Yankees finalizing deal for reliever Zach Britton

The Yankees are closing in on a three year deal with free agent reliever Zach Britton, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. ESPN's Jeff Passen adds that Britton's contract with the Yankees would be for three years guaranteed, with a fourth-year club option after the second year, which would also give the lefty the chance to opt-out afterwards if that option isn't picked up.

This news comes just a couple of years after the Yankees lost out on re-signing David Robertson, seeing the right-hander leave New York for a second time to sign a two year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.

According to Rosenthal, the option year would bring the total compensation for Britton north of $50 million.

Britton had a solid second half in 2018 for the Yankees after being acquired in July from the Baltimore Orioles, about a month after making his season debut because of a right Achilles injury he suffered in the offseason.

The 31-year-old was 2-0 with seven saves and 34 strikeouts over 40.2 innings in 41 relief appearances last season for both the Yankees and Orioles.

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Yankees ink outfielder Chris Young to a minor league deal

The Yankees have signed former Mets outfielder Chris Young to a minor league deal, as first reported by Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Young will spend a few days in Triple-A Scranton, and is almost certain to be added to the Yankees' 40-man roster and brought up to the big leagues as a September call-up on September 1.

Young was released by the Mets on August 16 after batting .205 with just eight homeruns. He was in his first season with the Mets after signing a one-year, $7.25-million  contract over the winter.

A right-handed bat, Young can give the Yankees another option off of the bench in September, and will be able to give the 40-year-old Ichiro Suzuki some more time off here and there.

The Yankees aren't losing anything with this signing, so I don't see any problem with it.

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Yankees bring back infielder Scott Sizemore on minor league deal

The Yankees announced during Saturday's game against the Cleveland Indians that they have re-signed infielder Scott Sizemore on an minor league deal. Sizemore, who was released by the Yankees on July 31, will be placed on the disabled list in Triple-A Scranton.

Sizemore has only played in six games with the Yankees' big league squad this season, spending most of his time in the minors as extra infield depth. He hit 5-for-16 (.313) with two doubles and four RBIs in those six games.

His numbers in the minor weren't bad, hitting .272 with 15 doubles, five triples and 35 RBIs in 66 games for Triple-A Scranton.

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Yankees sign international prospects Dermis Garcia and Nelson Gomez

The plan has been in place for quite some time, and with the international signing period opening up today, the Yankees are finally able to put the plan of spending wildly on international players to restock the farm system in action.

The Yankees have officially signing Dominican prospects Dermis Garcia, a shortstop, and third baseman Nelson Gonzalez, per multiple reports.. Both players were rated the No. 1 and No.2 international prospects, according to MLB.com. Combined, the two will cost the Yankees about $5.5 million.

Garcia is a big 6-foot-2,182-pound right-handed shortstop with a lot of raw power and a good arm in the field. Scouts really like his bat speed and easy power, and I would imagine that this kid could move through the farm system pretty quick if he follows to course properly. An average fielder (45-grade), he has an above-average arm (60-grade) and can hit for both average (55-grade) and power (65-grade). Scouts have compared him to a teenage Alex Rodriguez, and we all remember how gifted A-Rod was as a teenager with the Seattle Mariners. Huge signing for the Yankees if this kid pans out.

Gonzalez is a right handed third baseman, and also a pretty big kid at 6-foot-2 and close to 220 pounds. Scouts have given him a reputation as a pure hitter and is considered the best hitter in the entire class by some, ranked No. 2 by MLB.com. The scouting report on him give him a 60-grade hitting, 60-grade power, 60-grade arm and 50-grade fielding. Some believe that his offensive game is ahead of his defense, so he still has some things to workout before being MLB-ready.

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Yankees sign reliever Heath Bell to minor league deal

No official announcement has been made, but the Yankees have apparently signed former All-Star closer Heath Bell, and as Mark Feinsand points out, assigned him to the Triple-A squad in Scranton. John Harvey was the first to report the news, and he said that RHP Mark Montgomery was sent down to Double-A Trenton to make room for Bell in Scranton.

