Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Quiet Offseason Continues for Yanks

No real news for the Yankees this offseason. We continue to hear Cashman say they need to add depth to the rotation, looking for that true #2 to fit in behind CC. But the Yankees refuse to pay (either monetarily or prospects) for available pitching talent. But to be fair to the Yankees I don't believe there has been a pitcher on the market that is a true #2. With that being said, I think the Yankees and Cashman will hold onto their prospects and their money and shop in the bargain bin come January/February and see who the next Bartolo Colon may be (and it be Bartolo Colon again). I think I'm alright with this approach. I would much rather give the in-house guys a chance rather than trade them away for what most would see as a #3 or #4 starter. Now if a guy like Adam Wainwright or Felix Hernandez, etc. becomes available then all bets are off. If they can bring in a true #1 to slot behind CC I think the Yankees have to pull the trigger.

Posada has acknowledged his time in pinstripes is over, but maybe not his career as reports of the Rays and Phillies have them interested in the over-40 backstop.

A-Rod went to Germany to get a procedure done on his knee, similar to what Colon had done to his arm. They took A-Rod's blood from his arm, put it in a centrifuge and then injected it into his knee. The procedure was cleared by the Yankees and the commissioners office. So this should alleviate any A-Rod drama around it.

The Yankees will head into Fenway Park on April 20th next year. Fenway is celebrating 100 years next season and as part the Yankees will wear 1912 throwback uniforms. The uniform is road grey, blue interlocking NY on the chest. Grey hat, blue brim, with blue interlocking NY. The socks were traditionally worn high and have alternating red and blue stripes. I want to say this was the first year the NY was worn on the chest. Previously it was on the sleeve and the colors were more blue and red. Yankees have always shied away from these alternate unis, I think it will be pretty cool to see it.

32 comments:

Crash said...

Red Sox acquire Andrew Bailey from the A's. A lot of people are hailing this as a great move for the Sox...I personally don't see it. Yes Bailey was good in Oakland and he's young. But he's also had injury concerns already, Oakland is a very pitcher friendly park for a fly ball pitcher (which Bailey is), and let's face it Oakland isn't exactly the AL East where every club can bash your head in and every game is HUGE.

Rumors also have Yankees and Sox now focusing on Matt Garza, but I think the asking price is too high. Stats wise Garza is similar to Gio Gonzalez...accept Gonzalez is young, cheap, under control for the next 4 years, and a lefty. Garza makes $6MM this year, he's free agent after this season (he may have one more arb year left) and he's a righty. Though he has pitched in the AL East. If the Yankees weren't willing to dole out prospects for Gio, they probably won't do it for Garza either.

Crash said...

Andruw Jones coming back to the Yankees, $2MM base salary, with another $1.4 in incentives. Apparently he had more $$ on the table from other clubs but decided he wanted to come back to NY.

I guess this means the Yankees will not be serious contenders for Cespedes.

Crash said...

The teams interested in Matt Garza. Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and now the Tigers. The more teams interested in this guy the steeper the asking price will get.

Crash said...

Padres just acquired Carlos Quentin from the White Sox for 2 minor league pitchers.

Yankees and the Japanese SS they won the bidding on remain far apart on a contract. Deadline is Tuesday to sign him.

Brock Lesnar got his ass kicked last night with a TKO 2:26 in the first round. He the retired from the UFC. Everyone expects him to return to WWE. Like him or not he was good for the UFC as he brought a big mainstream name to MMA.

Crash said...

Giants make the playoffs as the #4 seed and NFC East Champs after beating up Dallas. Giants were really in control from the start and never looked back. The defense was finally getting pressure on the QB...is it coincidence that it may be only the first time all season Tuck Osi, and JPP were on the filed together at the same time.

If the Giants can continue to play like that they may actually make some noise in the playoffs. They host Atlanta on Sunday at 1pm. I think they advance to the second round. A dome team coming up to a cold outdoor stadium is never good.

