Well, lets go around the majors and discuss all the moves that happened today.
-First off, Roy Halladay, the biggest name on the market this year was NOT traded. It seems no team would ante up what JP Ricchardi was asking for, so no deal was done.
-Jake Peavy, who earlier in the year rejected a trade to the Chicago White Sox, was traded to the Chicago White Sox. If you want to know my thoughts on the trade, look back at my post from earlier in the year, although this time, word is the Padres actually got a better return.
-The Marlins got a favorite of this blogger when they added Nick Johnson. Johnson does not figure to be a Type A or B free agent, so any return on him is good for the Nationals while the Marlins add a guy in front of Hanley Ramirez who gets on base over 40% of the time. Solid trade for both sides.
-The Reds acquired Scott Rolen, a name they have been linked to a lot this year, for Edwin Encarnacion and two minor leaguer's. Although I like Rolen, he is not worth the $11 mil he will be making next year so I like this trade for the Blue Jays considering they got a solid 3B in return and also saved some money.
-The Rockies got Joe Beimel from the Nationals. Who cares?
-The Twins got Orlando Cabrera from the Oakland A's who will be a solid addition to the club. He won't be a huge upgrade over Brendan Harris, but after Twin players complained about the lack of deadline deals in recent years, it was good for them that a move was made and the team has been, if only slightly, upgraded.
-Finally, the Red Sox and the Yankees made some moves. The Red Sox traded Justin Masterson and two minor league pitchers for the slugging Catcher/1B/DH, Victor Martinez. This is a huge offensive upgrade for the Red Sox and although they lost out on some prospects, all of them figure to be middle-of-the-rotation guys, so they can deal with the loss.
With the addition of Victor Martinez, this made Adam LaRoche expendable due to the surplus of 1B/DH types, so in a move that makes complete sense, they traded him to the Atlanta Braves for Casey Kotchman? Huh? I am not sure I understand this trade considering they are pretty much the exact same player. LaRoche has a little bit more power and Kotchman is better defensively, but I just don't understand the point of it.
Finally, the Yankees did not trade for a back-end starter like I had hoped, but they did trade for utility infielder/outfielder Jerry Hairston Jr. After hitting .326 with 6HR's and 36 RBI last year, Hairston has regressed this year, now hitting .254 w/8 HR's and 27 RBI. Although he has not played fantastically, the Yankees gave up almost nothing, just an A-ball catcher who was hitting .260, I like this deal. Not only does it give us an extra outfielder for the time being, but he can play almost anywhere on the field. So far this year he has played 33 games at 3B, 31 at SS, 9 at 2B, 9 in LF, 5 in RF and 3 in CF. When Brett Gardner comes back, we finally have a player who can take over for Cody Ransom and the Yankees can designate him for assignment!
Don't get me wrong, this trade wont determine the season, obviously, but we get more depth for now and in about 3 weeks, Cody Ransom will just be a distant, horrible memory.
So what do you guys thing about the trade deadline? Who were the winners (Red Sox)? Who were the losers (Red's maybe? Blue Jays? Mets?)? And most importantly on this blog, what do you think about the move the Yankees made?
Don't forget people, this is only the non-waiver trade deadline so many move moves can be made up until the end of August. Many people, including Brian Cashman think that this year, because of financial restraints, the August trade market will be very active, so the Yankees can still pick up a starter and other teams can still add their pieces as well. After my recent talk of non-tendering, I am led to believe some people may not be aware of what the significance of waiver trades include, so if you have any questions, just ask.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Trade Deadline Approaching; who has been linked to Yankees?
Well, with the trade deadline only a few days away, coming at 4:00 PM EST on Friday, the Yankees, as always, have been linked to a lot of different names. Lets go through the names, decide which we think are just 100% rumors, and see if we like any of the trades that could possibly happen.
The first name on the list of every team is of course Roy Halladay. Currently 11-3 with a 2.62 ERA, he will not be a Yankee. This is as close to guaranteed as you can get. He costs too much in dollars and in prospects. Get over it Yankee fans. All of you. Some people say we need him, others complain that the Yankees shouldn't even try because it becomes a joke if we have everybody. Either way, never say never, but he wont be a Yankee. Rumors said that the price tag for Hallday was either Huges or Joba, along with Austin Jackson and Jesus Montero (the only two decent offensive prospects above single A)
Another name linked to the Yankees is Cliff Lee. He too costs too much. Not in dollars, but in prospects. Rumor has it Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez are being packaged to try to pull off a huge blockbuster deal and pretty much get an entire farm system for a team. Unfortunately for the Yankees, the only two teams that have been interested in a blockbuster deal to acquire both Lee and Martinez are the Rays and the Red Sox with the Rays being the much more aggressive team.
