On the Yankees beat

I talked to a different scout today, this one an NL scout but one who sees all 30 teams. Here are a couple excerpts from what he had to say. What he said about Dan Haren surprised me a bit, but I did look at Haren's splits and his ERA jumped each month this year (granted it started really really low). Still, in September opponents batted .342 off him. Here's the scout's take:

On Johan Santana -- where would he rank for you among best pitchers?
"He's the highest guy on my list, on my chart, and (Josh) Beckett's second, and there's not much separation between the two."

Three high-end starters rumored to be on the trade market are Santana, the Athletics' Dan Haren and the Orioles' Erik Bedard. How would you rank the three?
"Obviously Santana would be No. 1, Bedard would be No. 2, and Haren would be No. 3. I thought Haren declined in the second half of the season with his delivery and his command."

So you're not as high on Haren?
"I think he's a middle-of-the-rotation starter. ... Santana's at the top of the list among pitchers, Bedard has the ability to ascend to the top of the list, I don't think Dan Haren does. I do not think Dan Haren is a No.1 starter. I think he hit his peak at the All-Star Break."

And also Torii Hunter, a longtime teammate of Johan Santana's in Minnesota, was on the Stephen A. Smith show on ESPN Radio. Here's what he had to say:

I'm starting to feel like Johan Santana is dominating this space in an A-Rod type way. But that's the news of the week. Anyway, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman, the A's have made known that Dan Haren is on the market.

Between Haren and Santana, considering all the variables (not just who's the better pitcher), who would you rather the Yankees trade for. Haren was 15-9 with a 3.07 ERA this season. In 2006, he was 14-13 with a 4.12 ERA and in his career he is 49-44 with a 3.82 ERA. The right-hander is 27, just a year-and-a-half younger than Santana. Including a team option for 2010, a team that acquires him will have him thru 2010 for a total of $16.25 million. So in terms of dollars cost, he is certainly cheaper than Santana. The cost in players may be about the same, though.

What do you think, Santana or Haren?

Jorge Posada had some interesting things to say in the conference call announcing his resigning (officially) this afternoon. He talked about various topics. In addition to himself of course, he addressed the possible acquisition of Johan Santana and Andy Pettitte's status.

On potentially being able to stay with the Yankees his entire career: "Nowadays it's really tough to stay with one team, and I think the Yankees really made a strong push to keep me in a Yankee uniform and pinstripes. I was really happy that I was able to do that. To have your whole career with one team is not easy. I've got a chance to play in the new stadium, and that's something I really look forward to in '09."

On being a DH: "Right now, I'm a catcher, and looking forward to catching for four more years. After that, if I can still play, I would probably be a DH."
Did say the fallback of being able to DH on occasion made staying with Yankees more attractive than, say, going to the Mets.

On going after Johan Santana/the "kids" Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy: "I'll tell you what, I love the young kids. I love all three of them. I think they have a bright future. We need a No. 1. We really need a No. 1, and I think that's why we're going after Santana. I would love to have him."
Said he was really impressed with Santana when he caught him at the All-Star Game, was able to see some different things than when hitting against him. Also said he thinks Santana could be the missing piece.

On Andy Pettitte: "It's tough. I've been talking to him, I try to talk to him every week. It's tough, he's got a tough decision to make. Right now he's leaning towards retirement. ... It's tough that he's thinking this way. We're going to try to push him and get that competitive edge. He's going to make that decision probably around the middle of January."

The Jorge Posada signing is finally official. He's going to be on a conference call later this afternoon, and I'll share some of his comments later. Here's the Yankees' release on the signing:

Here's a veteran American League scout's take on Johan Santana. I wrote this as a sidebar for today's paper, but am having trouble finding it online. Thought some of you might enjoy it. This scout watched Santana pitch in the final two weeks of the season, during the period some people are concerned about, when Santana wasn't as effective as usual.

