We all know the Yankees offseason has been one step away from being a PR disaster, and Brian Cashman isn't exactly helping (article found here).

One of the most surprising things said during the interview was his plans for Derek Jeter:

"I'd be surprised if he plays SS for all 4 years. I see him moving to OF."

Obviously this isn't a surprise for most fans. Jeter's defensive decline at SS has been well documented and a Gold Glove did nothing to help his cause. Still, to hear this come from a usually tight-lipped and savvy GM is quite a shock. I would have to believe that Jeter was aware of this when he signed the dotted line on his newest mega-contract, otherwise we could be in for another highly public battle between the face of the franchise and the FO in a couple of years (or sooner).

The same radio caller then asked Cashman a very straightforward question: Who was the better team, the Red Sox or his own Yankees?

 "Red Sox. But we have better bullpen."

Again, nothing monumental. The question is how long the Steinbrenner's will deal with such candid responses. This comes only weeks after Cashman acknowledged that the Steinbrenner's had gone over his head in the wake of the Rafael Soriano signing. 

Would George have stood for this? Better yet, would Cashman have dared to answer so candidly with The Boss around? If the Yankees hadn't had such a disastrous winter, this wouldn't have even been news. However, after missing out on both Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford and then dealing with Derek Jeter's contract situation this stands out. 

Is Cashman on his way out?

Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald has an excellent article about Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez this morning.  Martinez explained that unlike some other players, he doesn't want to test free agency:

"I don't want to be jumping around, I don’t want to go somewhere else,  First, I didn’t want to go out of the Indians organization. Then I'm out, and now I'm here. I came to the place where a lot of players dream to come and a lot of players wish to play here in Boston. So I'm here, I do really want to stay here and hopefully end my career in Boston."

Regarding possible extension talks, Martinez says he's "open now until the season starts."  The Red Sox have a shot at getting a reasonable deal done, just as the Indians did when they locked Martinez up for five years at $15.5MM back in '05.  For more Martinez discussion, check out this MLBTR post from Wednesday.

per mlbtraderumors.com

Good news. I'm a huge V-Mart fan.

FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Red Sox have signed Joe Nelson to a minor league deal.

MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez spoke with Nelson, who said that three or four teams were interested, but that Boston was the best fit.

Nelson pitched for Tampa Bay in 2009, posting a 4.02 ERA in 40 1/3 innings. The 35-year-old righty will have to earn a shot at the big club out of spring training, and his walk rate will have to improve over 2009 (27 in those 40 1/3 innings) to stick with Boston.

The battle for the pen' begins.

With Opening Day only a few months away the inevitable Red Sox vs. Yankees comparisons are starting to rear their ugly heads. Hot Stove season is over, and barring any blockbuster moves, each roster appears to be set. 

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per: http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/11/billy-wagner-could-accept-arbitration.html

Billy Wagner's agent Bean Stringfellow says not to rule out his client accepting an arbitration offer from the Red Sox, according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.  Stringfellow said that prior to a recent meeting with his client, he believed there was no chance Wagner would accept.  Wagner loved his experience with the Red Sox enough that it's now a possibility.  Stringfellow "fully anticipates" an arbitration offer by the Red Sox.  Wagner is a Type A free agent, so the Sox will snag two draft picks if he declines the offer and signs elsewhere.

Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports learned from Stringfellow that six teams called about Wagner so far, all of them interested in him as a closer.  The writers noted that the Tigers, Astros, Rays, Orioles, and Braves have the need.

Looks like a win-win here. He accepts and we get another year of what seemed to be a rejuvenated Billy Wagner. Otherwise we go back to the original draft picks outcome. Nice.

3:55pm: Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com says Kotsay was designated for assignment, not waived. This gives the Red Sox ten days to make their next move.

2:17pm: The Red Sox put Mark Kotsay on waivers to make room for the recently-acquiredAdam LaRoche, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. If no team claims Kotsay within 48 hours, the Red Sox can release him or assign him to the minor leagues. The 33-year-old has an OPS of .615 in 27 games at first base and as an outfielder.

It's unfortunate, especially when you got a class act like Kotsay. Lets just hope Laroche performs.

Interesting article on MLBTR. Speculating on the idea of the Sox trading for V-Mart.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports sets up a new line of trade speculatin' today: he asks whether the Indians might be willing to take offers on catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez in the near future.  The Indians would have to fall out of contention first (they're currently 7.5 games out), and even then it'd be a long shot.  Martinez, 30, is hitting a robust .401/.478/.632 in 178 plate appearances this year.  He has $4.3MM more coming this year and an easily-decided $7MM club option for 2010.

Rosenthal says the Red Sox already inquired on Martinez about a month ago.  While "premium players on both sides" were discussed, "the talks failed to progress."  Rosenthal speculates on names such as Clay Buchholz, Daniel Bard, and Lars Anderson.

Rosenthal doesn't mention them, but the Mets could be a nice fit for V-Mart if Carlos Delgado's injury puts him out for several months.

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Awful news today.  TMZ reports that Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed in a felony hit-and-run car accident early this morning.  Two others (one affiliated with the Angels organization) were killed in the crash, and the offender was caught and hospitalized.  The 22 year-old had just tossed six scoreless innings the night before, the best performance of his young career. 

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MLBTR has learned tonight that the Red Sox have signed outfielder Brad Wilkerson to a minor league deal with roster and playing time incentives.  Wilkerson, 31, hit .220/.308/.326 in 309 plate appearances for the Mariners and Blue Jays in 2008.  The Ms signed Wilkerson last year for $3MM but designated him for assignment before May.   

Nice low risk signing again. Guess he will have a chance to make the roster, it will be interesting to see what the Sox are going to do with 3 major league ready outfielders, Kotsay, Baldelli, and Wilkerson.