The LoHud Yankees Blog

The Atlanta Braves signed Billy Wagner today, and in the process they gave the Boston Red Sox a first-round draft pick and a supplemental draft pick between the first and second rounds. All that for a guy who pitched fewer than 14 innings for Boston.

It’s easy to point to this move and claim it’s proof of a broken system — and maybe it is — but back in August, when the Red Sox traded two spare parts for Wagner, the fact that the Red Sox had the right to offer Wagner arbitration but not pick up his option was reported. It was a known and accepted part of the trade. When Wagner became a Type-A free agent, it became perhaps the most important part of the deal. Love or hate the Red Sox, it now seems to be a heckuva move for Boston.

The balance of power hasn’t shifted. The baseball world hasn’t flipped upside down. Theo Epstein made a nice move, that’s all. The thing to take from it is that there’s always a bigger picture. Trading for Wagner was a short-term move in August. It’s become a long-term move in December.

As much as fans and media would love to see the Yankees get the offseason wheeling and dealing started, the truth is that patience remains a virtue. Brian Cashman is going to meet with his owners. He’s going to gather his scouts. He’s going to talk to his manager. He’s going to set a game plan.

Then he’s going to act.

Quick, small-picture moves destroy good baseball teams. Cashman is a big picture kind of guy. That’s a good thing for the Yankees.

That pull quote in the headline is probably not what you want to hear, but the fact is Joe Girardi is waiting just like everyone else.

“There’s not a lot going on right now and you want to know what you’re going to have going into spring training,” Girardi said this morning before being honored by the March of Dimes. “As you saw last year, a lot of guys didn’t sign until real late and there were a lot of good players signing late. I know it’s going to take time. We did a great job at the winter meetings and we got some great players last year, and we’ll try to do the same thing.”

Girardi, though, has been in constant contact with general manager Brian Cashman and will fly to Tampa in the coming days to meet with the rest of the Yankees decision makers about an offseason strategy.

“We talk a couple of times every day,” Girardi said. “We’re going to have some meetings here in the next couple of days and talk about some more things and start gearing up for the Winter Meetings.”

The Winter Meetings begin on Monday, at which point things might start to heat up.

“There are some pretty good players out there,” Girardi said. “Obviously as a manager, you’d like to have everyone.”

• Girardi labeled Andy Pettitte as “someone we’re very, very interested in.” He also ackowledged that the Yankees rotation is in better shape this year than it was last winter and said Pettitte’s usual decision-making delay shouldn’t hurt the Yankees offseason strategy. “I got the sense at the end of the season that he wasn’t done,” Girardi said. “But sometimes when you go home, you talk about some things with your family. I’m sure he’ll prepare like he’s going to pitch.”

• As for the designated hitter opening, Girardi said he does like the idea of a DH that can play the field, but he also said the Yankees were able to rest their regulars even with Hideki Matsui limited to DH duties. “I could see it working well either way,” Girardi said. “The nice thing we were able to do last year, when we played Hideki about five out of every seven days, is we were able to give Alex a day, Jeter a day, Tex a day every once in a while, Johnny a day. And I do like that, because it’s a way to keep them in the lineup but still giving them a blow and I found that extremely beneficial to the guys.”

• On the series of Roy Halladay rumors: “We don’t know if he is going to be moved or not. Whoever he goes to, he’s going to be extremely valuable. He could make a significant impact.”

• Girardi said he hasn’t asked for a contract extension and isn’t worried about managing in the last year of his contract. “I’ve done it as a player,” he said. “I’ve gone into the first year of a contract and it hasn’t always turned out great, so it doesn’t bother me. I’m under contract, I’m very happy with that, I feel that I’m very fortunate to be under contract. We’ll worry about that when it’s time.”

• Finally, one last word on the sliding practice with Mark Sanchez. Girardi had gone to the stadium “to play” with his son Dante — how cool is that? – then they got the call about going to Jets practice. “If he doesn’t do well, Dante taught him,” Girardi said. “If he does do well, I taught him.”

