The LoHud Yankees Blog

When the Yankees traded for center fielder Curtis Granderson, they essentially filled their hole in left. They can simply slide Melky Cabrera to left field and their defense is set. All that’s left is to decide on a primary designated hitter and possibly upgrade the bench.

C Posada
1B Teixeira
2B Cano
3B Rodriguez
SS Jeter
LF Cabrera
CF Granderson
RF Swisher
DH Free agent (or Miranda)
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C Cervelli (or a free agent)
INF Pena (or Russo, or Corona, or a free agent)
OF Gardner
OF Hoffmann

The question is, who should the Yankees target for the designated hitter spot? Brian Cashman has said many times that it’s very easy to find a bat, and he’s right, but the Yankees could significantly increase their roster flexibility by finding a DH who can play the field. There is little reason to get more than one additional hitter unless they A: Trade an outfielder or B: Want someone proven at backup catcher or utility infielder.

So, who would you target for the DH spot? Conventional thinking says the Yankees want an outfielder (Johnny Damon, we’re looking at you) but would an infielder make more sense given Gardner and Hoffmann are already in the mix? Would you want a bigger bat in left field? Is roster flexibility even an issue, or do you simply want the best bat available?

In the past week, the Yankees have traded Ian Kennedy, non-tendered Chien-Ming Wang and seen Josh Towers sign a minor league deal with the Dodgers.

In the past year, the Yankees have traded Chase Wright, Jason Jones and Eric Hacker; lost considerable development time because of injuries to Alan Horne, Chris Garcia and George Kontos; lost Dan Giese on waivers; and seen Humberto Sanchez achieve his worst-case scenario instead of his lofty potential.

In the past two years, the Yankees have sold Darrell Rasner to a team in Japan; traded Jeff Karstens, Ross Ohlendorf, Dan McCutchen, Tyler Clippard and Jeff Marquez; non-tendered Matt DeSalvo; and seen Steven White more or less disappear after a breakout 2007.

That’s a list of 19 names. Very few are marquee starters, but all of have served as rotation depth for the Yankees. Eleven pitched for New York at some point, two made their major league debut after leaving the Yankees and two more are currently on a 40-man roster. Rotation depth is rarely flashy, but it matters.

Let’s assume for now that CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes are the Yankees current top five starters. What does the depth look like as of right now?

Alfredo Aceves: If he never pitches another game at Yankees Stadium, Aceves has already been a terrific find out of the Mexican League. He pitched well out of the bullpen in 2009, made some strong starts at the end of 2008, and Brian Cashman has said he’ll go into spring training once again working as a starter. That could change, but he might be the sixth starter right now.

Chad Gaudin: Another who can play different roles. He proved to be a valuable mid-season pickup and the Yankees have offered him a contract for 2010. He’ll go to arbitration, then go to spring training as another in that long list of potential starters who could move into the bullpen.

Sergio Mitre: The Yankees took a shot on Mitre last winter, signing him to a minor league deal even though he was coming off Tommy John surgery. The fact he had to serve a suspension at the beginning of the season hardly mattered (from a baseball point of view) because he wasn’t going to be ready to pitch in a game anyway. As he gets farther removed from the surgery — he’ll hit the two-year mark mid-season — Mitre should get stronger and better.

Ivan Nova: One of the latest 40-man additions, Nova was taken in last year’s Rule 5 but was ultimately returned and pitched his way to Triple-A and was outstanding in the playoffs. Nova had 15 groundouts in one regular season game, then had 15 groundouts again in a playoff start.

Romulo Sanchez: With his overwhelming fastball — sits in the mid-90s, touches 97 — Sanchez could move back to the bullpen, but he came into his own this season as a Triple-A starter and the Yankees added him to the 40-man this winter. He also has a terrific changeup and a solid slider.

Zach McAllister: The top upper-level starting pitching prospect was one of the best pitcher in the Double-A Eastern League and was called up to Triple-A for the playoffs, where he made his Scranton/Wilkes-Barre debut in a clinching victory in the first round.

