Day 4 begins with the Rule 5 draft
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Dec 09, 2010 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
Baseball America has twice previewed this morning’s Rule 5 draft. Their first and most in-depth look listed 25 players who seemed to be strong candidates. A second preview listed an additional seven names generating some buzz during these Winter Meetings.
That’s 32 names in all, not one of them from the Yankees organization.
The draft begins at 9 a.m., and the Yankees left some notable players unprotected, but no one jumps out to me — or to anyone I’ve talked to — as an obvious Rule 5 candidate. Zach Kroenke was clearly going to be taken last year. The Yankees don’t have anyone quite like that this time around. A few candidates to keep in mind:
Wilkins Arias: Lefty who pitched well in Double-A last season. He’s also 30 years old without a day of Triple-A experience.
George Kontos (right): My pick as the Yankee most likely to go. Legitimate prospect, but he had Tommy John in 2009.
Lance Pendleton: Good in Double-A last season. At least held his own in Triple-A. Righty never generated much prospect buzz. Got through Rule 5 last year.
Brad Suttle: Highly regarded hitter out of Texas. Hit .293 with power in the second half last season as Tampa’s 3B. Injuries have slowed his progress.
Eric Wordekemper: Completely overshadowed in the Yankees system. Two straight years of good numbers in Double-A and Triple-A.
—
Of course, the Rule 5 isn’t only about losing players. It’s also about gaining them, and the Yankees are prepared to make a pick if a player they like falls to them. Last year they took a shot on Jamie Hoffmann, who filled a need at the time but became infinitely expendable when Marcus Thames came on board.
This time around, the Yankees could justify a utility infielder, an outfielder, a long reliever or a lefty. It all depends on where they find worth-a-shot talent. Remember, there’s no such thing as a sure-thing Rule 5 candidate. All of them come with uncertainty and questions. For obvious reasons, the Yankees won’t leak who they’re considering. Based largely on Baseball America, I’ll single out these possibilities, but these are little more than guesses. Think of these primarily as an attempt to find the type of player the Yankees might like.
Ed Lucas, Util (right): A six-year free agent who signed with the Braves, he can play all over the field and he’s shown a pretty good bat. Could be one more young guy to add to the mix for a bench role.
Scott Diamond, LHP: Had a 3.46 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A last season. He’s been a starter, but could be interesting as a lefty who could throw multiple innings out of the pen.
Elvin Ramirez, RHP: BA reports that his fastball reaches 99 mph, and his winter ball numbers are pretty impressive, suggesting he might have fixed some control issues. Might be a long shot as a back-of-the-bullpen arm.
This is not a day to sleep on! I know the Sox landed Crawford and we’re all worried about Lee but there have been some big players aquired on rule 5 day: Johan Santana, Josh Hamilton, Roberto Clemente to name a few.
http://sportsthunderdome.blogspot.com/
Find that diamond in the rough Yanks!
Find that diamond in the rough Yanks!
good luck Cashmoney !!
Soria was a Rule 5 guy wasn’t he?
Rays catch a small break on Crawford inasmuch as Boston’s 1st roud pick is unprotected. I believe the Halos 1st rounder was protected.
In light of what happened yesterday with the Sux.
Who gives a rat’s rear about the Rule 5 right now.
Keep your eye on the ball Cashman. Don’t worry about the small potatoes for the moment.
Well if Cliff Lee wants to be a warrior, we’ve got a nasty battle for him to join.
Yanks are probably going to have to sweeten the deal a bit but I bet you this guy’s lickin his chops thinking about joining this rivalry. If he wants to feel “the rush”, we’ve got it in spades.
Texas vs Anaheim? Yawn. I bet you they couldn’t even locate each others stadiums on a map.
Yankees vs Red Sox? World War III is on the horizon. Yanks are looking for another 4 star general. Wimps need not apply.
Cliff Lee, your destiny is calling.
A day late, a dollar short, and a drive-by.
As always, Doreen provided the (in my opinion) proper perspective.
“The Red Sox offense really did fine last year – it was their pitching/bullpen that didn’t do so well.”
Am I thrilled Crawford went to the Sux? Hardly. I am never happy for them when they get anything worthwhile, so why would I start now?
Is he the dealbreaker? Hardly. If you’re thinking it’s your offense that gets your there and keeps you there, I guess you are doomed to repeat the lessons of history.
Cliff Lee, come to mama. Lackey, Papelbon, Beckett et al. Keep up the good work…
Be well all.
Trisha
When you are presented with a challenge there are at least 2 things you do in response.
You can panic, or you can become even MORE focused.
Heyman reports the Yankees have now offered a 7th year to Lee.
