The trade deadline has passed and we are now into August, and that means it is time for another edition of our MLB Trade Rumors archives series. After all, what good are trade rumors if we’re only going to look at them once, and forget about them five minutes later? Few things in baseball can made you facepalm quite like old rumors.

Anyway, the Yankees were 56-51 and only three games back of the second Wild Card spot on the morning of August 1st, 2013. They added Alfonso Soriano prior to the trade deadline and that was pretty much it despite glaring needs up and down the roster. The rotation, the bullpen, the infield, all over. Let’s dive into another round of old school trade rumors.

August 1st, 2013: Yankees Sign Leonardo Molina

The Yankees have signed 16-year-old Dominican outfielder Leonardo Molina for a $1.4MM bonus, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America. Molina, who ranked as the No. 5 international prospect according to both BA and MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez, had to wait until August 1 to sign, as he just turned 16 years old today.

The 2013-14 international signing period was the first with the soft bonus pools. MLB hastily implemented the system in 2012 — all 30 teams had a $2.9M bonus pool for the 2012-13 signing period — then tailored it a bit the following year. The Yankees had a $1.88M bonus pool (!) for the 2013-14 signing period and they gave almost all of it to Molina, who has yet to make it out of Single-A and is currently hitting .261/.301/.372 for Low-A Charleston. That 2013-14 signing period netted the Yankees nothing worthwhile.

August 2nd, 2013: Yankees Designate Thomas Neal For Assignment

The Yankees have designated outfielder Thomas Neal for assignment, reports MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (via Twitter). After a brief call-up, he had been optioned to Triple-A by the club last week to make way for Alfonso Soriano.

The Yankees signed Neal as a minor league free agent prior to the 2013 season and he was the “OMG why aren’t they calling this guy up???” guy. Neal hit .325/.391/.411 (130 wRC+) in 72 games with Scranton, the Yankees called him up, he went 2-for-11 in four games, then he was designated for assignment. The Cubs claimed him on waivers and he went 0-for-4 for them. He’s been out of baseball since 2015. So many random players on those 2013 Yankees.

August 5th, 2013: Yankees Designated Brent Lillibridge For Assignment

The Yankees have designated infielder Brent Lillibridge for assignment, according to Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter). David Adams was recalled to take his roster spot, adds McCullough.

Like I said, so many random players on those 2013 Yankees. The Yankees got Lillibridge in a cash trade with the Cubs and he played eleven games in pinstripes. In one of those games he had a go-ahead ninth inning single against Joe Nathan. In another game he batted second. I will always and forever remember Lillibridge for these catches on back-to-back plays in 2011 though.

What a dumb game that was.

August 7th, 2013: Rodriguez Appeals 211-Game Suspension

WEDNESDAY: Rodriguez has officially filed his appeal of the suspension, tweets David Waldstein of the New York Times. The MLBPA has confirmed the appeal, tweets David Lennon of Newsday.

MONDAY: Major League Baseball has announced that Alex Rodriguez has officially been suspended for 211 games. That punishment would take effect on Thursday, August 8. However, unlike the other 12 players who were issued suspensions today, Rodriguez will appeal his suspension and therefore be allowed to play until that appeal has been heard.

Twelve players were suspended 50 games for their ties to Biogenesis. A-Rod, the 13th player, was suspended for the remainder of the 2013 season plus the entire 2014 season because they had more evidence against him. Or something like that. I forget, exactly. Anyway, A-Rod went scorched Earth after that. Among other things, his lawyer Joe Tacopina made the sports radio rounds and claimed the Yankees made Alex play through a torn hip labrum in 2012 in an effort to shorten his career. Rodriguez then sued everyone. The Yankees, the team doctors, MLB, MLBPA, you name it. His suspension was later reduced to 162 games and he played out the stretch in 2013, which led to this classic A-Rod game.

After the game A-Rod was asked whether Ryan Dempster should be suspended for throwing at him. “I’m the wrong guy to be asking about suspensions,” he replied. The king.

August 15th, 2013: Yankees To Sign Mark Reynolds

The Yankees have agreed to terms with Mark Reynolds, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports. Heyman indicates that Reynolds will “help with their righthanded power,” and indicates he’ll be used to spell Alex Rodriguez at third and Lyle Overbay at first. If that’s the case, Reynolds would likely play in place of the left-handed Overbay against lefty starters.

Reynolds packed a lot into his 36 games with the Yankees. He drove in three runs and went 2-for-5 with a homer at Fenway Park in his first game with the team. He also hit his 200th career homer in pinstripes. And he made his first big league start at second base when Robinson Cano needed a day after taking a pitch to the hand. Reynolds also hit a 14th inning home run in Game 162 to give the Yankees a win. Dude hit .236/.300/.455 (106 wRC+) with six homers in 36 games with the Yankees. Not bad for a midseason scrap heap pickup.

Also, on the day they signed Reynolds, New York’s right-handed batters were hitting .223/.283/.324 (66 wRC+) in 2,005 plate appearances. I am not joking.

August 19th, 2013: Yankees Release Luis Cruz

FRIDAY: The Yankees have designated infielder Luis Cruz for assignment in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for the newly signed Mark Reynolds, according to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (on Twitter). The Yankees optioned right-hander Preston Claiborne to Triple-A to open up a 25-man roster spot, Hoch adds.

Cruz played 16 games with the Yankees and I don’t know whether to be surprised it was that many, or that few. They cycled through so many random infielders that season. Seven different players started a game at shortstop that year and all seven made at least five starts. Five made at least ten starts. The best thing Cruz did as a Yankee was set up Manny Machado for this play:

After his time with the Yankees came to an end, Cruz spent a few years in Japan, and he’s currently playing in Mexico. Dude is hitting .307/.357/.602 with the Diablos Rojos del Mexico.

August 20th, 2013: Quick Hits: Morneau, Matsuzaka, Red Sox, Padres

With a big night at the plate putting an exclamation point on his torrid run over August, Twins first baseman Justin Morneau is drawing increased attention on the trade market, 1500ESPN.com’s Darren Wolfson reports on Twitter. According to a source, the resurgent Yankees are “back in” on Morneau, which could also increase the pressure on the Orioles to make a move on the veteran slugger. The Yanks are now just one game back of Baltimore, though both clubs have significant ground to gain in both the AL East and Wild Card hunt.

I forgot all about the Morneau rumors. Lyle Overbay had basically stopped hitting and the Yankees were looking for a new first baseman, though they never did come up with one. The Twins traded Morneau to the Pirates for nothing in particular, and he hit .260/.370/.312 (99 wRC+) with zero homers in 25 games. He then played two years with the Rockies and one year with the White Sox. I remember none of that.

August 29th, 2013: Minor Moves: Edgmer Escalona, Dan Johnson

The Yankees have released first baseman Dan Johnson, according to the International League transactions page. Sweeny Murti of WFAN was first to report the move (on Twitter). After signing a minor league deal over the off-season, Johnson has posted a strong .253/.379/.447 line in 559 plate appearances at Triple-A this year. The 34-year-old last saw big league action in a short stint with the White Sox last year, and has a career .237/.338/.412 triple-slash over 1,551 MLB plate appearances. 

Fun fact: Johnson is still playing. Second fun fact: Johnson is now a pitcher. A knuckleballer, to be exact. He’s allowed eight runs on 13 hits and seven walks in eight innings with the independent St. Paul Saints this year. Johnson hit .253/.379/.447 (134 wRC+) with 21 homers in 133 games with Scranton in 2013 and I distinctly remember there being a “call up Johnson and release Overbay” movement. Never happened. C’est la vie.

The All-Star break is a few days away and that means we’re now into the month of July. A great month for trade rumors, it is. Once July rolls around, it means the season is more than halfway complete, the contenders have (mostly) separated themselves from the pretenders, and teams are trying like crazy to address their weaknesses before the July 31st trade deadline.

