Monday, May 10, 2010

Hindsight

Continuing on the discussion thread -

Here's who we got:

Nick Johnson - .167 avg. and a trip to the 15 Day DL

Marcus Thames - .382 avg (good), but fielding has proven to be suspect

Javier Vazquez - 1-3, 9.78 ERA


Here's who we've let go:

Austin Jackson - .366 avg. .414 obp. and 6 Sbs

Johnny Damon - .288 avg. .403 obp.

Phil Coke - 3-0 1.76 ERA

Ian Kennedy - 2-2, 3.48 ERA

Tyler Clippard (remember him?): 6-0 0.76 ERA!!!

Matsui - .237 avg. 4 HRs

Jose Tabata: .345 avg. (AAA)

Jeff Karstens (you didn't really think I wasn't going to mention him did you?): 1-1, 4 ERA



Conclusion: Sometimes it is better to leave well enough alone and not over tinker with a line up.

44 comments:

old professor said...

Can't disagree with anything you have said - let's not forget that Granderson is on the DL and was hitting .225 and still cannot hit lefthanders and Johnson is back on the DL for several weeks due to a problem with his wrist. This past off-season will not be remembered as one of Cashman's finest.

Crash said...

If the Yankees had kept Damon and Jackson they may have been 27-4 at this point.

Mid said...

The thing that kills me about Damon (and Matsui for that matter) is that for the most part - he pretty much lived up to billing while under contract and really came up big during last season's championship run - that should have counted for something (in an ideal world anyway) and would have liked to see something worked out.

Crash said...

I blame Cashman for Matsui leaving and the trades that have to be deemed as failures at this point.

Damon leaving is squarely on Damon (and Boras).

Split double header today 1pm & 7pm.
Yankees need to sweep both games to keep pace with the Rays.

Has anyone noticed that the Jays are actually ahead of the Red Sox in the AL East standings. Red Sox are a mess this year. Another GM that misplayed the offseason...Theo went with the concept of better defense will win games. Cameron and Ellsbury are on the DL, Beltre has a ton of errors. Lackey hasn't lived up to the hype of being the best FA pitcher on the market. Signed Beckett to an extension and his arm is about to fall off. Dice-K has declined drastically. It's mid-May and they're already whistling in the graveyard. (great Torre quote).

Crash said...

So much for staying healthy this year. Aceves placed on DL today, remember he left Sunday's game.

That's Park, Aceves, Johnson, and Granderson on the DL. Pettitte, Posada, A-Rod, Rivera, Cano, and Jeter all with various slight ailments.

old professor said...

Injuries happen. Indications are that Juan Miranda is up for the double header and will play first in one game and dh in the other. At age 27 he is younger and more equiped to play for the Yankees than Johnson.

Park should be back this weekend. Rivera is completely healed. Be concerned about the condition of the Yankees outfield. Right now you have Swisher (streak hitter) and Gardner. To fill in you have Wynn who isn't hitting, Thames who can't field and now Goleson who can't hit either. Wonder if there are more than second thoughts about letting Damon go and trading Jackson.

Mid said...

Tyler Clippard is now 7-1 with a 1.80 ERA.

WTF

Crash said...

Garnder may have an outside shot at making the all-star team this year. If he can keep his average around .330 (currently .337) and lead the AL in steals (currently 16 SB) he could wind up in LA on July 13th...especially with Girardi as the manager this year.

Mid I like what Clippard is doing, but he is being way overworked by Riggleman (Nat's manager). He's appeared in more than half of the Nationals games already. What about Strasburg...he dominated AA ball, so they promote him to AAA...all he's done is pitch 12 innings, striking out 13, 2 walks, 1 hit and 0 runs. What the hell are they waiting for?? CALL HIM UP!!! They pulled him after 6 innings in his last start (he hadn't given up a hit yet). Not sure if it was pitch count or an innings limit, but I would think they would want him working deeper into games. I keep hearing June 8th is his targeted debut in DC. Should be fun to watch.

old professor said...

Surprise, Javy actually pitched well. Unfortunately the Yankee bats were non-existent. On the upside - Could Hughes be the real deal? He has been dominant in all of his starts.

Crash said...

I remember hearing someone on XM Baseball in the preseason say that this was going to be Hughes' breakout year and that he will be the Yankees #2 starter come playoff time.

At this rate he will win the CY Young. No one in the AL will be close to him. He's 5-0 with an ERA below 1.50, averaging a K per inning. SICK STUFF. Those #'s are better than Lincecum right now. Though I traded for him in my fantasy league so he will no doubt go in the tank the rest of the season...sorry.

Javy pitched well enough to get a W...there is no logical explanation as to why that lineup should ever get shutout.

