Taking care of business
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Jun 14, 2010 
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Two and a half weeks ago, the Yankees wrapped up a series in Minneapolis and prepared to enter a soft part of the schedule. They would play 16 games, exactly three of them against a team with a winning record. It was an opportunity to make up some ground, and the Yankees took advantage.
Yesterday’s win against Houston capped a series sweep and moved the Yankees into a tie for first place in the American League East. They went 12-4 through this part of the schedule and have now won eight in a row at home.
May 28-31
vs. Cleveland
The Yankees opened this series 4.5 games behind the Rays. They split the first two games — blowing a lead in second one– but finished 3-1 without allowing more than three runs in any of the wins. The last game was an 11-2 blowout, leaving the Yankees 11 games over .500 and 3.5 games out of first.
June 1-3
vs. Baltimore
A lopsided three-game sweep saw the Yankees outscore the Orioles 18-5, building a five-game winning streak and pulling within two games of the Rays. When it was over, the Yankees had gone a full turn through the rotation with every starter picking up a win. They were rolling.
June 4-6
at Toronto
The Yankees had been pitching well, but Brett Cecil and Ricky Romero were better. Each went eight strong innings as the Blue Jays took Games 1 and 2 and threatened to sweep before a Yankees rally in Game 3. Salvaging that third game kept the Yankees two games behind the Rays.
June 8-10
at Baltimore
The Orioles scored 13 runs in the series. The Yankees scored 12 in the first game. Baltimore rookie Jake Arrieta won the series finale, but the Yankees took two out of three and came home still two games back and 14 games over .500.
June 11-13
vs. Houston
Finishing with a series sweep of the Astros, the Yankees improved to a season-high 17 games over .500. They also pulled into first place for the first time since April 22. The Yankees outscored Houston 22-11.
Associated Press photo from yesterday’s win
Congratulations Pat M. you said it first and you said it best.
Yankees in 1st by the ASB.
And by the way, your Hughes prediction wasn’t too shabby either.
Just a tad conservative.
You Da Man !
I think you meant “yesterday’s win against Houston,” Chad.
I love seeing the Yanks feast on these weak teams but I am certainly ready to see a somewhat healthier team win against the tougher teams in the league.
First place feels awfully good!
The Philly Phitins June 14th, 2010 at 11:21 am
LOL! Did you get time off for lunch at kindergarten today? The Phils sure are due to play better as they have stunk the past few weeks. What happened in Boston? Massacre?
Patrick,
It’s not fair to compare a player with a clean bill of health to one with a history of injuries.
I can see you’re souring on DeJesus.
He’s playing above his career line but not by much.
He is doing it in a bad lineup though.
I think his numbers would improve if he is hitting behind Jeter and in front of Tex, Alex, Cano.
He’s never had that kind of protection.
He will cost a top ss prospect but the Yankees don’t need anything more than Pena backing up Jeter. There will be a bidding war for DeJesus because his 6 mil option for 2011 is attractive. He’s a bargain at that price. We’ve had bench players making 5 million in the past.
Five million dollar bench players are a thing of the past.
Not happening now. Not with this team and not in this baseball economy.
SJ44,
But DeJesus wouldn’t be a bench player.
I was pointing out that his contract is a bargain at 6 mil in 2011 and 3 mil in 2010 BTW.
That’s all.
Before the season is over the Yanks will reach whatever stage of acceptance they need to be at and realize that they will have to platoon Granderson, especially in the playoffs.
I would prefer they hold their fire on a trade until they can find a RH OF with some power. Despite our current lack of a bench there’s no crisis right now.
Are Houston and Baltimore not the same team? Woops!
Bret, as usual, you rarely qualify your premises as to your actual agenda.
You speak about Dejesus as if the Yankees have a need or an opening for a starting outfielder. They don’t.
Let’s try this another way. If the Yankees saw NO need to go after an insurance policy for Bret Gardner at the beginning of THIS year, why in the world would they believe they need one now?
The bottom line is the Yankees don’t share your free-spending uncertainty about Gardner, especially now. Yankees are not looking for a starting outfielder or member of a 4-man outfield rotation.
I am not souring on Dejesus, he’s always been a slightly above average player. I’m souring on the idea of acquiring him. He doesn’t really fit the needs of the current Yankee team.
I also disagree that he is almost equal to Carl Crawford. I don’t think you all are understanding how much better defensively Crawford is. Dejesus is barely average as a corner outfielder, Crawford is elite. We don’t know what the difference in dollars will be between the two but defense and steals give Crawford a significant advantage.
And it’s deceptive to say that Dejesus has averaged more games in the last 3 years. Since Crawford has been a full-time player he’s played 140 games or more in 6/7 seasons. Since Dejesus has been a full-time player he’s played 140 games or more in 2/5 seasons.
So basically Crawford is a more durable player, makes a huge difference on the basepaths, is a much better fielder and a slightly better hitter. I’d give him a pretty sizable edge over Dejesus.
Then $600K for GGBG thru 2011 would be a steal!
Wave Your Hat June 14th, 2010 at 11:42 am
Before the season is over the Yanks will reach whatever stage of acceptance they need to be at and realize that they will have to platoon Granderson, especially in the playoffs.
I would prefer they hold their fire on a trade until they can find a RH OF with some power. Despite our current lack of a bench there’s no crisis right now.
*******
That’s where DeJesus’ versatility really helps the club. He can DH, play solid RF and GG LF.
Against tough lefties, he can play LF with Gardner taking Granderson’s place in CF.
or he can play LF in place of Gardner if the matchup calls for it.
To much fantasy baseball going on here.
What reason would the Yankees want to trade a top prospect for a player they don’t need?
Some don’t seem to realize just how much of a weapon Gardner is becoming.
They traded one of last yrs starting OF because they felt Gardner was ready, and now they are going to replace him. Scratching my head.
MaineYankee June 14th, 2010 at 11:47 am
They traded one of last yrs starting OF because they felt Gardner was ready, and now they are going to replace him. Scratching my head.
***********************
Believe me, you’re not the only one scratching your head.
Gardner is not the problem. He is hitting lefties just fine.
The problem will eventually be Granderson, and the guy who eventually platoons with him will need some power. That guy isn’t DeJesus, who will cost too much anyway.
DeJesus has a better arm than either of our corner outfielders, with 14 assists and no errors in LF last year. He’d be an expensive luxury and IMHO we could use another reliable arm in the bullpen.
There are other starters, other than Lee who might be available and help a team in the playoff hunt, like Dan Haren and Roy Oswalt.
Kearns strikes out a lot.
BTW, Hughes gets the most run support >7/game while Vazquez gets the least <4/game
And how about a little applause for what K. Long has done.
The Man might just be the best hitting coach in baseball.
WYH-
I am not as concerned as you are about CG. He may never hit lefties all that well but in every other respect I think he will be kicking Azz and taking names by the end of the season.
JMPO.
Stuckey,
I’m going to end all discussion with you permanently. This post is a heads-up.
I’m not going to sit here and let you hurl accusations at me.
I don’t appreciate your tone or use of incriminating words like “agenda”.
I think we have a personality clash here and I’d rather not continue it.
Good luck to you and I look forward to reading your posts to other posters.
You go with the jobas, penas, gardners, and hugheses of the world so you can afford the jeters, riveras, and lees of the world.
Can some of you share your inside info in regards to the Yankees plan to platoon Granderson.
Patrick,
Ok. I get it.
You’re still high on Crawford.
I don’t think the Yankees need to replace Gardner but I strongly feel they will need a cheaper insurance policy for him.
