The LoHud Yankees Blog

The official announcement of today’s winner will be at 2 p.m. Until then, here are my thoughts and predictions. Feel free to chime in with your own.

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NATIONAL LEAGUE CY YOUNG

The favorite: Chris Carpenter, Cardinals

The contenders: Tim Lincecum, Giants; Adam Wainwright, Cardinals

The dark horse: Jorge De La Rosa, Rockies

The (former) Yankee with a shot: Javier Vazquez, Braves

Morning analysis: Wainwright and Carpenter both had fantastic years, though Carpenter missed the first five weeks with an injury. The case is strong for either – Wainwright allowed two runs or fewer in 26 of 34 starts, and Carpenter went 12-1 from the end of June on as well as led the NL in ERA (2.24). You also can’t ignore Lincecum. The 2008 winner actually lowered his ERA and walks totals (in virtually the same number of innings) and led the league in strikeouts (261). His ERA (2.48) was only second to Carpenter who pitched 33 fewer innings.

The pick: Certainly you can’t go wrong with a Cardinal but I’ll go with Lincecum for the repeat. Some might get hung up on the 15 wins but to me, he continues to be the most dominant pitcher in the league.

The record: 4-for-5 (hit on Coghlan, Greinke, Scioscia and Tracy; missed on Bailey)

If you haven’t seen it, check out Jon Heyman’s latest column. Anything that leads with the Yankees making a phone call about Roy Halladay is worth a read.

The free agency free-for-all begins on Friday, when free agents are free to negotiate with any and every team. In that free agent market, John Lackey is the best pitcher available. In all of baseball, Halladay is the best pitcher who could change teams this winter.

One thing to keep in mind about the Yankees calling the Blue Jays is… Why wouldn’t they? They have to kick the tires. If Halladay were traded to the Red Sox straight up for Rocco Baldelli, every other team in baseball would look like fools for not checking on Halladay’s availability. There’s no harm in making a phone call.

But the Blue Jays do seem like a team that needs to make big moves when possible. They can’t beat the Yankees or Red Sox right now and might not be able to make a serious run at them until Halladay is well past his peak. Trading him — even within the division — for two or three high-end prospects makes sense. I have no idea what the asking price might be, but Halladay is better than Lackey and he’ll surely cost fewer prospects than Felix Hernandez. The Yankees are right to make some phone calls and ask some questions.

The Angels’ Mike Scioscia has been named the American League Manager of the Year. Colorado’s Jim Tracy won the award in the National League.

Good job by Sam picking the winners. And yes I did vote for Dave Miley for Manager of the Year, but that was in the International League.

UPDATE, 3:21 p.m.:  Joe Girardi finished third in the voting. Here are the totals (1st place votes, 2nd, 3rd, total points)

Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 15  10  1 — 106
Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota Twins 6  12  6 — 72
Joe Girardi, New York Yankees 4  3  5 – 34
Don Wakamatsu, Seattle Mariners 2  2  3 – 19
Ron Washington, Texas Rangers 1  1  11 – 19
Jim Leyland, Detroit Tigers 0  0  2 – 2

UPDATE, 3:31 p.m.: As you would expect, Mike Scioscia was asked quite a bit about Nick Adenhart during his conference call, but for the most part he was asked about overall difficulties of the season. John Lackey was injured when the season started. Kelvim Escobar started one game. Ervin Santana’s numbers dropped drastically.

“There were things that happened this year that you have to be prepared for,” Scioscia said. “And some things that there’s no manual to deal with.”

Toward the end of the conference call, Scioscia was asked about the ALCS.

“The Yankees outplayed us,” he said. “They played great baseball that series. I think at times we played well that series. At times we opened the door for a team that seemed like wasn’t going to let up.”

The last time the Yankees had a lame-duck manager was 2007, when Joe Torre was in the final year of his deal. Torre’s contract was a distraction all year, the Yankees lost (again) in the first round of the playoffs and we all know how the winter went from there.

Now it’s Joe Girardi going into the 2010 season in the final year of his contract. Since today is the day that the manager of the year awards are being announced, I thought it was fitting to discuss Girardi. Does he deserve some security?

The Yankees have recently shown zero inclination to do deals ahead of time with anyone. A-Rod, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera played out their contracts and it certainly looks like Derek Jeter will do the same (something I’m sure we’ll discuss more as the winter goes on). If Girardi is a lame-duck manager, it would seem to be only fair.

But managers are not players, and history has shown that an extended losing streak or a slow start in this city can put the cross-hairs on a manager/coach very quickly – do the Yankees want to open themselves up to that kind of potential distraction if they stumble early next year?

With players, I get the philosophy. The Yankees have the money to over-pay for a player once he hits the open market, so they aren’t fearful of that happening. They can afford to let a player finish his contract, be sure he doesn’t hurt himself in that final year and then compete with the rest of the league for that player content that they have the resources to make the best offer regardless. They don’t need the exclusivity window that comes with negotiating during the deal.

With a manager, though, there isn’t the threat of a career-ending injury or (usually) drastic change in ability. If they like Girardi and like his approach, why not lock him up? It rewards him for bringing a title back to the Bronx and it removes the inherent “Fire him!” response that often comes with a lame-duck manager who hits a rough patch. I’m not saying give him five years; I’m saying give him an extension and take the immediacy of 2010 off the table.

Baseball America has listed the six-year free agents for each team. Here’s the Yankees list.

New York Yankees (17)
RHP: Paul Bush (AA), Michael Gardner (AA), Justin Pope (AA), Humberto Sanchez (AAA), Jay Stephens (AA), Jose Valdez (AAA)
C: Brian Peterson (AAA), Chris Stewart (AAA)
3B: Eric Duncan (AAA), Carlos Mendoza (AA), Cody Ransom (AAA), Marcos Vechionacci (AA)
SS: Doug Bernier (AAA)
OF: Edwar Gonzalez (AA), Freddy Guzman (AAA), Richie Robnett (AA), John Rodriguez (AAA)

Starting pitcher Jason Hirsh, a mid-season addition from Colorado, is not included on the list. Neither is outfielder Noah Hall. I thought both would be free agents and I’ve sent an email to check on their status. Hirsh would be a nice addition if he’s still with the organization.

As for the 17 guys listed, Eric Duncan is probably the biggest name on the list. He was the Yankees first-round pick in 2003. Humberto Sanchez and Marcos Vechionacci were also highly touted prospects whose careers stalled.

UPDATE, 11:05 a.m.: Here’s the response email from Mark Newman: “(Jason Hirsh) is our property and subject to the Rule 5 draft. Noah Hall is a free agent.”

So there you have it. Not sure how Hirsh is still with the Yankees — he was drafted the same year as Eric Duncan — but he’s a nice addition. Once a huge prospect who put up terrific numbers in the Pacific Coast League before a series of injuries knocked him off track. He really pitched well in Scranton at the end of last season.

UPDATE, 11:32 a.m.: Some former Yankees who are now free agents from other teams: Chase Wright, Eric Hacker, Justin Christian, Casey Fossum, Matt DeSalvo, Scott Patterson, Charlie Manning, Oneli Perez, T.J. Beam, Justin Leone.

As for possible Yankees targets, they’re probably going to want/need a corner outfielder for the Triple-A team. They’ll probably also want a veteran catcher in Triple-A (might be keeping the spot warm until Jesus Montero comes up). And a veteran infielder might not be a bad idea considering that Scranton infielder could be really, really young next year.

I’ve said before that I’m a big fan of Bobby Scales, who can play anywhere except shortstop (and could probably do that in a pinch). Dallas McPherson and Terry Tiffee have good power at third base (which is a weak spot in the upper levels of the Yankees system). Rich Thompson has a lot of speed in the outfield (think Freddy Guzman) while Chris Denorfia, Chip Ambres,  Brent Clevlen, Josh Kroeger, Michael Restovich or Brad Snyder would also be interesting in the Triple-A outfield. At catcher, getting Chris Stewart back makes the most sense, but I wouldn’t blame him for looking elsewhere.

The official announcement of today’s winners will be at 2 p.m. Until then, here are my thoughts and predictions. Feel free to chime in with your own.

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AMERICAN LEAGUE MANAGER OF THE YEAR

The favorite: Mike Scioscia, Angels

The contenders: Ron Gardenhire, Twins

The dark horse: Ron Washington, Rangers

The Yankee with a chance: Dave Miley (sadly, Chad isn’t voting)

Morning analysis: If on-field results were all that mattered than Joe Girardi would have a legitimate chance to win and his biggest competition would probably be from Gardenhire, who did a fantastic job to get his team into the postseason after playing April without Joe Mauer and the entire stretch run without Justin Morneau. Unfortunately for everyone, there are unimaginable circumstances surrounding this season’s award and it’s nearly impossible for anyone to know exactly what Scioscia had to do to help his team get through the grief that comes with losing a teammate after Nick Adenhart was killed on April 9.

The prediction: Say what you want about him, but this year more than ever Scioscia deserves it.

