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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Cano talks with Mariners break down, signing in Seattle unlikely

Jay Z has got 99 problems and asking for a reasonable contract for Robinson Cano is one.

By Thursday night, it was starting to look like Cano would be the next big superstar to play for the Seattle Mariners after Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. Cano was flying to Seattle to meet face-to-face with top Mariners executives, as they were reportedly ready to offer the all-star second baseman a 9-year, $225 million contract.

Cano's plane landed in Seattle shortly after 9pm EST, and was met there by his agent, Jay Z, who was able to attend because he had a concert in Anaheim on Friday.

Talks were said to be running fine, the Mariners believed that Cano was ready to accept their 9-year, $225 million offer, and then, as the NY Daily News reports, Jay Z tried to overplay his hand and asked for 10-year, $260 million. Seattle wanted no part of that, things go heated, and now Cano is unlikely to become the face of any Starbucks commercials in Seattle.

The Mariners' offer was $50 million more than what the Yankees are offering to Cano, at seven-years, $175 million. That's their sealing in terms of both money and years. The Yankees, according to reports, have no intention to ever offer Cano $200, and are standing firm at seven-years.

The Yankees haven't talked with Cano's representatives since early last week, and were suppose to resume talks on Monday, but because of the sizable gap between the two sides, they decided not to met.

During their last meeting with the Yankees, Cano lowered his asking price to nine-years, $250-$260 million.

Cano's father, Jose Cano, wants his son to stay with the Yankees because it's reasonably close to his Dominican Republic home, and close enough to where he can see his son often.

But Jose told the NY Daily News Thursday that he isn't impressed with the way the Yankees are pursuing his son, and thinks they don't really want him back.

"The Yankees don't seem to want him," Jose Cano told the Daily News on Thursday.

"Look, we're still talking," Yankees principal owner Hal Steinbrenner said Thursday. "Nobody has given up. We're still talking, but obviously we're a decent distance apart. We're just going to have to see, day by day. That's all we can do."

General manager Brian Cashman also said Thursday that the Yankees have been trying to re-sign Cano, but it's hard to get that done at the moment with all of the holes the Yanks still have to fill.

"We would love to have him," Cashman said. "Just like we took Brian McCann right now from the Braves and every other suitor because we were willing to pay a certain amount, that certainly could happen to us in the Robbie Cano sweepstakes. That's the way the process works.

"Some people wind up signing elsewhere for more money than the home club was willing to give and other players can take discounts to stay if they have better offers. Sometimes you find common ground and get a deal done. I can't tell you how this is going to shake out just yet. He's a great player, he's been a great Yankee, I've got nothing but good things to say about him."

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Yankees believe Kuroda is willing to come back

After spending a ton of money to land Brian McCann and Jacoby Ellsbury, the Yankees still need to pick up at least two starting pitchers in order to be a serious contender next season. The Yankees are hoping that Hiroki Kuroda will be one of those two pitchers, but we still don't know his plans for next season.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman said today after the press conference introducing McCann that he believes Kuroda will certainly be pitching for a baseball team next season, but he doesn't yet know if it'll be here with the Yankees, or in his homeland of Japan.

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.

For the time being, the only sure locks for the Yankees' rotation next season are CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova. Kuroda, and fellow Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka have been the Yanks' top pitching targets this winter, as the Bombers have been hoping to add those two -- but Tanaka still has to be posted by his Japanese club, which we are now hearing might not happen -- with David Phelps, Adam Warren, Vidal Nuno and Michael Pineda fighting for the fifth spot.

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Cano flew to Seattle to meet with the Mariners Thursday

Probably hearing how I think the Seattle Mariners aren't a very serious threat to land Robinson Cano, they make us think otherwise.

Enrique Rojas of ESPN.com is reporting the Cano flew to Seattle on Thursday, and the Mariners told him they are willing to offer ten-years, $230-$240 million, far, far from what the Yankees, or any other team for that matter, have offered him so far.