Bret the Hitman June 14th, 2010 at 11:38 am
Patrick,
It’s not fair to compare a player with a clean bill of health to one with a history of injuries.
I can see you’re souring on DeJesus.
He’s playing above his career line but not by much.
He is doing it in a bad lineup though.
———————————————————————————————————————-
KC is 3rd in the league in batting average and 7th or 8th in runs scored, slg, OBP and stolen bases. They are an average hitting team. That’s a long way from being bad.
Bret,
Don’t take it personally. Stuckey’s snarky to everybody.
m
Kinda hard to get to worked up about the Yankees when they are now in 1st and the Celtics are 1 game away.
Wave,
Like your posts but disagree on Granderson. I don’t think him being platooned is anywhere close to a foregone conclusion.
Can some of you share your inside info in regards to the Yankees plan to platoon Granderson.
—
It’s not inside info. Granderson has struggled against lefties in his career and that hasn’t changed one bit this year.
Why all this talk about adding another OF or DH? Are we talking about now or in 4-6 weeks?
The Yankee starting OF is playing great and they are pretty much healthy. The callups are filling in when necessary. DeJesus is not necessary; Brett Gardner is playing great, not good, great. The DH spot is going to be ARod’s for the next week or so and then they can rotate guys through giving 1/2 days off. It also sounds like Nick Johnson is on his way back.
The Yankees are in first place and they are the best team in Baseball!
The Yankees need nothing, nobody, nadda, at this point in time.
Lol ur the only one that would be happy about that MY.
“I don’t appreciate your tone or use of incriminating words like “agenda”.”
Simple question Bret:
Would it be accurate to say you’re not convinced Brett Gardner is for real and your motivation for suggesting a trade for starter quality outfield depth is mostly based on this premise?
If you can genuinely answer “no” to this question, I’ll retract my use of that word.
And I’ll reserve the option to reply to what I like, as you exercise the same.
KC is 3rd in the league in batting average and 7th or 8th in runs scored
*****************
8th in runs scored out of 14 teams.
Patrick,
Ok. I get it.
You’re still high on Crawford.
I don’t think the Yankees need to replace Gardner but I strongly feel they will need a cheaper insurance policy for him.
—
You are making wildly incorrect assumptions of my opinion on players. I’m not souring on Dejesus and I’m not high on Crawford. I’m simply stating the facts of each player’s performance and abilities. Crawford is significantly better than Dejesus, that’s just the way it is.
I don’t want the Yankees to sign Crawford and I don’t want Dejesus either.
DeJesus is not coming to the Bronx IMO. He is a lefty bat & Yanks need either a RH bat or switchhitter. He isn’t a power hitter & if anything the Yanks could use one. His glove & arm are not much to no upgrade over Swish.
Patrick June 14th, 2010 at 11:56 am
Can some of you share your inside info in regards to the Yankees plan to platoon Granderson.
?
It?s not inside info. Granderson has struggled against lefties in his career and that hasn?t changed one bit this year.
—————————————————————————————-
What has been said by the Yankees that leads you to believe they will platoon him?
“Don’t take it personally. Stuckey’s snarky to everybody.”
I haven’t said a single thing “snarky” to Bret. Everything I’ve written I’ve meant genuinely and literally.
I don’t want the Yankees to sign Crawford and I don’t want Dejesus either.
*******
Who do you want then?
Are you a different Patrick than the one who just the other week agreed that he wanted DeJesus and Putz on this team?
m
I couldn’t help but say something to you.
Kobe needs to talk to Lebron and ask him where 1 on 5 gets him.
The problem will eventually be Granderson, and the guy who eventually platoons with him will need some power. That guy isn’t DeJesus, who will cost too much anyway.
___
This is not going to happen. Granderson has not been terrible against lefties this year. Stop basing ideas on what he did in the past.
I still think another bullpen arm would be helpful. Even though Aceves feels better, he’s still dealing with a herniated lumbar disc.
AAA has no-one that instills confidence as a reliable replacement for Gaudin-Albaladejo, Ring, Logan, Melancon??
Stuckey,
You must be single and have not heard the expression, “it’s not what you say. It’s HOW you say it.”.
Patrick from CT,
Despite the Yankees great performance thus far, there is always room for improvement. They need another OF/DH for several reasons.
1. You can’t count on Nick Johnson returning
2. The team needs a right-handed bat to help offset Granderson’s woes vs lefties. It would be difficult to find a good right-handed centerfielder so maybe the Yanks go get a corner outfielder that can hit lefties and play him in LF and Gardner at CF when facing a tough lefty.
3. The bench is truly awful right now and needs another couple players. As we’ve seen, this team is not going to be 100% healthy all the time. The Yanks need a good bench to fill in when the veterans get hurt.
blake-
JMHO that platooning CG is inevitable. No inside info here, of course.
Those of you watching the World Cup, and have wondered about that horrible background noise, here’s the story.
From AOL News:
World Cup organizers are considering a vuvuzela ban at World Cup 2010. What’s the vuvuzela, and why ban it? The vuvuzela is the horn responsible for the ubiquitous buzzing sound at the World Cup.
The use of the horn is tradition at soccer matches in South Africa, and has become a big hit with tourists during World Cup 2010. But it has been a nuisance for television viewers, and has drawn the ire of players on pitch.
Vuvuzelas can record noise levels of up to 130 decibels. By comparison, the sound of a chainsaw produces 100 decibels.
Trader-
That is where I am coming from on adding Putz.
He’s got the goods and he may be available cheap.
If so, let’s grab him.
“This is not going to happen. Granderson has not been terrible against lefties this year.”
You are an easy grader. If a .585 OPS is not terrible, where do you draw the line?
Baseball players are a creature of habit.
They have very few off days and are out there facing live pitching almost everyday for months. It takes them weeks in ST just to get in a rhythm and even when the season comes around most players are not at full strength and are still adjusting.
Curtis Granderson is a young guy and has been an everyday player for his entire career. He is used to going out there fielding his position and facing major league pitchers everyday.
If you take him out of this routine his play could suffer against RHP at the plate and as a CF.
Both things he is very good at and are integral to the success of this team.
These type of decisions are not as simple as looking at a split stat sheet.
Girardi has no intention of platooning Granderson.
Bret,
Austin Kearns would be good. If we’re talking about next year I think Gardner/Granderson/Swisher is fine.
Yes I’m the same guy, as I said earlier in this thread or last, I’ve changed my mind on Dejesus. He would help the team but it’d be kind of unnecessary. The Yanks could get what they need without spending a ton on a guy like Dejesus.
MaineYankee,
The Yanks haven’t said anything, I’m just assuming that they wouldn’t want a .585 OPS player in the lineup against lefties. I think that’s a safe assumption considering the goal is another world series.
It would be difficult to find a good right-handed centerfielder so maybe the Yanks go get a corner outfielder that can hit lefties and play him in LF and Gardner at CF when facing a tough lefty.
*****************
Why can’t that corner OF who can hit lefities and play in LF with Gardner in CF when facing a tough lefty be a lefty?
What are DeJesus’ splits against lefties?
Granderson has had a lot of good ABs vs lefties this season. He has made adjustments and he is keeping his front shoulder on the baseball much more consistently than he was, whether the results show it or not.
IMO the yanks are going to give improvement a chance. Also, having he and Gardner in the same outfield gives you two plus defenders and unless they sign someone that cam provide that level of defense I don’t see a platoon being of greater value.
Patrick
Do you really think the Yankees traded all that talent to Detroit for a platoon player?
If that’s the case I guess they aren’t as well run as I thought.
