A few notes and links after a long day
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Dec 14, 2010 
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Around here, it’s hard to see the Cliff Lee signing as anything but a punch to the Yankees gut, but there’s another side to this story. What’s taking place in Philadelphia is impressive, and Jayson Stark did a nice job writing about the Lee signing from the Phillies side.
I appreciate any story that includes this quote: “Holy [colorful adjective] [colorful noun].”
Brian Cashman wasn’t quite as colorful in his Phillies assessment, but he made the key point.
“They have evolved into one of the more premier franchises, and that’s a credit to Dave Montgomery,” Cashman said during this afternoon’s conference call. “It’s an attractive place to play. It’s healthy competition, and it’s good for baseball.”
Not a lot of “mystery teams” end up with the top free agent on the market. The Phillies made it happen. Give credit where it’s due. It’s a heckuva signing.
A few other links:
• Cool post over at MLBTradeRumors about the lessons of the Lee signing.
• Even before Lee signed, Jack Curry was already reporting that the Yankees did not consider Zack Greinke to be a legitimate Plan B. I talked to quite a few Yankees officials today, and one of them suggested it’s more likely the team will mix and match a few different upgrades rather than try to find a Lee replacement.
• The A’s have finalized their Hideki Matsui signing. He’ll get one year and less than $6 million.
• Austin Kearns is on the Diamondbacks radar, according to Jon Paul Morosi. So is former Yankees outfielder Xavier Nady.
• Jerry Crasnick says the Rangers have discussed signing Chien-Ming Wang.
• The Mariners have signed Royce Ring to a minor league deal. When it rains it pours, huh?
• Former Yankees prospect Dioner Navarro has signed with the Dodgers.
Associated Press photo
It really wasn’t a punch in the stomach, to be honest. I expected this for awhile now……..and especially over the course of the last few days. The Yankees weren’t optimistic and so I don’t think they were sucker punched either. All yesterday did was make official what we knew………that Lee didn’t want to be here.
As to Philly, I guess I like them because I hate the Mets. Outside of that, I don’t care about their rotation or who good they’re going to be.
what-up Ray (Sox fan)
i hope you are well.
Jerkface – yes, I think that’s fair, a reasonable expectation is for hughes to be better or as good as last year.
CC and Hughes aren’t really the reasons the rotation looks spotty right now though. Its the back 3 that’s the problem and unfortunately, those guys will pitch ~60% of our regular season games.
Hey vinny-b! Good to see you.
I am indeed well and hope the same for you!
Why am I not comforted by the thought of Nova or Mitre facing Crawford, AGon et al?
Look at that face..
.Starting to look like The Bombers didn’t offer the best contract or the most cash…..
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I think it may have been the most guaranteed money.
I heard last night that the Rangers total $$ was more with a vesting option for the 7th year but I don’t know if that’s true.
Of course the Phils weren’t that far behind the Yanks for 6 years. Was it 136 with the vesting 6th year?
Anyway the Yank offer was good but certainly not a “blow em out of the water” deal. And I can’t blame them for not offering it.
But I do think they misread how far others were willing to go to land him.
Why am I not comforted by the thought of Nova or Mitre facing Crawford, AGon et al?
–
Why would the Red Sox be comforted by the thought of their pitchers facing the Yankees?
I’m looking at both the Sox and the Yankee starting rotations right now. A weird question popped into my head.
Obviously entirely hypothetical question, but if you are the manager and you have a must win game and have the choice of AJ Burnett or Dice-K to pitch….who do you select?
I have to admit even as a Sox I would lean towards Burnett. In spite of his obvious sub par year last year, Burnett can be very tough at times. Dice-K has spots in which he is good, but it drives me crazy watching him pitch.
AJ is going to surprise a lot of folks and have a good year.
I’d rather have AJ, no contest. I think he will come back fine in 2011.
I am wondering if the Yankees had put in their bid as they did to try to gauge Lee and his agent’s interest. Its not like they offered chump change, and when interest is high from a player they will counter offer.
Not sure if that happened or not, but it seems as though the only reports of asking about sweetening the deal came from reporters asking if Cashman would bump up the amount.
It may be that the Yankees, with Cashman being a veteran at these things, had some inkling that the interest of Lee wasn’t as high as they would have hoped.
Manny Banuelos at age 19 in Trenton. Watch the last two pitches.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP3mSYvL9p4
I think had the Yankees felt that Lee wanted to come there then they may have gone that extra mile for him. They made the highest offer in guaranteed money but it was really pretty comparable to the other 3…..they probably didn’t want to go to Sabathia money without a clear sense that Lee actually wanted to pitch for them.
anything to put the greinke talk to bed for good. the guy has a social anxiety disorder and him in NY would be the worst mix of Kenny Rogers, Vazquez, Kevin Brown, and Randy Johnson. If he were to come here all the fantasy baseball fanboys who wanted him would be whining and crying for the duration of his time here once he implodes.
Ray, are you the son of Ray (sox fan)”
Agree yankfem.with AJ righted, the SP is the strength it was in 2009. (AP has to sign of course).
btw in the Torre days the Yankees knew how to recruit a free agent (see Mike Mussina in 2000), that sort of thing is what I thought the Yankees lacked in this entire process the whole time.
GB,
he reminds me a lot of Santana. His set is the same….mechanically he’s a little different but his change is just nasty and his pitch assortment reminds me of him.
Hey GB7! This is ray (sox fan) with a different name. How the heck are you? How is the flea bitten dog of yours, Sparky???
gb,
great link. that batter had no chance. that change was sick!
The more I think about it, I have come to realize that the Lee non-signing has given the Yankees the opportunity to veer away from the cliff (no pun intended) of their precarious business model. I hope they see it the same way.
The Phillies lack offensive power, the hitting flat out stinks.thats the major reason they lost to the Jints, who also stink.
If Lee’s best friend can’t recruit him, how is Girardi going to? Think…
Dice K or AJ… hmph. If that was the only choices it would be tough. AJ can dominate, but so can Dice K, even if he seems to walk a lot, then get out of it, like he pitches better when runners are on base.
I think I would lean toward AJ, but not by much.
The thing that drives me crazy with how AJ pitched last season was he would be unhittable, then melt down like Chernobyl.
I am hoping that AJ can rebound somewhat. I don’t have extremely high hopes for him, but if he could limit the damaging innings instead of full implosion, I’d be OK with it.
“anything to put the greinke talk to bed for good. the guy has a social anxiety disorder and him in NY would be the worst mix of Kenny Rogers, Vazquez, Kevin Brown, and Randy Johnson”
and you know this how? Do you know him or have any detailed information on his particular case? Speculation, nothing more.
“btw in the Torre days the Yankees knew how to recruit a free agent (see Mike Mussina in 2000), that sort of thing is what I thought the Yankees lacked in this entire process the whole time.”
As opposed to the post-Torre days when they recruited CC and Teix?
Hi ray
I guess you needed to come back to avoid the cold in Alaska.
The Phillies were quite streaky last year with their offense. The loss of Werth will hurt them some, as a right power bat. If they trade away some of their players as is being talked about to get payroll down it might have them looking a bit weaker in their lineup. Trouble is, with those pitchers they probably won’t need to score a ton of offense.
Hey MaineYankee! How are you neighbour? Have people been giving you a hard time about the Sox signings? I liked Alaska, but it was only for the season (May 1- October 1).
The Philly lineup is very left handed and is aging. They may need those 4 stud pitchers to be great.
ray from maine December 14th, 2010 at 9:30 pm
Hey GB7! This is ray (sox fan) with a different name. How the heck are you? How is the flea bitten dog of yours, Sparky???
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You can run, but, you can’t hide, Ray. “Killer” takes offense to the nickname “Sparky” ever since the neighbors electrofied their garbage cans where he answered nature’s call.