Crash said...

Not to be oerly doom-and-gloom here...but I think the Yankees are going to get shutout again tonight (that would make 3 of their last 4 games). Tonight they take on the Twins and Liriano is going for the Twins. He has been real good, looking like his old self.

old professor said...

Yankees win another series taking two of three from the Twins -should have been a sweep, but Mo was very uncharacteristic - a walk with the bases loaded and then giving up a grand slam. Maybe he needs to be used more??

Injury bug continues to hit the Yankees. Swisher apparently cannot bat against right handed pitchers because of a bicep problem. Not great news.

Granderson's return seems to be just around the corner. Hey has anyone noticed that Cervelli seems to be catching more games than originally anticipated?

Crash said...

I think Posada's knee may still be bothering him some. SO they can use him as the DH. This will also mean he's rested as the season wears on.

Plus I think Cervelli is a better catcher than Posada, calls a better game, stronger arm, better defensively...and how do you bench Cervelli when he's batting .390?

Tough schedule this week (this has been a tough start to the season schedule wise for the Yanks...when does it get easier???) 2 against Boston, 2 with Tampa, weekend series with the Mets in Queens. Hope Hughes can keep it going tonight and shut down the Sox. Stadium should be jumping. Sox could really be done after this week (2 against the Yankees, 2 with the Twins, a weekend series against the Phillies, then a 3 game set against Tampa).

Crash said...

By the way Vazquez is being skipped again his next start is against the Mets. He finally pitches half way decent and he gets skipped...Yankees are going with a 6 man rotation until he gets straightened out???

old professor said...

Crash, there is a reason Vasquez is being skipped in the rotation: (a) they want both he and Sabbathia available for the Mets series. Vasquez and Sabbathia are proven hitters in the National League compared to the rest of the Yankee staff. So if two of the three games can be pitched by people who (a) can hit and (b) have experience in the national league let's go with that.

In addition by going with the staff alignment, CC pitches against Boston and the Mets.

Here is something else to consider - The Mets need a quality starter and the Yankees need a better bat in the outfield. Equal trade Bay for Javy!!

Crash said...

Take a look at the numbers old prof Bay isn't an upgrade to anyone in the OF.

old professor said...

Last night's game against Boston has to go as one of the classics of the rivalry. Up 5-0, 6-1, 6-5, 7-5; down 9-7 only to come back with two two-run homeruns in the ninth - UNBELIEVEABLE. If Phil Rizzuto were still alive we would be hearing Holy Cows for hours.

And the biggest oddity - Vasquez recording one out and getting the win.

Crash, Bay is hitting .278 with 18 RBIs that is a significant upgrade over Wynn and he is slightly better defensively than Thames.

On the negative side of things: Posada out, Johnson headed for surgery, Aceves on the DL, and the bullpen is a complete mess.

Crash said...

That game could be the defining game of the season for both teams. If the Yankees lose that game they have back to back crushing losses...the Red Sox lose that game after coming all they way back...when Papelbon came in and was throwing only 91, I knew A-Rod was going to take him deep. That pitch speed is exactly what A-Rod crushes, if you take it up to 94 he has hard time catching up to it for power. I knew Thames was going to try and make up for chasing that Bard pitch out of the zone. What I don't understand is Cervelli getting up and acting all tough and mad. Obviously Papelbon doesn't want to put the winning run on base. Dust yourself off and get down to first. Hughes started out OK, but then threw too many predictable cutters. He needs to throw his changeup more and less of the cutter.

I'm not sure what's up with the bullpen. If I'm Girardi, I don't use Park against Boston ever again. Joba was hit his last time out, Mo gives up the grand slam, Robertson is not pitching well, Ace is on the shelf.

Crash said...

Thames may be the worse defensive outfielder in the game. He absolutely cost the Yankees a W last night. And where the hell was Winn playing, he was so shallow he could have been playing shortstop.

The bullpen SUCKS (right now)!!!

I know Joba gave up a bunch of runs but I don't think there was a hard hit ball in the bunch. But he wasn't his "old self" he was topping out at 91MPH.

Yankees cough up 3 5 run leads late in the game the last 3 nights. Not a good sign. If Cashman wasn't in the trade market before he should be now. Both to upgrade the OF and upgrade the bullpen.

old professor said...

Crash,
The Yankees are trying a balancing act right now. Swisher should be in rightfield but can't bat left handed. Posada is out because of a foot injury. Last night for the bench was Pena. They sent Golson down to bring up another pitcher.

Joba is a mental case that has trouble staying focused. Mo may be showing his age or is still hurting from the side injury. Robertson has returned to the form that he has shown for most of his career.

