The LoHud Yankees Blog

Here are a few nuggets for you to snack on if you’re not into “I Love Money” on VH1 …

• Joe Morgan issued a brief statement about being bumped from ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” in which he says the station was moving in a different direction over the past two years and he was “not comfortable” with that direction. Rrrrrrrright.

• George Vecsey from The Times says it’s all happening a little fast with George Steinbrenner and the Hall of Fame.

• The Red Sox are seriously considering a push for free agent catcher John Buck, according to ESPN Boston. Buck had been mentioned as a potential Yankees target but I suspect he’ll end up elsewhere.

• Judging by your emails over the past, say, three years, a legion of Yankees fans is in mourning tonight: After all, David DeJesus was traded … but to the A’s.

• If you haven’t seen this “Wheel of Fortune” insanity yet, do yourself a favor and watch the clip then read the article about how the woman did what she did. It’s pretty amazing.

OK, that’s it for tonight. Thanks for all the comments. Back at it tomorrow.

Mark Teixeira will be honored by the ALS Association Greater New York Chapter tomorrow night in Manhattan and there are a limited number of tickets still available if you want to attend the Lou Gehrig Sports Awards banquet.

If you’re interested, call 212-245-6470. The full release is after the jump.

* That’s an AP shot of Teixeira from the 2009 World Series. Sorry, but the Elmer Fudd hat just never gets old.

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The National League Gold Glove winners were announced this afternoon, with the most notable name being Scott Rolen, who has now won eight Gold Gloves with three different teams. The full list:

Pitcher: Bronson Arroyo, Reds
Catcher: Yadier Molina, Cardinals
First base: Albert Pujols, Cardinals
Second base: Brandon Phillips, Reds
Third base: Scott Rolen, Reds
Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies
Outfield: Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies
Outfield: Michael Bourn, Astros
Outfield: Shane Victorino, Phillies

As for the rest of the awards slate, gear up for plenty of debate next week. Here’s the schedule:

Monday, November 15
Rookie of the Year (both AL & NL)

Tuesday, November 16
NL Cy Young

Wednesday, November 17
Manager of the Year (both AL & NL)

Thursday, November 18
AL Cy Young

Monday, November 22
NL Most Valuable Player

Tuesday, November 23
AL Most Valuable Player

I’ve gotten a lot of emails from people asking about who the Yankees might turn to if they don’t sign Cliff Lee as their big offseason pitching acquisition and the short answer is “no one nearly as good.”

This free agent class isn’t particularly compelling overall and when you look at the starting pitchers available it’s particularly underwhelming. Good buddy Jeff Passan from Yahoo! Sports does an annual free agent tracker and if you peruse the top end of his listings you’ll see that the starting pitchers – save for Lee – are incredibly unappetizing.

I don’t necessarily agree with all of Jeff’s rankings but the gist this: After Lee, you’re talking about guys like Hiroki Kuroda, Jake Westbrook and – gulp – Carl Pavano.

The Yankees have been pretty tight-lipped about Lee and any contingency plans should the pursuit of him fall through, but lately you hear more rumblings that the Yankees would look internally to fill out their rotation should Lee opt to go elsewhere. In other words, a rotation like Sabathia, Hughes, Pettitte, Burnett and whoever wins the fifth spot in spring training (Ivan Nova?) would be a real possibility. If Pettitte chooses to retire, things get a little more dire.

Of course, there’s also the trade market (and no, I’m not including Zack Greinke in this discussion – there’s been zero indication he would want to come to the Yankees) but you’d have to think the Yankees wouldn’t be able to get any kind of impact name in a deal.

Short story long? If the Yankees want a big stud for their pitching staff, they better get Lee. Because the alternative – whoever it is – is pretty darn unappealing.

* That’s an AP photo of Carl Pavano’s mustache.

