Weekend Rumor Roundup

Things have slowed considerably on the rumor front since the GM meetings came to a halt. One small piece on the Gotham Baseball (found via MLB Trade Rumors), however leaves me scratching my head. Apparently, the Yanks are interested in Ben Sheets and/or Chris Capuano. The deal is a bit convoluted, because the Brewers have their eye on Carl Crawford, so the rumor involves a three-team deal sending someone to Tampa, Crawford to Milwaukee and one or both of those pitchers to the Bronx.

If Crawford can be had, and the Yanks have the pieces to get the deal done, then cut out the middle man. Forget Sheets and Capuano and deal directly with the D-Rays for Crawford, he's a perfect fit. As for the Brewha pitchers, well they're garbage. Sheets can't stay healthy (in the past three years he's thrown 156, 106 and 141 innings). His numbers have been fine, but we're back to the N.L. pitcher coming to the A.L. East, not a good combo. Capuano is pure garbage, he posted a 5.10 ERA and nearly a 1.50 Whip in the N.L. last year before losing his spot in the rotation. He'll turn 30 this year, as well. Neither one of those guys belongs in the rotation, even if Pettitte doesn't come back.

Speaking of which, Peter Abraham has the scoop from Joe Torre, who seems to think Andy is going to leave $16M on the table to spend more time with his kids. They must be some great kids.

Here's a look at the Yankee rotation as it stands right now (without Pettitte): Wang, Hughes, Joba, Kennedy, Mussina. Wang is an innings-eater, Kennedy could probably throw 200 next year, if he lives up to his brief stint  this season and stays healthy. The other guys can't be counted on for more than 150-175 innings. That's a big problem. If they don't re-sign Mo, it's an even bigger problem, because Joba has to close. Forget about third base, this has to be item number one on Cashman's to-do list. Pitching wins, folks.

On the Rivera front, the Bombers are still trying to lock him down for 3 years/$40M. A more-than-fair offer, and honestly, who else is going to give him that type of deal? He'll be 41 when the contract is up. It's not really a wise investment, but it's one the Yanks have to make.

And Posada...The Yanks are rumored to be offering the same type of deal for Posada, but it looks like he's determined to test the market. The Mets may tack a fourth year on, and who knows, some team out there may do something crazy and offer him 5. I can't see it happening, but as I stated before, the Yanks absolutely cannot lose Jorge. Even if they have to overpay for him, they should. They've done it in the past for guys who have meant nothing to the organization, and contributed nothing to the organization once signed. Posada is a known quantity, and there's no legitimate replacement at the minor league level, or available on the free agent market.