New York Yankees News

Cashman: No new pacts for Jeter, Rivera, Girardi
Comment
February 9
New York Post
 
"When Brian Cashman looks at Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Joe Girardi, the Yankees' GM paints his shortstop, closer and manager with the same brush. And with spring training opening next week in Tampa, Cashman has no plans to stray from his plan of not negotiating with them. All three contracts are in the final year. "I don't think you can separate one from the other," Cashman explained. "I am not saying they are the same, but the questions will come, 'If you did one, why didn't you do the other?' If this was Kansas City, it would be different — but it's not." Cashman doesn't fear Girardi's lame-duck status will become a distraction for the players when the annual slide surfaces and ..."
Yankees sign Marcus Thames to minor-league deal
Comment
February 9
Bergen Record
 
"Seeking to add one more veteran, right-handed hitting outfielder to their mix, the Yankees signed Marcus Thames to a minor league contract Monday and invited him - along with 19 other non-roster players - to spring training. Thames, 32, batted .252 with the Tigers last season, with 13 home runs and 36 RBI in 258 at-bats. Originally drafted by the Yankees, Thames played briefly for the club in 2002. Also Monday, the Yankees officially announced the signing of switch-hitting outfielder Randy Winn, who is expected to compete with Thames in left field, in a possible platoon with Brett Gardner."
New York Yankees add another outfielder to the mix
Comment
February 9
New York Daily News
 
"The Yankees completed their outfield shopping Monday, bringing back one-time Bomber Marcus Thames on a minor-league contract and inviting him to spring training and finally making a formal announcement of their one-year deal with Randy Winn. Both could give Brett Gardner significant competition for at-bats in the Yanks' third outfield spot, with Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher manning the other two. Gardner, who won the starting center field job coming out of spring training last season but quickly lost it to Melky Cabrera, is the favorite to start in either center or left with Granderson playing the other position, according to GM Brian Cashman. But, as Cashman put it, "he (Gardner) ..."
Thames OKs Yankee deal
Comment
February 9
New York Post
 
"Quantity over proven quality. Unable to agree on a deal with Johnny Damon, the Yankees officially announced the Randy Winn signing yesterday, and agreed to a minor-league contract with Marcus Thames. Added to Brett Gardner, the Yankees have three possible replacements for Damon, who is unemployed. Winn, 35, is guaranteed $1.1 million and can bag another $900,000 in performance bonuses based on plate appearances against lefties -- $100,000 each for 50, 75 and 100 plate appearances and $150,000 apiece for 125, 150, 175 and 200 appearances. He is a career .280 hitter versus lefties, but the switch-hitter batted just .158 against southpaws last year. Winn batted .262 with two homers and 51 ..."
Yankees' Gardner ready to battle for a spot
Comment
February 7
The Journal News
 