How have you been? Great to see you back from your moose trapping expodition.
As opposed to the post-Torre days when they recruited CC and Teix?
Mussina was a guy widely percieved as a small town guy not wanting to play in NY yet Torre and co. convinced him otherwise.
Tex wanted to come to NY all along and the Yanks just gave CC the largest deal for a pitcher ever and hardly pitched him the same way they did to Mussina.
GB -
Thanks for the link. Bugs-bunny change piece low and away, then high heat up and in. Just filthy. I agree with Blake on the Santana comparison, at least stuff-wise. Will be exciting to watch his ascent to (hopefully) pitching in the Pinstripes in the Bronx.
BTW, temp topped out at 16 here today. Best way to me to warm up on these days is thinking about baseball and links like that help out!
and you know this how? Do you know him or have any detailed information on his particular case? Speculation, nothing more.
the social anxiety disorder he has is widely documented dumbass. it’s simple math really, look at how he pitched before he got a grip on things.
Manny knows how to set up a batter.The two kids, Betances being the other,are terrific SP material we won’t have to wait much longer for.That’s why they’re untouchables I would say.Both looking at 2013 and maybe get a taste even earlier. Tremendous young arms.
Blake and kd, glad you enjoyed the Banuelos clip. Here’s Betances. There’s a string of, but, none very long.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
“it’s simple math really, look at how he pitched before he got a grip on things.”
lol, oh when he was 23….rare for a pitcher to struggle at that age. Try again.
ray
Doing well.
I’ve been up your way several times lately.
Now that I know your back I’ll look you up when I come up.
RS fans seem to be drunk with the perceived greatness of their team.
I think it will be a fun season to follow.
GB,
first thing that jumps out about Betances is the size and build….he looks like a beast. Really anxious to see how those 2 do in a full season at and maybe above AA.
Evening, Rodg. Reading your weather and I know that it’s not nice to smile, but, glad it ain’t me.
You’re welcome on the clip. I’m getting ready to look for Brackman and Brett Marshall on here. There’s a lot of clips of Montero there to. Just type Jesus Montero in the SEARCH bar.
Whoopdifreakindoo – Greinke’s social anxiety disorder is “widely documented”.
That sounds like cause for EXTREME panic…
DOOOOOOOOOOOM
“Manny Banuelos at age 19 in Trenton. Watch the last two pitches.”
Change up away. Fastball in. Not a bad way for LH 19 year old to get a RH batter out.
Blake, the thing with Grienke and his anxiety disorder is how the media is in NY. He didn’t even want to be interviewed after his Cy Young. Being that the Yankees have their players interviewed after every game, it seems like that could be really tough on Zack. He is a good pitcher, but if he had any struggles and was booed you really don’t know how he would handle that.
He would have some shelter having the veterans around him, and the Yankees could protect him some, but the questioning after poor outings can be pretty deflating. With Greinke having left the game due to depression over his performance, you would think that the media environment could really be tough on him.
That isn’t a knock on him. It is a recognition that he does have a condition that could make a place that can be tough to work in even more difficult.
I don’t think the concern is about what he possesses as a pitcher, nor how effective he could be, but some of the NY writers can be down right nasty. There are times when Girardi shows he isn’t too pleased with some of the questions he gets, and Girardi has been around plenty long enough to be used to it, as well as his own media experiences.
Blake, He’s bigger than he looks. He’s weighing in at around 245-250 now. Yankees have quite a front 3 for basketball.
Moose hated being questioned by the media.
Yogi,
I understand all that but that’s a decision he would have to make. If he agreed to come then that’s much less of an issue to me than the price to acquire him.
You overlook the fact that AJ is NY’s #3 starter and you are comparing him to Boston’s #5 starter.
GB,
pretty exciting.
Not wanting to be interviewed because you think the media is so far beneath you (Moose) is different than what Greinke’s issue with the media is (he doesn’t like attention). I think Greinke would probably pitch fine in NY, but he is just too expensive to justify the outlay.
He is much bigger than he looks.He cuts an intimidating figure on the mound when you see him live.He looks scrawny on all videos compared to in person.Very few hitters even had a chance against him.He doesn’t get hurt he’s headed for stardom.
CB, that change-up looks the same on every pitch. He hardly ever misses it. They know it’s coming and they know if they swing, they can’t hit it. They swing anyway. If he can get his weight up aroubd 180-185, he’s going to be deadly with a consistant mid 90s fastball. Quite a sight watching him, Brackman and Betances warming up in the pen. One David and 2 Goliaths.
Looking back on Hughes 2nd half, he wasn’t as bad as his 4.90 era sugests.
He had 9 second half starts where he gave up 3 or less runs. 1 where he gave up 4. 1 where he gave up 5 and 2 games vs the jays where he gave up 6.
More often than not the kid was very good.
SAS
Ray
Welcome back!
Betances doesn’t really remind you of anybody because of his size. The motion is so smooth and effortless. The arm comes down and the ball disappears in that big hand. He hides it well.
Hughes with no limits will be fun to watch.
GB7-
Next time this season the yankees are again going to need pitching. There’s little question about it. Even if Andy comes back for 2011 that’s probably it. They may just fill out the rotation this season with a middle rung arm.
Lee rejecting the Yankees offer made Banuelos, Betances and Brackman and their development even more important to the yankees.
Jerkface December 14th, 2010 at 9:22 pm
Why am I not comforted by the thought of Nova or Mitre facing Crawford, AGon et al?
**************
Why would the Red Sox be comforted by the thought of their pitchers facing the Yankees?
**************
LOL – You would take Nova and Mitre over Lackey and Dice-K? Uh, ok.
# Bret The Hitman December 14th, 2010 at 9:47 pm
Moose hated being questioned by the media.
—————
But Moose didn’t have anxiety disorder, not liking being questioned by the media is different from having the questioning affect you.
Of course there are degrees of this disorder, and he takes medication to help deal with the depression and anxiety, but the Yankees have had players who have no known disorders of this type that melted in NY. Having this disorder would make the risk of it affecting him on the mound higher.
Does it make a lot of sense to make a trade for player that has had to leave the game due to this problem, and put him into a more stressful place as NY is? Grienke coming in to pitch one game here is a lot different than him pitching 15 times a season. And if he has a couple stinkers in a row the crowd will not refrain from booing him.
Brett,
What are your thoughts on looking at Feliciano, Jerry Hairston, or Randy Chote?
“LOL – You would take Nova and Mitre over Lackey and Dice-K? Uh, ok.”
Lackey struck out 10 against us on the final day. Dice-K baffled us in a must-win game on that Sunday Night.
Not even a comparison. Nova looks like a BP guy… great for a few innings, then suddenly loses it. Happened every game basically.
“Mussina was a guy widely percieved as a small town guy not wanting to play in NY yet Torre and co. convinced him otherwise.
Tex wanted to come to NY all along and the Yanks just gave CC the largest deal for a pitcher ever and hardly pitched him the same way they did to Mussina.”
Yet we were told that neither would be coming to play in NY.
I think you are guilty of selection bias.
GB
I was looking through my tickets from this season to see who pitched and it turns out I did see marshall. It was during a double header. Unfortunately I don’t remember how he did. I’m looking forward to a full season(didn’t start going to games til july) of seeing him and everyone else who is coming up.
And like you know, Betances is a big boy. I’m about 5’6 and I walked up to him to get his autograph, I felt like a dwarf. He is huge but not intimidating the way he carries himself.
LOL – You would take Nova and Mitre over Lackey and Dice-K? Uh, ok.
–
Beckett, Daisuke, Lackey, and Wakefield are all injury prone and not good. I think I would take all of the Yankees AAA pitchers over them. At least the yankees options are cheap and have upside.
