Who goes where? Lining up the Yankees clubhouse
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Oct 24, 2010 
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An empty Yankees locker room was not the most exciting place to spend six hours on a Sunday. It was an easy place to watch two football games at once, but aside from the random appearance of two left-handed relievers and a few comedic attempts at poetry from Pete Caldera, there wasn’t much to help pass the time.
So I decided to write about the room itself.
The Yankees clubhouse is a kind of oval, with the lockers along the edges and six flat screen televisions hanging from the ceiling in the middle. Three TVs face one direction, three TVs face the other direction, and there are identical sets of couches and chairs that form sitting areas on each end. On the floor, in the very center of the room, is a massive interlocking NY.
If you imagine the room as the face of a clock, there are doors at 12, 6 and 3. There’s a blank space of wall at 9. Each section isn’t perfectly equal, but the room is more or less divided into four quadrants. The ends of the room – basically from 11 to 1 and 5 to 7 – are flat walls, so those sections are kind of set apart as well.
Here’s the basic layout of who belongs where, using that imaginary clock to put everything in place.
From 11 to 1
This is the far end of the room. The door at 12 leads into the players-only area (the training room, the dining room and whatever else is back there). On the left side of that door is Jorge Posada. On the right side is Derek Jeter. They sit alone at the end of the clubhouse, a place of honor and significance.
Jeter and Posada have empty lockers next to them. If you’re looking from the opposite end of the room, from left to right, you see an empty locker, Posada’s locker, the set of double doors, Jeter’s locker and an empty locker. During September call-ups, those empty lockers were occupied by Juan Miranda (next to Posada) and Royce Ring (next to Jeter). For most of the year, the empty lockers were used as extra storage.
In every clubhouse, empty lockers are strategically placed, giving the bigger name players a little extra space.
From 1 to 3
This is the rotation section of the room, with a few notable exceptions
In order, from 1 to 3, beginning next to Jeter’s empty locker: A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Javier Vazquez, Joba Chamberlain, CC Sabathia, Lance Berkman, Phil Hughes, Robinson Cano, Sergio Mitre and Francisco Cervelli.
The empty locker next to Jeter is also a spillover locker for Burnett. I’m sure Pettitte and some of the other pitchers in that area have used it as well. Cano seems out of place, but his locker has been there all year. Cervelli’s locker is next to a door that leads to various offices, including Joe Girardi’s.
Berkman’s locker was occasionally empty this season, serving as a kind of spillover locker for Sabathia. It was occasionally filled by call-ups. Miranda was there for a while. I think Colin Curtis might have had it at one point. Maybe Chad Moeller back when Posada was on the DL.
Based on the decoration, this is also the family section of the clubhouse. Burnett, Pettitte, Vazquez, Chamberlain and Sabathia are one after another, each with a ton of family pictures hanging inside their lockers.
From 3 to 5
This is the section that’s usually filled with the lower-profile members of the coaching staff, plus Alfredo Aceves. There are four lockers in this section, all of them very barebones: One shelf at the top plus a bar to hang clothes. There’s no installed computer or set of cabinets like in the other lockers. These lockers are wide open, which lets players share them during September call-ups, when the room is overpopulated.
In order, from 3 to 5, beginning next to the door leading to Girardi’s office: Colin Curtis/Kevin Russo, Jonathan Albaladejo/Romulo Sanchez, Greg Golson/Andrew Brackman and Aceves. When Jesus Montero and Dellin Betances were up for a couple of days, they were also thrown into this mix.
Aceves had his corner locker all year. Until September, the other lockers in this section were filled by coaching assistant Brett Weber, assistant video coordinator Anthony Flynn and bullpen catcher Roman Rodriguez. Russo, Albaladejo and Curtis had different lockers during their mid-season call-ups.
Coolest thing in these lockers: A vinyl Jimi Hendrix album sent to Curtis by a fan. It’s not there any more, but I’m pretty sure it was Electric Ladyland. That’s what I remember it being, anyway. Hendrix and Curtis are both Seattle guys, and Curtis used to have Hendrix as his at-bat music.
From 5 to 7
From the media’s point of view, this is the front of the room. The door at 6 is the one that serves as the media entrance. It’s also the door that leads out to the batting cages and the dugout. Just like the flat wall on the opposite end, there are four lockers, two on either side of a set of double doors.
In order, from 5 to 7, beginning next to the Aceves locker: Eduardo Nunez, Ivan Nova, double doors, Ramiro Pena and Dustin Moseley.
The Nunez locker was empty through most of the year. The Nova locker was used for multiple call-ups throughout the season. Mark Melancon had it for a while. Chad Huffman had it for a while. Albaladejo had it for a while. Nova won that spot in the rotation and the locker was his the rest of the way.
On the other side of the door, Pena had his locker all season. The Moseley locker belonged to Randy Winn at the beginning. I knew someone had it before Moseley, but I honestly had to look at the Yankees season stats to remember that Winn was even here at the beginning of the year. Incredibly nice guy, but easy to forget this season.
From 7 to 9
This section is split between the bullpen and the lineup.