"A few days after Christmas, Brett Gardner stepped into a batting cage for the first time since the World Series. He hit a few times during the holidays, he'll hit three or four times this week, and by the end of January, he expects to be hitting every day. Sometime during the first week of February, Gardner will leave his home in South Carolina for the Yankees' spring-training complex in Florida. He'll arrive more than two weeks before position players are scheduled to report because he wants to be at full speed for the first full-squad workout. Then he wants to win, and keep, an everyday job in the Yankees' outfield. "I don't see why not," Gardner said. "We don't have many guys. Last ..."
Joe Girardi faces many challenges to repeat
Comment
February 6
Bergen Record
 columnist Bob Klapisch
"In less than two weeks, Joe Girardi will assemble his pitchers and catchers in Tampa and give a dress-rehearsal speech that'll be delivered to the full Yankee squad on Feb. 23. That's the day the clubhouse will be closed, the manager will stand in the middle of the room and for approximately 45 minutes, the Bombers will listen to Girardi's state-of-the-team address. This used to be the center piece of Joe Torre's administration, when he would assure the Yankees the walls of his clubhouse were impenetrable. "Don't let any of that outside stuff distract you," Torre would say. He meant George Steinbrenner, the headlines, the rabid fans, the haters. Just be, is what Torre offered in response. ..."
Damon overplayed his hand
Comment
February 6
Buffalo News
 columnist Mike Harrington
"Believe it or not, the New York Yankees' equipment truck leaves the Bronx and heads for Florida on Monday. Pitchers and catchers report Feb. 17, the full squad on Feb. 23. While still basking in the post-World Series glow, Yankees fans I hear from have fixated on one gnawing question that won't go away: What the heck happened with Johnny Damon? Last time I saw Damon, he was joyously hobbling around the clubhouse following the Series clincher he left early because of calf tightness. Three nights earlier, his daring steal of two bases on one play keyed the ninth inning rally in the critical Game Four win in Philadelphia. Damon is coming off a season that saw him bat .282 with 24 homers and ..."
Nick Johnson, the Ideal No. 2 Hitter?
Comment
February 5
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"Any talk about Nick Johnson should begin with the disclaimer, "assuming he stays healthy." That being said, Mike Axisa at riveraveblues.com, has an interesting piece this morning on why Nick Johnson should be a terrific fit batting second for the Yankees. Beyond the obvious, namely his excellent ability to get on base and the fact that he'll be wedged between Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira/Alex Rodriguez, Mike Axisa points out that Johnson is a tremendous fastball hitter, putting it best that "Nick Johnson straight up murders fastballs." Why does that matter? Well, the Yankees number two hitter, likely because of the intimidating protection, saw 69.1% fastballs last year. Johnny Damon ..."
Johnny Damon still a man in search of a team
Comment
February 5
USA Today
 
"It has been three months since Johnny Damon stole the bases heard 'round the world, but since then the silence has been deafening.The New York Yankees, the team Damon helped lead to the World Series championship, never made an offer, despite reports to the contrary, according to agent Scott Boras. Just two weeks before pitchers and catchers report for spring training, Damon still is looking for work. "I still feel there is a quality market for Johnny Damon," Boras says, "and I'm negotiating with a number of teams. There are three teams out there that if they don't have Johnny Damon, they're not winning the division. He's the difference in these teams making the playoffs or not contending." ..."
Online bidder pays $103,579 for A-Rod's historic 500th homer ball
Comment
February 5
New York Daily News
 
"A-Rod's 500th home run ball is going, going, gone! The ball smashed by the Yankee slugger on Aug. 4, 2007, to reach the historic milestone fetched $103,579 in an online auction that ended Thursday night. The sum, paid by an unknown bidder, is just a fraction of what was previously doled out for dingers hit before the rampant use of steroids by baseball players became widely known."
Hank Steinbrenner thinks Yankees can repeat as World Series champs, happy with offseason moves
Comment
February 5
New York Daily News
 
"Maybe it was just coincidence, but on the day after an NFL owner ridiculed the free-spending Yankees for even needing a GM, Hank Steinbrenner made some rare public comments in Tampa praising Brian Cashman for the moves he has made this off-season. Steinbrenner, who was practically invisible last season while brother Hal stepped forward publicly as the new ownership face of the Yankees, spoke to an Associated Press reporter at the team's minor-league complex. Mostly, Steinbrenner gushed about the trades Cashman made, acquiring pitcher Javier Vazquez from the Braves and center fielder Curtis Granderson from the Tigers. "The two trades that Brian did, I was really pleased with and very proud ..."
Bisciotti takes a swing at the Yankees
Comment
February 4
Baltimore Sun
 
"Clearly, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti is a proponent of the NFL salary cap, and took a light-hearted shot at the Yankees during today's big news conference for their inability to totally dominate Major League Baseball with their huge revenue and payroll advantage over the other 29 teams. "It certainly doesn't show up in the standings," Bisciotti said. "If I'm a Yankees fan, I'm upset we're not winning 130 games with the roster that they have and the money that they pay out. I think it's a disgrace they only beat the average team by 10 games in the standings with three times the money. I'd fire that GM. You don't need a GM. All you have to do is buy the last Cy Young Award winner every ..."
Joba Chamberlain set to start
Comment
February 3
Bergen Record
 