Obviously the Yankees are hoping to make a big addition to their pitching staff this winter by signing Cliff Lee – a pursuit it appears they’re beginning in earnest today, with a MLB Trade Rumors report that they’ve sent a contingent to meet with Lee in Arkansas – but Andy Pettitte’s status is a pretty considerable issue, too. Of course, this is a pretty familiar situation – Pettitte has been deciding whether to pitch for them each of the past four offseasons. Is there a pattern that might indicate when the Yankees will know something on their Texas lefty? Let’s take a look:

After the 2006 season: Pettitte signs a one-year, $16 million deal with a player option for a second year on Dec. 9, spurning the Astros who had hoped to bring him back.

After the 2007 season: After declining his option on Nov. 5, Pettitte accepts arbitration from the Yankees on Dec. 7 and officially signs on Dec. 12.

After the 2008 season: Some backs-and-forths over money push the ultimate decision later this time around, with Pettitte not signing his incentive-laden deal until Jan. 26.

After the 2009 season: Back to the usual, Pettitte followed up his fantastic postseason by filing for free agency and then signing a one-year deal with the Yankees on Dec. 9.

What does it all mean? Pettitte said after the Yankees were eliminated that “I don’t want it to drag out. I want to make a decision” and with the few tweaks to the MLB offseason calendar, things might move more quickly but judging by Pettitte’s history, that decision doesn’t figure to come for at least a few more weeks.

My personal opinion? I think Pettitte gives it one more year. Yes, he had injury problems this past year but a) they weren’t with his elbow or shoulder; and b) they saved him several months of wear and tear. I’d expect him to sign another one-year deal the first week of December.

* Thanks to the AP for this consummate shot of Pettitte – one that TV directors have been loving for more than a decade.

After years of continuity at the catching position, the Yankees are entering this winter (and likely the 2011 season) with a considerable lack of clarity behind the plate.

It’s no surprise that the Yankees are looking to make a switch from the 39-year-old Jorge Posada, and there are reports this morning that Brian Cashman had a face-to-face meeting with Posada where he was told as much. (Interestingly enough, Posada’s wife, Laura, may have been the first to break the news that her husband would be DHing next year when she wrote about it on her Facebook page.)

Will the Yankees plan work? Jesus Montero still gets some level of mixed reviews from scouts when they’re asked whether he’s major-league ready, and neither Austin Romine nor Francisco Cervelli are obvious everyday players yet either. The Yankees could look at adding a veteran catcher (one report mentions John Buck, who I like as a player but would expect to get an everyday job elsewhere) if there’s room in the budget but the current plan seems to be to let the kids fight it out for the two roster spots.

Posada as a primary DH is an interesting question, too. In his career, Posada has hit .223 with nine home runs and 33 RBI in 296 DH at-bats. Obviously that’s a pretty small sample size and my gut is that he’ll probably adapt to the role once he figures out a routine. It’s also worth noting that, according to the reports, Posada will have a minor knee surgery today similar to the one CC Sabathia had earlier this offseason. Sabathia is already up and around (he was seen at an NBA game shortly after the procedure) and Posada isn’t expected to have his offseason program affected.

* That’s an AP shot of Posada.

First a little update on the pitching coach vacancy: I’m hearing that the latest plan is for Gil Patterson to have his interview with the Yankees on Thursday, barring a scheduling change. Patterson was a minor-league pitching coach for the Yankees from 2005-07, and – just for fun – I looked up the 2005 Columbus Clippers roster. The staff that year, coached by Patterson, included (at times) Aaron Small, Scott Proctor, Chien-Ming Wang and … Hideo Nomo! It was quite the motley crew. Anyway, if you’re interested, here are the stats from that team (which, by the way, also had Kevin Long as the hitting coach).

Now, on  to our nightly nuggets for you to snack on if you’re not into “1 vs. 100″ on Game Show Network …

• Some interesting doings in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pa., which may include a $40 million overhaul of the SWB Yankees field. Maybe we’ll have to start making the Blog Outing more than just a once-a-year thing? Here’s a nice breakdown of what’s going on from the guys at River Ave. Blues, who cite an insightful piece from Chad’s old buddy Donnie Collins.