Heath Bell, the closer for the San Diego Padres who has 24 saves and a 2.06 ERA has also been linked to the Yankees. He too, will cost too much as San Diego is trying to sell high on this guy. Some rumors say the Yankees want a reliever so they can transition Alfredo Aceves into a full time starter for the rest of the year. I think this is a bad idea. Aceves has been brilliant in the bullpen and subpar in his one spot start this year. As much as I am against Hughes being in the bullpen full time, he and Aceves have been fantastic there this year, making me think no bullpen move should happen this year. If anything, just acquire a starter. Don't get a reliever, so you can make your old reliever a starter, not to mention the numerous starts it will take to stretch out Aceves, and since he will be a starer, we wont have a long reliever when he is only allowed to throw 50 pitches in his first start.
Jarrod Washburn, who seems to always be linked to the Yankees, is again, linked to be going to the Yankees. The man with a career 4.03 ERA is having a career year at age 34 with a 2.71 ERA. This move makes no sense, the same way it hasn't in the past. He will require a lot in return because of his fantastic season but it wont last. Although he is a lefty, he is a fly ball pitcher which is obviously not a good thing for the new Yankee Stadium and lastly, he is expensive. This wont happen. Rumor had it, the Mariners wanted Melky AND Gardner, which would leave us without a CF by the way, but now that Gardner is injured, we no longer even have what they want. Doesn't matter though because it would not have happened anyway.
Two days ago, there were reports that Bronson Arroyo was about 99% a Yankee, but those seem to be overblown. The Yankees confirmed interest in Arroyo, but he was a little too pricey for them. He would slot into their 5th starter spot and cost them $4 mil this year and $11 mil next year, way too much for a back end of the rotation guy, especially one with a 5.21 ERA. I know a lot of people like this guy, especially Mike Francessa, and apparently the Yankees do as well, but I have never thought he was anything great. Again, this won't happen. It was close, but if it was going to happen, it would have been a done deal already I think, considering how close it seemed only a few days ago.
The final name the Yankees have been linked to is Ian Snell. Snell has always been a guy of potential. Years ago people thought he was going to be great, but it never seemed to happen. He had a career year in 2007 when he posted a 3.76 ERA, but since then he has had ERA's of 5.42 and 5.36 this year. After 15 GS this year, Snell was sent to AAA to see if he could figure something out, you have to remember, he is only 27. Since being sent to AAA, he has pitched 32 1/3 innings, letting in only two earned runs while striking out 43 and walking only 12. He does have $4.25 mil guaranteed to him next year, but the Pirates would pay some of that if a trade is done. Heck, they paid half of Erik Hinske's salary and he was only making $800,000. Of all the players linked to the Yankees, Snell would cost the least in prospects.
One thing that surprises me is that the Yankees have not been linked to a CF. With Gardner breaking his thumb, if anything was to happen to Melky, Hinske would have to be the everyday RF and either Damon or Swisher would be the starting CF, something nobody wants to see. The only CF in the minor league system is Austin Jackson and they want him to have a full year at AAA. Shelley Duncan, Ramiro Pena or John Rodriguez may get a call up soon, but two aren't CF's and the other is just learning the position, having only played 5 games there in his whole career, all within the past couple weeks.
Of all the names mentioned, I think Ian Snell has the best chance of happening, but I still would not say those chances are good ones. It does help that in the past two years, Pittsburgh and NY seem to be on good trading terms.
I would not be surprised if the Yankees picked up a back-end of the rotation guy and a CF who can either start of be put on the bench. I would be surprised if a bullpen arm was added. The one wild card name in all of this I think might be Cliff Lee, just because the Red Sox and Rays have shown so much interest, but again, I don't see that happening.
I prefer the lesser move, like a Snell type, because I do not want to give up any big prospects. The Yankees are not guaranteed to make a move and so many times the trades that are made are not rumored until 10 minutes before they happen so there is a good chance someone will be traded to the Yankees who has not been linked to them yet.
I know I wrote a similar piece a little while ago, but all of these names have been linked to the Yankees so what do you guys think? Do you not mind giving up a lot for Halladay? Do you not mind paying $11 mil for a back-end guy like Arroyo? Should they get a CF so they have depth on the bench? Or, the always dreaded final option, the boring method of staying put.
Let me know what you guys think!
Update- Wednesday, July 29th
Well, we can scratch two names off of this list. In a great move for the team, the Phillies acquired Cliff Lee and in a 7 player deal, the Mariners got Ian Snell.