"Two weeks away from the official report date for Yankees pitchers and catchers, Joba Chamberlain is heading into spring training with his heart set on the No. 5 starter's job. "I'm going in with the mind-set that it's mine," Chamberlain said Tuesday at the Thurman Munson Dinner in midtown. Unshackled from the constraints of the Joba Rules, Chamberlain sees 30-plus starts and 200 innings in his 2010 season - though he also believes that nothing's going to be handed to him. "I know there are going to be guys fighting for it also, which makes it even better for me because I love it. I love the competition," said Chamberlain, who faces a primary challenge from Phil Hughes. Alfredo Aceves, ..."
Joba wouldn't pitch fit over shift to Yankees' relief
Comment
February 3
New York Post
 
"Joba the starter is open to becoming Joba the reliever, especially if the Yankees want to groom him as Mariano Rivera's heir apparent. Speaking to reporters last night before the annual Thurman Munson awards dinner in Manhattan, Joba Chamberlain reiterated comments he made to The Post on Saturday, when he said he considers himself a starter -- but said he also realizes the Yankees have final say in the matter. "Being down [in the bullpen] for two stints, you get to see how good [Rivera] is, and you know there is going to have to be somebody who comes behind him that replaces the legacy that is Mariano," Chamberlain said. "If that opportunity comes, great. If we sit down and they say that, ..."
Joba's bullpen call
Comment
February 3
New York Post
 columnist Joel Sherman
"It was impossible to ignore, and the Yankees didn't ignore it. Words were not needed. Joba Chamberlain's body language screamed confidence and the scoreboard flashed 97 mph. Here at the end of his most taxing season, Chamberlain was a strutting fire-breather again. In the postseason. As a reliever. The difference from the starter who too often was tentative and too frequently throwing fastballs at 89-91 mph was stark. As one Yankees official noted recently, "It was hard to miss." The transformation was so blatant, in fact, that the No. 5 starter competition between Chamberlain and Phil Hughes is almost over two weeks before pitchers and catchers even report. The Yankees never would admit ..."
Adjusted projection puts NY Yankees atop AL East... with Red Sox
Comment
January 31
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"Checking in quickly on this chill (and chilly) Saturday afternoon... Baseball Prospectus adjusted its 2010 PECOTA projections. Originally, the Yankees were projected to win 93 games and miss the playoffs, finishing third in the American League East. Now, the Yankees are still projected to win 93-games, but that will be good enough to tie with the Red Sox for the division title. The Rays, according to the projections, would finish 92-70, just out of the playoffs. With the adjustments, the records have changed. But the general idea stays the same: expect a tight three-team race in the AL East."
Chamberlain ready to fight for rotation spot
Comment
January 31
New York Post
 
"Joba Chamberlain's eyes are set squarely on the fifth spot in the Yankees' rotation. The right-handed pitcher told The Post last night that he will arrive in Tampa next week -- well before pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report for spring training -- with the idea he's a starting pitcher for 2010. Team brass has told him to have that mindset. But Chamberlain also said he isn't taking anything for granted knowing that Phil Hughes and Alfredo Aceves, among others, are chasing the same carrot. "I'm going to go in and understand a lot of guys are fighting for that spot," Chamberlain said after an autograph signing in New Rochelle in conjunction with Steiner Sports. "Nothing is ..."
Yankees and free agent Johnny Damon still have time to make a deal
Comment
January 31
New York Daily News
 
"There is still time for the Yankees to make a deal with Johnny Damon and for Damon to make a deal with them, just because there is no ticking clock here the way there is no real "budget" for the Yankees. Damon? He should make a deal for the best possible reason, because this is the best possible place for him to continue playing baseball. The Yankees make the deal for the only reason that is supposed to matter: They are a better team with him than they are without him and they don't have to lay off members of the grounds crew to get him. You know how long this would take to work out? One day this week. That's if the Yankees really ever wanted him back in the first place. The idea that ..."
Aging core and injuries rank as biggest concerns for New York Yankees moving forward
Comment
January 30
New York Daily News
 
