Within the Cliff Lee window
From the Winter Meetings through Lee’s signing with Philadelphia.
This seems to be when the Lee talks were at their peak.

Scott Olson
Pirates: one year, $500,000 with heavy incentives (plus club option)
Olson’s first big league season showed promise, but since then he’s been pretty bad while pitching for the Nationals and Marlins. Now it’s the Pirates who have signed him. From Florida to Washington to Pittsburgh. That says a lot.

Vicente Padilla
Dodgers: 1 year, $2 million
Early in his career, Padilla had some good years with the Phillies, but he’s since become a back-of-the-rotation starter capable of stringing together a few dominant outings. Injuries last season made him even more of a risk than usual, and the Dodgers might use him in the bullpen instead of the rotation.

Dustin Moseley
Padres: one year, $900,000
The Yankees offered Moseley a Major League deal, but he decided to shopping for a better offer and found on in San Diego, where he could land a spot in the Padres rotation. Moseley was a solid spot starter for the Yankees last season.

Kevin Correia
Pirates: two years, $8 million
News of the agreement broke on December 8. Hard to know what to expect rom Correia. He’s spent all of his career in the NL West, and his ERA has been a roller coaster the past four years, from 3.45 to 6.05 to 3.91 to 5.40.

Ryan Rowland-Smith
Astros: one year, $750,000
Last season, the young lefty won one game and had a 6.75 ERA with the Mariners. He was solid the three years before that, but he’s generally been more effective as a reliever than as a starter.

Rich Harden
Athletics: one year, $1.5 million (plus incentives)
Harden is coming off another injury plagued season that saw him pitching out of the bullpen in September. He might fall into a bullpen role again this season. When he did pitch last season, he carried a 5.58 ERA in Texas.

After Cliff Lee
Amazing how quiet the market has been since Lee came off the board.
Jeff Francis, Justin Duchscherer, Kevin Millwood and others are still out there.

Chien-Ming Wang
Nationals: one year, $1 million with heavy incentives
One day after Lee signed with the Phillies, Wang re-signed with the Nationals. You know the Wang story, so I’m not going to rehash it here. There were — and are — several Wang-type starters on the market.

Brandon Webb
Rangers: one year, $3 million (plus heavy incentives)
Webb has one big league start in the past two seasons. He was once among the best starting pitchers in the game, but reports this fall of a low-80s fastball in instructional league were not encouraging.

Brad Penny
Tigers: one year, $3 million
The most recent big league starter to come off the board, Penny is one of those risk-reward starters who have been fairly prevalent in this free agent market. He pitched well but made only nine starts last season.

It’s already been noted that the Yankees and Rays have similar interests this offseason. Both have an outfield spot to fill, and both could use the free agent market to bolster their bullpens.

Now its been reported that the Rays are interested in Andruw Jones, who is pretty much the only free agent consistently linked to the Yankees these days. Jon Heyman mentions that Johnny Damon could also be a possibility for both teams. The Yankees would use Jones or Damon as a bench player, ideally giving either one occasional outfield starts against left-handers, similar to the role Marcus Thames played last year, only in the outfield and not at DH.

The Rays might be able to offer more regular playing time, with their outfield corners and designated hitter spots more or less up for grabs.

Actually, Tampa might have done the Yankees a favor yesterday by agreeing to a $3.25-million deal with Kyle Farnsworth. I can’t say with any certainty whether the Yankees were or were not interested in their former reliever, but a Farnsworth reunion would have been difficult to imagine. The Rays at least partially addresses their bullpen concerns without taking any of the more prominent relievers off the market, and that seems like a good thing for the Yankees.

Technically, the Andy Pettitte story did not change last night. There was a brief report that Pettitte had made a final decision, but Brian Cashman quickly explained that it was all a misunderstanding. The Yankees had not heard anything new. The story was — and is — exactly as it was at the end of season.

Here’s the story: Pettitte has told the Yankees to move forward as if he won’t be pitching in 2011. He’ll let them know if anything changes, and last we heard from Pettitte himself, he was still trying to make up his mind.

The story hasn’t changed, but the situation is different day by day.