According to Joel Sherman, this may be a quiet deadline for the Yankees, and although that is very possible, with the increased rumors that the Red Sox are trying to pull off something big (they have been linked strongly to Halladay, Victor Martinez and Adrian Gonzalez in the past few days), I will believe it when I see it.
Update- Friday, July 31st
It seems as though this may be a quiet deadline for the Yankees, especially now, with Jarrod Washburn being dealt to the Detroit Tigers. Not a big fan of Washburn in a Yankee uniform, but slotting him in the 3rd spot in the rotation behind Verlander and Jackson gives Detroit a very solid rotation.
More Quick Updates
One name the Yankees have been officially linked to is Brian Bannister of the Royals, but talks stopped when the Yankees asked the Royals to pay his remaining $650,000 on the year. Also, the Yankees havent been officially linked to him, but lots of people, myself included, think Justin Duchscherer would be a good addition and he has been scratched from his rehab start today, meaning that a trade could be happening soon.
Im going to the movies soon so I wont be back until after the deadline has passed so we will have more updates then.
The first name on the list of every team is of course Roy Halladay. Currently 11-3 with a 2.62 ERA, he will not be a Yankee. This is as close to guaranteed as you can get. He costs too much in dollars and in prospects. Get over it Yankee fans. All of you. Some people say we need him, others complain that the Yankees shouldn't even try because it becomes a joke if we have everybody. Either way, never say never, but he wont be a Yankee. Rumors said that the price tag for Hallday was either Huges or Joba, along with Austin Jackson and Jesus Montero (the only two decent offensive prospects above single A)
Another name linked to the Yankees is Cliff Lee. He too costs too much. Not in dollars, but in prospects. Rumor has it Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez are being packaged to try to pull off a huge blockbuster deal and pretty much get an entire farm system for a team. Unfortunately for the Yankees, the only two teams that have been interested in a blockbuster deal to acquire both Lee and Martinez are the Rays and the Red Sox with the Rays being the much more aggressive team.
Heath Bell, the closer for the San Diego Padres who has 24 saves and a 2.06 ERA has also been linked to the Yankees. He too, will cost too much as San Diego is trying to sell high on this guy. Some rumors say the Yankees want a reliever so they can transition Alfredo Aceves into a full time starter for the rest of the year. I think this is a bad idea. Aceves has been brilliant in the bullpen and subpar in his one spot start this year. As much as I am against Hughes being in the bullpen full time, he and Aceves have been fantastic there this year, making me think no bullpen move should happen this year. If anything, just acquire a starter. Don't get a reliever, so you can make your old reliever a starter, not to mention the numerous starts it will take to stretch out Aceves, and since he will be a starer, we wont have a long reliever when he is only allowed to throw 50 pitches in his first start.
Jarrod Washburn, who seems to always be linked to the Yankees, is again, linked to be going to the Yankees. The man with a career 4.03 ERA is having a career year at age 34 with a 2.71 ERA. This move makes no sense, the same way it hasn't in the past. He will require a lot in return because of his fantastic season but it wont last. Although he is a lefty, he is a fly ball pitcher which is obviously not a good thing for the new Yankee Stadium and lastly, he is expensive. This wont happen. Rumor had it, the Mariners wanted Melky AND Gardner, which would leave us without a CF by the way, but now that Gardner is injured, we no longer even have what they want. Doesn't matter though because it would not have happened anyway.
Two days ago, there were reports that Bronson Arroyo was about 99% a Yankee, but those seem to be overblown. The Yankees confirmed interest in Arroyo, but he was a little too pricey for them. He would slot into their 5th starter spot and cost them $4 mil this year and $11 mil next year, way too much for a back end of the rotation guy, especially one with a 5.21 ERA. I know a lot of people like this guy, especially Mike Francessa, and apparently the Yankees do as well, but I have never thought he was anything great. Again, this won't happen. It was close, but if it was going to happen, it would have been a done deal already I think, considering how close it seemed only a few days ago.
The final name the Yankees have been linked to is Ian Snell. Snell has always been a guy of potential. Years ago people thought he was going to be great, but it never seemed to happen. He had a career year in 2007 when he posted a 3.76 ERA, but since then he has had ERA's of 5.42 and 5.36 this year. After 15 GS this year, Snell was sent to AAA to see if he could figure something out, you have to remember, he is only 27. Since being sent to AAA, he has pitched 32 1/3 innings, letting in only two earned runs while striking out 43 and walking only 12. He does have $4.25 mil guaranteed to him next year, but the Pirates would pay some of that if a trade is done. Heck, they paid half of Erik Hinske's salary and he was only making $800,000. Of all the players linked to the Yankees, Snell would cost the least in prospects.