Cano is seeking a deal within the ten-year, $250-$260 range, and who knows if he's willing to sign with the Mariners at that price, given the amount of money the Yankees already spent this offseason to improve the ballclub.

The Mariners haven't made the playoffs since 2001, and the Yankees have won 27 championships in franchise history, including 2009 with Cano as a member of the club.

What the report from ESPN doesn't say is how interested in the Mariners Cano actually is, or whether he is just trying to put pressure on the Yankees to offer him a better deal than the seven-year, $175 million contract they have been standing firm at.

The Yankees have said they don't plan to go past the seven-years they have been offering, and also have no plans to offer anything starting with a "2."

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MLB, NPB closing in on a new posting agreement

The free-agent market for starting pitchers isn't exactly filled with talent this winter, but we could soon be adding a new name to that market.

According to multiple reports, MLB and the Nippon Professional Baseball league in Japan are coming close to agreement on a new posting system that would set a $20 million maximum bid, with the details after that still up in the air. Because of the $20 million max bid, there are two ways that the posting system could play out.

1. Let's say that 11 teams post the $20 million max bid on Masahiro Tanaka, the soon-to-be best pitcher on the market once he is posted by his Japanese team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles, then those 11 teams would earn the rights to negotiate a contract with him, and Tanaka would then choose what team he plays for next season.

In that scenario, every team should be able to put in $20 million for the chance to sign Tanaka, and I would bet that more than 11 teams would be in on him. It would be a fair system for both the team and player for getting to decide where he goes. Whoever he chooses would pay the NPB team the $20 million, and everyone else pays nothing.

2. Other reports are suggesting that this option would be the one put in place. MLB teams put in their bid, most likely the $20 million maximum, and then the team with the worst winning percentage the previous season wins the rights for the player's services. That means that Houston Astros are the top team in this case.

If this turns out to be the option chosen -- and I don't think it will be -- then it would completely take the Yankees out of the running to land Tanaka, and that would be a major disappointment considering he has been one of their top targets this offseason.

For the moment, nothing is official yet, as NPB still has to accept the proposal, but they are expected to do that soon, meaning Tanaka is coming. As far as to who he is coming to, and how, we'll have to wait.

Tanaka, a 25-year-old right hander, went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 183 strikeouts in 212 innings pitched this past season, leading his team to the NPB championship. Many compare him to Yu Darvish, who has become one of the best pitchers in baseball since coming over to the Texas Rangers through the posting system two years ago.

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Adding Ellsbury makes Gardner a solid trade piece

The Yankees finally got the outfielder they were looking for, and it wasn't Carlos Beltran -- he seems to be on his way to Kansas City. Instead, they signed a player that is a lot like one they already have, being Brett Gardner.

The Yankees signed Gold Glove center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury to a seven-year, $153 million contract Tuesday night, giving the Yanks five outfielder, and now two center fielders.

In all likelihood, the Yankees will have Ellsbury play center field, with Gardner in left and Alfonso Soriano in right. But what if Gardner isn't with the tam on Opening Day, meaning he gets traded? That could be a possibility, writes ESPN's Jayson Stark.

Ellsbury is a clear upgrade over Gardner, and while the Yankees could move Gardner to left field, they may find more value in exploring the trade market for him given how few center fielders there are with his kind of defensive ability. Gardner's a fringy offensive player whose production is mostly in his ability to get on base, especially against right-handed pitchers, all the product of a tremendous ability to foul off pitches he can't square up; he actually saw as many pitches per plate appearance as Shin-Soo Choo, and more than guys like Mike Trout, Joey Votto, and Paul Goldschmidt.

Even with the additions made this offseason in Ellsbury and Brian McCann, the Yankees will still need to add some pitching to be a serious threat next season. And that's were Gardner could come into play.

This past season was easily Gardner's best year offensively, as he posted a .273 batting average, while hitting 8 homeruns with 52 RBIs. His stolen base numbers where down significantly from what they were in 2010 and 2011 when he stole 47 in '10 and a league-leading 49 in '11.

