Aaaaaaand We're Back

I've been remiss in my blogging duties, to say the least. Hope I didn't ruin your holidays. Fortunately, I picked a good time to get lazy; these last couple weeks have been about as devoid of news as any during the year. So, what have I missed?

*Jim Leyritz was arrested for DUI manslaughter after he allegedly ran a red light and crashed into the car of 30-year-old Fredia Ann Veitch while intoxicated. Veitch, a mother of two, was killed by the collision. Leyritz refused a Breathalyzer, and the authorities are still waiting for the results of a blood test administered after his arrest. Today, more information about Leyritz's irresponsible behavior came to light:

Jim Leyritz had his license suspended in New York at the time of last week's arrest for DUI manslaughter and DUI property damage. As of yesterday, however, Florida officials still were trying to match his identity to uphold the suspension in his home state as well.

Leyritz was issued a traffic ticket near Albany on June 20 for talking on a cell phone while driving. When he did not respond to the summons, his Florida license was suspended by the New York Department of Motor Vehicles on Nov. 23.

I don't know if I can say anything about this that hasn't already been said; drunk driving is a reprehensible act, and Leyritz will be punished. The only good thing that could possibly come of this tragedy is the absence of Leyritz's hoarse, uninformed commentary from the airwaves from this day forward.

*A couple interesting Yankee prospect rankings appeared during my hiatus. Here's Minor League guru John Sickels' list, and here's NoMaas' take. Both are worth perusing. Isn't it great to have 20 people who actually qualify as prospects in the organization?

*The relative silence coming from the vicinity of Hank Steinbrenner over the last couple weeks was merely the calm before the storm:

After what he described as a "slow holiday season" for baseball business, Hank Steinbrenner is returning to his office Thursday to begin working on "a final decision" regarding a trade for Johan Santana. And he believes the Yankees have made the top offer for the Minnesota ace.

"I think the Twins realize our offer is the best one," Steinbrenner said Wednesday in a telephone interview. "I feel confident they're not going to trade him before checking with us one last time and I think they think we've already made the best offer."

Steinbrenner said the offer "does not include two of the three young pitchers" - Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, from a group that also includes untouchable Joba Chamberlain - "but it's still the best one. And let's face it, we're the best able to handle the kind of contract (extension) Santana will be after."

It still makes sense for the Twins to trade Santana now if they're not willing to sign him, so I'm not surprised that this story refuses to die. Let's also hope that Mr. Steinbrenner manages to avoid tampering charges for some time; I really enjoy his style of transparent ownership, as long as it doesn't affect the team's ability to succeed.

I almost never agree with Mike Lupica, but for once, I think he has it right:

So Pettitte essentially cops to half of what the report said he did. In a way that really sounds half-something-else. This really is an absolute classic sports apology, the kind where somebody says that if he offended somebody he's sorry, when the only thing he's really sorry about is getting caught.

This wasn't from Pettitte's heart Saturday, it was from the lawyers and agents, with more addendums than Mitchell had in the report that brought Andy Pettitte to this moment.

Maybe, using Pettitte's logic, using human growth hormone to rehab faster from a sore elbow doesn't mean you were looking to enhance your performance. We really are getting a lot of that these days.

The real truth is that he got these drugs from McNamee, drugs he never could have gotten from a legitimate doctor for an elbow injury, and when people find out about it five years later, Pettitte expects everybody to believe he was just doing it for his school.

He wants to come across as a standup guy here. Instead he looks like somebody in a boxer's crouch, covering up so he doesn't get hit anymore, doesn't get lumped in with all the other cheap, dirty drug users named in George Mitchell's report.

Pettitte gave us one of those "if I did anything wrong, I apologize" statements, yet he also expects us to believe that he felt so guilt-ridden over his HGH use that he stopped after only two injections. Why the "if?"

Business as Usual

It's hard to focus on the little things in the wake of George Mitchell's steroid bombshell, but I'm going to try:

*The only team to ask the Yankees about Hideki Matsui is no longer interested in importing the left fielder to San Francisco.

Shortly after the Giants inked free-agent center fielder Aaron Rowand to a five-year, $60M deal yesterday, GM Brian Sabean said he has all the outfielders he needs.

Matsui (or Damon) may still end up somewhere else, but I'm glad that we're not going to give him away because of a positional logjam. The man can hit. He can also attract quite a bit of Japanese revenue, as evidenced by what I've dubbed "The Japanese Newspaper Sign" (The Yomiuri Shimbun, to be specific) in left center. How many newspaper signs has Kei Igawa contributed? Zero. Outside of Scranton Wilkes-Barre, at least.

