If you haven’t noticed, the young lefty phenom out of Cuba, Aroldis Chapman, finally made his debut for the Cincinnati Reds last night. He had his fireball popping as well, reaching up to 102.7 mph on the gun and averaging slightly over 100 mph, according to Brooks Baseball.

He came in and made quick work of the Brewers, retiring all three batters he faced and racking up his first strikeout. I don’t like that they are using him as a reliever, but hopefully the Reds will come to their senses by next season.

Anyways, part of me can’t help but think about what might have happened if the Yankees had landed him. I’m not sure he would be getting the call-up to the majors at this point as he probably would have been called up earlier in the season when the Yankees were desperate for bullpen help. That possibly means that the Yankees might not have traded for Kerry Wood, so maybe this whole thing is a wash.

Still it was fun to watch him pitch last night. Here is some video of his appearance (H/T to Sliding Into Home):

According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Yankees are no longer interested in Aroldis Chapman. Olney also tweeted that he expects the cost to go up to $20 million and some are thinking Chapman is only a reliever.

Olney also said that the Mets are out and Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald also said that the Marlins are no longer interested. Brian McTaggart of MLB.com is also counting out the Houston Astros.

Yesterday the big news was that Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel reported that Chapman expected to sign within three or four days.

It’s not uncommon for Cashman to work quietly, but it doesn’t seem like the Yankees were ever big on Chapman this offseason. The Yankees senior vice-president of baseball operations Mark Newman said that he’s “this winter’s most intriguing available player,” but that’s about as far as it went.

The question here is, are the Yankees one of the teams that view Chapman as a reliever. If that is the case it is very doubtful that they’ll end up signing him. If they think he has starter potential they could use Chapman to replenish their farm system after dealing Arodys Vizcaino to the Braves.

What do you think? Are the Yankees making a mistake not offering him a contract?

According to various reports well documented by MLBTradeRumors.com, there are at least seven teams, including the Yankees, Blue Jays, Athletics, Marlins, Orioles and Angels, that have expressed interest in Cuban lefty Aroldis Chapman.

Yankees: According to Chad Jennings, the Yankees senior vice-president of baseball operations Mark Newman called Chapman “this winter’s most intriguing available player.” The Yankees have yet to make an offer, but they could be more interested in him after including their one of their top pitching prospects, Arodys Vizcaino, in a deal for Javier Vazquez. Think of it as a way for them to replenish their farm system.

Blue Jays: According to Jorge Arangure Jr of ESPN, Toronto held a private workout for Chapman and met with his representatives Thursday morning. They were also one of the 15 or so teams to watch him pitch last month.

Marlins: According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Fish have made a five-year $13 million offer. They are one of only two teams to have actually made him an offer. It seems like a low one, but there is no income tax in the state of Florida and they could potentially up the offer if Joe Frisaro of MLB.com is on to something with the idea that they have extra cash because they have the relatively high 23rd overall draft pick.

Angels: According to Mark Saxon of ESPN, the Angels “appear to be lining up an offer” for Chapman. The Angels might have fallen behind the Mariners this offseason after all of their moves so they could make a solid offer to Chapman to make up for that.

Orioles: According to Dan Connolly and Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, the team’s president Andy MacPhail has only spoken in “generalites” with Chapman’s agent. They’re are not reports that they are close to making an offer at this time, but they have been looking to add pitching and have expressed interest.

Athletics: According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the A’s are “in the thick of the bidding.” They are not typically big spenders, but they have made big splashes in the international market before in the case of Michael Ynoa.

Red Sox: According to Arangure Jr, the Red Sox were the only other team to actually make an offer to Chapman. It was a $15.5 million offer, but it was made before he signed with the Hendricks brothers who are now his agents. It’s hard to tell if that is still technically on the table, but it is rumored that he could earn anywhere between $20-$25 million.

Yankees VP of baseball operations Mark Newman had a lot to say about the Yankees prospects yesterday. Beat writer Chad Jennings separated them into posts on the pitching and position players. Here they are in short:

Pitchers
Aroldis Chapman:

Newman said the reports were exactly what he expected: Huge fastball. Spotty command. Inconsistent secondary pitches. “But if you don’t like that, you need to be in another business,” Newman said.

“(He would start in) A or Double-A,” Newman said. “Wherever it is he pitches, he needs to be comfortable and he needs to work on the command and secondary pitches. And when he gets that, he’s going to take off.”

Wilkin De La Rosa & Jeremy Bleich:

De la Rosa and Bleich will be in a Double-A rotation that will most likely include recent 40-man addition Hector Noesi. Noesi made just nine High-A starts last year, but Newman said he will “probably” open in Trenton.

Christian Garcia:

Put Chris Garcia in the Double-A rotation as well. The high-ceiling, often-injured right-hander is currently throwing and should be ready to open the season back in Trenton.