Coupled with his defensive capabilities -- which I thought should have made him at least a finalist to win a Gold Glove as an outfielder this year -- would make him the most ideal player on the Yankees' roster to trade.

Put him out on the market, and the Yankees are sure to draw some interest for a 30-year-old outfielder that can get on base, provide speed on the base paths, and play Gold Glove caliber defense. Plenty of teams are looking for a center fielder him Gardner, and they might be willing to give up exactly what the Yankees are looking for.

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Also read: Yankees still have work to do in order to contend after signing Ellsbury.

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McCann and Ellsbury are nice, but work still needs to be done

The Yankees have already signed two of the biggest free-agents on the free-agent market, and we haven't even reached the Winter Meetings. It's worth noting that Robinson Cano is not one of those players.

After fumbling around in the drawers, the Yankees found their checkbook and now they're handing out big money deals like it's 2009 all over again.

While, yes, it's nice to have nice things and good players, the signings of both these All-Star players is not enough, solely, to get the Bombers back to the playoffs after missing the postseason in 2013. If they're going to completely recreate the success of 2009, more has to be done.

For the time being, the Yankees don't have a second baseman. Even after signing Ellsbury, the Yanks still believe they are directly in the running to re-sign Cano, but talks with him appear to be going nowhere. Although, if Ellsbury could get a seven-year, $153 million deal, I don't see why the Yanks won't give him more than $175 million.

Jon Morosi reports that the Yankees have made an offer to free-agent second baseman Omar Infante, and if he were to accept that before a deal with Cano could get done, you would have to think that it would hurt the chances of Cano coming back.

A couple positions over, the Yankees still have to figure out who is going to play third base for them next season. There is probably no one within the organization that thinks Alex Rodriguez will be with the team on Opening Day. A decision with him won't likely come down until January 1st, I heard on Tuesday. The Yanks will save a ton of money should his suspension be upheld through, at least, the full 2014 season.

Infante could be an option to play third, but unlikely. I've said in the past that the Yankees could re-sign Mark Reynolds and have him playing third in place of A-Rod. That wouldn't be a terrible option. He would provide some power from the right-side of the plate. Right now, the Yankees would have Derek Jeter and Alfonso Soriano in the right side of the plate, with Mark Teixeira also being a switch-hitter -- you also have to hope that Jeter and Teixeira remain healthy.

The you have to take a look at the holes in the rotation and bullpen. Apparently the Yankees don;t even know who is going to be closing games for them next season. GM Brian Cashman has said publicly that he's unsure if David Robertson is ready to close.

The Yankees, reportedly, aren't going to start looking into the closer market until after something happens with Cano. Even then, the options in that area might be slim at that point. Joe Nathan signed a two-year deal with the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, so he is off the board. Grant Balfour, to me, just doesn't fit in New York. I wrote that John Axford and Andrew Bailey would be solid bullpen options, but only has setup men because I think Robertson should be the closer -- he's earned the opportunity.

On the other side of pitching, CC Sabathia is still that headline of the rotation, and he declined dramatically in 2013. Ivan Nova is up and down, and you can only hope he pitches well all season, and not just at times. After that, the Yankees are still waiting on a decision from Hiroki Kuroda, who has an offer from the Yankees.

It doesn't appear that Masahiro Tanaka will be posted anytime soon, and he was the Yanks' No. 1 target this offseason. Eventually, though, if he does get posted, the Bombers will be big players for him, too.

At this point, the Yankees are starting to look like they could actually compete for a championship once again in 2014, but they still have to finish filling out the roster first. Yes, it's nice to have players like McCann and Ellsbury, but don't get caught up in that, because there is still work to be done.

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Also read: With Cano out of the way, where do the Yankees go from here?
Also read: Brett Gardner could now be a valuable trade piece.

