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New York Yankees: 2 Ways To Start Off-Season Drama Free

Posted by on 10 October 2011, 12:27 am
CC Sabathia

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With the 2011 New York Yankees exiting the postseason earlier than planned, the looming questions surrounding this off-season are no longer avoidable.

Key players contracts are up, team/player options will be decided and the consequences will dictate next season’s outlook.

So, here are 2 situations that fans need to keep a close eye on:

1. Will CC Sabathia opt out of this contract? Or Will The Yankees Not Let Him?

It is almost guaranteed that CC Sabathia will opt out of his current contract because anyone with half a brain would do the same. Sabathia is the nucleus of the Yankees starting rotation and everybody knows that the team cannot afford to let him walk.

So far, Sabathia is posting a 59-23 record, with a 3.18 ERA and has pitched over 705 innings. When Sabathia starts the Yankees winning percentage is .720, which has to do with his 624 accumulated strikeouts and the slight number of home-runs he has given up, 55 in total. He has been named twice (2010 & 2011) to the All-Star team, and finished fourth (2009) and third (2010) in the CY Young voting.

There is no denying that Sabathia seemed uncomfortable on the hill and for the first time looked vulnerable over his last 10 starts this past season. It is hard to really measure much against this decline, as it simultaneous happened when skipper Joe Girardi switch to a six-man rotation. It has been proven that Sabathia thrives on a regular schedule.

The Yankee brass should be smart and ante-up before Sabathia gets a chance to hit the free agent market. Currently Sabathia has four years left on his $161 million-7 year deal, with a fourth year player opt-out clause.

Sabathia is a true ace and would be coveted by lots of teams if they get the chance to talk to him. Yankees need to tack on two more years at $23-$25 million each and call it a day, and a good one at that.

2. Will Nick Swisher’s $10.5 million team option and Robinson Cano’s $14 million option be picked up for 2012? Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: 2 Ways To Start Off-Season Drama Free’ »

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New York Yankees: Thank You Red Sox

Posted by on 10 September 2011, 7:53 pm

A big thank you to the Boston Red Sox is in order.

Upon arriving in Los Angeles, after losing two in a row to the bottom feeding Baltimore Orioles, the Yankees got stumped once again. This time it was to the Halos of Anaheim with a final score of 2-1.

Certainly not an idyllic way to begin a West Coast visit, as the Bronx Bombers bats have lost some life recently and couldn’t muster up more than a run on the scoreboard behind a solid seven inning outing by Bartolo Colon. The one run was off the bat of Yankees rookie phenom Jesus Montero, who hit it out of the park off CY Young candidate Jared Weaver.

Now in an official slump, the Yankees need to wake-up. Not to mention the pending elbow injury to outfielder Nick Swisher, who was not in the line-up vs. Anaheim because he was waiting to see the Angels team doctor instead.

The NY Post’s George E. King III reported that Swisher said this of the injury:

“It’s a sharp pain, scary. I’m not a guy who likes to take too many days off.”

Yikes! That is not what Yankee fans want to hear about their All-Star right fielder. I can promise you that the Yankee brass knows more than they are sharing.

Even with so little of the season remaining, things don’t get any easier for the Yankees.
There is no excuse more pathetic and whiney than blaming a hectic schedule for lack of effort. Especially envisioning the chic way in which the Yankees travel, which is about ten times nicer than what you imagine it to be.

Regardless it is September baseball and the Yankees have luckily not been the only team limping now. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Thank You Red Sox’ »

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New York Yankees: Updates On Some Minor Tweaking Since Yesterday

Posted by on 17 May 2011, 8:35 pm

The New York Yankees are hoping to break their six-game losing streak in Tropicana Field, the dome that the first-place Tampa Bay Rays call home.

Currently the Yankees are tied for second place with the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, but with another loss they could drop to fourth in the AL East standings.

The Yankees did some minor tweaking in the last 24 hours; nothing mountainous but worth noting:

MLB Trade Rumors reports that Flores just opted out of his minor league deal with the San Diego Padres this past Sunday and that four teams displayed interest in the 35-year-old. Cashman inked him to a minor-league deal with an opt-out prior to the All-Star break.

Boone Logan being the sole lefty in the bullpen with Pedro Feliciano and Damaso Marte on the DL does leave a hole whether Flores can actually help is doubtful. To be honest I forgot about Feliciano, who’s arm would have been a great addition, but Yankees might not even have in till 2012.

This deal doesn’t enthrall me what so ever and River Ave Blues posted A Quick Look At Randy Flores, which will give you a good idea why.

I don’t understand why we can’t dip into our farm system, bring up Manny Banuelos, who is a lefty, and throw him in the bullpen for a game or two. Why the heck not?

Other teams do this all the time and I have no idea what the Yankees plan on doing with all these prospects, as we hear about them enough. Cashman needs to take a chance, as odds are most washed up, older arms will not produce like a Bartolo Colon.

Not really sure why Soriano is moving to the DL, as his MRI came back clear according to ESPN New York’s Wallace Matthews.

