Yankees finalize division series roster
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Sep 30, 2011 
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Pitchers
Luis Ayala
A.J. Burnett
Freddy Garcia
Phil Hughes
Boone Logan
Ivan Nova
Mariano Rivera
Dave Robertson
CC Sabathia
Rafael Soriano
Cory Wade
Catchers
Russell Martin
Jesus Montero
Infielders
Robinson Cano
Eric Chavez
Derek Jeter
Eduardo Nunez
Alex Rodriguez
Mark Teixeira
Outfielders
Chris Dickerson
Brett Gardner
Curtis Granderson
Andruw Jones
Nick Swisher
Designated hitter
Jorge Posada
Looks GREAT….taking a 1-0 Series Lead tonight….Will be 2-0 as we head back to Detroit. 3-0 or 3-1 we win this 1st round. Book it, DAN-O !
I would much rather have Colon over Ayala. Colon’s stuff out of the pen would be filthy.
Seriously though – if the Braves are considering dealing Heyward, or if the Marlins would consider dealing LoMo – I like Nick Swisher but I would gladly move him in the deal or decline his option to make room for either player.
FakePeteGammons I think Theo should be named manager. Just imagine how he’d look in uniform! How could any player or umpire defy him? This is Peter Gammons.
A couple of long batting streaks ended this year. Alex Rodriguez’ 13 year run of 30+ homers and 100+ RBI and Albert Pujols’ 10 year run of .300+ BA, 30+ doubles, 30+ homers and 100+ RBI. Pujols ended with a .299 BA, 29 doubles, 37 homers and 99 RBI. It’ll be a long time before we see that again.
I think carrying 11pitchers in a 5-game series with two off dates as asinine.
There’s no way on earth the 10th and 11th guys are used unless games are complete blowouts in which case what difference does it make?
I would have left AJ off, I agree with Colon over Ayala and would add Pena or Romine.
GB
Lots of people were sending out the “Bat Signal” for you yesterday. Hope all is well.
Have to disagree with most of that. Very unlikely they trade Ellsbury. They already have 5 starters under contract. Bard becoming a starter after tiring as a reliever is unlikely. Lackey is even more untradeable than AJ unless they eat almost all of it, which I doubt. Lowrie to 3B and Youk to DH with Papi leaving might happen. Don?t really know about Sphincter Lips, but they might look elsewhere after his choke in the most important game of the year. Reyes would be a mistake like Crawford so I hope they do that.
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Gammons and a few other Boston insiders have said they are planning on moving Bard into the rotation and the thing that sealed it was Wilson in Texas and Bard adding a third pitch. If they do that it makes it almost a lock that Papelbon comes back. Papelbon had the best year of his career last year.
Dice K is out for the year so they have 1 spot open. If Vernon Wells can be traded Lackey can be traded as well.
I didn?t say they would trade Ellsbury but it makes the most sense if they want to trade for a young number 2 starter. They don?t have the chips in the minors to do it alone.
Hi GB
Joe from LI and Pat M were both worried they hadn’t seen you around lately.
I think they were afraid Nurse Ratchett had gotten ahold of you.
AJ is insurance should Nova or Garcia get rocked early.
GB’s back!
I would have liked to see RS take Francona’s option and the Yankees/RS do a “challenge” trade with Francona to the Yanks and Girardi to the RS.
Pretty much exactly how I predicted it the other day…..and as much as Ayala is only a half step above mediocrity, he is still a ground ball pitcher and better than a diminished Colon.
Francona wants out!!! DEVASTATING BLOW for the Red Sox.
86w183 September 30th, 2011 at 11:04 am
I think carrying 11pitchers in a 5-game series with two off dates as asinine.
There’s no way on earth the 10th and 11th guys are used unless games are complete blowouts in which case what difference does it make?
I would have left AJ off, I agree with Colon over Ayala and would add Pena or Romine.
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Pena and Romine would have been as likely to play as the 10th and 11th men in the pitching staff.
They have two pinch runners (Nunez and Dickerson) a defensive OF replacement (Dickerson)
Colon vs. Ayala is moot – since I don’t expect to see Ayala or AJ unless the game is out of hand. Most likely Girardi’s relievers will be Hughes, Robertson, Soriano and Rivera with Logan and Wade in reserve.
AJ’s on in case Freddy or Nova completely look lost.