CB, I think that brackman is in NY by mid summer. Betances is possible, but by 2012, if they aren’t dealt, they’ll all 3 be in NY. Brett Marshall may be as good as any of them. Only thing I se is that they need to get rid of that recoil when he throws. Another 20 year old with a rifle for an arm. here’s a clip of him warming up and a little game footage. Tell me what you see.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
WCYF why not spend time with commenters who are as excited about the Red Sox’ chances as you are? SOSH is a a Red Sox lovin’ world unto itself.were I you I’d give it a try.
Yeah it was a punch in the gut. It’s too bad Lee isn’t going to be a Yankee but I can’t blame him for choosing Philly. I guess he really wanted to play there?
With Lee the Yanks would be the world series favorites for 2011, without him they are still a playoff team. Cashman has plenty of money and prospects to use to acquire more players.
tyanksfan36 December 14th, 2010 at 10:06 pm
GB
I was looking through my tickets from this season to see who pitched and it turns out I did see marshall. It was during a double header. Unfortunately I don’t remember how he did. I’m looking forward to a full season(didn’t start going to games til july) of seeing him and everyone else who is coming up.
And like you know, Betances is a big boy. I’m about 5?6 and I walked up to him to get his autograph, I felt like a dwarf. He is huge but not intimidating the way he carries himself.
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Betances has’calmed down a lot since he first came up. maturity, but, Torre Tyson has a lot to do with that. He’s great with the young players, especially sinces he’s not more than 35. Comes from a baseball family. He expects all of his kids to be polite to the fans and sign autographs.
J. Alfred Prufrock December 14th, 2010 at 10:07 pm
WCYF why not spend time with commenters who are as excited about the Red Sox’ chances as you are? SOSH is a a Red Sox lovin’ world unto itself.were I you I’d give it a try.
*************
I doubt anyone dislikes the Red Sox more than I. However, I think to be a good Yankee fan you face reality and you don’t bury your head in the sand.
GB, maybe Chad can get an interview with Tyson. For no other reason than this:
He was an undrafted free agent out of the University of Missouri.
http://www.globe-democrat.com/.....e-manager/
GB
Yes, the players are always up for signing autographs. from 23yr olds who have nothing better to do to children to senior citizens. The pitchers who sit behind homeplate are always willing to sign autographs as long as you aren’t interrupting them.
GB7-
Marshall got much bigger during his year of rehab. He really looks like he filled out and is much more muscular.
He does have some recoil but on that clip it doesn’t look that violent. It’s not as bad as say Joba’s can get.
I would much prefer for him to have a longer follow through arc and bury his arm. But he doesn’t finish his delivery in a balanced position.
He looks like he has a quick arm.
He had a terrific season last year. Nice foundation to build on.
GB
Yes, the players are always up for signing autographs. from 23yr olds who have nothing better to do to children to senior citizens. The pitchers who sit behind homeplate are always willing to sign autographs as long as you aren’t interrupting them.
I like Torre Tyson too, except he needs to work on his potty mouth, as much as I love seeing him yell and fight for his players…he has a foul mouth and a loud one too.
Could you imagine the backlash the yankees would receive if they had halladay, lee and cc?
I doubt anyone dislikes the Red Sox more than I. However, I think to be a good Yankee fan you face reality and you don’t bury your head in the sand.
///whatever you say.
The problem with the pitching staffs of the mid to late 2000 Yankees was that they could never get that lockdown game 1 in his prime Ace to build the rotation around.
That is why the CC Sabathia signing so drastically changed the composition and outlook of this team. They finally got that guy. It is also why I suspect the Yankees were not just completely in the mode where they say let’s make an offer this guy can’t refuse for Lee when they really really want and need a player.
The Yankees just need to continue to build around CC over the next few years while he is still should be at the top of his game.
Right now they just need depth behind CC. Over the next couple years, they just need to anchor the staff around CC and they should be in a good position. Especially if Hughes takes that next step to being the top of the rotation guy we all envision him becoming.
Then 2-3 years from now when CC starts to leave his prime years the Yankees can strike again on the FA market and get another front of the rotation under 30 pitcher like Liriano, Hamels, Danks, Ubaldo, Josh Johnson, Greinke, etc.
“HHHMMMMMM. Trish did not want Lee? Previous posts show that Trish is absolutely lying! You can’t play both sides and diminish the loss of Lee. There is not ANY Yankee fan that did not want Lee.”
Pretty in pink, I mean reddish, I mean whoever you pretend you are today – I said on many occasions I was ambivalent about Lee. Interesting that you picked out all the posts that were talking about how I believed that the Yankee rotation would blow away the Sux and their newest acquisitions.
LOTS of Yankee fans did not want Lee. And check it out. WE GOT OUR WAY!!!! Bye bye Cliffy. Enjoy your life elsewhere.
I guess you weren’t a good little boy this year. Santa didn’t bring you what you wanted. It appears that this is ripping your guts apart. Couldn’t happen to a more deserving person.
“Yeah it was a punch in the gut.”
Not as much as for Phily fans when in July he goes on the DL with back problems.
I would never wish ill on anyone, but IMO, not getting Lee will force the NYY FO to open up the opportunities for the farm system that everyone here has been raving about. As one person opined, this could be the break that allows the next ‘Core 4′ to emerge.
Tom in N.J. December 14th, 2010 at 10:17 pm
GB, maybe Chad can get an interview with Tyson. For no other reason than this:
He was an undrafted free agent out of the University of Missouri.
http://www.globe-democrat.com/…..e-manager/
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Tom, he has baseball genes. His dad is Mike Tyson, who was a middle infielder/3rd baseman for the early 70s Cardinals. His god-father is Joe Torre.
tyanksfan36 December 14th, 2010 at 10:20 pm
GB
Yes, the players are always up for signing autographs. from 23yr olds who have nothing better to do to children to senior citizens. The pitchers who sit behind homeplate are always willing to sign autographs as long as you aren’t interrupting them.
I like Torre Tyson too, except he needs to work on his potty mouth, as much as I love seeing him yell and fight for his players…he has a foul mouth and a loud one too
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He does tend to get a bit excited sometimes. He works hard, though. He’ll be a ML coach or manager someday.
People need to be honest: This hurts . . . and a lot. Stop the stupid rationalization. This team now has two starting pitching holes to fill (one needs to be a #2/#3 type). The bullpen outside of Mariano is questionable at best. And the bench is weak.
SI_JonHeyman
prior is said by a friend to feel the yankees “provided the best opportunity at this time.” translation: they have few viable starters
PLEASE stop mentioning Prior. His last name defines his usefulness. This is just a complete longshot.
“prior is said by a friend to feel the yankees “provided the best opportunity at this time.” translation: they have few viable starters”
————-
That would make sense except for the fact that Prior was brought in as a bullpen candidate, not starter.
CB December 14th, 2010 at 10:19 pm
GB7-
Marshall got much bigger during his year of rehab. He really looks like he filled out and is much more muscular.
He does have some recoil but on that clip it doesn’t look that violent. It’s not as bad as say Joba’s can get.
I would much prefer for him to have a longer follow through arc and bury his arm. But he doesn’t finish his delivery in a balanced position.
He looks like he has a quick arm.
He had a terrific season last year. Nice foundation to build on.
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He doesn’t have a lot of pitching in. He just started pitching a couple of years ago. Had always been a shortstop. He had TJ surgery in 2009, so, he’s not quite synched up. Here’s a January 2010 report.
http://www.yankeesdaily.com/?p=11641
We can’t even dump Joba. He’ll bring back nada.