"I don't think I'll ever understand why Johnny Damon and the Yankees couldn't find a middle ground to keep him in pinstripes, but for all the hysteria over his departure, let's be clear: This is more of an emotional issue for fans who appreciated Damon's toughness and good humor than it is reason to fear the impact on the Yankees repeating as champs. Nevertheless, the finality of the Damon situation seemed to hit a nerve among Yankee fans this week, and with good reason. In contrast to the joyless nature of some recent Yankee clubs, the 2009 team was one fans came to love rooting for partly because of the obvious joy players experienced during their coming-together run to a title. Damon, as ..."
Free agent Johnny Damon hopes New York Yankees give Derek Jeter his dough when time comes
Comment
January 30
New York Daily News
 
"While acknowledging that Derek Jeter "absolutely" is a special case and not comparable to his situation, Johnny Damon fired a warning flare Friday anyway. The departing outfielder hopes Jeter doesn't encounter similar negotiating difficulties with the Yankees when the franchise's all-time hits leader becomes a free agent next winter. "Hopefully this doesn't happen with Derek next year," Damon said during an interview with WFAN. "I say there's no way Derek can go anywhere else. "... I hope he's not offered a 40-45% pay cut. But I know Derek's going to go out and produce this year and I know they will treat him with respect." Damon also reiterated what he told the Daily News earlier this ..."
Damon says he may not be done with Yankees
Comment
January 30
New York Post
 
"Not so fast. Johnny Damon says he could be playing for the Yankees again, if not this season then maybe next year. "I'm not ruling out not being in New York, whether it's not this year, or whenever it is, whether I start the season with them, or whether they trade for me at the deadline, or if they sign me next year, or what not. I love New York," Damon said this afternoon on WFAN. It was thought the outfielder and the Yankees had parted for good when the team signed outfielder Randy Winn this week. After a he said-he said exchange between GM Brian Cashman and agent Scott Boras, Damon confirmed today that he turned down a two-year, $14 million offer from the team. Still without a team for ..."
Damon Remains Open to Possible Return to Yanks
Comment
January 30
New York Times
 
"The Yankees have been as emphatic as possible that Johnny Damon has ended his four-year run with the team. But as long as Damon remains unsigned, he continues to leave open the possibility that he could again be a Yankee. Repeating comments he made to The New York Times last week, Damon told WFAN on Friday, "I never say never anymore." He acknowledged that the Yankees' $2 million contract agreement with Randy Winn leaves no spot for him on the roster, yet he would not rule out returning. "Whenever it is, whether I start the season with them, or whether they trade for me at the deadline, or if they sign me next year, or what not - I love New York," Damon told the radio station."
Brian Cashman calls roster 'championship caliber'
Comment
January 29
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"Yankees general manager Brian Cashman touched on several offseason topics on Thursday night before concluding that the World Series winners once again "have a championship-caliber roster." Appearing on the YES Network's Yankees Hot Stove (video) show, Cashman said: 1. Playing Brett Gardner in center field remains a possibility even though All-Star Curtis Granderson will enter spring training with the job. "We've talked to Curtis about it as well," Cashman said. "If we feel that a better team exists with Curtis Granderson in left and Gardner in center, if that actually our shows itself, our job is to put the best team and best alignment on the field, and that's what we'll do." 2. Trading ..."
Yankees GM Cashman conjures budget woes to demonize Johnny Damon
Comment
January 29
New York Daily News
 
"The headline of the baseball offseason isn't that the Yankees have Curtis Granderson now, that they have Nick Johnson and Javy (Game 7) Vazquez back, that they now have Randy Winn, who hit a total of two home runs last season, to share time in the outfield with Brett Gardner, who hit three. The headline is that the Yankees have a budget. We are supposed to believe that this budget is the reason that Johnny Damon goes now. Sure it is. Now you can take the Yankees at their word, buy this notion that they can't spend $200 million on baseball players anymore. But if you do, you sort of have to wonder if the team really is rolling in dough, the way we're constantly told. Printing money like ..."
Brian Cashman, Scott Boras disagree about New York Yankees declining to sign Johnny Damon
Comment
January 29
New York Daily News
 
