Yankees Ready To Spend On Free Agents
Now that the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays have finished up that pesky World Series, the New York Yankees can retake center stage for the next month or two, showing the baseball world that when it comes to spending money, they can still compete with anybody.
With more than $80 million coming off the payroll thanks to the expiring contracts of Jason Giambi, Bobby Abreu, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, Carl Pavano and Pudge Rodriguez, the Bombers are in position to make a run at several of the market’s top free agents.
General manager Brian Cashman has said repeatedly since the end of the season that starting pitching will be his top priority, though the Yankees must also address first base and center field at some point in the coming months.
Sixty-five players - including the Yankees’ Abreu, Rodriguez, Sidney Ponson and Chad Moeller - filed for free agency Thursday, the first day players were eligible to do so. Teams hold exclusive negotiating rights with their own free agents until Nov.14, when all 30 clubs can begin discussing dollars with all players. That’s when the frenzy will truly begin.
Cashman will head to the general managers’ meetings in Southern California next week to begin the process of bolstering the roster, though that event doesn’t typically produce much more than initial talks and rampant speculation.
CC Sabathia is the headliner when it comes to free-agent starting pitchers, and the Yankees are expected to do whatever it takes to sign the 2007 American League Cy Young winner. Sabathia has told friends that he would love to remain in the National League - he was traded from Cleveland to Milwaukee over the summeer - while others have indicated that the big lefthander wants to sign with a team in California, where he’s building a home.
But money talks, and the Yankees will have the funds to outbid any of the other 29 teams for Sabathia’s services, making the Bombers one of the favorites to land the hefty lefty.
A.J. Burnett is expected to opt out of the final two years and $24 million of his deal with the Blue Jays later this week, pushing the 31-year-old righthander into the top tier of arms on the market. Ben Sheets, Derek Lowe, Oliver Perez, Ryan Dempster and Jon Garland are among the other available starters, and the Yankees could sign one or more of them if Mussina retires and the club opts not to bring back Pettitte for another year.
Like the market for starting pitchers, the crop of available first basemen is top-heavy. Mark Teixeira, who also filed Thursday, is at the top of the list, though the 28-year-old likely will command in excess of $140 million over seven years, a deal the Yankees are likely to pass on since Jorge Posada may have to move to first base within a year or two.
After Teixeira, the free agent list at first includes veterans such as Kevin Millar, Sean Casey, Wes Helms and Doug Mientkiewicz, none of whom are likely to excite the Yankees. The Yankees could also bring back Giambi on a one-year deal, though that seems like an unlikely option.
Another possibility would be to move Johnny Damon to first base, opening the door for the Bombers to make a play for another corner outfielder, one of the few spots with some free-agent depth. Manny Ramirez, Pat Burrell and Adam Dunn are all available at the right price, while Matt Holliday is on the trading block in Colorado.
Damon could also be moved back to center, where the free-agent pool is shallow. Currently, center field looks to be a competition between Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera.
The Yankees ultimately could decide to bring back Abreu, keeping the top of their lineup intact. Abreu is seeking a three-year contract, though the Yankees are unlikely to offer more than two years with a club option, according to sources. Abreu’s first choice is to return to the Bronx, but one person with knowledge of the outfielder’s thinking said that a three-year offer from another club likely would take precedence for Abreu over a shorter-term deal with the Yankees.
The Yankees are expected to offer arbitration to Abreu, ensuring that they will receive a compensatory draft pick should he sign elsewhere. If Abreu doesn’t find the contract he is seeking, he could also opt to accept arbitration, which would result in a one-year deal with the Yankees for at least the $16 million he earned in 2008.
- Mark Feinsand, NY Daily News