“SI_JonHeyman
prior is said by a friend to feel the yankees “provided the best opportunity at this time.” translation: they have few viable starters”
—————–
funny, Prior isn’t going to sniff any starting rotation.
if he can give the Yanks 1 inning every few days, it will be a nice plus… and a surprise.
Eduardo Nunez hurt trying to lay down a bunt? Hope nothing serious.
“This hurts . . . and a lot. Stop the stupid rationalization.”
—————-
Agreed. Not signing Lee is going to hurt.
That doesn’t mean they can’t win. It doesn’t even mean they should have signed him, given the amount of $$ they were already offering.
But they needed him.
Lee can be beaten on any given day. But the odds of him being beaten in a game are much lower than anybody the Yankees will sign, add, or use to fill the 2 remaining rotation spots.
The odds of the Yanks winning aren’t as good without Lee… but I still like their odds regardless.
Bring it on!
If Jose Rijo can return to the majors and have some success after a 6 year layoff, no reason that Prior can’t do it. Rijo had multiple shoulder surgeries and two TJ surgeries.
BD,
Exactly. Yankees obviously thought he was important too if they were willing to go 7 years (after saying that they wouldn’t, then immediately offering him 7 after Crawford signed).
You don’t offer to sign a pitcher until age 39 unless you have a strong desire for him and feel he is vital to your team.
Sure, this may be a blessing and we may have dodged a bullet in 4 years when he is breaking down, but no one can spin Lee’s decision as a positive in the short term. They are now banking on questionable pitchers (Burnett, Nova, someone if Andy doesn’t come back, etc.) to pitch well and have much less margin for error than they would if they signed Lee.
We’re still a good team, we just have less margin for error now and NEED some guys to bounce back big next year. We needed Lee, but we’re not completely hopeless without him.
FWIW, don’t mess with Jeter’s gangsters.
Just read an article in the Tampa Tribune about a confrontation with a photographer outside of Jeter’s Tampa home. I tried to copy and past the link but had trouble with it.
Seems his dad grabbed and shoved the photographer out of the way while he was attempting to take pic’s outside of his home as they were going out.
This happened Dec. 7th. The photographer made a report to the police, not to press charges but just to have a record in case any physical problems evolved for him from this confrontation. He said that he had a sore back and stiff neck the next day.
yawn
“PLEASE stop mentioning Prior. His last name defines his usefulness. This is just a complete longshot.”
Waste of a signing… hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2006. Got injured each of the last 4 seasons while rehabbing, with 3 different teams, and trying different roles as well.
Should have at least signed someone with a reasonable chance of contributing like a Webb, Harden, Young, Francis, etc.
Jerzz,
right.
The baseball season is LONG and it never seems to go down the way you expect it to.
Maybe it’s Nova, Aaron Small, Shawn Chacon, or someone they don’t yet have on the roster, but I think there will be at least one pleasant surprise this season that makes the Yanks miss Cliff Lee a little less.
Can’t wait to see how things play out.
The only really important question is this: do you guys think we’ll see Kei Igawa start a game next season?
ZMAN,
I assume you know the Yanks can still sign more people.
Unless there was some clause in Prior’s deal that the Yanks can’t make any more free agent pitcher signings while he is under contract
Prior was super low risk, prob low-medium reward.
if it does nothing else but to help forget about the crap that went down last night, it still isn’t a big deal.
Shame Spencer,
there is as good a chance that we see “The Two Coreys” season 3 on A&E TV
http://www.aetv.com/the-two-coreys/index.jsp
“Moose hated being questioned by the media.”
About himself. He was quite chatty when it had to do with other people though.
“Rangers manager Ron Washington said that he hopes Neftali Feliz and Alexi Ogando will remain in his bullpen next season.”
——————
weak
Especially after an error.
Losing Lee doesn’t hurt me at all. I wanted Lee desperately, but I can not get worked up about a guy that clearly didn’t want to be here. Whatever happens, happens; the Yanks will move on and do their thing
Actually Prior hasn’t suffered any injuries since 2008.
He hasn’t technically pitched but hey, no injuries.
BD…..Ivan Nova just might be that guy….The knock on him was that his tank emptied early and quickly…..Let’s see how he comes along this upcoming season…As for Lee, for me I was looking at him for a good 3 maybe 4 years before the fade….Once it hit 7 years it was getting most uncomfortable…….Those 3-4 years along with Alex, Jeter would have given the club a real good shot at a few more Championships as certain windows are closing as some might be opening……
Losing Lee doesn’t hurt me at all either.
I think its a riot that posters who are ready to commit hari kari over it are scolding us and telling us to fess up and admit we are as depressed as they are.
Can’t they deal with being depressed alone?
I’M NOT UPSET. Last time I looked it was my God given right to feel okay about Lee going elsewhere. I’m happy he’s not here. Period.
And by the way, I am far from alone in this. Unless they think everyone who says they’re glad he didn’t sign is lying.
There’s nothing else on TV so I decided to watch the AFL rising stars game to watch Banuelos pitch. I’m really bummed he won’t be with Tampa again next season.
Pat M,
I tend to agree. Nova looked like a future all-star for the first 5 innings of many of his games last year.
He clearly started to gas as games went on and as the season went on.
It will be nice to see how he does this season with some experience under his belt and some more attention from the coaching staff.
Nothing would be sweeter than a homegrown arm stepping right up immediately and forcing NY newspaper headlines such as “Cliff Who?” and “The $150M discount”
I mean, what is the point of being upset about it? What’s done is done….and the Yankees still have moves to make
I never saw the movie The Great Gatsby, if you can believe that. It was on the other night so I DVRd it. I figure tonight is a good night to watch it! Meanwhile it is so cold her! Think I will bundle up and watch Gatsby.
Night all! My suspicion is that the earth will still be rotating tomorrow, Yankee Stadium will be just where we left it, and Brian Cashman will be working behind the scenes to get us a season!
BD, that’s putting an awful lot of pressure on the kid. He looked good at times, but an all-star? I’m not anxious myself to see him because I have concerns about the staff as is, but if he does earn a spot in the rotation, I expect nothing more than a 5th starter performance from him.
I too am glad we didn’t get Lee. It would have been nice but his contract was too big and too long. I could see him being awful next season and people making fun of the Yankees for such a poor signing. With that said, I don’t like that we now have to go out and probably trade some good pieces for another SP. And I really think Andy will come back.
I totally agree. Being upset is a waste of good time. What does it accomplish? It doesn’t bring Lee to the Bronx. The guy made a decision to go somewhere else. Cripes. If anyone should be crying in their beer, it sure isn’t Yankee fans. He didn’t owe Yankee fans a thing. How about the Rangers fans?
Lee went where he felt he wanted to go. Cashman will now set about gettting the best he can for the Yankees. You really can’t ask much more than that.
Think I will bundle up and watch Gatsby.
——————————————–
Not a bad adaptation. Coppola did the screenplay. .
If it was me signing that fat contract to pitch for the Yanks (unlike Lee I would have taken the extra cash) that’s where I would have wanted to live. West Egg. East Egg was too snooty.
And I would have thrown parties every Sat night just like Gatsby. Old sport.
At least we can all go back to hating him.
Tricia….It’s a long movie but it really is a good film…..Get the fireplace going…..Enjoy
“At least we can all go back to hating him.”
Really not difficult to do… if we didn’t need him so badly, it would have been much easier to hate him all this time. He seems like a really smug guy
Pat, the good thing about the kids coming up the ladder, other than Marshall and Banuelos, none have pitching limitation on innings until the 195 innings mark. Btackman’s limit is about 180. They’ll be ready for full innings loads.
Betsy,
I’m not suggesting he will be an all-star. I was simply saying he showed quite a bit of promise and reason for optimism.