In order, from 7 to 9, beginning right next to Moseley’s locker and ending with a blank wall: Boone Logan, Dave Robertson, Mark Teixeira, Brett Gardner, Chad Moeller, Austin Kearns and Nick Swisher.
With Moseley, Logan and Robertson grouped together, this is the country-boy section of the clubhouse. Gardner is in that mix too. And yes, I spend a lot of time over there myself. Moseley and I once stood in that corner and talked about growing rice. My father would be very proud.
The Moeller locker once belonged to Nick Johnson. The Kearns locker was filled with a few call-ups during the season. It was Russo’s locker back when Russo was playing fairly regularly. For much of the season it was full of random Swisher stuff.
Swisher is next to a bit of blank wall that’s also next to Mariano Rivera’s locker. Swisher has some stuff spilling along that wall, including a small fridge that has his Code Blue recovery drinks. In terms of decoration, these are pretty boring lockers. Swisher has some random things, Kearns and Teixeira have a few family pictures, but for the most part these are baseball lockers and nothing more.
From 9 to 11
Back in the higher-profile back of the room, the left side is split between the bullpen and three key position players.
In order, from 9 to 11, beginning with that blank wall next to Swisher and ending with Posada’s empty locker: Mariano Rivera, Chad Gaudin, Kerry Wood, Damaso Marte, Curtis Granderson, Marcus Thames and Alex Rodriguez.
The empty locker next to Posada also serves as a spillover locker for Rodriguez. Random pictures and boxes of mail from Rivera’s locker have spilled over to fill the space in front of that blank wall.
I don’t remember who had Gaudin’s locker at the beginning of the year. It might have been empty (makes sense next to Rivera). Wood’s locker belonged to Chan Ho Park. The position players in this section make sense: Granderson and Thames are old teammates and friends. Rodriguez gets a spot on the high-profile end of the clubhouse with an empty locker next to him.
There are a few decorations here and there, but most of these lockers are full of nothing but standard baseball gear. Right now, Rodriguez’s has about a dozen Nike boxes.
This is great Chad. Like a locker room roadmap. Thanks.
Yes Chad, I enjoyed the tour. I assume the lockers are over sized too.
Doreen,
How were things in WP today. We are coming in for the weekend, but returning here Sunday.
Chad-
Where is Cliff Lee’s gonna be ?
G.Love – I’m responding to your comment on the last thread –
I think the option you point out is the alternative one to consider. Really, I think those are the two plans that are in play, w/r to the C and DH spots. The decision will turn, I believe, on 1)how they see Montero’s catching abilities, and Cervelli’s ability to improve defensively, 2)how much it will cost to sign someone like John Buck, and 3)how much it will cost to sign someone else to DH/play corner IF. How those three things stack up will make the decision for them.
If we see them jump on a Russell Branyan (say it’s him for the sake of argument), then we have our answer. It will indicate the route they’re going, and that they feel confident that things are going their way in signing Buck. Off the top of my head, I don’t know who else might be available. I don’t think they’ll go for a Jim Thome, a pure DH who can’t play the field. Heck, Posada could fill that job description, plus he’s a switch hitter.
SF and Texas. Who would have thought that back in March?
Murphydog,
Signing John Buck solves so many problems short and long term that he might be worth the 3 year deal you propose.
First, it pushes Jorge Posada to full-time DH. I think we can all agree that we love his bad but cringe at his defense, not to mention the risk of injury for a 40 year old with a bum knee squatting and catching. I think the sooner we accept Jorge as the full-time DH, the easier it is to embrace the idea that John Buck should be the starter.
Second, it frees up Jesus Montero to be traded if the Yankees find themselves in a pinch for starting pitching. At the very least, having Buck allows the Yankees to develop Jesus Montero and Austin Romine at a fair pace.
Third, it makes Francisco Cervelli strictly a backup in 2011. As a backup, his numbers and his defense don’t hurt the team so much. He’d actually be one of the better backups in baseball. Also, with Montero and/or Romine on his heals developing fully in the minors, he has to face a looming threat that one of them could get called up in his place.
As a side note, I agree that Buck would not be blocking anyone because catchers are always movable.
I hope Buck is part of the off season plan. It makes the team better now and in the future.
SAS
We had a really nice day, thanks for asking. The leaves are starting to change, so the drive (and the view from the Tappan Zee) is spectacular.
We had an early meeting with other parents and then we took my daughter and a friend to lunch – we walked from her apartment and then drove home. Long and satisfying day.
In summary, signing Buck strengthens 3 positions, starting catcher, DH and backup catcher and it also improves the Yanks ability to trade Montero or further develop him properly along with Austin Romine.
That might be the surprise move of the off season but it needs to happen early because freeing up Montero is a hedge against holes in the rotation as Montero is a major trade chip who can be used to acquire a front end starter.
Doreen,
The leaves should be nice when I am in NY then. I’ll look forward to that.
Glad you had a nice day with your daughter. Where did you go to lunch?
Everybody plays gm but never comes close to what cashman does.
