International Free Agency Day 1 Recap

We've been hearing for months about how the Yankees were going to "spend like crazy" and "make a big splash" in international free agency this year.  We heard 3 weeks ago that they already had multi-million dollar deals in place with 3 of the top players available.  The international free agency period officially opened yesterday and the Yankees definitely walked the walk after talking the talk.  Here's the breakdown of all the major signings they made:

• Diego Castillo, 16-year-old shortstop, Venezuela- $750,000
• Dermis Garcia, 16-year-old shortstop, DR- $3.2 million
• Nelson Gomez, 16-year-old third baseman, DR- $2.25 million
• Wilkerman Garcia, 16-year-old shortstop, Venezuela- $1.35 million
• Juan De Leon, 16-year-old outfielder, DR- $2 million
• Miguel Flames, 16-year-old catcher, Venezuela- $1 million
• Hyo-Jun Park, 18-year-old shortstop, S. Korea- $1.1 million
• Jonathan Amundaray, 16-year-old outfielder, Venezuela- $1.5 million
• Antonio Arias, 16-year-old outfielder, DR- $800,000

That's 9 of Baseball America's top 28 rated prospects, 4 of the top 10 (both Garcias, Gomez, De Leon), and with all the other smaller dollar signings about $14.5 million in bonuses given out by the Yankees. Add in the $12.3 mil in penalties for going well over their slotted amount and we're looking at $26.8 mil total spent in the first day, and that's not including Christopher Torres and his expected $2.5 mil bonus.  Quite the splash indeed.  Hopefully it pays off in a few years.

Can Heath Bell Be Of Any Value?

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

The shuffling and re-shuffling of the middle relief deck has been a constant for the Yankees this year.  Early injuries to the rotation, some DL stints at the front end of the 'pen, and a lot of really poor performances have combined to a rotation of mostly mediocre characters through the last 2 spots and the Yanks are very much still in search of a couple of reliable options.  They've got rookie Jose Ramirez in 1 spot for the moment, and the recently-acquired David Huff in the other.  You'll remember him from his tandem starter duties with Phil Hughes last season.

Another move Cash made to add some organizational depth was signing Heath Bell to a MiL deal on Friday.  Bell was released by the Rays earlier in the season after putting up a 7.27 ERA in 17.1 IP and most recently he had been pitching some OK ball for the Baltimore Orioles' Triple-A affiliate (4.22/3.24 in 10.2 IP).  He's been on an accelerated downtrend for the last few seasons, so is there any reason to think he might have something offer the Yankee bullpen?

Tuesday Evening News And Notes

A couple of notes before tonight's game:

- The Yankees called up Scott Sizemore from Triple-A and put him in the starting lineup for tonight, when they play the first of 4 games in the next 7 against left-handed pitchers.  Zoilo Almonte was sent back down to clear a 25-man spot.

- The Yanks also claimed lefty reliever Wade LeBlanc off waivers from the Angels.  He's been working as a long man/spot starter, but could be used as extra insurance for Matt Thornton.

- In a corresponding 40-man roster move, Michael Pineda was transferred to the 60-day DL to open up a spot for LeBlanc.

- Masahiro Tanaka was named the AL Pitcher of the Month for May.  Now I don't have to feel bad for picking him over Betances in the AB4AR monthly awards.

Yanks Sign Andrew Bailey To MiL Deal

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

It took long enough, but the Yankees have finally snapped up one of the remaining FA relief pitchers who's coming back from injury.  Via Buster Olney, the Yanks agreed to a deal with right-hander Andrew Bailey yesterday.  It's a minor league deal with incentives that could make it worth $2.5 million and it also includes an option for 2015.

Bailey, 29, is a former Red Sock and Oakland A's closer who has spent the better part of the last 2 seasons battling shoulder and thumb injuries.  He had surgery to repair a torn labrum and shoulder capsule last July, so he likely won't be ready to contribute until mid-summer at the earliest.  While he's only thrown 44.0 inning over the last 2 seasons with Boston, Bailey did go 75-84 in save opportunities with a FIP in the mid-to-high 2.00s and 4.3 fWAR in his first 3 seasons in Oakland.

