New York Yankees' free-agent news, rumors: Hiroki Kuroda, Scott Hairston, more

Here is the latest New York Yankees free-agent news, including updates on the ongoing Hiroki Kuroda situation and news that the Yankees are Scott Hairston, the former New York Mets outfielder.

Hiroki Kuroda’s one-year offer from New York Yankees may keep him with team - NYPOST.com

The Yankees’ greatest ally to keeping Hiroki Kuroda might be the righty’s desire to play in Japan again while he still is a good pitcher.

That is because, The Post has learned, the Yankees are only willing to offer Kuroda a one-year contract at present. Two other teams that seemingly would be attractive to Kuroda, the Dodgers and Angels, probably would be willing to offer at least a two-year pact.

Valentine's View: Keeping Kuroda is a priority for the Yankees, but they want to do it on a one-year basis. For Kuroda this is going to come down to where he wants to be.

Martin: Yankees “continue to have conversations” with Scott Hairston | River Avenue Blues

Hairston, 32, hit .263/.299/.504 (118 wRC+) overall in 398 plate appearances this season, but he tagged southpaws for a .286/.317/.550 (135 wRC+) batting line with 11 homers in 199 plate appearances. He’s posted a 121 wRC+ against lefties in his two years across town (119 career). Hairston is a decent defender in the corners and can fake center field in an emergency. Reports this offseason indicate that he’ll likely sign a two-year deal worth upwards of $8-10M, which is pretty pricy for a platoon bat.

Valentine's View: Looked at as a replacement for Andruw Jones, a one-dimensional slugger with no remaining defensive skills and no value when he isn't hitting home runs Hairston would be a big upgrade for the Yankees. A righty-hitting fourth outfielder is a must for the Yankees with the possibility of having all all-lefty starting trio of Breet Gardner, Curtis Granderson and Inchiro Suzuki (if he is re-signed).

A possible payroll hedge? | It's About The Money
Breaking down what exactly the Yankees' 2014 budget plans entail once again this morning, Joel Sherman reports a detail that I was actually unaware of, and leaves open a potential rationale for scrapping the plans altogether: The second inducement for going below $189 million is in the CBA’s revenue sharing refund program. It is a complicated concept and formula, but what is important to know is the Yankees would be rebated a percentage of what is the highest revenue-sharing payment in the sport, but — and this is key — only in years they are under the luxury tax threshold. If not, they forfeit the rebate. There is debate about how much the rebate is worth since it is tied heavily to the revenue that, in particular, Atlanta, Houston, Toronto and Washington generate. Some initial projections had the Yankees getting between $5 million-$8 million after 2014 with a steady climb afterward. So between lower payroll, no tax and the steadily climbing rebate, the Yankees could save real money, $30 million-plus annually perhaps. (click view full post to continue reading)

Offseason Outlook: New York Yankees: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com
The Yankees must address a number of needs on offense and on the pitching staff -- all while looking to avoid the MLB luxury tax by 2014.