Cabrera/Cameron Deal Dead?

I was driving home from work today, listening to XM's 24-7 MLB channel like usual. One of the in-between segment news updates (kind of like a news update every 20 minutes) had to do with the recently discussed Brewers/Yankees Melky Cabrera for Mike Cameron deal. They way they made it sound was that according to Brewers' GM Doug Melvin, the deal was pretty much dead. Per the news report, the 2 sides haven't spoken since the winter meetings. I surfed around the web to see if I could find any reports about it and surprisingly there were none that I came across. (update @8pm - Kat O'Brien now has it mentioned on her blog)

If it is in fact dead, I won't lose any sleep over it, even though Cameron would be a slight upgrade over Melky Cabrera in my opinion. This is kind of a deal that one could live with or without. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if this deal gets put back on the table at some point.

I could really care less.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

What I Learned Today

Nothing. I learned a whole lot of nothing. No update on Pettitte. No movement on the Melky/Cameron trade. And Teixeira is still on the market with the Yankees reportedly in the mix. Today was pretty much a wasted day.

Maybe tomorrow will bring some updates/news. I still think the Yankees chances for signing Mark Teixeira are slim, but I think the odds that they do are better than they were a few days ago. Am I the only one that thinks maybe the Yankees are waiting to see what happens with Teixeira before they fully commit to the Mike Cameron deal and to the signing of Andy Pettitte? According to Ed Price of the NJ Star-Ledger, the Cameron deal is supposedly done and the decision to pull the trigger is in the Yankees court. We haven't heard any details about the Cashman/Pettitte meeting that took place almost a week ago and I find that kind of odd. Normally, some kind of detail leaks out and we've heard nothing. Isn't that weird? Maybe Cash laid out the Yankees plans for Tex to AP and his offer/signing is based on what happens there? I don't know. I'm totally speculating and grasping at straws. I just hope they're pushing hard for Teixeira. Speaking of which, I also find it odd that we haven't heard anything about the Yankees offer to Teixeira. They're playing this one close to the vest. I really don't know what to make of it.

Hopefully, we don't have to wait much longer.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Winter Meetings Draw To A Close But The Real Fun Is Just Beginning

The winter meetings are over but the next few days will likely still produce a lot of rumors and talk about certain goings on. I'm sure various other sites have used this line but it's fitting. What happened in Vegas ain't going to stay there. The framework for many deals have probably been discussed and laid out before the GMs. It could take a few days to cross some tees and dot some eyes. The hot stove promises to keep roaring probably into sometime next week.

Pete Abraham posted on his blog earlier this evening that the on again off again Melky Cabrera for Mike Cameron Yankees-Brewers trade was indeed on again. One thing I love about the hot stove is the never-ending roller coaster ride. One minute you're sure something is happening. You turn around and it went belly up. Padres and Cubs fans probably know best what I'm talking about. This Cameron/Cabrera was thought to be DOA earlier today. Apparently, it's picked up full steam and the sides will probably reach something out. As I mentioned earlier today, the hang up was reportedly over who was eating Cameron's $10 million dollar salary. That question remains unanswered but I'd have to think some kind of compromise was reached. I don't see the Brewers coughing up that dough.

Joel Sherman of the NY Post reported earlier that Cashman left the meetings a little early to have some face time with Andy Pettitte. Sherman reports that the Yanks will offer Pettitte what they've offered him all along, which is a 1-year deal for $10 million. If you ask me, Pettitte is lucky to get even that. Andy, or maybe I should say his agents, is out of his mind if he thinks he's going to get close to the $16 million he made last year. A $16 mill per year pitcher doesn't go 14-14 with a 4.54 ERA. Andy was God-awful at the end of the year and he should thank his lucky stars that a team is willing to give him an 8-figure pay day. I thought at the end of the season that the team would be wise to just cut the cord and part ways with the beloved Yankee. With the way things are shaping up, I wouldn't mind seeing him back for 1 final year. If I'm Cashman I stick to my guns and I make it very clear. I've got one open spot and it's yours for $10 mill. Take it or leave it. The ball is in your court AP.

If AP turns the Yankees down I think they move their sights to Ben Sheets, assuming of course his medical records are satisfactory. I'm taking Cashman's visit to Texas as a sign that they're not looking to lock up the 5th spot in the rotation with a long-term deal. There were some reports that the Yankees would go after both Derek Lowe and A.J. Burnett. If that were the case, I don't think Cashman would have made a house call to the Pettitte residence. The 5th spot in the rotation is eventually going to Phil Hughes. Hughes is probably a year or two away at most of being ready for an everyday gig. If the Yanks were to sign both Lowe and Burnett, the rotation would be shored up for at least 3 years. There's no way they let Hughes stew in the minors for that long. I think the team would be best served by a low cost short term deal for spot #5. It's looking like it might shape up that way.