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Yankees, Kelly Johnson nearing one-year deal

The Yankees shocked most of the league Tuesday night when they signed Jacoby Ellsbury to a seven-year, $153 million contract, and they weren't even done. The Bombers are closing in a on a one-year, $3 million deal with second baseman Kelly Johnson, reports Joel Sherman of the NY Post.

Kelly spent last season in Tampa Bay with the Rays, the fourth team of his eight-year career, and he hit .235 with 16 homeruns with a .305 on-base percentage.

It's not his batting average that attracts the Yankees, but his power at the plate and versatility in the field make him a player worth signing. A left-handed hitter with power, I wonder how that might play out in Yankee Stadium.

Kelly has experience playing both second base and left field, and he could even play third base if needed. Sherman said that the Yankees plan on using him around the infield, and could be used as a fallback option at second base if they can't get a deal done with Robinson Cano.

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Yankees, Jacoby Ellsbury agree to seven-year deal

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com is reporting that the Yankees are closing in on signing Jacoby Ellsbury to a seven-year deal. Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News says that the deal will be worth $153 million over seven-years. The deal also includes an eighth-year option that would bring the total to $169 million, reports MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.

The deal is still pending a physical, which will take place within the next day or two.

Reports at the beginning of the offseason said that the Yankees were planning a $300 million spending spree this winter, and they weren't lying. After signing Brian McCann to an $85 million deal, and now Ellsbury, the Yanks still believe they have enough room to re-sign Robinson Cano, and maybe even get one starting pitcher.

Ellsbury is the second player of the defending champion Boston Red Sox to leave today after Jarrod Saltalamacchia reportedly signed a three-year $21 million deal with the Miami Marlins.

The Yankees had been in talks with Scott Boras, who represents both Ellsbury and free-agent outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, about both of the outfielders, but the Yankees preferred Ellsbury over Choo, says Joel Sherman of the NY Post.

Ellsbury, who hit .298 with 9 HR and 53 RBI in 2013 with the Red Sox, will provide more speed at the top of the lineup, and he'll slide right into the outfield, most likely center field with Brett Gardner moving to left field -- the Yankees also have no plans to trade Gardner -- and he'll be replacing Curtis Granderson, who is currently a free-agent.

The Yankees had been keeping a close eye on free-agent outfielder Carlos Beltran, too, but it was reported earlier today by ESPN's Buster Olney that Beltran had a three-year, $48 million deal on the table, likely from the Kansas City Royals. The Bombers had been trying to stay away from adding a third year, sticking to two years with him.

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Beltran to the Yankees starting to look unlikely

Everything you have heard about Carlos Beltran likely coming to the Yankees might soon be a lie.

ESPN's Buster Olney reports that Beltran has a three-year, $48 million offer and the table, and he says that the offer is from the Kansas City Royal, who Beltran began his career with, and have been showing serious interest lately.

After hearing that, sources tell Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com that the Yankees won't match or exceed the three-years, $48 million offer Beltran has.

Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News was also told that the three years won't totally be a deal breaker, but it'll make getting a deal done with the Beltran a lot less likely. The Yankees have been noncommittal all along about giving Beltran the third year he is looking for.

The Yankees had been the seen by many to be the frontrunners to land Beltran this winter after both sides had been showing a lot of mutual interest towards each other. Beltran really liked New York, and tried to sign with the Yankees back in 2004 before he eventually signed with the Mets because the Yanks had no room in the outfield for him at that time.

No matter how you look at this, it would be, somewhat, a disappointment to the Yankees after they made him their No. 1 priority when the locked up Brian McCann.

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Yanks are among the teams interested in Brett Anderson

Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics have been very active over the past 48 hours, making trades to acquire two of the top relievers in the game, Jim Johnson from the Baltimore Orioles and Luke Gregerson from the San Diego Padres.

The Athletics are expected to be making another big trade within the coming week, as they are expected to deal left-handed pitcher Brett Anderson sometime during the Winter Meetings next week in Orlando.

The Yankees are one of the teams showing interest in the left-hander, says Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports.