[Q]How do you think Santana would fare in New York?
[A]If he goes to the Yankees, I think he’ll be phenomenal. He could be like a Ron Guidry, although he doesn’t throw as hard. If he goes there, I think he’ll win 20 games or more every year. None of this 15-win stuff.
[Q]Santana had a tough finish (2-4 with a 5.11 ERA in his last seven games). Would that concern you if you were trading for him?
[A]No. I’d want to make sure he was healthy, but no. He’s such a competitor, such a big game pitcher, and with his team out of it … now, I don’t know this, but that can take a little tick out of your game. Not that you’re not trying, but just that little notch of competitive fire, when your team’s not in the race. He’s a grinder, and a great competitor, and a good kid, but that mental aspect is really important.
[Q]Some people have questioned if he might be starting to slide, like Barry Zito, and on his way down.
[A]No, no, no. They’re two different cats. Don’t even put Zito in the same sentence with Santana. I’ll take (Santana). I’ll take him everyday.
[Q]Where would Santana rank on your list of pitchers you’d pick if you had to win one game?
[A]He’d be my guy.
[Q]Over anybody in baseball?
[A]He’d be my guy, that’s right.

According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Twins are on the verge of a multi-player deal, but not one involving Johan Santana. The deal, according to the S-T, would bring outfielder Delmon Young, shortstop Brendan Harris and outfielder Jason Pridie from the Devil Rays and cost the Twins right-hander Matt Garza, shortstop Jason Bartlett and reliever Juan Rincon.

Not sure what that deal, if it gets done, would do to the Twins' interest in Melky Cabrera. Could be they plan to use Young in CF. Regardless, that's probably taking up most of Twins GM Bill Smith's time today.

To quote something my dad used to say when I was a kid, hold your horses, everybody. People wanting something to happen with Johan Santana in 15 minutes (or better yet, yesterday) need to chill a little bit. This is not a simple swap, one player for another. If Santana gets traded, it will be a blockbuster deal that requires a team to give up a lot in return. That means it's unlikely to happen quickly. My guess is no trade will happen before next week's winter meetings, at the earliest.

I've seen this several places today, but first caught it on the WasWatching.com blog. Johnny Damon's in Thailand for a couple days, doing some baseball clinics/appearances and generally being received as a returning war hero. His mother is from Thailand, and met his father, a U.S. serviceman, while he was serving there. But according to the stories, this is Johnny's first time there since he was two years old. Sounds like a pretty cool trip to me.

So Yankees senior VP Hank Steinbrenner has publicly acknowledged that the Yankees are talking with the Twins about Johan Santana. It would appear that Steinbrenner plans to be more open and up-front about things going on with the Yankees than has been the norm. At least, that's what he's doing so far -- answering questions when asked. Do you like this, or not?

As a reporter, it's great for me to have someone I need to talk to be accessible. As fans, do you like it?

BTW, those of you suggesting the Yankees should just sign Santana next year when he becomes a free agent should realize that the chances of him ever reaching free agency next winter are slim-to-none. It's highly likely he'll sign a contract extension with whichever team trades for him. If you don't support the Yankees giving up what it takes (Hughes, Cabrera, Kennedy, et al.,) to get him, that's fine. I just want to make sure you know Santana's not likely to get to the free agent market.

Someone asked for all the winter league numbers, so here they are. And if they don't match exactly with the few I put up earlier, it's because I updated some of the Dominican numbers so there's an extra game included:

􀃎 RHP Scott Patterson (1-1, 1.02 ERA) has allowed only 2ER in 17.2IP over 15 appearances with the Cardenales de Lara of the Venezuelan Winter League (2BB, 14K, .213 opp. avg.).
􀃎 SS Alberto Gonzalez is batting .362 (17-for-47), hitting safely in nine of his 12 games with the Bravos de Margarita of the Venezuelan Winter League.
􀃎 INF Wilson Betemit has hit in seven of his 10 games with Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Winter League and is batting .357 overall (10-for-28) with 2HR and 7RBI.
􀃎 RHP Jose Veras (0-0, 0.00) has not allowed a run in four relief appearances (3.2IP, 2BB, 6K) with Leones del Escogido.
􀃎 OF Austin Jackson completed his Hawaiian Baseball League campaign tied for the league lead with five triples and 25 runs scored…also ranked second with 18 extra-base hits, tied for third with 10
doubles and 8SB, and ranked fourth with 22RBI…reached base safely in 33 of 39 games, including a league-high 24 consecutive games from 10/6-11/9.
􀃎 RHP Jeff Karstens led Team USA, going 2-0 with a 0.69ERA over 13.0IP (10H, 1ER, 9K, 1BB) as the Americans won the IBAF World Cup…tossed 7.0 innings, allowing 1ER (5H, 7K, 0BB) and earning the win
in Team USA’s quarterfinal victory against Korea on 11/16…overall, with Team USA in tournament and exhibition play, Karstens recorded a 1.37 ERA (19.2IP, 3ER) with 17 strikeouts and just one walk
while holding opponents to a .194 batting average (14-for-72).
􀃎 OF Brett Gardner hit safely in 24 of 26 games and reached base safely in all but one contest, playing for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League…scored 10 runs over his final five games (11/9-
15)…led the AFL with 16 stolen bases and 27 runs scored, while ranking second with 32 hits.
Organizational Winter Stats (New York Yankees) Individual Statistics As of: 11/26/2007 12:51 AM EST
GI ---GAMES BY POSITION---
BATTERS CLUB LEAGUE AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB IBB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS SF SAC HBP DP 1B 2B 3B SS OF C E
# Betemit, Wilson Leones del Escogido DWL .357 9 28 6 10 0 0 2 7 7 0 10 0 0 .486 .571 1.057 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 2
Cervelli, Francisco Cardenales de Lara VWL .235 9 17 1 4 1 0 0 0 8 0 6 0 0 .480 .294 .774 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 2
# Corona, Reegie Peoria Javelinas AFL .188 14 48 7 9 3 0 1 8 7 0 10 4 0 .291 .313 .603 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 14 0 0 2
* Gardner, Brett Peoria Javelinas AFL .343 26 108 27 37 0 2 0 10 17 0 17 16 1 .433 .380 .813 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 23 0 1
Gonzalez, Alberto Bravos de Margarita VWL .362 12 47 6 17 1 1 1 7 0 0 2 1 1 .375 .489 .864 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 12 0 0 1
Gonzalez, Edwar Cardenales de Lara VWL .278 22 54 3 15 2 0 1 7 1 0 10 2 2 .298 .370 .669 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 16 0 1
Jackson, Austin Honolulu Sharks HWB .271 39 133 25 36 10 5 3 22 18 0 38 8 1 .368 .489 .856 1 1 3 2 0 0 0 0 37 0 1
* Manzanillo, Gerson Bravos de Margarita VWL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
# Mendoza, Carlos Cardenales de Lara VWL .244 30 86 15 21 3 0 1 5 12 0 18 1 0 .350 .314 .664 0 1 2 2 0 1 28 1 0 0 6
* Miranda, Juan Peoria Javelinas AFL .295 22 78 16 23 5 0 5 17 16 0 18 0 0 .423 .551 .974 1 0 2 3 21 0 0 0 0 0 1
# Suttle, Brad Honolulu Sharks HWB .100 29 80 7 8 3 0 1 6 15 0 30 0 1 .250 .175 .425 0 0 1 2 0 0 26 0 0 0 3
# Vechionacci, Marcos Navegantes del Magallanes VWL .307 27 88 12 27 5 2 3 12 4 3 12 1 0 .337 .511 .848 0 1 0 2 1 0 20 0 0 0 4
PITCHERS CLUB LEAGUE W-L ERA G GS CG SHO SV SVO IP H R ER HR HB BB IBB SO BK WP GO/AO DP WHIP AVG AB TBF SF GF HLD
Claggett, Anthony Honolulu Sharks HWB 1-1 6.04 14 0 0 0 0 1 22.1 29 16 15 1 1 9 0 14 0 5 0.93 1 1.70 .305 95 107 0 4 0
Jackson, Steven Peoria Javelinas AFL 0-1 5.63 9 0 0 0 0 0 16.0 21 10 10 2 0 7 1 19 0 1 1.64 0 1.75 .304 69 77 1 0 1
Karstens, Jeff Team USA 2-0 1.37 4 4 0 0 0 0 19.2 14 3 3 2 0 1 0 17 0 0 -- 0 0.76 .194 72 74 0 0 0
Kontos, George Honolulu Sharks HWB 3-4 3.71 8 7 0 0 0 0 34.0 34 16 14 1 0 10 0 42 0 3 0.97 3 1.29 .264 129 140 1 1 0
* Kozlowski, Ben Estrellas de Oriente DWL 0-0 5.00 12 0 0 0 1 2 9.0 14 8 5 0 2 6 0 7 0 0 1.22 1 2.22 .368 38 48 1 1 2
Nova, Ivan Leones del Escogido DWL 1-0 0.00 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0.33 0 0.60 .000 5 6 0 1 0
Ohlendorf, Ross Peoria Javelinas AFL 0-0 3.52 6 0 0 0 0 0 7.2 8 3 3 0 0 4 0 3 0 0 2.50 1 1.57 .267 30 34 0 1 3
Patterson, Scott Cardenales de Lara VWL 1-1 1.02 15 0 0 0 2 3 17.2 13 2 2 1 1 2 0 14 0 0 0.54 2 0.85 .213 61 68 1 5 4
Ramirez, Edwar Tigres del Licey DWL 0-0 4.50 2 0 0 0 0 0 2.0 1 1 1 0 0 3 0 2 0 1 1.00 0 2.00 .143 7 10 0 0 1
* Soto, Edgar Aguilas del Zulia VWL 0-0 13.50 4 0 0 0 0 0 2.2 4 4 4 0 1 3 2 1 0 0 7.00 1 2.63 .364 11 15 0 2 0
Veras, Jose Leones del Escogido DWL 0-0 0.00 4 0 0 0 0 0 3.2 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 6 0 0 1.50 0 1.09 .154 13 15 0 1 1
Villalona, Bryan Leones del Escogido DWL 0-0 18.00 3 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.00 0 2.00 .400 5 5 0 1 0
Whelan, Kevin Peoria Javelinas AFL 0-0 12.00 3 0 0 0 0 0 3.0 5 4 4 0 0 4 1 4 0 0 1.50 0 3.00 .357 14 18 0 0 0
White, Steven Peoria Javelinas AFL 0-1 6.23 7 3 0 0 0 0 17.1 19 14 12 2 1 6 1 11 0 1 1.32 3 1.44 .275 69 77 1 1 1
Wordekemper, Eric Peoria Javelinas AFL 1-0 2.89 8 0 0 0 1 1 9.1 8 4 3 0 0 2 0 8 0 0 0.58 0 1.07 .229 35 37 0 6 1
* left-handed; # switch-hitter AFL=Arizona Fall League; DWL=Dominican Winter League; HWB=Hawaiian Winter Baseball; VWL=Venezuelan Winter League