Jason Hirsh: Once a huge pitching prospect in the Astros organization, Hirsh ran into injury problems and hasn’t been nearly the same since. With Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, though, he pitched well at the end of last season, and he could be a wild card to play a big league role next season. Before the injuries, Hirsh was his league’s Pitcher of the Year in back-to-back seasons, first in the Double-A Texas League and then in the impossible-to-pitch-in Pacific Coast League.

Kei Igawa: I know, I know. Have to mention him though. Igawa has had his chances in the Major Leagues, there’s no doubt. And it seems likely that the Yankees would have to be overwhelmed before bringing him back to New York. But Igawa has pitched well in Triple-A.

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By mid-season, you might be able to add Alan Horne, Chris Garcia and George Kontos to the list, but they first need to answer questions about their ability to stay healthy. Wilkin De La Rosa and Hector Noesi have spots on the 40-man, but they don’t seem especially close to New York (and I still wonder if the lefty De La Rosa will move to the bullpen). Andrew Brackman and Jeremy Bleich are high draft picks, but last year’s results don’t suggest a quick move to the big leagues.

You knew right from the beginning that Chien-Ming Wang was tough. I remember back in spring training of 2005, before Wang had even made the majors, a day when he had had to go on a “punishment run” after making a mistake during a fielding drill. As was the custom, Wang was allowed to pick a teammate go join him on the lap and most Yankees expected the young pitcher to pick another minor-leaguer.

Wang picked Randy Johnson.

Now sure, Wang knew Johnson a little from having trained with him in Phoenix, but still – picking one of the greatest pitchers of all time to join you in extra running? I recall John Flaherty, Jorge Posada and the other veterans being impressed. “That takes some real guts,” Flaherty  said at the time.

Wang was part of the “youth movement” that marked the early part of the Yankees season that year, as the team was absolutely brutal over the first few months. Wang made his debut in place of the injured Jaret Wright (!!) at the end of April and less than week later he was joined by Robinson Cano, who was called up during a memorable crisis day in St. Petersburg.

That 2005 season was, in a lot of ways, indicative of what Wang’s career would be like with the Yankees: He pitched well, got a ton of groundballs (19 of the 29 hitters he faced in his debut hit the ball on the ground), got injured – he had a shoulder problem that cost him about two months – and had a decent but unrewarding postseason.

We all know how excellent Wang was over the next two years. Winning 19 games in back-to-back years – especially pitching in the AL East – is an incredible accomplishment, and Wang’s rise, along with Cano’s, was representative of the changing notion that the Yankees young players could be more than just trade chips. Wang had become – if you’ll pardon the self-promotion – a true “Ace in America” story.

That’s what made Wang’s downfall so difficult to watch. He was on his way to a third season as a frontline pitcher, going 5-0 in April of 2008 and was 8-2 when he tore ligaments in his right foot while running the bases against the Astros in July. An AL pitcher suffering a career-altering injury running the bases. It was freakish. And Wang was never the same.

I’m very much not a doctor but it’s generally accepted that Wang’s foot injury led him to alter his pitching mechanics, which led to even more physical problems; he was horrifically bad in 2009 and was finally shut down for shoulder surgery mid-year.

So now he’s gone. Good as he was, I believe the Yankees were right to non-tender Wang last week; paying him $4 million this year made no sense. Signing him back on a minor-league deal seems unlikely, too, since Wang is still ruffled by the the Yankees taking him to an arbitration hearing – over a grand total of $600,000 – in 2008, then crowed about winning. Given the situation now, it’s a shame that happened.

What does his future hold? Wang will surely have offers elsewhere. I’d bet on him ending up with the Dodgers, where Joe Torre (and deputy Larry Bowa) always liked him. Only time will tell if he can revive his devastating sinker.

Whatever happens, I’ll always remember Wang’s time with the Yankees fondly. He was quiet and unassuming, but he was tough. Just ask Randy Johnson.