*Yankees declined to offer contracts to four players by last night's midnight deadline for teams to keep unsigned players on their 40-man rosters. Non-tendered were pitchers T.J. Beam, Matt DeSalvo and Darrell Rasner and outfielder Bronson Sardinha. They became free agents.

I'm a little sorry to see DeSalvo and Rasner go. I hope we aren't getting too casual with our minor league arms; DeSalvo's 2007 season trumped anything Ed Yarnall ever did in the uniform of a Yankee affiliate, after all. But I am glad to see that we retained the services of Brian Bruney.

*Finally, there will be no Ben Broussard in the Bronx next year. Not a tragedy or anything; just keeping you updated. Morgan Ensberg was non-tendered, though. Hmm...

And with that, you're free to return to your regularly-scheduled steroid talk.

A Bad Report Card

Well, as I'm sure you all know, Senator Mitchell laid the smackdown on the Yankees today. The Red Sox came off looking squeaky clean, which makes it even worse, but no, I don't believe the conflict of interest conspiracy theory. Mitchell was quick to point out during his press conference that the high percentage of New York players named in the report was a result of the two key witnesses being New York-based, and he did emphasize the fact that all 30 teams employed juiced players at one time or another. Here's the complete list of the 22 players mentioned in the report who played at one time for the Yankees:

Roger Clemens
Andy Pettitte
Jason Giambi
Gary Sheffield
David Justice
Mike Stanton
Kevin Brown
Chuck Knoblauch
Rondell White
Ron Villone
Glenallen Hill
Denny Neagle
Jose Canseco
Jason Grimsley
Darren Holmes
Randy Velarde
Dan Naulty
Josias Manzanillo (17 1/3 IP in 1995)
Todd Williams (15 1/3 IP in 2001)
Hal Morris (38 AB in '88/'89)
Bobby Estalella (4 AB in 2001, but hey, it counts)

I can't say that anyone on this list surprises me, because at this point, almost no one would. We knew about Giambi, Sheffield, Canseco, Grimsley, and Velarde, and rumors have often surrounded Brown and Clemens (with this news, though, the Suzyn Waldman suicide watch is officially on). Of course, for most Yankee fans, including me, Pettitte is the one that really hurts. I guess we really should've known that those grueling Clemens/Pettitte weren't entirely on the level. Here's Pettitte's section in the report:

[Brian] McNamee began serving as Pettitte's personal trainer and started assisting Pettitte in off-season workouts after the 1999 season. According to McNamee, during the 2001-02 offseason, Pettitte asked him about human growth hormone. McNamee said that he discouraged Pettitte from using human growth hormone at that time.

From April 21 to June 14, 2002, Pettitte was on the disabled list with elbow tendonitis. McNamee said that Pettitte called him while Pettitte was rehabilitating his elbow in Tampa, where the Yankees have a facility, and asked again about human growth hormone. Pettitte stated that he wanted to speed his recovery and help his team.

McNamee traveled to Tampa at Pettitte's request and spent about ten days assisting Pettitte with his rehabilitation. McNamee recalled that he injected Pettitte with human growth hormone that McNamee obtained from [Kirk] Radomski on two to four occasions. Pettitte paid McNamee for the trip and his expenses; there was no separate payment for the human growth hormone.

According to McNamee, around the time in 2003 that the BALCO searches became public, Pettitte asked what he should say if a reporter asked Pettitte whether he ever used performance enhancing substances. McNamee told him he was free to say what he wanted, but that he should not go out of his way to bring it up. McNamee also asked Pettitte not to mention his name. McNamee never discussed these substances with Pettitte again.

After the 2001 season, Pettitte, like Clemens, continued to use McNamee's services and to serve as a source of income after McNamee was dismissed by the Yankees. In a 2006 article, Pettitte "acknowledged an ongoing relationship" with McNamee. Pettitte was quoted as having said that he still talked to McNamee about once a week. "Mac has trained me professionally for a long time, and I'll continue to use Mac," Pettitte said.

In order to provide Pettitte with information about these allegations and to give him an opportunity to respond, I asked him to meet with me; he declined.

Well, at least it seems that he only used the HGH at one point in his career, in order to return from injury. Could've been worse. And Clemens probably pressured him. But obviously, those rationalizations don't exonerate him. Andy is one of my favorite players, and I'm disappointed in him. I haven't had much of an emotional reaction to the revelation, but maybe it hasn't sunk in yet. Or maybe it's just that I can't manage to dislike Andy Pettitte. It'll be interesting to see how he responds; if he admits everything, he'll make it even harder for me to hold it against him, but if he goes with a typical denial, that could be the last straw. Clemens has denied everything through his lawyer; I don't believe him, of course, but if Pettitte corroborates all of McNamee's information, it would damage Clemens' credibility even further. Let's hope Andy doesn't just decide to retire after all, in order to avoid the whole mess.