The Yankees went into July 2013 with a 42-39 record and a -16 run differential and were ever bit as mediocre as that record suggests. They closed out June with five straight losses and 13 losses in 18 games. Hug the 2018 Yankees tight, folks. And yet, despite all that, the 2013 Yankees were only four games back of a postseason spot on July 31st. They desperately needed bats. Not a bat. Bats. Plural. Let’s relive the trade rumors and transactions of July 2013.

July 5th, 2013: Injury Notes: Carpenter, Anderson, Pagan, Chen, Cervelli

Another day, another bit of bad injury news for the Yankees. As Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger reports, the catching-strapped club learned yesterday that its primary backstop to start the year, Francisco Cervelli, will have his rehab halted and be shut down for two weeks. With an early August return now the best case scenario for Cervelli and rookie Austin Romine struggling, the Yankees could find it necessary to look for another capable backstop before the trade deadline.

Cervelli did not play after April 26th that season. A foul tip broke his right hand and his rehab moved slowly, then he suffered a setback. And, in August, Cervelli was suspended as part of the Biogenesis scandal. Because of all that, Romine and Chris Stewart were the primary catchers that year, and they were terrible, at least offensively. Look at the team’s catcher ranks:

• AVG: .213 (26th in MLB)
• OBP: .289 (23rd)
• SLG: .298 (29th)
• OPS+: 70 (26th)
• HR: 8 (30th)

Eight homers! Gary Sanchez hit nine home runs in a span of 21 games earlier this year.

July 7th, 2013: Yankees Claim Travis Ishikawa

The Yankees have claimed Travis Ishikawa off of waivers from the Orioles, an industry source tells Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).  The O’s designated the first baseman for assignment towards the end of June.

This past Sunday was the fifth anniversary of Ishikawa’s one game as a Yankee. He started at first base on July 8th, went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts before being removed for a pinch-hitter, and that was that. The starting lineup for Ishikawa’s lone game as a Yankee:

This is the #Yankees lineup from 5 years ago today. Seriously don’t look if you’ve eaten recently. And some people want to complain about Neil Walker getting playing time. pic.twitter.com/AcrvMJcglU

— Christian (@Christian_NYYST) July 9, 2018

The Yankees released Ishikawa a few days later and, the very next season, he hit a walk-off home run to win the damn National League pennant. Huh. He’s a minor league hitting coach with the Giants now.

July 8th, 2013: Rosenthal On Buyers/Sellers, Arrieta, Ruggiano

The Rangers and Yankees are among the teams that have expressed interest in Marlins outfielder Justin Ruggiano.  Ruggiano, a 31-year-old right-handed hitter, is at .225/.290/.414 in 273 plate appearances this year. 

Ruggiano somehow played nine years in the big leagues and he always seemed to be on like three teams a year. He even played in 19 games with the Giants last season. Who knew? The Yankees were desperate for a right-handed bat in 2013. How desperate? Their right-handed hitters hit .220/.282/.309 (62 wRC+) in 1,539 plate appearances before the All-Star break that year. I kid you not. The Yankees never did trade Ruggiano — he wasn’t traded at all that year — who hit .222/.298/.396 (94 wRC+) in 2013. That would’ve made him one of New York’s top righty bats. Goodness.

July 8th, 2013: New York Notes: Trades, Parnell, Alderson, Aramis

The Yankees consider Aramis Ramirez to be too expensive and they aren’t in pursuit of the Brewers‘ third baseman, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports.  The 35-year-old Ramirez was just placed on the disabled list today with a left knee injury, the same knee that has already cost him a month on the DL earlier this season.

The problem wasn’t Ramirez’s production — he hit .283/.370/.461 (130 wRC+) in 2013 — or even the knee injury. It was the $24M he was owed through 2014 at a time when the Yankees were trying to get under the luxury tax threshold. Aramis was not traded that year but the Yankees probably could’ve gotten him for a small package given his salary. Alas, the luxury tax plan got in the way. Not sure Ramirez wouldn’t made much of a difference in the grand scheme of things anyway.

July 10th, 2013: Yankees, Aggressively Pushing Chamberlain, Hughes

The Yankees are aggressively pushing trades involving Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes, an AL executive tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).  In fact, a deal sending Chamberlain to a National League team could happen soon, though nothing is imminent on either front.

This was the first time in a very long time there was an inkling the Yankees were willing to sell. Joba (4.93 ERA and 5.64 FIP) and Hughes (5.19 ERA and 4.50 FIP) were not very good in 2013 and both were going to be free agents after the season. It didn’t make much sense to keep them. Trading them for something, even a Grade-C prospect would’ve been better than losing them for nothing as free agents, which is of course what happened. Joba and Hughes were not traded and did eventually leave as free agents. Prospects will break your heart. Well, not so much lately with the Yankees, thankfully.

July 11th, 2013: Yankees To Sign First Rounder Judge

THURSDAY: The Yankees reached an agreement with Judge on a slightly over-slot $1.8MM signing bonus, writes George A. King III of the New York Post.  Judge is advised by PSI Sports Management.

So this wound up being a pretty important day, eh? The Yankees gave Aaron Judge an above slot $1.8M signing bonus — they signed all their other players and gave him the remainder of their bonus pool, basically — not long before the signing deadline, and now he’s one of the best players in baseball.

Drafting and signing Judge was truly a franchise altering decision. There was a lot of luck involved — 27 teams passed on Judge before the Yankees selected him in the 2013 draft, including the Yankees once — but it couldn’t have worked out better.

July 16th, 2013: Cuban Pitcher Hinojosa Granted Free Agency

Cuban righty Dalier Hinojosa received clearance from the U.S. government and has been granted free agency by MLB, tweets MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez.  Hinojosa defected from Cuba in February, establishing residency in Haiti, according to a source.  The Cubs, Dodgers, Red Sox, and Yankees are among the teams that have shown interest in the 27-year-old, Sanchez wrote in June.

Another Cuban player the stupid and cheap Yankees didn’t sign who went on to do nothing. Hinojosa signed with the Red Sox and pitched in one game with them before being lost on waivers. He threw 35.2 big league innings total and has been out of baseball since 2016.

July 17th, 2013: Yankees Inquired On Chase Headley

The Yankees recently called the Padres to ask about third baseman Chase Headley and, in a brief discussion, were told there wasn’t a deal to be made, sources told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The Padres are willing to listen on any of their players, but Headley appears to be on the edge of untouchable.

Hah! The Yankees had been on Headley for a long time before they actually acquired him. That happens more than you’d think. A team wants a player and doesn’t get him until years later. Headley had his career year in 2012, during which he hit .286/.376/.498 (145 wRC+) with 31 home runs, and that season still made him a desirable trade target despite a good but not great .250/.347/.400 (113 wRC+) batting line in 2013. The Yankees didn’t get Headley until June 2014, eleven months after this rumor. They kept at it.

July 26th, 2013: Yankees Acquire Alfonso Soriano

Alfonso Soriano is heading back to the same team with which he began his Major League career. After stops in Texas and Washington and an extended stay in Chicago, Soriano has come full circle by officially waiving his no-trade rights to approve a trade to the Yankees. The Cubs will receive minor league right-hander Corey Black in the trade, which was approved by Major League Baseball this morning and later officially announced by the Yankees.

The Yankees and Cubs haggled about Soriano for days. It was not an out of nowhere trade. Soriano made it pretty clear he would only accept a trade back to the Yankees, though the two sides needed time to figure out the prospect cost and the money. Ultimately, the Yankees paid $6.8M of the $18M remaining on Soriano’s contract. His luxury tax hit in 2014 — the most important number, as far as the Yankees were concerned — was a mere $5M.