Mark Bowman of MLB.com reported earlier that A.J. Burnett was either going to be a Brave or a Yankee. As I mentioned earlier, the Yankees offered A.J. a guaranteed 5-year deal somewhere in the $80-85 million dollar range. Per Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports, the Braves could be working on giving A.J. a guaranteed 5th year as well. Previously they offered 4 years plus what was billed as an "easily attainable" vesting option, meaning the 5th year was all but a given. I don't see the Braves matching the Yankees in terms of dollars but as my friend Jeff says they're now desperate so who knows. We still go back-and-forth with the "no you take him" bit. The Yankees seem like they're targeting Burnett more than they are Derek Lowe. I think I still prefer Lowe to A.J. only because he's proven to be more durable. I think A.J. will put up better numbers but I question whether or not he'll be another Carl Pavano. It's only a matter of time before A.J. signs his contract, whether it's with New York or Atlanta. I wouldn't be surprised if it happens overnight tonight.

And then of course there's Mark Teixeira. The prevailing school of thought is that the Yankees aren't that interested, but I wouldn't be surprised if they make a go at him. They could still drop $20 million on him and still have a payroll south of last year's, which is what Cashman is shooting for. Don't count them out.

It has definitely been a fun and interesting couple of days. Stay tuned because I have a feeling we're just getting started. The real fun is about to begin.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Melky/Cameron Talks Breaking Down??

According to Joel Sherman of the NY Post, the deal between the Brewers and Yankees is "in trouble." The sticking point comes down to Mike Cameron's $10 million salary. The Yanks wants the Brewers to eat a portion of what Cameron is owed. The Brewers, obviously, don't want to give the Yanks a dime. Per the article, the chances of something happening are "remote."

I'm fine with the deal even if the Yankees eat the contract. But, if a deal happens to go down and the Yankees do in fact eat the contract, don't you think it would make more sense for the Yankees to hold onto Cabrera, forget about Cameron, and use the $10 million on Mark Teixeira? If you're going to commit $10 mill to Mike Cameron, why wouldn't you just pony up another $10 mill or so and land the best bat in the free agent pool. What makes more sense? A lineup with Cameron and Nick Swisher, or Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher/Melky for an extra $10-15 million? For an extra $10-15 million, I'm going after Tex. If they're truly in the mix for Teixeira, it makes more sense to me to hold onto Melky and use the Cameron money on Teixeira.

Might as well, right?

J-Boogie

Meetings Winding Down But Yanks Stay Active

The winter meetings wind down today and it doesn't look like the Yankees are done making moves. Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News has a story that the Yankees are set to trade Melky Cabrera to the Brewers for Mike Cameron. If it ends up happening, I have no problem with this deal whatsoever. Cameron isn't my ideal choice for the CF job as I don't think he's all that great. But he is definitely an upgrade from the tandem of Melky and Brett Gardner. Melky was absolutely brutal last year. He proved he's no more than a 4th or 5th OF. The Yankees are wise to deal him. Cameron is also buddies with CC, so that doesn't hurt either.

The other "big rumor" from last night also comes from Mark Feinsand. Mark reports that the Yankees are making a big push to sign A.J. Burnett. The offer is reportedly for a guaranteed 5 years at $16 million per year. To quote the article, "the two sides were working into the night on closing a deal." Burnett wants something in the range of $91.5 million, which is what Carlos Zambrano got it his 5 year deal from the Cubs. Man that's a lot of money. And if you ask me, A.J. Burnett is nowhere near as good as Carlos Zambrano. A.J. doesn't deserve that much scratch. The Yankees thankfully agree and aren't willing to go that high. Jerry Crasnick with ESPN has the Yankees offer at about $85 million, which is still waaaaaay too much money. My friend and c-worker Jeff, who comments here as Larry Wayne Jones, is a Braves fan. He and I have been going back-and-forth all week, pretty much saying to each other, "no, you take him." Neither of us are fans of Burnett. We both agree he isn't worth 5 years. It's way too risky. Today though, Jeff was irked because the Yankees were likely going to sign him over Atlanta. He knows that the Braves need him desperately. I'm fine with the Braves signing him. Hopefully they step up to the plate.

I'm still surprised the Yankees aren't going after any offensive upgrades. They just lost their 3 and 5 hitters. I know Posada and Matsui are coming back, but I don't think either of them are suited for the 3 hole. If you move A-Rod up to the 3-spot, I don't see them hitting clean up. Alex is the only clean-up hitter they have right now. I just quickly jotted down a lineup (assuming Mike Cameron is dealt to NY) to see how it looked and this is what I came up with:

1. Damon - LF (lefty)
2. Jeter - SS (righty)
3. ???? (Swisher 1B - switch)
4. A-Rod - 3B (righty)
5. Matsui - DH (lefty)
6. Nady - RF (righty)
7. Posada - C (switch)
8. Cano - 2B (lefty)
9. Cameron - CF (righty)

I'm sorry but Swisher isn't a 3-hitter. I only put him there for lack of a better choice as I think everyone else is best suited where I put them. So do you move Swisher up and move Jeter, maybe even Damon, down a spot? Is Cano worthy of the top of the lineup? I just don't see Posada, Matsui, or Nady as doing well in the 3 or 4 spots. It doesn't make sense to put Nady in between Jeter and A-Rod and have 3 righties in a row. Man, Mark Teixeira's name would look nice in the 3-spot? That lineup would be golden. If anyone else has lineup suggestions, drop 'em on me.

The meetings wrap up today so it could prove to be a pretty active day. Since I started writing this post, there's already a new rumor which throws a twist into the Melky/Cameron deal: The Yankees are also interested in Bill Hall and are looking to expand the deal.

It's going to be a wild day.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie