The Return of Javy!

Well, rumors last night that the Yankees were going to acquire a starting pitcher via trade kept me up until about 2 AM, hoping news would be broken. I woke up at 7 and still there was no news. After hours of watching the worst possible TV in the history of the world (Regis & Kelly and The Stepford Wives), it was finally reported that the Yankees had acquired Javy Vazquez.

SERIOUSLY? After all that waiting the Yankees acquired a guy they traded 5 years ago? This was a big let down. But then, as everyone should do when there is a trade, I actually sat down and thought about it, instead of simply thinking of game 7 of the 2004 ALCS and you know what, this is a very good deal.

In the official deal, the Yankees acquire Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan and the Braves get Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn and Arodys Vizcaino.

First off, lets talk about what they gave up. Melky, Dunn and a 19 year old. Vizcaino projects to be something good, but at 19 years old, anything can happen. Dunn also projects to be something decent, but he is a converted position player and people within the Yankees organization believe his control problems are something he may never conquer. As for Melky, well, long-time readers of this blog know how I feel about him, he will not be missed.

As for Javier Vazquez, he was the Yankees #1 starter in 2004 and had a very strong 3.56 ERA in the first half. While it wasn't widely reported at the time, he dealt with a sore shoulder in the second half which led to a ERA in the 2nd half of 6.92.

Vazquez had the best year of his career in 2009, going 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA, finished 4th in CY Young Voting and 2nd in the league in strikeouts with 238. While I don't expect him to perform this well, especially with a 4.19 career ERA, Vazquez, whether you have bad memories of him or not, is a very strong #3 or #4 starter. Name me one #3 or 4 who is better than him? There aren't many. On top of this, Vazquez provides lots of durability. Every year since 2000 Vazquez has thrown at least 198 innings and made at least 32 starts. He is only 3 games over .500 for his career, but that has a lot to do with spending the first six seasons of his career with the Montreal Expos, not to mention some time with the Diamondbacks and White Sox.

Adding to the long list of positives for Vazquez, this makes a battle for the #5 spot between Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes. No matter who gets the 5th spot (I think Joba will be the 5th starter), this gives the Yankees a very strong set-up man, thus improving the bullpen. Finally, Vazquez is making $11.5 mil this year, but he only has one year left on his contract, giving the Yankees financial flexibility. Obviously there is a year to go, but he projects as a Type A free agent and is sure to net the Yankees two draft picks.

Boone Logan was in the deal also, and yes, he held lefties to a .226 BA last year, but I doubt he gets much playing time, but bullpen depth is always nice. This makes Brett Gardner our starting LF, but I would bet you anything the Yankees acquire someone. They have about $5-6 mil left to work with (which just so happens to be Mark Derosa's asking price, hmm....) and that would push Gardner to our 4th outfield spot, and he would be a great late game defensive replacement for DeRosa. Also, on days Jeter and A-Rod need a rest, DeRosa can move there and the offensive loss wont be huge. Add the fact that he is ANOTHER great clubhouse guy and has recently said he wants to play for the Yankees and this seems like a great fit. He is not a great defender in the OF and is a bit overrated, but at $4-6 mil on a one or two year deal, he will be another potentially solid addition to the team.

So overall the Yankees acquire a guy who can was a #1 for his team last year, is a #2 on most teams but will only have to be their #3. They get him for only one year at a relatively affordable price and may also get two draft picks out of it, all while giving up a few guys who at this point, you probably only remember two of their names, possibly only one. Melky wont be missed. Dunn wont be missed and neither will that other guy. Another great move for Brian Cashman to show us all that he is truly running the show right now (it was 100% Randy Levine who traded Vazquez after 2004, Vazquez and Cashman both wanted him to stay), and I wouldn't want it any other way

So tell me what you guys think. Do you like the deal? I know Uncle Johnny doesnt! How come you guys dont like it? If you do, what do you like about it? Also, will Gardner be the opening day LF or will be it a guy like DeRosa, Jermaine Dye or even Erik Hinske? As always, let me know what you guys think

Update:
According to Joel Sherman, now that the Yankees have Vazquez, they will look to trade either Sergio Mitre or Chad Gaudin. Mitre will earn about $1.5 mil next year and has no trade value while Gaudin will be making about $3 mil, but could net a decent B prospest in return. Who should they trade? Should they simply dump Mitre's salary and save some money and keep the good pitcher around, or should they trade Gaudin, free up more money and get a prospect, but lose some pitching depth in the process?