I have to say that I was impressed with Mitchell's reporting and conclusions. I wish the hammer hadn't fallen so heavily on my favorite team, but that's the way it is. Let's hope that this release puts most of the steroid controversy behind us--unless, of course, the Boston equivalent of Kirk Radomski has anything he wants to get off of his chest...

Contract Talk

It's Non-Tender Day, so a few small contract-related news items are floating around:

*The Yankees today will go through the formality of offering Chien-Ming Wang a contract for next season. The right-hander hopes the arrangement will be for more than one season.

Via e-mail, Wang said yesterday that he would be willing to sign a long-term deal with the Yankees. His agent, Alan Nero, approached the Yankees about such a contract earlier this month.

"I want to stay with them," wrote Wang, who is spending the offseason in his native Taiwan. "My agent is talking to them about more than one year. Three or four would be OK."

Locking Wang up to a long-term deal would be a good idea. A couple years ago, I wouldn't have done so, since I wasn't sold on his ability to maintain impressive performance with such low K rates, but it's clear by now that he can pull it off.

*Along with Wang, second baseman Robinson Cano, infielder Wilson Betemit and right-handed reliever Brian Bruney are eligible for arbitration. The Yankees will offer contracts to Cano and Betemit. Bruney, who had a poor second half and did not make the postseason roster, could be let go.

Considering the unsettled nature of our bullpen, I would not let Brian Bruney get away. He might be frustrating, but he appears to be an adjustment or two away from dominance. Of course, most guys who fit that description never make the necessary adjustments, but the potential is worth waiting for. Remember how dominant he was in 2006--yes, it was a small sample size, and even then he walked too many batters, but he sure did look nasty. Keep him around.

According to Buster Olney:

*If the Yankees trade Hideki Matsui, it wouldn't be surprising to see them go after Broussard.

Broussard is a capable hitter against righties, and can play a little corner outfield in addition to 1B. Wouldn't mind having him around, although I feel that Betemit can contribute the same sort of production from the left side.

Say it Ain't So

George King chimes in with a rumor I would've been better off not hearing:

On the surface, trading Matsui, who is coming back from recent knee surgery, would mean the Yankees would be retaining Melky Cabrera, a key part of their discussions with the Twins in the Johan Santana talks. However, the Yankees have an interest in free-agent center fielder Corey Patterson.

Corey Patterson? Please let this rumor be nothing more than typical George King fabrication. Melky can't hit either, but at least he might improve. I'm still hoping that Tony Womack was the last speedy, impatient, relatively powerless out-maker we'll have to see 'round these parts for quite some time.

The Saga Continues

Carl Pavano's always good for an exasperated chuckle or two:

"American Idle" Carl Pavano spoke to Brian Cashman on Friday at the Stadium and said he is going to accept a minor-league assignment after the Yankees release him from the final year of a disastrous four-year, $39.95 million contract.

Needing room on the 40-man roster so they can add Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera, the Yankees hatched the idea of cutting Pavano. The right-hander had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in early June and isn't expected to be ready to pitch until July at the earliest.

Under the release plan, Pavano would get the $11 million he is owed for the 2008 season and the $1.95 million buyout he would have coming to him, because the Yankees aren't going to pick up a $15 million option for 2009.

Pavano, 31, can't return to Arizona because his questionable work ethic ticked off fitness guru Brett Fischer last winter. Pavano is leaning toward accepting the Yankees' minor-league offer so he can have a place to rehab his elbow. By keeping him in the system, the Yankees protect themselves from Pavano healing ahead of schedule (pigs have a better chance of flying) and pitching effectively for another team.

He has contributed absolutely nothing, but somehow, life just won't be as fun without him around. Not that I'm suggesting that we pick up the $15 million option or anything.

LaTroy Hawkins, Come on Down

The bullpen picture gets just a little bit clearer:

The Yankees, rebuilding their setup corps, are close to signing free-agent right-hander LaTroy Hawkins to a one-year contract believed to be worth approximately $3.75 million, according to major-league sources.

Hawkins, 35, will help fill the void created by the loss of righty Luis Vizcaino, who declined salary arbitration from the Yankees, and righty Joba Chamberlain, who is expected to move into the starting rotation.

The Colorado Rockies and Texas Rangers were among the teams that bid for Hawkins, who went 2-5 with a 3.42 ERA in 62 games for Colorado last season. He also made four appearances in the postseason, allowing one run in five innings.

A 13-year veteran, Hawkins spent his first nine seasons with the Minnesota Twins. The Yankees will be his sixth team and fifth in the past four seasons.

The Rockies are now expected to turn their attention to Vizcaino.