How about trading burnett,payroll is down to 127-128 million.
lee 23 million
jeter 15
mo 12
pettitte 10 million
Payroll at 187-188 million with a rotation of
cc
lee
pettitte
hughes
5th starter.
Throw in cash & prospects to get rid of burnett.
A payroll of 188 million,a little higher with raises including lee & all of our free agents?
If we really wan’t to make it interesting package hughes with prospects for another stud pitcher like jj,verlander,kershaw,if not keep him.
Also,bring montero up in june.
No BUC worth his salt offensively is going to sign with the Yankees to be a 3rd backup…..although I’m hardly making it a given that Montero breaks camp with the team. In fact, I don’t think they will.
I do not like the idea of a rotating DH -awful. So, we need a regular DH – and I pray that they don’t go after Branyan. I don’t know who’s available – that’s up to Cash.
SAS -
I believe it’s a new place on Westchester Ave., called, fittingly enough Westchester Bar & Grill. It’s across the street from Nordstrom’s & PF Chang’s (The Westchester Mall). Nice atmosphere, lots of tvs strategically placed with football games galore, good menu, but looks like burgers are the specialty. I had a really nice house salad with grilled chicken (we’d had burgers two days in a row – first on Friday to “help” Phil Hughes, and then we wanted to take our daughter – who was home for a dentist appointment – to Five Guys Burger & Fries on Saturday, so I’m burgered out!!).
Kerry Wood will definitely get closer money. A cheaper solution for the 8th inning is JJ Putz. Then you can spare Joba in a trade.
Chad-awesome description!!
Those of u who want to move Posada to DH…..why is it acceptable to have a way below average DH exactly?
I think the train may have left the station on trading Montero…I just don’t see it happening anymore. The guy they really wanted will be available via free agency and Montero took off with the bat since that trade was proposed back at the deadline….also there are reports out there that he has improved defensively enough to where the yankees feel there is a good chance he can catch for them….he’s nearly ready for the show and I just don’t see them dealing him unless the marlins call them up and want to talk josh johnson.
Carlo,
A healthy Posada with a well rested bat is an upgrade over Nick Johnson/Berkman/Thames. Then you have to factor in the defense upgrade from Posada to Buck.
Ron – unless u think someone is going to be willing to take on 10 mm per year for 3 years with burnett then trading him makes no sense for us since we will likely have to sign someone else who may be more consistent then AJ, but will never have the upside.
Wood will get closer $$ only from bad or mediocre teams; he’ll have to decide if the $$ is worth closing meaningless games
Blake,
If Lee stays with Texas, it’s essential that Montero’s freed up for a trade for a front end pitcher. He’s was offered for Halladay once and Lee twice. I don’t think the organization has done a 180 on him. If they’re put in a situation where they must trade for a starter, they’re going to need to make him available.
Fully agree re Buck, just don’t think Posada is good enough to be an everyday DH.
The most closely watched position players in spring training should be Jesus Montero, Eduardo Nunez, Brandon Laird, and Greg Golson.
Gerald Laird and Ramon Hernandez both made close to 4 million last year. Don’t suspect that John Buck will be signing for less.
Attached is good source of all upcoming free agents, their ages and 2010 salaries.
http://www.sportscity.com/mlb/.....-agents/#C
Brett,
What pitcher….im not trading Montero plus other elite prospects and probably gardner for greinke. The royals may be sellers but they wont be motivated sellers as they don’t have to trade him right now…I don’t see them dealing him unless its a heist in their favor.
How much combined did they spend on Nick Johnson, Lance Berkman and Marcus Thames? I think Buck can be had for less than that. You’re essentially replacing those guys with Buck since Posada is the DH in that scenario.
Doreen:
PF Chang’s near the Westchester Bar & Grill is outstanding Pan Asian Cuisine (with a great gluten free menu if you know anyone with that allergy) Also great is the Cheesecake Factory, also right there. The service was a little shaky last time I was at Cheesecake Factory (but it was a Sunday brunch so maybe that’s a bear for them to staff).
I live in Tarrytown and there’s plenty of restaurants here, but one of my favorites is an Italian place called Isabella’s (61 Main Street). It’s a bistro with some charm. Food is good, service also good. Main Street is a cute walk too.
For those of you who believe Jorge doesn’t hit well enough to DH, here’s the average AL DH slash line in 2010:
.252/.332/.425/.758
Here’s Jorge’s:
.248/.357/.454 .811
So Po would be an above average DH. Not that I think he’ll do anything other than catch 110 games next year.
Bret-
If the Yankees even consider trading Montero at this point for a starter, I hope it’s a young phenom, like Clayton Kershaw or Josh Johnson. I really think that the rotation would benefit from another lefty like Lee, and the Yankees will go all out to sign him. Other than Pettitte, there are no lefty starters available as free agents worth mentioning.
blake October 24th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
Brett,
What pitcher….im not trading Montero plus other elite prospects and probably gardner for greinke. The royals may be sellers but they wont be motivated sellers as they don’t have to trade him right now…I don’t see them dealing him unless its a heist in their favor.
*************
The point is not the name of the pitcher who may be acquired for Montero, it’s really a matter of just having the flexibility to acquire a front-end starter period which is what would happen if the Yankees miss out on Lee.