So how about some Playoff Predictions:
NFC: I think the Packers are upset at some point. They have the worse defense in the conference and it will bite them in the end. My heart says I think the Giants could end up in the NFC Championship game. They can beat beat Atlanta, they should be able to beat 49ers and the Packers. And if the Saints are upset somewhere along the line then the Giants may have a shot at a Super Bowl trip. But my head says the Saints are going to the Super Bowl. I think the Saints are probably the most well rounded team and will get to the Super Bowl.

AFC: I think the Patriots are very similar to the Packers, except there isn't an AFC team that will test them. Ravens can't beat them, Steelers can't beat them especially with their RB out for the season now, Broncos and Bengals will be destroyed.

Saints (or Giants) vs. Patriots for the Super Bowl.

Crash said...

I go to the NY Post and click on "Yankees" and the first story that pops up is Jeter and Minka back together with a trip to Paris...Ugh! That is how quiet the Yankee offseason has been.

Crash said...

Spagnulou officially fired in St. Louis.

Also saw this stat and chuckled: Victor Cruz has 1,536 receiving yards for the Giants this year. Plaxico and Santonio Holmes have a combined 1,266 yards receiving for the J-E-T-S...just sayin'.

Crash said...

New rumor, but same answer...Yankees like Edwin Jackson for their rotation, but they don't like the asking price of 5 years $60MM.

Also A-Rod is now dating former WWE Diva Torrie Wilson. Hope she helps his offensive production this year.

old professor said...

The sox picking up Bailey is a clear indication they have concerns over their pitching. Jones coming back to the Yankees will lessen the opportunity for them going after Cespedes.

Not sure I understand the lack of activity by the Yankees. The only explanation is they truly believe Banuelos and Bettances as well as Warren and phelps are the real deals. If so their rotation could be set for years.

Glad to see the Giants made the playoffs.

Jamaica was great. I sense a new tradition for New Years.

old professor said...

Yankees sign Okijima to a minor league contract. This is the lefthanded relief specialist who last pitched for the Red Sox. Rumored to have been signed to have someone for Dice-K to talk to.

He was very effective in his first year with Boston, but then tailed off each of the last two seasons and became very hittable. I do not anticipate seeing him in a Yankee uniform anytime soon in
2012.

This is the bottom scrapping everyone was predicting the Yankees would do. It is obvious they are still looking for a lefthander to take some of the load off of Boone Logan (or it could mean they really are not comfortable with Logan's performance).

Crash said...

Welcome back Old Prof, hope the trip was great.

Joe Torre has reigned his position in the MLB executive offices, he will pursue ownership, he's getting a group together to buy the Dodgers...who isn't these days. Old Prof, let's get a group together to buy the Dodgers.

I read one report that said Tuesday was the deadline for the Yankees and Nakajima...deadline is apparently Friday.

Some are speculating the Yankees were quiet this offseason because they really like Cole Hammels and Matt Cain, both as of now are free agents next season. Though both the Phillies and Giants are trying/interested in signing their respective guy to an extension.

old professor said...

I am not sure the Yankees actually want to sign the shortstop from Japan. I believe they are more interested in bring Chavez back. However, since they won the posting rights, they have to at least make an effort to look serious.

I also read the Yankees have some payroll flexibility and may not be done yet. So exactly who do they anticipate signing that will really help? Oswalt was too expensive, Wilson was too expensive, Buerle was too expensive as is Edwin Jackson. That does not leave many people left to sign that could make an impact. I really would like to see them make a play for Cespedes.

Crash said...

Carlos Zambranno traded to the Marlins. Marlins only have to pay $2.5MM of his salary, they gave up Chris Volstad. I'm glad the Yankees stayed away from him. I'm sure Zambrano's name came up in the Garza discussions.

Loved seeing this CoCo Crisp signed with A's. CoCo was deciding between the Oakland, soon to be San Jose, A's or the Tampa Bay Rays. His agent said it was important for Crisp to play for a winner...so he picked Oakland over Tampa???

