A piece that fits: Yankees talking to Hafner
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Jan 30, 2013 
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This time of year is not for finding superstars. It’s a time for filling holes and finding pieces that fit. It’s a time for guys like Travis Hafner.
It was Rob Bradford who first reported that the Yankees are talking to Hafner about becoming their primary designated hitter.Injuries have had an impact, and clearly Hafner’s skills are slipping — that’s why he’s still out there — but last season he hit .241/.361/.437 against right-handers. The year before last, he hit .302/.404/.482 against them. He has a terrific clubhouse reputation and it seems unlikely that he’d require more than a one-year deal. One source said that Hafner could be a perfect fit for Yankee Stadium.
This is the kind of guy the Yankees have had success acquiring this time of year.
With the right-handed outfield market growing increasingly thin — the Yankees signed the best available option when they got Juan Rivera on a minor league deal on Monday – it seems that the last hole free agency can fill is the DH spot. At the very least, Hafner could be the left-handed part of a platoon (maybe Eduardo Nunez could handle the right-handed part?). It’s worth noting that Bobby Abreu, Casey Kotchman and Jim Thome are also still out there from the left side, but I’d have Hafner at the top of that list.
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Let’s do a chat tomorrow. Noon, as usual. Stop by if you can. Can’t imagine what we’ll have to talk about…
good cheap sign with upside. im down with it.
Erin Andrews ?@ErinAndrews
I was going to ask u..u’d be the guy that would know RT @RealCJ10: How exactly do you go about ‘extracting’ deer antler extract???
I think Erin was just joking about Chipper being a hunter…..but she better be careful or a swarm of reporters will surround his house asking if he took deer antler extract
Man if only this were 2007
I cannot wait to see who makes the roster after ST.. there are gonna be a lot of guys competing for roles.
Repost:
Sorry, I meant to include this post by RK (RadioKev):
I mean, OK, if you want. Sports fans are willing to justify just about anything to themselves when it’s THEIR team involved. I think the team earned that 2009 World Series Championship, and A-Rod was certainly a part of it, but I do still find it disappointing.
Before my post:
We have no idea who cheated, except for players whose names were leaked. Given how wide it has been reported that usage was/is, if you are looking for taint, everything in MLB for at least 20 years is tainted, probably in all sports. It’s a slippery slope to try to figure out who used and who didn’t.
Don’t we have to find out the PED history before we sign any new players? That seems to be more important than anything according to what I am reading.
Well Rich, to some degree, you’re right, and to some degree, it’s a cop out. I guess that’s the way the sport is. In either case, it doesn’t allow me to ignore the information at hand.
The attention is totally off the Yankees offseason now…..the Yanks must be tickled….the focus is on Arod and how awful he is and they get to play the victim
Kev – I guess for me there’s no difference between guilt and suspicion at this point.. I don’t feel like I need any evidence to think some players on the 98, 99, and 00 clubs were using something.
The game has been tainted. The players come and go, they are not the issue, they can be replaced. Eventually they will get a season suspension, if MLB is serious or Congress steps in again. To dismiss this as just a role model issue is ludicrous. It’s not just about the players , it’s about the game. It’s been cheapened.
Hafner is a better option that Ibanez or Thames were when they were signed (probably better than A. Jones as well) – so I see this as a net positive overall. Not great, but would be a decent pickup.
How great is the signing of Youk looking now that the 3B situation is such a mess. Would be a bit of a nightmare without him. That said, I think we are looking at 88 wins and the first year without postseason ball in a while.
Talk about selfishness, let’s ruin the game’s integrity so that players can put up artificial numbers.
———————–
Has the game ever had integrity?
“How great is the signing of Youk looking now that the 3B situation is such a mess.”
somewhere south of a Chase Headley trade
Hafner’s gonna run into a few and get into that porch a bit, but his bat has looked woefully slow the last few years. If only he could get his hands on some Cream ‘n’ Clear.
Or Olt!
(Or Flores!)
(Or Gordon!)
Has the game ever had integrity?
=======================
You are talking about truth, justice, the American Way.
This is something else.
Everytime a guy puts up a big number now it will be questioned.
That is what cheapens the game.
Well if he did juice at least he was smart about it as in he juiced first and it earned him a nice contract unlike our guy who gets the contract and then starts juicing.
Duh!
Plus, he either never got caught OR, and this is apparently the least likely scenario, he was clean and his production decreased because of injury or some other natural process.
since the first time Babe Ruth injected himself with sheep testosterone and sprinkled deer antler dust on his hot dogs….the game has been unclean.
