Postgame notes: Swisher not worried while waiting for MRI results
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Notes, Today in the Journal News on Jul 21, 2012 
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Nick Swisher went for what the Yankees are calling a precautionary MRI on his groin/quad injury. The results aren’t yet available — the Yankees expected to hear something by the end of the game — but Swisher was moving pretty easily through the Yankees clubhouse this afternoon.
“I feel like I know my body pretty well,” Swisher said. “In situations like that, you know when something really goes or when something kind of gets nicked a little bit. I feel it’s hopefully just a little strain and then just kind of day-to-day from here.”
The Yankees have already decided that Swisher will sit out the rest of this series in Oakland. At the earliest he’ll be back Monday night in Seattle.
“It’s something we’re just going to have to deal with over the next couple days,” Joe Girardi said. “Depending on what the MRI shows, it will give us a better idea how long it’s probably going to be.”
Swisher said he’s still confident the disabled list will never come into play.
“I feel like I’m one of those guys that I can play through a lot of pain, but I think more than anything, I just want to get back,” Swisher said. “I’ve got to take these next couple of days off, just chill out, and we’ll see what happens in Seattle.”
• The Yankees face a right-handed starter tonight, and the next four nights, which means Dewayne Wise could get some regular playing time as long as Swisher is out. “He’s got a chance to play a lot, that’s for sure,” Girardi said.
• Girardi said he really hasn’t heard a detailed report on Joba Chamberlain’s most recent minor league rehab outing. Chamberlain gave up a couple of runs yesterday, but Girardi said he hasn’t heard anything to concern him. “Everything has went pretty smoothly,” Girardi said. “The fact that he’s been able to throw two innings has been good. I think he threw 32 pitches yesterday, and he used all his pitches, so I don’t see how it could have really went any better.”
• Before they face Bartolo Colon tomorrow afternoon, the Yankees are seeing a lot of the A’s young starters this series. Tommy Milone and A.J. Griffin have pitched well the past two nights. Tonight it’s Jarrod Parker’s turn. “They’re all a little bit different,” Girardi said. “The guy we’re going to face tonight has a little bit more power and an excellent changeup. They’re young, they’re throwing the ball well and they’re locating.”
• Speaking of locating, Girardi said that’s the reason the Yankees haven’t been drawing walks out here. It’s not being too aggressive at the plate. The Yankees simply aren’t seeing a ton of pitches out of the zone. “They’re throwing a lot of strikes,” Girardi said. “When you look up there, they’re just throwing a lot of strikes and they’re location. You look at he last two guys we faced, they’re command guys. They don’t have a lot of walks. Something that they’re doing a good job of.”
• Yoenis Cespedes has his batting average up to .304 with 12 homers and 44 RBI. After bursting onto the radar this winter, Cespedes has largely lived up to his billing. “He’s swinging the bat extremely well, and he’s hitting the ball hard,” Girardi said. “The contact that he’s making is hard contact, so whether it’s a ground ball flying through the infield or it’s a home run, he’s swinging the bat really well.”
• Maybe it’s because the Yankees are in first place and it’s the middle of July, but really, things are incredibly quiet around this team. Aside from the Swisher injury, there’s just not much going on here day-to-day.
Associated Press photo
Jerkface July 21st, 2012 at 7:53 pm
The penalties are too severe too cross the 189.
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They are the same penalties that they are incurring now! The only reason they are now suddenly hot to get under the limit is that the new CBA introduced a convenient excuse for HAL to want it.
Jerkface July 21st, 2012 at 7:53 pm
If they kept payroll at their current amount they’d actually incur LESS luxury tax because the limit now is lower than 189. So they’d be taxed on less.
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I just noticed that when i read it a minute ago.
The max rate,is what,50%,if you are over 3 straight years,and no more than 50%?
Actually it is 50% on the 4th time,or more over the 189.
The Yankees currently pay 40%, it will be 42.5% this year, and then 50% for 2013-20whenever the CBA expires. The limit is 178 right now, and will be 189 starting in 2014
If they kept their payroll at 210 they would pay 2 million less in 2014 than they would now.
I can still see why they wan’t to break the consecutive years over to get the lower tax,as long as we are still competing.
It is when we are struggling,and they still are cheap with their money is when i might have a problem with it.