Dellin Betances:

Newman said Betances should be ready to pitch close to the start of the season. He’s slated for High-A Tampa.

Alan Horne:

“He’s healthy. He’s got to come back and see if he can recapture it.”

Andrew Brackman:

“Brack’s got stuff that’s top-of-the-rotation stuff,” Newman said. Brackman’s overall numbers were bad last season, but through his last four appearances he pitched 10 scoreless innings, walking none and striking out nine.

Position players
On Brett Gardner’s bad jumps:

“We can simulate everything in the minor leagues except the three decks,” Newman said. That third deck makes the ball difficult to track, and it takes some getting used to.

On Juan Miranda being benched in the Dominican Winter League:

“I think they brought in one of their superstar guys,” Newman said. “But (Miranda) played well.” Through 13 games, Miranda has a .409 average with two home runs and 11 RBI.

Jamie Hoffmann:

“He’s a big guy that can run. He’s a toolsy guy. I hope we can keep him because I really like the guy.”

Colin Curtis:

The good news is, Curtis destroyed the Arizona Fall League with a .397 average, .472 on-base and five home runs. That’s an offensive league, but still, those are great numbers. “He led the league in OPS. Everything being relative, relative to the rest of the league, he was still really good.”

Catching situation:

Triple-A: Jesus Montero
Double-A: Austin Romine
High-A: undefined
Low-A: Kyle Higashioka
Extended ST: Gary Sanchez and J.R. Murphy

Unfortunately this will be my post for Bronx Baseball Daily, as I have opted to try and maintain my solo blog, lenNY’s Yankees. Thank you to all of my followers and good luck to BBD in 2010. Happy New Year!

Hal Steinbrenner spoke at the press conference the Yankees held yesterday to formally announce the trade for Curtis Granderson and he let it be known that while they are extremely happy getting Granderson, they weren’t done. Then they immediately went out and got Nick Johnson.

This morning Buster Olney reminded us that even with Johnson the Yankees are still not done. Let’s take a look at some of the remaining free agents the Yankees could possibly sign:

1. Ben Sheets – The Yankees feel comfortable with their top three starters, they did just win them a World Series after all, but they don’t want a repeat of 2008 by keeping two young starters, Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes, in the rotation. Not to mention that their bullpen would be better off with one of them apart of it. Sheets is probably the best starter remaining on the free agent market and seems willing to sign a one year deal. The Yankees will go hard after him.
2. Erik Bedard - Sheets is expecting a $12 million deal even though he hasn’t pitched in quite some time and has a long past of injuries. If the Yankees feel he isn’t worth the risk they could opt to go with Bedard as he is also likely to sign a one-year deal. The reason these type of contracts are important is because next year there are three ace quality starters available next offseason, Josh Beckett, Cliff Lee, and Brandon Webb,  and the Yankees want options a year from now.
3. Aroldis Chapman – This could be a move that is either because they don’t get one of Bedard or Sheets, but it may end up being a move they make regardless of whom else they sign. Chapman is a 21-year-old fireballer, currently the Yankees are trying to get him to throw another tryout. If they like what they see, Chapman may be signed as a long-term investment type. Although don’t expect too much out of him in 2010.
4. Chien-Ming Wang – This seems like a long shot at this point as he has already rejected a split minor/major league contract and the Yankees non-tendered him. This means to me that the Yankees clearly think his shoulder is a risk and Wang and his agent think he’s deserves a guaranteed deal. They may find a middle ground, but it could take some time.
5. Matt Holliday – In a world where the Yankees have more payroll flexibility this would make perfect sense. Or in a world where Scott Boras wasn’t such a shrewd agent. Either way, it doesn’t appear that the Yankees are willing to make the commitment to him. That doesn’t mean they can’t change their minds as Steinbrenner said the payroll isn’t set in stone, but Cashman seems to want to save his big chips for next winter.
6. Jason Bay – See Matt Holliday and also consider that he’s not as good offensively and even worse defensively. The Yankees would also have to surrender a draft pick to the Red Sox.
7. Johnny Damon – Yes, it could technically still happen. The door is closed, but there is light coming through the cracks. Damon and Boras would have to significantly lower their demands or the Yankees would have to move a decent amount of salary. The Yankees would probably have to deal either Melky Cabrera or Brett Gardner as well.
8. Mark DeRosa – His asking price has already dropped 3-years and $27 million to 3-years and $18 million. That’s a start, but it’s probably going to have to come down a bit further for the Yankees to become real players. The Yankees would probably have to trade Melky or Gardner too.
9. Matt Capps – Cashman has said he would like to add a reliever. He might not have to if the Yankees add another starter, but if they go with Joba and Hughes in the rotation then Capps would certainly help in the 8th inning. He has closer material though so the chances of him taking the Yankees setup roll are small.
10. Eric Hinske – Hinske was a good piece for the Yankees off the bench in 2009 and he could fill the same roll in 2010. He has played in the past three  World Series as well, no he’s not the main reason, but having a strong bat off the bench helps.