He conducted sliding practice yesterday, and today Joe Girardi will be honored as the March of Dimes Sportsman of the Year. Venus Williams is the organization’s Sportswoman of the Year. The March of Dimes sports luncheon is being held at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan.

Earlier this offseason, the Knicks honored Girardi with their City Spirit award, and the Yankees as a while were honored for their HOPE Week activities. Derek Jeter, obviously, is the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.

It’s nice to follow a team that’s recognized off the field as well as on it. I’m on my way to the Waldorf so that if Girardi says anything particularly newsworthy, I can let you know. Maybe he’ll announce a major trade or signing! But I doubt it.

Let’s start today with something light, shall we? Yesterday, Sam wrote a little bit about Joe Girardi going to Jets practice to teach quarterback Mark Sanchez how to slide on his right leg. Pretty random, but the Yankees passed along a series of quotes and some of them are pretty funny.

Here’s Jets coach Rex Ryan:

“Today, we had the privilege of having Joe Girardi out here. We had a couple of issues that we needed to go over. Number one, the obvious free agents, who’s available. So, after the counseling and my input, which I know he regards highly (laughter), then we got into the other business. I had Joe come out here and teach Sanchez how to slide (laughter). That’s the truth. I actually did that. We had a little sliding mat out here. I told Schotty (Brian Schottenheimer), ‘I’m going over your head. I’m going over (Matt) Cavanaugh’s head. I’m going over my head. We’re bringing in a world champ to get this done.’ We did have Joe Girardi out here and quite honestly, we spent 10 minutes out there. He was running and learning to slide off his right leg. We literally did that. He’s (Sanchez) too valuable and he needs to understand that we need him out there and people are going to take shots at him if he doesn’t start sliding. I really did want to make an emphasis to Mark and get the best guy that we can in the area. I made a call today to the Yankees and I was really happy that Girardi came over and did that for us.”

On not being able to get Rickey Henderson
“Rickey Henderson? No, because he always slid head first (laughter). That’s our problem. (Sanchez has) seen way too much of Rickey Henderson. You know Girardi was a catcher, so you know he was sliding feet first, so that how we went.”

On if Girardi taught the hook slide or the pop-up slide
“He’s popping up. No, I’m just kidding (laughing). That pop-slide is probably not recommended in football. If you pop up a little too quickly, you might get a Riddel (helmet) in your face.”

On if Girardi actually slid
“Yeah, he showed him. His son did it. His son looked good, by the way. He showed him. He got down on the ground with him and was showing the techniques. It was really great. This is probably the first football player he’s ever done that with, but he’s a natural. He did an outstanding job. He even talked about protecting his left hand. He did a way better job than I knew I could do and I was right. When I saw him, I was like, ‘Wow, it’s too bad my kid wasn’t here for the lesson.’ You have an opportunity to get the best and that’s what we did. We went out and got the best and I feel really good about it.”

Here’s Joe Girardi:

“It was great watching the Jets practice. I’d had the chance to meet coach Ryan at Yankee Stadium earlier this year, and I’m glad I was around to take the trip out to visit him. Football practice is so much different than batting practice because there is so many facets of the game that need to be covered… After practice I spent a little time with Mark Sanchez working on sliding techniques. He wears a brace on his left leg so we tried to help him learn how to slide on the other leg. It’s not an easy thing to do.”

Finally, here’s Mark Sanchez:

“I’ve never really been a slider. In baseball, I slid head first. In football, I’ve done the same thing, or tried to get out of bounds or throw the ball away. It’s something that you need to learn at this level. Once you get the first down or as many yards as you need, just protect yourself and protect the ball and give yourself a chance to play.”

On when he learned Girardi would be at practice
“Right before practice. Coach said he’d have someone out to work with me on sliding. I thought he meant it would be one of the coaches, or a quarterback coach or something.”