Every day that goes by with that same old story is another day in which Pettitte has not changed his mind. It’s one less day for Pettitte to call the Yankees and tell them he’s coming back. It’s one less day for Pettitte to add some bulk to the Yankees thin rotation.

With every day that passes, the possibility of a Pettitte retirement grows a little more real. The discussion becomes a little less theoretical.

The Pettitte story is the same today as it was yesterday. The only difference is that yesterday there were 33 days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training. Today there are only 32.

Associated Press photo

Scratch that.

Just got off the phone with Brian Cashman who said The Daily News story about Andy Pettitte’s decision is not accurate. ”It’s a misunderstanding,” Cashman said.

This was Cashman’s quote, as relayed by The Daily News: “I don’t think he’s determined if he’s officially finished or not, but he’s chosen at this stage at least not to start in 2011.”

Cashman said you could basically substitute the word “pitch” for the word “start.” What Cashman meant was, at this stage, Pettitte is choosing not to pitch in 2011, but the Yankees are — as they’ve been all winter — waiting for Pettitte to let them know something official. He’s leaning toward retirement, and he’ll let them know if that situation changes.

“Nothing new or different,” Cashman said. “Exactly what I’ve been saying for the past month or two months.”

The Yankees seem to have at least a partial answer from Andy Pettitte.

According to The Daily News, Pettitte has informed the Yankees that he will not open the season as an active pitcher. He has not ruled out joining the Yankees at some point, but he will not break camp with them and might have pitched his final game.

“I don’t think he’s determined if he’s officially finished or not, but he’s chosen at this stage at least not to start in 2011,” Cashman said at the baseball owners’ quarterly meetings in Arizona. “If that ever changes he’ll call us. We’re not going to hound him or bother him.”

Another right-handed outfielder came off the market this afternoon, with Reed Johnson agreeing to a minor league deal with the Cubs.

I’m not sure Johnson was ever a legitimate option for the Yankees — they weren’t especially interested last winter, and last year’s numbers probably didn’t do much to change their mind — but he technically fit their needs to a certain extent. Even in a down year, Johnson hit .301/.324/.466 against lefties last season. There are much worse options out there.

Around this time last year I thought Johnson made good sense for the Yankees, but Brian Cashman disagreed, waited out the market and landed Marcus Thames on a minor league deal. It wound up being his most productive signing of the winter. Granted, he also waited out the market and landed Randy Winn on a deal that wasn’t so productive.

In certain corners of the Yankees fan base, Derek Jeter is perhaps the least beloved icon in baseball. A vocal minority — at least I think it’s a minority — is ready to give up on him after the first rather pedestrian season of his career. The Yankees aren’t so pessimistic, having just locked Jeter into a three-year deal with a fourth-year option, but they are preparing for life without their captain. The Yankees top two picks in last year’s draft were shortstops.

In the big leagues
Hard to believe Jeter is only one year removed from being a legitimate MVP candidate. Concerns about production are inevitable when a player reaches his late 30s, but Jeter seemed to be charging into his twilight years before a sudden step back last season. Defensively, he’s fundamental rather than dynamic, and the Yankees seem willing to accept those limitations. Offensively, it’s hard to say what Jeter is at this point. If he falls somewhere between his ’09 and ’10 levels of production, he’ll remain one of the better offensive shortstops in the game. He showed signs of bouncing back in September, but another step in the wrong direction could be a real problem and would almost certainly force Joe Girardi to drop his captain to the bottom of the lineup.

On the verge
The Yankees know what they have in Ramiro Pena. He’s a terrific defensive player with a little bit of speed, but his bat is limited to say the least. The shortstop who seems to have their attention is Eduardo Nunez, who last year hit .289/.340/.381 with 23 stolen bases in Triple-A, then held his own after a late-season major league call-up. He seems to have made defensive progress last season as well. Beyond Nunez, there’s a large gap before the next wave of significant shortstop potential reaches the upper levels. Jose Pirela, who should open in Double-A, isn’t a no-name, but his ceiling seems closer to a utility infielder than a starting shortstop.