"The postmortem on Johnny Damon's departure from the Bronx has bubbled over into a public dispute between Yankee GM Brian Cashman and Damon's agent, Scott Boras, a he-said, he-said difference of opinion on who offered what when. While Cashman said Thursday night, "Scott and I are fine," it was clear the GM was irked that Boras was quoted as publicly saying that the Yankees never made Damon a contract offer. "I love Johnny," Cashman said. "I don't appreciate, obviously, Scott's representation of the events because we just had a different opinion, that's all. When I saw he said we never made an offer he knows that wasn't the case." Cashman stressed that the Yankees had "tried to sign ..."
Boras, Yankees bicker over Damon divorce
Comment
January 29
New York Post
 
"The Yankees and Johnny Damon have gone all Leno and Conan on each other. Their divorce is coming with a bitter aftertaste with both sides forcefully insisting that the other was to blame for the separation. Damon's representative, Scott Boras, said today that the Yankees trusted "hearsay" and had made a decision to move to Nick Johnson -- and away from Damon -- before ever having a direct negotiation with him on the subject. "Before I spoke to (GM Brian) Cashman on Dec. 17, he had made an offer to Johnson that prevented him from signing Damon," Boras said. "Whatever reason he had for doing Johnson before talking to me and determining what Johnny Damon wanted I cannot address. "When we ..."
Yanks to take trophy to Asia
Comment
January 29
New York Post
 
"The Yankees are taking the World Series trophy to Tokyo, Beijing and Hong Kong on a six-day Asia tour starting next week. The trophy will accompany a delegation of Yankees executives, including team president Randy Levine and GM Brian Cashman, who will arrive in Tokyo on Sunday. It will be displayed on Monday at the MLB Cafe in Tokyo alongside the Yomiuri Giants' 2009 Japan Series championship trophy. The trophy will be displayed on Wednesday in Beijing and on Friday in Hong Kong. During the trip, the Yankees delegation also will meet with the China Baseball Association to further their cooperation agreement. Chien-Ming Wang is reconsidering his plan not to return from shoulder surgery ..."
Last spring A-Rod thought career could be over
Comment
January 29
New York Post
 
"Bo knew athletic stardom -- and early retirement. Last spring, Alex Rodriguez thought he would be this millennium's Bo Jackson. In an interview that aired last night on YES, the Yankees third baseman said he thought his career was over last March when he was diagnosed with a torn labrum in his hip that forced subsequent surgery. Jackson had a similar injury, curtailing his football and baseball careers. "Staring at retirement right in the face, kind of like Bo Jackson, that is the first thing I thought of," said Rodriguez, 34. "Then having [Dr.] Marc Phillippon just doing an amazing intermediate surgery as we called it, it was a commitment I wanted to do for the team. "It was very scary, ..."
Winn takes Damon's spot in the Bronx
Comment
January 28
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"After months of aimless drifting on the perimeter of the free-agent market, Randy Winn made a safe and enviable landing Wednesday at Yankee Stadium. Given that it probably means the departure of Johnny Damon, this is a move that will be debated well into the season. Winn can't hope to replace Damon as a hitter. Fitting perfectly into the No. 2 slot in the batting order, Damon was a force with his power (24 homers), speed and hell-bent style. Lofting dead-pull drives with his distinctive one-armed follow-through, Damon seemed born to hit at the new Yankee Stadium, with its comforting dimensions and notorious wind tunnel, and he was a beloved member of a world championship team. Where the ..."
Divorce leaves Damon, Yankees hurting
Comment
January 28
New York Post
 columnist Joel Sherman
"Johnny Damon wanted the Yankees and the Yankees wanted Johnny Damon. But in the end, pride and inflexibility on both sides scuttled a covert, last-second attempt to stay together. So one of the intriguing questions of 2010 now becomes if the Yankees, Damon or both ultimately regret how that pride and inflexibility assured a divorce. If, for example, July rolls around and the Yankees are dissatisfied with their outfield/DH production and are looking for a Damon-esque player, then they probably will rue not behaving like their behemoth-market self to keep Damon. If Damon is unable to find significant dollars and/or ends up slumming in, say, Cincinnati or Oakland, then he may wonder how he ..."
Cost-conscious New York Yankees finally tell Johnny Damon to walk
Comment
January 28
New York Daily News
 