Pretty quiet day here, so I'll just pass along a few tidbits. Nothing too juicy.

The Yankees sent out some minor league updates on how players are faring this offseason, and here are a few highlights:

Most of the players in the Dominican Winter League are with the Leones del Escogido, one of two teams in Santo Domingo.
Wilson Betemit is batting .313 with two homers and seven RBIs in 10 games for Escogido. Jose Veras has not allowed a run in five games and 4 2/3 innings. He's allowed three hits, two walks and struck out eight.
There's also a lot of guys in the Venezuelan Winter League. Alberto Gonzalez is hitting .362 with a homer and seven RBIs in 12 games for the Bravos de Margarita (just two strikeouts). Marcos Vechionacci is hitting .307 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 27 games for los Navegantes del Magallanes. Scott Patterson has a 1.02 ERA in 15 games and 17 2/3 innings pitched for los Carrdenales de Lara -- two walks, 14 strikeouts.

Also, MLB released news on playoff shares. The Yankees awarded 47 full shares, 11.83 partial shares and one cash award, with each full share worth $26,304.22.

Here's my story from today's paper on Johan Santana, who the Twins are looking at trading. He turned down a four-year, $80-million contract extension offer, and wants a longer deal. I'e been told he would waive his no-trade clause for either the Yankees or Mets (as well as others). The Yankees are very interested, and have already had conversations with the Twins about Santana.

Here's the story about the 28-year-old two-time Cy Young Award winner: http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/ny-spyanks1124,0,5961517.story

Sounds like Johan Santana is on the trading block. The Twins recently offered him a four-year, $80-million contract extension that would have extended through 2012. He turned it down, and they are now looking at trading him.

