According to several baseball executives the Royals haven’t told other clubs there are any untouchables on their roster.
“They will listen on all of them,” an NL source said yesterday, 10 days from the July 31 trading deadline.
Even ace hurler Zach Greinke which could make the Yankees rethink their stance about having enough pitching to cover Andy Pettitte’s groin problem.
Six days ago the Rays asked about last year’s AL Cy Young winner and the names exchanged didn’t end the conversation.
The Yankees, who beat the Royals 10-4 last night at the Stadium, say they aren’t in the market for a starter, but Greinke is in the same small and elite class as Cliff Lee and the Yankees believed they had the talented lefty from the Mariners.
The Royals dealt infielder Alberto Callaspo to the Angels yesterday for right-hander Sean O’Sullivan.
Because the Royals want a lot in return for outfielder David DeJesus, who has been on the Yankees’ radar for years, it’s easy to assume they want the moon for Greinke, who is 6-9 with a 3.59 ERA but pitching very well lately. He makes $7.25 million this year, $13.5 million next year and $13 million in 2012. He has a limited no-trade clause for this year only.
Many voices in the Yankees’ organization love AL save leader Joakim Soria and believe he would be the answer to the eighth inning in front of Mariano Rivera that Joba Chamberlain hasn’t handled well this year.
Nevertheless, the price tag on the 26-year-old who has converted 26 of 28 saves is enormous.
“They don’t have or won’t move what the Phillies want for Jayson Werth and it would take more for the Royals to deal Soria,” an NL talent evaluator said of the Yankees.
While the financial obligation to Soria isn’t steep, even by KC standards, three club options that start in 2012 make him attractive for the Royals to keep or to use him for a boatload of prospects from a big market club like the Yankees.
Soria makes $3 million this year and $4 million next year. In 2012, when the Yankees could be looking for Mariano Rivera’s replacement, there is a club option for $6 million that can become guaranteed if he pitches 55 games in 2011 or a combined 110 games this year and next. In 2013 the club option is $8 million and in 2014 the club option jumps to $8.75 million with a $750,000 buyout.
DeJesus, who was born in Brooklyn and played at Rutgers, has a fan in manager Joe Girardi.
“I have always liked him,” Girardi said of the versatile outfielder who is hitting .318.
“He swings the bat well and is a good defender. He was one of the guys we talked about being an All Star.”
The left-handed hitting DeJesus, makes $4.7 million this year and there is a $6 million option for next year or a $500,000 buyout. He left last night’s game after spraining the right thumb trying to catch Derek Jeter’s inside-the-park homer and will miss the final three games of the series.
The Yankees and Marlins have talked about outfielder Cody Ross but the asking price has been too steep for the Yankees.
Royals outfielder Jose Guillen fits the right-handed bat the Yankees need and Guillen has told people he expects to be a Yankee soon but a club source said that’s not happening.
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On other fronts, general manager Brian Cashman said he believes Sergio Mitre can fill the void left by Pettitte’s groin problem that will likely sideline him until Sept. 1. However, with Arizona ready to move Dan Haren in the next few days, the Yankees had scout Kendall Carter watching the veteran right-hander pitch against the Mets Wednesday night in Phoenix.
“He is what he is,” a scout said of Haren, who is 7-8 with a 4.60 ERA and owed $29 million in 2011 and 2012 with a club option for $15.5 million in 2013. “He is getting stale there, he needs to get out of there.”
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Nick Swisher was signaling for Derek Jeter to slide into home on the inside-the-park homer and got too close to umpire Eric Cooper whose arm brushed Swisher in the face.
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Already wearing patches honoring George Steinbrenner and Bob Sheppard, the Yankees added a black arm band to the left shirt sleeve last night to honor former manager Ralph Houk, who died Wednesday. The armband will remain for the remainder of the season. Houk managed the Yankees to consecutive World Series titles in 1961-62.
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The Yankees unveiled an image of Steinbrenner on a wall beyond the right-field bleachers last night. The image is 40 feet wide and 13 ½-feet tall.
The Yankees are planning a tribute to The Boss. There was talk about the first weekend in August but now it’s likely to happen in September.
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Mark Teixeira continues to sizzle in July. Teixeira went 3-for-5 last night and is batting .400 (26-for-65) with five homers and 18 RBIs. Teixeira went 2-for-3 against Royals starter Bruce Chen and is 9-for-14 (.643) with six homers against the lefty.