• There was a lot made of Jorge Posada’s comments over the weekend regarding his role with the Yankees next year but what might have gotten lost in the aftermath of that was that Posada made those comments while at a bowling fundraiser for his charity (where $500,000 was raised). Posada admits in this piece that he’s a “terrible” bowler and reveals that the first date he went on with his wife, Laura, was actually at a bowling alley. Fortunately, she is admittedly “not every good, either.” Perfect match!

• Who will be this year’s Yankees minor league breakout star? Mike Silva has an interview with the guy who looks pretty good after predicting Brandon Laird last year.

• I was at the annual meeting of the New York chapter of the Baseball Writer’s Association of America this morning, where the chapter voted to give posthumous awards to George Steinbrenner and longtime official scorer Bill Shannon, who died in a house fire in New Jersey on Oct. 26. Phil Hughes, Robinson Cano and Joe Torre are among others with Yankee connections to be voted awards. You can get a full rundown here. The awards will be presented at our annual dinner on Jan. 22.

• Along those lines, let me offer a very hearty mazel tov and congratulations to one of my best friends, Mark Feinsand, who was voted the new chairman of the New York chapter this morning. Mark doesn’t have a Nobel Prize in economics or a chief of staff named Leo, but I think he’ll do a pretty decent job anyway. You can follow him on Twitter here.

OK, that’s it for tonight. Back at it tomorrow.

Turns out Derek Jeter isn’t the only Yankees shortstop with an honor today. Eduardo Nunez, who was a late addition to the Yankees postseason roster this past year, was named to the Topps Triple-A All-Star team. This is the second straight year Nunez has made a minor league All-Star team after getting the nod while with Double-A Trenton in 2009.

Nunez, who is just 23, hit .289 with 25 doubles for SWB this year and had a .976 fielding percentage.

As has been discussed many a time on this blog (and elsewhere), what the Yankees do with Jeter in terms of his position over the next few years is murky. Despite his Gold Glove, there’s no denying that Nunez offers a range that Jeter can’t match and the Yankees, at some point, will have to decide what their plan for the future is. At the very least, they know that with Nunez in it the future is bright.

* That’s an AP shot of Nunez from this year.

The Yankees put out statements from each of their Gold Glove winners. Here they are:

Mark Teixeira: “As a player who works very hard on defense, it is an honor to win my fourth Gold Glove. I am blessed to play with great teammates, and it’s special to share this achievement with Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter.”

Robinson Cano: “Winning the Gold Glove Award along with my teammates Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter is an honor. It’s a great feeling to be recognized by managers and coaches for my defensive skills. This is an award I’ve worked for since becoming a Major Leaguer and will continue to do so each season.”

Derek Jeter: It is a tremendous honor to receive the Gold Glove Award, especially since this recognition comes from managers and coaches for whom I have a great deal of respect. It is particularly gratifying to be recognized for defense, as it is something I take a lot of pride in and am constantly working to improve.”

The Yankees took three of the nine AL Gold Glove awards handed out today, with Derek Jeter winning his fifth, Mark Teixeira getting his fourth and Robinson Cano taking home the first Gold Glove of his career.

Here are the winners (with my thoughts in italics):

Catcher: Joe Mauer, Twins (Maybe the best all-around player in the game)
First base: Mark Teixeira, Yankees (Makes his teammates look good)
Second base: Robinson Cano, Yankees (No surprise here)
Third base: Evan Longoria, Rays (No surprise here, either)
Shortstop: Derek Jeter, Yankees (For me, this was a surprise – I would have gone with Elvis Andrus)
Outfield: Carl Crawford, Rays (Still has great speed and range)
Outfield: Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners (Might be my favorite player to watch play)
Outfield: Franklin Gutierrez, Mariners (New on the scene but very highly-regarded by scouts)
Pitcher: Mark Buehrle, White Sox (Has a player ever won a Gold Glove because of one play?)

* That’s an AP photo of Jeter turning a double play.