If you were Yankees GM Brian Cashman, what would you give up to get Santana in pinstripes? Just about anything? The guy is a 28-year-old lefthander who has already won two Cy Young Awards, has posted a season ERA above 3.10 just once in the last five years and has made at least 33 starts each of the last four seasons (since becoming a full-time starter). What would you give up to get him?

I saw this project on waswatching.com by Steve Lombardi, who runs that blog/website. I thought you guys might be interested so I'm passing it along here. He's trying to organize fans to let Andy Pettitte know how much they want him back. He's named it P46, aiming to get fans (his goal is 100,000!) to send Pettitte a note or card telling him how much they want him to return. Here's a link to the website: http://www.waswatching.com/archives/2007/11/project_p46_upd.html#comments

Hope everybody had a good Thanksgiving.

Hi everyone, I've been told none of the Yankees' contracts will be finalized formally until next week -- that means Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Alex Rodriguez's re-introduction press conferences will have to wait. One reason is the short workweek due to Thanksgiving.

So unless there is some news that comes out, I won't have any blog updates until after Thanksgiving. I hope everybody has a wonderful Thanksgiving, hopefully with family or at the very least friends.

The Yankees have finalized their coaching staff for 2008. Though the names have been out there for awhile, the official announcement is as follows:

Hitting coach -- Kevin Long is back
First base coach -- Tony Pena returns
Bench coach -- Rob Thomson, formerly the major league field coordinator
Pitching coach -- Dave Eiland, formerly the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre pitching coach
Third base coach -- Bobby Meacham, formerly the Padres' first base coach
Bullpen coach -- Mike Harkey, formerly the pitching coach for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs

Both Meacham and Harkey were on manager Joe Girardi's staff with the Marlins in 2006.

So in terms of retaining their key potential free agents, the Yankees have so far locked up three out of four. Jorge Posada, Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera have all at least told the Yankees that they plan to accept the contract offers from the club, evven if physicals have yet to be passed. Technically, you could also say they'e ensured the return of four players, as the Yankees picked up the option on Bobby Abreu, but the Yankees had full control in that situation. The big question remaining is whether Andy Pettitte will return or retire.

The Yankees know Pettitte's pitching for them is hugely important. In a conversation with Hank Steinbrenner yesterday afternoon, he mentioned Pettitte about a half-dozen times. He said he expects the team's pitching to be better and knows it will be if Pettitte is back.

Alex Rodriguez was solid on the conference call yesterday. He said all the things fans would want him to, about being appreciative of an MVP but also that he would trade his three MVP Awards for one World Series title. As for questions about recent events, he said he'll address those all at an appropriate time.

Of the five players mentioned above -- Rodriguez, Posada, Rivera, Pettitte and Abreu -- which one are you most excited to see back (or would you be in Pettitte's case)? Which one do you think is most critical to the Yankees' success in 2008?

As expected, Alex Rodriguez won the MVP Award, though not unanimously. According to the Associated Press, the two voters who did not vote Rodriguez as the AL MVP were both from the Detroit area -- Tom Gage of the Detroit News and Jim Hawkins of the Oakland (Mich.) Press. Both their votes went to the Tigers' Magglio Ordonez, who finished second in voting.

I'm getting on a conference call with Rodriguez and the other baseball writers in a couple minutes. I'll let you know what he has to say.

Hi everybody, I (Kat) am back from vacation, with a big thanks to Jim and Ken for covering all the Yankees news in what turned out to be a very eventful 11 days or so. It's funny, but after A-Rod opted out and Andy Pettitte announced he wouldn't be making a decision on 2008 in the immediate future, Jim and I thought things might be kind of quiet by Yankees standards, with the big news to be negotiations with Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera. Silly us!!

I was out of the country, somewhere (Spain) where my cell phone doesn't work and baseball is not popular in the least. So I was pretty surprised to log onto the internet late last week and see that the Yankees and Alex Rodriguez were not only negotiating, but already close to agreement on a contract. Wow!
Right after that I was headed to eat with some Spanish friends, and was trying to explain what the equivalent would be with Rodriguez. The closest I got was David Beckham, who had played for the futbol (soccer) team Real Madrid until earlier this year. Like Rodriguez, he's not only a top player but also someone who's always in the headlines -- in his case for his famous wife, glamorous lifestyle and also disagreements with the Real Madrid coach. But Beckham's not the top player in his sport as Rodriguez arguably is, so a better comparison might be Ronaldinho, who plays for Barcelona's team, Barca. Anyway, it was interesting trying to explain the news over there.