One thing that surprises me is that the Yankees have not been linked to a CF. With Gardner breaking his thumb, if anything was to happen to Melky, Hinske would have to be the everyday RF and either Damon or Swisher would be the starting CF, something nobody wants to see. The only CF in the minor league system is Austin Jackson and they want him to have a full year at AAA. Shelley Duncan, Ramiro Pena or John Rodriguez may get a call up soon, but two aren't CF's and the other is just learning the position, having only played 5 games there in his whole career, all within the past couple weeks.
Of all the names mentioned, I think Ian Snell has the best chance of happening, but I still would not say those chances are good ones. It does help that in the past two years, Pittsburgh and NY seem to be on good trading terms.
I would not be surprised if the Yankees picked up a back-end of the rotation guy and a CF who can either start of be put on the bench. I would be surprised if a bullpen arm was added. The one wild card name in all of this I think might be Cliff Lee, just because the Red Sox and Rays have shown so much interest, but again, I don't see that happening.
I prefer the lesser move, like a Snell type, because I do not want to give up any big prospects. The Yankees are not guaranteed to make a move and so many times the trades that are made are not rumored until 10 minutes before they happen so there is a good chance someone will be traded to the Yankees who has not been linked to them yet.
I know I wrote a similar piece a little while ago, but all of these names have been linked to the Yankees so what do you guys think? Do you not mind giving up a lot for Halladay? Do you not mind paying $11 mil for a back-end guy like Arroyo? Should they get a CF so they have depth on the bench? Or, the always dreaded final option, the boring method of staying put.
Let me know what you guys think!
Update- Wednesday, July 29th
Well, we can scratch two names off of this list. In a great move for the team, the Phillies acquired Cliff Lee and in a 7 player deal, the Mariners got Ian Snell.
According to Joel Sherman, this may be a quiet deadline for the Yankees, and although that is very possible, with the increased rumors that the Red Sox are trying to pull off something big (they have been linked strongly to Halladay, Victor Martinez and Adrian Gonzalez in the past few days), I will believe it when I see it.
Update- Friday, July 31st
It seems as though this may be a quiet deadline for the Yankees, especially now, with Jarrod Washburn being dealt to the Detroit Tigers. Not a big fan of Washburn in a Yankee uniform, but slotting him in the 3rd spot in the rotation behind Verlander and Jackson gives Detroit a very solid rotation.
More Quick Updates
One name the Yankees have been officially linked to is Brian Bannister of the Royals, but talks stopped when the Yankees asked the Royals to pay his remaining $650,000 on the year. Also, the Yankees havent been officially linked to him, but lots of people, myself included, think Justin Duchscherer would be a good addition and he has been scratched from his rehab start today, meaning that a trade could be happening soon.
Im going to the movies soon so I wont be back until after the deadline has passed so we will have more updates then.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Bored at the library; LaRoche traded to Red Sox
Well, I am currently at the library studying for my accounting final tomorrow, but I have been here for 2 hours so I deserve a bit of a break. As all of you know (I say all of you because I pretty much have 4 followers of this blog and I texted 3 of you letting you know this information when it was announced) 1B Adam LaRoche was traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Boston Red Sox.
LaRoche is having a poor first half, as he always does, currently hitting .240/.329/.441 but he does have 12 homers and 40 RBI. He is a career .320 postseason hitter and has a career fielding percentage .995%. His career averages for 162 games is .269 with 26 homers and 89 RBI so the guy can hit pretty decently with solid power, plus, he is still only 29 years old.
I like this trade for the Red Sox (and dislike it as a Yankee fan). LaRoche is a decent player and for the time being, he will be replacing Nick Green. Nick Green started off the season very strong but his .242 career batting average caught up to him and he is currently batting .249/.311/.355. Mike Lowell is currently on the DL and Kevin Youkilis will now move over to 3B.
As with all trades, for me, it comes down to the fact that today, the Boston Red Sox are a better team than they were yesterday. The bad news for the Red Sox is that he is a great hitter at PNC Park, hitting .338 there this year as opposed to .159 on the road, but the Big Green Monster is sure to help and the fact that he is a career .289 2nd half hitter is very enouraging. Just to add to the positives for the Sox, when Mike Lowell comes back, this move will give them considerable depth and they will also be able to rest Lowell as well as David Ortiz much more frequently and keep them fresh and healthy.
LaRoche is also currently right on the cusp of being a Type B free agent, and his 2nd half may just propel him into that range. This would be his first time reaching free agency so odds are he would want a multi year deal and would reject arbitration, thus netting the Red Sox a supplemental round draft pick (the same round in which the Yankees picked up Joba).