"Johnny Damon spent part of the past week working the phones, trying to figure a way back into pinstripes. In the end, though, the outfielder was squeezed out by the Yankees' new-found desire to stick to a budget, and the Damon Era in the Bronx officially ended Wednesday when the Yanks agreed to a deal with Randy Winn. There are "no hard feelings for each other," Damon said in a telephone interview. "I loved my time in New York. I thought it was the greatest organization. They ran everything the right way. I'm just glad we won (a World Series), so I'll always be linked to a championship team in New York. "I had discussions with (team president) Randy Levine, Cash (GM Brian Cashman) and ..."
Brian Cashman's ego might have gotten best of him
Comment
January 28
New York Daily News
 
"First and foremost, it's obvious that Johnny Damon screwed up a good thing here by allowing Scott Boras to antagonize the Yankee front office with his contract demands even after GM Brian Cashman's warnings that he wasn't playing games with the agent. Damon either let his own ego get in the way of a perfect situation with the Yankees or he paid a price for trusting Boras too much, but in any case he'll miss his old team more than it will miss him. Still, that doesn't mean the Yankees won this standoff. You can make a case that both sides lost, and, indeed, you have to ask whether Cashman allowed some ego to get involved here as well. Several baseball people say they believe Cashman became ..."
It's Farewell to Damon After Yanks Sign Winn
Comment
January 28
New York Times
 
"For weeks, the Yankees insisted that they were down to their last $2 million in shaping their 2010 roster. That did not stop the perception that they would ultimately bring back Johnny Damon. Their decision Wednesday will change that. The Yankees agreed to a $2 million contract with a different outfielder, Randy Winn, after failing to find common ground with Damon last week. Winn, a 35-year-old switch-hitter, must pass a physical to make the deal official. The Yankees went into the off-season believing there was no reason they had to spend more than $200 million on salaries anymore. They had extended their payroll in the past, but after speaking on Monday with Hal Steinbrenner, the ..."
Judge Rejects Former Garden Executive's Lawsuit Over YES Network
Comment
January 28
New York Times
 
"A federal judge in Manhattan rejected on Tuesday all claims made by a former president of Madison Square Garden that he gave George Steinbrenner, the Yankees' principal owner, the idea for the YES Network. Bob Gutkowski, the executive who filed the suit in August, said that in meetings held over the course of several years, he suggested that Steinbrenner start his own television network and that Steinbrenner promised Gutkowski he would run the network or be part of it. Gutkowski said he did not receive the position or the financial interest in YES that Steinbrenner promised him, and he was seeking at least $23 million in damages. The judge, Richard J. Sullivan, focused on the vagueness of ..."
Yankees give last $2M to versatile veteran OF Winn
Comment
January 28
New York Post
 
"Once the Yankees determined Johnny Damon was unlikely to return as their left fielder, club officials considered a group of free agents they believed would accept the $2 million allocated for their fourth-outfielder role. Ultimately, the internal decision came down to Reed Johnson vs. Randy Winn. Johnson better fit the main criteria, a righty bat who could hit southpaws to complement the lefty-swinging Brett Gardner. But the Yankees were worried about Johnson's history of back problems. More than that, however, the Yankees kept coming back to this one concept: They thought Winn, who spent the last 4 1/2 seasons with the Giants, was the better overall player. So yesterday, when Winn ..."
Sources: Yankees, Winn agree to deal
Comment
January 27
ESPN.com
 
"The New York Yankees have agreed to terms with free agent outfielder Randy Winn on a one-year contract, pending a physical, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney. The contract is worth in the neighborhood of $2 million. The deal, in all likelihood, ends any chance that Johnny Damon will return to the Yankees. The Yankees now seem set with their outfield for the 2010 season. The 36-year-old Winn hit .262 in 149 games last season for San Francisco. Damon and his agent Scott Boras are trying to engage the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds as possible alternatives, a baseball source told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. Boras has been successful placing many of his clients in Detroit, and ..."
Sabathia wins third straight Spahn Award
Comment
January 27
MLB.com
 