Bell, once one of the best closers in baseball while with the San Diego Padres, has been awful the past couple of seasons since he was traded to the Miami Marlins in 2012. He started this season with the Tampa Bay Rays, and was far beyond terrible, giving up 14 runs in 17.1 innings.

He was let go by the Rays back in May, then found his way to the Baltimore Orioles' minor league system, but opted out of his contract last recently.

So this is the third AL East team that Heath has joined this season. The first two didn't work out, but who's to say that he can't turn things around and eventually work his way up to the big league bullpen in the Bronx?

I'll have some more on this shortly.

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Yankees reach agreement with third round pick RHP Austin DeCarr

According to NE Baseball Journal, the Yankees have reached an agreement with their third round pick of the 2014 MLB Draft, RHP Austin DeCarr. He is expected in Tampa tomorrow to complete the deal, which will be twice his slot value.

DeCarr, is one of the few prep player's they drafted, and considering he needed to be paid twice his slot to sign, it's no surprise they drafted so few other prep players.  The Yankees must have known he was going to be expensive and stayed away from other tough signs because of him. DeCarr is considered a good get in this round, and is a bit more polished than most kids his age.

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Yankees close to minor league deal with Andrew Bailey

The Yankees' bullpen has been left with quite a few holes  since Mariano Rivera retired during the offseason. After spending nearly $500 million on free-agents over the winter, the Yankees did very little address those bullpen holes.

With David Robertson likely to be the closer, Shawn Kelley the early favorite to be the setup man, and Matt Thornton likely to take over as the lefty in the bullpen after Boone Logan signed with the Colorado Rockies, the rest of the spots are up for grabs.

But that could soon be changing quite a bit with the Yankees reportedly on the verge of signing right-hander Andrew Bailey to a minor-league deal with a ton of incentives included.

The major-league side of Bailey's deal with the Yankees is worth $2.5 million, and includes an option for 2-15, plus a buyout.

Bailey, 29, had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder in July, and the hope is that he'll be ready to take the mound for the Yankees in mid-May.

This has a chance to be a very low-risk, high-reward type signing for the Yankees. Back in his early years with the Oakland Athletics, Bailey was one of the best relievers in the league, and getting back to full-health could turn into a big add-on to the bullpen in the middle of the season.

He spent the last couple of years with the Boston Red Sox, and in 2013, he had a 3.77 ERA in 28.1 innings.

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Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog, and you can follow him on Twitter @GavinEwbank.

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Masahiro Tanaka: “I’m very happy to be a Yankee.”

With spring training just a few days away, the Yankees finally had the chance to unveil their big, $155 million signing in Masahiro Tanaka Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, in front of more than 200 media members.

The press conference was the largest media gathering that the Yankees have hosted since introducing Hideki Matsui in 2003, surpassing Alex Rodriguez's presser in 2003.

“This is big, this is something I was thinking as I drove in today, this would make The Boss proud,” general manager Brian Cashman said. “This is Yankee big, this is Steinbrenner big. We’re really excited to welcome the newest Yankee, officially, to the family.”

Donning his new No. 19 jersey for the first time, Tanaka opened up by saying, in English, “Hello, my name is Masahiro Tanaka, I’m very happy to be a Yankee.”

The rest for the press conference was done through his translator.

Tanaka, a 24-year-old right-hander that when 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA in Japan with the Rakuten Golden Eagles last season, said that his main goal with the Yankees is to win a championship.

“I’m very much looking forward to playing in that environment,” Tanaka said, referring the the Yankees-Red Sox games that he said he has watched on TV.

He added: “I’ve heard this place could be very harsh to you at times. I just wanted to see where I can get to with my ability.”

Though Tanaka wouldn't comment on the bids of other teams, it's pretty obvious that the Yankees' bid of $155 million over seven-years was greater than that of the other bidders. Adding in his $20 million posting fee, the Yankees are spending $175 million on the guy.

