Just a few late afternoon notes on this first day of the offseason:
• A source said this morning that the Yankees have been granted a fourth option year for outfielder Eury Perez, the 24-year-old claimed off waivers from the Nationals at the end of September. Perez has speed and pretty good minor league numbers, and he could be a right-handed fourth outfielder candidate next season. The fact the Yankees can send him to the minors, though, makes it a little easier to keep him on the 40-man roster.
• Along those same lines, I was told that “it does not appear” that Austin Romine will qualify for a fourth option year. That means he’ll be out of options next season. He’ll either have to make the big league team or face the uncertainty of waivers (assuming the Yankees don’t make a move with him this winter).
• Here’s an interesting idea: George King reports a belief that the Yankees are interested in talking to Raul Ibanez about becoming their hitting coach. It’s an interesting idea mostly because Ibanez really does carry himself like he’s a coach already. He communicates well, and the Royals basically treated him as a coach through the playoffs. Ibanez has no coaching experience, and there’s no telling whether he’d even want the job, but it’s an interesting possibility.
• While the Yankees will surely be in the market for some third base help this offseason, they could face some competition from their rivals in Boston. Jon Heyman reports that the Red Sox are interested in both Pablo Sandoval and Chase Headley as alternatives to Will Middlebrooks. This surely comes as little surprise, but it further supports the idea that signing Headley is going to require basically a full-time job and a significant contract. He’s not likely to rejoin the Yankees strictly as a backup or alternative to Alex Rodriguez. Most likely, bringing Headley back basically means giving him the third base job.
• The Baseball Hall of Fame announced the 10-person ballot being considered on the Golden Era ballot this winter. The group will be reviewed and voted upon at the Winter Meetings on December 8. Here are the candidates: Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, Gil Hodges, Bob Howsam, Jim Kaat, Minnie Minoso, Tony Oliva, Billy Pierce, Luis Tiant and Maury Wills.
Associated Press photo
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