The Yankees and Pirates, after more than a week of haggling, finally agreed in principal Friday to a deal that would send the troubled righthander to Pittsburgh, sources said. The Pirates agreed to pay $13 million of the remaining $33 million on Burnett's contract and the Yankees received two average minor leaguers, righthander Diego Moreno and outfielder Exicardo Cayones, considered longshots to ever reach the majors.Because of the money involved, the trade first needs the approval of Major League Baseball and the deal should soon be in the hands of the Commissioner's Office, which ultimately is expected to give approval. Once Burnett passes his physical, the trade becomes official and the Yankees will renew their pursuit of a designated hitter. (continue)

The Yankees were hoping they could bring back Bobby Abreu to be their designated hitter by swapping A.J. Burnett to the Angels, but the righthander would not waive his no-trade rights, according to two baseball executives with knowledge of the talks.

So rather than having their winter business concluded and a DH in place, the Yankees Wednesday were still working on sending Burnett to the Pirates for two marginal prospects, one of the executives said. The executive said the trade could be consummated by the weekend — Burnett is slated to report to Yankees spring camp Sunday.

“It’s not a deadline, but it doesn’t make sense for him to go to Yankee camp if he’s going to get traded,” the executive said. Some deal for Burnett appears likely — the Yankees are talking to two other teams about him, too. The Yankees have suspended their pursuit of free agent DHs such as Raul Ibanez until the Burnett matter is settled. (continue)

The Yankees continue to work on a trade that would shed A.J. Burnett. Talks haven't stalled, but a significant hurdle that remains is how much of the remaining $33 million on his contract they will have to pay.

The Pirates are the only team known to have engaged with the Yankees regarding Burnett.

The righthander has two years left on the five-year, $82.5- million deal he signed before the 2009 season, and for a trade to get done, the Yankees likely will have to eat a sizable portion of that. Just how sizable, and the quality of player -- or players -- the Yankees might get in return from the Pirates, are the primary elements holding up a deal.

"Ten million isn't going to get it done," an industry source familiar with the Yankees' thinking said Friday. In other words, with the players being discussed, the Pirates would have to pick up more than $10 million of the $33 million Burnett is owed. For the Yankees to eat close to $23 million, the source said, the Pirates would have to surrender much better players than the ones who have been discussed. The source said the Yankees have yet to receive a "legitimate" offer. (continue)

The Yankees’ quiet offseason morphed into a blaze of activity Friday as the Bombers mortgaged perhaps their top young talent — slugger Jesus Montero — in a four-player trade to add a promising young starter and then agreed with veteran free-agent righthander Hiroki Kuroda on a one-year contract, too.

The Yankees are sending Montero, who thrived last year during a September call-up and would’ve been their primary designated hitter in 2012, and Hector Noesi to the Mariners for righty Michael Pineda, an All-Star last year, and Jose Campos, a right-handed pitching prospect, two baseball sources said. The trade won’t be finalized until all the players involved pass physicals, the sources said.

Kuroda, meanwhile, agreed to a one-year deal worth $10 million, which is also pending a physical, one of the sources said. The Yankees had long been interested in him, but shied away from his price tag, which was $13 million-$14 million for one year at the beginning of the offseason. Kuroda will be 37 next month, but he was 13-16 with a 3.07 ERA (ninth in the National League) in 32 starts for the Dodgers last season, striking out 161 in 202 innings. (continue)

In reaching agreement with Freddy Garcia on a one-year contract for about $5 million, the Yankees retained a veteran pitcher they liked and alleviated their anxiety about engaging in a free-agent market that doesn't impress them and a trade market that doesn't encourage them.

Garcia, 35, will earn about $5 million to pitch for the Yankees next year, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed. The New York Times first reported that Garcia and the Yankees were closing in on a deal.

Garcia was 12-8 with a 3.62 ERA in 26 games (25 starts) in 2011. He and Bartolo Colon stunned the Yankees with excellent results in 2011, helping the team record an AL-leading 97 victories. A Garcia return particularly interested the Yankees because he pitched fairly well for the White Sox in 2010, because of Garcia's leadership in the clubhouse and because of his youth relative to Colon, 38. (continue)

The Yankees and their ace reached agreement on a new five-year, $122 million deal with a vesting option for a sixth year that can bring the total value of the contract to $147 million, prompting Sabathia not to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract.