Either way, Rodriguez is set to be announced this afternoon as the American League MVP. There's no real mystery about that. Later in the week, his blockbuster countract with the Yankees should be finalized.
Also likely to be finalized this week is a contract with Mariano Rivera. Jorge Posada's deal got done while I was gone. So it appears things will not change quite as much as feared next year for the Yankees. They just have to convince Andy Pettitte to come back now. My guess is that will happen sometime after Thanksgiving but before Christmas.

Well, gang, Kat returns from vacation today, and I'm handing the keys to the blog back to her. I had a good time for these two weeks, and, man, what an eventful two weeks.

Jorge Posada is back thanks to a guaranteed fourth year.

Alex Rodriguez is back thanks to Goldman Sachs, Warren Buffett and Mariano, too.

And now Mariano Rivera is about to be back, thanks to $15 million per year.

Phew!

Anyway, I won't be a stranger, and you better not be one, either. Sources tell me I will be getting my own blog in the coming weeks, so please say hello every now and again.

All indications right now point to Mariano Rivera returning to the Yankees, accepting their three-year, $45-million offer.

Rivera is scheduled to speak with his agent Fern Cuza in about an hour, and the longtime Yankees closer is expected to advise his agent to move forward with the Yankees.

More information later.

UPDATE: Here's my story for tomorrow's paper.

Alex Rodriguez is quite the character.

A-Rod was so distraught over the death of his Yankees career, he couldn't stop thinking about it. That's what his friends say. So what does he do? He calls Warren Buffett! Why didn't I think of that?!?!

I picture Buffett sitting alone in his mansion, reading the paper and sipping hot tea when the phone rings faintly in the background. The maid walks in and says, "Mr. Buffett. It's Alex on the phone, you know, the nice guy who plays for the Yankees. He needs some advice."

Buffett picks up and listens.

"Uh huh, yes, right, sure, sure. I see.

"Here's what you do. You have to go directly to the Yankees. But they're not going to want to take your calls right now because their really mad. So you must circumvent this.

"So call your friend at Goldman Sachs. Mallory is his name, right? He might know who deals with the YES Network for them. They have a big stake in that network.

"Anyway, tell them to tell the Steinbrenners you're willing to negotiate directly with the Yankees, without that agent of yours. Oh, and tell them you want to tell Hank Steinbrenner you want to be a Yankee. He really likes that."

Warren Buffett. He's the man with the answers.

Sick of reading about A-Rod? We hope not. 10 more years! 10 more years! But let's take a break from A-Rod to mention two other Yankee-related stories.

Wonder if Mariano Rivera knows anyone at Goldman Sachs who can help him bridge the gap with the Yankees. Because right now there's a serious impasse in the talks. The Yankees have offered $45 million over three years -- a very significant offer for a closer who's about to turn 38, as Hank Steinbrenner pointed out. But Mariano wants a fourth year guaranteed. No way, right? But at the same time he's Mariano Rivera. If he gets that somewhere else, will you really let him walk?

Secondly, what an awful two-day stretch for Derek Jeter. First, A-Rod returns, and let's not kid ourselves here. As much as that helps the Yankees lineup, Jeter can't be too happy -- you guys all have seen his comments and read between the lines. And now there's this little tax dispute with New York, one that could cost him millions. Yikes.

So get this.

Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees agreed to the financial parameters of the deal days ago, I'm told by someone familiar with the negotiations. It is a 10-year deal believed to guarantee him about $275 million.

A-Rod and Hank and Hal Steinbrenner may have met in person yesterday for the first time, but it wasn't the first time they spoke. No, no, no. They actually started speaking again over the telephone a few days ago, the person told me, adding that their negotiations on a new contract started really heating up over the weekend.

A-Rod did the talking with Hank and Hal. Not his agent, Scott Boras.

The person familiar with the negotiations told me it was clear when A-Rod first started seriously talking about a return to the Yankees, that he did so out of regret for how everything broke down, and out of fear that the Yankees were through with him. And it was clear Boras was not in the picture. At least not early on.