Essentially, Hawkins is an older, slightly more effective Luiz Vizcaino. I can't say I'm excited about this deal, but at 1 year and $3.75 million, Hawkins is a pretty good value. After his conversion from a starting role, he had a few excellent years in relief for Minnesota, and one in Chicago, then split the next 2 years between Chicago, San Francisco and Baltimore, putting up essentially average numbers. Last year, he rebounded somewhat, posting an impresive 140 ERA+ in Coors Field. His peripherals have been all over the map throughout his career; while he has never been a big-time strikeout pitcher, his K rates have fallen somewhat over the last couple of years.

Hawkins isn't a Type A or Type B free agent, so he won't cost us any draft picks, and I'd much rather give him 1 year than give Luis Vizcaino 3 years. Hawkins may not be much better than average, but considering the unsettled state of the pen, adding 60-70 average or slightly above-average innings isn't such a bad thing. Of course, I'm confident that in-house options such as Edwar Ramirez, Chris Britton, and Brian Bruney could replicate or surpass Hawkins' performance at a lower cost, but right now there's enough room for all of them.

The biggest problem right now is that Rivera, Farnsworth, Hawkins, Ramirez, Britton, Bruney, Ohlendorf, Albaladejo, and even Cox and Melancon, are all right-handed. Bring on Damaso Marte, I say.

In Cash We Trust

Some good news to report about our beloved GM:

Yankees ownership approached longtime general manager Brian Cashman offering to talk about an extension to his contract that expires after the 2008 season, but Cashman responded by telling his bosses that he doesn't feel the time is right to talk about his contract.

"I am not thinking about personal stuff. I am trying to do the job,'' Cashman told SI.com. "I consider myself a Yankee. I have received no offers, and there are no negotiations going on.''

But if there are no talks, that's Cashman's call. Yankees people say they love Cashman and want him to remain a Yankee for years to come. And he suggested he's amenable to discussing it in time.

I am extremely pleased that the powers that be are so keen on Cashman's return. I'm a tiny bit unsettled by the fact that he doesn't want to talk immediately, but he is a busy man. I'm sure he'll get around to it--once he finishes constructing the 2008 World Champions. The more Cashman, the better, as far as I'm concerned.

*Update* Hank comments:

Hank Steinbrenner, who has the final say on all things Yankees, said he is pleased with general manager Brian Cashman and does not envision a change. However, he contradicted an SI.com report that ownership recently approached Cashman about a contract extension.

In a phone interview last night, Steinbrenner said: "We haven't discussed his extension yet, but he's part of the Yankee family and has been for 21 years. I don't see any reason to not continue that."

Another Winter Meetings Update

From the ESPN Winter Meetings Blog:

12:10 p.m., from Peter Gammons
• Left-handed reliever Ron Mahay has narrowed his choices down to the Royals and Yankees.

I like Mahay, but from what I've heard, he's looking for something in the neighborhood of 3 years, $12 millon. I'd rather avoid giving a contract like that to any middle reliever, especially a 36-year-old one. I'd prefer the cheaper, younger, Damaso Marte, although it's unclear what sort of prospects he would command.

12:20 p.m., from Buster Olney
• The Giants are looking for an outfielder, and an interesting name has surfaced in their search -- Yankees left fielder Hideki Matsui. He has two years and $26 million on his contract and would have to waive his no-trade clause.

I genuinely like Matsui, but his knee troubles , as well as the presence of Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera, and Jason Giambi, make him somewhat expendable. The Giants have been talking to the Blue Jays about a Tim Lincecum-Alex Rios or Matt Cain-Alex Rios swap, but obviously, Matsui wouldn't command nearly the same return (even Rios isn't worth either of those two guys). That said, if the price is right, I wouldn't be entirely against this. Johnny Damon would provide better defense than Matsui in left, and Matsui's departure would effectively resolve the DH logjam. However, his offensive contributions shouldn't be ignored; he is a reliable and valuable hitter, and his run production would be missed.

*Update* A more detailed report:

The Giants need offense and may have pitching to spare. Potential matches for Matsui in a trade would be lefthanders Noah Lowry and Jonathan Sanchez. Lowry, 27, went 14-8 with a 3.92 ERA this season. In his career, he's 40-31 with a 4.03 ERA. Sanchez, a 25-year-old reliever, was 1-5, 5.88 in 33 games.

A source familiar with the early discussions said Matsui and a prospect might be enough to net Lowry or Sanchez. Giants righthander Tim Lincecum is considered untouchable.

I want no part of Noah Lowry. He's probably a tick above average in the NL, but in the AL East? No thanks--I think we have 5 better starters right now. Sanchez is intriguing, but I don't know if he's intriguing enough to unload Matsui's bat. NoMaas floats the idea of a Matsui-Kennedy package for Lincecum or Cain--where do I sign?