The new deal essentially boils down to a one-year extension worth $30 million, plus the vesting option for 2017 that could add another $25 million to the total. The sixth-year option becomes guaranteed if Sabathia does not finsh the 2016 season on the disabled list because of a left-shoulder injury, does not spend more than 45 days of 2016 on the DL with a left shoulder injury or does not make six or more relief appearances in 2016 because of shoulder problems.

Assuming Sabathia's left shoulder remains healthy, he will have earned a total of $216 million over nine years in pinstripes.
 
Had Sabathia opted out, he would have immediately become the top pitcher available on the free-agent market, but in the end, his desire to stay in New York - and the fact that the Yankees' offer might have been higher than anything another team would have proposed - led to him staying put. (continue)

The Yankees' offseason plans are officially in motion.

The team announced last night that it had exercised the 2012 options for both Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher, locking up both players for next season.

“This is my favorite thing to do in the world and my favorite place to do it,” Swisher told the Daily News last night. “To have another year in pinstripes, I couldn’t be happier.”

Cano’s $14 million option was a mere formality, as the second baseman has blossomed into the best all-around hitter on the team, hitting .314 with an average of 27 home runs and 104 RBI over the past three seasons.

Swisher’s situation was a little less certain, as there had been whispers during the past week that the Bombers were considering a change in right field.

Swisher, who spends most of his offseason in Los Angeles, hadn’t spent much time worrying about the option or following the hot stove rumors.

“Being out here in L.A., you’re a long way away from all that,” Swisher said. “You just take it day by day. Regardless of what people say or write, until it’s official, you always think about what’s up next. Being back in New York, I couldn’t be happier." (continue)

While they would never admit it, you have to think the Yankees got a shiver when they heard Tuesday that Boston’s John Lackey will miss all of 2012 due to Tommy John surgery, news that could make the winter as sticky as a humid summer for the Yankees.

After all, increasing the Red Sox’s need for pitching does not dovetail well with the Yankees’ desire to improve their own rotation, especially in what is a limited free-agent market. The Yankees certainly don’t want another deep-pocketed competitor bidding for scarce talent.

Worse, what if their rich rival makes a play for the Yankees’ own ace, CC Sabathia, if - when? - Sabathia triggers the opt-out clause in his contract?

Losing Sabathia to any team would be damaging to a Yankee rotation that has only Phil Hughes, A.J. Burnett and Ivan Nova signed for next season. Losing Sabathia to the Red Sox? Potential baseball disaster. (continue)

A.J. has a better chance of being in the Yankees’ 2012 rotation than CC and way better likelihood than C.J.

This is the Yankees’ initial problem this offseason.

At this moment, the Yankees rotation for next season is A.J. Burnett, Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes and, perhaps, Hector Noesi — or Three Men and a Maybe. Actually it is more akin to a bunch of backup singers in need of a front man. Sabathia would be the most obvious choice in a return engagement and C.J. Wilson could be added as a sidekick.

But the Yankees are bracing for potentially difficult negotiations with Sabathia while showing limited-to-no fascination with Rangers free agent Wilson. (continue)

With so much still in front of the Texas Rangers this October, it's tough for Nolan Ryan to predict whether his club can re-sign ace lefty C.J. Wilson, a pending free-agent starter who is a likely target for the Yankees.

But Ryan, the Rangers president and CEO, knows "there are going to be challenges there" in vying to retain Wilson's services. That's probably where the Yanks come in.

"You know that there are going to be some clubs out there that have a lot of resources that are always looking for pitching," Ryan said, responding to a question about recent speculation linking Wilson and the Yankees, who are desperate to improve a subpar starting rotation.

"Every ballclub in baseball is always looking for pitching, so when you have someone of C.J.'s caliber that's going on the market, you know there are going to be challenges," Ryan added. (continue)