What the Red Sox gave up has not yet been announced (although I wouldn't expect it to be anything more than 1 or 2 B-Level prospects), but for the Pirates in this trade, they continue to stock their farm system. After last years trades of Xavier Nady, Damaso Marte, Jason Bay and this years trades of Nate McLouth, Erik Hinske, Nyjer Morgan and now LaRoche, the Pirates have a very good amount of prospects coming into the organization.
So, I know this is a Yankee blog mostly but LaRoche is a player that I have been following for a while. What do you guys think? Is it a good move for Boston or will LaRoche not be able to hit outside of PNC park?
LaRoche is having a poor first half, as he always does, currently hitting .240/.329/.441 but he does have 12 homers and 40 RBI. He is a career .320 postseason hitter and has a career fielding percentage .995%. His career averages for 162 games is .269 with 26 homers and 89 RBI so the guy can hit pretty decently with solid power, plus, he is still only 29 years old.
I like this trade for the Red Sox (and dislike it as a Yankee fan). LaRoche is a decent player and for the time being, he will be replacing Nick Green. Nick Green started off the season very strong but his .242 career batting average caught up to him and he is currently batting .249/.311/.355. Mike Lowell is currently on the DL and Kevin Youkilis will now move over to 3B.
As with all trades, for me, it comes down to the fact that today, the Boston Red Sox are a better team than they were yesterday. The bad news for the Red Sox is that he is a great hitter at PNC Park, hitting .338 there this year as opposed to .159 on the road, but the Big Green Monster is sure to help and the fact that he is a career .289 2nd half hitter is very enouraging. Just to add to the positives for the Sox, when Mike Lowell comes back, this move will give them considerable depth and they will also be able to rest Lowell as well as David Ortiz much more frequently and keep them fresh and healthy.
LaRoche is also currently right on the cusp of being a Type B free agent, and his 2nd half may just propel him into that range. This would be his first time reaching free agency so odds are he would want a multi year deal and would reject arbitration, thus netting the Red Sox a supplemental round draft pick (the same round in which the Yankees picked up Joba).
What the Red Sox gave up has not yet been announced (although I wouldn't expect it to be anything more than 1 or 2 B-Level prospects), but for the Pirates in this trade, they continue to stock their farm system. After last years trades of Xavier Nady, Damaso Marte, Jason Bay and this years trades of Nate McLouth, Erik Hinske, Nyjer Morgan and now LaRoche, the Pirates have a very good amount of prospects coming into the organization.
So, I know this is a Yankee blog mostly but LaRoche is a player that I have been following for a while. What do you guys think? Is it a good move for Boston or will LaRoche not be able to hit outside of PNC park?
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Assessing the team's needs
Hi Everybody! Remember me? Didn't think so.
Well, I know it's been a while, but with the big move, wireless Internet that goes in and out, and 8 AM classes, its tough to keep up with a blog. With the July 31st Trade Deadline rapidly approaching though, I wanted to discuss the teams needs and find out what you guys (realistically) think the team should do, if anything at all.
The Yankees have obviously played very well this year, currently at 52-37, 3 games out of the AL East but at the top of the Wild Card standings. With that said, they do have some problems.
The starting rotation has been interesting. Currently, our best pitcher is AJ Burnett at 8-4 with a 3.81 ERA. He has been a solid addition, but very streaky, seemingly unhittable for 5 starts and then possessing the skills of a 5 year old the next.
Sabathia has been solid, but not the ace we had all hoped (though he is currently pitching 6 shutout innings).
The remaining three are all a toss up to say the best. Nobody expects the world from Andy Pettitte, maybe a mid 4 ERA and 12-15 wins. The one thing we all can and should expect from Pettitte is innings. Pettitte is 8-5 with a 4.85 ERA. Too high for my liking. The worst part though is that he is only averaging 5.5 innings pitched per start, way too little.
Now we come to Joba Chamberlain. The man I have defended his whole time as a starter, but now, even I am getting sick of him. In 17 starts he has gone 4-2 with a 4.25 ERA. In his last two starts, he has gone only a combined 8 innings with 18 runs (13 earned). I understand that errors are a part of the game, but Joba seems to be the one pitcher who lets in every single run that reaches due to error. Errors are part of the game, so is pitching properly to deal with those errors. To make matters worse, his comments as of late have been less than satisfactory. Saying the sun will come out tomorrow, he still has a job and he had his best stuff he had all year (that one was after giving up 5 runs in 4 1/3). If you're not pitching well, don't go to the Nuke LaLoosh cliche playbook, you just look like an idiot and make me not want to be one of the few people who still defend you.