Shame
What’s the cop out part?
Sorry, Radio Kev.
since the first time Babe Ruth injected himself with sheep testosterone and sprinkled deer antler dust on his hot dogs….the game has been unclean.
==================
lots of bad sh!t happened blake…why wasn’t there a fuss about it?
don’t tell me there was no internet…
They knew this was coming down.
So did Youk.
It’s why they paid him 12m.
He’s the F/T 3Bman.
mick January 30th, 2013 at 2:37 pm
since the first time Babe Ruth injected himself with sheep testosterone and sprinkled deer antler dust on his hot dogs….the game has been unclean.
==================
lots of bad sh!t happened blake…why wasn’t there a fuss about it?
don’t tell me there was no internet…
——————-
Ultimately, people just don’t care enough about it.
Even now they don’t.
It comes up, people rage and get on moral soapboxes, and then the season starts and they still love baseball.
Babe shot that dear and ate the testicles and antlers because he didn’t want to waste anything. Purely unintentional.
It is because there was no internet.
Abreu, Hafner, Thome and you people swallow it without a whimper. WEAK
“lots of bad sh!t happened blake…why wasn’t there a fuss about it?
don’t tell me there was no internet…”
because there was no internet
Yankees have officially become the playground for player’s one last chance at glory. This is kind of getting pathetic. I just hope it doesn’t get to the point of being unwatchable next year. Youk is a different story and I expect a big year, people will be behind how hard the guy plays and that’s part of the reason we hated him.
Here is an article about drugs in sports from 1969: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c...../index.htm
mick January 30th, 2013 at 2:33 pm
Has the game ever had integrity?
=======================
You are talking about truth, justice, the American Way.
This is something else.
Everytime a guy puts up a big number now it will be questioned.
That is what cheapens the game.
—————————-
I understand that mick but the cat is already out of the bag. Hundreds of yrs from now it probably won’t even be roids or HGH ppl will be genetically enhanced.
I disagree about The Game being tainted. Your allowing the media to focus your vision. That smiling Kid that Donnie is stealing the popcorn from, should be where your focus is. You’ve lost your way courtesy of The Media. PITY
Phranchise January 30th, 2013 at 2:46 pm
Yankees have officially become the playground for player’s one last chance at glory. This is kind of getting pathetic. I just hope it doesn’t get to the point of being unwatchable next year. Youk is a different story and I expect a big year, people will be behind how hard the guy plays and that’s part of the reason we hated him.
—————-
You just gotta hope these guys find another level of motivation by playing for a contender… but ultimately these guys aren’t the guys we’re going to need to ride on the backs of to win a Championship. Jeter, Tex, Granderson, and Cano. Those are the guys that need to step up. (And god hopefully Gardner, too!)
baseball is probably the cleanest today that it’s ever been in its history.
Ken Rosenthal ?@Ken_Rosenthal
Sources: #Yankees indeed talking to Hafner, as first reported by @bradfo. Would fit as left-handed DH.
“baseball is probably the cleanest today that it’s ever been in its history.”
I’m not sure I agree because there may be new drugs that continually updated to avoid detection.
But really, I don’t care. The game is what it is. You either accept it with its faults or you don’t. The same is true of all sports.
As we discussed this morning, it’s really about production. I want young, good players to root for on the Yankees. At this point, there are almost none. That’s all I care about.
Shame Spencer January 30th, 2013 at 2:41 pm
mick January 30th, 2013 at 2:37 pm
since the first time Babe Ruth injected himself with sheep testosterone and sprinkled deer antler dust on his hot dogs….the game has been unclean.
==================
lots of bad sh!t happened blake…why wasn’t there a fuss about it?
don’t tell me there was no internet…
——————-
Ultimately, people just don’t care enough about it.
Even now they don’t.
It comes up, people rage and get on moral soapboxes, and then the season starts and they still love baseball.
————-
Like that clown Verducci
“But really, I don’t care. The game is what it is. You either accept it with its faults or you don’t. The same is true of all sports.”
I agree…..
Baseball writers must loath the NFL
Travis Hafner, that’s funny. Old, slow, can’t play the field and is always injured, ala Nick Johnson.
Although he would only be a very small piece, this guy is just not productive anymore. This team continues to slide into the abyss. Wait till we get a couple of injuries, then what ?
Thought everybody wanted to get away from the “all or nothing” offense that doomed us vs Detroit? 2nd verse same as the 1st.