Recap of Offseason Thus Far

Well, as always it's been a while, but finals will do that to you. The Yankees have made plenty of moves so far in the off season, so lets take a look at what they have done so far, analyze it all and find out what we think!

Lets do this in chronological order:

Yankees trade RP Brian Bruney to the Nationals for a PTBNL:

Brian Bruney was traded to the Nationals on the first day of the Winter Meetings, for a Player to be Named Later. That player ended up being the Nationals #1 pick in the Rule 5 draft. Bruney was a solid reliever for the Yankees, posting ERA's of 0.87, 4.68, 1.83 and 3.92, but with the Yankees trying to use their money more efficiently, a reliever of his caliber who is good, but walks too many people considering a 6.2 BB/9 and was due a raise through arbitration of about $3 million, that money could be used better, and any old reliever could put up similar numbers for $2.5 mil less. Mark Melancon anybody?

Overall consider this a win for the Yankees. Bruney can be replaced by any 'ol reliever and the Yanks also save some money in the deal as well.

Yankees trade OF Austin Jackson, SP Ian Kennedy and RP Phil Coke in a 3-team deal to acquire CF Curtis Granderson

First, lets talk about what the Yankees gave up in this trade. Austin Jackson was probably the Yankees number one offensive prospect (slightly ahead of Jesus Montero, simply for the fact that Jackson was older and had a full year at AAA under his belt). Jackson played well at AAA, winning the International Leagues Rookie of the Year award, but unfortunately for him, he struck out too much and his power simply did not develop the way the Yankees had hoped. Without power, Jackson is simply a good prospect, not great. If he develops power, he will be missed, but Granderson is still young (will be 29 on Opening Day), so it isn't the worst thing in the world to trade a guy who can be good, for a young guy who we already know is good. Jackson will be the opening day CF for the Tigers, so we will learn very soon what he will become.

Ian Kennedy was another guy who I was a big fan of, but he simply was never going to contribute to the New York Yankees. In the NL, he has the ability to be a #3, but in the AL East, he simply was not going to do anything special. Concerns about his attitude were also raised and while he may be good for the Arizona Diamondbacks, the best thing he could ever do for the Yankees is be a key part of a trade.

Phil Coke also got traded. Who cares? I like Coke, I was a fan of his, despite his ability to give up home runs to left handed hitters in the most important situations, but he can be replaced easily. Damaso Marte showed us in the playoffs what he could do, and the Yankees think very highly of Mike Dunn as well, who was originally a part of this deal. He will be 27 next year, but this was a just an extra piece of the trade. I liked him, but he won't be missed.

Now, onto what we did receive. Our new Center Fielder, Curtis Granderson. Granderson will bat at the bottom of the order, probably around the six spot, and be sure to drive in runs. He hit 30 home runs last year, 10 of which came in a home ballpark that is not hitter-friendly. He has the potential to hit 40 home runs in the new Yankee Stadium according to some, and the fact that he led the league in triples in 2007 and 2008 and had 20 steals last year surely doesn't hurt anything. Granderson is also a fantastic fielder, posting a 5.2 UZR/150 for his career, and although I do not think Melky Cabrera will, or should be the opening day LF, as of right now he is, and his defense is much better suited for left, so Granderson makes the entire OF better. Granderson is also a great clubhouse guy, great to the media and charitable in the community. He was the Detroit Tigers winner of the Roberto Clemente award and is known as one of the nicest guys in baseball.

