The LoHud Yankees Blog

Today was a pretty good day for Kevin Russo. Then I called him and nearly screwed up the whole thing. Three minutes into our conversation, there was a very brief pause. ”Sorry,” Russo finally said. “Another car almost hit me.”

Danger averted, the conversation continued.

“I just found out five minutes ago, actually,” Russo said. “I was trying not to think about it. I knew it was coming up but I didn’t know exactly the date until yesterday. It wasn’t in my control. It’s the Yankees, and they put me on there, which is great.”

Russo was one of three infielders added to the 40-man roster this afternoon. Along with Ramiro Pena, that group will give the Yankees four legitimate utility infield candidates. The knock on Russo will be that he hasn’t spent much time at shortstop. He might have the most advanced bat of the bunch, but most of Russo’s time has been spent at second base and third base, with a little bit in the outfield and a handful of games at short.

“I’ll try to do whatever it takes,” Russo said. “If I have a chance to make the team that way, that would be great. I’m going to try to do everything I can in the offseason to work on it. I guess it would be a good thing for them to see me at short. I feel like I can play it.”

The Yankees added seven players to the 40-man roster this afternoon in preparation for December’s Rule 5 draft.

RHP Hector Noesi
RHP Ivan Nova
RHP Romulo Sanchez
INF Reegie Corona
INF Eduardo Nunez
INF Kevin Russo
OF Austin Jackson

To open a spot on the 40-man, Shelley Duncan was outrighted off the roster.

I honestly didn’t think Noesi was eligible, but I was obviously wrong about that one. Otherwise, I think the Yankees protected the players they had to protect. There are plenty of guys who could very well be taken — Grant Duff, Zach Kroenke, Colin Curtis, Kanekoa Texeira, Kevin Whelan — but this is a pretty aggressive bit of roster tinkering, and a solid minor league system is going to have several viable Rule 5 candidates.

I’m going to make some phone calls. Until then, here’s the full press release from the Yankees.

The New York Yankees announced today they have added right-handed pitchers Hector Noesi, Ivan Nova and Romulo Sanchez, infielders Reegie Corona, Eduardo Nunez and Kevin Russo and outfielder Austin Jackson and to the 40-man roster.

Noesi, 22, appeared in 26 combined games (20 starts) with Single-A Charleston and Single-A Tampa in 2009, going 6-4 with a 2.92 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 117.0 IP. He also combined to hold opponents to a .220 batting average (96-for-436) with only 15 walks and was named a midseason All-Star with Charleston. Noesi was originally signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on December 3, 2004, out of the Dominican Republic.

Nova, 22, made 24 combined starts with Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2009, going 6-8 with a 3.68 ERA (139.1IP, 57ER). He also made two postseason starts for Scranton/WB, going 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA, allowing just three earned runs in 14.0 IP and striking out 10 batters. Originally signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on July 15, 2004, Nova was selected by San Diego in the 2008 Rule 5 Draft before being returned to the Yankees.

Sanchez, 25, was acquired by the Yankees on May 16, 2009, from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for RHP Eric Hacker. He spent the year at the Triple-A level, combining to go 6-5 with a 4.09 ERA (77.0 IP, 35 ER) and 79 strikeouts in 29 games (13 starts) with Indianapolis (PIT) and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (NYY). Sanchez was originally signed by the Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent on March 8, 2002, out of Lara, Venezuela.

Corona, 23, combined to bat .257 (120-for-467) with 69 runs, 28 doubles, six home runs, 40 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 129 games with Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, earning midseason All-Star honors with Trenton. The Caracas, Venezuela, native was originally signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2003. A switch-hitting infielder, he was selected by Seattle in the 2008 Rule 5 Draft, and was returned to the Yankees on April 3, 2009.

Nunez, 22, batted .322 (160-for-497) with nine home runs, 55 RBI and 19 stolen bases in 123 games with Double-A Trenton in 2009, making 120 starts at shortstop. In his first season at the Double-A level, he ranked second in the Eastern League in hits and third in batting average, and was the lone Thunder player to earn both midseason and postseason All-Star honors. Originally signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on February 25, 2004, Nunez was a non-roster spring training invitee in 2009.

Russo, 25, was named to the International League’s 2009 postseason All-Star team after batting .326 (115-for-353) with 51 runs, 18 doubles, five home runs, 31 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 90 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He also walked 42 times, ranking fourth in the IL with a team-high .397 on-base percentage. Russo was selected by the Yankees in the 20th round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.

Jackson, 22, was selected as the 2009 International League “Rookie of the Year” after batting .300 (151-for-504) with 67 runs, 23 doubles, nine triples, four home runs, 65 RBI and 24 stolen bases in 132 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. In his first full season at the Triple-A level, he led the IL in triples and ranked second in hits. Originally selected by the Yankees in the eighth round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Jackson entered 2009 rated as the organization’s top prospect as well as its “Best Athlete” and “Best Defensive Outfielder” by Baseball America. He attended 2009 spring training as a non-roster invitee, batting .333 (12-for-36) with three home runs in 23 games.

