Quick Bits: J. Rodriguez, Berroa

The Yankees have signed:

1. Angel Berroa – Remember the guy who beat Hideki Matsui for the ROTY back in 2003? Yea, he’s now competing with Cody Ransom for the utility infielder job…

2. John Rodriguez – John’s a guy with a Yankee history and is worth a minor-league deal after spending time with the Cardinals, Cleveland, Tampa Bay and the Mets. He could be used for added OF depth if the Yankees move a player.

UPDATE - Chad Jennings provides us with some clarity as to what may happen with J-Rod while in the minors.

Pettitte should expect a lower offer?

According to Joel Sherman, if Andy Pettitte wants to return to the Yankees and wants to continue negotiating with the team, the $10 million he was offered before is likely gone for good. Apparently, from this point on, the Yankees “feel inclined” to lower the offer. Based on what we’ve seen in the market in terms of offensive players, Pettitte probably should have accepted the offer.

Indians sign Pavano

From Jerry Crasnick (ESPN):

The Cleveland Indians signed free-agent pitcher Carl Pavano to a one-year contract Tuesday.

Financial terms were not disclosed. Sources told ESPN.com that the deal was worth $1.5 million plus incentives. Pavano can earn an additional $5.3 million based on starts and innings pitched. “Carl was very impressed with everything when he visited Cleveland,” agent Tom O’Connell said. “He’s excited to be there and he feels like this is a tremendous opportunity.”Pavano, 32, is looking to rehabilitate his career after suffering numerous injuries in four seasons with the Yankees. He posted a 9-8 record in 26 starts after signing a four-year, $39.95 million contract with New York in December 2004.

I’m glad he didn’t sign with the Marlins, because now we (A-Rod, Teixeira, etc.) get to face him. I cannot wait for him to pitch at the new Yankee Stadium. The boos will be deafening.

LoHud Bits: Johnson, Duncan, Coke, Pettitte

Quick bits from PA:

1. The Yankees have signed Jason Johnson (minor-league deal).

2. The Yankees have DFA’d Shelley Duncan to free up roster space for Tex.

3. In the Duncan post, PA also notes that Phil Coke will prepare to be a starter come spring training (it makes sense).

4. Hal Steinbrenner wasn’t “happy” with what Pettitte and his agents wanted and doesn’t sound very optimistic (although he did say “anything is possible”). Honestly, in a market where Giambi gets $4 million, does Pettitte think he’ll get 3-4 times that amount from someone else?

Giambi’s salary to drop nearly $20 million…

Not only was Jason Giambi’s number (25) immediately provided to Mark Teixeira, but Giambi, who is on the verge of signing a deal with the A’s, will see his annual salary drop a staggering $19.5 million from 2008 ($23.5 with the Yankees) to 2009. According to Keith Law (ESPN), The Big G will make $4 million in 2009 while the A’s have an option in-place for 2010, worth $6.5 million. Now, Giambi hit 32 homers in 2008 and had an OPS of .875. He should get nowhere near $20 million, of course, but $4 is pretty low (then again, he did get bought out for $5 million, so I guess that helps him buy his Tequila).

Teixeira press conference

Judging from what I’ve read (thanks Jane) regarding Mark Teixeira’s press conference, he seemed tremendously happy to be joining the Yankee organization. I’m not knocking CC or A.J., but with Tex, despite the Boston situation, you do get the distinct feeling that he REALLY wanted to join the team. It’s a breathe of fresh air after the entire “where does CC want to be” debacle. Hopefully he’ll deliver on the high expectations.

UPDATE - I’m not trying to break off from this thread just yet, so I’ll add a non-related tidbit. The Indians appear to be the leader in the Carl Pavano Sweepstakes. How wonderful for them…

MORE ON TEX – Tex says that he and his wife decided on going to the Yankees 2 weeks before Christmas (his wife actually told him, “I want you to be a Yankee”). If that’s the case then the Red Sox never really had a chance, even after visiting Tex a week or so before Christmas (which is when they supposedly “bowed out”). Here’s some video of the press conference and a couple of quotes from the conference courtesy of the Boston Globe (Ha!).

Mitre suspended for Andro

From ESPN:

New York Yankees pitcher Sergio Mitre has received a 50-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s drug policy. Like Philadelphia Phillies reliever J.C. Romero, Mitre claims he had no desire to break baseball rules and that he took the banned substance unwittingly after purchasing a legal supplement at a GNC store in Florida.

Mitre’s response was meant to dilute his guilt:

“As confirmed through the drug testing and grievance processes, it contained a ‘contaminant’ amount of an illegal, performance-enhancing drug. This was not listed as an ingredient on the packaging, should not have been in the supplement and certainly should not have been available for legal purchase at a store.”

The Mitre signing was a nice one, in retrospect. But, hopefully he’ll do more for the team than be banned for 50 games (this is not a good start).