Granderson does have flaws, he strikes out too much, can't hit lefties and last year his BA dropped to .249. With that said, he had an abnormally high fly ball rate last year, an abnormally low BABIP and an abnormally low infield hit rate last year as well. These are the reasons we have a hitting coach. According to Ken Davidoff via Twitter, Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long said he would be able to fix Granderson against lefties in 10 seconds. Add that to the assumed bounce back year for his BABIP, some of those fly balls turning into Home Runs in the new Yankee Stadium and a potential bat off the bench who can face some tough lefties and this is a fantastic addition for the Yankees. Somewhere down the road Austin Jackson may turn into something good, but he does not project to be anything better than Granderson, so nobody will take any notice.

By the way, Granderson is owed a very affordable $25.75 mil over the next three years with a $13 mil option when it is all said and done.

Yankees sign Andy Pettitte to a one year $11.75 mil deal

Did the Yankees overpay for Pettitte? Yes. Does it matter? Not really. I thought Pettitte was going to get a one year deal around $9 mil or so, but whats an extra couple of million for a guy like Pettitte? You know what you're going to get from him and there aren't going to be any surprises. He has won at least 14 games over the past five years, never with an ERA over 4.54 (his 2nd worst ERA over the past five years was 4.20), made at least 32 starts and was a veteran presence. Even though we overpaid, considering how the market has been this year, the Yankees are getting a bit of a discount technically. If Randy Wolf can secure a 3 year deal worth almost $30 mil, Pettitte would be able to get at least $40 mil on the open market if he wanted a long-term deal and was willing to talk to any team other than the Yankees. Locking up Pettitte quickly was important, adds a strong #3 with no surprises and there is no need for negotiations to linger into January like they did last year.

Yankees get OF Jamie Hoffman to complete Brian Bruney deal

Jamie Hoffman is an OF who can play all three OF positions well, and he can hit lefties. That will be his role on this team, to face lefties. Considering he was taken in the rule 5 draft, you can't expect much, if anything out of him. If he hits lefties well enough to stay on the team, great! If not, he was a Rule 5 pick, so it's not like anything was expected out of him. Good pick-up because it can potentially fill a need the Yankees have, but this won't affect too much this year.

Pending a physical, Yankees sign 1B/DH Nick Johnson to a 1 year $5.5 mil deal

Nick Johnson, who came up through the Yankees system is back, this time in an almost full-time DH role. He will get about 5-6 starts at 1B this year, but that is it. Johnson and his fantastic .402 career OB% will fit very nicely in the number two hole and although he has had a career of injuries about as bad as Carl Pavano, keeping him off the field and getting normal rest will only help him stay healthy. The Yankees kept Hideki Matsui healthy last year, and he wasn't human from the knees down, they should be able to keep Nick the Stick healthy as well. He has faced injuries such as a broken leg, a broken cheek bone and most recently, a fractured wrist, but last year he was able to mostly stay healthy and play in 133 games, missing only two weeks in the middle of the season. Ever since the Yankees traded him away after 2003, he has been eager to play for a winner, and that is why he was willing to turn down a larger offer he received from the San Francisco Giants, always good in my book. He was one of my favorites when I was younger and now he is turning down extra money to play in NY making me only like this guy more. I will miss Hideki Matsui very much and I look forward to the Yankees home opener so I can stand and applaud him, but Nick Johnson will be a wonderful fit in NY.

Oh, by the way, Johnson's .426 OB% last year was the third best in the majors. He was only beaten by Albert Pujols and Joe Mauer, whoever those guys are....

So overall, the Yankees traded Austin Jackson, Ian Kennedy, Phil Coke and Brian Bruney, lost Hideki Matsui to the Angels, and probably lost Johnny Damon as well because his asking prices were positively demonic, all while gaining a great young CF in Curtin Granderson, a new DH in Nick Johnson, a potential lefty killer in Jamie Hoffman and re-signed Andy Pettitte. So far, this has been a productive off season for the Yanks. Oh yea, the Yankees also non-tendered Chien-Ming Wang and then he turned down a split contract to stay with the Yankees. So long Chien-Ming!