I’d be curious to see what his ERA was in the first 4 innings of his games last year (especially earlier on). I bet it was in the 2′s (I think?). If you watched them, he looked like a future all-star.
4 innings is hardly enough, but if he is better conditioned to go longer in games this season, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect that he’ll keep the Yankees in games and prove to be more than worthy of the #4 or #5 spot.
Lost in the Lee Watch 2010 – I did not notice if Tony Pena is signed for next year? I think it’s imperative to get him on board to work with Jesus and now Martin – is he signed for next season?
BD, I do like him, but I guess I’m just a natural skeptic……….plus, with the struggles that our first group of kids (IPK, Joba, Phil) went through, I’m trying to remain cautious.
He’s just a kid and has quite a bit of promise; if I felt that our rotation was in stronger shape, I’d be all for him being in the 5 spot.
Betsy,
did you watch his games last season?
He was pretty impressive. Then he’d tire out and have a bad inning in the 5th or 6th and get taken out.
Capernicus was wrong. The sun rotates around Yankee Stadium.
BD, I wonder if it was Nova just being gassed or if it was the times through the lineup.
It seemed to me that he seemed to lose the location of his pitches once he hit the 5th inning. Prior to that point he looked really good.
It gives for an interesting possibility of working him to gain stamina, or if that doesn’t seem to work then as a long man out of the pen.
I think he showed some really good pitching in his starts, but it faded fast.
Fireplace going! Definitely the feel of snow in the air. Bring on Redford and Farrow!!
“Those 3-4 years along with Alex, Jeter would have given the club a real good shot at a few more Championships as certain windows are closing as some might be opening……”
That’s probably why Cashman was willing to offer him 7 years. He wanted him badly and wanted to capitalize on the diminishing window of the aging core. 3-4 good years of Lee, if it meant a couple of rings before Jeter, Andy, MO, A-Rod, etc. ride off into the sunset, would have been worth it even if the latter 2-3 years of the deal were not as good…
I’d bet that is exactly what compelled Philly to make that commitment to Lee… strike while the iron is hot…
Again, 4 innings is not enough but…
In innings 1-4, I calculated (unofficially) that he threw 31 innings and gave up 8 runs (about a 2.30 ERA)
Some skepticism is probably a good thing for a kid with little experience, but there is also reason for some optimism.
The Yanks are looking for guys that won’t cost them millions or prospects and might give them quality innings. Nova is at the top of the list.
“Capernicus was wrong. The sun rotates around Yankee Stadium.”
Yogi Mantle,
excellent point.
Nova surely has plenty to learn about mixing up pitches as he goes through the lineup a second and third time.
I still have high hopes for him (obviously within reason for a 4th/5th starter who will be 24 when the season starts), especially considering the alternatives.
Nova isn’t a kid. He’s 24 years old in January.
Good night all.
Hell hath no fury like a Laura Posada scorned…..
Dlauraposada NY is not for everyone…only the warriors!
Laura seems to be as fiery as Jorge. Better looking, tough.
***though***
Um, yes I did, BD.
BD, I could see him having some value in the limited role that a 5th starter, or a long man/spot starter at least. You might have to piece together a game with the pen though.
Of course concern raises about him going a few games in a row, which you sometimes have to do out of the pen in that role.
24 is still young enough that he might be able to increase stamina. The pitch selection seems like it could be worked out, maybe his selection is some of what gets him gassed too early?
It could be a matter to do with his experience. The minors might allow for more errors in location, so he could have gotten a little lazy with his pitches as he tired.
He was fun to watch starting the games, but he needs to stop channeling his inner Bad AJ.
BD….Ivan Nova will gain notable strides in 2011….Now whether or not if it’s in Yankee Pinstripes is to be seen…..I was and I still am more thyan comfortable with him in the 5 slot of the rotation……AJ Burnett is going to play a huge factor for the 2011 NY Yankees….
Hi Folks,
Manny B threw 109 innings in 09, so he is good to go 140 to 150 next year. If he pitches lights out in Trenton, and they move him up to Scranton along with Dellin by the all star break, either one of them being called up by the middle to end of Aug will not surprise me in the least. They both have the same inning target, and they could both be really good out of the pen. As well you let them get their feet wet for 2012, where one or both could be fighting for a rotation spot, or eased in with the pen.
About Nova tiring, he did not have that problem in Scranton, I think it had more to do with his innings being so high, and just as importantly., the hardest thing for a young pitcher to do is get through that 5th inning for a win. All kid pitchers go through it.
I don’t know if Nova will be a great starter, but he does have the stuff to be a good one, at the worst he is an arm who will pitch well out of the pen, but for now you give him the chance to prove to you he is not a starter.
I saw some talk about Marshall on here earlier, he and Bryan Mitchell along with Depaula if he gets his visa are the next wave of highlight reel arms to hit the stage next year. What Marshall did coming back from TJ is just as impressive as Betances, even more so with his lack of experience, and more serious surgery.
One more thing to commment on for now, and that is about the Charleston team next year. It will be one of the most exciting teams ever to watch with all the prospects on it, and this time, it’s not only the pitchers, every position player maybe besides first base, unless Nunez is on the team is a legitimate exciting toolsy prospect. Add in the pitchers and it’s a team people might talk about many years from now as a classic group of players being on it at the same time.
Pat M. December 15th, 2010 at 12:03 am
BD….Ivan Nova will gain notable strides in 2011….Now whether or not if it’s in Yankee Pinstripes is to be seen…..I was and I still am more thyan comfortable with him in the 5 slot of the rotation……AJ Burnett is going to play a huge factor for the 2011 NY Yankees….
———————————————————————————————————————-
Pat, when watching Nova, he’s got a pretty simple wind-up and has good stuff, but, he doesn’t seem to hide the ball real well. After the 2nd time through the order. they might not know what he’s throwing, but they can see it a long time. Something for him and Rothschild to work on.
KenDavidoff #Yankees signed Russell Martin with his versatility in mind. Can help out at 3B, 1B, in addition to C. But Girardi values experience at C.
RABFeed Yankees Looking At Jerry Hairston Jr.
Yankees taking the “Garanimals” approach this year? Looking for ability to mix and match at different positions.
GreenBeret7 says:
December 14, 2010 at 11:54 pm
Laura seems to be as fiery as Jorge. Better looking, though.
—-
Its cause they’re Puerto Ricans. They’re feisty. I take care of a 3 year old who is puerto rican(her dad actually knew Jorges cousin way back when he was in HS, used to go with him to watch jorge practice) anyway, the girl has got such the personality, she will be cute one minute and will try to beat you up the next.
Chris Russo’s on Letterman?
Over/under on % of viewers that have no clue who he is and why they’re watching.
I say 98
I’m really looking forward to seeing the impact Rothschild makes on our staff……..
tyanksfan36 December 15th, 2010 at 12:14 am
GreenBeret7 says:
December 14, 2010 at 11:54 pm
Laura seems to be as fiery as Jorge. Better looking, though.
—-
Its cause they’re Puerto Ricans. They’re feisty. I take care of a 3 year old who is puerto rican(her dad actually knew Jorges cousin way back when he was in HS, used to go with him to watch jorge practice) anyway, the girl has got such the personality, she will be cute one minute and will try to beat you up the next.
———————————————————————————————————————-
She sounds perfect. She could protect me.
Its cause they’re Puerto Ricans. They’re feisty.
—————————————————–
Bernie Williams says que pasa.
Betsy December 15th, 2010 at 12:18 am
I’m really looking forward to seeing the impact Rothschild makes on our staff……..
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As long as he doesn’t make a sow’s ear out of a silk purse, I’ll be happy.
http://simg.sportsbybrooks.com.....nsspit.jpg
These losers cost us Lee!