I think there are additional incentives in addition to not paying the tax,
They should try to convince Teixeira to waive his no-trade this offseason while he’s still productive. We don’t need 2 Arod’s on this team.
“The guy we’re going to face tonight has a little bit more power and an excellent changeup.”
Uh oh!
I understand the cutting payroll.. but i still don’t understand how you can possibly do that with arod still on this team. Arod was signed to a massive deal to win championships. So, this team should spend freely until arod is gone. The entire reason arod was signed to a mega deal was to win championships. So, how can you decide to cut payroll halfway through his deal? This dude will still be making 20+ mill a year for years to come. So, that’s going to make it very, very, difficult for this team to slash payroll and still field a title contender year after year with alex on this team. So, Why not just give up on cutting payrol until alex is no longer a yankee? Cano would be out of his prime, and all the big time paid guys would be gone. Then you can start over.
The yankees want to cut payroll with their 2 superstars of old and their new face of the franchise in cano still on their roster. If your going to cut payroll, then let cano and granderson go. What’s they point of keeping them if we arent going to go the extra mile to spend on free agents and increase our chance to win titles with this core?
JF,
Then the only reason for lowering payroll is to lower cost to improve the profits of the team?, not because the penalties are a lot higher than they were in the previous CBA’s?
Granderson will surely be a casualty of Arod’s contract IMHO. Cano will be locked up but Granderson should be dealt for a boatload of prospects.
I think there are additional incentives in addition to not paying the tax,
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They get revenue sharing rebates that are a couple million per season. The incentives are pure greed for the steinbros, because the money can’t be put back into the team and its not like we’ll see ticket decreases. And they can’t spend more in the draft or IFA with it either.
Arod and Teixeira are practically carved in granite on this team. There is a teeny tiny chance Arod would accept a trade to Miami because of his ties there, but the Yankees would likely have to pay a huge amount of his salary, and then it’s still a longshot.
I thought there were additional tens of millions from the revenue sharing or something if they stayed below for a couple years (something like that)?
Tex at 32,or whatever age he is,has 4 year left.
He will be productive most of those years,cc also.
Arod was an absolute disaster.
5 years left of absolute dead weight.
It is the age at wich arod was signed.
I’m not worried about tex having,maybe a bad year in 2016,his last year,but 5 more years of arod,after this one.
Man i feel sorry for him.
He is going to beg owners for a buyout when the fans get through with him.
I believe it’s about resetting the tax after not going over for whatever the time period is. It’s the possibility of being able to pay NO tax.
Tabbert,
The Arod contract is the worst contract ever signed…He is still a good player, but not elite anymore, and he is not going to get better but worse…Mo, maybe will come for another season…Jeter is 38…How long do you think they are going to stay competitive with those guys in the lineup in the future?
Aaron Cook ERA update: 3.03
Luis are there not additional incentives? I read that getting below $189 million meant up to $60 million in additional profits for the Yankees. They don’t pay that in payroll tax now. This new CBA will hurt the Yankees more than any other team.
If M-Will, Sanchez, Austin don’t become all-star caliber players (which is what the team needs, long-term. If they become .700 OPS players, it doesn’t erase the need for the Yanks to get bats, which will lead to them overpaying via trade or in FA. They finally need their own homegrown guys to become impact players like the core 5, not merely complimentary players), they’ll be screwed, so they can’t put all their eggs in their basket either, they have to treat them as a bonus if they pan out. … which will lead to giving Granderson $100+ million from ages 33-38.
Ron,
Tex contract is already a bad one…He is declining
The owners feel they still can be as good with 189,considering most teams won’t even sniff.
Let them have their fun ,reset the tax %,then spend like drunken sailors when all the huge contracts are gone.
Hi Comet,
You should ask JF, he is the guy that knows the intricacies of the new CBA.
AZ88,
The secret of the dynasties we have enjoyed in the past was that we had a very good homegrown core, complemented by good FA signings. It’s not putting all the eggs in one basket, you need to develop impact players from within, otherwise we risk another dark age like the 80′s
luis-
my point is, how can the yankees decide to cut payroll with Arods contract still on this team? He no longer can help us win, but yet he is costing us 20+ million a year. So, why not go out and get hamiltom, and by the time his deal is over.. him and arod will both be gone. Or.. we can stand pat, not win, and still pay arod. Arod is not going anywhere.. so we can either keep paying him and get older, and not win titles, or we can just decide to cut payroll AFTER his contract is up. Go out, sign a free agent or two.. keep this team a contender for the next 5 years. Between swisher leaving, and hopefully mo taking less money… your not adding a bunch of payroll with hamilton. But, you are giving this team a legit chance to win multiple titles with arod still on this roster.