Deep in the organization
It was considered something of a surprise when the Yankees took a shot on Cito Culver as their first-round draft pick last summer. They backed that pick by selecting another teenage shortstop, Angelo Gumbs, in the second round. Three years earlier, the Yankees took a 10th-round shot on a high school shortstop named Carmen Angelini — they knew he was raw, but thought he might improve too much in college for them to ever have a shot at him when he was older — only to see that pick fizzle through bad numbers and a hip injury. Instead, the long-term, in-house future of the shortstop position might rest on the two kids who turned pro just a few months ago.

Organizational depth chart
My own rough guess. It’s far too early for the Yankees to settle on who will be where next season.
New York: Derek Jeter
Scranton/WB: Ramiro Pena/Eduardo Nunez
Trenton: Jose Pirela
Tampa: Kelvin Castro
Charleston: Carmen Angelini

The big league depth chart at shortstop doesn’t extend much beyond Nunez and Pena. Kevin Russo and Reegie Corona have experience at the position, but both are better suited elsewhere. If Jeter gets hurt, Nunez seems to be the best long-term solution. If Pena wins the utility job, he’ll be the guy to get occasional starts here and there.

In the lower levels, the shortstop situation could change significantly by mid-season. Culver will probably open in extended spring training with a eye toward making his Charleston debut in early June. Until then, an organizational shortstop — Jose Mojica, Emerson Landoni, Angelini — could get the Low-A job. Up in High-A, Castro is the natural fit for the job despite hitting just .224 in Charleston last year. If not him, perhaps Walter Ibarra or Addison Maruszak could return to Tampa, but as an everyday player this time. There is also the chance that Angelini could impress in spring training and get the Tampa job out of camp. Basically, the shortstop position in the lower levels is remarkably flexible heading into spring training. The upper levels will have Luis Nunez, Doug Bernier and Justin Snyder to fill some shortstop time off the bench.

Associated Press photo of Jeter, headshots of Jeter, Nunez and Angelini (milb.com doesn’t have a Culver headshot yet and I don’t want to steal one from another site)

After numerous reports, it seems that the Yankees are at least discussing the idea of signing Andruw Jones to fill their fourth outfielder opening. Jon Heyman has reported that the two sides are talking, but they disagree on money. Based on the current free agent market, what might Jones be worth?

The facts: Jones is about to turn 34 years old. He signed a $500,000 deal with significant incentives last season, He’s a one-time superstar center fielder turned role-playing corner outfielder. Offensively, he’s largely an all-or-nothing power hitter who fits the Yankees need for a right-handed bat who can hit lefties.
Career: .256/.338/.488
Last season: .230/.341/.486
vs. LHP in 2010: .256/.373/.558

It’s pretty much impossible to find a perfect comparison, but to some extent, these players might help create a market for Jones.

Right-handed platoon outfielder

Matt Diaz
Pirates
2 years, $4.25 million
One of the first outfielders to come off the board this offseason, Diaz is one year younger than Jones and has hit lefties to a .335/.373/.533 slash line in his career. He was close to an everyday player just two years ago and put up a .313/.390/.488 line that season. He’s coming off a .250/.302/.438 season, but he maintained a .273/.318/.512 split against lefties.

Similar hitter, different position

Edwin Encarnacion
Blue Jays
1 year, $2.5 million
Still in his late 20s, Encarnacion is a third baseman, not an outfielder, but he hit .244/.305/.482 last season, which is awfully close to Jones’ slash line. Even Encarnacion’s splits — .234/.367/.547 against lefties last year — are similar to Jones. Age is what really makes this a difficult comparison, but the offensive numbers are pretty close.

Similar player, opposite side of the plate

Eric Hinske
Braves
1 year, $1.45 million (with club option for 2012)
Hasn’t played much infield the past few years. At this point he’s primarily a corner outfielder, and he hit .256/.338/.456 last season. He and Jones are less than four months apart in age. They have remarkably similar career batting averages and on-base percentages, with Jones showing a higher slugging percentage. In his career, Hinske has hit .261/.346/.454 against right-handers. He’s rarely used against lefties.

Former everyday player turned role player

Pat Burrell
Giants
1 year, $1 million
A strange comparison because Burrell has suddenly shown reverse splits the past two seasons. That said, Burrell’s slash line last year was .252/.348/.469, and his career slash line is .254/.362/.475. Both are very similar to Jones. I feel confident saying Jones is a better defensive player, but Burrell signed with a National League team, so obviously he’s not considered a DH.