GB was probably busy making up the PS roster, and recovering from the celebratory bender
he went on after the Sux went to Purgatory.
pat,
thanks. Did somebody’s dog get kicked and they thought it was me? Nah…I only kick trolls.
Everything’s OK here. Just couldn’t read some of the crap on here without getting sick. Certainly nothing worth responding to. Only 3 weeks to go before the idiotic trade proposals start up for it’s annual 5 month run. Hope all is well with you and your family.
Triple Short of a Cycle September 30th, 2011 at 11:05 am
Dice K is out for the year so they have 1 spot open. If Vernon Wells can be traded Lackey can be traded as well.
I didn?t say they would trade Ellsbury but it makes the most sense if they want to trade for a young number 2 starter. They don?t have the chips in the minors to do it alone.
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1. Reagans is likely going to lose his job in Los Angeles in part because of the Vernon Wells deal.
2. I don’t see Boston needing to trade for a young #2. IMO their top three of Beckett, Lester and Bucholtz is still very strong for next year. And trading the likely AL MVP for pitching depth doesn’t make much sense.
The last thing in the world that AJ is, is insurance.
upstate kate September 30th, 2011 at 11:05 am
Hi GB
Joe from LI and Pat M were both worried they hadn’t seen you around lately.
I think they were afraid Nurse Ratchett had gotten ahold of you.
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Kate,
I couldn’t pry Nurse Karloff away from Randy if I used hand grenades and crowbars.
BOS will go hard for Wilson as they should. That Lackey deal will haunt them for a few years. The guy stinks and has a bad disposition. They should have asked themselves why LAA didn’t make a move to try and keep him.
GB-
Albert really put on a late charge to reach those numbers. Not too bad for a “down” year.
I’m in Human Genetics right now!!! bwahaha
I would have also taken Colon over Ayala. I think Ayala is a magician. He makes you think he’s good when in fact, he’s not.
“I couldn’t pry Nurse Karloff away from Randy if I used hand grenades and crowbars.”
A true lover’s embrace ?
Beautiful. I want to cry Man.
Wilson is pretty good but let Boston keep signing guys to long contracts. It’s going to destroy any roster flexibility they have left plus cost them a 1st rounder.
CC keeps the three craptastic hitters in front of Miggy from hurting him, the Yankees win the game.
Dlauraposada On my way to NY for the first game tonight…thank you for all the positive vibes!!
Bret-
Did you get to see Boston’s “loser gene” ?
I don’t think Boston goes anywhere near Wilson. Epstein mentioned how they have to revaluate long term big money free agent signings
MTU September 30th, 2011 at 11:16 am
“I couldn’t pry Nurse Karloff away from Randy if I used hand grenades and crowbars.”
A true lover’s embrace ?
Beautiful. I want to cry Man.
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Not sure which one of them is holding on tighter. I suppose it must look like two octopi wrestling over a dead fish.
What an idiot Kevin Millar is. he just said if they let Ortiz go get ready for a 3 year deal from the pinstripes
Millar always claimed to be an idiot! Why would the Yankees want Papi? Especially for 3 years?
Do you all know why everything in Boston is brown instead of green ?
A: Because that’s how things look when the biggest sh*tstorm in History hits your city.
Lol, The last thing the Yankees want is a guy to clog up the DH spot. Especially somebody like Ortiz. They will give it to Montero before even talking to Ortiz.
First of all: Ortiz is too ugly to be a Yankee
Second of all: The last thing the Yankees need is another DH
HaleMark How about this A-Rod stat? He hasn’t homered in his last 43 playoff at-bats. From my story: nyp.st/pP9YyM #yankees
I really hope I’m wrong but them more and more I think about it I feel Montero will be traded in the off season.
Watching MLB tv right now.
Brewers.
What a rough bunch. Swisher is a wallflower compared to these guys.
They could beat the Phillies.
Again, without reading through the posts, I believe you’ve all heard by now that Tito is toast. (I wouldn’t have anything to add about the postseason roster because we all know that I’m a Yankee sycophant, or whatever it was that West Coast Sux fan used to call me, ha ha)
However, believe me when I tell you that there is a lot of ugly going on up here. If the Sux had lucked into that wild card spot there’s no way they were going to win anything because it appears there was a lot of team defiance and also cliquedom in the clubhouse.