"We needed another quality starter," general manager partner Hal Steinbrenner said. "Tanaka is one of the greatest in the history of Japan."

He'll now be joining that rotation, likely as the No. 3 starter, behind guys like CC Sabathia and fellow countryman Hiroki Kuroda.

Last week, Cashman said on ESPN Radio that Tanaka could be a very solid No. 3 starter.

Steinbrenner was asked if that would be worth the $155 million.

"It is a projection," Steinbrenner said.

“He was a player that we covered, and I am thankful as a manager Hal and his family opened their pocketbooks for us to be able to sign Masahiro." Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "He’s a great pitcher, and he obviously is here with us for a long time, and we’re very, very excited.”

Tanaka will join the Yankees in Tampa by Friday, when pitchers and catchers are due to report, with the first workout happening on Saturday.

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Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog, and you can follow him on Twitter (below).

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Yankees announce Spring Training non-roster invites

Spring Training is just over a couple weeks away, and they Yankees have begun the preparations by announcing the signings of nine players to minor league deals, as well as 17 other non-roster invites that will be in Tampa when pitchers and catchers report on February 14th.

Those nine players are: RHP Bruce Billings, INF Russ Canzler, RHP Robert Coello, RHP Brian Gordon, RHP Chris Leroux, OF Antoan Richardson, INF Scott Sizemore, INF Yangervis Solarte and INF Zelous Wheeler. Here is the entire press release:

"The New York Yankees today announced that they have signed nine players to minor league contracts with an invitation to Major League Spring Training: RHP Bruce Billings, INF Russ Canzler, RHP Robert Coello, RHP Brian Gordon, RHP Chris Leroux, OF Antoan Richardson, INF Scott Sizemore, INF Yangervis Solarte and INF Zelous Wheeler. The club has also invited 17 additional players to 2014 spring training, bringing the total number of invitees to 26 (13 pitchers, three catchers, six infielders and four outfielders). The number of players now scheduled to report is 66-18 fewer than 2013's total of 84.

"Canzler , 27, has appeared in 29 Major League games-three with Tampa Bay in 2011 and 26 with Cleveland in 2012-combining to bat .271 (26-for-96) as a first baseman, outfielder and designated hitter. He was selected out of Hazleton Area High School (Pa.) by the Chicago Cubs in the 30th round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft and spent seven seasons (2004-10) with the organization.

"Coello (pronounced koo-WAY-oh), 29, has combined to make 28 Major League relief appearances with Boston (2010), Toronto (2012) and Los Angeles-AL (2013), going 2-3 with one save and a 5.90 ERA (29.0IP, 19ER, 39K). He allowed only one run in his first 11 outings (13.1IP) with the Angels last season, retiring 21 consecutive batters (12K) in six games from May 13-25. In his career, Coello has averaged 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings pitched and held right-handed hitters to a .209 (14-for-67) batting average. He was selected by the Cincinnati Reds as a catcher in the 20th round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, but was converted to a pitcher by the Angels organization prior to the 2007 season.

"Leroux (lah-RUE), 29, has made 63 Major League relief appearances with Florida (2009-10) and Pittsburgh (2010-13), going 1-2 with a 5.56 ERA (69.2IP, 43ER, 63K, 3HR). He played for Canada in the 2009 and 2013 World Baseball Classics, combining to go 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA (4.2IP, 3H, 2BB, 5K). After being claimed off waivers by the Pirates on September 13, 2010, Leroux went 1-1 with a 2.88 ERA (25.0IP, 8ER, 24K, 7BB) in 23 games with the club in 2011. He made two appearances with the Pirates in 2013 before becoming a free agent on April 17. He then joined the Yakult Swallows of the Japan Central League, going 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in five starts (22.0IP, 22ER). Leroux was selected by the Marlins in the seventh round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft after playing baseball for three seasons at Winthrop University (S.C.).