I’m sure there are others I’ve left out. These are just the 10 I figured the Yankees would have the most interest in. You can discuss any other candidates in the comments section.

According to Jorge Arangure Jr of ESPN, left-handed pitcher Aroldis Chapman must have raised some eyebrows in the Yankees organization as they are trying to get him to throw for them again after the weather put somewhat of a damper on his throwing session two days ago.

Since it was raining in Houston when Chapman threw in front of 15 clubs, he had to pitch indoors on a wooden mound. While wearing sneakers he threw for the clubs about 50 times sitting mostly around 92-93 MPH and dialed it up to 97 MPH at least once. Arangure is also reporting that Chapman opened some eyes during his session as he showed up a little bulkier, in a good way, and with a smoother delivery.

“He had a hitch in his lower body that caused his delivery to be inconsistent,” [agent Rodney] Fernandez, a former minor league pitcher in the Marlins system, said. “Teams were amazed at how quickly he’s been able to make the adjustments.”

Last we heard, the market for Chapman was expected to be around $20 million with the Yankees willing to go as high as $15. Now we are hearing teams could be interested in going as high as $30 million with no word on whether the Yankees are willing to up their bid or not. I imagine that we won’t hear that news until the Yankees see him pitch again. I think it is safe to say that if they watch him again and like what they see, they could easily go above $15 million.

Will they bid as high as necessary? Only time will tell, but this is the same team that paid $46 million for Kei Igawa.

(H/T to RAB).

On Monday we passed along the rumors that the market for Aroldis Chapman is not as strong as people anticipated. Initially analysists guessed that he could make upwards of $50 million, but instead we’ve been hearing it will be more like $20 million with the Yankees possibly only going as far as $15.

Before that we don’t know just how interested the Yankees are in the lefty who can reach 100 MPH. We do know that they met with him at least once and had him on hand to watch game six of the ALCS.

Today we find out, via Joel Sherman of the NY Post, that the Yankees are indeed interested in Chapman. At least enough to go watch him when he pitches for teams in Houston next week. After that we’ll have a better idea whether the Yankees are willing to spend enough cash to bring in the 21-year-old (or was it 26?).

Today was the first day of the Winter Meetings and there was no lack of rumors to be had. At one point I read a report that had both Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson on their way to the Bronx and just minutes after Jackson was supposedly on his way to Citi Field to play with the Mets.

Obviously those were just a couple of reporters going crazy with their twitter and people picking it up and running with it, but there were a few rumors out there that had some wings. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

First of all, general manager Brian Cashman has said that his priority is, “pitching, pitching, and pitching. And then obviously left field.” A DH would probably be the last thing they take care of as their are more DH’s than open positions and they can take care of it internally if they choose to promote Juan Miranda.

Aroldis Chapman: We’re starting to hear that the market for him will not go above $20 million with Tyler Kepner of the NY Times believing that the Yankees may not go above $15 million for him. The reason for this is because of fears of his makeup and the fact that his talents remain largely unknown. Guys out of the Dominican Republic are generally much more well known commodities and they don’t ever get near $20 million. Although they’re generally 16 not 21 and rarely, if ever, do they throw 100 MPH.

Chien-Ming Wang: Wang’s agent seems to think that he will be ready to pitch by May 1st, but Ken Davidoff of Newsday reported that Wang is “as good as non-tendered.” It seems like Wang really wants to stay, but more likely he’ll end up with the Dodgers who are rumored to be interested because Joe Torre liked his work ethic.

Kelvim Escobar: According to Joel Sherman of the NY Post, the Yankees spoke with the soon to be 34-year-old’s agent about the possibility of him coming to the Bronx. This seems like something that could happen last minute though as he is planning on pitching in a Venezuelan winter league to prove he’s healthy. So naturally any deal would like come after that league has wrapped up.

Jason Marquis: According to Chad Jennings of the Journal News, Cashman spoke with the agent of Jason Marquis while they were riding to the meetings together. I wouldn’t make too much about this one as reports make it almost sound casual and it is doubtful that Marquis could survive facing the Red Sox 2-3 times a season. Maybe as a no. 5, but he could probably find a better opportunity elsewhere.

Curtis Granderson: At this point all you need to know is that the Tigers are asking for both Phil Hughes and Austin Jackson for Granderson. Like Buster Olney said, “The team is asking for the moon and the stars and if they get what they ask for, great, but asking for and getting what they want are two different things.”

Mark DeRosa: According to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger, the Yankees have had initial talks with DeRosa’s agent and plan to meet sometime this week. This doesn’t make a ton of sense for the Yankees, first he’s not a pitcher and he’s not Granderson. Maybe they’ll meet, but if DeRosa’s asking price remains around $9 million per year then I can’t see the two sides reaching an agreement.