I think the Yankees would love to have Roy Oswalt for a year. His original asking price was a 3 year deal in the $12-15MM range per. Apparently Oswalt has said he'll take a 1 year deal, but I'm not sure what his asking price is. I'm sure if the Yankees could get him for under $10MM, and probably closer to $5MM, they would take him in a second. Maybe offer him a Pettitte like incentive deal where he makes $5MM base, a bunch of easy incentives to push it closer to $10MM and then even more to push it to $12MM. Give him a club option with $1MM buyout for next year.

old professor said...

Oawalt would give them a good insurance policy. He could pitch every five or six or seven days and step in should someone go down. Unfortunately he has some severe lower back issues that could be a major problem. I believe he would be a better option than Colon, but do not see him signing for anything under $10 million.

Crash said...

Yankees have officially announced they were not able to reach an agreement with Nakajima. He will return to Japan. Yankees will most likely pursue Eric Chavez as their "utility" infielder.

Crash said...

Yankees have brought in a couple of veteran lefties on minor league deals. I wonder why they haven't made a play for Mike Gonzalez. He's a veteran lefty, former closer for the O's, I think he was traded to Texas last season and is now a free agent.

No other real news to report on.

Big playoff game Giants host Falcons Sunday at 1pm. I think the Giants will hand 30+ on the Falcons this week. The defense continues to return to form of the true Giants defense and shuts them down and Matt Ryan will be sacked a bunch. Prediction: 34-17 G'men.

old professor said...

Have to agree with your question on Mike Gonzalez. A couple of years ago, he pitched for the Pirates and the Yankees showed some interest in obtaining him through a trade - which never materialized. Instead he ended up with the Braves for a short time and then on to the Orioles and Texas.

It would appear that the wear and tear of the last couple of years has cut into his value.

I would expect Chavez coming back to the Yankees within the next couple of days.

Crash said...

A report has Cespedes probably getting a deal in the 4 year $32MM range. His original asking price was 8 years $60MM...too many teams were backing off. It's looking like he won't be signed until February because his residence status still not finalized, and he can't officially apply to MLB until that has been resolved.

old professor said...

Posada is expected to announce his retirement from baseball. Seventeen years with one club with some pretty impressive numbers. In many offensive categories for the Yankees he ranks only behind Yogi Berra or Bill Dickey or both. Consequently both are in the hall. In five years it will be interesting to see how much interest he gets for the hall.

It now looks as if Texas won't sign Darvish. Don't know what the sticking points are probably years and money.

Boston signs Carlos Silva and Aaron Cook to contracts. Looks like they are content to bottom feed with the Yankees.

Giants defense was outstanding in yesterday's game.

Crash said...

It took a little while for the Giants offense to get on track, and the secondary was giving up some key plays early. A couple of 3rd and long situations where passes were complete to wide open guys. If those 2 things happen in Green Bay, Giants will be behind early.

Still think the Giants beat GB. I'm hoping SF can upset NO.

There's still plenty of time for the Rangers to sign Darvish. Remember Dice-K took the full 30 days before he signed and it was looking like the Red Sox wouldn't get it done. Rangers will sign him but it will be a deadline deal.

Glad Posada is retiring instead of signing else where. I think it was Buster Olney that said the only catcher in the HOF that has better career # in the 3 major categories (Avg, HR, RBI) is Yogi. I was surprised to hear there are only 11 catchers in the HOF. When Piazza is eligible (think next year) he should get in.

Crash said...

Barry Larkin gets into the HOF with 86% of the votes. Bernie Williams only got 10%, I would have though he would get a little more love than that. But maybe with all the love for Larkin and guys like Trammel (37%), Morris (67%), Raines, and Bagwell he kind of got lost in the shuffle.

Dale Murphy, Fred McGrif and Larry Walker also failed to reach the 25% mark. Mattingly at 18%, which is actually a 5% increase from last year.

Don't have totals for Bagwell or Raines yet (site crashed due to volume) but people are saying Bag's total this year sets up for him to get in in the future.