Even in 2012 – a less than stellar showing – Hafner still managed a near .800 OPS against righties. If he goes back to 2011 – he hits .300 and OPS’s at .886. Nice bat to form the LH side of a DH – with Nunez and the rotating regulars filling in on the right side.
Bench could be: Hafner, Nunez, Nix, RH Of (from Canzler, Diaz, Neal, Rivera and internal candidates), and the BUC. Probably have to carry Nix because there may be games where Nunez and Jeter are in the lineup – if Jeter is playing SS – you need to have Nix come in instead of losing your DH spot. Vice versa – if Nunez is playing SS and Jeter is at DH – if you pull Nunez for defensive purposes – do not want to lose the DH – put in Nix in late innings.
Rich in NJ January 30th, 2013 at 2:22 pm
Don’t we have to find out the PED history before we sign any new players? That seems to be more important than anything according to what I am reading.
———————-
As much as I love hyperbole – it would be nice to know – much like an injury history. So that way when you sign a player you have an idea as to what you’re getting.
I doubt the Union would agree to a baseball version of CarFax.
It is true, the only real upgrades this year are:
Youilis rejuvinated – likey? I actually am high on him this year. I think he will fill in nicely. So much so I think a two year deal could have been warranted. Certainly more than Ichiro’s 2 year deal
Nunez – Will they find him enough at bats to cause havok on the basepaths and big a pesky slap hitter?
Gardner – Quite a few years under his belt, will we see a consistent bat and walk rate this year to kick start the back end of this lineup with a poor hitting catcher potentially?
Pitching – no one. I mean they were great last year, I don’t see pitching being the issue here. Pineda theoretically could be another lights out type of guy, but more than likely not this year. Pitching to me isn’t in any need of any upgrade. If the offense can grind out consistent runs – meaning speed and some consistent hitting – they should win without relying on the HRs
Cervelli/Romine – do one of these guys end up hitting more than we think. Was Martin 20 home run power worth a lot less than a catcher getting the ball in play and hitting maybe .270 ? Big maybe, but if they did.
That’s it – then the unknows. The minor league guys. Do injuries force moves like when the Yankees brought up Cano earlier than desired or a Melky callup?
That’s it – then the unknows. The minor league guys. Do injuries force moves like when the Yankees brought up Cano earlier than desired or a Melky callup?
___
This is the key comment. People whine all the time about what if what if what if…injuries injuries injuries. IF someone gets hurt, someone else steps up like they always do. Its how Cano got to the majors, how Chien Ming Wang got here… Sometimes injuries force the prospects up and we actually have no choice but to give them a chance.
Chip
Sure, but it’s not possible, so we either infer from career arc, change in body type, and/or prior associations, which is really unfair in almost all cases.
For example, Pineda had a spike in velo in the mLs? Should we be suspicious? If a kid puts on 20 lbs. of muscle from 19 to 22, is that a red flag? We have already discussed the Cano & friends issue.
The world is far from ideal, baseball included. I think we have to accept that.
It is, however, one of the many reasons not to lock up any player to a very long-term, big money deal. That’s where the danger really lies.
This season is not at issue.
It’s the same team as last year minus Swisher and Martin.
Ichiro replaces Swisher. Gardner replaces Ibanez.
The MVP’s remain in Jeter, Cano and Tex.
You can bet on Granderson having a better year.
90+ HR’s are gone but we want to be more situational.
Thought everybody wanted to get away from the “all or nothing” offense that doomed us vs Detroit? 2nd verse same as the 1st.
____
Hence playing Nunez, Gardner returning, Youkilis, even resigning Ichiro.
Besides Swisher (Martin was HR or bust 4/5 times he was bust (.200)), Jones/Ibanez? sub .250, homer or bust.
We will have a well balanced team as long as girardi actually gives them a chance to play (nunez in particular)
Hafner is another Russell Martin. Personally, I would rather have Ibanez than Hafner. Ibanez would at least attempt to situationally hit when need be, put the ball in play with 2 strikes, and could actually play a position. Hafner is incapable of doing these things, and on the bases is a tug boat.
Better not see any of this platoon crap with Gardner. Also not regularly with Ichiro. So sick of matchups. Both are the type of hitters that can get in a groove and slap against lefties too. He’s had a histoy of not letting Gardner hit vs. lefties and it has to stop. Same with only playing Nunez v lefties….. Just let them play unless they are absolutely dreadful vs. the other side of the plate.
Nunez, Gardner, Youk and Ichiro are situational hitters.