Soriano came back to the Bronx and was a revelation, hitting .256/.325/.525 (131 wRC+) with 17 home runs in only 58 games. He drove in 50 runs in those 58 games. That’s after hitting .254/.287/.467 (104 wRC+) with the Cubs prior to the trade.

Things didn’t go so well for Soriano in 2014. He hit .221/.244/.367 (66 wRC+) in 67 games and was released at midseason. I’m not sure if he has an official title with the Yankees, but Soriano has worked with the team’s minor leaguers in Instructional League and Spring Training the last few years.

July 26th, 2013: Minor Moves: Harris, Wood, Quintero

The Yankees have signed infielder Brendan Harris, and have assigned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, writes Bryan Hoch of MLB.com (on Twitter). The Angels recently designated Harris for assignment, and he cleared waivers and became a free agent. Harris hit .206/.252/.355 in 107 at bats for the Angels this season.

The Yankees cycled through so many generic middle infielders in 2013 and yet somehow Harris never played for them. He went to Triple-A Scranton, hit .233/.356/.315 (98 wRC+) in 22 games, then was released. I guess he couldn’t beat out guys like Luis Cruz and Reid Brignac and Brent Lillibridge for a roster spot.

July 26th, 2013: Yankees Notes: Soriano, Rios, Young

Prior to acquiring Soriano, the Yankees contacted the White Sox to express interest in Alex Rios, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter). The Yankees are on Rios’ no-trade list and were informed that he would not approve a deal to the Bronx. Rios, however, says he was never approached about accepting a deal to the Yankees, Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago reports.

Huh, I don’t remember this at all. Rios still had quite a bit of money remaining on his contract, so I’m not sure how that would’ve worked out, but it does make sense. The Yankees needed a righty bat regardless of position and Rios was available. The White Sox eventually traded him to the Rangers in an August waiver deal that year. Rios hit .278/.324/.432 (105 wRC+) in 2013 and .280/.311/.398 (93 wRC+) in 2014. Not exactly “out them over the top” numbers.

July 27th, 2013: AL East Notes: Soriano, Cashman, Red Sox

The deal that brought Alfonso Soriano back to the Yankees was consummated over the objections of GM Brian Cashman, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. “I would say we are in a desperate time,” said Cashman. “Ownership wants to go for it. I didn’t want to give up a young arm.”

It wasn’t much of a secret Soriano would only accept a trade to the Yankees and Cashman tried to use that to his advantage. He waited the Cubs out until they lowered their asking price … then ownership jumped in and gave the Cubbies what they wanted, which was righty Corey Black. I ranked him as the team’s 18th best prospect right before the draft.

Black has been hurt and ineffective since the trade, but still. Cashman was trying to get Soriano for nothing in particular and ownership jumped in to make the trade. Not great, Bob. It was the second time in less than a year ownership overruled Cashman. They re-signed Ichiro Suzuki against his wishes as well. Thankfully they decided to listen to Cashman when it was time to sell in 2016. Better late than never, I suppose.

July 30th, 2013: Yankees, Reds Inquired On Hunter Pence

TUESDAY, 10:26am: The Yankees also checked in on Pence, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, but as with the Reds, there doesn’t appear to be a match.  Heyman says the Pirates and Rangers are also among the interested teams.

The Giants alternated winning the World Series and missing the postseason from 2010-14 and 2013 was a miss the postseason year. Pence hit .283/.339/.483 (135 wRC+) that season and was an impending free agent, so the Giants got a bunch of calls about him at the trade deadline. They eventually re-signed him and won the World Series next year. The Yankees looked high and low for a right-handed bat in 2013 before getting Soriano.

July 30th, 2013: Yankees, Angels Have Discussed Alberto Callaspo

5:47pm: The Yankees have contacted the Angels about third baseman Alberto Callaspo, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. Knobler’s colleague, Jon Heyman, tweeted earlier today that Callaspo figures to be available as well. Knobler adds that the Angels “have made nearly everyone available” in trades.

Callaspo, who was traded to the A’s at the deadline, hit .252/.324/.347 (91 wRC+) for the Angels before the deal. That would’ve represented a considerable upgrade from the .221/.290/.330 (71 wRC+) batting line the Yankees received from their third basemen in 2013. Good gravy. This 2013 team keeps getting worse and worse each time I look back at it.

A new month has started — and that new month is almost over, but I digress — which means it is time for another trip through the MLB Trade Rumors archives. June is typically a good month for trade rumors. The amateur draft passes and teams start to get serious about looking for ways to address their roster weaknesses, either short-term (buyers) or long-term (sellers).

On the morning of June 1st, the 2013 Yankees were 31-23 and one game behind the Red Sox in the AL East, though injuries and their patchwork lineup were starting to catch up to them. The Yankees lost five of their last six games in May and scored 14 runs in those six games. The fade in the standings and the struggle to score runs would continue in June — the Yankees averaged 3.26 runs per game in June 2013 — and we all know what happened next. Time to dive into another series of MLBTR archives.

June 4th, 2013: Yanks, Red Sox, Rangers, O’s On Lee’s No-Trade List

As with most partial no-trade clauses, Cliff Lee and his agents at Frontline had the opportunity before the season to restructure his.  Lee can block trades to 20 teams, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, including the Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers, and Orioles.  Most of the 20 are projected trade deadline buyers, a source tells Morosi.  Keep in mind that the presence of these teams does not mean Lee will automatically block a trade to them; it just means he has leverage if the Phillies strike a deal with one.

The Phillies started their spiral into non-contention in 2012 and, by time the 2013 trade deadline rolled around, they were ready to discuss some big names on their roster. Lee was still an ace that season, throwing 222.2 innings with a 2.87 ERA (2.82 FIP), but he made only 13 starts in 2014 before injuries ended his career. The Yankees were focused on getting under the luxury tax threshold in 2014 and Lee’s contract did not fit. The time to get Lee was the 2010 trade deadline or the 2010-11 offseason, and the Yankees came up empty both times. In June 2013, it didn’t make a whole lot of sense.

June 4th, 2013: AL West Links: Angels, Morales, Mariners, Baker

Jeff Baker tells MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan that the Rangers and Yankees were the “main two” suitors for his services last offseason, though “a lot of teams knocked on the door.”  Baker signed with Texas in January, before the Yankees’ need for corner infield help became so dire.

I irrationally loved Jeff Baker. He was a great right-handed platoon bat for a few years. The Yankees cycled through a zillion infielders in 2013 while Baker hit .279/.360/.545 (143 wRC+) with eleven homers in 175 plate appearances for the Rangers, including .314/.407/.667 (186 wRC+) against southpaws. Baker wouldn’t have put the 2013 Yankees over the top of anything, but they were looking for a platoon bat all season, and they had interest in him over the winter, but they missed out. Alas.

June 4th, 2013: New York Notes: A-Rod, Overbay, Francisco, Draft

Lyle Overbay has become a crucial depth piece for the Yankees, which has surprisingly led to the career first baseman playing right field.  With Mark Teixeira‘s wrist still a question mark, the Yankees doesn’t want to lose Overbay but still wants to find playing time for the veteran.

I’m not sure what’s worse, the Yankees playing Overbay in right field, or the fact playing Overbay in right field was totally the right move at the time. Overbay filled in admirably at first base and had some big hits, especially early in the season …

… but he faded late and ended the season with a .240/.295/.393 (87 wRC+) batting line and 14 homers in 485 plate appearances. Overbay played four games and 26 innings in right field that season and he caught five fly balls. That doesn’t mean only five fly balls were hit his way. It just means he caught five fly balls.

June 7th, 2013: Yankees Release Chien-Ming Wang

Chien-Ming Wang has exercised the opt out clause in his contract and the Yankees granted him his release, according to Andy McCullough of the Newark Star-Ledger (via Twitter).  Wang, who has been pitching for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, could have opted out on May 31st but put off the decision until today.