On what he learned from Girardi
“(How to) hook my leg, because I wear that brace on my left leg so you don’t want to hook that leg into the ground because it might get stuck. He showed me how to do it with the opposite leg and hook that leg under. He showed me how to protect the ball while I am sliding and try not to fall on one side or the other on my shoulder, just absorb the blow with my butt and my legs. It was important for me to learn that and I really appreciated it.”

Tonight, I got a great email from a reader named Chris. Turns out, when Chris was younger — “about 30 years ago” — he was given a grade school assignment to write letters. He chose former Yankees, and one of the ones who wrote back was none other than Tommy Henrich.

“It always made an impression on me,” Chris wrote in the email. “Just another example of the fine gentleman he was.”

Regardless of anything else, this afternoon was going to be about arbitration talk and speculation. That’s why I held off on this post until this evening. Seems good to get the arbitration talk out of the way so that we can focus for a bit on Tommy Henrich, who passed away this morning at the age of 96.

“Tommy was a darn good ballplayer and teammate,” Yogi Berra said. “He always took being a Yankee to heart. He won a lot of championships and did whatever he could to help us win. When I came up in 1947, he taught me little nuances about playing the outfield. Being around Tommy made you feel good, whether playing cards or listening to him sing with that great voice. He was a proud man, and if you knew him, he made you proud too. ”

Henrich played from 1937 to 1950. He missed three seasons while fighting in World War II, but spent all of his playing career with the Yankees.

“I am saddened by the loss of Tommy Henrich, who was truly one of my personal favorites,” commissioner Bud Selig said in statement released by Major League Baseball. “Tommy was a wonderful Yankee known for his professionalism and for his many contributions in big games throughout his All-Star career, which spanned three different decades. ‘Old Reliable’ was beloved by his Yankee teammates and played on seven World Championship teams. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest sympathy to Tommy’s family and friends.”

From the New York Times obituary comes this wonderful, unearthed quote from Casey Stengel.

“He’s a fine judge of a fly ball,” Stengel said. “He fields grounders like an infielder. He never makes a wrong throw, and if he comes back to the hotel at 3 in the morning when we’re on the road and says he’s been sitting up with a sick friend, he’s been sitting up with a sick friend.”

Here’s the release from the Yankees, which is also where the Berra comment came from:

———

Former Yankees outfielder Tommy Henrich passed away at the age of 96 in the early hours this morning in Dayton, Ohio. A five-time All-Star (1942, ’47-50) and member of seven World Championship teams (1937-39, ’41, ’47, ’49 and ’50), Henrich was a career .282 batter with 269 doubles, 73 triples, 183 home runs and 795 RBI in his 11-year Major League career–all with the Yankees–that spanned three decades (1937-42, ’46-50).

The left-hander twice led the American League in triples (13 in 1947 and 14 in ’48) and led the Majors in runs scored in 1948 (138). Henrich hit the first-ever “walk-off” home run in a World Series in Game 1 of the 1949 Fall Classic off Brooklyn’s Don Newcombe, breaking a scoreless tie and accounting for the game’s only run in the 1-0 Yankees victory. Prior to the Yankees’ 1942 World Series loss vs. St. Louis, he joined the United States Coast Guard and missed three additional full seasons serving during World War II.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Virgil Trucks is now believed to be the oldest living Yankee at 92 years of age.

The family will hold a private memorial service on Saturday, December 5. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that a donation be made in Tommy’s name to the Baseball Assistance Team.

“Tommy was a terrific player. What made him so special was that he always played well in big games. You get him in a close or important game and he would always show up ready to play. It seemed like he never made any mistakes in the outfield. He was a true professional and an ultimate Yankee.”
Dr. Bobby Brown (teammate, 1946-50)

“Tommy was incredible. They called him ‘Old Reliable,’ and he was just that. My first year with him was 1949, and it seemed like every home run he hit won the game. His career stats might not show it, but he was a great clutch player. When he hit, it counted. He was also a fine defensive player in the outfield.”
Jerry Coleman (teammate, 1949-50)

Joel Sherman of the Post is reporting (tweeting?) that the Yankees have decided not to offer arbitration to any of their free agents.