This signing follows a trend the Yankees started a few years ago with David Aardsma and again last year with David Herndon.  They probably won't get much from Bailey this year in terms of meaningful innings, but if he makes a full recovery he could be a steal for 2015.

Yanks Officially Announce Tanaka Signing

Yokoso Masahiro! Tanaka officially signed a seven-year contract with the Yankees today.
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) January 22, 2014

There you have it.  The Yankees have officially announced the deal so any last doubts that may have lingered about it can be put to rest.  Multiple beat guys have confirmed that lefty David Huff has been DFA'd to clear a roster spot, and since we already know that the Yanks aren't going to conduct a second physical on Tanaka all that's left to speculate on is his jersey number.

Kudos to the Yankees for coming out on top of this and making all the effort they put in on scouting Tanaka worthwhile.  I know there were some doubts out there about whether or not he'd sign with them, but the allure of the playing in pinstripes is clearly still alive and well.  I'll have more thoughts on the deal and what it means for Tanaka and the Yanks moving forward tomorrow.

BREAKING NEWS: Yanks Sign Masahiro Tanaka To A 7-Year Deal (UPDATED)

(Courtesy of the AP)

Reports were that we'd find out by the end of today who Masahiro Tanaka would choose to sign with, and per Ken Rosenthal that team is the Yankees.

According to Rosenthal, the Yankees and Tanaka have agreed to a 7-year/$155 million contract.  The deal includes an opt-out clause after the 4th year.

This was the big move the Yankees wanted and needed to make to upgrade their starting rotation for this season and the future.  They paid a hefty ransom for Tanaka, including the $20 million posting fee they'll now have to send to the Rakuten Golden Eagles, but that's what it was going to take once the new posting rules were put into effect.  More on this story as it comes out.

** UPDATE 8:50 AM- Joel Sherman has confirmed Rosenthal's report.  Sounds like this is legit. **

** UPDATE 8:58 AM- Deal has been confirmed by a slew of other Yankee beat guys.  For the sake of conversation, the $155 mil is the 5th highest contract for a pitcher in MLB history in terms of total dollars.  Yanks weren't kidding when they said they were going all in to get him. **

Can Scott Sizemore Actually Help The Yankees?

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

When the Scott Sizemore signing was announced yesterday, I was a little quick to condemn it as an organizational depth move and nothing more.  We are talking about a guy who's played in just 2 games and had only 6 plate appearances since the end of the 2011 season, and while ACL injuries aren't quite as devastating to baseball players as they are to basketball or football players, 2 of them in a row to the same knee isn't exactly a recipe for MLB success.

The more I let the idea of Sizemore marinate in my subconscious while watching the football games yesterday, the more I started to feel like I rushed to judgment on the guy.  Now that I've checked his numbers, I'm starting to feel like he may have something to offer the Yankees after all.

Yanks Sign Robert Coello To A MiL Deal

It's not the flashy signing of a Grant Balfour that I'm sure many of us are still hoping for, but the Yankees did add a potentially intriguing arm to their bullpen cache over the weekend when they inked reliever Robert Coello to a MiL deal.

For those unfamiliar, Coello is a 29-year-old right-hander with 29.0 innings of Major League experience spread across 3 years and 3 different teams.  He made his biggest mark this past season when he pitched to a 3.71/2.52 ERA/FIP split in 17.0 IP with the Angels, striking out 23 and walking 8.  He was moving up the hierarchy of the Anaheim bullpen before shoulder problems shut him down.

What makes Coello a potential diamond in the rough is the forkball he throws.  It's shown in the video above and it's absolutely flthy.  When he's commanding it and mixing it with his low-90s fastball, he's proven to be a very good swing-and-miss pitcher at both the Minor and Major League levels.  If his shoulder is OK, he could surprise some people in camp and sneak into the bullpen at some point this year.

Yanks Sign A Pair Of MiL Pitchers

It's not nearly as exciting as inking Tanaka, but the Yankees did sign a pair of pitchers to MiL contracts yesterday.  Via Matt Eddy, 28-year-old Bruce Billings and 38-year-old Yoshinori Tateyama both received deals, although it's not known if either received an invitation to ST.