Bret the Hitman June 14th, 2010 at 11:58 am
KC is 3rd in the league in batting average and 7th or 8th in runs scored
*****************
8th in runs scored out of 14 teams.
———————————————————————————————————————-
That’s a Hell of a lot closer to average than it is bad. Why would the Yankees trade a player like Nunez, the guy that replaces Jeter within 2 years at shortstop and will replace Pena as the middle infield backup w/ more speed, better bat and more power for an average to nothing special outfielder with no known position to play on the Yankees, pick up his salary for the next 2-3 months and throw in a pitching prospect besides? As far as Tejada goes, he’s no improvement over what NYY already has and this as good as he’ve ever been and that’s nothing special.
DeJesus is not the answer. He is hitting over .300 against righties, but, just .250 against lefties. We already have that in CG, why add another player that can’t hit lefties well.
Bret,
Dejesus has a .901 OPS vs righties, .774 OPS vs lefties.
That doesn’t even matter. My point is that Dejesus is paid like a starting player and the Royals will demand compensation to match. Cashman isn’t going to give up major prospects for Dejesus when he could easily fill the team’s need by acquiring a lesser player like Kearns for much less.
I’m ok with Kearns and Putz.
Not my top choices but it looks like most fans want Cashman to hug prospects at this point.
Yankees good at beating bad teams, Halladay won’t be so easy to beat. He is a real Ace.
CC has beat the O’s big whoop, he’s not an Ace. Phil and Andy are much better.
Phillies fear Andy, and Hughes. CC and AJ they’ll use for batting practice.
We in Philly ,concede Thursday’s save face game for the Yankees, but it’s on for CC and AJ!
Doc will run circles around big gut CC, Doc’s in great shape bring it!
Go Phitins!
Patrick
Do you really think the Yankees traded all that talent to Detroit for a platoon player?
If that’s the case I guess they aren’t as well run as I thought.
—
When you put it like that it sounds bad but Granderson is a difference maker. It stinks that he can’t hit lefties well but he’s good enough against righties that I still like the deal. They knew what they were getting and paid appropriately.
It’s possible that KLong helps Granderson do a better job vs lefties but don’t count on it.
I’m for platooning Granderson but there’s no crisis and no need to do anything right now. Kearns has issues, namely his 2008 and 2009 seasons and his defense. I’m happy to see the Yanks wait for a while and see what else becomes available.
Stuckey grows on you. Say what you want about him but in general his posts are well reasoned and generally very good.
WYH-
I know you are looking @ the numbers thus far and projecting them but here’s the bottom line to me.
The Yankees did not trade all that they did for a platoon player.
Grandy is youngish and should be in his prime.
If he turns out to be just a platoon player then IMO the Yankees have made a colossal misjudgement in trading for him, and that would be both a last resort as well as an admission of failure.
Again, in my opinion, and mine only I just don’t see it that way.
I think Granderson is going to pick it up in a big way (at least I hope so).
Not my top choices but it looks like most fans want Cashman to hug prospects at this point.
—
Awesome, I was wondering when this silly “insult” would return. Perhaps I will have to become Patrick the Prospect Hugger once again.
You don’t get it Bret, you really don’t. Those of us against a Dejesus trade aren’t prospect huggers. I have no problem trading prospects if the return is good and a need is filled. But Dejesus isn’t much more than an average player and there really isn’t a huge need for him right now.
Brett Gardner has probably been the second best player on the team this year. He is a tremendous asset playing for the ML minimum.
The idea of acquiring another outfielder because people are worried about some inevitable regression from him does not make any sense.
CG is batting .200 against lefties, and .265 against righties this year. His SO is 24.4% – not good numbers.
MTU, I respect your opinion but what the Yanks gave up to get CG is really not relevant to the issue of whether he should play every day. The only relevant point there is how CG plays against lefties.
I’m not unhappy they got CG, he’s very good against righties. He just needs a complementary player.
Why would the Yankees trade a player like Nunez, the guy that replaces Jeter within 2 years at shortstop?
******************
Say, what?
I know you follow the minors closely and you’re high on all of our prospects. Heck, I remember you raving about Hilligoss and Fortenberry,
but c’mon.
2 years?
Jeter’s getting minimum 4 years.
Nunez is a trade chip.
Perhaps they can get more for him than DeJesus but who knows?
The Mariners like him but they would want not just him for Lee.
They want Montero.
it’s not about hugging prospects. It’s about keeping and using cost controlled players who are getting the job done btw so that you can afford to re-sign jeter and mo and do a big FA signing in the winter.
Fix alex’s hip and tex’s bat if anything.
it’s not about hugging prospects. It’s about keeping and using cost controlled players who are getting the job done btw so that you can afford to re-sign jeter and mo and do a big FA signing in the winter.
Fix alex’s hip and tex’s bat if anything.
I’m out for a while. Catch you all later.
And remember. Play nice ! We’re really all we have.
G-C, Gardner has had a good year thus far but he hasn’t been more valuable than Hughes, Pettitte, Jeter, Swisher and Cano.
No more triple AAA teams to play for a while. Back to reality against Halladay tonight!
Hey first place was fun for a full day……wasn’t it?
Phitins
The 4 loss games that were charged to Halladay, 3 of those games were lost because the Phillies bats were silent, as they are now. Don’t EXPECT A WALK IN THE PARK tomorrow, you might get a surprise.
You’re selling a lot of wolf tickets, that smells of doubt to me about your team!
While you want to beat CC, your focus should be to win your division, and give the vitriol a rest.
Phitins don’t look good!
Oh, I love stuckey’s posts. He says what I think just with more knowledge and snark!
Patrick,
I’m a prospect hugger as well.
But I’m not so high on Eduardo Nunez that I would turn down DeJesus if KC demanded him.
Bret,
On the Yankees, DeJesus is a 4th OF because they aren’t sitting any of the OF’s for him.
They also aren’t rotating any of the OF’s for him.
Strictly as a DH? That doesn’t seem to be in the cards either because their needs are probably more a RH bat than LH bat.
They aren’t going to platoon Granderson. Even if that was the plan, who is the RH bat getting his starts? Not going to happen.
Barring anymore injuries, their needs seem to be a RH bat off the bench (preferably an OF/DH type) and a bullpen arm.
Neither one of those needs are going to necessitate giving up one of the better prospects (ie: Nunez) at the deadline unless the trade market goes nuts.
I see that the Philly troll is still trying to convince himself that there is still a reason to go on living. Now, NYYs record is because of beating bad teams. What is Philadelphia’s excuse for losing to bad teams? It’s pretty sad that the only thing you have in life to look forward to is the hope that Halladay and the Phillies can win 1 of 3 games against the Yankees in June. You’re not difficult to please.
m,
I enjoy your posts as well
Wave Your Hat June 14th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
“This is not going to happen. Granderson has not been terrible against lefties this year.”
You are an easy grader. If a .585 OPS is not terrible, where do you draw the line?
_____________________________________________________
CG is batting .200 against lefties this season, that’s not horrible? Compared to what, or who? He strikes out 24.4% of the time. So far, he’s not the guy you’d want batting when the game is on the line, or with RISP. He’s not getting it done – period!
”G-C, Gardner has had a good year thus far but he hasn’t been more valuable than Hughes, Pettitte, Jeter, Swisher and Cano.”
No doubt that Pettitte and Hughes have been better, but I wasn’t including pitchers in making that comment.
I think Gardner’s been better than Jeter. Offensively Gardner has been superior given his on base skills, and he’s really, really, really good out in the left field. This is all without including his baserunning, which we all know adds significant value to his overall package.