Anderson has been receiving interest from a handful of teams, including the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians. The Toronto Blue Jays are also said to be very interested in bringing him in. The Yanks are just another team on the list, at the moment.

After landing Scott Kazmir on a two-year, $22 million deal on Monday, the A's now have the depth to trade Anderson, with Jarrod Parker, Sonny Gray, A.J. Griffin, Dan Straily and Tommy Milone also in the starting pitcher department.

Anderson's $8 million contract for 2014 might also have something to do with the Oakland's willingness to move him.

Anderson broke into the league for a decent 2009 campaign, then really started to shine with a 2.80 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 19 starts the next year. Over his five-year career, all with the A's, he's posted a 3.81 ERA and 1.28 WHIP.

His numbers may not jump off the charts, but he does command the ball very well, and he's good at getting ground balls, which would suit him well in a ballpark that practically ran Phil Hughes out of town.

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Mariners are a "major player" to land Robinson Cano

For years, the Seattle Mariners have been desperate to land a big bat during the offseason, and they have failed every time. Well, this time they're going to try their luck at the biggest free-agent on the market: Robinson Cano.

Yes, ESPNNewYork.com's Wallace Matthews has reported that the Mariners have now joined in the running to land the All-Star second baseman.

A source told Wallace that the Mariners might be willing to offer more than the Yankees, being something worth $200 million over eight-years.

"I wouldn't presume to say that there's no one out there that will meet [Cano's] demands,'' said another source, who named Seattle -- along with possibly the Texas Rangers -- as a team that might be willing to outbid the Yankees for Cano's services.

"Now it's a question of, does (Cano) want to be a Yankee, or is he just about the money?," a baseball insider told Wallace.

Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik denied to confirm whether he had a meeting with Cano.

"We've talked to everybody," Zduiencik told ESPNNewYork's Andrew Marchand on Tuesday. "There's not a free agent we haven't talked to. We've cast a wide net.''

The Yankees haven't had talks with Cano's representatives since last Tuesday, and Cano was said to have lowered his asking price to nine-years, $250 million. Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports says that the Yankees don't plan on offer Cano over seven-years, or anything over $200 million anytime soon.

The Yankees, according to multiple reports, have upped their offer to Cano to seven-years, $175 million -- an average salary of $25 million per year. A source told Wallace that the Yankees are now "50-50" on whether they even want to retain him at this point.

"(The Yankees) think this offer is incredibly fair,'' the insider told Wallace. "It's the highest average annual salary they've paid anyone except for Alex Rodriguez. Not even (Derek) Jeter got that kind of money.''

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Yankees officially announce Brian McCann signing

The Yankees' first big move of the offseason will be put on display for all on Thursday at Yankee Stadium, as the Yanks have scheduled a press conference to introduce newly signed catcher Brian McCann, whose signing was officially announced by the club Tuesday.

McCann's deal with the Yankees is for $85 million over five-years, with a vesting option for a sixth year that could bring the total value to $100 million. The agreement was first reported over a week ago, but became official after McCann passed a physical.

The deal will provide the Yankees with some much needed power in the lineup, as McCann has hit at least 20 homeruns in each of the past six seasons, all with the Atlanta Braves. The seven-time All-Star has also led all Major League catchers in homeruns since 2005.

"The singular and unwavering desire of this organization is to construct a team each and every season designed to play meaningful baseball deep into October," Yankees managing general partner and co-chairperson Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement.

"In Brian McCann, we feel we have made a significant improvement to a key position, while adding a high-character presence to our clubhouse. Our work this offseason has just begun, but we feel this is an important step towards what will be an exciting and rewarding 2014 season for our fans."

The Yankees did not set a specific time for the press conference, but it can be seen live in the YES Network.

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MLB still working out a new posting system

Major League Baseball is still working with the NPB to get a new posting system in place that would let Japanese players be posted by their teams to come to the States.

This news effects the Yankees very much because they have big plans to put every resource they have into winning the bid for right-hander Masahiro Tanaka, who is being called, by some, the next Yu Darvish.