Heyman reports the Yankees have now offered a 7th year to Lee.
-
I figured they would . . Sorry .. But with both Crawford and Werth getting one. . the seventh year became obvious ! .
Since when has Heyman done anything but suck pickle juice.
Lee isn’t a Boras client.
Good morning-
Boston got better.
Cashman at least publicly is taking the right stance- Stick to the original plan and stay within the boundaries set before the the Winter meetings.
Letting another team set your agenda is a blueprint for failure.
“?..Some of the things I heard about The Melk-Man was discipline and ongoing dedication”
He’s working out with Alex and K. Long already so that should speak at least a little to discipline and dedication.
Once I adopt them, I have to continue rooting for them so good for him getting another chance with KC.
more “focused” I guess.
Mike Ri:
Yeah, it was. In the end the market is what it is, not what the Yankees or Red Sox or any other team says it is. This year the market dictates going to 7 years.
That should lock Lee up though.
Hi Trisha
nice to see you drive by
That’s fine….Yanks need to get Lee resolved so that they can move on with other business. 7 years isnt significantly more of a risk than 6.
Once Crawford and Werth got 7 years, there was no way any team could justify not giving Lee 7 years.
Especially since he is, far and away, the best overall player on the FA market.
It’s why you never go into these things with preconcieved notions.
The market will dictate what you will pay.
Heyman reports the Yankees have now offered a 7th year to Lee.
————————————————————————
If true, and it’s certainly possible although Cash was just quoted last night saying “nothing’s changed”, it should seal the deal.
SJ-
Asumming we get both Lee and AP.
Do you also favor any upgrades to the offense, or are you content with the potential production ?
What’s your take ?
“If true, and it’s certainly possible although Cash was just quoted last night saying “nothing’s changed”, it should seal the deal.”
He had a night to sleep (or not sleep) on it. It makes sense. Not an ideal situation, but once the Nats went where they did with Werth, the writing was on the wall. Crawford getting 7 cemented it that much more.
IF the Yankees get Lee, IF the Yankees get Pettitte – too many ifs there. It’s likely Andy is retiring and Lee is no lock to come here. There is a good chance we get neither guy and our pitching is up in the air to say the least.
As to getting an impact bat, I seriously doubt it – unless Cash was going to play Crawford and I don’t think he was. That’s the only place that a bat fits, the OF- and that’s only if they trade one of the 3.
The Yankees, forgetting the pitching, have more ? on offense than the Sox do. Is Tex going to disappear for 2 months again? Will Jeter bounce back? Will Posada bounce back? Will Montero (assuming he has a decent spring) be adequate offensively given that he has huge responsibility to lead the pitching staff? Will Swisher be healthy (I still wouldn’t mind trading him) and will he have another year like this year?
The Red Sox did get better.
How much better is the question.
Especially against what they spent. Particularly in years.
Gonzalez is a natural fit for them.
Crawford? Not so much. Not on the field or off the field.
His speed gets negated playing half his games at Fenway.
He wasn’t even the best player on the Rays.
7 years, 142 million? WAY too much for the type of player he is.
Off the field, he’s not a bright lights kind of guy.
That’s no longer avoidable given the size of his contract and where he is going to play.
It’s going to be real interesting seeing how he adjusts to that.
Heyman had better be wrong.
Yanks to the rest of MLB:
Don’t bother! He’s ours!
This promises to be an interesting day on here.
I was really surprised when I saw that Crawford had signed with Boston-only because I was absolutely positive he was going to sign with the Angels. And I was sure Werth was going to Boston. I’m not doing very well with my predictions so far. LOL
SI_JonHeyman #yankees had no choice but to give lee a 7-year offer. have to think the ballgame is close to over unless #rangers dont field rest of team
Jeers-
Hal to his “budget”. What “budget” ?
This off-season is starting to remind me a lot of the off-season that followed after 2003. The Yankees competely beefed up their offense by brining in ARod and Sheffield and Boston bolstered their pitching by bringing in Schilling, Foulke, et al. We all know what happened in 2004.
Boston had to be extremely aggressive this time around … they watched the Yankees reclaim the throne in 2009 and then were on the sidelines when the playoffs started in 2010. They are always “players” and needed to get back in the game.
The outlook of things will be dramatically brighter once it is reported that Lee signs with the Yankees. And I happen to think that Cashman has something up his sleeve as far as an impact trade is concerned … especially, if Andy decides to retire.
So.
Is Lee looking at a CC contract ?
Whew ! Lucky, lucky Man.
I’ll believe it when I see it.