Swisher has probably been more valuable, but its close. Gardner performing at his present level is a very good, borderline great/all star player.
The Philly Phitins
Do you have a life ? Because you have been on this site all night and now all day long.
And if it’s so easy beating weak teams then tell me why the Phillies can’t beat them.
CC has beat the O’s big whoop, he’s not an Ace. Phil and Andy are much better.
Phillies fear Andy, and Hughes. CC and AJ they’ll use for batting practice.
We in Philly ,concede Thursday’s save face game for the Yankees, but it’s on for CC and AJ!
Doc will run circles around big gut CC, Doc’s in great shape bring it!
Go Phitins!
___
Yeah you could say that about almost ALL NL teams. How did Doc do against Boston a few weeks back?
Granderson’s grade is “incomplete” so far. Its a little early to make definitive declarations on what he can and can’t do since he missed a month with an injury.
He’s gotten some big hits against some lefties so far. Yes, he’s not great against them.
That however, doesn’t describe his entire game.
I think folks needs to give it more time.
“They aren’t going to platoon Granderson. Even if that was the plan, who is the RH bat getting his starts? Not going to happen.”
Other than Kearns, I don’t see one available now. But in a month or two things could change. Since Gardner can play center, whoever it is only needs to play a corner-OF quality defense.
I never denied erring on Hilligoss and Fortenberry. I was wrong, but, so were the ones that recommended them being drafted. No big deal.
Blake,
Mutual admiration society!
I know the players enjoy their off days, but I don’t. There aren’t even any good games to watch. Only 4 on the slate. IIRC TB & Boston are idle, too.
Come on guys, there’s only so much eating cheesesteaks, booing Santa Claus , and pretending to be Rocky balboa that a guy can do.
People need to get it through their heads. They did not get Granderson to platoon! Short of batting .000 vs. lefties, he is the everyday left fielder (though maybe a rest occassionally vs. the Lesters of the world).
**
CENTERFIELDER. not leftfielder.
Heathcott in Charleston:
.351/.419/.432 (13 for 37) with 2 stolen bases.
Not bad for a first impression.
When you are making trades it is not just about getting a “good” deal for a player.
When you are a team like the Yankees where you have to be a special prospect to break in with the team, it is about maximizing your other assets down on the farm.
Nunez likely does not have a real future with the Yankees. He does however have value to them. And that greatest value is going to be in a trade.
Even if you could net DeJesus for Nunez and even if DeJesus is the better player who contributes more to the Yankees than Nunez would, it is not necessarily a good trade.
DeJesus would serve a very small and mostly unnecessary role on this team. It would be a poor use of your asset in a player like Nunez to trade for Dejesus.
Yankee fans all over the internet tried for years to trade Ian Kennedy for just about every player in baseball. The Yankees smartly held onto him and waited for the right trade to deal him. You trade Kennedy in an earlier trade for a lesser player, no Granderson for the Yankees.
It is the same case with Nunez, Nova, McAllister, Adams, etc. Trading for Dejesus could very likely hurt them down the line more than any help he could provide this season.
Hey old man to knock you back out of 1st is the goal, so you can spend another 56 days trying to recapture 1st.
Big bad Yankees fans can’t handle someone being real, Phitins don’t blink we can handle the truth, you bury your heads in the sand!
You can’t, won’t beat Doc, period, he’s your Daddy!
Repeat after me Yankees, who’s your Daddy, Doc?
Go Phitins!
GGBG isn’t the second best or most important player, but he has been an important cog in the league’s best offense. Anything he could give in the offense was supposed to be gravy. Well, the chicken fried steak is drowning in gravy.
I do agree that it’s too early to grade Granderson. If he hadn’t missed a month I’d say he has enough time to judge him. But as it is I’d like more time before we grade him
Is there really much of a difference between Austin Kearns and Marcus Thames?
If you move Gardner to CF and then play an average RH hitting defender in LF then you’ve taken a great defensive outfield and made it average….said outfielder would need to be a special bat to make it worth it IMO…
LGY,
I can agree with that.
But I still see more than a limited role for DeJesus.
I don’t think him DH’ing making 5 or 6 mil is a waste of resources.
That’s cheaper than Damon’s 8 mil.
Who’s got the better numbers this year?
I’d take DeJesus.
Plus DeJesus is a solid defender in LF and RF, in a different league than Damon.
Doc officially lost 4 games, he really lost 1 himself, the other three he had no run support, the bats were silent! But he is 18-6 against the Yankees.
Go Phitins!
“I do agree that it’s too early to grade Granderson. If he hadn’t missed a month I’d say he has enough time to judge him. But as it is I’d like more time before we grade him”
I wouldn’t put it that way.
If there was a current necessity to improve the offense, I’d try to get a platoon partner for him now. But right now there’s no necessity to improve the offense; there’s no crisis. And right now there’s no one out there anyway that the Yanks just need to go get.
So CG will get more time to show he can hit lefties, whether he deserves more time or not is a pointless argument because he will get more time.
Hopefully, during that time he starts hitting lefties and there’s no need to find a platoon partner for him. I sort of doubt it will happen, but like every Yank fan I hope it will happen.
LGY,
That’s a great point about Nunez. He is a legitimate SS prospect around MLB. That’s a premium position.
He’s only 23 years old. The Yankees don’t have to deal him right now. If they do, its going to be for a better player than David DeJesus.
LH starting pitching, SS, C, CF and RH starting pitching are considering “premium” spots on a roster.
To that end, prospects have the same valuation.
If you are to deal one of those type of players, the type of player you get in return has to be upper end.
Look at the Halladay and Lee deals for example and see which prospects changed hands in it. Those type of guys.
David DeJesus isn’t that type of player. He also doesn’t really fit what they need right now unless Gardner goes down with the thumb injury.
If I was the Yankees, I’d hold onto Nunez for another year. Even when they sign Jeter, he’s one injury away from being the SS.
When you have a 36 year old SS, which Jeter will be in 2011, it makes sense to keep Nunez rather than deal him for a guy you don’t really need.
If there is no offensive crisis now, why would there be one later?
Wow, and I thought the troll-fu from Boston fans was weak.
Just a pathetic effort.
I mean, seriously, who trolls on the board of a team that just kicked your ass when it matters most – in the World Series?
It’s a meaningless 3-game series in June. Come back in October, if the Phils can pull their collective heads out of their rear-ends by then, that is.
“He says what I think just with more knowledge and snark!”
New and improved with 50% more snark!
The Mariners would trade Lee in a deal centered on Montero. It doesn’t matter if Nunez is part of that package or not.
Jeter’s getting 4, maybe even 5 years.
Gardner-Granderson-Swisher is an excellent defensive OF.
Where does DeJesus fit in there? He doesn’t.
They aren’t moving Swisher out of RF. The guy is having an all star season. there is no reason to move him.
They aren’t sitting Gardner or Granderson.
DH? they still have Nick Johnson’s money on the payroll. If they get DeJesus, they are commiting 8 million dollars (Nick’s money + half season of DeJesus’s money) this year to the DH spot. Not happening.
Insurance is paying for NJ’s contract.
I don’t see Jeter getting 5 years.
I also don’t see the Yankees trading for Lee unless one of the starters went down.
They will just sign him in the off-season.
There aren’t a lot of “needs” on this club except for good health right now.
Its why I think folks looking for trades that will break up what they have right now are shooting too high.
Think small and not big deals.
Where does DeJesus fit in there?
******
In the same role Damon would be in.
DH with an occasional start in LF except that DeJesus can play both LF and RF.