GreenBeret7 says:
December 15, 2010 at 12:18 am
tyanksfan36 December 15th, 2010 at 12:14 am
GreenBeret7 says:
December 14, 2010 at 11:54 pm
Laura seems to be as fiery as Jorge. Better looking, though.
—-
Its cause they’re Puerto Ricans. They’re feisty. I take care of a 3 year old who is puerto rican(her dad actually knew Jorges cousin way back when he was in HS, used to go with him to watch jorge practice) anyway, the girl has got such the personality, she will be cute one minute and will try to beat you up the next.
———————————————————————————————————————-
She sounds perfect. She could protect me.
—
Haha, she could but she’s a little too short right now. She was that way when she was a baby, we used to have a name for her little “fits” but I can’t remember it now. we tell her parents they may need to put her in anger management classes.
Can this be the last time we use a picture of Cliff Lee for anything? Any time I look at that cornfed hillbilly’s stupid grin, I get the urge to punch things repeatedly.
GB, lol……..
Night all!
Count me in on “I’m glad no Lee in NY. A little long term thinking here please. There is Nova, Noesi, Phelps in line followed by the three B’s plus Marshall and a host of others including De Paula. Othe than Phelps these are pitchers that can bring it at 95.
We’re talking frontline pitching here. The pitching future looks very bright. Trying for a pitching sure thing is like trying to fill an inside straight. The top five prospects are at most a year away. Some might fail but this is quantity as well as quality. The Cashman plan is coming to fruition as we speak. With Jeter and A Rod fading in the next few years the Yankees will need top end Inf bench. The non Lee team doesn’t get squeezed in payroll. Bemoaning Lee non sign is like a company focusing on quarterly earnings rather than market growth.
Carl December 15th, 2010 at 12:24 am
http://simg.sportsbybrooks.com…..nsspit.jpg
These losers cost us Lee!
—
Yeah, he went to Philly because the fans there are sooo classy…
Live with the fact that nova is #4 and Mitre is #5……Ouch
Without Lee it seems to me we need AP back.
Even with Andy pitching there is a little too much risk in the rotation
for my taste.
If AP does inded return I would not go with Nova at the back end.
At a bare minimum, I would trade for a guy like Gavin Floyd instead.
That way, if AP goes down, or AJ underperforms again you have a little more depth.
If Andy decides to hang ‘em up IMO we will have no choice but to trade for a frontline starter.
I don’t know if Cashman had a well formulated plan B or not but he certainly should have.
If he did, moves should be forthcoming very soon.
We have lots of money and lot’s of trade chips. We should use some of them.
My 2 cents.
If I’m CC I’m wondering how come my good buddy Cliff Lee wants to pitch next to Doc Halladay instead of along side of me ?
Pretty strange IMO. Of course the whole decision is pretty strange IMO but that’s just grass under the baseball at this point I guess.
We still need to add someone who is death on lefties out of the pen.
And I wont cry if we upgrade the OF even further.
No doubt our biggest concern should be the starting staff.
What about Carmona…?He’s a ground ball pitcher and eats innings
Roger-
OK. Or Chad Billingsley if he available.
IMO we need to make sure we have at least 2 left-handed starters in our rotation.
Boston, Twinkies, and Philly are filled with left-handed hitters.
We need to be able to neutralize that.
MTU — morning !
Our staff is good at best even with Pettite . . . Is it a championship quality staff . ( probably not ) ….. I can’t see Pettite pitching the same way he did last season. .. He’s not getting any younger or stronger !. I actually see him retiring . Then i want us to see the Yanks mixing and matching.
Mike-
If AP hangs ‘em up (I hope not) we will have to trade for a frontline left-handed starter.
I’m thinking maybe we can do some buisness with Billy Beane, or Kenny Williams.
I agree.That’s why we need Andy to come back.But with his injuries and A.J being A.J we could use someone who could eat inning.
Any idea what it will take to get Carmona…?
Roger-
I’m not sure what they’re looking for but most teams want near MLB ready young pitching, or catching.
We have lots of trade chips.
MTU -
Good morning.
I think we need AP back for one more season. I feel Cashman will continue to put a great product on the field, without giving away the store.
I’m sure there’s pitchers out there to be had, but, at what price. Cashman knows every team will try to take advantage of the current situation, and that just adds to the trade difficulties.
Al-
Good morning to you.
I don’t think it’s a problem to trade for for non top end pitching.
We have more than enough to spare. If the price is too unreasonable you just don’t pull the trigger.
I am not content with just a few tweaks. I believe we need more.
Please – No thank you on Carmona. His record is 46-51, I’d rather go to battle with one of our top prospects, than pay Carmona $5M to be a bad pitcher for NY.
MTU -
If Cashman spent more of the money saved on the Lee deal to build a very, very strong BP, it would work out better, IMO, because you could then get away with 2 of your SP only going 5 or 6 innings.
Al-
I’m more interested in the concept than the specifics.
I leave that sort of thing to all our amateur GM’s, or even better to
Cashman.
I am very curious to see if Cashman actaully had a living breathing Plan B. If he didn’t he did not do his job properly IMO.
The fact that he is counselling patience makes me wonder if he was really prepared for losing out on Lee.
We’ll find out soon.
Al-
I don’t like that route. Everything in baseball emanates from excellent starting pitching.
Mike -
I believe Cashman asking for, and being patient, is because he doen’t want the fan base to think now that Lee is not coming to NY, that there will be a lot of deals done at the snap of a finger. It takes time to work out these deals, especially when the GM you’re dealing with believes he has the upper hand.
Al-
I understand that sometimes the sand under a persons feet can shift a little (good analogy, huh).
I’m OK with that.
But I still think that Cashman should have had a few major backup moves ready to go should we whiff on Lee.
He should not have to be scrambling IMO.
Let’s see how it goes.
Big AL-
I agree ,, Its another waiting game . . .However i just don’t see a “major” move to help out the rotation. I can see Cashman telling the fan base ,,, ( like he’s already doing ) we have a competiive team.. we have a Championship team … And we’ll head into Spring Training with a few tweaks. . and away we go.
Mike -
True with excellent SP, but, if the BP is not very strong, then those starts could be wasted if the BP can’t hold onto leads given them.
We had very poor SP last season, on a whole, but did well enough to get within 2 games of the WS. By adding a middle of the rotation starter, and strong BP pitching, with everyone staying healthy, that’s all we need to be right back in the hunt.
Think about the fact we got along, after the AS break basically with 2 SP.
Al-
I did and i’m not too happy about that.
Al –
Your right !.. hopefully we can land a strong lefty.
Mike -
Given our current situation, I thought it was a poor move in not signing Moseley.
Al-
I would have brought Moseley too.
Remember that our compettition keeps improving.
What got us close last year may not be good enough this year.
We need a solid rotation. And a good BP.
There is quite a bit of uncertainty in the rotation so far. Too much for my taste.
Big Al -
I just think the Yanks had all there eggs in one basket ( Lee ) and lost sight of the little things that helped us out last season…..They probably didnt’ think Moseley would sign as early as he did…….. I agree Moseley would have been a nice addition given our current situation.
If Andy comes back, I would plan on needing a 6th starter, just in case, and the addition of a good #3 pitcher, and let’s go to war.
I’ve had multiple thoughts about Greinke, and now think he could do well in NY, but, I’m not willing to empty the Farm for a guy with that many question marks.
I’d stick with my original thought, add a middle of the rotation pitcher, and some very strong BP pitching.
Mike -
Back in a bit, the mops are yelling to go out. It’s 7 degrees here, they better be quick!
LOL ok !
Al-
Brrrrrrr ! That’s cold.
Hope you don’t own any brass monkeys.
Mike-
IMO the Yankees should never have had all their eggs in that one basket.
They should have had backup plans in place.