They did have a choice, they could stand firm on their offer. 7 years……….ouch. If he agrees, then the last few years of that deal are going to be so painful.
We are going to have a stupid amount of bad contracts (Lee, if he signs, Tex, Alex) all coming due at the same time.
Oh Betsy, not more doom and gloom.
Do you not think the Red Sox don’t have question marks?
How healthy is Pedroia?
Catching is a HUGE question mark for them.
How is Scutaro AND Gonzalez coming off shoulder surgeries?
You talk about Tex’s slow starts, what about Ortiz? He has started even slower than Tex the last two years.
What about the Sox bullpen? Aside from Bard, it’s a mess. Papelbon has been in a steady decline.
Starting pitching? Three huge question marks in Beckett, Lackey and Dice-K.
Cameron and Ellsbury are coming off injury filled seasons. How effective can they be?
Just because the Red Sox signed Crawford and Gonzalez, it doesn’t answer ANY of the above questions.
All by the way, very legitimate questions.
I think the red soxs, just looking at 2011, did get better. Baseball is full of if, there is no team without an if, but if the red soxs hitter hit, they are going to have a good team. Better than ours? Perhaps, but that is why they play 162 games.
Sometimes you have to tip your hat and move on.
Good move by the red soxs. No doubt about it.
For your enjoyment MTU, when I got on the road last night, we had 43 inches with another 10 to 16 expected overnight!!!
“Is Lee looking at a CC contract ?”
Might be a carbon copy. 7/$161M? Maybe announced on 12/10……like Sabathia’s was?
Pitching Wins!! . . Look at the SF Giants !. . Pitching Pitching and more Pitching !! .
JCPD-
I’m your friend. I TOLD you to get an Arctic Cat !
Be careful out there.
Moose lived up to his contract, Lee can as well.
Yankees don’t have as much holes as you think Betsy, same questions apply to both teams except we got less holes.
So SJ, if anyone even considers the possibility that the Sox are better it means he/she is gloom and doom? Just the possibility? Nice. The Yankees have questions in the rotation even if they sign Lee…….
MTU,
I think the priority is to beef up the pitching staff.
Sign Lee, bring back Pettitte, and add Feliciano to the bullpen.
Those three moves effectively blunt the Red Sox. Especially since their lineup tilts more lefty now.
As far as improving the offense…….
A lot of that is simply having the guys you already have, along with adding Montero, have better seasons than they did in 2010
Kelvin, I think the Sox are better now, but it’s not like I said they were some monster, unbeateable team – I don’t.
I’m in Corning today checking on home….. bone dry here (2 hours Away)
Said it last night and I’ll say it again. The Red Sox problem last year wasn’t their offense. It was their pitching and they’ve done nothing to address that problem.
Perhaps my dream rotation will come true after all.
CC
CL
AP
PH
AJ
It’s kick a*s and death to left-handed batters. Historic.
I hope Andy will still consider coming back, but if he doesn’t?
SJ-
Thanks for your take. That’s kind of what I expected you to say.
I think we need a bit more insurance though. In the form of a powerful right-handed bat not named Montero.
I think we should get Martin, or other strong defensive type to blunt the Sux upcoming running game.
Just my 2 center.
On a positive note…… Derek is expected to be working with K. Long in January and Alex is working with him this week and has set a goal to get more lean and agile this off season per Joel Sherman.
As big a pain in the rump as this Braunecker guy has been thru these winter meetings, it sure appears as though he played this about as well as can be played for his client.
By the way, the Yankees won’t have bad contracts all “coming due” at the same time. These contracts are not like a CD where they mature and the payoff is due somewhere down the line.
A-Rod for one will be making LESS money down the line than he’s making now. He’s due to make 21,20,20 the last 3 years of his contract. Far less than the 31 million he’s making next year.
Tex might not even be on the team when Lee is in the final year of his contract.
Yawn to all of the bridge jumpers.
Sox just replaced the production of Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre. Yes, they got a bit younger and a bit better on the defensive side, but at the cost of (1) absolutely no farm left (it is gutted, period), and (2) no payroll flexibility for the next 4 years (since Crawford and Gonzalez replace Drew and Ortiz for 2012).
Good for them. It is a high stakes gamble on Theo’s part, but there is little room for error. Plus, Jed Hoyer’s career as a GM may be over within 1-2 years if Casey Kelly is a bust (he can always come back to the Sox FO).
Obviously the bank is being emptied for Cliff Lee, who is a better match as a player for the Yankees than the Rangers. Nolan Ryan is a competitor, but Nolan, this is your first time competing on the business end, not the talent end–lessons hopefully that you will learn going forward.
