Jeter gets to work in Tampa
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Feb 13, 2012 
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I’m not heading down to Tampa until the end of this week, but obviously the Associated Press is already down there. So is, by the way, my good friend Erik Boland. Follow him on Twitter, if you don’t already.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Yankees captain Derek Jeter says offseason moves have made the American League stronger and new Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine will make Boston even more exciting.
The Los Angeles Angels added free-agent slugger Albert Pujols and pitcher C.J. Wilson, while Detroit signed power-hitting Prince Fielder, the son of former Tigers’ star Cecil Fielder.
“It’s scary for the whole American League, especially for the West and Central,” Jeter said on Monday. “Our league has always been tough, but I’m pretty sure they’re excited over in Anaheim to have Albert, C.J. I think it’s kind of cool that Prince is in Detroit because everyone remembers him with his dad, following his dad around. It made two great teams even better.”
The Red Sox replaced Terry Francona with Valentine, a one-time New York Mets manager, after an epic late-season slide last year kept Boston out of the playoffs.
“He’s going to bring some excitement,” Jeter said. “He brought some excitement when he was with the Mets. But there’s always excitement in Boston. I guess he’ll add to it.”
Jeter took batting practice on the field for the first time Monday at the Yankees’ minor league complex, where he has been working out since mid-January.
“You still have to enjoy playing,” said Jeter, who will turn 38 on June 26. “If I wasn’t excited about it, I wouldn’t play. I think that’s the only way you can play well, and I think it’s only way you can play especially in New York, with all the other things that are going on.”
This year marks the 20th spring training in the Yankees’ organization for Jeter, who was taken sixth overall in the 1992 amateur draft.
“Does it feel like it? No, it’s gone pretty quickly,” Jeter said. “In my mind, I’m still, I wouldn’t say 18, somewhere in-between those 20 years.”
And what does the shortstop recall about the early days of his pro career?
“I was scared to death,” Jeter said. “I was completely overmatched in terms of ability and playing out here. It was an uncomfortable beginning. I grew up in a small town, so the competition was OK, but it wasn’t like the level of competition of a lot of guys.”
Notes: A fit-looking Phil Hughes, competing for a starting role, threw off the mound for the third time in Florida. The right-hander worked out extensively in California during the winter. “Last year was kind of a roller-coaster with shoulder stuff going on, then the lower back at the end of the year,” Hughes said. “It was a difficult year for me, and I just wanted to make sure this year there’s no excuses. I have to prove I deserve a spot.”
Associated Press photo
That’s exactly what you want to hear from Hughes. Now go out and show it.
“20 HR good defending centerfielder is bad upside?”
Nah….but let’s remember that were talking upside….not a guarantee ….lot of money for a good regular upside and not star upside…….if that’s what they really think.
.lot of money for a good regular upside and not star upside
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He is getting less than 10 mil a year, he is pretty much making ‘good regular’ money. The Goldstein article brings up that the ‘good regular’ seems to have faded away. Damon or Matsui got 4 years 13 million a year, that seems almost foreign now for players of that quality.
Thats also pretty in line with what has been said of his tools. lots of power, speed, defense, etc, questionable hit. You couldn’t get Mike Cameron in his prime ( .257 .353 .457 .811 in center) for 9 million per year nowadays? And are you sure thats his upside? Maybe its his most likely case but not his total upside, if you believe in his raw power/whatever. Maybe he is Mike Stanton in RF.
so much risk associated with him. better to sign soler and get a chance to teach him to play.
also, does anyone else see this team trading for a bat at the deadline? i think cash may want 1/2 the season to see how well arod hits before deciding they need a bat.
“He is getting less than 10 mil a year, he is pretty much making ‘good regular’ money. The Goldstein article brings up that the ‘good regular’ seems to have faded away.”
Yes….but he’s not a good regular yet……that’s my point…..you’re paying him for stuff he’s not done yet. Look I would have liked the Yanks to sign him…but it coukd be a total waste of money and I don’t think it makes much sense for where the As are right now…..