NATIONAL LEAGUE MANAGER OF THE YEAR

The favorite: Jim Tracy, Rockies

The contenders: Tony La Russa, Cardinals; Charlie Manuel, Phillies

The dark horses: Fredi Gonzalez, Marlins; Bobby Cox, Braves

The (former) Yankee with a chance: Joe Torre, Dodgers

Morning analysis: I was particularly impressed with what Manuel did this season, mostly because he navigated his team all the way to the playoffs with a bullpen that was pretty much a disaster all year long. Gonzalez, too, did incredible things with a still-developing team in Florida and La Russa continued his general excellence (even if he is a know-it-all). All that said, you can’t ignore Tracy – going from bench coach to manager and then laughingstock to the wild card is the stuff of dreams. If he doesn’t win, it’s insane.

The prediction: It’s Tracy. Now if we could only get Mumbles to present the award to him …

The record: 2-for-3 (hit on Coghlan, Greinke; missed on Bailey)

Speculation about Matt Holliday will percolate right up until he actually signs with a team and so far – as is often the case with Scott Boras clients – the big-spending clubs like the Yankees and Red Sox have been linked to the outfielder. The Angels are in that category too, though GM Tony Reagins told the Los Angeles Times that the team’s “focus is not on” Holliday.

As for the Yankees, I know the the buzz will persist for as long as Holliday is available – and rightfully so, especially after the lay-in-the-weeds approach that Brian Cashman took with Mark Teixeira last winter. I just don’t see it going anywhere.

The team’s internal planning is still going on, but at this point it’s hard for me to imagine the Yankees doing yet another massive contract only one year after committing so much to CC/AJ/Tex. More importantly (because who are we kidding, they certainly could spend more money) I’m not nearly as sold on Holliday as I was on Teixeira. With Teixeira, I was convinced he was that kind of “special” player – with Holliday, I’ve yet to see enough to make me think that. If I were betting, I think the Yankees make more of an impact on the trade market than the free agent market this winter.

One thing I know for sure is this: The Yankees-are-talking-Holliday chatter isn’t going away anytime soon.

… by including Sergio Mitre news in a thread about the Cy Young award. I can see how that might have weirded some people out.

For those who asked, the option on Mitre was $1.25 million so the Yankees were just making a fiscal decision in declining. Mitre is arbitration-eligible and, if I were betting, will probably be back with the Yankees at least for spring training.

By the way, the Yankees have four other arbitration decisions to make. They are:

1. Melky Cabrera (clearly gets offered)
2. Brian Bruney (probably gets offered)
3. Chad Gaudin (probably gets offered)
4. Chien-Ming Wang (almost certainly doesn’t get offered)

Remember that Brian Cashman wants to go into spring training with as many pitchers as possible, and Gaudin and Mitre offer cheap depth. Bruney would probably be right around his 2009 salary ($1.25 million) and he can fill in the bullpen spots that should be vacated by Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain. Wang, on the other hand, is a likely non-tender since he made $5 million last season. Sad is it is for the “Ace in America” crowd, Wang may well be done in New York.

The deadline for the Yankees to decide is Dec. 12.

Zack Greinke won the AL Cy Young, dominating the voting and taking 25 of the 28 first-place votes. Here’s the breakdown of the balloting.

1. Zack Greinke, Royals (25-3-0 — 134 points)
2. Felix Hernandez, Mariners (2-23-1 — 80 points)
3. Justin Verlander, Tigers (1-0-9 — 14 points)
4. CC Sabathia, Yankees (0-2-7 — 13 points)
5. Roy Halladay, Blue Jays (0-0-11 — 11 points)

UPDATE, 2:08 p.m.: I didn’t want to start a new post so quickly but wanted to pass along that the Yankees have officially declined their 2010 option on Sergio Mitre. He still remains under their control and is arbitration-eligible.

The Yankees beat the Angels in six games in this year’s ALCS, and Angels manager Mike Scioscia is apparently already thinking about a rematch. Scioscia spoke at a fundraiser recently, according to the Orange County Register, and spent most of the luncheon telling stories from his playing days. When asked about the Yankees, though, he said, “I don’t care if the Yankees go out and spend $350 million next year, we’re going to beat them because we have the team.”

Before you go nuts about the money aspect of it, Scioscia apparently said earlier that payroll had nothing to do with the Yankees winning; he was just being (very) confident in his team. Either way, baseball could certainly do a lot worse than having the Yankees and Angels play another ALCS next year that turns out like this past one. Those were some great games.