If you don’t sign Buck and miss out on Lee, then how are you going to fix the rotation and the catching situation?
My thinking is, if you fix the catching situation first and free up Montero, you have greater flexibility in improving the rotation.
If you’re banking on Lee, just be aware there are reasons why it may happen but just as many why it may not. It’s far from a guarantee.
But regardless, I suspect the Yankees want to hone Montero’s catching skills in AAA for another year or else we would’ve seen him get some experience catching at some point in 2010 but they never pulled the trigger on that. I think they prefer he stays in AAA in 2011 as they made no preparations for him in 2010.
I just don’t see how the Rangers are going to.be able to bid as high on lee as everyone thinks. They owe a ton out in raises already going into next year and adding a big cliff lee deal would roughly double their 2010 payroll. If they can afford to double their payroll in one year then ok…but just looking at the numbers it would seem cliff would need to give them a pretty big discount to match the yanks if they decide to go all in.
murphydog -
I’ve been to PF Changs before. I like the, food but it’s more fun with a lot of people!
The first time I ever went to one was in Ohio and there were about 12 of us and it was fun and we tried a lot of different things. With 4 people, you’re not so adventurous.
One day one we are adventurous we’ll have to try your Italian place in Tarrytown. There was an Italian restaurant on Mamaraneck Ave in WP that looked promising, but it closed and they’re putting in a Buffalo Wild Wings (?).
Cheesecake Factory – I love their menu, but man, can they pile on the food or what?? I’ve promised myself that the next time I go there, I am getting cheesecake. Nothing else, just cheesecake.
What’s so great is there are so many places within walking distance of where my daughter lives. Everytime we go there, we threaten (tease) her that we’re going to find an apartment nearby!
just looked at the Free Agent starting pitchers .. besides Lee . . theres nobody out there. Good Luck Cashman !
Blake,
The bottom line is, you can’t pencil in Lee. You just can’t.
Not many people and articles are calling for offensive help for the Yankees…but as I watched the team struggle all year vs. mediocre to pretty good pitchers culminating with 3 hits vs. Colby Lewis in game 6 I know we need offensive help…leading the league in runs scored was overrated as we scored many of those runs in blowouts….now it can officially be said…..we missed Matsui and Damon and their clutch hitting…..I think we really need to sign an offensive player as well as Cliff Lee…someone like Adam Dunn to be the DH, or dare I say Damon or Matsui for DH or Carl Crawford to play LF, move Gardner to CF, and Granderson to RF and Swisher to DH and let Posada be the back-up catcher as at age 39 he should only be a back-up to Montero for 75 games or so…..I hope Cashman realizes we need offensive help as much as starting pitching……
blake-
The Rangers are getting an $80MM payment in 2011 from their new TV deal, plus their base commitments drop to $32MM next year from a payroll of $64MM this year. Now they will have to pay arb raises out of that and they may have taken the $80MM into account when the Greenberg-Ryan group upped their bid in buying the team this summer, but they do have some money if they want to make Lee a big offer.
just out of Curiosity ?? what kind of haul could Swisher get us ?
Brett,
I know you can’t pencil him in…but I also don’t think you can trade away the farm if you miss out on him either…..especially when we have no idea who would even be available and what it would take to acqire them….they have had their eye on cliff for quite some time as signing him is the easiest and best way to address the issues that they have.
Blake,
Another thing is, signing Buck does not prevent them from going “all in” on Lee if that situation presents itself. They can sign Lee and Buck and keep Montero.
However, if they get Buck at least they have another method of obtaining a starter which is not there if you pencil in Montero into the lineup and make the mistake of thinking Lee to NYY is automatic. If you assume Montero’s the DH/C with the big club AND Lee stays in Texas, how are you going to acquire a starter via trade?
It’s a different story if Montero’s ready to catch full-time at the big league level but that’s probably not the case. He wasn’t even allowed a taste of it in 2011.
Signing Buck at the very least allows them to develop Montero. They don’t have to trade him.
SJ has said the Rangers are not allowed to borrow against their TV deal for players’ salaries, so that makes a difference.
I don’t believe anything is ever written in stone – not Lee, not anything else. No one knows what he is thinking. Everyone assumes (SJ included) that Lee wants to play for the Yankees; well of course he was happy when he thought he was getting traded here because it meant he was getting out of Seattle. He seems very happy in TX and maybe has found a home. I have no doubt the Rangers will do WHATEVER it takes to sign him…..
edit: He wasn’t even allowed a taste of it in 2010.
The Rangers are undoubtedly already whispering in his ear. They may very well win the WS this year and they have a great future. In the meantime, the Yankees are aging – and even players who will be here past 3 or 4 years, like Alex and Tex, have question marks. We have no position players in the system ready to help short of Montero…… I don’t think Lee will look at the Yankees and see “wow – they are a sure thing to contend for a WS every year”, esp. not in our division
If Lee signs with the Rangers.. Teams will know the Yankees are desperate for a starter will ask for the moon ?
