Manny Yankee?

Hank Steinbrenner was asked about Manny Ramirez today, and here’s what he had to say.

“There’s nothing we are not looking at,” Steinbrenner said Friday at the Yankees’ spring training complex. “And personally, I like Manny. He’s one of the greatest hitters in the history of the game. He’s a free spirit for sure, but he knows how to win. We like some of the other guys, too. We just don’t know yet.”

Ha! I guess this means Manny won’t be in pinstripes…

Type A…

ESB’s official rankings are out. You can see them, here, courtesy of ESPN.

Peavy’s Third Option

In Ken Rosenthal’s latest, he discusses Jake Peavy’s probable destinations, noting that the Cubs and Dodgers are ahead of the pack (for now), however, the Dodgers seem like the more realistic possibility as they have a bevy of young players (pitchers and position players) that they could potentially deal. Interestingly, Rosenthal closes the Peavy chatter by mentioning that the Padres could try and work out a deal with the Yankees if the Dodgers and Cubs don’t work (the Braves are apparently out of the picture and don’t want to trade Tommy Hansen). He does state that Peavy would ultimately require compensation, though.

I decided to post this info because it shows that the Padres really do like the Yankees’ young talent. For those who doubt Phil Hughes or Ian Kennedy, it’s something to think about, especially since the Padres have actually considered trading their ace for a package which includes one or both of them (even after the two had a terrible 2008).

The Old Guard

From Pete Caldera:

Yankee Stadium could host one final ceremony after all.

Plans are in the works to have Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte transfer home plate from the current ballpark into the new Yankee Stadium – perhaps on Nov. 8, according to a person familiar with the concept.

The four veteran Yankees are scheduled to be in New York on Nov. 7, for the sixth annual dinner to benefit Joe Torre’s ‘Safe at Home Foundation,’ established to prevent the cycle of domestic violence.

At the dinner, the 1998 Yankees championship team will be honored.

Earlier this month, plans for a final Stadium ceremony and concert – tentatively slated for Nov. 9 – were scrapped, due to scheduling conflicts with performers among other reasons.

Instead, the Yankees donated $500,000 to the Baseball Alumni Team (BAT), which assists former players in need.

As for fans who still want to take one more stroll through the current Stadium, there’s still time. On Thursday, the Yankees announced that Yankee Stadium tours – which had been scheduled to end today – would be extended through Nov. 12, with certain restrictions.

To inquire about availability and full details, fans are urged to call 718-293-4300, and ask for the Tours Department.

The home plate idea, although a symbolic “ceremony”, sounds more like a photo opp to me. Either way, make sure to get in for a tour if you haven’t done so already. Now that I live in Seattle, I’ll always regret not going on one (dramatic, I know), so be sure to check it out if you’re in NY or NJ.

Friday’s Bits: Halloween Treats

Boo! OK, let’s get into it.

BOBBY FILES HIS PAPERWORK

1. First up, Bobby Abreu has filed for free agency. This isn’t really news, in a sense, since all players that are able to file for free agency do so after the World Series (today was the first day after). So, Bobby’s filing doesn’t really mean that he won’t be back with the team, but the outlook isn’t looking too good for him. Basically, the Yankees will offer him arbitration (likely), he’ll begrudgingly decline and then the team will be provided with draft picks once he signs with another club (Mets or Cubs?). In addition, Sidney Ponson, Ivan Rodriguez and Chad Moeller, who I found very likable for some reason (maybe it was his general, “I’m just happy to be here” persona), also filed.

FREE AGENTS GALORE

2. Mark Feinsand and Kat O’Brien offers their views (1, 2) on the current free agent crop, with Mark noting that the Yankees will open the vault if necessary (that’s a foregone conclusion), as starting pitching (e.g. CC Sabathia) is the primary need. Kat O’Brien rehashes a few rumors, informing us that Manny Ramirez and Mark Teixeira are both on the Yankees’ radar. One thing I enjoyed, in particular, from O’Brien’s piece, was her description of Manny Ramirez as a “free spirit”. That’s either too whimsical or too complimentary, right? I don’t know, yet it simultaneously fits, somehow. You know, in terms of pitching, while Ben Sheets scares me, his talent is too much to ignore. His injury history will cause his price and contract length to drop substantially, so why not give him a long look?

COMING TO AMERICA (THE TAZAWA VERSION)

3. Finally, Junichi Tazawa is hitting the free agent market. I wrote about him in September and Tazawa is a Japanese amateur who used a loophole to skip the Japanese draft. This allows him to pursue a career in America now, and it permits teams to bypass that dreadful posting fee if they choose to pursue him. The kid is 22 and throws heat (97 mph), so I expect everyone to fall over each other as they try to lock him up to a minor league deal. What’s interesting with Tazawa and the Yankees is that Brian Cashman may choose to honor the gentleman’s agreement had between Japan and America (which Tazawa bypassed). Then again, now that he’s definitely headed to a major league club, and with the Red Sox reportedly interested, I fully expect them to be big players for his services.

YANKS MAY TRADE FOR ROY HALLADAY?

4. Oh, and Happy Halloween (this was the trick).

Huh? Willy Taveras?

From the Denver Post:

A trade that makes sense in the coming weeks: Rockies center fielder Willy Taveras for Yankees starter Ian Kennedy. It’s not a longshot

That would be a terrible trade for the Yankees, and is probably just unfounded speculation on the part of the writer. Willy Taveras IS Brett Gardner, although I think Gardner may be able to exhibit better OBP skills at a fraction of the cost. The only things Taveras has going for him is his unbelievable speed (which Gardner has), and the fact that he is a “proven” CF, in that he’s played there for a few years and has never been totally useless.

Cashman has to know that such a trade would be idiotic (it wouldn’t make sense, at all). Besides, why would the Rockies want Kennedy, anyway? A relatively soft-throwing, breaking ball pitcher like IPK wouldn’t fair well in Colorado. If the Yankees were going to deal IPK to the Rockies, I wouldn’t settle for anything less than a Ryan Spilborghs (hey, that’s not a bad idea…).

(Props to RAB).