"CC Sabathia's busy offseason in the afterglow of the World Series title continued on Tuesday, when the big lefty was honored in Oklahoma City with his third consecutive Warren Spahn Award. The Spahn Award is presented annually to the best left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball and is based on a pitcher's wins, strikeouts and earned run average. Sabathia had 197 strikeouts, 19 wins and a 3.37 ERA during the 2009 season, earning honors as the MVP of the American League Championship Series in his first season under a seven-year, $161 million contract with the Yankees."
Girardi on Damon : Never say never
Comment
January 27
Bergen Record
 
"Joe Girardi has kept open the personal lines of communication with Johnny Damon, though the Yankees' manager isn't optimistic about writing Damon's name into his lineup again. "I don't see it getting done," Girardi said Tuesday. "But you never say never." Girardi was representing the Yankees at the Baseball Assistance Team dinner in midtown, and accepted the award named for his friend Bobby Murcer. Since 1986, BAT has raised more than $19 million for needy members of the baseball community. The manager described Damon's spirits as "great" during a recent phone conversation. "If he's not going to be here, we're definitely going to miss him," Girardi said. "But I thought Johnny was in a good ..."
Damon still a possibility for Yankees
Comment
January 27
The Journal News
 
"Johnny Damon is still looking for a team, the Yankees are still looking for an outfielder, and the free-agent market is finally developing less than a month before spring training. But a reunion might be in the works just yet. "I don't see it getting done," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said on Tuesday. "But you never say never." Beyond premier left fielders Matt Holliday and Jason Bay, the market for free-agent outfielders has been at a near standstill this winter, but it has shown recent signs of moving. Center fielder Rick Ankiel signed with the Royals on Monday, and former Yankees right fielder Xavier Nady reportedly signed with the Cubs — pending a physical — on Tuesday. The Yankees, ..."
Phillies manager Manuel cuts through fat, wants rematch with Yankees
Comment
January 27
Philadelphia Daily News
 
"LIKE YOU, Charlie Manuel had an opinion. Unlike you, he had a chance to express it to the Phillies' front office. But in his first official briefing with the media since the Phillies lost to the Yankees in Game 6 of the World Series, Manuel said that he understood the circumstances that led to the decision to trade Cliff Lee to the Mariners rather than keep him with lefthander Cole Hamels and newcomer Roy Halladay for a star-studded shot at a second title in 3 years. "Of course, it would have been nice to have Halladay, Lee, Hamels," Manuel said yesterday. "I'd be looking good. I might be buying more expensive furniture than me and [girlfriend] Missy have been buying lately." But . . . ..."
Yanks should up offer for Damon
Comment
January 27
New York Post
 columnist Joel Sherman
"Brett Gardner is a useful player. But he is useful in that good third-down back kind of way, more Darren Sproles than Chris Johnson. His speed can change the pace of a game in spots, but he becomes less effective the heavier the load you ask him to carry. In theory, the Yankees will not ask him to carry much of a load. He is expected to bat ninth in a powerhouse lineup. However, if anything were to happen to the front eight, such as an injury to an older player (Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada or Alex Rodriguez), a fall-off for Nick Swisher or an acclimation problem for Curtis Granderson, the Yankees do not have much offensive depth. Catcher Jesus Montero is an elite offensive prospect, but is ..."
Joe Girardi doesn't expect Johnny Damon to return, but never says never
Comment
January 27
New York Daily News
 
"Even the ever-optimistic Joe Girardi doesn't believe Johnny Damon will be back with the Yankees in 2010. But the Yankee manager wouldn't slam the door, either. "I don't see it getting done," Girardi said Tuesday night, "but you never say never. "I've talked to Johnny a couple of times here. As far as getting something done, I don't think anything is completely shut until it's completely shut. We've talked about our budget and what we have and it has to work in everyone's framework." Girardi discussed other outfield news, too, saying that the Yankee brass will discuss in spring training whether Curtis Granderson or Brett Gardner would be the team's center fielder. After Granderson was ..."
Damon's return to Yanks highly unlikely
Comment
January 27
MLB.com
 