Soriano has complained of elbow soreness, but if the MRI showed nothing you have to wonder about a player with a reputation of having a poor attitude, like Soriano. This guy seems to do what he wants, when he wants and the Yankees have enough to deal with already.

Soriano can opt-out at the end of the season and so far there is no reason for him not too. Could things change? Yes, but the is up to Soriano and whether he wants to part of this team or not.

  • Yankees recall Chris Dickerson from AAA Scranton.

Dickerson came to the Yankees via trade with the Milwaukee Brewers for Sergio Mitre this past March.

Skipper Joe Girardi said the 28-year-old Dickerson would start in rightfield and bat ninth, in place of an ill Nick Swisher.

Swisher has been in a funk since the playoffs last season, but Yankee fans are hoping he gets out of it soon. Everyone wants Swisher’s in pinstripes in 2012, but his contract is up this season unless the Yankees sign the one-year extension. Swisher is making him a very hard sell right now.

 

 

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New York Yankees: 8 Recent Good Moves Made By GM Brian’s Cashman

Posted by on 9 May 2011, 5:11 pm
Brian Cashman

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When you are an employee of the New York Yankees the word pressure takes on a whole new meaning.

New York is a city that doesn’t just like to win, they expect to win. Hence the passionate Yankee fans, who are living and breathe this very sentiment.

So, when things go astray for the Yankees or any other MLB team who takes the blame?

A teams general manager and in the Bronx, that would be Mr. Brian Cashman.

So, what do GM’s really do other than play fantasy baseball for real???

To start a general manager is a team’s decision maker over who controls player transactions; hires and fires the coaching staff; develops the plan for the minor league system that entails keeping tabs on all the players from Single-A to Triple-A ball; stays in close touch with every scout in the field to keep tabs on amateur eligibility and who to draft each season and this is just the beginning of the list.

Cashman also has the daunting responsibility of being the Yankees spokesman for everything and the media in New York expects answers all the time.

Cashman has been the fans and media’s scapegoat for all failures; and sees little gratitude for putting together a contending team season after season for New York to be proud of.

Here, in no particular order, are my Top 8 Best Brain Cashman Moves as GM of the New York Yankees:

(Please note that Cashman did not have full authority until 2008, as The Boss had the last word on everything and a lot of bad contracts were unfairly blamed, so many on the list are recent. Hey success is success.)

  1. Yankee fans are familiar with Kerry Wood, after he joined the pinstripes post All-Star break last season and dominated as the team’s eighth inning pitcher. For Cubs fans, it was déjà vu because Wood not only dominated, but also stayed healthy through the end of the 2010 season. Yankee fans’ relationship with Wood was an immediate love affair and I have yet to meet anyone who didn’t want Wood back in 2011. Presumably I expect to hear that Wood got a new contract, but instead he want back to where it all started at a bargain price because he said it wasn’t about the money anymore. He would be closer to his family and would be helping Cubs ownership out as well. Wood is the real hero of this past off-season of putting baseball and life before anything else, not even money could buy it away from his loyalty to his Chicago Cubs.
  2. Try and Imagine if Cashman didn’t go after catcher Russell Martin? It would be a different team, who essentially would probably not be in first place now. The 28-year-old former All-Star is till uber-talented and seems to be healthy again. Martin had major knee issues when with the Los Angeles Dodgers so he was let go at the end of 2010. Martin was a popular guy this past off-season with the Red Sox and Yankees hot on his tail. Thank goodness Cashman pursued Martin so much considering Cervelli’s broken foot and rookie Jesus Montero’s bad Spring Training, the Yankees would have been in a jam at such an important place. Martin has blended with the pitching staff like he has been a Yankee for years; even Burnett is thriving with Martin guiding him along and keeping his head in check. Martin has also been a hitting machine with 24 hits, five doubles, six homers, 20 RBIs and drawn eight walks so far in the month of April….WOW!
  3. Curtis Granderson arrived in New York under the watchful eyes of Yankees fans, who were not very happy that he cost the team one of their rising stars that was weeks away from coming to the Bronx to début. Granderson initial start in New York was not great, as he struggled hitting lefties (career issue) and then wound up on the DL for 4-6 weeks suffering from a Grade II groin strain. It left the team sans a center-fielder and did not help Granderson earn the Yankee fans trust yet. Wow how quickly things can change, as Granderson came back and since last August has been sensational and hasn’t looked back. Granderson is dynamic in the field and has always been against righties, but know you can officially warn left-handed pitchers that Granderson is no longer an easy out or out of the line-up all together. While his counterpart, Austin Jackson is manning his old stomping ground in Detroit, he seems to have picked up Granderson’s striking-out numbers but did almost win the Rookie-of-the-Year in 2010. Overall looking back at this trade today…..Cashman made another trade that worked in the Yankees favor.
  4. On January 14, 2003 the Yankees made it official, to the biggest showing of media to a Yankees press conference in the team’s 100 year history, that three-time MVP for Tokyo Yomiuri Giants Hideki Matsui was now a Yankee. Matsui is considered a living icon in his home country of Japan and New York quickly learned why. He is the ultimate professional and when his team needed him to get a big hit that is just what Matsui did. Named the MVP of the 2009 World Series is not given to a team’s DH unless each at-bat was spectacular. Matsui came off-the-bench and guaranteed the Yankees a championship with every at-bat. I hope Matsui knows how much he is missed in the Bronx; and that he forever in Yankee fans minds be one of the best to ever don the pinstripes. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: 8 Recent Good Moves Made By GM Brian’s Cashman’ »

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New York Yankees: 2011 Opening Day And Bombers Are Good To Go

Posted by on 31 March 2011, 6:00 am

The New York Yankees are back in the Bronx, as baseball season is finally here.