I have also confirmed that the "third-party" that is responsible for setting this all up were Goldman Sachs employees John Mallory and Gerald Cardinale.

When A-Rod decided he wanted to return to the Yankees, he called Mallory, with whom he has had a working relationship. Mallory, who works on the banking end and is based in Los Angeles, then reached out to Cardinale, who is an investor who works closely with the Yankees regarding the YES Network.

Cardinale, I'm told, spent the last 7-to-10 days alternating calls to the Brothers Steinbrenner and Rodriguez, trying to sooth everything over between the parties. He is believed to be the most instrumental person in getting both sides to the table.

Although the terms were decided days ago, the contract is not finished.

Not yet. But it will.

A contract of this magnitude takes a while to finalize.

Here's the story Ken Davidoff and I reported and wrote about A-Rod's kiss-and-make-up session with The Brothers Steinbrenner. What a truly amazing turn of events. And as much as the Yankees surely want to make this seem as if it was solely A-Rod's doing, keep in mind the Yankees very much had a need for this to happen, too. I think this was more or less both sides realizing they were better off with each other than without.

One interesting side note: I spoke last night with hitting coach Kevin Long, who as you know is tight with A-Rod. He said when he was negotiating his own contract with Brian Cashman, it just so happened to be days after A-Rod opted out. And even back then A-Rod was telling him he wanted to still be a Yankee. Long brought that to Cashman, who basically dismissed it. But that could have been the first seed planted here.

When Long heard the news yesterday, he sent A-Rod a text message saying, "If this is true, you're going to have an awfully happy hitting coach if this happens."

A-Rod's reply: "We're working on it."

So, remember those reports today that the Yankees will only negotiate with Alex Rodriguez as long as he doesn't bring his friend Scott Boras with him?

Michael Weiner, general counsel for the Players Association, told Newsday's Ken Davidoff, “the union has been assured that the Yankees will respect Alex’s decision to designate Scott Boras as his representative.”

Boras was not on the call today in which Rodriguez told Hank & Hal Steinbrenner and other team officials he wanted to come back and was willing to make sacrifices. But he will be a part of the negotiations. He's his agent.

Maybe Joe Torre can now come back, too? Nahhhhhh.

By the way, on a totally random note... Did you see the Pope is coming to Yankee Stadium next April? I was wondering, do you think the religion reporters who follow him around will sit in the press box? Okay, okay, back to A-Rod.

The way Derek Jeter spoke about A-Rod's opt-out, he didn't sound too bummed. Remember these?

"One thing I've learned getting to know the Steinbrenners, especially Hank and Hal, is that they are men of their word. They've made a statement. I don't know exactly what's going on, or what's going on in the front office, but it looks like it's not going to happen."
-- Nov. 1, on WFAN

“There’s not too many people in the game who do the things he does, but we’re trying to win. It takes more than one person to win. Other teams that have won haven’t had numbers like that put up, so you don’t necessarily have to have that type of numbers to win.”
-- Nov. 9, at Joe Torre's foundation dinner

This just in from the Yankees media relations staff:

"Hideki Matsui underwent surgery this morning for an arthroscopic cleaning of the inside of his right knee. The procedure was performed by Dr. Scott Rodeo at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Matsui will begin his rehabilitation program on Friday in New York and is scheduled to be ready for the start of spring training."

Now back to A-Rod. By the way, wonder what Jeter thinks of today's developments?

By Jim Baumbach & Ken Davidoff

Alex Rodriguez has told the Yankees that he would like remain in pinstripes, Hank Steinbrenner told Newsday this afternoon.

A-Rod, in a statement on www.arod.com posted at 3:27 this afternoon, said he has spoken directly to the Steinbrenner family. He is believed to have spoken to Hank and Hal Steinbrenner today.

“It appears at this point that he wants to be a Yankee.” Steinbrenner said in a cell phone conversation.

Despite so vigorously stating they would not negotiate with A-Rod after he opted out, the Yankees are entertaining this surprising new development because Rodriguez is willing to take sacrifices.

