YANKEE RUMORS & BYB: PART 21

Yu Darvish: If you read our last rumors piece, YANKEES RUMORS & BYB: PART 20, you knew that we didn't know when Darvish-mania would get underway. But, according to Darvish's agent, Don Nomura (Read HERE), his client will be posted Thursday. The Yankees have scouted Darvish since 2009, so you know for sure they'll put a bid in. Personally, I'm not as high on Darvish as most seem to be, but that doesn't mean I don't think he'll be a quality pitcher in the states.Hiroyuki Nakajima: In cased you missed it, the Yankees won the bidding for Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima. Read BYB BREAKING NEWS: YANKEES WIN RIGHTS TO HIROYUKI NAKAJIMA for more details. Although the Yanks won the rights, Jon Heyman reports (read HERE) that the Yankees aren't confident that they'll strike a deal with Nakajima because he may not get the money he desires. Also, Ken Rosenthal reports (read HERE) that Nakajima strongly prefers to play on the West Coast. This is a tricky situation, and at this rate I wouldn't be surprised if the two sides didn't agree on a deal. But, if they did, I'd be perfectly content if Nakajima was the 2007-2009 version of Akinori Iwamura.
Joel Zumaya: Joel Sherman reports that next week the Yankees will send a scout to watch Joel Zumaya throw. Read it HERE. I'd definitely be all in for signing Zumaya, just as long as it's not a guaranteed major league contract. At this point in Zumaya's career with all the arm injuries he's gone through, he'll probably only get a minor league deal as it is. Sure the Yankees bullpen is stacked, but it wouldn't hurt to give him a shot.

Finally, The Rule 5 Draft was Thursday, and the Yankees acquired two players. First, they acquired 22 year old left handed pitcher Cesar Cabral from the Royals--who was picked with the fifth overall selection in today's draft--for cash. Cabral pitched in the Red Sox minor league system from 2006-2011. Then, with the 29th pick of the draft, the Yanks selected 26 year old right handed pitcher Brad Meyers. Meyers pitched in the Nationals minor league system from 2007-2011.

All Rule 5 picks must stay on the 25-man roster for the duration of the regular season, or they must be returned to their original teams. Both of these guys have had some success in the minors with their respective teams, so it'll be interesting if at least one of these guys makes the big league club in April. The Yankees designated Greg Golson for assignment.




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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