Yankees Rumors: Russell Branyan and A.J. Burnett
By Editorial Staff
The New York Yankees have signed two players in two days, but neither has caused much of an uproar in the Big Apple. New York insists that their agreements with Bill Hall and Russell Branyan do not impact the club’s pursuit of other more established veteran bats. New York continues to eye free agents Eric Chavez, Johnny Damon, Raul Ibanez and Hideki Matsui, though the club reportedly doesn’t have much money left to offer said targets. To fix this, New York could look to shed salary, and it now appears as if the Yankees have at least one team willing to talk A.J. Burnett.
Branyan and Hall were both signed to minor league contracts that offer the veterans an invite to Spring Training. Branyan appears to be a bit more intriguing than Hall, as his bat could come into play if the Yankees don’t bring in anyone else to fill their designated hitter role. Branyan hit 56 home runs during the 2009-10 seasons.
Dan Martin of the New York Post reported yesterday that the signings of Branyan and Hall do not impact the team’s chances of adding another bat. Martin added that the Yankees remain in the hunt for Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Raul Ibanez. Though it hasn’t been confirmed by the Yankees, Martin also said that Branyan’s presence could hurt Eric Chavez’s chances of rejoining the club.
Though they are eyeing several free agents, it’s been reported that the Yankees do not have much in the way of money to offer prospective signees. We heard yesterday that New York is aiming to spend $1-2 million on a veteran bat, but Damon, Matsui and Ibanez figure to hold out for more than that.
In order to bump up their offers, it was reported yesterday that the Yankees could look to trade starting pitcher A.J. Burnett and a portion of his remaining salary. While New York would have to eat a majority of the deal, a trade could free up enough money to allow the Yankees to make their free agent targets a more competitive offer.
The only problem with this scenario is finding a trade partner that’s interested in Burnett. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported yesterday that the Yankees may have found a suitor in the Pittsburgh Pirates. Thought the Pirates level of interest in Burnett is unknown, Rosenthal heard that the club has discussed the 35-year-old with the Yankees.
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You can check out all of the available free agents by position below.