Blake,
How do the A’s expect to compete if they cannot get any bats to sign and have trouble drafting/developing that phase? They need a guy like Cespedes. They don’t need a dynasty.
Again from goldstein: . In fact, no player in the organization is more likely to be a star, with Cespedes’s peak potentially lining up with what is a hopeful window of opportunity for the A’s beginning in 2014. If that doesn’t happen, he would be a very valuable trade chip.
Teams cannot magic up 9 players all in their prime at the same time over the same period of time. If they want to compete in the future they need to have more than 1 kind of player in place. It seems fairly obvious that they can develop pitchers. Now they have an offensive piece to build around for the next 3 years (after this one).
but it coukd be a total waste of money and I don’t think it makes much sense for where the As are right now…..
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There is no guarantee that something will be available when it ‘makes more sense’ (Whenever that is, wouldn’t it have made sense last year? Or the year before? ANd no one signed with them so what do you want Beane to do?)
JF,
That’s just what the As apparently see his upside as….if his upside is Mike Cameron and he doesn’t get there then what is he?…..
How do the A’s expect to compete if they cannot get any bats to sign and have trouble drafting/developing that phase?
@FrankiePiliere explains why the #Athletics got a good deal in signing Yoenis Cespedes:…
http://sbb.scout.com/2/1158307.html
How do the A’s expect to compete if they cannot get any bats to sign and have trouble drafting/developing that phase?
–
By signing guys like Cespedes and making trades.
“How do the A’s expect to compete if they cannot get any bats to sign and have trouble drafting/developing that phase?”
You stink…you draft high and you rebuild……4 years of Cespedes isn’t turning them around.
@FrankiePiliere explains why the #Athletics got a good deal in signing Yoenis Cespedes:…
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Imagine how rave his review would be if the Yankees signed him lol
I hears Cespedes is getting the 36M as 6.5, 8.5, then 10.5 and 10.5. By year 3 the A’s might trade him.
I think its a fine deal and good risk for the As in a vacuum…..I just don’t think it fits where they are as an organization or with any of the other things they’ve done this winter…..
Beane is probably hoping he establishes himself so he can trade him…..
You stink…you draft high and you rebuild……4 years of Cespedes isn’t turning them around.
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They can’t stink hard enough apparently, because they keep churning out above average big league rotations. 4 years of cespedes helps them because in a year, when they once again have an above average rotation and potentially 3 above average OFers (Smith, Cespedes, Reddick) to go with Jemile Weeks and Suzuki they will only need to fill out DH, 1st, third, & SS. And they don’t need that much offense to win with the staffs they put up.
Their window is 2013-2015.
“I hears Cespedes is getting the 36M as 6.5, 8.5, then 10.5 and 10.5. By year 3 the A’s might trade him.”
By the third year, they might not be able to.
Just kidding!
Don’t they still control Centipedes for six years?
Watching MLB Network- Perspective….. Cespedes is now the highest paid A’s player and he’s never played 1 ML game?
No, he becomes a free agent after four years.
Don’t they still control Centipedes for six years?
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IFA clause, they have to non-tender him after his 4th year so no arbitration.
In breaking news, Jose Veras had his arb hearing today.
Is it possible for a player to have to pay a team after arb (i.e. have a negative salary)?
“The Mariners want Montero to hit first and foremost…..I doubt they are as concerned about whether he catches or not as much as everyone seems to think they should be.
~
There is likely some truth to that.
But, the Mariners main concern right now is evaluating the 35 pitchers they have in camp over the next 34 days, as well as preparing those who win jobs in the rotation and bullpen in time for the crazy travel schedule that lies ahead…
http://tinyurl.com/7j2a2nt
Billy Beane just signed an extension keeping him with the A’s through 2019.
He probably wouldn’t have done that if he thought they were going to be playing in the same Oakland dump for all that time.