Doreen-
Funny, when I go to Cheesecake Factory, my eyes light up at the appetizers and I can totally take and leave everything else
Doreen:
A crowd is a good idea at Chang’s, although myself and Mrs. Dog have been there on date night and had fun too.
There’s another place at 68 Gedney Way, a little further up from the Cheesecake Factory, off Bloomingdale Road, called Emma’s Ale House. It’s a high end pub. (I know one of the owners – shameless plug) but it’s a nice place in the same area.
Montero must be promoted to the majors next year. What a complete waste of talent if he isn’t. He’s probably not ready to catch regularly, but he must come up and DH looks like the spot, with about 20-30 games at catcher. That means Jorge stays at C. No way the Yanks get John Buck.
Ouch Oakland 59 Denver 14 who would have thought
Wave,
Its my understanding that they can’t borrow against that deal for payroll though….and they are going to.have to pay josh hamilton and all of those young guys at some point as well….my point ia that if they give cliff lee the kind of contract he’s projected to get then at some point in the near future they are going to have to venture into the big boy payroll range….either that or start letting some of these guys walk in a few years.
The only guy on their team currently making big money is micheal young….if they sign lee and want to keep that team together then that will have to.change drastically.
Betsy-
The $80MM payment in 2011 is cash. No need to borrow against cash.
I’m very dubious that any of us understand the Rangers’ debt structure after the bankruptcy resolution. All the old debt would have been wiped out and new financing put in place. The new financing terms don’t seem to be publicly available. So what the Rangers can or can’t do with respect to future debt is not so clear, at least to me.
I have the DH for us…Manny Ramirez at 20M…just kidding.
——————————————————————
Murphydog,
I live in Armonk when I am in the East. We never know where to go in your area, and we have a few friends in NJ. We always end up crossing the bridge or they have to go so far east. When we get back, I would love some recommendations.
===============================================
Doreen,
I think the place you went for lunch is new.
Hamilton hits the fA market in 2 years.
I wonder if Cash will make a run at him. As we saw during the 2008 home run derby, his swing is tailor made for yankee stadium.
The Yanks are the only team that can say they will continue to contend for years to come.
Theyve done it the past 15 years, can any other team say that?
How much extra money did the Yankees rake in for winning the World Series in 2009? Wasn’t it something like 77 million dollars?
You have to figure Texas stands to benefit financially from an ALCS championship in 2010 at the very least.
Either way, I expect the Rangers to do whatever it takes; we’ll see how far Hal will take this. Remember that what we spend on Lee will take away from what we can do to improve in other arears – Hal has a budget.
I guess by the article that Thurman’s locker is no longer in the clubhiouse?
Also, Phil will probably get a nice bump in arb as will Joba……………That budget is going to be hard pressed to remain where it is.
John Buck might be a nice choice as the catcher, but, he’s going to want money and a full time job on long term. NYYs have at least 3 catchers on the near horizon in Montero, Romine and Sanchez, along with J.R. Murphy. Buck, if I had to make a guess, stays in Toronto with a team that gave him a chance to play more often, or, most likely, to Boston.
There was remarks/suggestions about trading among others, Brandon Laird to Oakland for Anderson. Laird is the Yankees insurance policy for Rodriguez and back-up at 1st base along with a corner outfield back-up. Not sure what they do about Kerry Wood, but they can decline the option and offer him abritration. Whether he gets cut 20% or a raise is the gamble. The idea that adding Miranda to any package will make some team swoon is ridiculous. He’s got next to no value, even to a team like KC.
Why would NYYs pay premium price for somebody like Greinke after the season he had. Those that are clamouring for him and trashing Hughes had better take a quick look. Greinke’s ERA jumped by 2 runs, his strikeouts dropped by 60 and the hits and earned runs allowed jumped by more than 50.
Gary October 24th, 2010 at 7:00 pm
I guess by the article that Thurman’s locker is no longer in the clubhiouse?
********************
After the move in 2008, Thurman’s locker was placed in the Yankee Museum in NYS
Wave,
I can agree with that. I don’t know their financial situation. I do know that their payroll this year was 64 million and for them to sign lee and also take care of hamilton and the rest of those young guys then they are going to have to pretty much become a big.market team….I don’t know if their new ownership is willing or even capable of doing that but I guess we will find out soon enough.
If the Rangers want to pay one player all that money, good luck.
I know we are Yankee fans… but ask yourself if the money is somewhat close, and by all indications it will be, why would Lee leave Texas. They beat the Yankees in more ways than just on the field this year.
Yankees better have a plan B.
Green Beret,
Where did anyone say the Yankees would not be giving Buck money and a full time job?
Doesn’t Texas have no State or City tax?
That could be at least 40% more Yanks would have to cough up.
why would Lee leave Texas.
—————————
because he can make more money in NYC in endorsement/commercials. Hell, they’ll even name a candy bar after him: a Cliff Bar.
Plus, who wants to pitch in the miserable texas heat, and historically he hasn’t pitched well in Arlington, where as a lefty he can dominate in yankee stadium.
And what’s more exciting for a competitor, the AL East or west, who’s games are so late, they rarely make ESPN’s highlights.
i live in texas…no state income tax. But property tax is high.