"Sizemore , 29, has appeared in 160 Major League games for Detroit (2010-11) and Oakland (2011, '13), combining to bat .238 (123-for-517) with 14 home runs while playing second base and third base. After being traded to Oakland on May 27, 2011, Sizemore started 88 of the A's final 102 games at third base and batted .249 (76-for-305), ranking second on the team in home runs (11) and tying for second in RBI (52) over the stretch. He played baseball at Virginia Commonwealth University for three seasons before being selected by the Tigers in the fifth round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.

"RHP Matt Daley , INF Corban Joseph and RHP Jim Miller earned invitations after spending a portion of the 2013 season with the Yankees. Daley, 31, was selected to the Major League roster on September 6 and did not allow a run in his seven appearances with the club (6.0IP, 2H, 0BB, 8K), holding opponents hitless in his final five games (4.0IP). On September 26 vs. Tampa Bay, Daley struck out his only batter faced after replacing Mariano Rivera in his final career appearance. Joseph, 25, appeared in two games with the Yankees when he was called up as the club's 26th Man for the May 13 doubleheader at Cleveland, starting the opener at first base (0-for-2, 1BB) and starting the nightcap at second base (1-for-4, 1R). Miller, 31, made his only Major League appearance of the season on September 7 vs. Boston (1.1IP, 3H, 3ER, 1HR, 1BB).

"Also earning an invitation is RHP David Herndon, who is 2-8 with a 3.85 ERA (117.0IP, 50ER) in 97 Major League relief appearances, all with Philadelphia (2010-12). After spending his first four professional seasons (2006-09) in the Angels' minor league system, he was selected by the Phillies in the Rule 5 Draft on December 10, 2009, making the club's Opening Day roster in three consecutive years (2010-12). He appeared in 92 games (109.1IP) in his first two Major League seasons, holding right-handed hitters to a .200 (26-for-130) batting average in 2011. Herndon was selected out of Gulf Coast Community College by Los Angeles-AL in the fifth round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.

"RHP Yoshinori Tateyama earned an invitation after joining the Yankees organization during the 2013 season. He spent his first 12 professional seasons in Japan (1999-2010), going 35-43 with 27 saves and a 3.43 ERA (661.2IP, 252ER) in 438 appearances with the Nippon Ham Fighters. He signed with the Texas Rangers on November 30, 2010, and spent two full seasons and part of a third with the organization before being traded to the Yankees on June 21, 2013, for future considerations. Tateyama has made 53 Major League relief appearances-all with Texas-going 3-0 with one save and a 5.75 ERA (61.0IP, 39ER, 61K, 17BB) from 2011-12.

"The list of invitees includes five of the Yankees' selections from the 2010 First-Year Player Draft: OF Mason Williams (fourth round),RHP Danny Burawa (12th), OF Tyler Austin (13th), RHP Chase Whitley (15 th) and LHP Fred Lewis (47th). Following the 2013 season, Williams was ranked by Baseball America as the third-best prospect in the organization, as well as the "Fastest Baserunner," "Best Athlete" and "Best Defensive Outfielder."

"Also earning an invitation are recent Yankees draft picks RHP Mark Montgomery (2011, 11th round) and C Pete O'Brien (2012, second round). Montgomery was voted the Yankees' minor league "Pitcher of the Year" in 2012, and following the 2013 season his slider was ranked as the best in the organization by Baseball America. O'Brien led all Yankees minor leaguers in 2013 with 22 home runs and 96 RBI, batting .291 (130-for-447) with a .544 slugging percentage as a catcher, third baseman and designated hitter.

"Rounding out the Yankees' invitees are C Francisco Arcia, OF Adonis Garcia, C Jose Gil, INF Jose Pirela and LHP Francisco Rondon."