The A’s are very likely going to be getting some good news about moving into the South Bay.
In the meantime, they have to sell tickets to the Coliseum. As I type they are roasting pigs in Oakland’s Little Havana district, wildly celebrating Cespedes’ arrival.
JonHeymanCBS Jon Heyman
#yankees, #pirates still talking aj. deal likely to get done w/ bucs paying $13-15M of $33M, & giving up 2 non-roster guys
IFA clause, they have to non-tender him after his 4th year so no arbitration
——
Gotcha. Thanks.
Based on what I’ve read, most Yankee fans will be glad to see AJ gone.
For whoever was asking if Alex Presley was relared to Elvis, no and neither eas Jim presley of the Mariners. Elvis did have a cousin that played in the Mets system for a few years named Kirk Presley.
Yankee Trader February 13th, 2012 at 6:03 pm
I hears Cespedes is getting the 36M as 6.5, 8.5, then 10.5 and 10.5. By year 3 the A’s might trade him.
_______
Wouldn’t surprise me if it is sooner than year 3. If he does enough this season to generate some interest in the other clubs to trade top prospects Beane won’t hesitate to trade him. I wouldn’t be surprised to see that Beane made the signing in order to trade him down the line.
was ***related*** to Elvis, no and neither ***was*** Jim Presley
The A’s have the biggest stadium…and the largest windows. Their window of opportunity is like goalposts here. Moving further and further away.
“They can’t stink hard enough apparently, because they keep churning out above average big league rotations.”
And then trading them….they need to either stink more …..or start truing to keep guys and win…..this cycle of purgatory they’ve stayed in since the last decade isn’t working
nick – roasting pigs, huh? i’ve never tasted it, but it does sound interesting. does the bay area have a sizable cuban population? if so, then that explains beane’s signing him, he wants a drawing card. and if he hits, he has a trade chip.
m – nice analogy, to the goalposts.
gb – hi. if pitt takes on that much money, cash has done his job. funny, i remember when we went to st a few years ago, and, before the billy crystal game, saw cash go down and spend an awful lot of time with the new pirates’ regime, neal huntington. i wondered then if cash was laying groundwork for something down the road. has he ever…… not all has panned out the way might want (though, marte did factor greatly in ’09 playoffs and ws), they have done a few deals that seemed to make sense when they were made.
i wouldn’t be at all surprised if aj does well in pitt. in a way, i hope he does, as he gave it his all in ny. the real indicator to the success of this deal is how his replacement in the rotation does. so, freddy and phil control this one.
All things considered it sounds like the Yankees are gonna do really well with their trade of AJ.
Gonna get more salary relief than I would have thought and maybe a couple of low level propects thrown in to boot.
Joe, there might be more Cuban restaurants in the Bay Area than there are actual Cubans, but that’s a highly non-scientific observation.
or start truing to keep guys and win…..this cycle of purgatory they’ve stayed in since the last decade isn’t working
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They have Braden and Anderson. Cahill was overrated and Gio is the best thing they traded and even HE is overrated with the walks he gives up. They can bring in most anyone to pitch league average in that park. Now they have 5 or 6 pretty decent offensive pieces. They could be competing with the Rangers or Angels in a year or two.
Joe-
“the real indicator to the success of this deal is how his replacement in the rotation does. so, freddy and phil control this one.”
If that’s the case I don’t think you have to be concerned.
For me the success is addition by subtraction, and some money freed up to strengthen the team in other areas of need.
sp: prospects
http://www.nj.com/yankees/inde.....st_sa.html
Yanks won’t trade for just money relief.
GB-
They are probably gonna get a couple of low-level prospects thrown in.
“They could be competing with the Rangers or Angels in a year or two.”
I seriously doubt it.