I hope they did. Scrambling only works well when you’re makin’ eggs.
Carlos Zambrano anyone?
No more headcases thanks.
lol MTU -
I agree , , I think Cashman has plans B and C on the table. Its just a matter of finding the right deal…. BUT MTU .. I just don’t see a top flight pitcher coming . . Not until mid summer.. ( and even thats uncertain ) ..
I think we’ll get an innings eater and strengthen the bullpen. Not the most exciting plan. .but probably the most effective plan.
Mike-
I’m down with that as long as AP comes back. If not, we will have no choice IMO.
MTU, good points. The analysis as you might guess this morning was not very kind to the performance of the Yanks so far this winter. Some you can dismiss as bias, but some of it is correct. It appears that the options remaining for the Yanks are limited, personally I thought Lee was never coming here so while we needed to go through the motions we should have been more agressive on the other FA players out there, at a minimum not letting Boston score the major pickup’s they did.
I think to me two things are certain, Grienke isn’t coming here either so I hope we aren’t putting all our eggs in that basket either, and this pitching staff needs more than a minor tweak as some have mentioned.
I don’t think that Boston is in as tough shape as some here write. If they can stay healthy vrs last year they are more than capable of making up the difference between where they finished and we did last year. We have many more questions going into the next year then they do.
Zambrano was suggested in the Daily News. I don’t like how his velocity has dropped. It has a familiar feel. Rothschild should certainly know about his health and his likely ability for the next two years of his very expensive contract.
Gary-
With all the Yankees have to offer our options should never be considered limited.
It may take some creativity and some work that’s all.
There should be more than one way to skin a baseball.
that’s what these guys get paid to figure.
MTU December 15th, 2010 at 7:21 am
Mike-
IMO the Yankees should never have had all their eggs in that one basket.
They should have had backup plans in place.
I hope they did. Scrambling only works well when you’re makin’ eggs.
________________________________________________________________________
I don’t think they did, they were all in on Lee and I think very certain they were going to get him. They let Crawford get away. The backup plan right now is more about damage control and trying to minimize the loses as it has to be what else can they do.
that’s what these guys get paid to figure.
___________________________________________
Exactly, so now we get to watch how they earn their pay after losing out on Lee. Time will tell
I have a poll question:
Choice A: Cashman makes a move for a starter via trade or signs a free agent starter that has been mentioned and discussed on this blog.
Choice B: Cashman pulls a Houdini and picks up a starter who has been completely off the blog radar and makes us all say “why didnt we think of that”
We did not need either A-Gon nor Crawford, so a plan to stop Boston from getting them would not make any sense.
Folks seem to forget, Boston lost ttwo very productive bats, and replaced those bats, they did not add on. The question is, will A-Gon be the same player following his shoulder surgery, will Crawford match his career season of last year, will the injured players coming back be ready and healthy, and will their pitching, after the top 2, hold up, or be as bad as they were last season.
Boston fans may be dancing in the streets now, but, let’s see what happens after 162 games.
The Yankees need some holes filled, but we are far from being down and out, that’s why we play the games on the field, not on paper.
Keep the faith, we shall be there in the end, I believe in this team.
Carlo -
“B”
MTU
Morning, I certainly would like to see a little more stability in the rotation as well but only if a deal makes sense. Teams are going to try to take advantage of the Yankees right now and are already exploiting a pitching thin market. I would kick the tires on every 1-3 starter in baseball but more players and better prices may be available at the deadline mid season……for example,.what if the Marlins are stuck in last place in July, would they try to move Johnson before his salrary jumps next year? What about the Dodgers or Mariners? It’ll be interesting to see what happens.
Looks like we couldn’t rope em into the barn again this year huh
I think a lot of factors were at play here that pushed Lee away from NY…..easier in the NL, he apparently likes to hit, clearer path to the postseason, great pediatric hospital in Philly, they offered the most AAV…….and despite probably being in the minority on this, I don’t think the public nature of the Jeter talks helped them one bit either.
Mike -
No brass monkeys, but, being out there left like something turn to brass.
Carlo
choice B…altho I am still hoping for Garza!
$4 million for Russell Martin? So much for the risk/reward theory. Be a banner day if the Yankees break even on this one.
Blake-
Very good points especially your take on the stallion.
With respect to acquiring more pitching all they can do is try to make a deal.
They have a lot of good trade peices and if Cash doesn’t think he is getting fair value then he just doesn’t make the trade.
At a minimum we need a middle to back-end starter IMO, and a very big strengthening of the pen.
I wouldn’t cry if they upgraded the of too.
I like the Martin signing.
LOL LOL – Big AL!
4 million is more than I would have thought…..
When I find myself in times of trouble
Brian Cashman comes to me
speaking words of patience
let the process be
MTU,
I like the Martin signing too….I just hope they still give Montero a chance to catch a good chunk of the games though….I think they will. Romine and Cervelli both probably expendable now.
Blake-
I’m saying this with any degree of certainty but maybe the Martin signing means that Montero might be a little more available ?
blake -
Those were my thoughts yesterday.
Lee thought he would perform to a higher standard in the weak NL East, as opposed to the tough AL East, where he was a sub .500 pitcher. Lee has done well against the weaker division teams, but in looking at his record the past 2 seasons, 26-22, I was glad we didn’t tie-up that money for 7 years in him. His trend is going down, and he needed to pitch in a weaker division to be more productive.
Can one imagine what would happen if either the Yankees or Red Sox were playing in the NL East, the division would be over by the AS break.
Carlo:
With regard to your poll, I think a lot hinges on what happens with Pettitte. Should he decide to come back, I think the answer is C: None of the Above. The Yankees can be highly competitive going into the season w/ Sabathia, Pettitte, Hughes, Burnett and Nova and then looking to make a play for a more established starter at the trade deadline, when more may be available. If Pettitte decides not to return, then I think we’re talking about A.
Blake-
edit: “not saying”. sorry. It’s early.
We did not need either A-Gon nor Crawford, so a plan to stop Boston from getting them would not make any sense.
_______________________________________________________________________
Sorry I don’t agree, neither Gardner, Granderson, or Swisher is the player that Carl Crawford is. Nick never shows up for the playoffs, Gardner has no power, and Granderson is a work in progress in trying to have him hit left hand pitching.
As for Boston it’s always the negative argument, no one want’s to talk about what happens if they really do come out and play to their potential. I always believe in this team but the actions of the front office so far over the last two winters haven’t done much to inspire confidence.
Paging SJ44 – paging SJ44…please chime in at your earliest convenience.
That is all.
I think by now Posada knows the Yankees no longer look at him as a catcher, unless it was an emergency.
If Posada is not productive by the dead line, look for Cashman to make a deal for a big bat for DH, and Jorge riding the pines.
Al-
“Can one imagine what would happen if either the Yankees or Red Sox were playing in the NL East, the division would be over by the AS break.”
too funny.
Its funny a lot of you say B………its funny because over the last two days, there are probably 500 pitchers that have been mentioned on this site!
Hardwired,
carlo-
Maybe it’s because so many people want to believe that Cashman can still pull a rabbit out of his hat.
I like pleasant surprises. Let’s see it.
“I think by now Posada knows the Yankees no longer look at him as a catcher, unless it was an emergency.”
If a $4 million contract for Russell Martin hasn’t driven that point home, nothing’s going to.
I think Posada will do fine as a DH though. Probably well above the league average.
BIG AL December 15th, 2010 at 8:02 am
I think by now Posada knows the Yankees no longer look at him as a catcher, unless it was an emergency.
If Posada is not productive by the dead line, look for Cashman to make a deal for a big bat for DH, and Jorge riding the pines.