This is good because if the Yankees lose a game to Detroit, I’m not going to have to hear anything since they are buried in their own crap up here!!
They are seriously worried about the future of the club and don’t think there is anyone who will be able to come in and commandeer it back to where it should be.
I blame it all on Youklis, just because he is so ugly, inside and out!
Okay, GO YANKS!!!
Villa
I think the Brewers have flown under the radar all season, as the NL attention has been on the “greatest pitching staff ever assembled”. Perhaps another myth ready to be shattered?
Miguel Cabrera’s career OPS vs the Yankees is 1.168!!!
Victor Martinez’s is .853
GB-
Randy is just so damn romantic I guess.
I heard he and Wratchett were out camping under the stars when it happened.
Randy was trying to seduce her. He started a fire using his golf clubs and carry bag to get her in the mood and that’s when the lovin’ really started.
He’s definitely a top notch ladies Man. No doubt about that.
Chip —
Don’t agree at all. A team is far more likely to need a late innings pinch runner or defensive guy than turn to the 11th best guy on the pitching staff.
My plan at least gives you an extra option in a competitive game. An 11th pitcher is a complete and total waste of a roster space… especially without having games three days in a row.
Trisha
how could you blame it all on Youk? what about Lackey?
upstate kate -
I wouldn’t be surprised at all!
It is very hard to live up to oversized expectations. All those years the Yankees were a “lock” for over 100 wins and post-season domination? It’s hard to live up to, and then when you do lose, it’s harder to take, I think.
I think that teams like the Giants last year, the Rockies in the past, and other teams that had no expectations put on them, end up playing freely – they’ve already impressed!
Arizona and the Rays are two teams that have zero expectations on them. They deserve to be watched closely. But realistically, the Brewers have a real shot in the NL.
The Sux winning it all and Haley’s comet have a lot in common.
They both come around about once every 80 years or so. Light things up and then disappear again into the night.
Erin September 30th, 2011 at 11:25 am
HaleMark How about this A-Rod stat? He hasn’t homered in his last 43 playoff at-bats. From my story: nyp.st/pP9YyM #yankees
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Jesus….are they starting that crap again? Anything to invent a new story.
GB-I’ve already lost count of all of the “A-Rod won’t do anything against the Tigers” stories I’ve seen. I’m hoping he has a huge series, mainly to prove them all wrong.
Theo broke his rule once with Lackey about giving a pitching free agent more then 4 years so I don’t see him doing the same thing with Wilson
The best part about Tito’s departure? All the dirty laundry being hung out to dry.
Good for Francona. Sometimes it’s just time. Expectations and pressure must have been tremendous. Sounds like he lost the clubhouse to those rednecks.
The main reason they collapsed is their front line pitching. Don’t have the stats, but Beckett and Lester were bad, with the exception of the last Baltimore series.
There’s a better chance I get a 3 year deal from the Yankees than David Ortiz does.
5 years after Alex retires, the Yankees will make a postseason and someone will write a story that Alex needs to be Alex in order for them to win out of reflex.
Erin,
did you know that Victor Martinez hasn’t had a post season homer since 2007 and Miguel Cabrera hasn’t had one since 2003?
bad *down the stretch*
Good luck finding great pitching if you’re going to hold at 4 years. How Theo defined Lackey as great is hilarious, tho.
Chip September 30th, 2011 at 11:41 am
There?s a better chance I get a 3 year deal from the Yankees than David Ortiz does.
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“Jesus….are they starting that crap again?”
No kidding.
That’s right, A-Rod hasn’t hit a playoff HR since he carried the Yanks to a WS title.
What he did in ’09 was beyond epic. If he never hits another playoff HR, so be it. Of course he’ll hit more, but it still won’t be enough…
Would have rather had Colon or Noesi than Ayala …..but whatever….the hope is that that spot isn’t even used.
Boston should trade for Ozzie Guillen.
Trade Montero for who exactly? Not saying it couldn’t happen but guys like Kershaw and Felix are off limits.
I think Francona’s a great manager and I get the sense that this split is mutual. Can’t really blame either party for wanting to move on.
I also think the collapse and subsequent fallout puts the last years of Torre’s Yank career in a slightly different light. Being an MLB manager is freaking hard and a big payroll doesn’t necessarily make it easier.
Anybody else seeing the Mariano deodorant commercials being run every 10 minutes?