In addition, infielder/outfielder Shelley Duncan was outrighted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Yankees’ roster now stands at 39.

Hoping some of that championship glow will rub off, the Knicks are going to honor Yankees manager Joe Girardi for being a generally good guy in the hours after the World Series win. Here’s the press release.

KNICKS TO HONOR JOE GIRARDI WITH “CITY SPIRIT” AWARD
Yankees’ Manager Wins “City Spirit” Award For Heroic Efforts After World Series Win

NEW YORK, November 20, 2009 – The New York Knickerbockers have announced that Yankees Manager Joe Girardi is the winner of the Sweetwater Clifton “City Spirit” Award for the month of November. The award, named in honor of Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, the first African-American to play for the Knicks, recognizes individuals who have made a significant difference in the lives of others. Each month, a winner is chosen by members of the Knicks front office staff and honored at center court during a Knicks game with a $2,000 donation in his or her name made out to a charity of their choice.

After leading the New York Yankees to the 2009 World Series crown on Nov. 4, Girardi served as a good Samaritan by stopping to aid Marie Henry, who had a car accident on the Cross County Parkway in Westchester County. Ms. Henry, 27, lost control of her automobile and crashed into a wall in the early morning hours. Girardi, who was driving home, came to her assistance and flagged down police. Luckily, Henry sustained only minor injuries, but Girardi’s efforts on and off the field that night embodied the essence of what the “City Spirit” Award means.

At Sunday’s game versus the Boston Celtics, Joe Girardi will accept the City Spirit Award at Madison Square Garden. Girardi will donate the award money to Catch 25, a foundation he created to support families and individuals who have been affected by ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and fertility issues.

To nominate your hero, or to read more about this month’s winners and other past winners, please visit nyknicks.com.

MLB Trade Rumors pointed me to this report, which points to another report that I can’t read without a translator.

Basically, Chien-Ming Wang was asked about his uncertain offseason for what must have been the thousandth time. He said he prefers to stay with the Yankees, but the idea of playing for Joe Torre was brought up.

“The media asked whether to switch teams to the Dodgers, he said ‘That’s good,’” according to the original story (and according to Google’s translator).

 What to do with Wang is one of the great Yankee mysteries of the offseason. Two years ago he won 19 games for the second straight season. He was solid when he was able to pitch in 2008 and 2009 was more or less a completely lost year, but it was so bad that you have to wonder if he can play a role at all next season, especially given the money he’s likely to make in arbitration. There’s no guarantee he’ll accept a smaller contract offer.

UPDATE, 12:50 p.m.: Got an email from Lynn who clarified Wang’s comments about playing for the Dodgers. Google’s translator came up with, “That’s good” as the translation of Wang’s quote. Lynn says it’s more like “it’s not a bad idea” or “it’s okay too.”

The Surprise Rafters played their final game of the Arizona Fall League season yesterday. They finished second in the division with generally encouraging numbers for the Yankees on their roster.

Colin Curtis, one of the Yankees who would have to be added to the 40-man to be protected from the Rule 5 draft, finished with a .397 average. He had seven doubles, two triples and five home runs in 20 games. Even in a hitters’ league like the Fall League, those are eye-popping numbers. The outfield is thin in the upper levels of the Yankees system, but Curtis is an interesting player with a lot of tools. Can’t overlook him.

Third baseman Brandon Laird finished tied for second in the league with six home runs, tied for third with nine doubles and fifth with 24 RBI. He hit .333. With Brad Suttle coming back from injury, Laird may have established himself as the top third base prospect in the system (assuming he doesn’t move to first fulltime).

The Yankees other position player in Arizona, catcher Austin Romine, suffered a minor finger injury and played just four games, with six hits.

Of the four Yankees’ pitchers, Ian Kennedy was the only starter and he led the league with 29.2 innings, which was by far the most important thing for him. This was about work, not results, for Kennedy. In his last start, he went five innings, striking out five, walking none and allowing one run. He finished with a 4.25 ERA, 28 strikeouts and five walks.

Power lefty Mike Dunn had 20 strikeouts in 10.1 innings, but he also walked 10 guys. Power righty Grant Duff had a 2.89 ERA, but he struck out only four while walking five. Zach Kroenke struck out 14, walked four and pitched well in most of his outings, but he also had three multi-run games and finished with a 5.28 ERA.

It seems an odd bit of news, but FoxSports reported today that they’ve heard two different stories about the Yankees bullpen plans. Some say the Yankees are interested in Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano. Some say the Yankees are content to stay in house.

I have to think both are true.