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Sad for Jorge, I remember when he first came up and that growing pains for the first year, but Yanks stuck with him and he became a great player. I’m hoping at DH that he can continue to contribute, he’s gotten so many big hits. I think he will still get hits for us, but I do worry about the number of DP’s he hits into and his SO’s. Time catches up with players especially catchers, the bat just isn’t as fast as it used to be and he’s never been a speed burner out there.
AL,
I wanted Lee badly and thought he would be great but that 7 year comittment was a little scary. If he ultimately didnt want to pitch in NY then its probably for the best. There’s a lot of ways the Yankees can spread 150 million dollars over the next few years.
There is no reason to believe Jorge Posada will not be a productive DH.the only concern with his bat has been the grind of catching on it,and the concern was rarely all that justified.A rested Posada is going to hit.I have no worries there,that’s the least of them.
I don’t feel sorry for Jorge just look at his wife.
Who wouldn’t want to spend some more time at home with her ?
Posada still provides some power, remains an OBP guy, and before this past season, BA. W/all the “rest” he should be fresh as a daisy.I think he will kill it.
Blake-
Are you still willing to trade anybody but Montero and Banuelos for Greinke ?
Just curious.
Cary -
Would you have been comfortable with the Yankees spending $20M per year on Crawford, given all the needs in pitching?
As for the PS, Crawford batted .143 against Texesn the ALDS.
Gary not Cary …. Sorry
I feel a lot more comfortable with Martin around than if it was just Montero (we don’t even know if he’ll have a good spring; it seems like we’re just assuming he’d be good enough to warrant giving the job to). He’s just a kid and asking him to lead a pitching staff AND be good offensively is asking a lot. The Yankees may have felt that, with Lee slipping away, they could afford to overpay Martin. I expect that if Montero has a good spring, he’ll be the starting catcher, but that Martin will play more than just what a usual backup would.
MTU,
No not anybody, but their are combinations where I would. It just depends on what they were asking. Montero would only be traded for a few guys at this point.
Mike -
Listening to the Beach Boys while surfing the Wave?
I agree Betsy. Having Martin will take some of the pressure of “Monty”
Blake-
Would you do GGBG, Romine, Banuelos, Joba and Nova ?
Al-
Only in my head. I might have a really cool picture coming in that regard.
I’m waiting for someone to send it to me. If they do and it turns out the way I was hoping I’ll pass it on.
Big Al, in a heartbeat.
If you read between the lines and look at Cashman’s body language, Greinke is not going to be a Yankee.
J. Alfred Prufrock December 15th, 2010 at 8:11 am
There is no reason to believe Jorge Posada will not be a productive DH.the only concern with his bat has been the grind of catching on it
That, and turning FORTY years old.
re: Mariano engaging the Red Sox
“Rivera also said that reports that he initiated contact with the Red Sox for a potential deal are ?false,? insisting that ?they just made an offer? before he agreed to a two-year, $30 million contract with the Yankees.”
Mike -
Who plays LF if you do that trade, opening another hole.
Please, please do not say Damon.
Al-
That’s OK with me. i was just curious to see how bad Blake wants him, or how far he would go to get him.
Me. I kind of think he is a flyover country type of guy.
Your wishes for him,and the yanks sucking,will not come true.
oops forgot link
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/blog.....99389.html
pat December 15th, 2010 at 8:29 am
re: Mariano engaging the Red Sox
“Rivera also said that reports that he initiated contact with the Red Sox for a potential deal are ?false,? insisting that ?they just made an offer? before he agreed to a two-year, $30 million contract with the Yankees.”
///Of course you believe Rivera,he’s incapable of lying.
upstate kate -
Ugh. “Monty.” I forget that with every player we need to realize what Girardi is going to call him in interviews.
(Russy? Marty? Probably Marty, for Martin. Marky for Prior?? Heavens!!! Save us, please.)
pat -
It’s getting so that reading the sports pages is like reading fairytales.
Al-
are there no FA LF’ers out there who could an adequate job ?
I think someone said Posednik is still available. I’m not really all that into Greinke Al.
I have concerns about his ability to handle the spotlight. But not about his talent.
Any mention of Banuelos just turn a deaf ear.not giving up the Special Lefty
Gary -
I like Crawford as a player, but, not at $20M, sorry, he’ll never give the RS that kind of production to warrant the cost involved, IMO.
The only thing he has over Gardner right now is power numbers, but he’s not $19.6 million better than Brett.
Grimm’s Fairytales. With the all the strangeness, bizarre characters and scary endings.
Off Topic Discussion: Its weird that I had a dream last night about meeting people who post on LoHud, right? Its weirder that all of you were apparently German immigrants, with no one younger than 75….right?
I spend too much time here.
Al-
I wonder how our friend from the frozen north is doing ?
I wonder how our friend from the frozen north is doing ?
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Doing fine MTU…… getting ready to have a little breakfast and then head out to do some snowshoeing!!!
JCPD-
Taking your sled dog with you ? And your new camera ?
MTU,
No, I think that’s too much probably. I said last night I they’d do something like Gardner, Romine, Brackman, Nunez etc….something in that ballpark. I like Brackman but for me he’s probably the B Id most easily part with because he’s the oldest and least likely to remain a starter. I think Greinke would be great but Im not giving a kings ransom for him.
It is hard to believe that Mo would approach the red sox…I think that was a red sox leak to make Papelbon feel better
i think Russell Nathan Jeanson Coltrane Martin might just be the next nick swisher, a player picked up off the scrap heap who thrives with the yankees.
the kid has quite the background- a french canadian whose father paid for his young baseball lessons by playing the sax in montreal subway stations. thus the coltrane middle name. his father is african. even more interesting.
he didn’t shy away fro coming to new york into a situation where he’s going to have to compete with a major prospect to have a job. going to the red sox would have been easy. he would have had a starting job and the wall to swing at.
he chose the yankees. with pat m’s endorsement from watching him play, i think this small signing may just be as important as the swisher trade .
one thing i really like is that with his arm and with sabathia or petite pitching, i’m not seeing carl crawford stealing many bases.
one thing i really like is that with his arm and with sabathia or petite pitching, i’m not seeing carl crawford stealing many bases.
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randy, with those two pitching, I’m not even seeing Crawford getting on base
MTU, I am taking the camera, but I haven’t even had time to read the manual to see all it can do………………. so, I’m just gonna wing it and hope for the best.
Randy-
If he stays healthy I dig the move too.
JCPD-
Your worst is better than most people’s best.
2 of your pics are now proudly hanging on my wall.
Have fun. stay safe.
Austin Kearns is on the Diamondbacks radar — best news of the day! See ya Austin, your 3 K’s a game will fit in well with that line up.
J. Alfred Prufrock,
Why even bother making trades or looking at free agents? Everyone on the team is going to be better than last year and every prospect is going to work out. And anything a different team did was a bad move and makes them even worse compared to NY.
I think all that pom pom waving has made you dizzy.
Mike -
Grienke IMO could handle the pressure of NY, but, he’ll cost too much in the way of prospects. Those prospects will be needed for trade deadline deals.
Mike -
If Jim starts making snow angels in the drifts, we may not hear from him in a while. All those pictures he takes will be of the sky.
I believe Ivan Nova is far more fixable than either Burnett or Chamberlain.
Nova has to hide the ball better and have the stamina to get past the 5th inning.
The first thing Larry Rothschild needs to do is get into the minds of Burnett and Chamberlain to see what makes them tick unless both are dealt before spring training.
Cashman has the Lee money to work with. If Andy elects to retire, Cashman may try getting Mark Buehrle as the 2nd LH in the starting rotation to neutralize teams with heavy LH hitting lineups. No other LH starter available with experience. Banuelos won’t be on the scene until 2013. Cashman won’t just sit on his hands.