So what should the Yankees do next? Do they need another starter? Are you OK with Melky being the opening day LF? Well, the answer's are clear, yes they need another starter and no, Melky should not be in the field on opening day. Brian Cahsman has said himself that they are not done yet. The Yankees need a left fielder and with Johnny Damon's demands being out of this world, they will have to look at all their options. Is Mark DeRosa a nice fit considering he can play left, right and all the infield positions? If Matt Holliday's best offer is truly 5 years and around $80 mil, can the Yankees simply let him go if they can get him so cheap? Will they get in on Jason Bay? What trades are possible? Or will they simply let Melky be the starter? As for pitchers, the Yankees have been seriously linked to Ben Sheets, and linked to Justin Duchscherer as well. I believe one of them will surely end up in the Bronx. they won't cost too much and could be a very nice piece of the rotation, all while giving the Yankees plenty of starting pitching depth.

So what do you guys think? Do you like Granderson and Nicky J.? Did we overpay Pettitte? Are you going to miss Damon and Matsui? And what should we do from here? Is Melky OK or should be bring in a new LF via trade or free agency? Also, who do you like more, Ben Sheets, Justin Duchscherer or sticking with Gaudin/Mitre/Aceves? Tell me what you guys think!

He has finally arrived

He is the shortstop the Red Sox have needed for quite a while and his name is Marco Scutaro. Now before I give you my opinion about this interesting man, lets go straight to the facts.

A 34 year old player who came up in 2002, but played his first full season in 2004. This past season was his best ever where he hit .282, an OBP of .379, had 12 HR, 60 RBI, 14 SB, and scored 100 Runs. All of which were career bests for him. He has played the last two seasons with Toronto and four with Oakland before that. If you put a player who gets these stats in Fenway Park with the line-up that Boston can provide, those numbers should only go up. One last interesting thing to note about his hitting is that at home this year he hit .242 with a .353 OBP, away he hit .322 and had a .405 OBP. The same follows in 2008 as well. So get him out of Toronto and life should become much better.

Now I don't know how much better he can get at age 34, but I am one who believes anything is possible and never say never.

People were thinking that that he was going to get a nice long term deal from some team and get overpaid as well. Luckily, that was not the case when it came to signing with the Red Sox. Essentially they got him for two years of $12.5 million. With a 3rd year as a mutual option.
If you really want to know how the deal breaks down go here:

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/12/marco-scutaro-rumors-thursday.html

For the deal that the Red Sox acquired him, I am in favor of it. He fills a big void the Red Sox had in getting a shortstop, he didn't cost too much and in my opinion is worth the amount he got, and to get him for only two guaranteed years, I am more than happy. Originally I was not in favor of the Red Sox signing him at the price tag of rumors floating around, but for the price and what he can provide, I like it.

They have had some big shoes to fill at shortstop since the 2004 season after winning the World Series. That year they acquired Orlando Cabrera when they traded away long time shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, but kept him til the end of that season. Which is probably for the best because I only want people on my team who are physically strong enough to break a bat. Then in 2005, they go out and get Edgar Renteria who gets a four year $40 million deal. He makes only 30 errors in 2005 and gets traded away. To bring some defense to the table they go and get Alex Gonzalez, but he barely provides any offense. In 2007, they get Julio Lugo for 4 years at $36 million. Things did not go well for him because of injury and they bring up farm raised Jed Lowrie during the second half of the 2008 season. He gets injured as well and last year they bring back Alex Gonzalez who filled in nicely. Now they have Scutaro though and let Alex Gonzalez go. In fact they both switched teams.

As far as where he will hit in the Red Sox line-up, I imagine it would be near the bottom because the batting order is pretty solid as is.

Only two other big issues to address left, getting a starting pitcher and figuring out who's going to play left field next season.

-As always this is, Corey Sobel, with a special report