The end of the Chien-Ming Wang reunion tour. He had success with Triple-A Scranton, throwing 58 innings with a 2.33 ERA (3.36 FIP), but the Yankees weren’t willing to call him up and Wang used his opt-out. The Blue Jays gave him a shot and he pitched to a 7.67 ERA (5.42 FIP) in six starts and 27 innings for them. Wang hung around Spring Training this year not as a guest instructor, but more of an apprentice as he looks to transition to coaching. It would not surprise me at all to see him join the organization in some capacity in the near future.

June 8th, 2013: Stark On Miguel Cabrera, Kershaw, Nolasco, Stanton

The Orioles and Yankees are “leading the parade of teams that already have interest” in Miami’s Ricky Nolasco.  The 30-year-old is easily the highest-paid Marlin, and should have about $7.7MM remaining on his contract at the trade deadline.  Nolasco has a 3.61 ERA in 82 1/3 innings, and sports his best strikeout rate since 2010.

I will forever remember Nolasco as the poster boy for “he’ll pitch better soon because his FIP is lower than his ERA” analysis in the early days of sabermetric writing. That didn’t happen, of course. Like Michael Pineda, another guy who always underperformed his peripherals, Nolasco was a control over command guy whose mistakes got hammered. Good pitcher and a great career! But he always left you wanting more.

Anyway, the Marlins were again in the middle of selling off veterans at the 2013 deadline, and Nolasco was eventually shipped to the Dodgers for three nondescript pitching prospects. He had a 3.85 ERA (3.49 FIP) in 112.1 innings with Miami before the trade and a 3.52 ERA (3.15 FIP) in 87 innings for the Dodgers after the trade. Would he have helped the Yankees? Yeah, sure. Would it have mattered in the 2013 postseason race? Unlikely.

June 10th, 2013: Quick Hits: Rodriguez, Nolasco, Davis, Martin, Astros

Last November, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks expressed interest in Alex Rodriguez, Ken Belson and David Waldstein of the New York Times report. The Yankees never discussed the matter with the Japanese team, because they knew Rodriguez required hip surgery that would limit him in 2013, and because they knew Rodriguez would not consent to playing overseas.

Hah, I remember this. It was a publicity stunt by Fukuoka and nothing else. They weren’t taking on A-Rod’s contract — the highest paid players in Japan are making around $4.5M this year, so no, they weren’t going to absorb his $20M+ annual salary — and there’s no chance he’d agree to that move. Fukuoka generated some buzz by feigning interest in A-Rod. Good for them.

June 18th, 2013: Youkilis Out 10-12 Weeks Due To Back Surgery

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters, including Andy McCullough of the Star Ledger, that Kevin Youkilis will undergo back surgery for a herniated disc and miss 10-12 weeks (Twitter link). The best-case scenario for Youkilis, based on that timeline, would be a late August return, though the recovery could easily push into September.

Predictable injury was predictable. Youkilis was limited to 344 of 486 possible games from 2010-12 by a variety of injuries, including back trouble that dated back years. It was only getting worse and eventually it would go out for good, and it happened on the Yankees’ watch. The Yankees paid Youkilis $12M to cover third base while A-Rod was injured in 2013 and he played only 28 games (more than I would’ve guessed) and none after June 13th (later than I would’ve guessed).

June 18th, 2013: Yankees Acquire Fernando Martinez

The Yankees acquired Fernando Martinez from the Astros in exchange for minor league right-hander Charles Basford, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).  

Fernando Martinez! He’s still only 29, you know. Martinez was a very big deal with the Mets way back when. He was ranked among the game’s top prospects every year from 2007-09. Eventually it became clear he wouldn’t hit, the rebuilding Astros grabbed him on waivers, and the Yankees later picked him up as a depth option because Triple-A Scranton needed an outfielder at the time. Martinez hit .325/.394/.554 (164 wRC+) in 22 games with Scranton and was released after the season. He’s been out of baseball for a few years now.

June 21st, 2013: Yankees Acquire Yoshinori Tateyama

The Rangers announced that they have sent right-hander Yoshinori Tateyama to the Yankees for future considerations.  The right-hander has been assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Tateyama spent some time with Triple-A Scranton in 2013 and 2014, and although he never did pitch for the Yankees, he was pretty fun. He had a funky delivery and worked with a low-80s fastball and a low-70s changeup.

The Yankees released Tateyama midway through the 2014 season so he could back home and play in Japan.

June 26th, 2013: Teixeira To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

At a press conference, Teixeira confirmed to reporters, including Andy McCullough of the Star Ledger, that he’s done for the season (Twitter link). Bryan Hoch of MLB.com tweets that the surgery will require 4-5 months of rest and rehab. Teixeira is hoping to be 100 percent in six months.

I am 100% certain the Yankees regret bringing Teixeira back from the disabled list at midseason in 2013. He hurt his wrist while with Team USA during the World Baseball Classic, and because the injury happened at the WBC, MLB covered his salary while he was on the disabled list. Once the Yankees activated Teixeira — they tried to rehab the wrist injury and brought him back because they wanted to stay in contention — MLB and the WBC were off the hook. Teixeira played 15 thoroughly ineffective games before re-injuring the wrist, at which point the Yankees were responsible for the salary.

June 29th, 2013: AL East Notes: Boldt, Young, Yankees, Hughes, Orioles

King further reports that the Yankees are also likely to be in on Young, as others have noted. Indeed, as CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman discussed yesterday, the Yanks seem to be a likely buyer at third. Alex Rodriguez is still a ways off from a return, and remains a major uncertainty.

Young in this case is Michael Young, the longtime Rangers infielder. Young was with the Phillies in 2013 — Texas salary dumped him on Philadelphia before the season — and they were looking to move him, and eventually they did. Young went to the Dodgers at the 2013 trade deadline. Young hit .279/.336/.395 (102 wRC+) that season, the last of his career. The Yankees opted for cheaper and similarly ineffective infielders — Young was so bad defensively late in his career that he was replacement level in 2013 even with that 102 wRC+ — throughout 2013.

June 30th, 2013: Cafardo On Utley, Gonzalez, Crain, Yankees

White Sox reliever Jesse Crain will draw interest and Cafardo warns not to rule out the Red Sox. Pitching coach Juan Nieves coached him in Chicago and he’s a stable force at the end of games.  Meanwhile, there will be others vying for Crain, including the Orioles and Yankees.  Our own Charlie Wilmoth recently examined Crain as a trade candidate.

Jesse Crain! That guy had some pretty good years and always seemed to be connected to the Yankees, either as a free agent or at the trade deadline. Crain was off the charts for the White Sox in 2013. He threw 36.2 innings with a 0.74 ERA (1.52 FIP) and was selected to the All-Star Game, but he got hurt in late June and literally never pitched in the big leagues again. Only 5.2 more innings in his entire career, all during failed minor league rehab stints. Relievers, man.

June 30th, 2013: Yankees Notes: A-Rod, Gonzalez, Devers, Molina

Also from King, the Yankees are interested in two players from the Dominican Republic: third baseman Rafael Devers and center fielder Leonardo Molina.  The Yankees have been considered to be the “most likely suitor” for the 15-year-old Molina, while the Phillies and Red Sox have also been linked to Devers.

D’oh. Picked the wrong kid. The Yankees gave Molina a $1.4M bonus and, five years later, he is hitting .255/.279/.378 (83 wRC+) with Low-A Charleston. The Red Sox gave Devers a $1.5M bonus and five years later he has 23 homers in 137 big league games. He’s hitting .242/.287/.430 (88 wRC+) this season and that stinks, but the talent is obvious. Devers can hit the ball a mile. Molina? Not so much.