Betsy i think you are wrong.
Cano,tex,gardner,granderson,swish are still young,even for baseball.
The only 2 bad contracts are burnett & arod.Jeter has no contract now,posada,mo,pettitte will be gone soon & the rest are under contract for a short time.
If we get 3 more good years out of tex & cc there will only be 2 years left after that & we should because they are still young.
Burnett has 3 years left & that goes quick.
Everybody is all doom & gloom thinking we are old,not true.
I would try to trade burnett if possible,sign lee wich is going to be a terrible contract.He is 32 years old & will get 5 years.
I would also try to trade for another stud pitcher.
We are going to get younger at catcher with montero also.
Don’t get nervous about the rangers because of what you read & hear.Everybody knows no team comes close to the yankees including the rangers no matter what they do.
The rangers will never see the revenue that the yankees do now,not in our lifetime & lee knows it.
We heard that about tampa,phillies,red sox,twins,angels & we saw what happened,the yankees have an even bigger advantage.
Lee isn’t going to care about whether games are exciting or not………and he’s pitching just fine in Arlington now
Ron, I have questions about Tex because he disappears for months at a time…………when we need him. Getting off to a slow start is one thing, a two month slide or even a months slide is another.
I’m also not a huge fan of Gardner; he’s going to have to prove it over the course of a full season to me.
Why do people want Buck here?
Do people want to see Montero?
Posada and Montero DH/C. That’s lovely imo.
Robin-
Good points and I know Lee was not fond of the summer we had down here. i hope he is with the Yanks next year but hope we have a few plans just in case. I really hope we quit worrying so much about obp stats and get guys who can hit with 2 outs and risp…
Could be wrong, but I believe Miranda is a minor league free agent at the end of the 2010 season. So he won’t be part of any trades.
By the way, awesome post Chad!
If Lee wants to pitch for the Yankees he will, bottom line.
Nobody but he and his wife no what is on his mind.(his agent too)
I’m sure if he wants us, as much as we want him, arrangements will be made and he will be a Yankee.
AJ’s role has to be phased out, he should be the 5th starter, to eliminate him from post season play, which cost CC the chance at 3 starts, and took a start away from Andy.
Teixiera has to be dropped in the order.
I feel he will no longer be a high avg. hitter.
Cano will bat 3rd, Tex 5th.
I would go as far as batting Tex 6th in April, until he gets his bearings and earns the 5th spot.
Betsy: we won with melky & in the 90′s we didn’t have any real stars.
It is no big deal & tex will still have his numbers at the end of the year.
There is only a few players that any manager takes over tex at 1st base.Pujols,cabrera,everybody else is a toss up & tex is the best defensive 1st baseman in baseball.
If we had lee we win the series over texas.
It’s about pitching.
We just did not hit for the series,it happens.It does not mean we have to make major changes.
The catching position,yes.I would bring montero up & carry 3 catchers for a while.Very cheap & no way it is as bad with cervelli,impossible.
Dh posada & cervelli,arod a few times should cover the dh spot,spending nothing.If a move has to be made midseason,fine.
Imo i go after lee .I also consider trading hughes but only if i get a stud pitcher in return like jj or verlander,don’t know if it is possible.
If i am cashman i try like all h e l l to trade burnet even if we toss in a few million & a prospect or two.
Hi Friends .
Hey GB! Good to see you around.
For all the doom and gloom out there, you’d think we were the Mets. This team was flawed, and did not play up to expectation, but we all saw it coming if September was any indication.
Congratulations, Texas Rangers, the two thousand ten World Champions of Baseball .
I meant dh posada & montero & montero will not be as bad as having cervelli catch all the games he did.
I meant dh posada & montero & montero will not be as bad as having cervelli catch all the games he did.
adding Buck means tying up 4 more years and at least $20 mil in salary for catchers in 2011. Not happening. If NYYs feel a need for a part time catcher for next year, Olivo would be cheaper for a shorter time.
elijahandstephensdad,
A couple of other points:
Yanks rank #1 in Home attendance, Texas ranks #14.
Yanks rank #1 in Road attendance, Texas ranks #29 (out of 30).
Yanks are constantly on national tee vee (ESPN, Fox, MLB).
Then there’s immortality. After he retires, Lee will have a granite stone in Monument Park, and former yankees greats are constantly in the public eye (Reggie, Yogi, Mr. Coffee).
No catcher is getting a contract for longer than 2 guaranteed years. Not even Buck. Regardless, the Yankees have insurance in case Montero doesn’t do well as a catcher in the majors – Austin Romine. Though not as good a hitter as Montero projects to be, Romine is closer to a Jorge Posada type hitter, but with better defensive skills. And that’s not too shabby an insurance policy.
Don’t count the giants out.
All i am saying is that when our top 3 pitchers were all clicking we were the best team in baseball.
That is what we have to get back to wether it is cc,lee,pettitte or some other 3.
Our offense wasn’t great against the phillies & they were a offensive powerhouse.
We also took texas to game 6 & had it tied 1-1 late with no offense.