There also is something Cashman will pull—you don’t sit on this much AAA and AA pitching depth without a plan to use it for something else. Let the Lee signing happen first.
Betsy,
The Red Sox have more question marks than you think.
But, just as you do every year, you trip over yourself with praise over the Red Sox and believe there is doom behind every Yankee corner.
There are no perfect teams. EVERY team has flaws.
You also don’t win the World Series in December.
The Sox have made some big moves.
Not exactly shocking since they HAD to make big moves this off-season.
These moves however haven’t addressed their biggest question marks…….starting pitching and the bullpen.
Now, we wait on the Yankees moves.
Unless of course, you have convinced yourself the Yankees won’t make any moves and even if they do, they will be the wrong moves.
If and when we sign Lee, the focus will now probably shift on a better option than Feliciano for a lefty reliever. Overpay for Downs?
Of course Cashman says the Sox move has no effect on him. But, if a 7th year was just added then it obviously did. I think he has no other choice with the Rangers also willing to go six years.
Pitt-
Good to see you around again.
I agree very much with the last portion of your post.
Let’s get Lee and AP safely in the fold and watch as the sparks fly afterwards.
I love it !
I’ve got my ideas, and I’m sure you have yours.
espn… breaking news in mlb. re: top free agent. after break
espn 2 sorry
Jek-
Lee bagged a 7-pointer !
Pittsburg,
Agreed. Had the Sox added Crawford and Gonzalez in addition to Beltre and Werth then you have a huge net gain….replacing them wit hose players is a gain to a much lesser degree. The Sox are better on paper than they were last year….bt not nearly as much as it may seem.
7 years for Lee is no more of a risk than 7 years for Crawford and is much better than the alternatives the Yankees face.
Blake-
Watch for that “rabbitt out of a hat”.
You’re gonna LOVE that trick !
One thing’s for sure.
Although signing Cliff Lee (for 7 years) will remove most of the sting of this off season, I was never convinced that signing him alone would be enough to make this team the best team.
The offense needs to be addressed. There needs to be an impact bat added to the OF in place of Gardner. Cashman should be able to upgrade LF without trading Montero.
Russell Martin controls the running game. We need to neutralize Crawford and Ellsbury. Please Cash, don’t let the Sox steal him. He should get his contract TODAY.
Trade for Carlos Marmol in the pen.
The chips are there.
Cashman needs to get aggressive.
per buster, 7 yr confirmed. possibly 160-165 million range
Maybe that 7 year offer was planned either way, start at 6 and then if needed finish it off with a 7 year offer. You’re about to do a long-term commitment to Lee anyway, why is that 7 year so different from 6 years.
SJ44 -
Don’t know how anyone is really shocked here. Adrian Gonzalez has been on the Sox’s radar for 2 years now. It was an expected deal. And before the winter meetings began, it was expected that the Sox would also make a run for either Werth or Crawford. The bet was on Werth, but he went first and fast. So they got Crawford.
What it does show is that the Angels don’t seem to be a factor when the stakes get very high.
Cliff Lee had better produce !
Dreamworks studios brings you the 2010 Yankees starting rotation:
CC
CL
AP
PH
AJ
It’s gonna be a blockbuster.
lee probably gets the same at cc, 7/161.
Anyway….. Yankees better also get another lefty or two for the bullpen to counter all of Boston’s lefties and the other power lefties in baseball.
Yankees might wood on a 2 year deal depending on his willingness to accept reliever $$
Just read the Sherman article and the Yankees have some interest in Liriano.
Don’t know how realistic it is, but I would love for Cashman to pull that one off if Pettitte doesn’t resign.
The Value of power-hitting right-handed batters just went up.
ed_price
Other teams believe #RedSox will also sign reliever Scott Downs.
4 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone
Joelsherman1 We saw the difference between having no leverage (Jeter) and the leverage (Lee) #Yankees totally caved. Adamant not going 6 yesterday
ac 1-
Hope that bullpen lefty is better than Feliciano, who appeared in a league most 92 games and doesn’t fare well against righties. Don’t need a pure situational lefty.
To be honest, if Boston was going to add 2 big ticket offensive players, it could have been worse … I think Jayson Werth and Adrian Gonzalez would have been far more devastating … as good as their offense is now, it is much more left handed now than I can ever remember … Youk and Pedroia are the only true power threats from the right hand side … and everyone knows that the Red Sox have historically built their teams for right handed power because of the Green Monster.
Yankees still need 4th OF, an extra 1-2 lefties in the pen, etc….
You may even see CC, Lee and Pettitte in some relief this year in the BIG games (around their bullpen days).