The 5th spot in the rotation is a joke right now. Sergio Mitre will be starting for the Yankees on Tuesday. He has a career 5.36 ERA, has never pitched in the AL, had Tommy John surgery and has not pitched in a game since September 15th (!) 2007. On the other hand, he cannot be worse that Chien-Ming Wang, who as we all know, is 1-6 with a 9.64 ERA. He is currently on the DL for the 2nd time this year and has not had 1 quality start all year. What we can expect from him when he comes back is anyones guess, but I highly doubt anyone will guess anything good.
Moving onto other aspects of the team outside of the rotation, Phil Hughes better be a starter next year, but for now, he is finally the 8th inning guy everybody wants (especially after last nights 2 inning, 6 K performance). Alfredo Aceves has done very well also and Coke, Robertson and obviously Mo make for a bullpen that has done fantastic lately and does not need any changes.
The starting line-up has done very well, tied for the league lead in homers. Mark Teixeira is a possible MVP candidate. Alex Rodriguez is finally starting to hit (see what happens when you give someone rest after they have hip surgery?). Derek Jeter is having a great year as well. Cano is performing well, but considering he his hitting .209 with runners in scoring position, he obviously could be doing much better. Posada is somehow hitting .286/.371/.510 as a 37 year old catcher, but hey, I'll take it. Damon is performing well, especially at the stadium, but he has struggled lately. Matsui is OK. Gardner and Melky have platooned at CF to provide combined rates that are actually better than the average AL CF and although Swisher has struggled having to play every single day due to the injury to Xavier Nady, he has done around what is expected and draws enough walks to always be a productive player.
The bench does have some weak spots. Jose Molina is an all-catch, no hit back-up, but as long he he is backing up, it is OK. Erik Hinske has been a solid addition hitting .333 with three homers in 4 games with the team. Finally, we come to Cody Ransom. Since Ramiro Pena is learning to play OF, we have no other option than this guy. The 33 year old is hitting .176. Seriously? .176? I'm not even getting into that. The problem is, this guy has to play once a week. A-rod has had a resurgence since his rest program was put into place, so he clearly needs it, meaning Ransom is the only man who can be put in that spot.
So there's a recap of the 1st half which brings me to the whole question of this blog. What, if anything, should the Yankees do at the trade deadline?
One thing I think this team needs is a very good, super utility guy. Mark DeRosa or Chone Figgins. A guy who can let A-Rod, Jeter, Tex and Damon all DH and not have to sacrifice a bat. The problem is, neither of those guys are available. DeRosa just got traded to the Cardinals and Figgins will not be dealt. The good thing is, both of those players are free agents after the year so we can deal with them then. Expect to read many posts about those players in the off season, even though I already wrote one on Figgins months back. With that said, anybody is better than Cody Ransom. Get rid of him. You can trade nothing for a guy and he will be better than Ransom. Any random guy can be claimed off of waivers and odds are he will be better than Cody Ransom.
What I think this team could use is a pitcher. Joba is a mess, Pettitte is not performing to expectations and the combo of Mitre and Wang in the 5th spot is about as good as a combo of Danny Devito and Peter Dinklage in a slam dunk contest.
Lets go through the available pitchers, leaving my pick for last. These names courtesy of www.mlbtraderumors.com
Roy Halladay-Pass. Too expensive in both dollars and prospects. Not gonna happen.
Cliff Lee- Pass. Pretty affordable contract with an $8 mil option for 2010, but would cost too much in prospects.
Javier Vazquez- Having a great year, but costs more than $11 mil next year and we have already seen what he is like in the pinstripes.
Gil Meche- Again, $11 mil and prospects is too much.
Doug Davis and Jon Garland- No way. theres a reason their teams want to trade them.
Brad Penny- Don't want him but won't be traded from Red Sox anyway.
Paul Maholm- Ever since facing Billy Crystal in spring training last year, this guy has turned into a real special pitcher, but I would be shocked if he was traded.
Carl Pavano- HA!
Jonathan Sanchez- Gained a lot of stock with his recent no hitter, but there's a reason his ERA is over 5.00 for his career.
So here's my pick, none of them! There are still good free agents available. Paul Byrd and Tom Glavine are both available. Ian Snell is available. Finally though, (after this very long blog making up for lost time), Mark Mulder is available.