He earns 2.5 more in 2010 at the deadline, 6 in 2011.
Damon earns 8 mil.
DeJesus is the better hitter and defender.
Insurance isn’t paying for NJ’s contract. He has had too many injuries for his insurance to cover his deal. That deal is all on the Yankees.
“If there is no offensive crisis now, why would there be one later?”
We are only 3 games over .500 against .500 and better teams; we are beating up on the weak teams.
Come the playoffs we are going to need to sit Granderson against lefties, probably during the pennant drive as well.
Since we are currently tied for first and 4 games ahead of Boston, we can afford to wait until the right guy becomes available. When he does, I believe the Yanks will make a move unless CG has started hitting lefties by then.
SJ44,
It was a 1 year, low dollar deal.
I bet they got insurance.
SJ, what do you forsee Jeter getting? Three or four?
After watching Nunez playing defense on MLB.com for most of this season, I’ve been surprisingly shocked by the major improvent in his defense. Not sure who is responsible for the new footwork, but, he has been quality. Perhaps it was his time spent during ST with Mick Kelleher but the improvement has been shockingly fast. The speed and the bat has always been there.
bret,
That’s not true.
At the start of the season, they didn’t know what they had in Brett Gardner. Now they do.
They aren’t trading for a 5 million dollars 4th OF/DH. They certainly aren’t going to give up an A List (which Nunez is) prospect to do it.
Times have changed since the start of the season.
Bret,
You don’t know how insurance works. Insurance won’t cover pre-existing injuries.
Meaning, his wrist isn’t getting insured. He has an injured wrist.
Insurance isn’t covering his deal.
It’s not 5 million dollars for DeJesus.
It’s an additional 2.5 mil from the deadline.
Wave,
They aren’t sitting Granderson. Do you think they are going to sacrifice defense and play Marcus Thames in LF and sit Granderson down the stretch? Not seeing that.
In terms of their record against .500 teams, that’s always misleading.
Last year at this time, they hadn’t even beaten the Red Sox.
If the team stays healthy, Granderson will be an everyday player.
If they get a better RH bat, and the matchup is favorable, like they did with Paul O’Neill, they will sit Granderson against that particular lefty.
A straight platoon? Not happening.
I highly doubt we see a straight platoon with Granderson.
I agree with you there SJ.
bret,
5.5 for Nick Johnson and 2.5 for DeJesus is 8 million dollars. Like I said in my post.
They aren’t tying up 8 million dollars in the DH position. Just not happening no matter how much you think it will.
OK guys I guess there is always room for improvement but who are they going to replace?
The bullpen has been fine lately except for Gaudan; I don’t see making a trade to replace the 12th guy unless they can get another good lefty. Ace could be back in a few weeks so what then?
The starting OF is good enough and Brett Gardner has proven to be an every day guy. Granderson is notting get platooned and Swish is better than last year.
Replace Thames as the RH bat off the bench? Na just don’t play him in the OF. Replace the 4th OF Russo/Huffman? OK, but I wouldn’t give up a lot.
Wave,
They are playing bad teams now, they havent been all season. Also they have fought through a ton of injuries and virtually no production from their #3 hitter. Despite all that they have the most runs scored and best run differential in baseball. I’d say the offense is more likely to improve than it is to decline.
Also to me, the right handed bat that would be his platoon partner would have to be pretty special to make it more valuable than having both Granderson and Gardner in the outfield.
8 million dollars is what Damon would be making as the DH, regardless of Brett Gardner in LF.
G-C,
I could see two types of deals for Jeter….
3 years + a 1 year option or 4 years.
I don’t see five and I don’t see anything less than 3 +.
I also don’t think its going to be some long, dragged out negotiation.
I think both parties are in the same ballpark and will reach a deal quicker than most think this off-season.
Record against .500 teams is a little misleading. I think the yankees by the end of the season will be a 100 win team with a very good record road/home/.500/under.500/whatever
Right now they are: 5-3 vs Boston, 1-3 vs Detroit, 3-3 vs Laa, 4-2 vs Min, 2-1 vs Oakland, 2-3 vs TBR, 3-0 vs Tex, 1-2 vs Toronto
Records I bet look quite different by the end of the season: 1-3 vs Detroit (we have 1 more series), 2-3 vs TBR (13 more games), 1-2 vs toronto (15 more games)
8 million dollars isn’t what Damon was going to make. He was going to make 7, ahd he taken the Yankees last offer, and he turned it down.
Meaning, they had no intention of paying him 8 million dollars.
Like I said, they also didn’t know what they had in Gardner. Now they do and that plays into this as much as anything.
DeJesus brings nothing different to the mix. If he was a RH hitter, that’s a different story.
He isn’t. They also aren’t going to give up an A List prospect for him.
Other teams in the hunt may do so.
Its a deal that, barring another serious injury, is highly unlikely to take place.
No reason to trade Montero, Romine, or Nunez. Montero’s bat is too valuable, even if he is only able to start at DH. Plus, trading him while he is slumping and his value is at an all time low would be a bad move. Romine could very well be our starting catcher of the future. The Yankees should wait to see how good he is before dealing him. Either Romine or Cervelli will probably eventually get dealt though. Nunez could be Jeters eventual replacement. I don’t know how much longer Jeter can play SS for. His range has already gotten significantly worse. Jeter is probably going to have to change positions in a couple years. I love Jeter, but I hope the Yankees only give him a 2 or 3 year deal. I don’t want the Yankees to be stuck with a 40 year old A-Rod and a 41 year old Jeter.
“G-C,
I could see two types of deals for Jeter….
3 years + a 1 year option or 4 years.
I don’t see five and I don’t see anything less than 3 +.
I also don’t think its going to be some long, dragged out negotiation.
I think both parties are in the same ballpark and will reach a deal quicker than most think this off-season.”
Interesting, I could see both those deals playing out. What about annual value? I was thinking something like 4/68 or 3/60 with an option depending on how steep a paycut both sides believe is fair.
If he was a RH hitter, that’s a different story.
**********
His splits are normal so I think this R/L thing is overblown.
Plus, the RH hitter is likely not as good of an overall hitter as DeJesus.
Plus, the RH hitter might cost more than 2.5 mil.
Plus, the RH hitter might not be a plus defender in LF or solid in RF. He may be Austin Kearns or Marcus Thames.
Plus, the RH hitter might not profile as a 2 hitter with Swisher moving down to protect Cano and Posada.
Dylan,
I wouldn’t include Nunez in the same class as Romine and Montero.
He’s hitting .300+ in AAA but so does Russo.
AAA BA means little, if anything at all.
Austin Kearns is a much better hitter against lefties than David DeJesus and costs much less in prospects and in costs. He also fits into what they are doing AND is used to playing off the bench.
They don’t need DeJesus to play the OF in NY. That’s why they aren’t going to acquire him for the cost that it would take to get him. He’s a luxury and not a need.
What this team really needs is Evan Longoria to back up Arod in case the hip continues to be an issue. Nunez and mellancon should get er done right
bret,
He’s a SHORTSTOP hitting over .300 with pop in AAA and he’s only 23 years old. That’s a very big distinction.
He’s a better hitter and prospect than Kevin Russo.
He’s an A List propsect.
Nunez, Romine, Montero, Jose Ramirez and Heathcott are are upper, upper level prospects in this organization at the present time.
I would be very impressed, indeed, if Cash pries Kearns away from Cleveland at a reasonable price.
Ok SJ44, you talked me into it.
Nunez for Soria
Joe,
He’s the kind of guy that would profile here, given their needs at the present time.
It also won’t take much to get him, IMO.