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Why Masahiro Tanaka won't end up like Kei Igawa

The Masahiro Tanaka sweepstakes ended on Wednesday when the Japanese righty agreed to a seven-year, $155 million contract with the Yankees. The contract includes an opt-out clause that he can exercise after the 2017 season.

Tanaka went 99-35 with a 2.30 ERA in seven seasons with Japan's Rakuten Golden Eagles. Last season was easily his best in Japan, as he went 24-0 with a sensational ERA of 1.27. Though this is not enough to convince some Yankees fans that his story won't be different from that of their last major Japanese pitching acquisition, Kei Igawa.

When the Boston Red Sox signed former Japanese sensation Daisuke Matsuzaka to a six-year deal before the 2007 season, the Yankees retaliated by signing a less talented Japanese pitcher, Kei Igawa, to a five-year deal.

Igawa imploded immediately, going 2-3 with a 6.25 ERA in 14 games (12 starts) for the Yankees in 2007 before being sent to the Minor Leagues. He would only appear in the Majors one more time, in 2008, where he gave up 6 earned runs in 4 innings pitched over 2 games. It is fair to call Igawa's contract a disaster.

The reason Tanaka will do better in the Major Leagues is simple: he is better than Igawa. Yes, it sounds like lame reasoning, but it makes more sense than meets the eye. Igawa's best season in Japan was 2002, when he went 14-9 with a solid 2.49 ERA as well as 206 strikeouts and only allowed 15 home runs. In his final season in Japan, 2006, he again went 14-9 and put together another stellar ERA of 2.97.

Tanaka's best season (besides 2013) was 2011, where he went 19-5 with a ridiculous 1.27 ERA and a WHIP of 0.875. In 2013 he was unbeatable, literally. The Golden Eagles' ace went 24-0 and again posted an ERA of 1.27.

One of the major differences between Tanaka and Igawa is their ability to keep the ball in the ballpark. Both were very good in Japan, but Tanaka was much better.

Igawa gave up 15 home runs in 2002, his best season. In 2011 and 2013, Tanaka gave up a combined total of 14 and in his worst season, 2007, he gave up 17. This would be his career high.

Igawa would give up 15 home runs in 67.2 innings pitched in 2007 with the Yankees.

Aside from the ERA difference, Tanaka also walks far fewer batters than Igawa did.  In his final five seasons in Japan, Tanaka only walked 35-plus hitters in a single season once. In Igawa's last five seasons before making the transition to the Major Leagues, he walked less than 50 batters only once.

Also, Tanaka will use more off-speed pitches in the Major Leagues. Tanaka throws a decent slider, a fastball that can reach the mid to upper 90's, and a devastating splitter. According to Fangraphs, Igawa only threw a fastball, a cutter, and a changeup during his time in the big leagues.

Masahiro Tanaka and Kei Igawa are not even on a similar level.

One final thought for those who are concerned about Tanaka's lack of strikeouts. His 183 strikeouts this past season outnumbered the Yankees current star Hiroki Kuroda's Japanese high by 18.

Don't worry about the strikeouts.

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Masahiro Tanaka will sign with the Yankees

The bidding war if over, and the Yankees have won the rights to right-handed Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka on a seven-year, $155 million contract with an opt-out after the 4th year that would let him become a free-agent.

To make room for Tanaka on the 40-man roster, the Yankees designated left-handed pitcher David Huff for assignment.

The Yankees needed Tanaka more than any team in the league with the clear holes in their starting rotation, and not that they are an automatic World Series champion right now, but this makes their chances to win a lot better.

"This is an exclamation point that's been made today that our work was not complete or finished in terms of try to put in a team that people could at least talk about at having a shot to take a run at qualifying for the playoffs and playing into October," Yankees GM Brian Cashman said.

Tanaka had been drawing interest from a ton of teams, most notably the Los Angeles Dodgers. As of this morning, the Arizona Diamondbacks, who were also chasing him, were reported to be out of the running by MLB.com. The Chicago Cubs were also trying to make a big push, but were considered "long shots."

