The Yankees are not going to get rid of Jeff Weaver that easy.
A hot-stove rumor making the rounds yesterday was a pie-in-the-sky trade that would send Weaver to the Dodgers for studly Kevin Brown, sources said. Problem is, as the world knows, the Dodgers are looking for offense and the only offense Weaver has produced is for opposing teams.
If the Dodgers were to trade Brown, according to sources, it would be for a hitter, not a hittee.
In fact, industry sources on both coasts shot down such a trade ever happening, but that doesn’t mean the Yankees weren’t as busy as ever as they are getting set to announce the Gary Sheffield three-year, $39 million deal and the signing of Tom “Flash” Gordon to a two-year contract worth $7.25 million.
Sheffield was not reachable yesterday, which means he might be on his way to The Bronx for an official announcement.
George Steinbrenner was not talking again and has his front office on a gag order that would make the CIA proud. Andy Pettitte continues to be a priority and now that the Yankees have built the most expensive bullpen in history – Paul Quantrill and his two-year, $6-million deal is also out there in Unannounced Signing Land – you can expect the action to pick up on Pettitte.
Reliever LaTroy Hawkins, according to sources, will sign a three-year, $11M deal with the Cubs. The Yankees and Steinbrenner had keen interest in Hawkins and even had a three-year, $12-million offer out there last week, but pulled it off the table, deciding to center on Gordon and Quantrill instead.
Gordon, 36, is completely back from Tommy John surgery and there were times last year when he hit triple digits on the radar gun, according to scouts. His 91 strikeouts in 74 innings last year is an example of his electric stuff.
“[Gordon] is extremely happy knowing he will set up for a future Hall of Famer in Mariano Rivera,” his representative Josh Goldberg said.
That says a lot about Gordon’s makeup since he had the opportunity to close for several other teams, but like so many new Yankees, Gordon wants to get to the World Series.
Gordon also has told friends that he looks upon his teaming up with Rivera as kind of the “backend Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling duo.”
It’s not how you start, of course, it is how you finish and there is still plenty of finish left to this wild offseason.
The Red Sox, according to Nation insiders, are still hot for Alex Rodriguez and it appears it is just a matter of time before they send Manny Ramirez to Texas for A-Rod, who reached out yesterday and touched someone, finally calling his manager Buck Showalter.
Montreal’s Javier Vazquez continues to be the most likely new starting pitcher the Yankees will add because he makes the most baseball sense.
He throws hard, is only 27 years old and has the perfect demeanor for New York. Someday the Yankees have to face the fact that they need young pitching.
The Yankees remain cautious on free agent Bartolo Colon because of his physical condition, although he appears to be a younger version of David Wells. Just give him the ball and get out of the way. As for Wells, his back surgery yesterday at Beth Israel Hospital went perfectly, according to his agent Gregg Clifton, which, of course, keeps Wells in the Yankees’ plans for 2004.