After the Raul Ibanez signing was made official, the Yankees were rumored to be working on also signing Eric Chavez in order to shore up the bench.  The signing is now offical, with Chavez set to earn $900,000 according to Jon Heyman.

If Chavez can stay on the field, it’s an excellent signing for the Yankees bench and will allow Alex Rodriguez to get plenty of rest from the field.

The Made in 1903 Yankees Blog Eric Chavez Signs a One Year Deal With the Yankees

According to Jon Heyman, the Yankees are going to sign Raul Ibanez and Eric Chavez once AJ Burnett passes his physical, completing the Yankees/Pirates salary dump of Burnett.  The Pirates will assume $13 million of the deal, with the Yankees saving $5 million this season and $8 million the next.

Personally, I’m just glad to be rid of Burnett.  Aside from game two of the 2009 World Series, he has performed even worse than I had thought he would for the Yankees, and I was a big detractor of the signing from the outset.  Now the Yankees can go into the season with a rotation that is five deep, with added depth on the farm in case of an emergency.  No more will a player be granted a slot in the rotation just as a way to save face for an awful signing; relegating Burnett to the bullpen for an entire season would have been a colossal way of Brian Cashman saying, “I screwed up big time” on the national stage, although it’s debatable as to whether or not Cashman actually pulled the trigger on the Burnett deal or if his power was usurped in this instance by some higher ups.

The Made in 1903 Yankees Blog AJ Burnett Deal Finalized, Raul Ibanez and Eric Chavez Signed Next?

A possible AJ Burnett for Bobby Abreu trade was nixed by Burnett, as he does not want to move to the west coast, so he invoked his limited no trade clause.   Burnett told the Yankees he would not accept a trade to the Angels three weeks ago.

He does seem willing, however, to go to the Pirates, although he doesn’t have a choice in the matter.  Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio believes a trade will be completed within 24 hours with the Pirates.  Jon Heyman adds that the Yankees will assume $20 million dollars of the $33 million dollars left on Burnett’s deal.

The Made in 1903 Yankees Blog Burnett Vetoes Trade to Angels; Pirates Still in Mix

Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette indicates that the Pirates are willing to take on more of AJ Burnett’s salary (the Yankees are looking for a team to assume half of Burnett’s contract), but do not want to give up much in the way of prospects.  He also indicated that Garrett Jones is definitely not on the table.

Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal reported that the Pirates are one of four teams interested in Burnett, with the Yankees thinking the Pirates make the most sense as a trade partner.

Burnett’s no trade clause includes mostly west-coast teams, meaning the Pirates and all but one of the four interested teams cannot have a trade blocked by Burnett.

The Made in 1903 Yankees Blog Saturday AJ Burnett Update: Pirates Willing to Take on Salary

As I mentioned in two previous articles (link and link) the Yankees are indeed pursuing a trade revolving around AJ Burnett, who is definitely the odd man out in the Yankees new found glut of starting pitching.  Jon Heyman of CBS Sports has reported that the Yankees and the Pirates have discussed a deal involving AJ Burnett.  The Pirates have money to spend this season but no starting pitcher had been willing to take it; Burnett has no choice in blocking the move as his limited no trade clause does not include the Pirates.  At this juncture it is believed that the Yankees and Pirates are only a few million dollars apart.  The Yankees would have to take on a considerable amount of Burnett’s salary, but it would be worth it in order to have the money to sign a capable left-handed DH option, which makes sense because they’re in serious talks with Raul Ibanez.  At the time of this post it seems as if the Yankees are only willing to take on one third of Burnett’s salary with the Pirates wanting the Yankees to take on a little more.  It seems as if the deal will be with the Pirates unless some other team is okay with the Yankees only taking on one third of the deal.  The only player discussed in terms of coming back to the Yankees from the Pirates was Garrett Jones, but it was said the Pirates weren’t interested in moving him.

The Made in 1903 Yankees Blog Yankees and Pirates Discussing AJ Burnett Trade

According to Deadspin and Westport Now:

Westport police early today arrested YES Network personality Robert (Bob) J. Lorenz, 48, of Westport on operating under the influence charges after he was found slumped behind the wheel of a stopped vehicle at the intersection of Bridge Street and Compo Road South.

Yikes Bob.  In an unrelated note there will be a reality show on YES entitled, “Who Wants to be the Next Yankees Studio Guy?”

The Made in 1903 Yankees Blog The YES Network’s Bob Lorenz Arrested For DUI

Bill Hall has signed a contract with the Yankees, according to this tweet from Hall himself:

IT’S OFFICIAL IM A YANKEE!!!!!!!! #IwannaRing!!!!

It’s a minor league deal, according to Erik Boland of Newsday.  The deal is a minor league contract worth $600,000, with additional incentives possible if he reaches a certain amount of plate appearances, as per Ken Rosenthal.  Rosenthal also adds that Hall can opt out if he is not on the major league roster by April 4th, which I guessed in the discussion thread on the forum about the post I had made on this blog earlier, Yankees in Serious Talks With Bill Hall.

The Made in 1903 Yankees Blog Yankees Sign Bill Hall

The search for a lefty bat may be over, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, with the Yankees in serious talks with Raul Ibanez.  Buster Olney of ESPN reported earlier that the Yankees were nearing signing either Ibanez, Johnny Damon, or Hideki Matsui.  It looks as if it will be Ibanez, with his 286/.351/.488 line against right-handed pitchers and will come in to platoon with Andruw Jones.

I end up seeing Ibanez wresting control of the position with Jones being relegated to a backup role a month into the season.

The Made in 1903 Yankees Blog Yankees in Serious Talks With Raul Ibanez

According to the Associated Press, Brian Cashman’s wife filed divorce papers in Stamford, Connecticut, just a day after news that Brian Cashman had been extorted by a woman he had previously had an affair with.  Louise Neathway, a 36 year old British immigrant has claimed that Cashman turned against her once the relationship soured, and that the allegations that she attempted to extort Cashman are false.  The report also mentions that Cashman and his wife Mary had been separated and living apart for approximately a year before this; it seems that this was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The Made in 1903 Yankees Blog Cashman’s Wife Files for Divorce

From Jayson Stark:

How could Vlad Guerrero & Johnny Damon not have jobs on Groundhog Day? It’s about $$$. Teams say they’re still looking for deals around $5M

By all accounts, this seems like a steep asking price for the two players and explains why they may stay on the free agent market for perhaps well into February if they do not drop their asking price.  The Yankees have been connected with Damon, but not so much with Guerrero.  If either of them drops their asking price, they may very well be wearing pinstripes.  Either that, or they may go in house for a DH, as indicated in my previous article, “Damon?  Matsui?  Ibanez?  Guerrero?  Not so Fast.”  However if the price range drops to between two and three million dollars, they may make some space.  Or hopefully they can dump a portion of AJ Burnett’s salary to sign one of these options if no budget increase is approved.  A man can dream.

The Made in 1903 Yankees Blog Damon and Guerrero Looking for One Year, 5 Million