After Saturday night’s non-tender deadline, the full free agent market has now taken shape. MLBTradeRumors has the complete list of non-tenders. The site also has a list of standouts. Chien-Ming Wang, obviously, makes the standout list.

A few names that might make sense for the Yankees.
Remember, a lot of these guys might be available on fairly reasonable contracts, maybe even minor league deals.

RHP Matt Capps: Coming off a bad year, Capps was solid as the Pirates closer in 2007 and 2008. He doesn’t walk many guys. Depending on the price, he might be worth a look as a potential seventh or eighth inning reliever. He’s only 26.

1B Ryan Garko: Even in a down year, Garko hit .308/.391/.479 against left-handed pitchers. A platoon of Garko and Juan Miranda at designated hitter? In theory, it’s worth looking into, but Garko is pretty much limited to first base when he plays the field (he has some experience in the outfield corners and he caught in the minors) and I’m not sure it’s wise to carry three first basemen. If the Yankees signed a left-handed outfielder/DH — you know who I’m thinking of — then Garko might make some sense.

3B Garrett Atkins: Another right-handed hitter with power. He doesn’t play third base well, but he could play third and first on days Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira start at DH. Good opportunity to buy low on a guy who had at least 21 home runs and 99 RBIs for three years in a row. Keep in mind, he was helped considerably by playing in Coors Field where he’s a career .327/.385/.507 hitter.

RHP Clay Condrey: Veteran long reliever who generates a lot of groundballs and doesn’t walk many guys. He made $650,000 this year, so he wouldn’t be expensive and might be available on a minor league deal. I saw him quite a bit in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre back when the Phillies Triple-A team was there. He’s a nice pitcher, good long man to have at the back of the bullpen.

C John Buck: A 29-year-old major league veteran with some power. Could the Yankees could get him on a minor league deal to play in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as this year’s Kevin Cash?

The Yankees have officially announced that Chien-Ming Wang was not tendered a 2010 contract Chien-Ming Wang.

“There’s no doubt that we had to make a tough decision,” Brian Cashman said in a statement released by the team. “We are still hopeful that our relationship can continue, but those decisions are yet to be made.”

Melky Cabrera, Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre have been offered contracts through arbitration.

A bit of minor league news while we’re waiting for an official announcement on the Yankees non-tender class of 2009.

Former first-round pick Eric Duncan has signed a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves. When I talked to Duncan a few days ago, he was close to a deal but it wasn’t finished. He’s expecting to be assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett. The Braves could use Duncan as a corner utility man, using him at first, third, left field and designated hitter, kind of like he was used this year in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Braves previously re-signed another third baseman, Wes Timmons, to a minor league deal.

The latest list of Baseball America minor league transactions also has word on Josh Towers going to the Dodgers, T.J. Beam to the Diamondbacks and Chad Moeller to the Orioles. But we already knew about those. Otherwise, unless I overlooked it, no other Yankees free agents are listed.

The only Yankees signing mentioned is outfielder Jon Weber, but we already knew that one as well.

Meanwhile, while I’m waiting for the Yankees’ non-tender announcement, I’m once again watching the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert on HBO. While I was typing this post, Metallica started playing Enter Sandman.

Somewhere, a baseball game must be ending.

Not that this is surprising news, but there are multiple reports that Chien-Ming Wang has been non-tendered. One of them, oddly enough, comes from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. I first saw it from Ken Davidoff.

Still nothing official from the Yankees, though. And still no word on the other arbitration-eligible Yankees.

UPDATE, 8:49 p.m.: Still nothing from the Yankees. Very strange.

This week’s trade to Arizona might have been the best thing for Ian Kennedy. After Brandon Webb, Dan Haren and Edwin Jackson, the Diamondbacks’ rotation seems fairly wide open. Kennedy could very well go into spring training as a favorite to open the season in the big leagues. With the Yankees, he would have been a favorite to once again headline Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s rotation, waiting for an injury or unexpected move to open a door to New York.

Even so, Kennedy is only three years into his professional career, and he said leaving the Yankees isn’t easy. This is the first winter he would have been Rule 5 eligible had he not been added to the 40-man so early in his career. He’s about to turn 25 and his minor league numbers are spectacular. There was still plenty of time to establish himself in New York.