It will be interesting to see what happens in another month.
“He’s hitting .300+ in AAA but so does Russo.
AAA BA means little, if anything at all.”
He has a much faster bat than Russo and is 3 years younger. He’s also a shortstop and guys who can play the position with any bat whatsoever are hot commodities. Nunez has the potential to be a pretty good major league hitter if he continues to develop.
People always talk about the “heir to Mariano” but the “heir to Jeter” is a much more significant issue. Much of the reason the Yankees have been such a successful franchise since 1996 is that they’ve had outstanding hitters playing premium defensive positions- C, SS, CF, and even 2B. Shortstop and catcher are the two most difficult of those positions to fill at the level that the Yankees have. Look at the average production of catchers and shortstops around the league and you’ll appreciate what Jeter and Posada do even more. Having those two guys gives them a tremendous leg up on just about every team in baseball.
Kearns at DH/LF/RF/PH
Soria in the 8th.
It’s settled.
SJ44 June 14th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
bret,
5.5 for Nick Johnson and 2.5 for DeJesus is 8 million dollars. Like I said in my post.
They aren?t tying up 8 million dollars in the DH position. Just not happening no matter how much you think it will.
————————–
SJ,
You may be right. But consider that the Yankees were willing to spend 7 mil on the DH spot this winter in negotiations with Damon I don’t think the additional 1 mil would be a deal breaker for the club.
If it really is a problem for Cashman to sell Hal on, I’m sure the Yankees could get the Royals to take Juan Miranda back in a deal as well.
Kearns is making 750K this year. If the Yankees were to acquire him at the deadline, they are paying him 375K for his production.
If you are a GM, what’s more valuable to you…..Kearns’ production at 375K or giving up more in prospects to get DeJesus and his production at 2.5 million?
If given those two choices, Cash chooses Kearns 100% of the time.
“We are only 3 games over .500 against .500 and better teams; we are beating up on the weak teams.”
So being on pace to win 103 games (again) just isn’t good enough, gosh darnit?
Nunez has a major league future but lets not get too crazy about the guy. He hits for a high average but that’s about it. He doesn’t take a ton of walks, has minimal power, isn’t a great base stealer and has questionable defense.
He’s never going to be the everyday SS for the Yankees unless there’s an injury. He could be a valuable backup on a good team or a starter for a poor team.
Happy Flag Day
Ah, the daily Dejesus talk. Is the trade for Soria to set up Mo brigade not far behind?
This is just silly. We have three good OF’ers. We can trade for a way better DH bat than Dejesus if what some of you are proposing is to play him at DH.
You don’t know who might be available in another month. Guys like Vlad, Damon, Berkman, Adam Dunn, Wiggington, Konerko could be available for a song. I think all of them are better hitters than Dejesus and would slot into the DH role far better.
If the Nats fall out of it they would be dumb not to trade Dunn for some good talent to further build that team up since Dunn has no defensive role on that team long term and his contract is up soon.
Would you rather have Dejesus or Dunn at DH?
Same thing with Vlad. If Texas falls out of the race they’d be morons not to flip him for some young talent/salary relief.
The fascination by some Yankee fans with players on the Royals just confounds me sometimes.
They didn’t know what they had in Gardner in the off-season.
Now they do.
What if Nick Johnson is back in August? What do you do with DeJesus?
It ties up more money than they care to tie up at DH. Especially since there are days, Jeter, Arod and Posada are going to have to DH.
Its not the way you allocate your resources and its not the way Cash will do it, IMO.
Its not the way he has operated since he took full control. Why change now?
His way seems to be working quite nicely.
“In the same role Damon would be in.”
Except Damon isn’t on the Yankees.
What relevance does a role Damon isn’t filling have to this discussion?
Why would you want Austin Kearns here?
Prior to the three months to open this season when was the last time Austin Kearns showed any resemblence to a major league ball player?
I believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if you’re going to rip me all winter over suggesting guys like Ryan Church, Rick Ankiel and David DeJesus, you can’t in the next breath suggest Austin Kearns would be a good fit.
I have a feeling Kearns is going to Boston in a deal this season for precisely the reasons SJ mentioned above.
It appears to be a big move to the fanbase, but it costs relative pennies to make it since his salary is low.
The Indians and Red Sox worked a deal last year for Vmart. There may be some prospects left Cleveland likes from them.
Chip,
The players you suggest show no signs of life, at least Kearns is showing this year that he can hit.
If you are a GM, what’s more valuable to you…..Kearns’ production at 375K or giving up more in prospects to get DeJesus and his production at 2.5 million?
*******
Kearns of course.
But what about the long term picture?
Does Kearns have full time potential?
Can Kearns outproduce DeJesus offensively and defensively in an emergency long term sub situation in LF, or RF?
But does Kearns have a 6 mil option for 2011?
Does Kearns bolster OF depth in a system with zero ML ready outfielders in sight?
Does Kearns offer long term insurance for Gardner, allowing the Yankees to ride Gardner into 2011 as a starter with more than just Golson, Russo and company backing him up?
Does Kearns completely an entirely eliminate Crawford from the picture and allow the Yankees to narrow their focus on Lee?
If a shortstop in the Yankee organization named Nunez is going to get traded, it’ll be the Trenton shortstop, Luis Nunez.
SJ44 June 14th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
They didn?t know what they had in Gardner in the off-season.
Now they do.
What if Nick Johnson is back in August? What do you do with DeJesus?
It ties up more money than they care to tie up at DH. Especially since there are days, Jeter, Arod and Posada are going to have to DH.
Its not the way you allocate your resources and its not the way Cash will do it, IMO.
Its not the way he has operated since he took full control. Why change now?
His way seems to be working quite nicely.
——————————
1. Brett Gardner’s thumb is a concern to both Gardner and the club
2. I’m as worried about Nick Johnson’s return creating a log jam as I was about Carl Pavano coming back and creating a log jam in the rotation.
3. It is actually how he operated as recently as two winters ago. Yankees had Nady and brought in Swisher with the idea being Nady in RF and Swisher as the everyday 1b. Swisher’s presence did not in anyway dissuade the Yankees from signing Tex. Even if it meant that there was no longer an obvious role for Swisher other than on the bench.
Cashman’s a smart guy, he knows that no matter how deep your roster looks, injuries have their way of taking care of that.
What if Nick Johnson is back in August? What do you do with DeJesus?
********
No disrespect to NY but penciling him in at DH is akin to penciling in Carl Pavano as a starting pitcher for the New York Yankees during his 4 year run.
Bret why do the Yankees need a long term solution to a problem that doesn’t exist?
The current outfield is actually fairly young and should be fine for several years. And outfielders are easily acquired via free agency. If the Yanks feel they need another outfielder for the long term they can go sign Werth or Crawford in the offseason and give up no prospects.
I like vladdy idea if he is available later on.
“Does Kearns offer long term insurance for Gardner, allowing the Yankees to ride Gardner into 2011 as a starter with more than just Golson, Russo and company backing him up?
Does Kearns completely an entirely eliminate Crawford from the picture and allow the Yankees to narrow their focus on Lee?”
Does Bret ever acknowledge his ENTIRE premise is “insurance” for Bret Gardner?
Okay, THAT was snarky.
Yankees don’t need “allowance” to “ride” Gardner in 2011. They didn’t look for insurance in 2010, why would they start looking now?
I talked before the season about adding Cody Ross from the Marrlins and there is talk in South Florida that he along with Cantu could be gone in a trade.
Ross would be a great addition to our team as he can play defense and hits lefties very well.
I’d rather have him than keep Thames.
