This comes from Jon Heyman's Twitter page:mets people seem concerned enough about lackey's past arm issues to keep them away. yankees are definitely interested. I know some people don't want him on the Yanks, but I'm all for it. He's the best starter out there and the Yanks need a starter. I'm not saying they won't contend next year without him, because they will, but signing him wouldn't hurt. Read Full Story

The Surprise Rafters lost to the Peoria Saguaros 5-2 tonight in the AFL. They're now 10-13, in third (last) place in the AFL West. (Box Score - Recap)Offense:Brandon Laird: 0-for-4Colin Curtis: 2-for-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, RPitching:Zack Kroenke: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, pitches-strikes: 10-8, (5.68 ERA)(click on pitcher's name for PitchFX data) Read Full Story

Anybody else missing baseball? I sure am. That's the only bad thing about winning a championship; there's no baseball left. And in a season that was as much fun as this one was, that's never a good thing.The Knicks being as bad as they are and the Giants recent slump hasn't made the loss of baseball any easier.In the meantime, the offseason hot stove seems to be heating up, which should make for an interesting three+ months.Brian Cashman has arrived at the GM meetings in Chicago. But at the s... Read Full Story

Last offseason, we got a complete overhaul of the pitching rotation. After the debacle of the 2004-2008 rotations, it was clear that the Yanks needed some help. So, Brian Cashman took advantage of a strong pitching market and went out and got C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett for the rotation. The two pitched well and brought home the trophy, going on three days rest throughout the postseason. It was a frenzied offseason and only Andy Pettitte ended up making significant contributions in both 20... Read Full Story

Here are the rankings via AOL Fanhouse: Players with * have 2010 options in current contractType A free agents (with former team):Jason Bay, OF, BostonRafael Betancourt, RP, Colorado*Orlando Cabrera, IF, MinnesotaJohnny Damon, OF, YankeesOctavio Dotel, RP, White SoxJermaine Dye, OF, White Sox*Chone Figgins, IF, AngelsMike Gonzalez, RP, AtlantaJohn Grabow, RP, CubsKevin Gregg, RP, CubsLaTroy Hawkins, RP, HoustonMatt Holliday, OF, St. LouisOrlando Hudson, IF, DodgersJohn Lackey, SP, AngelsCliff... Read Full Story

According to Rob Bradford, the Red Sox have declined Jason Varitek's $5 million option for the 2010 season. He now has five days to decide whether to exercise his $3 million player option (with up to $2 million in incentives) for the 2010 season. I assume he will. I can't imagine there's that big of a market for a washed up catcher.Also from Bradford is this report that the Red Sox have come to terms with Tim Wakefield on a two-year deal worth $5 million. He will receive $3.5 million in 2010 ... Read Full Story

This is nothing definitive, but Jon Heyman recently posted this on his Twitter account:nothing definite yet, but andy pettitte apparently told #yankees teammates he'd like to come back for 1 more year.I think resigning Pettitte, like it was last offseason, is very important. With the question marks hovering around the number 4 and 5 starter spots, the Yankees need to have their top three set, and bringing Andy back would obviously do that. Read Full Story

Here's an official release from Hank and Hal Steinbrenner via the Yankees:"After the overwhelming public response to the historic achievement of our 27th World Championship, I would like to thank our fans for their highly spirited and remarkably steadfast support this season.""The New York Yankees have long enjoyed the positive effects of the world's greatest fans. It is a real and tangible benefit to our success every day and every game. Each and every fan contributed this season, from the 3... Read Full Story

For those people getting their hopes up about possibly trading for Felix Hernandez, here's a quote from Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik at the GM meetings via Chad Jennings:“He’s our property this year and next year, and we’re looking forward to him being part of the organization as we move forward,” Zduriencik said. “I can’t control other people calling and people wanting to have discussions. That’s the job to do and certainly we’re going to dot our i’s and cross our t’s. But where we stand righ... Read Full Story

Tim Dierkes over at MLB Trade Rumors came out with his list of the top 50 MLB free agents in this year's FA class. He also listed the team he believes that player will sign with.As far as current Yankees are concerned he ranks Andy Pettitte 6th and believe he'll remain in the Bronx. The same goes for Johnny Damon, who he ranked 12th. He believes Hideki Matsui, who was ranked 27th, will end up in Seattle. Xavier Nady even made the list at 48, and Dierkes expects him to land in Arizona.The top ... Read Full Story