The latest proposal by MLB, according to multiple reports, would put a limit on the size of a bid. In that event, if multiple teams tie with the highest bid, the player would either choose the team he wants to negotiate with, or the team with the worst record from the previous season would win the rights. It's all about whose report you believe on that one.

Jon Morosi of Fox Sports says that no deal between the two sides is imminent, but they are talking, which is good. MLB pulled their offer off the table a couple weeks ago because they felt that NPB was taking too long to give a response.

Tanaka can not be posted until after a new agreement is reached, and that means the Yankees are having to wait to get a chance to add him to the rotation, as planned. Besides Cano, Tanaka appears to be the Yankees' biggest priority this offseason.

Another posting system proposal this offseason included the team with the highest bid only having to pay the average of the top two bids.

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Bullpen arm worth watching: Andrew Bailey

Yesterday I said that non-tender likely pitcher John Axford would be a good option for the Yankees in their search to find either a closer or setup man next season, depending on which direction they decide to go with David Robertson.

Personally, I think Robertson should, and will, be the Yankees' No. 1 choice to be the closer next season. Why spend the money to sign a closer when you already have a pitcher that's been on of the best setup in the league for the past few seasons? You don't have to do that. Robertson should close, and the Yankees should instead spend bullpen money on a setup man because, frankly, I don't see a setup man on the roster.

I suppose you could try Shawn Kelley in that role after showing some ability to pitch out of the bullpen last season for the Yankees.

Either way, Axford was non-tendered by the St. Louis Cardinals and now he is a free-agent. If that doesn't work out, then there would be another guy to look at: Right-handed reliever Andrew Bailey, who was non-tendered by the Boston Red Sox.

Bailey, when healthy, is one of the more underrated relievers in the league. He was great a couple of years ago with the Oakland Athletics before being traded to Boston.

Bailey saw limited time with the Red Sox in his two years on the team because of injuries. A labrum tear in his right shoulder knocked him out in 2013 after just 28.2 innings. In two totals years in Boston, his ERA is 4.91 in just over 45 innings.

The first three years of his major league career, all with the Athletics, were much better. His ERA was 2.07 in the three years combined, and he struck out 174 batters in 174 innings, while walking 69. His strikeouts per nine was 9.4 and his walks per nine was 2.8. He was even named AL Rookie of the Year in 2009 after posting a 1.84 ERA in 68 appearances.

Bailey made $4.1 million this past season with the Red Sox, and through the arbitration process, he is expected to make something around that next season, too.

I think no matter who you look at, both Axford and Bailey could be reasonable options for the Yankees, and it certainly wouldn't hurt to take a look at them. Maybe one more than the other, but that would be for Brian Cashman to decided.

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Other features on this topic:

Bullpen arm worth watching: John Axford

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Yankees will non-tender Nix, Daley and Adams

General manager Brian Cashman announced Monday night that the Yankees plan to non-tender utility-infielder Jayson Nix, pitcher Matt Daley and infielder David Adams. Nix was always expected to be non-tendered; Daley was one on the bubble; Adams is a little surprising.

Nix, along with Chris Stewart before he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates Monday morning, were the only Yankees expected to be non-tended.

Nix worked out fairly well for the Yankees as a 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.

Daley spent almost all of 2013 in the Yankees' farm system, moving around between Single, Double and Triple-A, pitching to a 2.02 ERA in 53 1/3 innings.

Adams made his way into the Yankees' lineup early in the season and showed some real promise before it all fell apart. He started to look lost at the plate, and his batting average dropped in almost every game he played.

With there only being three non-tenders, that also means the Yankees will tender contracts to Ivan Nova, David Robertson, Shawn Kelley and Brett Gardner.

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Yankee Notes: Contract offered to Kuroda, Yanks not talking with Cano, and more

Kuroda has an offer from the Yankees: The Yankees have offered a contract to free-agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, reports Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com. The Yankees are hoping that Kuroda will accept the deal, rather than retire or go back to Japan.