Thames should be a designated hitter at best. Nice guy good to have in the clubhouse and he can hit. Put him in the outfield and you are going to get what you got - errors and misplayed balls.

Crash said...

Boy AJ sucked his last 2 starts. Which kind of makes think his next one is going to be lights out.

Posada is going on the DL with a broken foot. He'll be out about a month. I was really hoping they would call up Montero, but I guess it's going to be Moeller.

Miranda is playing well right now. I would guess the Yankees are just showcasing him as trade bait.

Yankees need to pull out a win tonight, you can't go losing 3 of 4 from the Rays and Sox.

old professor said...

If you haven't noticed Sabbathia, Burnett and Hughes have had a couple of rough ottings each. They could be going through the tired arm syndrome, which could be related to these guys going 7 and 8 innings in all of their starts. It was not a wise decision to push AJ to 116 pitches last night with the game out of hand.

Crash don't be surprised to see AJ Pillatre as the catcher brought up. He is as good defensively as Moeller and is hitting over .300. Moeller is not hitting his weight.

They also need to bring up an outfielder who can play regularly and produce defensively and offensively. Curtis would be nice.

Crash said...

Ummm...CC just went 7IP with 1 ER with like 3 hits. I agree I would like to see Curtis up as well. I think they're looking at Curtis to be the everyday RF in 2 years. I think that is when Swisher's contract is up. He may make the team next season but would be the 4th OF (I'm assuming the Yankees will pursue Carl Crawford aggressively...and succeed).

Crash said...

Part of me says that the Yankees are treading water with the injuries they have...another part of me says they still have enough high-priced talent than most teams even with those guys out and should be winning.

PLEASE BEAT THE METS!!!!

Crash said...

Roy Oswalt is requesting a trade out of Houston. Given the less than successful performance by Javy Vazquez, 1. Should the Yankees pursue Oswalt? 2. Do they have enough to get him? 3. Could they include Vazquez in a deal for Oswalt? 4. If not NY then who?

old professor said...

Yankees will not trade Vasquez for Oswald. Oswald may be 32 (or older since he is Cuban), but his abilities and skills have been slipping the past two years. Vasquez is also beginning to pitch better. Yankee rotation is not getting the job done. CC has been lite up his last two starts and has not gotten a decision in the last three. Hughes has not been sharp, Burnett gave up seven runs the last game. Pettitte also looks to be hitting an early wall.

Crash said...

The team got out to such a hot start they bound to come back a little bit. CC always has a bad April. So he was bound to come back a little bit. Same with Cano. He doesn't normally start heating up until late May-early June.

When the Yankees were winning, despite A-Rod and Tex not hitting, they had Jeter hitting .330, Gardner hitting .330, Cano batting .400 and the bottom of the lineup carrying the team. Now Jeter is batting .260, Gardner is 1 for 19 now batting .294, Cano was batting under .200 for the month, but now has a 7 game hitting streak. Arod and Tex still aren't hitting and the starting pitching is giving up 5-6 runs pretty consistently. Dare I say Javier Vazquez is the guy pitch the best right now. Not to be overlooked, Mitre has been doing well in his long role too.

Ok...so maybe my "better than 1998" statement was a bit premature...I waited until mid April to pull that one out.

And by the way Roy Oswalt is from Mississippi...not Cuba. I don't know any Cubans named Roy.

57 said...

LETS GO METS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

57 said...

I'M BACK!

57 said...

Hey CC, you left your pride in the Bronx this weekend. Or should I call him CC Sa-BAY-thia.

old professor said...

Hey 57, where were you the last eight games as the Muts went 1-8. The Yankees had to field a AAA without a DH. If I checked the standing the Muts are still in last place while the Yankees are clinging to second.

57 said...

The Mets are closer to 1st place in the cellar than you are in 2nd.

Big series with the Phillies starts tonight.

Big week as the Mets are in pursuit of Oswalt. I would not mind if they gave up Mejia, Murphy and Martinez to get him.

Crash said...

I would include Mejia & Murphy in a trade for Oswalt. The hype around Mejia is very Joba-like. Trade him now while the ceiling is still high on that kid. Yankees should have traded Joba 2 years ago.

If the Mets land Oswalt that would be pretty interesting. At the very least it gives them a good 1-2 in the rotation. I'm holding judgment on Pelfry, but if he really turned the corner this year, then that's a great 1-2-3 in the rotation.

Not sure if Oswalt would go to the Mets though...I heard St. Louis & Texas, but think the Chapter 11 by Texas may hold that up.

old professor said...

Oswalt has made it clear that he will only go to a contender not a pretender. That rules out the Nationals, Mets, and Rangers.