Tanaka, 25, went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA last season in Japan, and was heavily scouted by the Yankees over the course of last season. He has been one of their top priorities, and are ready to go all-in on him if posted.

And because of the new posting system, the Yankees will have to pay a $20 million posting fee to Tanaka's now former club, the Rakuten Golden Eagles, bringing the total bill on Tanaka to $175 million for a seven-year contract -- the same contract they were trying to give Robinson Cano.
Many compare him to be the next Yu Darvish, while some scouts would say that he is good, but no Darvish good. The Yankees would rather he be Darvish good.

Adding Tanaka to the current rotation, the Yankees will go into spring training with a starting five projected to be CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova, Tanaka, and the winner of the battle between Michael Pineda, David Phelps, Adam Warren and Vidal Nuno.

Keep it here for continuing coverage throughout the day.

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Yankees closing in on minor-league deal with Scott Sizemore

The Yankees are closing in on a minor-league deal with infielder Scott Sizemore, reports Ken Davidoff of the NY Post. He'll likely be competing for the third base job in Spring Training.

Sizemore has spent the past couple of seasons with the Oakland Athletics, but hasn't spent regular time in the big leagues since 2011 when he played 93 games as their third baseman, hitting .249 in those games.

He missed nearly all of the last two seasons with Oakland due to left knee injuries, tearing the ACL in his left knee in February 2012, shelving him for the year, and then again in April 2013 in just his second game of the season.

After Alex Rodriguez suspension announcement Saturday, the Yankees are now in need of a third baseman, though Sizemore isn't a great option. Right now, Kelly Johnson figures to be the third baseman on Opening Day.

There has been interest in Mark Reynolds, however, Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News reported Saturday night that the Yankees have only offered him a minor-league deal, which he won't accept, making a re-signing with him unlikely.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported Sunday afternoon that the Yankees likely won't be signing anymore infielders to major-league contracts, pretty much eliminating Michael Young and Stephen Drew.

Besides third base, Sizemore can also play at second base, making him slightly versatile, just like every other infielder on the roster, seemingly.

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Yankees officially announce signing of Matt Thornton

It's been several weeks since the Yankees and Matt Thornton agreed to terms on a two-year, $7 million contract. They finally announced the deal Friday shortly after designating Vernon Wells for assignment to make room for Thornton on the 40-man roster.

Thornton will like take over as the late-inning, left-handed reliever for the Yanks next season, replacing Boone Logan, who signed a three-year deal with the Colorado Rockies this winter. He'll also be able to team up with David Robertson late in the game to help ease the transition into the post-Rivera era.

Thornton made a combined 60 appearance with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox last season, posting a 3.74 ERA in 41.1 innings. He's got a 9.2 strikeout/walk ratio over 10 major league seasons. He turned 37-years-old in September, and has been very durable throughout his career.

The Yankees have been looking at bullpen arms throughout the offseason, with there being quite a turnover. After Mariano Rivera retired, both Logan and Joba Chamberlain both found new homes this winter, leaving just Robertson, Shawn Kelley and Preston Claiborne as the only sure-things in Joe Girardi's bullpen.

Before signing Thornton, it was looking like Cesar Cabral would be one of the top candidate to take over the lefty-specialist role in Spring Training, but now the Yanks can let him develop a little more. Should he shine during the spring, it would only give the Yanks another valuable bullpen piece.

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Jayson Nix signs deal with the Tampa Bays Rays

After spending two years with the Yankees, Jayson Nix has signed a minor league contract with the Tampa Bays Rays that includes an invite to Spring Training, reports FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal.

Nix worked out fairly well for the Yankees as an infielder that could play around the diamond. He wasn't the best of hitters, but that Yanks were forced to use him a lot in 2013 due to the injuries of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.

He fractured his left hand when RA Dickey with him with a knuckleball in a game on August 21th, ending his season.

He played 86 games for the Bombers last season, batting .236 with three homeruns and 24 RBIs. 