The deal on the table is expected to be in the $15-$16 million range over the course of the 2014 season. That price would be around what Kuroda earned last season in the Bronx. Kuroda became a free-agent after turning down a $14.1 million qualifying offer from the Yankees.

Kuroda went 11-13 with a 3.31 ERA last season and was that Yankees' best pitcher through mid-August before the fatigue of a long season caught up to him. His ERA in his final handful of starts was awful, and he was pitching nothing like he had in the first four months of the season.

The Yankees are hoping the Kuroda will come back to help fill a spot in the rotation that is currently headlined by a declining CC Sabathia and shaky Ivan Nova. The Yankees are also banking on Masahiro Tanaka being posted by his Japanese team once a new posting system is agreed to. Michael Pineda, David Phelps, Adam Warren and Vidal Nuno will battle for the fifth spot in the rotation during Spring Training.

Yankees have "nothing to talk about" with Cano: After closing the contract gap to about $80 million last week, the Yankees were expected to meet with representatives for Robinson Cano once again on Monday, but the two sides decided not to meet, Marchand says, because the gap is still too big.

As one source told ESPNNewYork.com, "There is nothing to discuss." That tone sounds a lot like what team president Randy Levine said during the GM meetings a couple weeks back: "Until he gets more realistic, we have nothing to talk about."

Cano's side was reportedly asking for a 10-year, $310 million deal, though Cano has denied ever asking for that amount of money. During meets last week, Cano's side was said to have lowered their asking price to a nine-year deal for $250-$260 million. The Yankees have raised their offer in terms of money, but only a little bit, to $170 over seven-years.

Canzler has been signed by the Yanks again: The Yankees have signed free-agent outfielder/first baseman Russ Canzler to a contract, says Matt Eddy of Baseball America.The terms of the deal are unknown.

Canzler has been a lefty-killer since 2011, hitting .307/.390/.531 (433 PA) with 17 HR, a 12 percent walk rate, and a 18 percent strikeout rate.

He was with the Yankees earlier this year, from February 4th to the 5th before being claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles the week before spring training.

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Yanks on the verge of trading Chris Stewart to the Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the verge of acquiring catcher Chris Stewart from the Yankees, reports ESPN's Buster Olney. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that the Pirates will be sending the Yankees either cash or a player to be named later.

Stewart was one of a few players up for non-tenders today by the Yankees, and he, along with Jayson Nix, were expected to be non-tendered before tonight's 11:59pm ETS deadline. After signing Brian McCann last weekend, there is no more need for Stewart on the Yankees with Francisco Cervelli and Austin Romine likely to battle for the backup job next season.

Stewart provided solid defense for the Yankees and was considered one of the best pitch-framers in the league. His offense, however, was not so good, and his .211 average with one homerun in 2013 was one of the reasons why the Yanks have no place for him.

The Pirates already have Russell Martin locked up for next season, meaning that Stewart would likely serve as his backup, just he did for the Yanks in 2012.

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Bullpen arm worth watching: John Axford

Mariano Rivera is gone, and David Robertson doesn't appear to be the top candidate to close out games for the Yankees next season, although that had been the plan all along.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has said publicly this offseason that he isn't sure if Robertson is ready to be the closer, and that the Yanks are looking at all closer options out there.

As you might already know, the deadline for teams to tender contract to their players is 11:59pm EST tonight, and the St. Louis Cardinals are expected to non-tender reliever John Axford, making him a free-agent. In my opinion, Axford could be a great addition for to the bullpen for the Yankees, and it's leading me to hope the Cards non-tender him.

Grant Balfour and Joe Nathan are a couple of names that have come up this winter when talking about possible closer candidates for the Yankees.

While, yeah, those would be good people worthy of the job, I still think that Robertson has shown over the past couple of years as the Yankees' setup man that he has what it takes to be the closer. They don't need to sign a closer, when they already have one in Robertson.