"Johnny Damon was hoping to find his team by the end of this week, and it appears that his employer will not be the Yankees. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman all but closed the door on Damon's four-year tenure in pinstripes on Tuesday, telling MLB.com that the free-agent outfielder remains out of the club's financial reach. "I'm not having any discussions on him," Cashman said in a telephone interview. "His abilities exceed the money that I have." Cashman said the Yankees' main priority for the remainder of the offseason is acquiring a right-handed bat to help their outfield mix, which will likely send Damon in search of a new home."
Source: Cubs reach agreement with OF Nady
Comment
January 26
Foxsports.com
 
"The Cubs are close to a one-year deal with free-agent outfielder Xavier Nady, according to a major-league source. Nady, 31, would will play right field against left-handed pitching and also spell Alfonso Soriano in left. However, the deal is contingent on Nady passing a physical, which is "not a foregone conclusion," the source said. Nady is coming off his second Tommy John surgery. The Cubs want to be satisfied that he can throw adequately before agreeing to the deal."
Yankees' door all but closed on Johnny Damon
Comment
January 26
Bergen Record
 
"Johnny Damon's potential pool of suitors might have dwindled to a precious few, but the Yankees can't be considered a player for his services. Well, at least, not at these prices. Unless he's willing to take a drastic pay cut from the $13 million he earned last season, it would seem that Damon has played his last game in pinstripes. For now, he's no match for the Yankees' limited budget, and club ownership hasn't given any indication it would extend its payroll parameters. Without revealing any figures, general manager Brian Cashman said Monday that he has "very little dollars I can spend with" at this point. The club has penciled in Brett Gardner as its starting left fielder, though other ..."
Will the Yankees make room for Damon?
Comment
January 25
Boston Globe
 
"The Yankees waited until Jan. 26 to sign Andy Pettitte last season, making him wait, wait and wait a little more before they agreed to an incentive-laden $5 million deal. Could the same timetable hold true for Johnny Damon? The Yankees have have a certain amount of money to spend on an outfielder -- how much isn't certain -- and Damon remains unsigned. There are indications some sort of resolution will come this week. The left fielder at the moment is Brett Gardner. While he has potential, Damon hit .282 last season with 24 homers, 81 RBI and 107 runs scored. He then was 18 of 64 in the postseason with nine RBI in 15 games."
Rodriguez, other Yankees, star at baseball Awards dinner
Comment
January 24
MLB.com
 
"At a typical Baseball Writers' Association of America awards dinner, the "oohs" and "ahhs" are reserved for the most spectacular guests -- the Most Valuable Players and the Cy Young Award winners and the like.But Saturday's dinner was no typical BBWAA dinner. Saturday's dinner was the 87th for the New York chapter, with a numerical theme and a clear tone. On a night in which the city's baseball writers celebrated the number 27 -- as in 27 World Series titles -- the fans in attendance celebrated their Yankees.It was a New York state of mind, indeed.Kings of it all were the Core Four, that quartet of Yankees who were around back in 1996 and who, two and a half months after celebrating their ..."
A-Rod delivers again as NY Yankees celebrate at BBWAA awards
Comment
January 24
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"As I tweeted on Saturday night, Yankees star Alex Rodriguez came up big with another clutch moment, delivering perhaps the funniest line of the 87th annual BBWAA awards. This year, the writers awarded Rodriguez won the Babe Ruth Award, in recognition of the postseason heroics that had mostly eluded him until he raised his game for the Yankees World Series run. "What's next?" Rodriguez quipped. "The good guy award?" Here's an overview of the awards dinner. Star-Ledger Mets writer Brian Costa has a few moments too. He points out what I thought: there were moments where this thing could have been renamed the "New York Mets Celebrity Roast." Not gonna lie: party of me was waiting for Bergen ..."