MLB Wire Notes | Yankees to retain catcher Posada
NEW YORK - The New York Yankees and Jorge Posada agreed Monday night to a $52.4 million, four-year contract that keeps the catcher off the free-agent market.
A five-time All-Star, Posada said Sunday he was “really close” to a deal with the Yankees and his preference was to remain with the only major-league team he has played for.
A person familiar with the talks confirmed the deal, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team had not made an announcement. The sides were working late Monday on wrapping up details of the agreement, which was first reported by the Daily News on its Web site.
Posada, 36, must pass a physical before the contract is finalized.
Posada’s $13.1 million average salary becomes the highest for a catcher, topping the $10 million Detroit’s Ivan Rodriguez and Boston’s Jason Varitek are guaranteed and the $13 million Mike Piazza averaged under his contract with the New York Mets from 1999 to 2005. Rodriguez will earn $13 million next year, the option season of his contract with the Tigers.
The Yankees also were trying to re-sign closer Mariano Rivera, but those talks were taking longer to complete.
Posada and his agents, Sam and Seth Levinson, had lunch Monday with Mets general manager Omar Minaya and vice president Tony Bernazard. The Yankees initially offered Posada a three-year contract but increased their proposal to four years Monday evening.
Posada hit a team-high .338 this year with 20 homers and he drove in 90 runs. He set career highs for average, slugging percentage (.543) and on-base percentage (.426).
The Levinsons also represent Boston third baseman Mike Lowell, and the Yankees already have had dialogue with the pair about the World Series most valuable player, whose preference appears to be to stay with the Red Sox.
Rivera, an eight-time All-Star who turns 38 on Nov. 29, was in the Dominican Republic on Monday, and the closer said if he couldn’t reach a deal with New York, he would consider following ex-Yankees manager Joe Torre to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Rivera is expected to receive a three-year contract and senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner of the Yankees said Rivera already had been given an improved offer.
“The Yankees are my first option,” Rivera said in Santo Domingo. “But if that is not possible, there is Joe with the Dodgers.”
General manager Brian Cashman said re-signing Posada and Rivera were his top priorities.
“The ball’s pretty much in their court now. They’ve both been made very good offers now, and we’ll see where they’re at,” Steinbrenner said Monday afternoon. “We’ll see how committed they are.”
Steinbrenner said the Yankees still were trying to gauge what the Florida Marlins might want in a trade for All-Star third baseman Miguel Cabrera, who is being made available.
“We got a couple ideas, what they might be asking for, and it’s a lot,” Steinbrenner said.
Tigers acquire OF Jones,
trade Infante to Cubs
DETROIT - Filling needs as fast as possible, the Detroit Tigers acquired outfielder Jacque Jones from the Chicago Cubs for utility player Omar Infante.
“Our scouts really like him and how he fits because he’s a left-handed hitter that can play all three spots in the outfield,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said of Jones, who hit .285 for the Cubs in each of the last two seasons. “But I think it was a great trade for both teams because Infante can really help a National League team because he can play short, second, third and in the outfield.”
Jones was Chicago’s starting center fielder in the second half this year. In Detroit, he is expected to split time in left with Marcus Thames and provide depth behind Curtis Granderson and Magglio Ordonez at the other outfield positions.
Notes
• Detroit also agreed to a $7 million, one-year contract with closer Todd Jones, who had become a free agent.
Jones, 39, had 38 saves for the Tigers last season and 37 saves in 2006.
Re-signing Jones became more important for Detroit when hard-throwing reliever Joel Zumaya had shoulder surgery, costing him at least the first half of the 2008 season.
• Dustin Pedroia won in a runaway, the way his Red Sox did in the World Series.
The Boston second baseman with the big swing was a clear pick for American League Rookie of the Year. Meanwhile, third baseman Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers edged shortstop Troy Tulowitzki of Colorado for the NL honor.
Pedroia hit .317 and drove in 50 runs. Braun hit .324 with 34 homers and 97 RBI. Braun had 17 first-place votes and 128 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, compared with 15 first-place votes and 126 points for Tulowitzki.