Melky Cabrera: Melky’s name came up when it appeared that both the Yankees and the Cubs could be interested in Mike Cameron. According to Joel Sherman the Cubs like Melky and he made it sound like the two discussed possibly putting together some kind of deal where the Yankees would get Cameron and the Cubs would end up with Melky. This seemed more like wishful thinking than anything that might happen.

Nick Johnson: According to Jayson Stark of ESPN, the Yankees are one of the seven teams interested in Johnson. The Yankees would want to use him as their DH, but this is unlikely because it has been reported that he is looking for a two-year deal and apparently the Yankees are only interested in one.

I think that doesn’t. If not, oh well, that’s eight players. The Yankees were tied in with Edwin Jackson too, but nothing solid really came of it. If something bigger does come up, we will, of course, cover it.

So what do you think? Me, I am starting to feel like the Yankees just need to bring back Andy Pettitte and maybe Johnny Damon and then go from there.

Over the past few days, and for the rest of the offseason, you are going to hear a lot of names linked with the Yankees. I’d like to warn you now to be careful what you believe.

If a writer says something like, “Dejesus would be a good fit with the Yankees,” that doesn’t necessarily mean that those two parties have even met about making a deal. Look for explicit wording about what the actual communication between the parties involved.

As for the floating names recently, here they are: Roy Halladay, Johnny Damon, Jason Bay, Matt Holliday, Chone Figgins, Curtis Granderson, John Lackey and Aroldis Chapman.

Post – Granderson

Headline: Yankees likely to target Granderson

Believability: This is such crap I cannot believe Sherman. You think I’m kidding? Here’s his second paragraph:

The Yankees will almost certainly push to the front of the line when it comes to Granderson.

Where are the facts? That statement is solely going by the Yankees traditional plan of getting in the action. Nowhere does it say the two teams have met and discussed a deal.

Daily News – Halladay

The Blue Jays haven’t decided whether or not to trade Halladay this winter, but if they choose to move the former Cy Young Award winner, a bidding war could break out between the Yankees and Red Sox.

Believability: Rumor

A source with knowledge of the Yankees’ thinking said the Bombers already have their sights set on signing either Halladay or Cliff Lee if both become free agents after next season.

Believability: Reality. See the difference? (underlined)

Daily News – Bay, Holliday, Figgins

If Damon goes elsewhere, they’ll likely get involved with Bay and Holliday, although there is talk they’d prefer to sign Figgins and move him to left.

Believability: Rumor for Bay and Holliday, reality for Figgins

MLB.com – Chapman

The bidding war for the 21-year-old Chapman’s services figures to be extensive, as Mejia told The Globe that 10 teams are interested in meeting with the power left-hander. The Yankees are believed to be one of those teams.

Believability: Rumor. Where does it say the two teams met?

Sports Illustrated – Lackey

The Yankees will also take a look at top free-agent pitcher John Lackey.

Believability: Reality. Jon Heyman cannot use the word “will” in his writing unless he has been told by Yankees officials that they will pursue Lackey.

LoHud Yankees Blog – Damon

The agents for both Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui were in Chicago these past three days, but Yankees general manager Brian Cashman met with neither of them.

Believability: Reality. They have not met yet, it’s a fact.

This article is also featured on lenNY’s Yankees.

According to Jorge Arangure of ESPN, 21-year-old Cuban prospect Aroldis Chapman came to New York today with the idea of meeting with different general managers to discuss the left handed fireballer’s future.

Chapman’s agent would not speak specifically when discussing which teams he would meet with. Arangure did report that the deal is expected to be in the $40-60 million range with the Yankees and Red Sox to be the top suitors. He also mentioned the Giants and Athletics as other potential team’s looking for his services. He does specifically single out the Dodgers as not interested.

His agent, Edwin Mejia, passed on this quote: “Aroldis is very excited to be coming to the states and plans to spend some time in the cities of the teams interested in him, exploring the sights and meeting the fans in addition to the team representatives,”

The quote from Mejia makes it sound like he is in New York specifically to talk with one of the teams. Arangure seems to think it is specifically the Yankees, but I have a feeling the Mets could get into this as well.

This was a particularly bad season for the Mets and I think they are worried about keeping their brand new stadium full. This means they have to win now or at least soon.

I doubt Chapman would be their only target, and he might not even be their main target, but they seem desperate enough that they’re going to at least make an effort. Even if it’s only Omar Minaya trying to make it look like he’s working real hard.

The Yankees will be interested and I’ve heard rumors about Brian Cashman meeting with his Mejia, but I haven’t heard anything substantial. Cashman does like to keep things out of the media. So it’s hard to gauge where the Yankees are at with this situation.