Swisher and Martin were not.
People cried about these hero swingers last year and now they are gone.
What more do you want?
At this moment they are not going for big multi -year contracts.
That will change.
Hal is just a trailblazer…
Yanks give away useful\multi purpose players like DeWayne Wise, and Dickerson, and bring aboard 1 dimensional players like Hafner. This is going in the Wrong direction.
Youkilis is a dead pull hitter that struck out 20% of the time. What is situational about that?
If Hal issa “trail blazer”, he musta been leading the Donner Party.
Why couldn’t we have kept Dickerson as our left handed bat for DH platoon?
The bad news is not they are trying to sign Hafner. The bad news is they need to since they have no young left handers hitters they trust to hit better than him.
Don,
That is a good point about Dickerson. I get they have too many left handed hitting outfielders, but Hafner can’t play anywhere in the field.
On MLB network they’re showing 1983 World Series highlights narrated by Mel Allen with Frank Stallone’s ” Far From Over” playing behind him.
How bout’ that?
Rich in NJ January 30th, 2013 at 3:21 pm
Chip
Sure, but it’s not possible, so we either infer from career arc, change in body type, and/or prior associations, which is really unfair in almost all cases.
For example, Pineda had a spike in velo in the mLs? Should we be suspicious? If a kid puts on 20 lbs. of muscle from 19 to 22, is that a red flag? We have already discussed the Cano & friends issue.
The world is far from ideal, baseball included. I think we have to accept that.
It is, however, one of the many reasons not to lock up any player to a very long-term, big money deal. That’s where the danger really lies.
——————-
Or you negotiate out clauses into contracts with the Union.
Jeff Passan ?@JeffPassan
Miami New Times posted records of Gio Gonzalez with his name/stats written near “pink cream,” a synthetic testosterone: http://bit.ly/Yj4gZa
“Or you negotiate out clauses into contracts with the Union.”
I would rather the franchise I root for exercise self-restraint because any CBA solution will have layers of review for any potential violation, which is time-consuming and and the outcome unpredictable.
I think a team should concentrate on development, even at the cost of stepping back periodically, buy-out option years to gain some measure of cost-control during peak production, and then look to trade high as the ability for cost-control evaporates.
Since there are always exceptions to every general rule, if you are going to extend a player long-term, do it while they are still young, like Jeter’s first big contract, make sure it’s purely a baseball decision, and have private investigators check players out with a scary degree of thoroughness.
Rich,
I don’t disagree about the long term contracts – hence I would be fine letting the Dodgers or Nationals invest 8 years into Cano – but as long as a team like the Yankees feels that they need to justify high consumer costs by avoiding using rookies, teams are going to take risks on players – the teams though should have an out if it turns out that the contract they gave the player was negotiated in bad faith. However, if you sign a player who has already failed a test (ie Melky) and he fails one while under contract with your team, then you’re on the hook.
JF good article. Thanks for posting the link! I get your point as well.
I remember the Bobby Baun story as if it were yesterday. We all thought it was great that he was so dedicated that he’d play on a broken leg. He was a huge hero in the press as well. Being a Leaf fan and twelve years old I thought he was great. What a hero!
We talk frequently of the Yankees great farm system. I do note the Red Sox have six players in the top 100 to our three. I understand these are subjective rankings, but wouldn’t we like to have so many?
Frankly, my concern is the evaluators know more than we bloggers about the real talent level of the system. We blithely act as if this guy or the other will do this or that in the majors. None of our prospects, except perhaps Sanchez have been tagged as potential all stars.
Can you imagine how excited we would be to have the Rangers, Mariners, Cardinals or other teams systems?
My ultimate point is there is no basis to believe the system will have some truckload of quality players appear any time in the foreseeable future. We can hope, but reality and experience say otherwise.
Prospects are suspects until they prove otherwise…..that’s why I would have been ok giving 2 of those top 4 for Justin Upton.
I love that group of (Mason, Sanchez, Austin, and Heathcott) and I’m glad we have them….but as I’ve said before the odds say that of that group 1 will turn out to be an above average big leaguer…..one will bust all together….then the other two will be big leaguers of variable ability…..maybe all 4 will be stars….but that’s highly unlikely.
Teams like the Yanks should never have to rely on a group of prospects 2 years away from the big leagues and I certainly hope that isn’t the plan.
“Can you imagine how excited we would be to have the Rangers, Mariners, Cardinals or other teams systems?”
if we had the Mariners system we would have given it to the Mariners for Pineda already
I’m all in on Gardner..Hafner I guess he could help
My ultimate point is there is no basis to believe the system will have some truckload of quality players appear any time in the foreseeable future. We can hope, but reality and experience say otherwise.