Dude, really? You’re 32-29 and in 3rd place. STFU for chrissake.
Woops. That last post was in response to Mr. Phitin.
quick question: how does nunez project?
for example, would he be the starting short stop on the red sox now? is he better than scutaro?
sorry, couldn’t resist that little jab!
“It is actually how he operated as recently as two winters ago. Yankees had Nady and brought in Swisher with the idea being Nady in RF and Swisher as the everyday 1b. Swisher’s presence did not in anyway dissuade the Yankees from signing Tex. Even if it meant that there was no longer an obvious role for Swisher other than on the bench.”
Dejesus to Gardner is in NO WAY comparable to Swisher to Teixeira, at least not the pre-2009 Nick Swisher.
That’s where the analogy falls apart.
Patrick June 14th, 2010 at 1:20 pm
Chip,
The players you suggest show no signs of life, at least Kearns is showing this year that he can hit.
——————-
Patrick,
The fact that Kearns has had a terrific start to his season just means, to me, that one of the following things are bound to happen:
1. He’s going to slump horribly so as to regress to his career averages
2. He’s going to be suspended for failing a drug test
3. He’s going to get injured and miss the second half of the year.
I would rather have a good player who is playing at his career level then a poor player who is enjoying the best start in his career.
They aren’t making a trade at the deadling for “long term reasons”.
Bret,
IF they want to, they can make their “long term” moves in the off-season and sign Crawford AND Lee.
That just costs money and no prospects.
They could certainly do it financially and have a better player (Crawford) to boot.
They don’t need to look “long term” at the deadline right now.
Why Austin Kearns? .877 OPS overall. .936 OPS against LH starters. He’s a cheap RH bat. Something they lack right now, even if Thames wasn’t hurt.
they can go sign Werth or Crawford in the offseason and give up no prospects.
********
Not if their plan is to sign Cliff Lee.
Patrick June 14th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
Bret why do the Yankees need a long term solution to a problem that doesn’t exist?
**************
In addition to all that DeJesus would bring to the table in 2010 and 2011 as a Damon type DH with better defense and better hitting for less cost, you don’t think that it’s smart to add long term OF depth, insure Gardner beyond 2010?
Consider this some feedback on this website:
I just realized that I come here a fraction as much as I used to – and the reason is that obnoxious drop down ad in the banner. I despise that thing.
The writing and info is as good as ever here, and the comments are still pretty fun… but I hesitate clicking on my bookmark to this site because of that ad. It might seem silly, but there you have it. My biggest pet peeve is intrusive, in your face ads that move, change, or obstruct the content of a page. That ad on this website is one of the worst I’ve encountered.
GB – Happy Flag Day. I forgot to wear my flag tie today. I guess I’ll wear it tomorrow.
Stucky -
I was actually comparing Swisher/Tex to DeJesus/Nick Johnson.
“They aren’t sitting Granderson. Do you think they are going to sacrifice defense and play Marcus Thames in LF and sit Granderson down the stretch? Not seeing that.”
You missed my point. The Yanks can’t platoon Granderson with their current roster. That’s why I think they will make a deal. The Yanks don’t need to make a deal yet though, and other than Kearns there’s no good match for CG available. As the trade deadline gets closer that will change, though.
“In terms of their record against .500 teams, that’s always misleading. Last year at this time, they hadn’t even beaten the Red Sox.”
I don’t think it is misleading, good pitching exposes our weaknesses offensively. The Yanks’ early record last year against the Sox proves nothing one way or another other than as an historical oddity.
You can’t continue to play a guy with a sub-.600 OOPS against lefties, it’s almost like giving up the DH and hitting your pitcher. If Granderson can improve to a .700 OPS level vs lefties all well and good, otherwise the Yanks will need to face facts and take steps.
I gotta say, having a troll of a team the Yankees whupped in the World Series on the board is more entertaining than anything else.
I like the Vlad idea as much as the next guy, but Texas would have to go into freefall for him to become available.
“for example, would he be the starting short stop on the red sox now? is he better than scutaro?”
I don’t think so. But he could probably play on a couple of teams in each league.
Projecting Nunez is really hard. He has pretty electric bat speed and that has led to the high batting averages we’ve seen from him for the last couple of years. He’s a very good athlete who with a bit more development should become a good defensive shortstop. And he’s not a slap hitter- he has average to above average power for the position.
At the same time this is a guy whose prospect status almost deteriorated to nothing from 2006-2008 after a strong debut in 2005. How he’s managed to put himself back on the map is pretty impressive and worthy of significant praise.
vblade June 14th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
I gotta say, having a troll of a team the Yankees whupped in the World Series on the board is more entertaining than anything else.
**********
My favorite post was “The only reason Halladay has 4 losses and not 1 was because no one was hitting”. LOL
Somebody last off season was pushing for Josh Willingham.
He was right.
Bret,
Dejesus wouldn’t bring anything to the table that a much cheaper player like Kearns could provide.
Why waste prospects “insuring” Gardner when you could get players for NO prospects in the offseason?
It’s becoming obvious that you are down on Gardner and expect him to drop off in a big way.
Chip,
The difference is, you suggest players like Winn, Church and Ankiel – all of whom were terrible at the time you were suggesting them. I didn’t care about Kearns until he started hitting. Now that he’s having a great year it makes sense to go after him.
Yes, he’s having some luck this year but if you look at his previous seasons the numbers this year aren’t all that out of line.
Patrick-
Did you see how my team was on FIRE this week??? Awesome!
Patrick-
Kearns is the obvious guy now, but you can’t discount those 2008 and 2009 seasons. I’d be careful about doing a deal for him; the Yanks can afford to wait and I think they should.
Why Austin Kearns? .877 OPS overall. .936 OPS against LH starters. He?s a cheap RH bat. Something they lack right now, even if Thames wasn?t hurt.
He’s had one season since 2005 where he’s played more than half the season. The Yankees are in need of a bat because they put their faith in an injury prone player’s ability to stay healthy…they aren’t apt to make the same mistake twice in one season.
“I don’t think it is misleading, good pitching exposes our weaknesses offensively.”
“Good pitching” exposes every team’s offensive “weaknesses”, that’s what makes it GOOD PITCHING.
Are we know living in the fantasy premise that good pitching only succeeds against weaker offensive teams?
Under the BEST of circumstances, GREAT teams lose 60 games a year, and I’d gather the majority of those games are dropped to GOOD PITCHERS.
This idea that the Yankees league leading offense and league leading win total is somehow a mirage suggests a lack of understanding about how baseball is played over a full 162 season.
Great offensive teams hold their own against good pitcher and beat the snot outta marginal to weak pitching. That’s they way it’s ALWAYS been.
Acquiring a cheap but useful bat like Kearns coupled with another reliever the team wouldn’t have to pay through the nose in prospects for, like a J.J. Putz, and that would be a great deadline haul.
Joe from Long Island June 14th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
GB – Happy Flag Day. I forgot to wear my flag tie today. I guess I’ll wear it tomorrow.
———————————————————————————————————————-
afternoon, Joe. How could you forget your tie.
No problem, though. every day is Flag Day. I’ll be keeping an eye out on you and making sure that tie is where it belongs tomorrow.
perhaps the Yankees could also pry a situational lefty from a noncontender….someone like Cole Hamels maybe
It’s becoming obvious that you are down on Gardner and expect him to drop off in a big way.
***********
That’s not true. I don’t expect him to drop off in a big way but I don’t fully trust him long term.
I’m down on Russo, Golson, Thames, Winn etc. etc. and feel like if you can add a DH like DeJesus who happens play a GG LF, that’s a smart move.