Regardless of whether they did or not, neither of these guys should factor into the Major League plans at all in 2014.  They have a combined 68.0 Major League IP in their careers, none since 2012.  Billings has spent the last 3 years as an innings eater starter and spot reliever in the Oakland A's system and Tateyama was a long man for the SWB RailRiders last year, posting a 1.70/2.18 split in 42.0 IP.

These 2 should provide depth for the Triple-A pitching staff and allow the Yanks to call up younger pitchers like Mark Montgomery, Chase Whitley, and Dellin Betances if and when they're services are needed.  You can never have too much pitching, and that rule still applies when it comes to MiL depth.

Astros Sign Jesse Crain, Steal A Perfect Yankee Bullpen Candidate

I don't know how I missed this (yes I do, I was busy drinking and partying), but the Houston Astros made a nice little move for themselves by signing righty reliever Jesse Crain to a 1-year deal on Tuesday.  Crain, 32, is coming off a very good/injury-shortened 2013 season and to me he was a perfect match for the Yankees when it came to filling their void of lost late-game bullpen innings.

Crain's shoulder injury did present a major risk, but also made him easy to sign to a 1-year, low-dollar deal, perfect for what the Yankees are/were trying to do with their 2014 budget.  With Crain gone, the market for established late-inning relievers is drying up quickly.  Hopefully the Yankees don't let their pursuit of Tanaka prevent them from filling that still very glaring need.  Really sucks to lose Crain to the Astros too.  Bastards.



P.S.- If you're keeping score at home, that now makes me 0-5 in my Project 189 moves with Tanaka my only remaining hope for getting one right.  No Cano, no Choo, no Hart, no Kazmir, and now no Crain.  Boy do I know how to pick 'em or what?

Yanks Make Carlos Beltran Signing Official

Yankees announce signing of eight-time All-Star Carlos Beltran to a three-year contract.
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) December 19, 2013

It took a little longer than it did for McCann and Jacoby, but the Yankees finally made the Carlos Beltran signing official today.  The team formally announced the deal, which was for 3 years and $45 million in case you'd forgotten, and he will be introduced at a press conference tomorrow at 11 AM EST.

To clear a spot for Beltran on the 40-man roster, the Yankees designated Brett Marshall for assignment.  He was mostly bad as a starter in Triple-A and mop-up reliever in the Majors last year, but still has some prospect value as a young, hard-throwing pitcher.  I'm not sure why the team would elect to expose him to waivers when they could have dumped someone more expendable like Vernon Wells or David Huff, but hopefully he clears through and makes it back to Triple-A.

With Beltran in the fold, the Yanks now have a projected starting outfield of he, Ellsbury, and Gardner for 2014.  It still remains to be seen if Gardner will be traded or if the team will move forward with Soriano as the primary DH and de facto 4th outfielder, but there's plenty of time to figure that out.

Brian Roberts Not A Very Good Plan D At Second

(Courtesy of Derick Hingle/USA Today Sports)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

When Omar Infante signed with the Royals and the Cardinals swallowed up Mark Ellis last week, many of us went back to our mental drawing boards regarding the second base position for the Yankees next year.  The team had said from the minute it signed Kelly Johnson that he was not looked at as a full-time replacement for Robinson Cano, and the expectation was that the team would ramp up efforts to secure Infante or another more reliable Plan B/Plan C option quickly to at least provide some stability there.  They didn't, other team swooped in, and the new Plan D option, according to Ken Rosenthal's reports last night, is 36-year-old Brian Roberts.

BREAKING: Yanks Sign Lefty Reliever Matt Thornton

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

Well there's some unexpected bullpen help.  As first reported by Jack Curry, the Yankees have agreed to a 2-year/$7 million deal with lefty specialist Matt Thornton.  The deal is pending a physical of course, and should he pass it Thornton will replace Boone Logan as the team's primary LOOGY out of the 'pen in 2014.