We’re into a new month now, so it’s time once again to dive into the MLB Trade Rumors archives. This series is intended to inform and entertain, not rip on folks for bad rumors or silly ideas. We’ve all had dumb baseball ideas. May is usually when we start to hear about trade deadline shopping lists and thinks like that. The summer trade season is still a few weeks away though. It doesn’t heat up until after the June amateur draft, typically.

Improbably, the Yankees went 16-10 in April 2013 and were only two games back of first place at the end of the month. They did that despite injuries to Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, and Mark Teixeira. It was a patchwork lineup early in the season — and, as we know now, a patchwork lineup all season — but it was working. That didn’t stop Brian Cashman from looking for upgrades though. Let’s get to the May 2013 rumors.

May 1st, 2013: Chien-Ming Wang Does Not Exercise Opt-Out Clause

Yankees right-hander Chien-Ming Wang has agreed to remain with the Yankees organization rather than exercise the first opt-out clause in his minor league contract, according to a report from Focus Taiwan (via Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues).

Wang looked pretty good during the World Baseball Classic, so the Yankees signed him for pitching depth, and to see whether he truly had anything left. He made three starts with Triple-A Scranton in April and allowed four runs (two earned) in 19 innings. Wang threw seven innings of one-run ball in his final start before the May 1st opt out and I remember a mini-freakout over whether the Yankees would let him go. He chose to stay with the Yankees, saying he felt he needed more time in the minors before returning to the show. Wang 2.0 never did happen. The Yankees didn’t call him up later in the year.

May 1st, 2013: Yankees Seek Right-Handed Hitters

With Kevin Youkilis sidelined with a lumbar spine sprain, the Yankees are asking around about right-handed hitters, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).  Understudy Jayson Nix will take over at third base in the interim with rookie Corban Joseph called up in support, but the Bombers will also look out-of-house for reinforcements.

No A-Rod, no Jeter, and no Teixeira meant the Yankees were woefully short on right-handed hitting. Not even right-handed power. Just right-handed hitting. Want to see a depressing list? Here are the team leaders in right-handed plate appearances before the 2013 All-Star break:

1. Vernon Wells: 322
2. Jayson Nix: 268
3. Chris Stewart: 197
4. David Adams: 128
5. Eduardo Nunez: 125

Oy vey. Wells had a good April and that was it. Aside from that, the Yankees had zero right-handed thump for the first few months of 2013. It wasn’t until A-Rod returned and the Alfonso Soriano trade went down that the Yankees weren’t so lefty reliant.

May 1st, 2013: Yankees Acquire Chris Nelson

The Yankees announced that they have acquired infielder Chris Nelson for cash considerations or a player to be named later.  The Bombers moved Francisco Cervelli to the 60-day disabled list in order to make room on the 40-man roster for their newest acquisition.

Nelson’s career with the Yankees somehow consisted of ten games and 37 plate appearances. That seems like too much. Nelson went 8-for-36 (.222) during his two weeks in pinstripes before being dumped for the next infield flavor of the week.

May 3rd, 2013: Yankees Designated Cody Eppley For Assignment

The Yankees have designated right-hander Cody Eppley for assignment, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). The move clears a 40-man roster spot for fellow right-hander Preston Claiborne. In a related move, Joba Chamberlain was placed on the disabled list.

Cody Eppley! He spent most of 2012 in the bullpen, throwing 46 innings with a 3.33 ERA (3.66 FIP) and a 60.3% strikeout rate. In 2013, he allowed four runs in 1.2 innings, and was out of the organization by June. Eppley’s been bouncing around independent leagues since 2014. Last year he had a 2.43 ERA and 32 saves for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the Atlantic League. Middle relievers, man. They go from useful to useless in a hurry. That also applies to Claiborne, who went from potential keeper to castoff just as quickly as Eppley. Claiborne at least reached the big leagues again — he appeared in a game for the Rangers last summer.

May 9th, 2013: Minor Moves: Gonzalez, Wood, Red Sox

The Yankees have acquired minor league shortstop Alberto Gonzalez from the Cubs in exchange for a player to be named later or cash, tweets Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger. Gonzalez, who first appeared in the big leagues with the Yankees back in 2007, has seen limited MLB action over the last two years for Texas and Chicago. Over 989 career plate appearances, he has a .241/.279/.319 line.

Remember when Gonzalez was a young up-and-coming infielder the Yankees acquired from the Diamondbacks in the Randy Johnson trade? He’s 35 now. Gonzalez appeared in 13 games with the Yankees during that 2013 season and that was it. He hasn’t returned to the big leagues since. Gonzalez hit .251/.315/.301 in 50 winter ball games in Venezuela this offseason though, so he’s still kicking around. The Yankees went through so many spare part infielders during that 2013 season. Good gravy.

May 16th, 2013: Yankees, Robinson Cano Continue Discussing Contract

The shift from center to left field shouldn’t damage Curtis Granderson‘s free agent value much, opined multiple executives in speaking with Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.  Granderson isn’t concerned, saying, “Not an issue for me at all. Just want to help this team in any way I can. If they need me to go back to shortstop like I did in high school, I’ll do that.”

The Cano update here was one of those “Hal Steinbrenner said the two sides are talking” non-updates. The more interesting nugget is this blurb on Granderson changing positions. That was a hot topic back in the day. Granderson was a good center fielder, but Brett Gardner was better, and the Yankees were considering flipping the two so Gardner could play center. They did it too. Granderson played 25 games in center, 14 in right, and 13 in left around injuries that year. If not for the injuries, I think Gardner in center and Granderson in a corner would’ve been a permanent arrangement.

May 18th, 2013: Yankees Acquire Reid Bignac

The Rockies have traded utility infielder Reid Brignac to the Yankees, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Heyman adds (via Twitter) that the Rockies will receive $75,000 cash in the deal. Brignac was designated for assignment by the Rockies on Thursday.

Another spare part infielder. Brignac lasted 17 games with the Yankees, going 5-for-44 (.114) overall. He bounced around from team to team for a few years after that and is currently hitting .286/.322/.393 for the New Britain Bees of the independent Atlantic League.

May 18th, 2013: Minor Moves: Wilson, Beimel, Parraz, Velazquez, Bell

The Yankees have signed third baseman Josh Bell to a minor-league deal, Chris Cotillo of CLNSRadio.com reports. Bell has hit .195/.223/.265 in 272 career big-league at bats. He received 55 at bats for the White Sox’s Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte in 2013 before being released.

I forgot about the other Josh Bell. This isn’t the current Pirates first baseman. This is the former Orioles prospect. Bell never did play for the Yankees. He spent about a month with Triple-A Scranton, hit .205/.329/.361, then was cut loose. Bell has since played in Korea, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. He hit .247/.354/.426 for the independent Lancaster Barnstormers last season. No surprise the Yankees missed the postseason in 2013 when so many dudes they acquired during the summer wound up in indy leagues.

May 25th, 2013: Yankees Claim David Huff, Designate Rondon

The Yankees announced that they have claimed David Huff off of waivers.  To make room on the roster, the club designated Francisco Rondon for assignment.

The first of two stints in pinstripes for Huff. He actually made two September starts in 2013, including the token “let’s just get this over with” Game 162 start. Huff allowed 23 runs in 37.2 innings for the Yankees that year. He bounced around for a few years before going to Korea and becoming one of the best pitchers in the league, throwing 199.1 innings with a 2.66 ERA from 2016-17. Huff has a 5.93 ERA in 30.1 innings for the Yakult Swallows in Japan this season. Never too hard to find work if you’re left-handed, eh?

May 26th, 2013: Yankees Designated Ben Francisco For Assignment

The Yankees have designated Ben Francisco for assignment, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). The move will create room for the newly-acquired David Huff on the roster.