Mark Mulder was one of the big 3 in Oakland from 2000-2004. He is a two time all star and has finished as high as 2nd in Cy Young voting. He is 31, so while not in his prime, he is not over the hill yet and can still be productive. He has been injured the past two years so he will cost nothing. He has been working out and rehabbing and is ready to pitch. He will cost League minimum. Actually, since its July, half of the league minimum. Less than $250,000 for a 31 year old with a career ERA of 4.18 and a career record of 103-60. I am not saying Mark Mulder is going to make us win the world series, but for a guy who would cost almost nothing and possibly contribute to the team, when you have 2/5 of your rotation struggling and 1/5 of your rotation a joke, why not try this guy out? It is a low risk/high reward signing, exactly the type I like at this point in the year. Not to mention, since it is a free agent signing, he won't cost the team any prospects at all.
So what do you guys think? Should the Yankees trade for a big pitcher like Halladay or Lee? Should they go after a smaller name in a trade? Should they go after one of the numerous free agents still available? What about the offense? Should Cody Ransom go? Could anybody be worse? Should they go after Matt Holliday earlier than expected? Maybe call up Austin Jackson or Shelley Duncan? Or, is everything OK and should they stand pat with the team that they have right now?
Let me know what you think and let me know how bad you think my Mark Mulder idea is. Looking forward to the feedback!
On a quick side note, I said it in spring training and people called me crazy. I put in in a blog post before the year started and people called me crazy (looking at you Poppa D), but even though is he only 19, Jesus Montero is a one-of-a-kind hitter who will have a fantastic career. Do yourself a favor, remember his name and do some research on the kid. You will not be disapointed.
Well, I know it's been a while, but with the big move, wireless Internet that goes in and out, and 8 AM classes, its tough to keep up with a blog. With the July 31st Trade Deadline rapidly approaching though, I wanted to discuss the teams needs and find out what you guys (realistically) think the team should do, if anything at all.
The Yankees have obviously played very well this year, currently at 52-37, 3 games out of the AL East but at the top of the Wild Card standings. With that said, they do have some problems.
The starting rotation has been interesting. Currently, our best pitcher is AJ Burnett at 8-4 with a 3.81 ERA. He has been a solid addition, but very streaky, seemingly unhittable for 5 starts and then possessing the skills of a 5 year old the next.
Sabathia has been solid, but not the ace we had all hoped (though he is currently pitching 6 shutout innings).
The remaining three are all a toss up to say the best. Nobody expects the world from Andy Pettitte, maybe a mid 4 ERA and 12-15 wins. The one thing we all can and should expect from Pettitte is innings. Pettitte is 8-5 with a 4.85 ERA. Too high for my liking. The worst part though is that he is only averaging 5.5 innings pitched per start, way too little.
Now we come to Joba Chamberlain. The man I have defended his whole time as a starter, but now, even I am getting sick of him. In 17 starts he has gone 4-2 with a 4.25 ERA. In his last two starts, he has gone only a combined 8 innings with 18 runs (13 earned). I understand that errors are a part of the game, but Joba seems to be the one pitcher who lets in every single run that reaches due to error. Errors are part of the game, so is pitching properly to deal with those errors. To make matters worse, his comments as of late have been less than satisfactory. Saying the sun will come out tomorrow, he still has a job and he had his best stuff he had all year (that one was after giving up 5 runs in 4 1/3). If you're not pitching well, don't go to the Nuke LaLoosh cliche playbook, you just look like an idiot and make me not want to be one of the few people who still defend you.
The 5th spot in the rotation is a joke right now. Sergio Mitre will be starting for the Yankees on Tuesday. He has a career 5.36 ERA, has never pitched in the AL, had Tommy John surgery and has not pitched in a game since September 15th (!) 2007. On the other hand, he cannot be worse that Chien-Ming Wang, who as we all know, is 1-6 with a 9.64 ERA. He is currently on the DL for the 2nd time this year and has not had 1 quality start all year. What we can expect from him when he comes back is anyones guess, but I highly doubt anyone will guess anything good.
Moving onto other aspects of the team outside of the rotation, Phil Hughes better be a starter next year, but for now, he is finally the 8th inning guy everybody wants (especially after last nights 2 inning, 6 K performance). Alfredo Aceves has done very well also and Coke, Robertson and obviously Mo make for a bullpen that has done fantastic lately and does not need any changes.
The starting line-up has done very well, tied for the league lead in homers. Mark Teixeira is a possible MVP candidate. Alex Rodriguez is finally starting to hit (see what happens when you give someone rest after they have hip surgery?). Derek Jeter is having a great year as well. Cano is performing well, but considering he his hitting .209 with runners in scoring position, he obviously could be doing much better. Posada is somehow hitting .286/.371/.510 as a 37 year old catcher, but hey, I'll take it. Damon is performing well, especially at the stadium, but he has struggled lately. Matsui is OK. Gardner and Melky have platooned at CF to provide combined rates that are actually better than the average AL CF and although Swisher has struggled having to play every single day due to the injury to Xavier Nady, he has done around what is expected and draws enough walks to always be a productive player.