Fourth outfielders

Melky Cabrera, 1 year, $1.25 million
Austin Kearns, 1 year, $1.3 million
Rick Ankiel, 1 year, $1.5 million plus significant incentives
Just a glimpse at the basic fourth outfielder market. None of these has Jones’ power. I guess Ankiel is the most similar hitter to Jones, but he bats from the opposite side of the plate and is able to play a solid center field. Kearns is the most similar defensive player but without nearly the same power from the right side. Cabrera took a significant pay cut after making $3.1 million in 2010. Its worth noting that Tony Gwynn Jr. was given a contract that guarantees $675,000. Clearly Jones is going to make more than last season. It’s a question of how much more.

Last spring, Mariano Rivera arrived in Tampa as a 40-year-old closer in the final year of his contract. There were, of course, early questions of how much longer Rivera planned to keep playing.

“If I know, if I’m sure, 100 percent that I can do it, I will do it,” he said.

Yesterday, Trevor Hoffman answered the retirement question for the final time. The 43-year-old had 10 saves and a 5.89 ERA last season. He was no longer sure he could do it.

“I expect to pitch at a certain level,” Hoffman said. “And I had to be honest with myself that I wasn’t certain I could maintain that anymore.”

With Hoffman’s retirement, Rivera has become the active saves leader, 42 away from Hoffman’s all-time record of 601.* There’s no other active closer within shouting distance of that mark, so it will be a very long time before another closer approaches Hoffman’s total. Assuming he stays healthy and productive, Rivera’s new two-year contract gives him time to break that record and further establish a legacy that quite honestly needs no further accolades.

I’m sure Rivera will say time and again that he’s perfectly indifferent about the record, but it’s going to be a fun to watch him go after it. And when he decides he’s finished, Rivera will do exactly what Hoffman has done and walk away.

“One day that will happen, and that day I will go,” Rivera said. “This is not mine. I will go and the baseball will not stop because I don’t play any more.”

—

* Seriously, how perfect is it that Hoffman has retired when Rivera — the last No. 42 in baseball — is exactly 42 saves away from the record? Obviously it’s nothing but a coincidence, but it’s a pretty cool coincidence.

CC Sabathia and his wife, Amber, have been chosen as recipients of the Bart Giamatti Award for community service.

The Sabathia’s started the PitCCh In Foundation, which does a ton of work for inner-city youth. They’ve also contributed to the Boys and Girls Club, Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities and Strikeouts for Troops as well as several New York based groups. The Sabathia’s will receive the annual award at the Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.) Dinner on January 25 at the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square.

CC was also named one of 10 finalists for the Jefferson Awards for Public Service. It’s given annually to athletes who display an exemplary commitment to service in their community.

A few links and notes from today.

• Jon Heyman once again says the Yankees are still interested in Rafael Soriano. He says Brian Fuentes is also a possibility. The Yankees would have to give up a first-round draft pick to sign Soriano, and they might have to outbid teams that offer ninth inning opportunities to Fuentes.

• Speaking of Heyman, he brings up the possibility of Johnny Damon going to Tampa Bay, leaving Desmond Jenings to open the season in Triple-A.

• All-times saves leader Trevor Hoffman has decided to retire. Mariano Rivera is 42 saves behind Hoffman. Rivera had 33 saves last season and 44 the year before. The fact the number 42 is involved here seems like a good sign, no?

• Brad Penny has agreed to a $3 million deal with the Tigers. At this point it’s easy to forget some of their early offseason moves, but Detroit has done quite a bit to rebuild its team.

• It doesn’t sound serious, but Josh Hamilton has been hospitalized with a case of pneumonia. He’s expected to be released within 24 hours.

• This afternoon — when I wasn’t breaking all of the incredible news surrounding the Yankees these days! — I checked the guide on my TV and found nothing worth watching. That’s when I started flipping through random television nonsense and stumbled upon some sort of live performance by The Shins. Turns out, it was an episode of the Gilmore Girls. Can’t make this stuff up.

Associated Press photo