Good luck finding great pitching if you?re going to hold at 4 years. How Theo defined Lackey as great is hilarious, tho.
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Its a smart way to do business. Most free agent pitchers turn out to be disasters. Other then CC what other big time pitcher have the Yankees signed that has worked out? Prob have to go all the way back to Mussina
The Yanks will drive up the price on Ortiz…..but no way they sign him.
Sorry if this is old news for everyone, but I just saw it and thought some on the board might appreciate it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWaoZvWu6As
Cracked me up!
1 key to look for early in the game from Verlander is if his fastball is
hovering around 90 or close to 100.
What I’ve heard is if his fastball is around 90 in the 1st inning, it’s a positive for him.
If he’s throwing close to 100 in the 1st inning, that is usually a negative for him.
Take that for what it’s worth
The mistake Theo made this year is not one he’s going to make next year – he overspent on a player he wanted but didn’t need and wasn’t really a fit.
I won’t second guess the Lackey signing because on its face that was a good deal that just didn’t work out – every team has that. But giving Carl Crawford – whom they didn’t need – the kind of money they did made no sense to me then and it makes no sense to me now.
It would have been sounder had they gone after Jayson Werth instead. He was, in every sense, a better fit for for the Sox than Crawford in terms of what Boston needed positionally, personality wise and for placement in their lineup.
Colon should not be off the roster at the expense of AJ.
AJ has been a disaster and Colon has actually pitched well for this team this year. This doesn’t make any sense. And I’m not usually a guy who complains about these kinds of things. Ridiculous.
listening to WEEi?.talk of players who were not in the lineup drinking beer during games?.
I don’t know if this is true, but I’m sure a lot of stuff goes on in the clubhouse that doesn’t get reported. If Tito had truly lost control of the team, then that alone is reason to be let go. As I recall, that was the perception of Yogi in ’64, and why he was let go, not losing to the Cards. (The whole Johnny Keane saga – not one of the bright points of Yankees’ history.)
The Macmullen article, in ESPNBoston, was enlightening. Sounds like excuse making was standard practice all year. Contrast that with how Jeter dealt with the Yanks’ issues during the year – “nobody cares about our problems, so just go out, deal with it, and win”. Other players, and Joe Girardi, said similar things.
It comes down to attitude. What killed the Sox was bad attitude, and bad depth.
Fairly or not, Tito got the hit for the attitude. Though, there’s just so much a man can do. It’s not like high school football, where you can intimidate kids. These guys have guaranteed contracts. Bad apples kill you.
Cash realized this and made it a priority to deal with chemistry. Remember what he told CC – change the culture.
If Tito being let go is the only change they make, they’re doomed next year as well. (And, if they expect Jose Reyes is going to be a leader and fix things, boy, do they have a surprise coming.)
Despite being the Greatest Team in History, they need to blow it up.
Ayala did a great job in whatever role Girardi used him in this year. Is he ever going to be a star? No, but, then, he doesn’t need to be. He only needs to do the job he’s given to do.
New Post: LoHud Yankees chat begins at noon
I have concerns about Montero a BUC, not for lack of ability, but that will make Girardi not want to pinch hit him since that would leave the team with no backup in the event of an in-game injury unless they have no DH.
Montero’s bat can help. It would be shame not to make use of it.
On another note, I will be glad if Francona doesn’t return. He did a heck of a job for many years, in my opinion. That job, like the Yankee managerial job, is a tough one with expectations set very high. The next guy would have very big shoes to fill.
Catfish hunter, Tommy John, david Wells and Jimmy Key were outstanding FA pitcher signings for NY.
http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/.....-chemistry
A good read and a good distraction if you need one.
Ellsbury in LF and Coco Crisp in CF would have been a better tandem and saved $ 15 + M for this year and more into the future.
Big money for FA pitchers is a huge risk/reward proposition. You don’t want to do it too much because the odds are against you.
As bad as Seattle is how can they not consider moving Felix to try and replenish the roster for the future? They are going to be bad for the rest of his contract if they don’t do anything and they are wasting a lot of money on Figgins and Ichiro next year.
MTU September 30th, 2011 at 11:17 am
Bret-
Did you get to see Boston’s “loser gene” ?
***********
92% on my exam. Class average was 76%, all honors students, mostly pre-med.
Oops, going through today’s posts I now see this was linked to several times.
Never mind!