The Yankees didn’t cave so much as they opted to do what is necessary to get the player they need.
I don’t care if the Yankees “caved.”
The market changed.
You do what you need to do if you thoroughly believe in a player and if you thoroughly believe that player is a necessary component to your team.
MTU,
Im not ruling out a magic trick…..just don’t know what.
Doreen,
It’d BIG business.
The Sox TV and radio ratings took a huge hit last year.
In this tight advertising market, where rates are determined by ratings share, they had to do something big or their revenues would have plunged even further.
This gets their “Nation” energized again and they could hold the line on their already expensive ad rates and feel confident they will sell their inventory.
However, from a BASEBALL perspective, I’m not sure how big a gain they have made.
Crawford is a very good player.
He’s not a great player. He doesn’t hit lefties well.
Not a high OBP guy, and he has limited power.
His speed is negated playing half the year in Fenway.
Also, for those who get caught up in post-season numbers, he was awful last year.
Now you add in the fact he’s in the middle of a buzzsaw media town, completely against his personality, and it’s going to be interesting to see how he handles all of it.
The only way for us to counter the Red Sox moves is to ABSOLUTELY sign Lee and trade for Greinke. I have a feeling that Cashman is gonna now inculde Montero and then some for Greinke. Russell Martin is an option and if we sign him, he can hold down the fort until Gary Sanchez is ready.
The only way for us to counter the Red Sox moves is to ABSOLUTELY sign Lee and trade for Greinke. I have a feeling that Cashman is gonna now inculde Montero and then some for Greinke. Russell Martin is an option and if we sign him, he can hold down the fort until Gary Sanchez is ready.
Blake-
Let’s see if Lee wants to go to Texas, or Anaheim now.
Can’t believe the Yankees went nuclear.
cc forced their hand.
Blake-
I understand but I think we MAY have already touched on it.
Betsy December 9th, 2010 at 8:38 am
I hope Andy will still consider coming back, but if he doesn’t?
———————————————————————————————————————-
You should really show the Yankees how much you disapprove of the 7 year/$160 mil offer. Boycott the team and all team sites. I’m with ya’ Sista. Take up that picket sign. I can’t walk the picket line with you, but I’ll be right there with ya’…. in spirit.
spidanyc December 9th, 2010 at 8:58 am
The only way for us to counter the Red Sox moves is to ABSOLUTELY sign Lee and trade for Greinke. I have a feeling that Cashman is gonna now inculde Montero and then some for Greinke. Russell Martin is an option and if we sign him, he can hold down the fort until Gary Sanchez is ready.
*********
I thought this last night but I’ve changed my mind about Greinke. With Gonzalez and Crawfod and the rest of the lefties in Boston’s LH heavy lineup, Banuelos is definitely a keeper now being a long-term lefty to replace Pettitte in 2012. Getting Greinke blocks him.
New Post: Rule 5 draft begins
It’s not caving.
It’s about leverage and the marketplace changing.
If Crawford and Werth sign 5 year deals, Lee gets a 5 year deal.
Once they got 7, Lee will get 7.
This isn’t rocket science.
Free agency is about leverage and how the marketplace shakes out.
If you want the player, you pay the price.
If you want to stand on principle, like the Red Sox did two years ago with Tex, you lose the player.
You get your butt kicked for two years, learn your lesson, and end up spending over 300 million dollars the past two years to make up for not giving Tex another 8 million.
That’s the expensive lesson the Red Sox have learned.
For those who have annointed the rs as the team to beat remember their pitching staff is the same as last year.
Let them go after offense, they certainly need it after losing Beltre and VMart.
Pitching is the key, always has been and it is what we are looking into.
6 years, 7 years…why the uproar??!!!??? Give Lee what he wants , get Feliciano, Andy will then sign, and we are the favorites once more.
Stunning – ESPN has annointed the Sux THE BOMB.
YAWN!!!
Buster Olney and John Kruk aren’t necessarily objective bystanders when it comes to Yanks-Sux.
The Yankees have enough offense-they just need players like Tex, A-Rod, Posada, to improve on their numbers and Granderson and Gardner to show further improvement.
We currently only have 8 pitchers that look like they have jobs. It might be necessary to overpay for some lockdown bullpen arms like lefty Scott Downs and bringing back Kerry Wood.
“6 years, 7 years…why the uproar??!!!??? Give Lee what he wants , get Feliciano, Andy will then sign, and we are the favorites once more.”
Absoutely agree. Lee signs, Andy cannot wait to come back.
GO YANKEES!!!
What did I miss? Why are we worried about the Red Sox? Don’t you people know they aren’t gonna be competing for the World Series title for another 80 years??