UPDATE, 5:03 p.m.: A few minutes later comes official word from the Yankees: The Yankees announced today they will not offer arbitration to any eligible players (OF Johnny Damon, INF/OF Jerry Hairston Jr., INF/OF Eric Hinske, DH Hideki Matsui, C Jose Molina, OF Xavier Nady and LHP Andy Pettitte).

Not a big surprise. I thought Damon was a possibility, but the Yankees probably have a better feel for just how much Damon would have made in arbitration. I still don’t think it would have been the worst-case scenario, but there would have been some risk involved. None of the others made sense as arbitration possibilities.

Jets coach Rex Ryan had been struggling with convincing rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez to slide when he scrambles in the open field. So Ryan decided to enlist some help from a pro.

Ryan called Yankees president Randy Levine and asked if the Yankees might be willing to send over someone to help tutor Ryan (who wears a knee brace after getting injured while at USC) the proper technique. Turns out, Joe Girardi was available and he worked with Sanchez at the Jet facility in New Jersey today.

“He’s a natural,” Ryan said of Girardi. “He did a great job. He did a better job than I could do. When you have an opportunity to get the best, you get the best. As Mark went through it, you could see the more comfortable he got.”

Jets fans, who have been frustrated by Sanchez’s poor passing this season, should be pleased. The bigger question, though, is why didn’t Ryan consider having Mariano Rivera come in to help Sanchez (17 interceptions) work on his command?

A few days ago (maybe it was yesterday), someone emailed to ask who makes more sense for the Yankees as a designated hitter, Nick Johnson or Jermaine Dye? I have no idea whether the Yankees would be interested in either player, but I said Dye because of his power and his ability to play the outfield.

I thought of that because it appears the White Sox are not going to offer Dye arbitration. He’s a Class A free agent, so an arbitration offer would have meant losing a draft pick for any team that signs him. No arbitration offer makes it that much easier to go after him.

What do you think? Is Dye a legitimate option for the Yankees? He and Hideki Matsui are the same age and put up fairly similar numbers this season (Matsui’s were a bit better). Dye also played 133 games in the outfield and only seven at DH. That said, I’m sure the Yankees don’t like the idea of signing another soon-to-be 36-year-old. I don’t want this to seem like a rumor — Jennings Says Yankees Interested In Dye! — just thought it would be worth discussing while we wait for the Yankees arbitration decisions.

UPDATE, 2:53 p.m.: The Rays have traded for Kelly Shoppach. Any minute now, the Yankees are expected to announce that they have given up hopes of another AL East title. Actually, I’m kind of making fun of the move, but Shoppach isn’t a bad player. He has some pop for a catcher. On the whole, he’s probably on par with Dioner Navarro except a little bit cheaper.

The Yankees have until midnight to make their decisions about whether to offer arbitration to their departing free agents. Johnny Damon is a Class A free agent, Xavier Nady and Andy Pettitte are Class B, and offering arbitration to any of those three would land the Yankees an extra draft pick (or two) if that player were to sign with another team. Of course, if any of those players were to accept arbitration, the Yankees would have no choice but to re-sign him at a price determined by a third party.

At mlb.com, Tom Singer wrote that he doesn’t expect the Yankees to offer arbitration to anyone. I agree that offering arbitration to Nady and Pettitte makes no sense (puts too much money on the table for Nady, Pettitte seems unlikely to sign elsewhere anyway) but Damon is an interesting case. If he were to accept, Damon would probably earn more than the Yankees would like to pay, but a one-year deal with Damon might not be the worst-case scenario for left field. If Damon were to decline arbitration — that’s what I think would happen – the Yankees would land two extra draft picks.

Basically, does the risk of overpaying Damon for one year outweigh the potential benefit of two draft picks?

By the way, those compensation draft picks can be huge. David Wright, anyone? Yankees right fielder Nick Swisher was a compensation draft pick of the Oakland Athletics. He was compensation for… you guessed it… Johnny Damon.