No, what they need is a setup man, and Axford could be that guy. He was traded to the Cardinals from Milwaukee this past season, and he pitched very well for St. Louis down the stretch and through the playoffs, striking out 20 batters and walking seven in 16 innings for the Cardinals between the regular season and the postseason.

Of course, though, there would be some concern in signing Axford. He was among the best closers in the league from 2010 to 2011, but his struggles with the Brewers in 2012 and 2013 before being traded lost him his closer role with Milwaukee. He lost the ability to throw strikes, and became very inconsistent.

Axford is still able to get his fastball in the mid-90's, and he's got a good curveball to go with it. I would expect that he would draw interest from a handful of teams looking for bullpen help, like the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners.

For the time being, I really don't see anyone on the roster that I would trust being the setup man behind Robertson, the closer. Axford would be a solid option for any team, and I think the Yankees could be that team.

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Yankees have decisions to make ahead of Monday's non-tender deadline

The Yankees will have until Monday's deadline to decide whether or not they want to tender a contract to a select few of players in order to make some room on the 40-man roster that currently stands at 39.

Brendan Ryan and Brian McCann still have to be added, meaning that moves are going to be happening within the next couple of days.

They may not all by via a non-tender, as some could be designated for assignment and pass through waivers completely to remain with the organization, but the Yankees will need to make decisions on several players when clearing room on the roster.

Here are a few players that the Yanks could clear of the roster tomorrow:

Chris Stewart -- After signing Brian McCann, the Yankees are now supplied with a handful of catchers that would seem to be more useful options than Stewart. With McCann being the starter, Francisco Cervelli and Austin Romine are expected with battle it out in Spring Training for the backup job, with JR Murphy also sitting down in Triple-A.

We've heard some recent rumors that the Yankees could be trying to work out a new contract with Stewart in order to avoid arbitration. Stewart is also said to be drawing some trade interest, so the Yanks could decide to tender him a contract and trade him away for what ever they can get. However, I expect the Yanks to non-tender Stewart.

Jayson Nix -- He worked out well as a utility defender for the Yankees, but with Ryan now signed for the next couple of years, I don't see there be any fit for Nix on the roster. If they really wanted to, the Yanks could find another player like Nix on a minor league deal, but they also signed Yamaico Navarro not long ago, so there might not be any need for another infielder. Nix is also eligible for arbitration this year, and is expected to earn a raise, which also makes him worth letting go.

Others -- If the Yankees feel it to be necessary, they could non-tender a contract to Eduardo Nunez. To me, re-signing Ryan on a two-year deal means that Nunez isn't involved in the Yankees' future plans to replace Derek Jeter when he retires. They don't actually have to non-tender him, but I'm sure there would be some trade interest in a relatively young infielder with some potential. Could possibly trade him, maybe a non-tender, but unlikely.

David Huff and Brett Marshall are another pair players that could see themselves being axed off the roster. Marshall is expected to be one of the pitchers battling for the fifth spot in the rotation in the spring, but for the moment, he's already behind David Phelps, Adam Warren and Vidal Nuno in the competition. Could make a case to non-tender, but it wouldn't be very strong.

Huff would add a decent left-handed arm out of the bullpen next season. I could see him making the Opening Day roster as long as he can put together a decent Spring Training. The crowed 40-man roster might mean he has to be moved off, though, and it would be more likely to see him DFA'd, rather than non-tendered.

Likely tenders: Brett Gardner, Ivan Nova, David Robertson, Shawn Kelly and Cervelli are all up for arbitration this winter, and the Yankees are likely to tender them contracts in hopes to avoid going to arbitration.

Matt Swartz for MLB Trade Rumors predicts that all will earn raises after their 2013 performances. After a solid offensive and defensive year, Gardner is predicted to about $4 million next season; Robertson should get around $5.5 million; Nova should be a $2.8 million; Kelly could make $1.5 million after a good season as a late-inning pitcher for the Yankees; and Cervelli figures to be at $1 million.

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