Burnett trade becoming clearer? The name of Jake Fox, among others are mentioned
http://blogs.thetimes-tribune......um=twitter
These aren’t names you necessarily need to know now — or, maybe, ever — but according to Baseball America, the Yankees have signed infielder Andury Acevedo and C David Remedios to minor league contracts.
http://blogs.thetimes-tribune.com/yankees/?p=12151
nick – how’s the bay area for bars that serve good scotch?
mtu – i read that link you posted in the last thread. i’m absolutely no good at math or stats, but the discussion was interesting. thanks.
gb – that’s the thing you have to love about minor league players. you never know when you catch lightning in a bottle. see aaron small. or even robbie cano, who was never projected to be a big-time hitter, at least to my knowledge.
and if you want to go back a ways, i don’t think lou brock was ever highly regarded, either. but, i digress.
@Joelsherman1
Feeling is #Yankees #Pirates will get AJ deal done, but not there yet. #Yankees either want better prospects or Pit to eat more $$
Heard #Yankees would do AJ deal if #Pirates took on north of $13M of $33M owed. But so far, Pit offered to eat $10M give up 2 blah prospects
Joe-
You’re welcome.
I think a guy like CB could simplify it pretty easily.
Joe, lots of places with good whiskies in SF.
More places with better varieties in Glasgow and Edinburgh, however.
YankeesWFAN There is a sense Yanks-Pirates deal may not be completed by weekend. Still think Burnett will not be in Yanks first workout next Monday.
about 1 minute ago · reply · retweet · favorite
gb – hi. if pitt takes on that much money, cash has done his job. funny, i remember when we went to st a few years ago, and, before the billy crystal game, saw cash go down and spend an awful lot of time with the new pirates’ regime, neal huntington. i wondered then if cash was laying groundwork for something down the road. has he ever…… not all has panned out the way might want (though, marte did factor greatly in ’09 playoffs and ws), they have done a few deals that seemed to make sense when they were made.
i wouldn’t be at all surprised if aj does well in pitt. in a way, i hope he does, as he gave it his all in ny. the real indicator to the success of this deal is how his replacement in the rotation does. so, freddy and phil control this one.
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Afternoon/evening, Joe. I’m hoping that Burnett can rebound also. As a Yankee his numbers weren’t there where everyone had hoped, but, the effort was. He never blamed the team, the weather or anyone else for his issues. Strictly a stand-up guy. Can’t say that about the guy he replaced (Mussina) where everything was to blame except him. I don’t think that set well with the team. That’s all I can ask for…the effort. As far as I know, there were never any issues with the team mates, I don’t know what was said to girardi on the mound, but, neither does anyone else.
When reminded of the fact that the Yankees opened the offseason by parading Burnett, the Burnett deal seems to be one that technically has been dragging out for months, let alone the last few weeks when things started to become more concrete with the Pirates.
If you ask me, it’s torture.
Scranton outfield possibilities
http://blogs.thetimes-tribune.com/yankees/?p=12158
There’s a realy good roast pork stand at the the Sat morning farmers market which by the way blows away the NYC version in Union Square.
More Burnett info, for what it’s worth. Not alot that’s new.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/.....onday.html
The Scranton article made me realize no one coming back in a Burnett trade is likely to ever play an inning for the Yankees. Surely, they can’t be haggling about which of these guys are in a trade. The Yankees need to give up the illusion of a real trade.
I hope all wish AJ well. I certainly do.
We don’t win No. 27 without that Game 2 performance.
Pitched an excellent Game 2, also, in the ALCS that year, not to mention that Game 4 in 2011 ALDS.
Not his fault we didn’t make it count by losing Game 5.
For all his disappointing ordinariness and volatility in regular season, AJ does have “big game” ability. Some of us trusted him in Game 4 last season, and he came through.
“The Scranton article made me realize no one coming back in a Burnett trade is likely to ever play an inning for the Yankees”
Nope….Cash is trying to get them to take every dime they will before pulling the trigger.
I sincerely doubt Zoilo starts in AAA or that we see him in CF.