iYankees

From Keith Law’s (ESPN) FA rankings, we have the following profile on John Lackey, who the Yankees have been linked to this offseason. Law ranks Lackey third amongst available free agents (only Holliday and Bay are ranked better). Lackey is the only bona fide No. 1 starter on the market this offseason; although others have the capacity to pitch at that level, they’re all either hurt, struggled in 2009 or lack a...

Via MLBTR, we learn that Chien-Ming Wang would be open to the idea of reuniting with Joe Torre and playing for the Dodgers if he and the Yankees don’t reach some sort of agreement later on (assuming he’s non-tendered). There’s no word on whether the Dodgers would be interested in Wang, but one would assume that they would be given their current staff’s uncertainty. Another team to consider if Wang hits free...

In Keith Law’s ranking of the top 50 free agents, Johnny Damon was number 22. Here’s Law’s profile on the World Series hero: Damon might be the biggest beneficiary of the fact that the Yankees’ new stadium is a good home run park; his apparent performance boost was largely a product of the new environment, as Damon hit 17 of his career-best 24 home runs at home....

In Keith Law’s free agent rankings, he lists Matt Holliday as the number one choice on the open market, with Jason Bay as the runner-up to that title. Here are Law’s profiles on each player (I’ll post more of these throughout the day). On Holliday: Holliday’s stint in St. Louis didn’t end on a good note, and if he leaves for more lucrative pastures his legacy in Missouri may revolve around the missed...

Well, not really, but it’s still pretty awful. Here’s what Bob Nightengale (USA Today) said on Twitter, earlier today: The Yankees, ever so quietly, are letting teams know that RF Nick Swisher is available. While Ben of RAB fame debunks Nightengale’s tweet about as effectively as one could, the remark itself is still somewhat upsetting given the amount of production Swisher provided the Yankees in 2009....

Tim Lincecum, 25, has been named the National League’s Cy Young Award winner. San Francisco’s The Freak posted a 2.48 ERA (2.34 FIP) over 225 1/3 innings in 2009. He won 15 games, struck out 261 batters and walked 68. He was worth 8.2 WAR, which translates to a theoretical $37 million payday....

According to Frankie Piliere (FanHouse), the Aroldis Chapman Sweepstakes is an expensive one. Therefore, most mid-market teams will bow out of the proceedings, leaving the Red Sox and Yankees to battle it out for Chapman’s prized left arm. The situation seems pretty simple to me if this is the case, though....

To go with your coffee—some caffeinated bits. Jerry Crasnick (ESPN) has an excellent read out on fielding analysis in baseball. Joe P. at River Ave Blues tackles the subject of Johnny Damon’s defense (yes, he’s bad). Another item on Damon—he’s sitting at home waiting to hear from GM Brian Cashman. Baseball America provides us with a list of this year’s minor league FAs....

From Joe P. over at RAB: No one can rule out the Yankees acquiring Roy Halladay. He’s clearly available, and the Yankees have already been connected to him. Given the team’s past behavior, though, I doubt they get too far in negotiations with the Blue Jays. They seem more apt to make a deal for John Lackey, who will just cost money, or to take a chance on a high upside player...

From Jay Jaffe (Baseball Prospectus): Over the past three years, Holliday — playing for the Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals — has an average plus/minus of 6, UZR of 10.3 and FRAA of 4.3.What does it mean? Depending upon the system, Holliday rates from 4.3 to 10.3 runs above average per year....

From Jon Heyman (SI): And here’s yet another potential reason the Yankees (or Red Sox) might have an edge this time around: While Halladay’s latest desires are not yet known (and agent Greg Landry did not return calls), with a year to go before free agency a player in Halladay’s position can leverage his no-trade clause to engineer a trade to a team amenable to an extension....

You can read about Scioscia’s win here and Tracy’s win here.

You know the drill. Joba Chamberlain really wants Andy Pettitte to return in 2010. Keith Law offers his take on Joba’s 2009 season: “I was fine with the so-called ‘Joba Rules,’” he says, “when they were just a question of managing his workload to protect his shoulder, but at the end of the year, the kid looked like he didn’t know whether he was coming or going when he pitched.” I couldn’t agree...

From George King III (NY Post): “I don’t see anybody hot to do anything,” an industry source said. “Everybody seems to be in a wait-and-see mode and that plays into how the Yankees have been working. Take Jason Bay, they can wait around like they did with Mark Teixeira last winter.” Hmm, this seems wrong....

Could we see this pairing together again in the near future? Maybe. Here’s Keith Law (ESPN) on Ben Sheets, who I discussed earlier today: Sheets ended up missing the entire 2009 season after surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in his elbow — that is, an elbow operation considered less serious than Tommy John surgery, with a six-to-12-month recovery time — but figures to have plenty of suitors hoping to sign him...

Recently, I wrote about the low-risk, high-upside talent that is Ben Sheets. After filing for free agency last winter, the 31-year old righty ended up having flexor tendon surgery prior to the 2009 season and, according to his agent Casey Close (an objective source if there ever was one), he is progressing well and will be ready for the spring....