“I would describe it as bittersweet,” Kennedy said in an email.

Good things were happening for Kennedy. His curveball was improving — he was doing a better job throwing it for strikes, not using it strictly as a swing-and-miss pitch — and his fastball/changeup command was as good as ever when he came back from aneurysm surgery to make one playoff start for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. In the Arizona Fall League, he began throwing a two-seam fastball for the first time, and he said he was happy with its development. He pitched in and out of trouble in his one big league appearance.

Then came Tuesday.

“That day started out confusing because I had no idea what was going on,” Kennedy said. “I had no idea the Winter Meetings were going on. I found out when one of my friends texted me, ‘congrats on the trade.’ I then turned on the tv and computer to see what was going on. It wasn’t until Wednesday that I got a call from Cash that confirmed the trade.”

Two bad months in the big leagues — as a 23 year old with one year of professional experience — is hardly enough to judge Kennedy as a pitcher. With Arizona, he should get a long look in spring training and a second chance to prove himself in the big leagues. Best of luck, Ian.

At some point today, we’ll get word on whether the Yankees have offered a 2010 contract to Chien-Ming Wang and their other arbitration eligible players. For now, though, it’s just another Saturday morning. Here are a few links and bits of information.

• The Phillies have signed Cody Ransom to a minor league deal with an invitation to big league camp. Wilson Valdez was also invited to big league camp. The Phillies signed Juan Castro to a major league deal earlier this month. Castro should be the front runner for the utility job in Philadelphia, with Ransom and Valdez competing.

• Josh Towers signed a with the Dodgers. Toward the end of the season, Towers was talking about trying to play overseas, but apparently his deal with the Dodgers pays $700,000 if he’s in the big leagues, $100,000 even if he’s in the minors. Hard to turn that down.

• The Big Lead did a short interview with Curtis Granderson. “I’ve hit just about everywhere (in the lineup),” Granderson said. “If I’m at the top I’ll have to get on base and if they put me in the middle, I’ll drive in runs.”

• The Tigers haven’t ruled out moving Phil Coke into the rotation. Coke was a starter through most of his minor league career, but things took off for him when he moved to the bullpen. He has a changeup, but I think — not that I’m a scout in any way — that he’s better off staying in the bullpen so he can lean on his fastball and slider.

• More than five years before taking Kanekoa Texeira in the Rule 5 draft, Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik originally tried to sign Texeira out of high school. Zduriencik was with the Brewers when they drafted Texeira in 2004, but Texeira didn’t sign and wound up being drafted by the White Sox, traded to the Yankees and taken by Zduriencik’s current team in Thursday’s Rule 5.

During his final media session of the Winter Meetings, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman indicated the Yankees might announce their non-tender decisions today. Instead, the Yankees have announced they will wait until tomorrow, which is the deadline.

There are technically four non-tender candidates, although one of them isn’t really a candidate at all.

Melky Cabrera is arbitration eligible and could be non-tendered, but that’s not going to happen.

Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre are eligible and would make a little more sense, but Cashman has routinely mentioned them when discussing his rotation depth for next season. Gaudin proved valuable down the stretch last season, and it’s reasonable to think Mitre could be significantly better as continues to come back from Tommy John surgery. He was only a year removed last season.  

Chien-Ming Wang is the prime non-tender candidate, and heavy speculation is that the Yankees will not offer him a contract for next season. Cashman talked about rotation depth a lot at the Winter Meetings – even Zach McAllister, who has one Triple-A start, had his name mentioned a few times – but Wang never made the list of potential starters. Cashman was either making a mistake and forgetting to mention Wang, or Cashman wasn’t forgetting him at all and was choosing not to put him on the list. Amazing that Wang could have fallen to far so fast, but he was clearly not his old self last season, and there’s no guarantee he’ll return to his old form. Agreeing to arbitration that could pay him significantly more than the $5 million he made this season seems too risky.