Crash said...

Old Prof the Rangers are leading their division. They led their division for much of last year up until August and were in contention late into September. The Rangers are not pretenders...at least in the standings, financially is another story.

Is anyone else looking forward to seeing the new park in Minnesota tonight. I hope they show a lot of it on the game tonight.

57 said...

Peter Gammons just reported that he would not be surprised to see Cliff Lee on the Yankees this year! WTF!!! You have enough...plus you'd have to at least give up Montero which you shouldn't...

Mets will either get Lee or Oswalt. Yankees have enough.

Crash said...

Cliff Lee on the Yankees...wow I haven't heard that. If they do I would think they get a window to do an extension.

The Mets for sure could use Oswalt ANDLee. I hope the Mets do something, it's good when both NY teams are doing well.

On a side note 2014 Super Bowl in NY??? I like the idea of having it in The City, but damn is it going to be cold. Safe to say the Giants and Jets will already be targeting free agents for 2014 to have "home filed"??? Don't think a team has ever played the Super Bowl in it's home field.

old professor said...

Order seems to be returning to the universe - The Red Sox are finally playing up to their potential (great pitching staff) by sweeping the Rays; the rays were playing hot and above their ability and seem to be coming back to earth and the Yankees squeak by the Twins and win two to move within 3.5 of first place.

With the Yankees the inability to move runners is going to come back and haunt them. How many times have they failed to get a man over to third with no outs or in from third with less than two outs.

Part of the offensive woes can be laid at the feet of Texiera who seems completely lost at the plate and is swinging at anything that is thrown his way. The month of May is almost over and he is still hitting .200. Not Good.

Yankees go for the sweep with Vasquez - hopefully the finger is okay and he pitches like he did the last time out.

Crash said...

The Yankee offense is not powerful right now. Tex isn't hitting at all, Jeter's avg is down, Cano is down, Gardner is in a slump, A-Rod is not hitting poorly, but it's not A-Rod like, and Posada and Granderson are out with injuries.

Pettitte stepped up big and went deep in the game yesterday saving the pen.

old professor said...

The Yankees showed just a bit of craziness yesterday by signing Chad Gaudin. He had an ERA over 8 during spring training. Gets signed by the A's and is released with an ERA over 8 and now the Yankees resign him because Aceves is probably lost for the season with a disc issue in his back.

Granderson will probably be activated today or tomorrow. Unfortunately the player to go down will be Russo who has played well in the outfield (though he he an infielder) and is hitting around .300. Russo may be a better choice to stick with the team verson Ramero Pena who is hitting under .200 and has been virtually invisible during the last two weeks.

And going back to the Cliff Lee rumor - I would not make a trade unless it came with an extension in his contract.

Crash said...

I hope the Yankees do not send Russo down, I would rather see them send Miranda down or release Winn. That being said with Granderson back he won't be saying that much playing time. I would rather have him getting ABs at this point.

57 said...

Give some props to the Metropolitans! Sweeping the Phillies in three straight games not to mention.. NOT GIVING UP ONE FLIPPING RUN!! NOT ONE!! That last time the Mets did that was in 1969.... and they did it against the Phillies... and, oh yeah, they won the World Series that year.

I hope Maine and Perez are out of the lineup and off of the team for good.

...and we dont even have Beltran back yet.

Crash said...

Yes the Mets deserve a big pat on the back for sweepin' the Phillies. Their pitching is hot again. All of sudden they decide to step when the manager's job is on the line.

I have a beef with the All-Star voting...Jeter is leading by a wide margin and should make the starting team. cano over Pedroia certainly...but how the hell is Teixeira the leading 1B...has anyone seen Justin Morneau's numbers this year??? .377, 11HR, 35 RBI. He's leading the league in hitting, OBP, SLG, and OPS, and Total Bases. Teixeira's line: .216, 7HR, 30RBI. If he doesn't go on a huge hot streak he should decline the invite. And on the other side of things...I know everyone is in love with Joe Mauer, but how is Posada not even in the conversation. Mauer's line .338, 2 HR, 22 RBI, Posada: .326, 6 HR, 14 RBI. Now I know Posada has played in fewer games because of the broken foot, but c'mon this should be closer than that. A-Rod is behind Longoria (as he should be). I still want Gardner to get a bid if he can pull that average back up above .300.

57 said...

All-Star voting is a sham. It used to be a privilege to be an All-Star, now most feel it is a right. It used to be a reward for playing above and beyond for the first half of the year, now it is a reward for having a hell of a PR department and a reward for having a pretty good year 10 years ago.

It's a farce and I rarely watch the game anymore.

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