The Yankees didn't have any room for Nix on the roster, leading to them having to non-tender him. The re-signing of Brendan Ryan was pretty much what gave the feeling that his days in the Bronx were over.

Nix was one of Joe Girardi's favorite. He would always call Nixy a true baseball player -- meaning he came to the park ready to play each day, and even though he wasn't the best player on the team, he always played hard, and played the game right.

Even without Nix on the team next season, the Yankees will still have a few utility player-type guys that can be used at more than one position, with Ryan, Kelly Johnson, Brian Roberts and Dean Anna.

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Yankees officially announced Carlos Beltran signing

It's official, Carlos Beltran is a New York Yankee. It's been a couple of weeks since the initial news broke that the Yankees had reached an agreement on a three-year, $45 million deal with Beltran.

The Yanks will hold a press conference to introduce Beltran Friday morning at 11am EST at Yankee Stadium.

Beltran will be the sixth outfielder on the Yankees' roster, joining Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, Alfonso Soriano, Ichiro Suzuki and Vernon Wells. Most likely, one -- maybe two -- of those six outfielders will not be on the Opening Day roster. Wells and Ichiro seem to be the two odd men out.

Beltran, a lifetime .283 hitter with 358 home runs in 16 big-league seasons, the past two seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, figures to spend most of his time in right field and as the DH.

To make room on the 40-roster, the Yankees had to designate Brett Marshall for assignment. Marshall spent most of his year in Triple-A Scranton Triple-A where he posted a 5.13 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 25 starts.

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Yanks sign Matt Thornton to two-year deal

The Yankees have signed left-handed reliever Matt Thornton to a two-year, $7 million deal, reports YES Network's Jack Curry. The agreement is pending a physical.

Thornton will like take over as the late-inning, left-handed reliever for the Yanks next season, replacing Boone Logan, who signed a three-year deal with the Colorado Rockies last week. He'll also be able to team up with David Robertson late in the game to help ease the transition into the post-Rivera era.

Thornton made a combined 60 appearance with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox last season, posting a 3.74 ERA in 41.1 innings. He's got a 9.2 strikeout/walk ratio over 10 major league seasons. He turned 37-years-old in September, and has been very durable throughout his career.

The Yankees have been looking at bullpen arms throughout the offseason, with there being quite a turnover in the bullpen. After Mariano Rivera retired, Logan and Joba Chamberlain both found new homes this winter.

Before signing Thornton, it was looking like Cesar Cabral would be one of the top candidate to take over the lefty-specialist role in Spring Training, but now the Yanks can let him develop a little more. Should he shine during the spring, it would only give the Yanks another valuable bullpen piece.

The Yankees' 40-man roster is currently full, so the team will have to clear room for both Thornton and Brian Roberts, who was signed to a one-year deal earlier in the day. The Yanks also still have to officially announce the signing of Carlos Beltran, so that would require a third roster move.

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Yankees agree to one-year deal with second baseman Brian Roberts

Going from an always healthy player in Robinson Cano, the Yankees have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the often injured Brian Roberts to take his place at second base, sources tell Jon Morosi Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com.

The deal with Roberts will be worth around $2 million, with incentives that could bump up the total pay.

Roberts was once among the best second baseman in baseball, but concussions along with other injuries began cutting down his playing time in the 2010 season.

Rosenthal adds that because of his injury history, signing Roberts doesn't take the Yankees out of signing one of the other free-agent infielders that they have their eye on -- like Mark Reynolds and Michael Young.

With Kelly Johnson already signed to play around the infield, too, the Yankees could use him and Roberts to switch in and out at second and third base, but because of Roberts' injuries and Johnson's no-so-Gold Glove in the field, signing one more infielder would be a more reasonable option.

However, Roberts does hit left-handers pretty well, and platoon him in the lineup with the left-handed hitting Johnson could be a decent short-term fix.