That’s Opening Day designated hitter Ben Francisco to you. Gosh, he was so bad that year. Francisco hit .114/.220/.182 (14 wRC+) overall and .088/.225/.176 (1 wRC+) against lefties. That’s literally the only reason the Yankees signed him. To hit lefties. Francisco never returned to the big leagues after the Yankees cut him loose. He’s been out of baseball completely since 2015. The 2013 Yankees, man.

The 2018 season has started and we’re now into April. That means it’s time for another trip through the MLB Trade Rumors archives as part of our monthly series. The 2013 season started on April 1st and the Yankees didn’t play all that well initially. They lost the first two games of the season and four of their first five games overall. The Yankees eventually settled in and finished the month at 16-10.

Injuries hit the Yankees pretty hard in Spring Training 2013. Curtis Granderson went down with a broken arm and Mark Teixeira was sidelined with a wrist issue. That sent the Yankees scrambling for replacements, which led them to Vernon Wells and Lyle Overbay. Time to dive into another month of retro rumors even though April usually isn’t the best month for trade talks or transactions.

April 2nd, 2013: Robinson Cano Fires Boras; Hires CAA

Robinson Cano has fired agent Scott Boras, reports ESPN’s Buster Olney.  Olney says the Yankees’ second baseman “has quietly been meeting with other agents in recent weeks to discuss a possible switch, and now he has changed representation.”  Cano hired CAA as his new agency, tweets Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.

There was a big freakout when Cano initially hired Boras in February 2011. His looming free agency was a Very Big Deal and when a player hires Boras, it’s because he wants top dollar. Then, eight months before he became a free agent, Cano dumped Boras and signed on with CAA. More specifically, he signed with Jay Z’s Roc Nation, which has a partnership with CAA. All that Boras freakout for nothing. CAA got the job done though. The Mariners threw a ridiculous offer his way and Robbie took it. As cool as it would’ve been for him to be a career Yankee, I don’t blame him one bit for taking that contract.

April 5th, 2013: Minor Moves: Flacco, M’s, Twins, Tigers, Braves

Also within that link, Eddy reports that the Phillies acquired shortstop Jose Mojica from the Yankees. Mojica hit just .226/.265/.305 for the Bombers’ Advanced-A affiliate in 2012.

Man I love seeing all the old names in these posts. Mojica was never a top prospect — or a prospect, really, I never had him on a top 30 list and neither did Baseball America — but he was in the system, and I remember seeing his name in box scores for a few years. He hit .233/.286/.276 (62 wRC+) in 87 High-A games for the Phillies after this minor trade. He’s been out of baseball since the end of the 2013 season. What do you think Mojica’s doing now?

April 8th, 2013: East Links: Wheeler, Fernandez, Swisher, Red Sox

Nick Swisher told reporters (including Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger) that “it hurt” when the Yankees didn’t make him an offer to return (beyond the one-year, $13.3MM qualifying offer to receive draft pick compensation). Swisher said he’s no longer thinking about the Yankees and is focused on winning with the Indians, who have treated him “like a king” thus far.

The Swisher trade tree is a fun one. It goes like this: Ruben Rivera > Hideki Irabu > Jake Westbrook > David Justice > Robin Ventura > Scott Proctor > Wilson Betemit > Nick Swisher > Aaron Judge. A bunch of other players (Homer Bush, Rickey Ledee, Bubba Crosby, etc.) were involved along the way, but that’s the general structure. Signing Rivera eventually led the Yankees to the draft pick they received for losing Swisher, which was used to select Judge.

There was never really much of an expectation the Yankees would bring back Swisher. They wanted to get under the luxury tax threshold in 2014 and Ichiro Suzuki was a cheaper (and more box office friendly) alternative, so they went with Ichiro. Given how Swisher broke down with the Indians and how the draft pick turned into Judge, it’s impossible to complain about the way things turned out. And besides, Swisher is back with the Yankees now anyway. He’s a front office advisor.

April 18th, 2013: AL Notes: Jeter, Mills, Angels

A setback in Derek Jeter‘s ankle injury will keep the Yankees shortstop out until after the All-Star break, Mark Feinsand of New York Daily News reports. Jeter’s doctor found a “small crack” near where Jeter’s injury originally occurred. He will not need surgery as a result of the setback

Jeter played on an injured ankle late in 2012 and it eventually gave out during the postseason, as I’m sure you remember. His rehab continued into Spring Training and he wasn’t ready to begin the season with the Yankees, then, a few weeks later, he suffered a setback and had to be shut down. Jeter returned in mid-July and was on and off the disabled list the rest of the season. He hit .190/.288/.254 in 73 plate appearance that year. It goes into the history books as, by frickin’ far, the worst season of Derek’s career.

April 24th,, 2013: Mets, Yankees Deny Making Offer To Valverde

4:31pm: WFAN’s Sweeny Murti tweets that Yankees GM Brian Cashman denied the claims made by Valverde. Cashman said that not only did the Yankees not make an offer, they didn’t even have discussions with Valverde and Boras.

3:55pm: Jose Valverde is back in a familiar role as the Tigers’ closer, but he could’ve been in a very different situation had wanted to this offseason. The 35-year-old told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports today that the Yankees and Mets both offered him a Major League contract this offseason (Twitter link).

Oy vey. I don’t remember this at all. The 2013 Yankees weren’t very good overall but their bullpen was pretty decent. Mariano Rivera and David Robertson handled the late innings, Adam Warren became a guy that year, and both Shawn Kelley and Joba Chamberlain were still around as well. Valverde was okay at best in 2012 (3.78 ERA and 3.62 FIP) and just didn’t seem like someone the Yankees would pursue. He eventually returned to the Tigers and pitched to a 5.63 ERA (5.59 FIP) in 40 innings the rest of his career.

April 29th, 2013: AL East Notes: Sox, Jays, Rays, O’s, Yanks

“Plans are in the works” for Hideki Matsui to sign a one-day contract to ceremoniously retire a Yankee, writes George A. King III of the New York Post.  Matsui spent his first seven MLB seasons with the Yankees, compiling a .292/.370/.482 batting line with 140 home runs.

Matsui’s playing days ended in 2012 — remember when he played for the Rays? weird — and he did indeed sign that one-day contract to retire as a Yankee. It was pretty cool. They had the ceremony at Yankee Stadium in July:

Have any other players done that, sign a one-day contract to retire as a Yankee? I don’t remember any others. Not recently, anyway. I wonder who else could do it. Maybe Robbie Cano down the road? He’s spent too much with the Mariners, me thinks.

April 30th, 2013: AL East Notes: Astros, Draft, Andino, Nelson

The Yankees have had trade talks with the Rockies regarding infielder Chris Nelson, but New York’s interest in Nelson seems to be limited, says Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter). The Rockies designated Nelson for assignment Saturday night.

April 30th: Interest in Nelson is “limited.” May 18th: Yankees claim Nelson on waivers. He appeared in ten games with the Yankees that season, going 8-for-36 (.222) with two doubles. Nelson was still active in an independent league last season, you know. Not sure if he’s still playing. That 2013 Yankees team went through more random crummy fill-in middle infielders than I care to count.

Now that we’re a few weeks into March, this is as good a time as any to revisit the MLB Trade Rumors archives. March is typically a slow hot stove month, or at least it was prior to this offseason given the number of free agents who remain unsigned. I get the sense this is the new normal too. Back in the day all the top (and second and third and fourth) tier free agent would be signed by now.

The Yankees were unusually active in March 2013. Curtis Granderson’s forearm was broken by an errant pitch in his first Spring Training at-bat and the Yankees were still trying to find the right mix for the bench. The injuries continued to mount in March and that sent Brian Cashman into scramble mode. He was busy in March 2013. Time to look back at the rumors and deals of five years ago.