Thornton, 37, was one of if not THE premiere lefty specialist in baseball as recently as 2011 with the White Sox.  He struggled for them early last year before being dealt to the Red Sox at the trade deadline and performing much better.  Overall he pitched to a 3.74/4.04/4.13 slash line in 43.1 IP in 2013 with a .280 wOBA against from left-handed hitters.  For his career lefties have hit .229/.296/.350 against him in 249.2 IP.

Thornton comes with a pretty fair amount of risk as an older reliever.  His K rate has decreased every year since 2010, from 33.9% then to just 16.0% this past season.  That's partially due to his increased ineffectiveness against righties, but as a LOOGY he should still be above-average and he comes at a much more team-friendly cost than Logan would have.  At the very least, it's an early-season upgrade over Cesar Cabral if Thornton can maintain his effectiveness against same-side hitters.

P.S.- For shits and giggles, here's my anti-Thornton rant from the 2011 offseason.  At that time it didn't make a lot of sense to trade away prospects for a guy with $12 million still owed to him.  Today, for just $7 mil and no prospects, it's a much better deal.

Tuesday Mid-Morning Food For Thought: Bang For The Buck (UPDATED)

Yankee Free Agents Lost This Offseason: Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, Boone Logan, Joba Chamberlain

Total Amount Paid to Those Free Agents: $319 million

Yankee Free Agents Signed This Offseason: Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury, Kelly Johnson, Hiroki Kuroda, Carlos Beltran*, Brian Roberts, Matt Thornton

Total Amount Paid to Those Free Agents: $304 311 million

Say what you want about how the Yankees are approaching this offseason, but don't say they aren't being smarter in general than we're used to seeing.  They would have been crazy to go 10 years for Cano or 3 for Logan and they wisely let them walk, and 4/$60 mil for Granderson is probably more than they wanted to pay.  Despite the holes they still have on the roster, they've managed to sign 6 7 players for $15 8 million less than the dollar value of the 4 they lost and they still have money available to add rotation/bullpen depth before equaling the total amount they didn't spend on the other guys.

If a chunk or all of that $15 8 million goes to Masahiro Tanaka, it'll be hard to say the Yankees didn't make the right moves this offseason.  7 8 useful bodies beats 4 any day of the week.

(*- Still not technically signed, but he will be)

Yankees And Carlos Beltran Agree To 3-Year Deal

I can't even take one night off from this without some major news breaking.  The Yankees wasted no time in getting started on their Plan B without Robinson Cano, tonight reportedly agreeing to a deal with free agent outfielder Carlos Beltran.  Via Mark Feinsand, the deal is for 3 years.  Via Tim Brown, it's for $45 million.

The Yankees were in on Beltran from the start, but things seemed like they had cooled off after the McCann and Ellsbury signings.  With Cano now gone, the need for more offense was obvious and the return to Beltran doesn't come as a huge surprise.  The Yankees were reluctant to give him the 3rd year initially but apparently willing to do it now that Cano leaving gave them the extra money.  Again, I would have preferred Shin-Soo Choo, but Beltran is an upgrade over their current right fielder and should provide above-average production from that spot and as a part-time DH next season.

Yanks And Kuroda Agree To 1-Year Deal

Under the tidal wave of Robinson Cano coverage this morning was a small bit of good news.  Joel Sherman reported that the Yankees and Hiroki Kuroda agreed to a new 1-year deal for 2014, worth $16 million.  According to Sherman's report, the deal comes with the same bonus package as this year's deal: $250,000 for reaching 190 and 210 IP and an interpreter.

The Yankee rotation needed serious help next year regardless of where Cano ended up.  Cash stated weeks ago that he was looking to add 400 innings this offseason and Kuroda should represent a significant chunk of that.  He wasn't great in the second half of this season, but he's still been very, very good in his 2 years in pinstripes and there's no reason to expect him to suddenly become less than good next year.  I have to think addressing the rest of the rotation becomes a bigger priority with Cano gone now.  Kuroda is a good first piece to get into place.