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Yankees sign Carlos Beltran to three-year deal

This busy, busy, busy day just got even more busy. Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News reports that the Yankees and free-agent outfielder Carlos Beltran have agreed to a three-year deal. Yahoo! Sports' Tim Brown reports that the deal is worth $15 million per season.

The Yankees had been very hesitant to go give Beltran a third year, and after the Kansas City Royals jumped into the running for him, it seemed less likely that the Yankees would land him. Then they signed Jacoby Ellsbury and things almost looked dead between the two.

But after the Yankees let Robinson Cano walk to the Seattle Mariners today, that put them back in play with just about every free-agent on the market, and they clearly aren't waiting around to make moves.

Signing Beltran most certainly takes the Yankees out of the running for Shin-Soo Choo, who became a much more like signing after Cano went to the Mariners. Choo can also become the most coveted bat on the market.

Just my thought, but I would guess that trading Brett Gardner becomes much more likely now that the Yankees have six outfielders, and still need to add another pitcher.

Beltran, 36, hit .296 with 24 home runs and 84 RBIs in 145 games this past season for the St. Louis Cardinals.

He had been drawing a ton of interest from around the league, including the Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Royals and Yankees. The Arizona Republic also reported that the Arizona Diamondbacks offered Beltran three-years, $48 million. He took $3 million less to join the Yankees like he's always wanted.

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Robbie Cano signs 10-year, $240 million deal with the Mariners

Ladies and gentlemen, Robinson Cano has left the building, and he's heading to The Rainy City.

In a deal first reported by CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman, with contract details provided by Enrique Rojas of EPSNDeportes.com, Cano shocked the world -- kinda -- by signing a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Seattle Mariners.

The deal, which is the third largest contract in baseball history, tied with the one Albert Pujols signed with Los Angeles Angels after the 2011 season, includes a full no-trade clause, sources told ESPN's Jim Bowden.

The agreement between Cano and the Mariners came just hours after talks broke down when Jay Z tried to overplay his hand and ask Seattle for 10-years, $250 million over the 9-year, $225 million they were preparing to offer.

Talks were said to be dead after Jay Z's demand, but that clearly wasn't the case. The Mariners' offer was almost $80 million more than the Yankees' highest offer seven-years, $175 million.

Adding Cano does not make the Mariners instant winners, because they still have a lot more work to do if they want to be better than the Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers or Los Angeles Angels, who are all in Seattle's division.

The Yankees, on the other hand, who Cano is leaving, just introduced new addition Brian McCann on Thursday, and a couple days before that signed Jacoby Ellsbury to a seven-years, $153 million contract. New York is in a much better position to win at the moment, and the Yankees will probably be in a better position than the Mariners for at least the next few seasons.

The Mariners come to the Bronx for a three-game series against the Yankees April 29th-30th and may 1st.

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Yanks nearing a deal to re-signing Hiroki Kuroda

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that the Yankees are nearing a deal to re-sign pitcher Hiroki Kuroda to what would most likely be a one-year, $16 million deal. Heyman says that nothing is complete, but should be soon.

Kuroda declined the Yankees' one-year, $14.1 million qualifying offer in November, insuring that the Yankees would receive a draft pick if he decided to come back, but signed somewhere else. Kuroda currently does have a one-year offer on the table from the Yankees that is believed to be in the $15-$16 million range.

He was the Yankees' best pitcher for most of the 2013 season until he began to break down from fatigue in mid-August. The Bombers have been hoping to add at least two starting pitchers this winter, with Kuroda and Masahiro Tanaka being the top targets. Although Tanaka's posting is starting to be questioned after MLB and NPB agreed to a new posting system that would only bring in $20 million for Tanaka's current Japanese team. That might not be enough money to let him go.

Kuroda will join CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova as the only sure things in the rotation next season. The Yanks still need to add one more pitcher, and they're planning on having David Phelps, Adam Warren, Vidal Nuno and Michael Pineda compete for the fifth spot.

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