The team is not that old & with montero it will be younger.We also hyave a plethora of good pitchers in AAA to be excited about.
DaSaint007 October 24th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
Hey GB! Good to see you around.
For all the doom and gloom out there, you’d think we were the Mets. This team was flawed, and did not play up to expectation, but we all saw it coming if September was any indication.
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Evening, Simon. Haven’t seen you around much, lately. How have things been going out your way? This is the worst part of the off-season. Wanting every player that had a decent season, regardless of the cost in money or talent, whether it makes sense or not. We have one “GM” that wants to trade off half of the farm system for a pitcher that doesn’t want to be in NY and had a huge drop off, and another “assistant GM that wants to trade off the other half of the system for a good, young, cheap pitcher that has no chance of being moved because he’s good, young and cheap. I suppose the next gotta get will be Johnson or Ramirez from Florida.
Oh, well….it does make for comical reading.
Good pitching beats good hitting. Andy and CC should have both pitched twice in this series and I like my chances. Whoever decided on pitching Hughes in Andy’s spot in Texas should be fired.
Simon, I look at Romine as a Munson type of hitter, good average, a bit of power (12-17 homers) a bunch of doubles and a bit of speed. Defense needs as much or more work as Montero does, but, he’s another that could play multiple positions.
“Romine is closer to a Jorge Posada type hitter, but with better defensive skills. ”
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You’re basically saying Romine has a HOF bat with better defensive skills.
A Jorge Posada type hitter with better defensive skills is probably one of the best 4-5 catchers in baseball history.
Romine has a long way to go to that end.
The only problem with having Arod at DH is that the person they use to fill in his spot at 3rd will need a place in the lineup. They would either have to have a high OBP or hit for considerable power or else its going to be the same as this season when he was at DH and we had pena and nunez filling in. With Posada at DH and Montero as catcher, they still have Alex’s power, Posada and I am pretty confident that Montero will adjust fine to Major league hitting. Its going to be interesting to see how they handle all that stuff next year and who they get in the offseason.
Things are good on my end. The wife is now @ week 34 today, so only 6 more weeks left – or earlier for my little guy to appear!
Pitching counts, but I hope they don’t continue to throw money at the problems. Lee would be nice, but other options abound. CC will be the ace he is, AJ should rebound next season, Andy will return for 1 more, Hughes will continue to improve, and Nova should get a shot at #5 for 2011.
In the pen, Gotta Go To Mo will remain the mantra. I’d try to sign Wood as setup, keep Robertson and Logan, and consider everyone else expendable – mind you that’s only 3 slots to fill. Certainly not insurmountable.
GB7
Do you ever see Bradley Suttle making it anywhere? he plays a pretty good third base and the Yankees definitely spent considerable time on letting him get healthy. I think he missed the whole 2009 minor league season with his shoulder surgery/rehab. He has a good average, is a switch hitter and I believe has a decent OBP. Do you think they might want to continue developing him or use him as a trade piece? I know he was only in A advanced this year but I think he could have done well in AA.
Betsy,
Last time I checked SJ44 doesn’t have a job in baseball yet everyone on this site acts like he is some authority on baseball
While the locker room trivia is interesting, its kind of irrelevant now that the season has ended, isn’t it?
Who will be the new residents and where will they sit next season? — now THAT would be a scoop, Chad!
Aside from this post — many thanks to you and Sam et. al. for a tremendous season of blogging!
The New York Yankees have the money. And with the player development side built up behind General Manager Brian Cashman, scouting director Damon Oppenheimer and Senior V.P. Mark Newman, they now have one of the top farm systems in all of baseball.
I don’t care what Baseball America says or how they rank the Yankees. The pinstripe parade of young talent has already produced quality Major League talent, and is strong at the Double-A and Triple-A levels, especially in the area of pitching.
Good arms like Manny Banuelos, Adam Warren, David Phelps, Andrew Brackman, Dellin Betances, Hector Noesi, D.J. Mitchell, and Ivan Nova not only provide the Yankees with multiple arms ready to contribute in the Bronx, but also valuable trade bait to obtain top major league talent.
By Joseph DelGrippo (Yankees Featured Columnist) on October 11, 2010 – New York City
DaSaint007 October 24th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
Things are good on my end. The wife is now @ week 34 today, so only 6 more weeks left – or earlier for my little guy to appear!
Pitching counts, but I hope they don’t continue to throw money at the problems. Lee would be nice, but other options abound. CC will be the ace he is, AJ should rebound next season, Andy will return for 1 more, Hughes will continue to improve, and Nova should get a shot at #5 for 2011.
In the pen, Gotta Go To Mo will remain the mantra. I’d try to sign Wood as setup, keep Robertson and Logan, and consider everyone else expendable – mind you that’s only 3 slots to fill. Certainly not insurmountable.
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That’s great, Simon. I hope that you ordered a switching, high average, power hitting shortstop with a great arm and range. Congratulations and enjoy your rest. You haven’t got much more of it left.