Like with making a call to the Blue Jays about Roy Halladay, there’s no harm in checking in on Gonzalez and Soriano — personally, I’ve always liked both – but the past few years seem to have taught us that planning a bullpen is tricky. Part of the reason Mariano Rivera is so valuable is that he’s so reliable. It’s hard to find relievers like that, and it’s very easy to pay quite a bit of money for a reliever who falters. In the case of Damaso Marte, it’s easy to pay quite a bit of money to a reliever who falters, then comes up huge in the playoffs.

The Yankees have been able to find in-house setup candidates in unexpected places, whether in the young arm of Joba Chamberlain in 2007 or the rotation arm of Phil Hughes in 2009.  David Robertson seemed to come into his own this season. Mark Melancon could do the same next year. Alfredo Aceves seems to be working well out of the bullpen. Grant Duff and Romulo Sanchez showed power arms in the minors.

I’m all for adding pieces, but the Yankees still have enough pitching depth in the system to make me think they don’t have to go overboard — in terms of money or lost draft picks — to add a seventh or eighth inning setup candidate. Bullpens tend to sort themselves out, and that’s all a free agent reliever would be is another candidate for the job.

You might have noticed a lot of teams in baseball making signficiant roster changes today and yesterday. The Rays have added Desmond Jennings and Jeremy Hellickson to the 40-man. The Orioles have added Brandon Erbe and five others. The Cardinals have added a whopping eight players.

The Yankees have added none.

I checked with Austin Jackson this afternoon just to be sure, and Jackson said he hasn’t heard anything about 40-man moves to protect players from the Rule 5 draft. You can bet Jackson will be one of the Yankees protected. If he hasn’t heard anything, the moves haven’t happened.

Things have been pretty quiet since the World Series. Might start to get a bit louder as of tomorrow.

Andy Pettitte was among the last players to officially file for free agency today, joining Fernando Tatis as those who did the paperwork on the final day. Starting tomorrow, teams can negotiate with all free agents.

Pettitte is an interesting case. He signed with the Yankees each of the past two years because he was chasing one more championship. Now that he has it, will the 37-year-old retire? Filing for free agency isn’t necessarily an indication that he wants to keep playing (it’s more of a formality) and at 229 career wins, it’s not like Pettitte has a realistic shot at 300.

Here’s what he said when he was asked about playing another year just after the World Series.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “I’m not. I’m not sure. I’ll need to get home and talk to my family. I’ll need to talk to the Yankees and find out where they’re at, and then I can probably start trying to figure out what I’d like to do.”

Joba Chamberlain, who became close with Pettitte, has supposedly been badgering him already about coming back to the Yankees and my bet is Pettitte comes back for one more year. At this point, I just don’t see him playing anywhere else and the Yankees could certainly do much worse than having him at the back of their rotation in 2010.

Tim Lincecum won the NL Cy Young for a second straight year, narrowly beating Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright.

Lincecum (11 first place votes) actually received one fewer first-place vote than Wainwright (12), but finished with 100 points in the 5-3-1 voting. Carpenter was second with 94 points and Wainwright third with 90.

UPDATE, 2:04 p.m.: Here’s the full balloting. The only other time a pitcher won the Cy Young Award without the most first-place votes was 1998, when the Tom Glavine had 11 to Trevor Hoffman’s 13.

Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants — 11 – 12 – 9 — 100 points
Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals — 9 – 14 – 7 — 94 points
Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals — 12 – 5 – 15 — 90 points
Javier Vazquez, Atlanta Braves — 0 – 1 – 0 — 3 points
Dan Haren, Arizona Diamondbacks — 0 – 0 – 1 – 1 point

UPDATE, 2:53 p.m.: Chad here. Didn’t want to start a new post just yet, but USA Today’s Bob Nightengale has posted on Twitter that the Yankees are making Nick Swisher available. That’s not the same as trying to trade Swisher, it could simply mean the Yankees are willing to include him in a deal that brings another right fielder. Or it could mean his name was brought up and the Yankees didn’t label him as untouchable.

Interesting story here about Bud Selig saying he will attempt to reduce the number of off-days during next year’s postseason – an issue that players, coaches, managers (particularly Mike Scioscia) and fans all seemed to agree got a little out of control during this past month.

“We’re going to change it,” Selig said. “I don’t disagree with Mike Scioscia. I think he was right, so we’re going to try and tighten that up.”

By my count, the Yankees played 15 games in 36 days during the postseason. I understand that TV is a factor in anything, but that’s just ridiculous. The postseason in any sport should at least somewhat resemble the regular season that precedes it, and playing baseball every other day for a month just doesn’t do that.

“When you plan the playoff schedule, you don’t know how many games the first round would go. So it’s difficult,” Selig said. “There were clubs that sat around. Some were necessary, but some were not.”

Selig also mentions instant replay (nothing new) and that he’s interested in reworking the draft (he wants a slotting system to regulate signing bonuses).