The bench does have some weak spots. Jose Molina is an all-catch, no hit back-up, but as long he he is backing up, it is OK. Erik Hinske has been a solid addition hitting .333 with three homers in 4 games with the team. Finally, we come to Cody Ransom. Since Ramiro Pena is learning to play OF, we have no other option than this guy. The 33 year old is hitting .176. Seriously? .176? I'm not even getting into that. The problem is, this guy has to play once a week. A-rod has had a resurgence since his rest program was put into place, so he clearly needs it, meaning Ransom is the only man who can be put in that spot.
So there's a recap of the 1st half which brings me to the whole question of this blog. What, if anything, should the Yankees do at the trade deadline?
One thing I think this team needs is a very good, super utility guy. Mark DeRosa or Chone Figgins. A guy who can let A-Rod, Jeter, Tex and Damon all DH and not have to sacrifice a bat. The problem is, neither of those guys are available. DeRosa just got traded to the Cardinals and Figgins will not be dealt. The good thing is, both of those players are free agents after the year so we can deal with them then. Expect to read many posts about those players in the off season, even though I already wrote one on Figgins months back. With that said, anybody is better than Cody Ransom. Get rid of him. You can trade nothing for a guy and he will be better than Ransom. Any random guy can be claimed off of waivers and odds are he will be better than Cody Ransom.
What I think this team could use is a pitcher. Joba is a mess, Pettitte is not performing to expectations and the combo of Mitre and Wang in the 5th spot is about as good as a combo of Danny Devito and Peter Dinklage in a slam dunk contest.
Lets go through the available pitchers, leaving my pick for last. These names courtesy of www.mlbtraderumors.com
Roy Halladay-Pass. Too expensive in both dollars and prospects. Not gonna happen.
Cliff Lee- Pass. Pretty affordable contract with an $8 mil option for 2010, but would cost too much in prospects.
Javier Vazquez- Having a great year, but costs more than $11 mil next year and we have already seen what he is like in the pinstripes.
Gil Meche- Again, $11 mil and prospects is too much.
Doug Davis and Jon Garland- No way. theres a reason their teams want to trade them.
Brad Penny- Don't want him but won't be traded from Red Sox anyway.
Paul Maholm- Ever since facing Billy Crystal in spring training last year, this guy has turned into a real special pitcher, but I would be shocked if he was traded.
Carl Pavano- HA!
Jonathan Sanchez- Gained a lot of stock with his recent no hitter, but there's a reason his ERA is over 5.00 for his career.
So here's my pick, none of them! There are still good free agents available. Paul Byrd and Tom Glavine are both available. Ian Snell is available. Finally though, (after this very long blog making up for lost time), Mark Mulder is available.
Mark Mulder was one of the big 3 in Oakland from 2000-2004. He is a two time all star and has finished as high as 2nd in Cy Young voting. He is 31, so while not in his prime, he is not over the hill yet and can still be productive. He has been injured the past two years so he will cost nothing. He has been working out and rehabbing and is ready to pitch. He will cost League minimum. Actually, since its July, half of the league minimum. Less than $250,000 for a 31 year old with a career ERA of 4.18 and a career record of 103-60. I am not saying Mark Mulder is going to make us win the world series, but for a guy who would cost almost nothing and possibly contribute to the team, when you have 2/5 of your rotation struggling and 1/5 of your rotation a joke, why not try this guy out? It is a low risk/high reward signing, exactly the type I like at this point in the year. Not to mention, since it is a free agent signing, he won't cost the team any prospects at all.
So what do you guys think? Should the Yankees trade for a big pitcher like Halladay or Lee? Should they go after a smaller name in a trade? Should they go after one of the numerous free agents still available? What about the offense? Should Cody Ransom go? Could anybody be worse? Should they go after Matt Holliday earlier than expected? Maybe call up Austin Jackson or Shelley Duncan? Or, is everything OK and should they stand pat with the team that they have right now?
Let me know what you think and let me know how bad you think my Mark Mulder idea is. Looking forward to the feedback!
On a quick side note, I said it in spring training and people called me crazy. I put in in a blog post before the year started and people called me crazy (looking at you Poppa D), but even though is he only 19, Jesus Montero is a one-of-a-kind hitter who will have a fantastic career. Do yourself a favor, remember his name and do some research on the kid. You will not be disapointed.
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