According to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, the Oakland Athletics have signed free agent starter Ben Sheets to a one-year deal worth $10 million plus incentives. He has already passed his physical.

If your first thought was like mine, that the A’s are now out of the Johnny Damon sweepstakes, because we heard yesterday that Damon was their plan B, not so fast. Today we’ve heard from Buster Olney that despite the fact that they’ve managed to sign Sheets, the Athletics are still planning to make Damon an offer.

“Heard this,” Olney Tweeted. “Even in the aftermath of the Sheets agreement, the Oakland-Damon dialogue is continuing.Damon wouldn’t get a lot of $ from Oak, but unless there is some other team bidding other than NYY at $2 million, whatever offer he gets from Oak.($4 m.? $5 m.?)might be best.”

This doesn’t necessarily mean the Athletics will keep the Yankees from signing Damon. The number that the Yankees are supposedly floating around to offer Damon, $2 million, seems like a bargaining ploy. If Damon’s agent, Scott Boras, would get serious about his expectations for Damon’s contract I’d imagine it would start getting closer to the $5 million range and that might even be just a base salary similar to Andy Pettitte‘s 2009 contract (although that is just my guess).

There is also the issue of the Oakland Coliseum.  See last season was great offensively by Damon’s standards. His OPS+ was a career high 126, but if you look at his home and away splits that number was heavily influenced by the short porch in right, 136 OPS+ at home vs. 117 on the road. Damon’s career low OPS+, ignoring his first full year in the league, was an 82 when he played for the A’s. Coincidence? At home that season he had an OPS+ of 73 and on the road it was 91.

The question now becomes, will Damon be willing to risk hurting his next contract for a couple of extra million this offseason? The Coliseum is one of the most spacious parks in baseball with loads of foul territory, there is little doubt that his numbers would certainly be worse off there than if he played 2010 in Yankee Stadium.

So what do you think? Might Damon swallow his pride and take slightly less money, if that’s what it came down to, to play for the Yankees than to risk hurting his numbers and his next contract?

Yesterday our own Dan LaTorraca went through a list of teams that could possibly use free agent outfielder Johnny Damon on their team, but the thing about the list was – almost none of them had actually made any offers to him.

Well that could change because, according to Buster Olney of ESPN, if the Oakland Athletics fail to sign free agent pitcher Ben Sheets they could take that money and spend it on Damon to fill a hole in the middle of their batting order.

From Olney: “Heard this: Oakland is trying to sign Ben Sheets. If the Athletics are unable to do so, then they would turn to a veteran OFer as a possible Plan B: Johnny Damon. Oakland has available cash, a need in the middle of its lineup. But Sheets bidding has to play out first.”

What Dan said about the Athletics: “They already have a slew of inexpensive outfielders and probably lack the money to sign a player like Damon.”

He’s right, they don’t typically have a ton of money to spend, but what they do have is a strong desire to acquire undervalued talent. The question is, exactly how much money would they spend on Damon? If it is in the neighborhood of $5 million, it could still be possible for the Yankees to resign him at that value. If it is more, and it certainly would cost them more than that to sign Sheets to they could theoretically have more money to spend on Damon, then the Yankees would be likely to move on.

So despite the fact that we’ve heard from Damon himself that he expects to sign this week, this entire debacle might not even begin wrapping up until Sheets finds himself a new home.

According to Ken Davidoff of Newsday, the Yankees have mulled signing right-handed pitcher Ben Sheets this offseason, but currently “he’s not even on the board” because of health concerns.

This is bad news for Yankees fans looking for their team to sign Sheets. Mike Puma of the NY Post reported that the Yankees would like to sign another starter by the end of the year and we’ve already heard that Sheets is looking to throw in front of teams. If the Yankees seriously concerned about his health they could decide that it isn’t worth it to wait.

That would be a bad strategy, Sheets is the best starter left on the market and unless they feel like they are close to signing another starter, like Justin Duchscherer, they should wait and see how his market develops. My guess is that the information that Puma heard is overblown. Sure, maybe the Yankees would like to sign a starter by the new year, but they’re not going to be stupid and remove one of their better options unless they really are concerned with his health.

There could be something else on the horizon that we as fans are not seeing right now. This morning we found out that they discussed Carlos Zambrano with the Cubs and maybe that might not work out, but something else similar to that could end up happening.

The Yankees have already shown that they are willing to part with top prospects if they feel the trade helps them upgrade a weakness. Well, they still have prospects left, maybe they’re looking to deal for a starter that we havn’t heard about.

To summarize: We know the Yankees are interested in Sheets, but they are concerned about his ability to stay healthy. Right now the Yankees don’t seem like they are coming close to signing him, but that could change if he gets a chance to pitch in front of them.

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.

If Twitter had a ‘like’ button, I would definitely have liked Buster Olney’s tweet this morning.

If Johnson passes physical,NYY will move on to next targets — definitely a starting pitcher, and quite possibly Mark DeRosa, if $ are right

I like all three points he makes.

1. The Nick Johnson signing secures the DH spot and helps bring back some of the offense lost from Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. It does leave Melky Cabrera for left field, which wasn’t my preference, but it’s only a minor concern.
2. Olney’s use of “definitely” excites me. There have been reports of the Yankees being “very interested” in Ben Sheets, so I’m guessing he’s going to be the guy. I would much rather have the big money go to Sheets than Damon.
3. DeRosa is an interesting guy because he’s very versatile but also is looking for a big contract. Normally, big contracts go to guys at steady positions (Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter, etc.).

