Yankees Blog

Yankees Blog

Yankees sign Branyan to minor-league deal

February 08, 2012 , ι By DAN MARTIN

The Yankees agreed Wednesday to sign Russell Branyan to a minor-league deal with an invitation to major league spring training.The move does not impact the team’s chances of adding another lefty bat... Read on

The Yankees agreed Wednesday to sign Russell Branyan to a minor-league deal with an invitation to major league spring training.
	 
The move does not impact the team’s chances of adding another lefty bat and it remains in the hunt for Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Raul Ibanez.
	 
But Branyan’s presence could make things more difficult for Eric Chavez because the 36-year-old can play both corner infield positions.
	 
The lefty-hitting Branyan hit .197 with five homers and 14 RBIs a year ago with the Diamondbacks and Angels. He had productive years in the two seasons prior, hitting .237 with 25 homers and 57 RBIs with the Indians and Mariners in 2010 and .251, 31, 76 in 2009 in Seattle.
	 
Branyan has hit eight home runs in 47 at-bats at the new Yankee Stadium, including two of the longest ever hit there.
	 
After making Arizona’s Opening Day roster in 2011, Branyan was released in May and later signed by the Angels, where he was used largely in a pinch-hitting role.

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Yankees agree to deal with Hall

February 07, 2012 , ι ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Yankees have agreed to a minor league contract with utilityman Bill Hall and invited him to big league spring training. Hall announced the deal on his Twitter account Tuesday, and New York... Read on

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Joba throws at Yankees complex

February 03, 2012 , ι ASSOCIATED PRESS

TAMPA -- Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain has started throwing off a half-mound as part of a rehabilitation program after elbow ligament replacement surgery. Chamberlain threw at the Yankees minor... Read on

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Girardi says Yankees could use more offense

February 03, 2012 , ι By DAN MARTIN

Joe Girardi got plenty of pitching help this offseason, but with spring training approaching, the Yankees manager wouldn't mind more offensive weapons, as well."I think it will be helpful," Girardi... Read on

Joe Girardi got plenty of pitching help this offseason, but with spring training approaching, the Yankees manager wouldn't mind more offensive weapons, as well.
	 
"I think it will be helpful," Girardi said of potentially adding another bat. "I think we've had a good offseason [but] I think it's important to our club that you add that other bat."
	 
GM Brian Cashman is looking for a DH to replace to traded Jesus Montero and former Yankees Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui are among the free-agent possibilities.
	 
"Johnny has been a great player for a long time," Girardi said. "There's been a bunch of names talked about and they're all good players. [Raul] Ibanez, he's had a great career and Matsui has had a great career. Obviously, we know what Johnny and [Matsui] have meant to this organization and Ibanez has had success wherever he's been. ... I can't tell you it's gonna be one of those three guys, but we know they know how to play here."
	 
Girardi, who was at Modell's in Times Square on Friday to promote awareness of the Children's Alopecia Project, said he doesn't have a problem with Mark Teixeira bunting against the shift, which he said he might do this year.
	 
"If it changes the way they have to play defense on him, I think it's only gonna help him," Girardi said. "We've talked about it in the past. Maybe the frustration of all the hard balls he's hit into the shift that wind up being outs [made him change his mind about bunting]."
	 
Girardi doesn't know exactly who is going to be on the team, so he said he hasn't decided what his lineup is going to look like, but Robinson Cano could be back in the three-spot.
	 
"Robbie is an interesting guy because you can hit him in so many different places," Girardi said. "I'll wait and see if we do sign another bat to DH part of the time and how that changes what we do with our lineup. The one thing that I'd like to have is consistency."

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Yankees manager impressed by Giants coach

February 03, 2012 , ι By DAN MARTIN

Tom Coughlin is trying to win his second championship at the helm of a New York team, just like Joe Girardi will be this season, and the Giants coach has impressed his Yankees counterpart.
	 