I don’t agree. The Yankee farm system is middle of the pack or maybe a little higher when compared to Texas and Tampa and others. What position players that can hit are close to being show ready?
tyanksfan36 October 24th, 2010 at 7:50 pm
GB7
Do you ever see Bradley Suttle making it anywhere? he plays a pretty good third base and the Yankees definitely spent considerable time on letting him get healthy. I think he missed the whole 2009 minor league season with his shoulder surgery/rehab. He has a good average, is a switch hitter and I believe has a decent OBP. Do you think they might want to continue developing him or use him as a trade piece? I know he was only in A advanced this year but I think he could have done well in AA.
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TY, I’ve never been very high on Suttle’s ability to play defense at 1st or 3rd base. He’s always been pretty much a butcher as far as I’m concerned. He could learn to be passable, I suppose. His best talent is as a switch hitter with some power, but, that’s only my opinion. The perfect DH?
By the way everyone, let’s not forget that Cano is coming up for a big contract…not this year, but next I think. He deserves to earn that kind of money.
TY, a player to keep an eye on in Tampa next year is Rob Lyerly. Needs a lot of work on defense at 3rd or 1st base, but, you’ll love that bat. You’ll also get Deangelo Mack, Heathcott and Murphy….others to watch. The ARMs are Jose Ramirez and a finally healthy Brett Marshall .
“Wood will get closer $$ only from bad or mediocre teams; he’ll have to decide if the $$ is worth closing meaningless games”
Not necessarily. Tampa, Anaheim, Toronto, Atlanta, Mets, Dodgers, Cardinals, Rockies, could be needing closers. All those teams figure to be in the playoff hunt next year except maybe Toronto/Mets. Texas is a darkhorse as well – they might decide to move Feliz to the rotation, opening up the closers role.
Wood also lives in Arizona, and during ST last yr, said he would be interested in pitching there.
It’s not like if he doesn’t choose the Yankees, he will be confined to choosing between Baltimore, Washington, Seattle, Pittsburgh, etc. There are plenty of teams that were in the playoff hunt this year that need closers. He raised his stock immensely during this stint with NYY. A lot of teams will see him as a cheaper alternative to Soriano.
Robbie Cano is signed through 2011. With the team holding options for 2012 and 2013 for 14m and 15m, respectively (2m buyout).
So basically, Robbie Cano will be a Yankee through 2013
http://www.baseball-reference......#contracts
GB7
I will keep an eye on them. Brett Marshall pitched one game down here but I think it was an away game and I didnt make it because it was too far away. I am really looking forward to Murphy and Heathcott. Ill look intto Lyerly, I think ive heard some about him.
As for Suttle, I feel the same about his defense but he does have some perks in that he is a switch hitter. He walks a decent amount if I recall and I think he led the FSL in a lot of the offensive categories. Joseph is someone who was really good down here but he did not do near as well in Trenton then he did in Tampa.
I am actually looking forward to the new minor league season more than the major league season. Dont know if its because I know im one of the lucky few that get to see the minor leaguers play or because I enjoy spending my evenings at the ballpark enjoying a stress free game where the players arent criticized and people dont come out of the woodworks wishing for someone else to fill their spot in the lineup
Erica,
Thanks. Good to know that Cano will be around for quite a bit longer. I have a feeling he will be a lifetime Yankee, the first of this generation of player.
I knew he was signed through next year.
These poor guys have to get by on 10-20 million dollars or so.
If John Buck’s the answer, what the hell is the question?
He did okay this year, but it’s unlikely he’ll ever duplicate the batting average again. He’s a lifetime .240 hitter with no plate discipline, rarely walking, and striking out a ton. Very streaky hitter who will drive Yankee fans crazy by his long periods of in-season suck. Even in Posada’s decline he was in some ways still a more productive hitter than Buck in 2010, with an OBP about 40 points higher than Buck, and basically the same number of HRs. Defensively, Buck has never been touted as a great handler of pitchers. He caught 28% of runners this year, compared to Posada’s 15%, so that’s a modest improvement, but it’s hardly anything great. It’s also on the high end of his ability, as Buck the two year’s prior was in the 16% range, right where Posada was this year as he approached the end of his career, not in mid career as Buck is. (For his career, even as he’s declined, Posada shows a higher percentage of throwing out runners compared to Buck.)
The only reason to sign Buck is Posada is on the way out and Buck gives us a warm body behind the plate who ocassionally will run into a fastball. But it the plan is to make Buck the fulltime catcher over the next three years, Yankees fans are gonna hate the guy.
I guess they didn’t stick Munson’s locker in the new locker room.
Yonkel21, no, Munson’s locker didn’t go over. Wouldn’t make much sense since Munson played in the old Stadium. They did move Munson’s locker (or a part of it) to the Yankee museum at the new Stadium.
Carlo, let’s turn the question around for you to answer. What makes you think Posada’s numbers would make him a “way below average DH,?” His stats were above average compared to the average DH. Plus, we’d have a DH who is a switch hitter and could catch when needed. That’s actually pretty valuable. We also need to leave playing time for A-Rod and Jeter for some games at DH.
Great post…it’s great to have a idea of how the lockeroom is set-up (even though we’ll be seeing a few new faces next year and saying good bye to quite as few as well).