I think I see DH as more of an opening than you do.
The Yankees were willing to go 2 years with Damon, supposedly right?
So in what way is 2011 blocked or 2010 for that matter?
DeJesus is the better hitter and better emergency defender than Kearns or Thames.
Even after 1 full season of this kind of production from Gardner, I’m still not going to become so high on him that I pencil him in as a permanent fixture out there.
Juan Pierre had a strong year or two.
Erica,
Did you see how my team lost by a small margin… AGAIN!? Not awesome
Wave,
I’m not saying the Yanks should go get Kearns today but as you say he’s the only fit right now. As things progress maybe we can talk about other players. You’re right about the 2008/2009 seasons however it looks as if he’s returning to his 2006/2007 form. His BABIP is unsustainable so his average might go down but the power looks legit in my opinion.
The fact that this season isn’t a complete anomaly makes me think he can keep it up to a certain extent.
stuckey-
You missed the point; for the Yanks it is all about winning the World Series. Playing good teams essentially even is a poor predictor of post-season success. Lefties are going to be our achilles heel unless Granderson gets significantly better or we get a partner for him.
Chip,
The difference is, you suggest players like Winn, Church and Ankiel ? all of whom were terrible at the time you were suggesting them. I didn?t care about Kearns until he started hitting. Now that he?s having a great year it makes sense to go after him.
Yes, he?s having some luck this year but if you look at his previous seasons the numbers this year aren?t all that out of line.
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Patrick,
Kearns by the numbers:
Career: BA – .258; OBP – .355; OPS – .785
2010: BA – .297; OBP – .385; OPS – .877
So I’m going to respectfully disagree with you when you say that this season isn’t out of line with his career numbers.
there is still one thing we can learn from the sox. how to hit halladay. they seem to hit him pretty hard, so we should emulate how they approach him.
Kearns is playing way over his head. and he’s not a good defender.
And he?s not a slap hitter- he has average to above average power for the position.
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So he is a slap hitter then? Being average for a short stop? He has slugged over .400 twice in his career. In the GCL and last year. This year its at .394.
Bret you aren’t understanding that Dejesus will cost more than the role he fills. He would be a 4th outfielder and occasional DH but the Yanks will pay for him like he’s a starter (money and prospects).
It’d be like trading Montero for Cliff Lee and then making Lee your 8th inning guy.
Unless there’s an injury David Dejesus is a luxury not a need.
I like the Vlad idea as much as the next guy, but Texas would have to go into freefall for him to become available.
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I wanted Vlad in the offseason. Batting behind Alex, Tex and Cano.
They were willing to go to 2 years with Damon because he was a WS hero and fixture here who could also play the outfield. I don’t think they would have been willing to go for 2 years for anyone else.
With Arod looking gimpier by the week and Posada and Jeter also needing reps at DH you cannot afford to have a locked in guy there long term. Also, whose to say DeJesus wouldn’t turn into a major malcontent? This is a guy who has played the outfield every day in his career and I don’t see any reason why he’d want to be relegated to DH duty.
“and feel like if you can add a DH like DeJesus who happens play a GG LF, that’s a smart move. ”
The problem is baseball is played by actual people and not the XBox and PS3 versions of them.
The problem you overlook and tried to provide an answer to previously (he can’t refuse a trade it doesn’t matter) is Dejesus is a relatively young player, in the midst of having a good year, facing free agency in a year and a half.
He’s not going to want to DH full-time. He’ll want to (justifiably) play everyday.
Yes, you can say “so what”, he doesn’t have a choice, and feel you’re making a sound roster decision, but you what you’re doing is making a bad clubhouse decision. You don’t bring in a guy to play a complimentary role begrudgingly.
It’s the first rule of the difference between building a team in the real world and building a videogame one.
“So he is a slap hitter then? Being average for a short stop? He has slugged over .400 twice in his career. In the GCL and last year. This year its at .394.”
Given the state of shortstops in the MLB right now if he can slug .394 that’s probably above average power for the position.
Patrick June 14th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Erica,
Did you see how my team lost by a small margin? AGAIN!? Not awesome
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I noticed your bench keeps hurting you. How do you decide who to sit/play?
So I’m going to respectfully disagree with you when you say that this season isn’t out of line with his career numbers.
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You are twisting my words, where did I say this season is in line with his career slash numbers? I said that with a correction in BABIP his numbers will look similar to his lines in 2006 and 2007.
So tell me, is Austin Kearns the only mediocre outfielder you aren’t in love with? Maybe if he hit lefty he’d fit in with the rest of your mancrushes
Bret you aren’t understanding that Dejesus will cost more than the role he fills. He would be a 4th outfielder and occasional DH
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Nope. He’d be the regular DH and an occasional outfielder in 2010 and 2011.
He costs 2.5 mil in 2010.
He costs 6 mil in 2011.
I’d much prefer him in that DH/OF role for the next 2 years than Damon.
The LF insurance on defense is a bonus. We didn’t have that with Damon.
I noticed your bench keeps hurting you. How do you decide who to sit/play?
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Bench has killed me in the past but this week it wasn’t a factor. If I had played Markakis I would have gotten max 2.5 extra points but other than that it was fine.
The team that ought to be trying to get DeJesus is Boston.
Bret you are just repeating yourself at this point….
boston better be careful. one more moderate salary and they will lose their ability to conplain about the yankee payroll every 5 minutes.
SJ -
Regarding your post about getting Crawford:
Why would you want to commit the kind of money and years to a guy like Crawford who only has one great skill (basestealing) which will decline with age (unless you believe he’s Rickey Henderson)
“Nope. He’d be the regular DH and an occasional outfielder in 2010 and 2011.”
1) Chances are he’d be a complete malcontent if that was the case
2) He doesn’t really hit enough to be a guy you’d want to lock in as a regular DH anyway.
Given the state of shortstops in the MLB right now if he can slug .394 that?s probably above average power for the position.
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There are only 8 qualified SS’s slugging higher than that, but would Nunez maintain or improve his power in the majors? And can he play the defense to carry his bat? A shortstop that can onbase .340+ and play good defense would be a solid replacement for Jeter. But when everything I read about his defense is that its horrible, then I think his bat should probably be better.
new thread
You are twisting my words, where did I say this season is in line with his career slash numbers? I said that with a correction in BABIP his numbers will look similar to his lines in 2006 and 2007.
So tell me, is Austin Kearns the only mediocre outfielder you aren?t in love with? Maybe if he hit lefty he?d fit in with the rest of your mancrushes
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Patrick,
I don’t believe I twisted your words. Your comment said nothing about BABIP, or any sort of qualifiers at all…but that’s neither here nor there.
Austin Kearns is not a mediocre outfielder. He is an awful player who is having an outstanding first half. He’s Aaron Small a few years ago, RA Dickey this year, Shane Spencer circa 1998…
I pity the poor souls who are going to follow Jeter and Rivera as the next Yankees shortstop and closer.
Nu-fans aren’t going to realize how GREAT they’ve had it for so long and boy, are they going to be unkind and frustrated.
Let’s hope that the Yankees stay healthy enough so that they have vary little need to add players before the trade dead line. It will be great if they are only looking to upgade from Markus Thames and Chad Goudan.
I don’t quite understand the love for Kearns or DeJesus! Neither player brings much IMO to the Yankees of 2010.
Now if you want to talk about adding LHP Lee or a Slugger RH or SH bat, then I’m all for it. Yanks have time on their hands right now and it is to their advantage to wait.
Why even Werth may be available soon if Philly keeps playing this badly! LOL!