March 3rd, 2013: Cafardo On Red Sox, Vazquez, Stanton, Cano

The Red Sox, Nationals, Yankees, Orioles, and Brewers had major interest in free agent pitcher Javier Vazquez before knee surgery put his season in jeopardy. “Never say never,” said a major league source close to the hurler, “but we won’t see him in the immediate future.”

Oh man. A third Javy Vazquez stint in New York? Can’t imagine that would’ve gone well. Vazquez was pretty good for the Marlins in 2011 (3.69 ERA and 3.57 FIP), though he missed the 2012 season with injuries, then showcased himself in winter ball. His knee started acting up again and that was that. Vazquez never pitched again. Imagine if Cashman had brought Javy back again? That would’ve gone over well.

March 4th, 2013: East Notes: Cashman, Ohman, Kendrick, Yanks

The Yankees announced today that general manager Brian Cashman broke his right fibula and dislocated his right ankle on the landing of a tandem skydive. Cashman was skydiving with the U.S. Army Golden Knights to raise awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project.

“I’m in great spirits, and it was an awesome experience,” Cashman was quoted as saying in the press release.

Heh, remember this? Cashman is definitely a bit of a daredevil. Rappelling down buildings, jumping out of planes, considering bringing Javy Vazquez back for a third tour of duty in pinstripes … the man is a thrill-seeker if nothing else.

March 4th, 2013: East Notes: Cashman, Ohman, Kendrick, Yanks

The Yankees are very likely to receive their worst offensive output from the catcher position since before Jorge Posada emerged in the late-90s, writes Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues. The Bombers decided against acquiring a standout backstop this offseason and will pull from a group consisting of Chris Stewart, Francisco Cervelli, and Austin Romine.

Every once in a while that idiot Axisa gets something right. The worst offensive seasons by Yankees’ catchers since 1990:

1. 2013: 70 OPS+
2. 2008: 75 OPS+
3. 1997: 86 OPS+
4. 1990: 91 OPS+
5. 1999: 92 OPS+

Good gravy the Chris Stewart/Francisco Cervelli/Austin Romine season behind the plate was so bad. So, so bad. If you ever feel like complaining about Gary Sanchez, remember the 2013 catching situation. It’s tied with the 1987 team for the worst offensive season by Yankees’ catchers in franchise history.

March 6th, 2013: Yankees To Consider Corner Infielders

Mark Teixeira has a strained right wrist and will miss eight to ten weeks, according to Yankees manager Joe Girardi (via Jack Curry of the YES Network on Twitter). The Yankees will look at first basemen and third basemen when considering possible replacements, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports (Twitter links). Kevin Youkilis’ versatility will enable the club to explore options at both corner positions.

Teixeira blew out his wrist taking batting practice with Team USA before the start of the World Baseball Classic, though it took a while before the wrist gave out for good. He received treatment and cortisone shots and all that, and eventually returned to the field in May. Fifteen games later, Teixeira needed season-ending surgery. The injury was described as a wear-and-tear injury, the type of injury that was going to happen eventually no matter whether he was with the Yankees or Team USA, but because the injury happened at the World Baseball Classic, MLB covered a large portion of Teixeira’s salary while he was on the disabled list. Lucky for the Yankees, I guess.

March 9th, 2013: Rivera To Retire After 2013 Season

SATURDAY, 9:57am: Rivera made the news official with a press conference this morning.  The 43-year-old told reporters that he has enough left in the tank for this upcoming season but after that he’ll have “nothing left”, tweets Jack Curry of the YES Network.

Mariano Rivera later admitted he was planning to retire following the 2012 season — that was going to be an unannounced retirement, Mo was going to drop it on everyone after the season — but the season-ending knee injury led to him coming back in 2013. If Rivera had never announced his plan to retire in advance, we never would’ve gotten to see this …

… and that would’ve sucked.

March 10th, 2013: Cafardo On Yankees, Headley, Red Sox, Lohse

The Yankees have explored temporary options to fill-in for the injured Mark Teixeira but they have also looked into more significant moves.  The Bombers have inquired on the Padres‘ Chase Headley, though we learned recently that he’s not available at this time.  However, Headley could be on the market this summer.

Aside from all the blast from the past names, my favorite thing about these MLBTR Archive posts is seeing just how long the Yankees pursue certain players before actually acquiring them. This report is from March 2013. It wasn’t until July 2014 that the Yankees acquired Headley. The Padres should’ve traded him sooner too. Headley hit .286/.376/.498 (145 wRC+) with 31 homers in 2012 and the team stunk. Instead, they kept him and wound up settling for Yangervis Solarte and a pitching prospect who never made it. I mean, Solarte’s a nice player, but that’s it? That’s it.

March 10th, 2013: AL Notes: Lee, Porcello, Red Sox

The Yankees, who are hunting for a corner infielder to replace the injured Mark Teixeira, have asked Derrek Lee if he would be interested in returning to baseball, David Waldstein of the New York Times reports. Waldstein reports that Lee did show interest, although no deal is in place.

You know things are going poorly when you’re trying to drag dudes out of retirement to play first base. Lee hit .267/.325/.446 (109 wRC+) with the Orioles and Pirates in 2012 — that includes a .337/.398/.584 (179 wRC+) line in 28 games with Pittsburgh late in the season — but he hung up his spikes after the season and had no interest in joining the Yankees. Given how the 2013 season played out, I’m guessing Lee doesn’t regret that decision.

March 11th, 2013: Cashman Eyeing Derrek Lee, Chipper Jones, Rolen

• Cashman said he’d sign Chipper Jones if the third baseman were willing to come out of retirement, Sherman reports. The GM said his interest in Jones was serious and that he intended to call his agent, Curry notes. However, B.B. Abbott told Sherman that he can’t see his client coming out of retirement. “I don’t think [playing for the Yankees] is something he would consider, but he would be flattered,” Abbott said.
• Cashman also investigated the possibility of signing free agent third baseman Scott Rolen, Curry reports. The GM hinted that Rolen wants a guarantee of playing time and/or money, however.

Like I said, the Yankees resorted to trying to drag guys out of retirement following Teixeira’s injury. Chipper was a monster in 2012 though. Dude hit .287/.377/.455 (127 wRC+) with 14 homers and more walks (57) than strikeouts (51) that year. If 41-year-old Chipper Jones was willing to come out of retirement to play for the Yankees, I would’ve been all for it. That was the case at the time too. I was totally cool with signing Chipper.

As for Rolen, he was coming off a .245/.318/.398 (94 wRC+) batting line with eight homers for the 2012 Reds. He could still play the hell out of third base, but he was starting to show his age (38 at the time) at the plate, and reaching out to Rolen tells you exactly how desperate the Yankees were after Teixeira’s injury. They were in bad shape.

March 11th, 2013: Yankees Sign Ben Francisco

The Yankees have signed outfielder Ben Francisco, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (on Twitter). The Indians released the John Boggs client earlier today, making him a free agent.

That’s Opening Day DH Ben Francisco to you. The Yankees had been looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder to complement their all-lefty outfield (Granderson, Brett Gardner, Ichiro Suzuki) all offseason, and it wasn’t until March that they settled on Francisco. He’d hit .247/.315/.408 (97 wRC+) against lefties the prior three seasons, so it wasn’t even like he was a bonafide lefty masher. Francisco was the DH against Jon Lester on Opening Day. Sheesh. He hit .114/.220/.182 (14 wRC+) in 21 games with the Yankees in 2013 and was released in June. He spent 2014 in an independent league and 2015 in Mexico, and that’s that. Francisco’s been out of baseball since.

March 16th, 2013: Yankees Sign Brennan Boesch

SATURDAY: Yanks General Manager Brian Cashman says that Boesch is on a split contract and will earn $1.5MM in the majors and $500K if he’s in the minors, according to Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter).

