Hot Stove Roundup: 11/12/2009

Time for another serving from the hot stove. There are plenty of rumors that connect the Yanks to superstar players, but its way to early in the off-season for anyone to honestly know what plans the Yankees have made. Regardless, let's take a look at what the papers are saying:

According to reports, the Blue Jays will attempt to trade pitcher Roy Halladay this winter, and the right-hander supposedly wants out of Toronto. Jon Heyman is also reporting that the Yankees will kick the tires on the 32 year-old pitcher. I can't see the Blue Jays dealing one of the best pitchers in the game to a division rival, but both the Yankees and Red Sox have plenty of players that could interest Toronto. Heyman also notes that the Yankees will look at free agent John Lackey as well.

The Yankees may have some trouble resigning Johnny Damon, according to Joel Sherman. Damon's agent, Scott Boras is reportedly seeking a long contract for his client and compared the outfielder to Derek Jeter. I'll admit that Damon really helps boost the Yankee offense, but he's not worth a three or four year commitment. The Giants have already shown interest in the outfielder.

If Damon does sign elsewhere, the Yankees may look to replace him through trade, and the now-available Curtis Granderson could be a primary target for the Bombers. Granderson posted a posted a .780 OPS last season while playing a very solid center field. He'd be a tremendous upgrade over Melky Cabrera, but that would still leave a void in left field. Xavier Nady on a discount, anyone? It would not be the best offensive outfield, but with Cabrera and Gardner filling in, Nady would make sense until Austin Jackson is ready. That is, unless the Yankees give him up to get Granderson. Ken Rosenthal thinks Chone Figgins or Mike Cameron could make sense for the Yankees. I'd prefer Cameron because of his willingness to take a short contract.

If the Yankees do not resign Hideki Matsui, you can expect the Angels, Orioles and White Sox and Rays to be interested. For some reason, the Mariners are not are not a likely destination. Unless the Yankees get desperate for a bat, I can't see the World Series MVP returning to the club.

Infielder Mark DeRosa is reportedly a target of the Yankees. Several clubs are interested in the utility player's services, and I can't really see how he'd fit into the Yankees plans. Either way, the New Jersey native would likely be a fan favorite at Yankees Stadium. Unless they want him for left field, there is no real fit here. They Yankees could sign three bench players for the price of one DeRosa.

Heating The Stove

Now that the Yankees have been crowned World Series champs, the hot stove season can begin. The 2009 General Manager meetings are currently taking place in Chicago, and the rumor mill has been ripe with information on what the Yankees plan on doing this winter:

Pitcher John Lackey is supposedly on the Yankees radar, although GM Brian Cashman has already denied any interest. Analysts are speculating that the Yankees will try to offer the right-hander a contract similar to the one they offered A.J. Burnett last year. The 30 year-old Lackey went 11-8 with a 3.83 ERA last season, but missed the first month of the season with an injury. If the Yankees could bring in Lackey on a three or four year deal, he'd certainly make the rotation even stronger.

The Yankees will try to retain Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Andy Pettitte, although Pettitte is their primary target and Damon's agent has stated that the outfielder will not accept a hometown discount to return to New York. There have not been many rumors connecting Matt Holliday to the Yankees yet, but one has to assume he'll be the priciest player on the market. If Damon and Matsui don't return, I expect the Yankees to go after Type B players like Mike Cameron or Marcus Thames, Rick Ankiel, but Damon is really the best fit for the Yankees right now.

Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre will also be top priorities for the Yankees, who like the versatility both pitchers have to offer. They may not exercise the $1.25 MM option on Mitre, but they intend to bring him back. The same goes for Gaudin, and also Chien-Ming Wang. The team appears to be stockpiling pitchers, which is always a solid plan.

World Champs!

The Yankees captured their 27th World Series title in a 7-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. It's been a long time since the last championship season, but after a nine year wait, the Yankees are again the best team in baseball. It took a mixture of seasoned veterans, pricey guns-for-hire and a talented group of rising stars to secure the title, but the Yankees finally did it. Congratulations to the 2009 World Series Champs and congratulations to Hideki Matsui, World Series MVP.