So I just got back from Career Day at my old high school and I'm reading these A-Rod reports of talks behind Scott Boras' back. Wow. I guess right now the big game is trying to figure out how much of this is true and how much of this is posturing from both sides.

We're on the case and will report back soon.

Hank Steinbrenner confirmed to Newsday's Ken Davidoff that the Yankees' offer to Mariano Rivera has been increased to $45 million over three years, and the Steinbrenner son noted, "it's a very good offer for a 38-year-old pitcher." Well played, Hank. Well played. I've got to believe Mo accepts this offer eventually. Does he want the moon, too?

What's up with that headshot of me in the upper left corner of the page? It's so 1999. Besides, this is Kat's blog, and I've requested that only her photo is posted. Don't want to be stepping on her feet. She checked in from vacation, by the way, and says hi.

Want to send a public thank you to Ken Davidoff for covering for me last night. I scored tickets to the Dave Matthews concert at the Continental ... er ... Brendan Byrne ... er ... IZOD Arena. Yeah, that's right. Anyway, fourth time I've seen Dave in person.

One time when I was on the Yankee beat I almost saw U2 in Toronto. After a day game I walked across the street to the Air Canada Centre. But the only scalper I found wanted $200 in Canadian money, and this was an hour into the show. I tried the walk-away method, hoping he'd budge, but he didn't. Bernie Williams got in and told me the next day how great it was. Great. I don't think he needed a scalper, either.

No word yet on how exactly Jorge Posada's four-year, $52.4-million contract breaks down the salary year-by-year, but for argument's sake let's say he will be paid an even $13.1 million each year. Here's how that compares to other catchers' 2008 salaries:

1. Jorge Posada, Yankees, $13.1 million
2. Ivan Rodriguez, Tigers, $13 million
3. Jason Varitek, Red Sox, $9 million
4. Ramon Hernandez, Orioles, $7.5 million
5. Joe Mauer, Twins, $6.25 million
6. Bengie Molina, Giants, $6 million
7. A.J. Pierzynski, White Sox, $5.5 million
8. Kenji Johjima, Mariners, $5.2 million
9. Brian Schnieder, Nationals, $4.9 million
10. Victor Martinez, Indians, $4.25 million
11. Gregg Zaun, Blue Jays, $3.75 million
12. Johnny Estrada, Brewers, $3.4 million
13. Henry Blanco, Cubs, $2.8 million
14. Dave Ross, Reds, $2.5 million
15. Brad Ausmus, Astros, $2 million

It's a good day to be Yorvit Torrealba.

*SOURCE: Cot's Baseball Contracts

Give Jorge Posada credit. He knew what he wanted, a guaranteed four-year deal, and was willing to do whatever it took to get it. The Yankees obviously took him seriously. They could have simply made their second offer a three-year deal with a vesting fourth-year option. But they obviously feared to some degree what the Mets would throw at Posada, so they weren't taking any chances. Just hours before Posada could have begun negotiations with other teams, the Yankees gave him a four-year, $52.4-million deal, and he said, YES! Time to update his Yankeeography.

So what's next on the agenda:

Sign Mariano Rivera.

He's now a full-fledged free agent, but I'd be surprised to see Mariano going on any free-agent tours ala Carlpalooza. (What would they call it, Mopalooza? Marianolooza? Riverapalooza?) Figure they'll start talking again soon and get this done.

Call Mike Lowell.

Just a few days ago the Yankees seemed certain Lowell was heading back to Boston. But it hasn't happened, and the Yankees are going to do their due dilligence. Brian Cashman admitted last night he's going to check in soon, and maybe an offer won't be far behind. Unlike a few winters ago, free agency now moves quickly. Lowell could be signed somewhere within a week. In Ken Davidoff's story today, he writes that Lowell leaving the Red Sox could open the door there for that guy they call A-Rod.

Wished I could have gotten this to you quicker, but it's been a crazy two hours. Just finished reporting and writing my story for the newspaper about Jorge Posada's deal: he has agreed to a four-year, $52.4-million contract, according to a person familiar with the situation. So he got the four guaranteed years he was looking for. Mariano Rivera, however, will become a full-fledged free agent in 40 minutes.

Will sign on early tomorrow to discuss this further. I need some sleep. I'm out of shape with this job!

When's Kat getting back? :)