Aaron Cook ERA 2.94
Luis.
Any player that hits 40/110,and gg defense,i can live with.
Yes against rh pitching,he is struggling,but at 36 yrs old,tex will be gone.
Not a bad signing.
Arod will be 42,and in a wheelchair,and might not even have the hr record.
Tabbert,
All I can say, is that they want to reset the clock and avoid paying the luxury tax…Also, Arod’s is not the only long term contract they have…I think (JF please correct me if I am wrong) you are paying 125-126 mil to six players already.. There is not enough money to field a team, unless you go up to 220 or 225 mil ceiling…With the luxury tax that it implies…Plus then you end up with more bad long term contracts and a very old team
he Arod contract is the worst contract ever signed…He is still a good player, but not elite anymore, and he is not going to get better but worse…Mo, maybe will come for another season…Jeter is 38…How long do you think they are going to stay competitive with those guys in the lineup in the future?
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Mo has not declined at all. Jeter is still good and I don’t see him dropping off that much.
It is Arod that is and will be the problem. Like you wrote, the worst contract ever signed. No way will he be worth any portion of it. He already is showing signs of “dead weight” syndrome.
Ron,
Not arguing how bad Arod’s contract is and will be…But Tex is no longer providing the production that the contract he signed requires…He was supposed to anchor the lineup along with Cano, once Arod wasn’t able to do so…Well, that time has come and they are pitching around Cano to face Tex for a reason…Granted he is batting a lot better the last few days, but he is too streaky…And FTR, is not his Right handed swing that I am concerned about, is his lefthanded swing. He is a good player, but not what he was signed for.
The yanks have shaved their luxury tax payments the past four years. So this trend is nothing new. It just becomes more apparent ashore players age. It will be readily apparent over the next two years unless ARod turns it around.
It is true that the Yanks may recoup some revenue sharing in addition to whittling it’s luxury tax payments. But I’ve read a few different places where experts say the revenue whammy argument is overblown, and it may save the team a few million.
My sense is Hal is determined to run the team like a business. He splurged one last time before 2009 to make the old man happy before he passed. Now that George is no longer around, Hal will spend enough to keep the team competitive and keep the stadium mostly full, but I don’t seeing him spending the extra cash to go the extra mile.
RMS,
Yes, Mo hasn’t shown signs of decline, but he is 42 years old…How long do you think he will be able to play?…Jeter has defied father time as well, for how long? …As much as I love those guys, nobody can run from time, so at some point in the near future they won’t be able to supply the production they once did. As for Arod, it is more obvious his decline because at some point he carried the team all by himself, he no longer can do that
The above post should have read “as core players age …” and “revenue sharing” instead of “revenue whammy” … Though the pursuit of 189 million may be a whammy to the team’s on-field performance …
Comet, they will only get close to 60 million if they stay under for the entire length of the CBA. And its not going to be 60 million.
Luis- The yankees will be cutting quite a bit of payroll after this season.
Mo – 15 million a year
Swisher- 10.25 Mill
Kuroda- 10.0 Mill
Martin- 7.5 Mill
Felicano- 4 Mill
Freddy- 4 Mill
Pettitte 2.5 mill
not even couting jones, ibanez, chavez… figure they could return.
Both cano and granderson have club options for next year. So, before even locking them up, and other players salary increases… the yankees payroll would dip below 160 million at seasons end.
So, unless they can somehow find a outfield replacement for swisher, a catcher, a good bench, and possibly another starter, for 25-30 million… there is no way they will be able to keep granderson and cano. Unless they let soriano go…. but the we don’t have a closer.
Most players don’t earn their contracts,especially all throughout them.
Lee,santanna,zito,and many others.
If you can get good years for most of the contract,you did well.
Against rh pitching,he struggles,and ba is low,but i’ll take the 40/120,and be happy,with gg defense.