"You think about what they've been through this year," Girardi said. "Their defensive backs are all falling down; the defensive line keeps getting hurt; Justin Tuck is playing hurt, but [Coughlin] has kept them together. He's done a remarkable job."
	 
Girardi, who called Coughlin "a very serious, focused guy," said he texts Coughlin after games.
	 
"I keep my messages pretty short," Girardi said. "I don’t expect him to return them but he does."
	 
He expects to send one more congratulatory message after the Super Bowl XLVI rematch with the Patriots on Sunday, with the Giants winning in Indianapolis, 27-24.
	 
"I'd imagine there's gonna be some points scored," Girardi said. "Both offenses are pretty dynamic."
	 
The manager said he believes the Giants' previous experience in the Super Bowl will help.
	 
"A good portion have been there recently and you hope they don’t get too bogged down with outside distractions," Girardi said. "He seems really good at handling that. I really respect the way he's done his job."
	 
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Yankees add Hendry as special scout

January 31, 2012 , ι AP

The Yankees have hired former Cubs general manager Jim Hendry as a special assignment scout. Hendry spent 17 seasons with the Cubs and was GM from July 2002 until he was fired on Aug. 18, unable to... Read on

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Kuroda deal official, ‘happy to be part of storied’ Yankees

January 26, 2012 , ι By JUSTIN TERRANOVA

On most days, the Yankees adding a consistent pitcher to their beleaguered rotation would be big news. But on the same day word leaked out the Yankees had signed Hiroki Kuroda, it also was revealed... Read on

On most days, the Yankees adding a consistent pitcher to their beleaguered rotation would be big news.
	 
But on the same day word leaked out the Yankees had signed Hiroki Kuroda, it also was revealed they had traded Jesus Montero to the Mariners for Michael Pineda. The Pineda trade became official earlier in the week; now Kuroda is officially part of the Yankees rotation.
	 
The Yankees on Thursday announced the one-year deal that is reportedly worth $10 million. The 36-year-old righty, who pitched in Japan until 2008, was 41-46 with a 3.45 ERA in 115 appearances (114 starts) in four years with the Dodgers.
	 
“I feel happy to be a part of such a storied franchise, which is always in contention for a World Series,” Kuroda said. “I am also very proud to be a part of this current team, which boasts so many great players.”
	 
Kuroda will be part of rotation that includes CC Sabathia, Pineda and Ivan Nova, with Phil Hughes, A.J. Burnett and Freddy Garcia expected to battle it out for the fifth-starter’s job.
	 
Kuroda said he is hoping to add to the Yankees legacy.
	 
“As a member of the Yankees, I would like to do my part by doing the best I can throughout the season,” Kuroda said. “I hope that I can make a difference in achieving the team’s ultimate goal, which is to win the World Series.”
	 
*
	 
The Yankees settled their final salary arbitration case, agreeing with left-hander Boone Logan on a one-year contract worth $1,875,000.
	 
The agreement Thursday was just below the midpoint between the $2.1 million he had asked for last week in arbitration and the $1.7 million New York had offered. But Logan can earn a $25,000 bonus if he appears in 55 games this season.
	 
Logan was 5-3 with a 3.46 ERA in 64 games last year and earned $1.2 million.
	 
With AP

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Yankees, lefty Logan agree to one-year deal

January 26, 2012 , ι AP

The Yankees settled their final salary arbitration case, agreeing with left-hander Boone Logan on a one-year contract worth $1,875,000.The agreement Thursday was just below the midpoint between the... Read on

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Cuban OF Cespedes free to sign in majors

January 25, 2012 , ι ASSOCIATED PRESS

Major League Baseball has told teams that Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is eligible to be signed. The commissioner’s office notified clubs on Wednesday, a day after Cespedes established legal... Read on

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Yankees, Jones complete one-year, $2M contract

January 25, 2012 , ι ASSOCIATED PRESS

Andruw Jones and the Yankees have finalized a $2 million, one-year contract that keeps him in New York for a second season. The deal, agreed to last month and finalized Wednesday, allows him to earn... Read on