Crash said...

Here are the vote totals for the top 8:

Larkin 86.4%, Morris 66.7%, Bagwell 56%, Lee Smith 50.6%, Raines 48.7%, Trammell 36.8%, Edgar Martinez 36.5%, & McGriff 23.9%

Crash said...

Only Juan Gonzalez (-7%) and Mark McGwirre (-3%) lost votes. Coincidentally both are steroid guys.

old professor said...

Bernie Williams getting into the Hall will be a tough sell to the voters. While his post season numbers are outstanding, his regular season numbers are average for a centerfielder and not comparable with any cneterfielder in the hall.

There will also be those who say his post season numbers are inflated because of the increase in the number of post season games that are now played. For example, Mantle had I believe 17 home runs in the post season, but his post season consisted only of the World Series.

You also have to consider the sports writers bias against NY. So it will be a long shot if he gets in. Mattingly indicated he does not believe his numbers are HOF worthy and he also cites his lack of longevity in the majors as a big factor.

As I begin reading reports on the Darvish signing issues, I don't see Texas reaching an agreement with him - he wants too many years and too much money for a person who has never thrown a pitch in the major leagues.

Crash said...

Completely agree on both Williams and Mattingly.

I haven't read anything on Darvish's demands yet, but it was expected the contractg would be in the range of CJ Wilson's 5 year $75MM. Is Darvish looking for more than that?

old professor said...

Regarding Darvish, the Rangers were in the range of what the Red Sox gave to Dice-K (I believe it was five years 85 million). Darvish's advisors are asking for more based on the fact he is younger then when Dice-K signed and has proven to be more effective in Japan than Dice-K.

Rangers should let the go walk!!

Still holding out hope the Yankees go after Cespedes.

Crash said...

Per Jon Heyman, Yankees continue discussions with Kuroda, Edwin Jackson (E-Jax), and Oswalt. Nothing close yet, but as suspected talks continuing.

Crash said...

Scott Proctor signs contract...with Korean Doosan baseball team. Yikes he couldn't even cut it in the Mexican league...I've heard of players going to Japan, but never Korea. Never the same since Joe Torre abused him.

Crash said...

I didn't like what I read last night from Jon Heyman (a/k/a Boras insider). Boras has bypassed Cashman and gone straight to Hal in an effort to get Edwin Jackson into Pinstripes. Hal said he would consider E-Jax at the right price...not sure what that means but hopefully it's not more than a year or 2 at $10MM. E-Jax reminds me a lot of AJ Burnett. A ton of talent and great when he keeps it all together, but wild and unpredictable when it goes bad. The Cardinals, with the great Dave Duncan, did everything possible to avoid using him in the post-season last year. It would be a mistake for the Yankees to sign this guy, I would rather see them sign a guy like Roy Oswalt, or no one at all.

old professor said...

I have to agree with your assessment regarding Jackson. All one has to do is look at the number of teams he has played for in a short time span. He seems to wear out his welcome rather quickly with a team.

Oswalt is a veteran that knows how to pitch. I would believe he could give the Yankees more quality innings. If the team is going to spend ten to twelve million, it would be a better investment for one year with Oswalt.

old professor said...

I have to agree with your assessment regarding Jackson. All one has to do is look at the number of teams he has played for in a short time span. He seems to wear out his welcome rather quickly with a team.

Oswalt is a veteran that knows how to pitch. I would believe he could give the Yankees more quality innings. If the team is going to spend ten to twelve million, it would be a better investment for one year with Oswalt.

old professor said...

Just read that Luke Scott signed with Tampa to be their dh. Seems to close the door on Damon returning there. The guy hit around 275 and had 16 homeruns someone should take a chance on bringing him in as a part-time outfielder and part-time dh. Proven leader on the field and in the clubhouse - ARE YOU LISTENING CASHMAN!!!

I sense the Steinbrenner will move to sign Jackson to a short and cheap deal just to be able to show the Yankees are attempting to address a preceived need to improve the rotation.

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