4 more year and he,and cc are gone,and only arod will have a year left in 2017.
They are setting themselves up nicely to wipe the slate clean,be able to spend a busload of money in a few years,with a good farm system.
Those big contracts to ARod, CC, Tex, will haunt the Yankees until they run out. Until then, there is little financial flexiblity. If they don’t resign Swisher and I don’t think they should, who plays right field? Andruw Jones? That is why a few on here, having recognized that the Yankees will be hard pressed to win from 2013 to 2017 as they transition, have advocated trading Cano, Swisher and Granderson.
the posts here make it sound like the Yanks don’t have the highest payroll in the ML………that a 200 million dollar payroll is being cheap……….
Hal running this team like a business is his prerogative.
At the end of the day though he is selling entertainment at a high end premium price. At some point the customers of that product will no longer be willing to pay a premium if enough of them sense that what they are paying for is no longer top notch entertainment. So less and less of them will be unwilling to shell out the $200 or so it takes to get a decent ticket, a beer and a hot dog and a parking space. They will walk right by the jerseys too. Many fans will say is it really worth it to see the likes of of Jayson Nix in LF or Chris Stewart at C. I would say 99% of those fans could give a flying s about the tax implications for the ownership team. They just want to be entertained. If Hal forgets or downplays that simple fact then he will be in for a rude awakening.
Time will tell.
Technically the yankees could sign hamilton, hope MO signs a one year dear for half of what he was making? so maybe 7.5? Then with the losses of swisher, kuroda, martin, freddy, garcia, pettite, they would have actually cut payroll. Then, they can use their option on grandy for next year, then let him walk after next season. So, you could payroll for next year, still have grandy, cano, hamilton, then let grandy walk after 2013 and still have cano and hamilton long term.
If only we had a nice young, cheap, catcher, to plug in for martin.
Pitching
Sabathia
Nova
Hughes
Pineda
Phelps? Not sure banuelos would be ready with his health.
ss Jeter
cf Grandy
2b Cano
LF Hamilton
3b Arod
1b Tex
Dh Jones
RF Gardner
C ???? Not sure romine would be ready.
Bullpen: Ardsma,Joba, Logan, Drob, Soriano, Mariano. use a minor leaguer for the long man.
Garza left tonight’s game with an apparent wrist or forearm injury per mlbtr. That’s not a big help for Theo.
Tabbert,
Good post….Got to go…I will respond after the game…Sorry a dinner…But anyway good take
luis
Next year will be Mo’s last.
Why resign granderson to a long term deal if we can use the savings of players leaving to just go out and get hamilton instead? Cano and Hamilton would be one helluva 1-2 punch.
Greg,
Nobody is saying that…What we are saying is that since they have a payroll that size, there is little flexibility to improve the team without going over those 200 mil already…And the FO has clearly stated that they are going under the 189 mil cap, which makes it even harder
Greg D. No what we are saying is that with the contracts of CC, ARod, Jeter, Mo and Tex, there isn’t a lot left for the rest of the team. There are guys like Swisher, Cano and Granderson who can do better than what the Yankees can offer them under the new CBA. The problem is that the NYY were big spenders and did fine under the old CBA. The new CBA mutes the advantage of spending over the salary cap and makes it very hard to use money to leverage the draft and also took away the advantage the Yankees and other big spending teams had in the international market. We are looking at self imposed parity. Part of the blame goes to Hal who seems unwilling to spend to excess.
I’m not in love with giving Granderson a big deal for him to play out his mid 30s either. That is going to be the first case study for how they plan on doing business.
Tabbert
Don’t look for Yanks to sign Hamilton. NY is not the place for him, he is injured a lot and Yanks will not shell out another big money contract.
Yanks luxury tax payments last four years:
08: 26.8 million
09: 25.7 million
10: 18 million
11: 13.9 million
The trend isn’t new
Oh i don’t expect the Yankee to sign Hamilton. I do feel like he is a better fit for us long term than granderson though.
Yankees21,
Well said. Penny wise, pound foolish.
Luis and Comet
i understand what you are saying………they don’t have flexibility and that is why Cashman each year tries to fill the roster with less expensive options…………… I don’t blame Hal for not wanting to spend to excess. I don’t think it’s a good strategy to pay other teams………..