Projo Sports Blog

By Ken Davidoff
Newsday

NEW YORK - With the Hot Stove League finally intensifying, Brian Cashman headed west on Thursday, trying to get a jump on the competition. The Yankees' general manager met with agent Scott Boras in Southern California and plans to meet with CC Sabathia sometime during the weekend, either in California or in Las Vegas, where the winter meetings begin Monday.

Two industry sources confirmed an Associated Press report on Cashman's itinerary.
Sabathia, the Yankees' top offseason target, has been sitting on a six-year offer for about $140 million that the Yankees extended Nov. 14.

Boras represents four marquee free agents - starting pitchers Derek Lowe and Oliver Perez, first baseman Mark Teixeira and outfielder Manny Ramirez. While it's believed Cashman discussed all four players with Boras, the Yankees' clear focus rests on upgrading their starting rotation, and the Yankees like Lowe more than Perez, who built up his value with the Mets this past season.

The Yankees' third primary target, joining Sabathia and Lowe, is A.J. Burnett, who reportedly received a four-year offer for about $60 million - with a vesting option for a fifth year - from the Braves on Thursday. Braves officials are confident they'll land Burnett, but the righthander probably will give the Yankees and other bidders another chance before committing.

Sabathia, who makes his home in the San Francisco area, plans to attend Saturday night's fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas. This is not a business trip for Sabathia; he often attends big fights during the offseason. Sabathia and Cashman could meet as early as Friday before both men depart for Vegas.

Yankees officials remain confident that they'll eventually sign Sabathia despite his preferences for the West Coast and the National League. To date, Sabathia has only one known alternative offer - a five-year, $100-million deal from Milwaukee. The Angels, Dodgers and Giants haven't delivered.

If they can sign Sabathia, the Yankees likely will eliminate themselves fully from the Teixeira sweepstakes, at least internally; they could feign interest just to drive up his price. They're already merely on the periphery, as they acquired Nick Swisher from the White Sox with the intention of using him as their everyday first baseman.

The Yankees like Lowe because of his dependability and his experience pitching for the Red Sox. But after four years in Los Angeles, Lowe has publicly expressed his desire to return to Boston. The Mets also have spoken with Boras about Lowe.

Ramirez sits as a long shot, a possibility only if the Yankees fail on all of their pitching fronts and Ramirez's price drops precipitously.

 Tags  Brian Cashman CC Sabathia free agency Manny Ramirez New York Yankees

Leave a comment

Name:

Email:

URL:  

Remember personal info?

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.