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From Erik Boland:

Free agency officially kicked off in the hours after the Giants completed their four-game sweep of the Tigers in the World Series on Sunday night and, as expected, the Yankees on Monday exercised the club options they held on second baseman Robinson Cano, centerfielder Curtis Granderson and reliever David Aardsma.

Twelve of their players became free agents, headlined by Hiroki Kuroda, Nick Swisher, Russell Martin, Ichiro Suzuki, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera. The others are Eric Chavez, Pedro Feliciano, Freddy Garcia, Raul Ibanez, Andruw Jones and Derek Lowe.

Players can start signing with other clubs after midnight ET on Saturday.

OK, just wanted to post that before the Sandy knocked out my power and internet. Stay safe people.

From Pete Caldera:

Mark Teixeira (sore left calf) was due to take BP on the field for the first time in a week and said he’s targeting Thursday’s series opener at Baltimore for his return.

Curtis Granderson (tight right hamstring) could be in the lineup tomorrow night, according to manager Joe Girardi.

With the lead down to one, it's pretty obvious that all these injuries finally caught up with the team. Getting these guys back should help, but with the way they've been playing (with or without them) let's just hope it's not too little too late.

From George King:

Used to hearing bad news when a player heads for an MRI exam, the Yankees received a positive report Saturday about Curtis Granderson’s right hamstring.

Granderson left Saturday’s 4-3 victory over the Orioles after two innings for what was called a tight right hamstring. The test revealed no strain, sprain or pulled muscle.

“They said it was tendinitis where the bone and joint come together,’’ said Granderson, who felt the leg on the run from the dugout to center field at the start of the game.

King also reported that while Girardi was relieved with the news, he doesn't think Granderson will play on Sunday. The next three games will be in Tampa, on turf, so there's probably a good chance he misses at least a couple of those as well.

Curtis Granderson was forced to leave Saturday’s game against the Orioles due to tightness in his right hamstring. The injury seemed to occur when Grandy struck up in the 2nd on a checked swing. He's now headed to the hospital for a precautionary MRI.

Let's hope it's nothing serious and he doesn't miss any games. The Yankees haven't been playing too well (as you know) and they really can't afford another injury, even with the expanded rosters.

From MLB.com:

The starting lineups for the 2012 All-Star Game on July 10 at Kauffman Stadium have been named, so get set Kansas City, here they come.

...

The 17 starters announced on the 2012 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show presented by Taco Bell on TBS on Sunday give new meaning to the words "star power." Fans have already won, making a record-setting statement in support of their favorite players, but who will win the game this year?

...

Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, winner of last year's Home Run Derby, got the starting nod for the third consecutive time, his fourth All-Star Game selection.

Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is back in the All-Star Game for the 13th time in his career. The Yankees captain bowed out of last year's game, citing exhaustion from the mental and physical rigors of the pursuit of his 3,000th career hit and the need for rest over the All-Star break.

...

Boston designated hitter David Ortiz is an All-Star for the eighth time. Yankees center fielder Curtis Granderson and Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista can each smile knowing that they are both three-time All-Stars and in the starting lineup for the second consecutive year.

Yankees starter CC Sabathia also made the AL squad. Click here for the full AL & NL rosters.

From Jon Heyman:

Seeking to diffuse any notion that the Yankees won't be able to retain their buggest stars and perhaps suffer a major talent deficit in 2014 when a payroll cut is planned, team president Randy Levine said, "The plan contemplates (Robinson) Cano, (Curtis) Gransderson and a full championship team.''

The Yankees have said they plan to decrease their payroll from the low $200 millions to below $189 million to get below the luxury-tax threshhold for 2012, thus significantly reducing their tax rate in future years and saving themselces tens of millions. With that in mind, some folks are starting to do their own little math and wondering how many stars can be retained considering the Yankees will still have three $20-million-plus per-year players (Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia) on gthe payroll in 2014, leaving themselves about $120 million to fill out the other 22 spots on the team.

With the contracts of Cano and Granderson up after 2013, folks specifically have wondered how the Yankees will squeeze those two big stars onto their payroll. But Yankees people remain confident publicly they can do that and remain a contender.

"We'll have a great team either way,'' GM Brian Cashman said. "At $189 million, we should,''

The Yankees say they will not entertain the idea of going above the $189-million threshhold and are committed to getting below that figure. "The new Basic Agreement has changed the landscape,'' Cashman said. "From a business perspective, we have no choice. Do you want to go over $1 million at the expense of an additional $50 million? We're going to be at or below that ($189 million) number. We will certainly find a way to do it.''

Personally, I have no idea how it'll be possible to retain those two and have a good roster around them. I guess we'll just have to take their word for it for now.

From the NY Post:

Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson did not win AL MVP, but a former teammate did.

Tigers ace Justin Verlander won the award on Monday and became the first pitcher to earn the honor since Oakland's Dennis Eckersley won in 1992 and the first starter since Boston's Roger Clemens in 1986.

Granderson, whom the Yankees acquired from Detroit after the 2009 season, finished fourth in the voting...

...Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury was second with 242, Bautista third with 231, Granderson followed with 215, and Verlander's Tigers teammate Miguel Cabrera came in fifth with 193 points.

With a 24-5 record and 2.40 ERA you're not going to find any complaints about this award, even if he already won the Cy Young.