Cano Agrees To 10-Year Deal With Mariners (UPDATED)

deal for cano and mariners is $240M, 10 years according to @Enrique_Rojas1. can confirm it's agreed to.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 6, 2013

Well there you have it.  After the broken down talks made it look like he was going to come crawling back to the Yankees, Robinson Cano has agreed to a 10-year/$240 million deal with the Seattle Mariners.  Jay-Z's negotiating ploy worked and it was the Mariners who came crawling back with a deal closer to what Cano's side was asking for.

A physical is scheduled for this weekend and a press conference Monday, so this things sounds legit.  I'm really surprised.  I thought the extra demand would scare the Mariners away.  The Yankees lose a big piece of their plans for next year and the loss of Cano's production will be almost impossible to replace.  The value of adding McCann and Ellsbury takes a hit, at least for now, and the Yankees will have to move forward with whatever backup plans they had in the works.  We already know Kelly Johnson was a part of it.

More on this as it becomes available.

** UPDATE 10:45 AM- Via Joel Sherman, the Yankees let Cano know they would be willing to go 7/175, but that still wasn't anywhere near the total dollars of the Mariners' offer. **

Report: Kelly Johnson Signing A Done Deal

There was little reason to expect otherwise after the news first came out, but the deal between the Yankees and Kelly Johnson was agreed to yesterday and Johnson will be donning the pinstripes next year.  Jon Heyman had the confirmation, reporting that it is a 1-year deal for $3 million and is still pending a physical.

I touched on Johnson a little bit yesterday and I'll get into more detail on him soon.  The bottom line is he can play all over the field, hold his own defensively in all those spots, and he offers some legit pop and plus offensive value from the left side of the plate.  I'm sure there's some thought of using this signing to put more pressure on Robbie going on in the front office, but Johnson is the type of versatile player the Yankees need on the roster next year regardless of whether Robbie comes back or not.  Another good signing for sure.

Jacoby Ellsbury Signing Thoughts & Afterthoughts

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

I was shocked when the Yankees came out and signed Brian McCann.  Shocked.  I thought that was the one spot they'd be willing to take a hit and stick with their internal crew as they worked through their roster revamp plan this offseason.  Well they didn't and they surprisingly got him at basically market value.

I was absolutely blown away (BLOOOWHOA-WHOA-WHOA-OOOOOWN!!!!!!!) when the story of the Jacoby Ellsbury signing first broke last night.  I knew the Yanks had been in contact with him but I really thought he was their 3rd option behind Beltran and Choo.  With a speedy, low-power outfielder already on their roster, I didn't expect them to seriously go after another one and I definitely didn't expect them to give out the kind of deal they did to get Ellsbury.

My initial reaction to the deal was one of dislike.  I didn't like the years, I didn't like the money, I didn't like the lack of power, and I didn't like the spotty injury history tacked onto the length of the deal.  Now that I've had some time to think, consider, talk to people, read some other takes, and think some more, I think this is a move I can actually get on board with.

The Ellsbury-Cano-Boras Connection

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

A little over 7 months ago, Robinson Cano decided that Scott Boras wasn't the right fit for him heading into free agency.  He ditched Boras and signed on with the then newly created Roc Nation Sports firm headed up by Jay-Z.  Last night, Boras got a 7-year/$153 million contract for one of his other clients, Jacoby Ellsbury, and he got it from the Yankees.  It's the 3rd highest contract ever given to a free agent outfielder and it comes with an option for an 8th year that could bring the total value to $169 million.

To be honest, I still don't know how I feel about the Ellsbury signing.  At first glance I'm not a fan of the years or the dollars but I'm smart enough to recognize how great he's been when he's been healthy.  I need a few more hours awake today to really put all my thoughts together on how this fits from a baseball perspective.  The one thing that does keep rattling around in my head right now is what the Ellsbury signing means for Cano.  It certainly doesn't him off the table for the Yanks.  They still have plenty of money to spend right now, as shown by Mike E. last night, and I still firmly believe Cano will re-sign with them.  If you'll allow me to put on my Jim Garrison hat for a few minutes, here's my quick little theory on how this move to sign Ellsbury could actually be a part of the Yankees' strategy with Cano.