I remember lots of folks getting irrationally excited about the Boesch signing. He was reasonably young (28) and had some nice years with the Tigers, so yeah, why not get excited? Boesch rode the Triple-A shuttle much of the season and hit .275/.302/.529 (125 wRC+) with three homers in 23 games for the Yankees. I remember wanting the Yankees to give him more playing time once it was clear Granderson would miss considerable time with his forearm injury. Then again, if they’d done that, Boesch’s numbers would’ve gone south quick. He was active as recently as 2016, you know.

March 22nd, 2013: Yankees Agree To Terms With Chien-Ming Wang

The Yankees have agreed to terms with Chien-Ming Wang, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports (Twitter link).  Wang is represented by Alan Chang of the Octagon Agency.

The return of Chien-Ming Wang was one of the more fun storylines of 2013, even though he never did reach the Bronx. He looked pretty good in the 2013 World Baseball Classic after all those injuries …

… so the Yankees brought him back on a minor league contract. Wang spent most of the summer with Triple-A Scranton, throwing 58 innings with a 2.33 ERA (3.36 FIP) before opting out of his contract to sign with the Blue Jays. He made six starts for them and was awful (7.67 ERA and 5.42 FIP). Wang pitched in the big leagues as recently as 2016 — he had a 4.22 ERA (4.61 FIP) in 53.1 long relief innings with the Royals — and he is currently in camp with the Yankees “learning how to coach.”

March 25th, 2013: Quick Hits: Expos, Vlad, Indians, Betancourt, Ankiel

The Yankees had preliminary discussions with Yuniesky Betancourt on Sunday but don’t see a fit, Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger reports (via Twitter).

Oy vey. I guess the Yankees would’ve played Betancourt at third base and Youkilis at first base after Teixeira’s injury? He was so bad though. Betancourt hit .228/.256/.400 (73 wRC+) with the Royals in 2012. He hooked on with the Brewers and hit .212/.240/.355 (54 wRC+) 2013. Geez. He was still active in Mexico last season, hitting .270/.295/.319 in 50 games. Somehow Betancourt got 4,278 plate appearances in the big leagues despite a career .285 OBP.

March 26th, 2013: Yankees Claim Dan Otero

The Yankees claimed righty reliever Dan Otero off waivers from the Giants, tweets Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com.

The waiver claim who got away. The Yankees claimed Otero off waivers on March 26th and lost him on waivers to the Athletics on March 27th. True story. Since then, Otero has a 2.79 ERA (3.15 FIP) in 303 relief innings. That works out to +6 WAR. Not too shabby for a middle reliever. Alas. Otero was a Yankee for one whole day.

March 26th, 2013: Yankees Acquire Vernon Wells

A player with a supposedly untradeable contract has been dealt for a second time, as the Yankees acquired outfielder Vernon Wells from the Angels on a salary dump deal.  The trade was announced officially today, and the Halos received a couple of token minor leaguers in outfielder Exicardo Cayones and lefty reliever Kramer Sneed.  The big benefit for the Angels was salary relief, as the Yankees will reportedly assume a surprising $13.9MM of the $42MM owed to Wells for 2013-14, of which they’ll pay $11.5MM this year to avoid a luxury tax hit in 2014.

I forgot that, as part of trades, teams could structure salary payments in such a way that they reduce the luxury tax hit in specific years. That could come in handy come trade deadline time, though the Yankees appear to have plenty of payroll space under the $197M luxury tax threshold.

Anyway, yeah, so begins the Vernon Wells era. The desperate at hell Yankees took Wells from the Angels because Granderson was injured and they needed another bat, and because the Yankees had some luck squeezing value out of seemingly over-the-hill veterans in the previous seasons. Sure enough, Wells hit .300/.366/.544 (150 wRC+) with six homers in April. He even played a little third base.

Big Vern hit the skids after that, hitting .216/.258/.296 (49 wRC+) in 357 plate appearances from May 1st through the end of the season. Desperate team makes desperate trade.

March 26th, 2013: Yankees Sign Lyle Overbay

The Yankees signed first baseman Lyle Overbay to a minor league deal, tweets Erik Boland of Newsday.  Overbay was released this morning by the rival Red Sox, who avoided a $100K retention bonus in the process.

The dumpster diving continues. What’s worse, that the Yankees resorted to playing Overbay in right field at one point in 2013, or that it was totally the right move at the time given the available? Overbay hit .240/.295/.393 (87 wRC+) with 14 homers in 142 games that season — Overbay played 142 games for the Yankees in 2013? eek — but I do remember him having some big hits in the first half, which created this weird “the Yankees are better off with Overbay than Teixeira” narrative. People say weird things sometimes.

March 26th, 2013: Yankees Release David Adams

The Yankees have released infielder David Adams to make space on the team’s 40-man roster for Vernon Wells, tweets Sweeny Murti of WFAN. Adams, 25, spent last season in Double-A, where he hit .306/.385/.450 over 383 plate appearances.

Many Yankees fans were Mad Online when they released Adams, who was once one of the better prospects in the farm system, but had been slowed by injuries. Most notably, he caught a spike sliding into second base in 2010 and suffered a very serious ankle injury. Broken bones, torn ligaments, the works. That injury is what the Mariners used to back out of the Cliff Lee trade at the 2010 trade deadline. They claimed they didn’t like Adams’ medicals. Whatever.

Anyway, the Yankees released Adams to make room on the 40-man roster for Wells, people screamed from the mountaintops, then the Yankees re-signed Adams to a minor league deal three days later. Adams played 43 games for the Yankees in 2013, hitting .193/.252/.286 (46 wRC+). I do not remember that at all. He was active as a player as recently as 2016, in Triple-A with the Blue Jays. Robert Pimpsner reports Adams will manage one of the Yankees’ two Gulf Coast League affiliates this summer. How about that?

March 27th, 2013: Yankees Claim Sam Demel, DFA Dan Otero

The Yankees announced that they have claimed pitcher Sam Demel off of waivers from the Astros.  To make room for Demel on the 40-man roster, the club designated fellow right-hander Danny Otero for assignment.

Demel spent the entire 2013 season with Triple-A Scranton, throwing 52.1 innings with a 1.72 ERA (2.96 FIP). He became a minor league free agent after the season and signed with the Dodgers. Demel’s been out of baseball since 2014. The Yankees claimed one reliever off waivers, lost him on waivers to claim another reliever off waivers the next day, and somehow lost the trade.

March 29th, 2013: Yankees Designate David Aardsma

The Yankees have designated David Aardsma for assignment, according to Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter).  The Bombers felt that the right-hander couldn’t really provide them distance out of the bullpen and manager Joe Girardi said that he “didn’t really fit” on the roster.

The Yankees spent all that time rehabbing Aardsma from Tommy John surgery in 2012, all to have him throw one inning as a September call-up. You win some and you lose some. Aardsma eventually signed with the Marlins and spend the next few seasons bouncing around Triple-A as an up-and-down guy. He was working in the Blue Jays’ front office, last I heard.

March 31st, 2013: Yankees Designate Clay Rapada For Assignment

The Yankees have designated left-hander Clay Rapada for assignment to clear a spot for Lyle Overbay, tweets MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. Rapada is out of options. The Yankees now have ten days to trade, release, or outright him to the minors.

LOOGYs, man. Rapada was a stud for the Yankees in 2012, throwing 38.1 innings with a 2.82 ERA (3.20 FIP), and holding lefties to a .183/.263/.255 (.238 wOBA) line with 28.7% strikeouts. Then he hurt his shoulder in Spring Training 2013 and that was it. The Yankees dumped him. Such is the life of a left-on-left matchup guy. Rapada threw two innings for the Indians in 2013 but otherwise bounced around Triple-A from 2013-15. He retired after pitching for the Philippines in the World Baseball Classic qualifying round late in 2016. Never get attached to LOOGYs, folks. They’ll break your heart.