Nothing is more exciting then a pitching duel to start a new season, where anything can happen and for one team it marks the start to their championship run.

Opening Day the Yankees will be hosting the Detroit Tigers, with ace CC Sabathia taking the mound against Tigers ace Justin Verlander.

Yankee Skipper Joe Girardi announced the starting line-up, which Mark Feinstein of the New York Daily News reports will be looking a tad different than the last two seasons on Opening Day.

Here is the batting order for the Bombers Opening Day Game on ESPN:

1.    Brett Gardner
2.    Derek Jeter
3.    Mark Teixeira
4.    Alex Rodriguez
5.    Robinson Cano
6.    Nick Swisher
7.    Jorge Posada
8.    Curtis Granderson
9.    Russell Martin

Jeter and Gardner will platoon as lead-off, which is what I suggested a few weeks back. Since Verlander is a lefty, Gardner will be first and the Captain will hit in the two-spot.

Let me just remind everyone that Jeter has hit in the #2 spot of the Yankees line-up for the majority of his career, with darn good success I must say.

This is a good move by Girardi, but I think throwing Granderson against some righties and keeping Jeter more regularly in such a familiar spot might prove to work as well.

There is plenty of time to smooth out all kinks with 162 games to go.

All I can say is, Welcome Home Yankees; and Welcome Back Baseball!!

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New York Yankees: Four Days, Three Wins, One Surreal Goodbye and They’re Hot

Posted by on 22 September 2010, 7:24 pm

Who’s the hottest team in MLB right now?

The answer is the New York Yankees.

Anyone who tells you otherwise is a Yankee-hater, because you either bleed pinstripes or you burn them. It is that simple.

Looking back to just 7 days ago, things were not going so well for New York who finished 2-8 on a road trip from hell. The nickname “Bombers” was starting to refer to bombing games, instead of balls out of the park.

Lots of factors come into play regarding the Yankees resurgence of winning four of their last five games.

The first two wins were in Baltimore, but it was followed by a loss last Sunday allowing the O’s to avoid another sweep

Heading into the toughest, most critical series of the season, a four game set against the Tampa Bay Rays, Yankee fans would finally get some answers.

Nick Swisher put it in plain and simple, “I think we all pretty much know what’s at stake,” Swisher said. “Take the Rays and us and line us up, and let’s see what happens.”

What has happened is the Yankees have played all around great baseball. Not just winning, but beating the Tampa Bay Rays. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Four Days, Three Wins, One Surreal Goodbye and They’re Hot’ »

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Yankees-Rays: Why This Series Will Still Leave The AL East Up For Grabs

Posted by on 20 September 2010, 1:46 pm

Ending a horrid 3-6 road trip, the New York Yankees are glad to be back home.

Home or not though, starting with a 4-game series against the second-place Tampa Bay Rays, the next two weeks will challenge the Yankees in every possible way.

The Yankees come into the week with a 90-59 record, just a half-game ahead of the Rays, who sit at 89-59. The series will give both teams a chance to leave with a two or three game division lead, but the Yankees and Rays are so evenly matched that a 2-2 split seems more likely than anything else.

Which team looks stronger?

It has only been a week since New York and Tampa played what was, hands down, the best series of baseball this season. All three games were determined late, and both sqauds fought it out with playoff-like energy. In the end, Tampa took two of three games from the Yankees at the Trop.

But the road to a series win will be that much tougher for the Rays, who will this time face the Yankees in New York, and that is not the only advantage for the Pinstripes.

Since leaving Tampa, the Yankees have welcomed back Andy Pettitte. Pettitte pitched great on Sunday, going six innings and giving up only three hits. Even though Pettitte won’t face Tampa in this series, having him healthy again is a huge morale boost.

Joe Girardi made a smart decision to sit third baseman Alex Rodriguez and first baseman Mark Teixeira during the Baltimore series, and they should come back energetic and healthy. Add well-rested Brett Gardner and Nick Swisher to the lineup, and suddenly Tampa looks at taking on a team headed into the playoffs with the entire roster ready to play.

HIT… is the word of the week for the Yankees, and they will need more of them with runners in scoring position in order to win this series. During the weekend Baltimore series, the Yankees left thirty men on base. Continue reading ‘Yankees-Rays: Why This Series Will Still Leave The AL East Up For Grabs’ »

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