Tuesday Morning Bits: Pitching, Teixeira, Moose

Here are a few noteworthy news items to kick off the day:

1. According to Kat O’Brien, the Yankees are really pushing for A.J. Burnett or Derek Lowe in order to flesh out their rotation. While this isn’t necessarily new info, O’Brien notes that the team has “reached out” to Lowe via his agent, Scott Boras. Me, I’m not a big fan of Lowe. Despite success in both leagues, you have to gauge the differences in context. For instance, when Lowe was pitching in the AL East, the Rays didn’t have a lineup filled with young superstars. Things are vastly different now. In regards to Burnett, the Jays are offering him a 4-year deal for $54 million, so the Yanks would have to soundly stomp on that offer (is it really worth it for a guy who’s never healthy, though?).

2. O’Brien also notes that CC Sabathia is “mulling things over” after receiving a record-breaking deal by the Yankees, this past Friday. CC is basically going to wait for a few more offers to roll in before he makes his decision, however, I’m expecting something sooner rather than later. I, for one, don’t think that Sabathia will garner many offers. The Yankees may have broken the bank with that offer but they have also staked their territory and are going all out (and other teams know that). This could hurry the process along a bit more than usual. Of course, CC can wait until Mark Teixeira or Manny Ramirez sign, two free agents that are being courted by WC teams (Angels, Dodgers), and if either one of those teams fail to sign their guy, then they may have money available and could jump into the bidding at the last moment.

3. O’Brien continues with her flurry of news, stating that an unnamed source has confirmed that the Yankees are still interested in Mark Teixeira, despite the Nick Swisher trade. Again, I don’t think anyone is really surprised by this information. Mark Teixeira is a perfect fit for the team and I doubt that the Steinbrenner boys are looking at Swisher as their future 1B. If the Yankees can sign CC and bring back Andy Pettitte, I assure you that their interest in him will continue to develop.

4. Finally, our buddy Mike Mussina could retire at the end of the week or early next week. Mussina is still contemplating what he’d like to do and already the HOF discussions are beginning to heat up. To me, Moose is a HOF player, it’s that simple. Also, everyone is saying that Moose will call it quits, but if that was such a given, wouldn’t he have done it already? What’s he waiting for, really?