This article is also featured on lenNY’s Yankees.

According to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated, the Yankees, “like Ben Sheets very much but believe Sheets will wait weeks to sign.” The reason is because he is planning on holding workout for teams interested in him.

Sheets has some teams interested in his this offseason, but he does not want to take a paycut on what he made in 2008 which was $11 million. The rumor is that he’s actually looking for $12 million, but it doesn’t look like anyone is going to bite quickly especially after Rich Harden signed for only $7.5 million.

So it makes sense for him to hold workouts for teams because as we are already seeing with Aroldis Chapman, the best way to get teams worked up is to remind them what you are capable of. There has been a little bit of doubt that Sheets would be able to get the type of deal he is looking for, but it is my belief that he will have no problem getting at least $11 million if he can prove he is healthy and is willing to take a one-year deal. If he gets greedy and starts looking for extended deals then that price could drop, but that seems unlikely so far.

I asked my twitter followers if they were worried about a Red Sox rotation of Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and John Lackey, and I surprisingly heard two sides to what I thought was a one-sided point.

MattLorenzo – Its the best in baseball.

5States – I think they’ll be pretty good, but I can’t say I’m super worried or scared.

yankee32879 – uhmm no.

ryan_kantor – Lackey is 31 and has declined over hte past 3 years. Cameron is a huge downgrade from Bay. We still need a SP & a RP though.

Legendary23 – NO. absolutely NOT. we hit beckett 287..Lester…287..and Lackey 277….so no …not worried at all

I thought for sure more people would have agreed with MattLorenzo. None of them are coming off particularly great years, but they all can pitch.

So maybe the Yankees don’t need to upgrade their rotation?

Well, this just in from Ken_Rosenthal’s twitter feed.

Source: #Yankees “very interested” in Sheets, but believe he is in no rush to sign.

This article is also featured on lenNY’s Yankees.

Mark Feinsand is reporting Brian Cashman is looking into picking up one more starter — namely Ben Sheets or Justin Duchscherer — to allow him to move either Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes back to the bullpen.

In regards to my poll, I believe the Yankees first order of business is picking up another starter. However, I think they definitely will add an outfielder/DH as well — whether it’s Johnny Damon or someone of a lesser caliber.

Bottom line, I think the Yankees will spend $10MM on both either a starter or a hitter. Here are the top candidates for both sides:

Pick one of those eight. Now pick one from the other category from these eight:

Some of those names mentioned were just my speculation, but most have been linked to the Yankees. My reasoning behind pick one from each table is that the Yankees are trying to cut back on payroll this year, apparently, so there’s no way they could afford to sign two $10MM+ contract guys.

Anyone have another name the Yankees should buy into?

This article is also featured on lenNY’s Yankees.

According to Joel Sherman of the NY Post, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman will meet with Ben Sheet‘s agent Casey Close (also Derek Jeter‘s agent) to discuss the pitcher coming to the Bronx.

He’s expected to meet with Omar Minaya of the Mets and other general managers too so don’t read that much into this. Cashman has said his priority is pitching so now that he’s got a center fielder he’s got to get around to getting pitching, right? Especially since he’s traded three pitchers away already.

On Tuesday, Rob wrote an article about some buy low starting pitchers the Yankees could take a look at. Being the absolute grouch that I am, I thought I’d say (again) why so-and-so doesn’t fit for the Yankees.

Rich Harden is a solid pitcher. He has a career 3.39 ERA, which comes in as a 131 ERA+. He has a career K/9 of above 9. His FIP is 3.58. He hasn’t yet turned 28 (he will on Nov. 30). All signs point to this guy being a mortal lock to be wooed by the Yankees. But, I think the Yankees would be wise to avoid this young, talented starter. Why? Harden hasn’t eclipsed the 150 innings pitched mark since 2004, which is also the last time he pitched in more than 26 games in a season. Aside from often missing time due to injury, Harden also works very hard during games–he averaged close to 18 pitches per inning in 2009 and doesn’t go very deep into them: he’s averaged 5.8 innings per start in his career, but that went down to 5.4 innings with the Cubs in 2009. Harden’s an injury risk who didn’t find the sixth inning much against N.L. Central lineups. I don’t think he’d have much success in the American League East.

Coming off a year in which he didn’t pitch at all, Ben Sheets is probably the best candidate out of the three, but I don’t think he’ll be brought in. I consider him the best candidate because he’ll probably come at the cheapest cost. Remember, he didn’t pitch at all in 2009, so his value is relatively unknown. Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues noted that Sheets may not be such a bargain after all. Regardless of his cost, I think the Yankees and Sheets will go their separate ways. Sheets’ injury risk may not be attractive to the Yankees and Sheets may want to go somewhere where a more guaranteed spot is available.

The third choice Rob touched on was lefty Erik Bedard. I’ve always liked Bedard. He’s got a great curveball and he misses bats (8.8 K/9 in his career). Like Harden, though, he’s a big time injury risk. In 2008 and 2009 combined, he pitched 30 games and 164 innings. It’s been noted, too, that Bedard is not a fan of the big stage and would prefer to stay in a small pond to do his pitching. If Bedard is healthy, he’s a very good pitcher. The problem is, he’s hasn’t been close to that since before late August of 2007.