———————-
The mistake the Yankees made is not doing a better job of adding prospects to the roster every couple of yrs. You never want to rely solely on a few guys but you want to try to make the transition as easy as possible. If Ajax is on the team it wouldn’t be we desperately need the kids in A ball to make. Instead we would say if we can add one of those players with Ajax then we are in good shape. I think Chip pointed this out before when it comes to the Yankees it’s always a wave. Trey, Bs, Relievers, A ball, Catchers, etc. It’s never here are our guys
Mike Greenberg ?@Espngreeny
I think it was possible ARod was never going to play another game for the #Yankees anyway. Now, I think it’s a lock.
Francesa: NFL had a steroid problem ten yrs ago and now they don’t have it but MLB has a huge steroid problem. They are dealing with it now and the NFL had a big problem with it back then.
Can he at least admit they have a problem with it now.
” – but as long as a team like the Yankees feels that they need to justify high consumer costs by avoiding using rookies, teams are going to take risks on players –”
I think they have been trying to fool consumers by taking fliers on too many players who are past their prime, rather than selling the excitement that young players can bring.
If their business model is as invulnerable as some say, then why not construct the team with the longer term in mind?
Mike Greenberg ?@Espngreeny
I think it was possible ARod was never going to play another game for the #Yankees anyway. Now, I think it’s a lock.
__
There are no locks. Unless the Yankees want to set fire to over $100m, he’s staying longer than some people want to imagine.
I honestly don’t know how Francesa keeps his job…. There isn’t a more clueless person in the media
blake
Have you heard Richard Neer or Tony Page or or Steve Somers or Stephen A. Smith talking about something other than the NBA or Kay with his personal pettiness that affects many of his opinions?
There’s a reason that Francesa makes big bucks. The level of idiocy on sports talk radio in NY is epic, and in many ways, he is less stupid than most of the others.
Rich,
Skinniest kid at fat camp then I guess….I just can’t stand listening to him….mlbradio is like the only sportstalk I listen to anymore in the car
Blake,
I do think they are relying on a handful of prospects to make significant impacts by 2014. There are too many open roster spots to fill otherwise unless it is more ultra cheap players.
I don’t want to play psychologist, but I think Hal is simply relying on Cashman’s prior statements and perhaps his current ones that the minor league system will be the core of the team. Hal expects him to prove it.
I do like MLB sports radio. It is far more thoughtful than other sports talk shows.
blake -
i’ve only listened to snippets of francesa.
i think clueless people like to listen to clueless people.
clueless leaders and clueless followers.
the thing that bothers me about one more PED scandal with the yankees is how much stress can the yankee brand take. i know personally i’m pretty sick of yankee management and the direction they are taking the team.
once jeter and mo is gone , do we even recognize the team they put on the field as the yankees ?
i seriously think yankee ownership and yankee management needs to sit down and decide what the yankees are all about. the scandal with alex is clearly outside the lines of what a team that cares about doing things the right way would allow.
but the problem is , why single out alex? the yankees have done zilch to set a hight standard. guys like jeter and mo have. right now those two players are the moral compass for the yankee and the gold standard of what yankee players should be like.
ownership and management doesn’t have a clue how these guys happened upon them.
they need to stop figuring out how to get rid of alex and figure out how to get future yankees like jeter and mariano in their future.
if the yankees think they have a alex problem they really need to look in the mirror.
“Hal expects him to prove it.”
Or is setting him up for failure? Anyway, he’s a year late, if not three.
I can stand Tony Paige.
Somers is a clown
Stephen A. is tolerable when he isn’t completely wrong about something.
I like Neer but sometimes he can be clueless as well.
once jeter and mo is gone , do we even recognize the team they put on the field as the yankees ?”
It’s gonna be weird without DJ…..end of a whole era when he retires
cant stand***
I say let’s go with veteran Hafner at DH and Rivera at righthanded fourth outfielder and see what they can do.
Hafner hits alot of homeruns, gets on base, and most importantly hits righties well while Rivera has some pop, is serviceable in the field, and most importantly makes contact (career .118 SOR or Strike Out Rate) and hits lefties well.
Who the !@#$ are Thomas Neal and Russ Canzler? Have them start the season in AAA on call to be called up in case someone gets injured. I’d still see what Matt Diaz could do but I like Rivera’s high contact rate.