Are the Yankees done?

It seems the Yankees might be done adding players, according to some baseball writers. However, it is unlikely that they would trust a full season of Jamie Hoffmann and Brett Gardner in left field, especially if Curtis Granderson continues to struggle against lefties. The Yankee lineup doesn't really need another bat but they also are not likely to simply throw someone out there. I have a feeling that neither Brett Gardner or Jamie Hoffmann will be starting the season in left field. Call it a 'Steinbrenner' hunch.
However, on the flip side, I wouldn't mind seeing the Yanks go with their current roster. Gardner showed that he can be a threat on the bases and could have a better season given more chances. Plus, there is no telling how well Hoffmann will play in Spring Training so he could surprise us all and earn that starting spot. Maybe I should consult the magic 8-ball...

Lower Payroll?

So, the word from the front office was that the Steinbrenners and Brian Cashman had agreed to lower the payroll from last year ($201 million) but, according to my calculations, the payroll for 2010 will actually be higher ($208 million). I heard that the Yankee big wigs wanted to have the payroll around $185 million for next season but it looks like that has no chance of happening. Also, the Yankees currently do not have a starting left fielder unless they plan on using Brett Gardner or Jamie Hoffman full time which I think is unlikely. Not sure what their plans are but it seems that the whole lowering of the payroll idea has gone out the window. The good news is that much of the added salaries for the next season came via the trade rather than signing free agents (ex. Granderson and Vazquez). I think the Yankees are looking to shed some salaries for next season because of the big free agents that might become available. I guess we can only wait and see.

New left fielder?

With the Yankees trading Melky Cabrera to the Braves for Javier Vazquez, they will likely look for a new left fielder to take his spot. The two most notable options would be to bring back Damon, which the Yankees only want to do for the right price, or sign Mark DeRosa to a one year deal for half the price that Damon would likely require. DeRosa is a durable player that could play in the outfield and the infield. He's 34 and a career .275 hitter with some power but he also is said to be a great guy who would fit in well with the Yankees. Damon, if resigned for less than he wanted, could be bitter and might not play as well based on the offseason contract negotiations. Rumors are that the Yankees might make a push for either Jason Bay or Matt Holliday but I don't think that will happen. The Yankees are truly looking to decrease their payroll and those two options would probably increase it compared to last season. They might fake interest in the players to jack up the price for other teams but I would be shocked if they made a real play for either of those two big names. Here are three different options for the Yankee lineup based on the possibility of signing either Damon or DeRosa:
Option 1-
1. Jeter SS
2. Johnson DH
3. Texeira 1B
4. Rodriguez 3B
5. Damon LF
6. Posada C
7. Cano 2B
8. Swisher RF
9. Granderson CF
Option 2-
1. Jeter SS
2. Damon LF
3. Texeira 1B
4. Rodriguez 3B
5. Posada C
6. Cano 2B
7. Swisher RF
8. Johnson DH
9. Granderson CF
Option 3-
1. Jeter SS
2. Johnson DH
3. Texeira 1B
4. Rodriguez 3B
5. Posada C
6. Cano 2B
7. Swisher RF
8. DeRosa LF
9. Granderson CF
I like the idea of batting Granderson ninth because it's like having another lead-off man at the bottom of the line-up with Jeter and either Johnson or Damon in the two hole in front of Texeira and Rodriguez. What might be more likely is that Granderson would bat in front of Swisher in all the line-ups but I like having his speed in front of Jeter rather than in front of Swisher. Thanks and stay tuned for updates!

Another trade for the Yanks

The Yankees have traded outfielder Melky Cabrera, relief pitcher Michael Dunn, a minor league pitching prospect, and $500,000 to the Braves for starting pitcher Javier Vazquez and relief pitcher Boone Logan. Vazquez was with the Yankees for one year in 2004 and went 14-10 with an ERA just under 5.00. He has become a better pitcher since then exemplified by the 33 year old's great season last year with the Braves going 15-10 with an ERA under 3.00. Vazquez is a workhorse. He has pitched at least 198 innings, won at least 10 games, and struck out at least 150 batters the past 10 seasons, which shows he is durable and consistent.
Vazquez will likely pitch third for the Yanks as he has better stuff at this point in comparison to Pettitte. Pettitte, a soon to be 38 year old, is a solid veteran who will greatly help the Yanks as a fourth starter. He knows how to pitch in the AL East and can win games with effort and guts when he doesn't necessarily have his best stuff. This move gives the Yankees the deepest rotation in the AL and possibly the entire MLB. The Red Sox have a great rotation as well but I'd take Pettitte and Joba over Matsuzaka and Wakefield next season. I think Joba will be the fifth starter because the Yanks have put so much time into giving him more innings and the whole 'Joba Rules' fiasco would make them look like idiots if he was placed back into the bullpen. Phil Hughes, Alfredo Aceves, Chad Gaudin, and Sergio Mitre will compete for bullpen jobs, with the odd man out likely being Mitre as he struggled mightily last year.
Boone Logan is a 25 year old lefty who pitched only 20 innings for the Braves last year but he has good stuff and will likely take over Phil Coke's spot in the bullpen giving the Yankees two lefty options with Logan and Damaso Marte. The Braves had two lefties ahead of Logan in their bullpen last season so he didn't get many opportunities to pitch but he was solid against left handed batters and could help in that capacity next season.
Losing Melky Cabrera will likely force the Yankees to sign or trade for a left fielder. Gardner is good as a backup but he does not really have the skills to start every day. This could mean that the Yankees will try and bring Damon back but will only do so in a two year deal for around $20 million. Damon and agent Scott Boras are looking for a three to four year deal for $13-$15 million per year. Other options would be Mark DeRosa, who I like as a player and seems to be a great guy, who is looking for a deal for around $6.5 million. Melky was solid last season but the Yankees, and myself, thought he had really maxed out his potential so they might as well capitalize on his value while they could. Michael Dunn was projected to be a lefty out of the bullpen and, at 24, has a plus heater and slider. The prospect the Yanks gave up pitched well in Single A ball but who knows how he would have pitched as he got closer to the big leagues.

This trade makes the Yankees better for the 2010 season and they had to give up very little in the process. Their rotation, as stated earlier, will be amazing and they didn't have to sign one of the free agents with a questionable medical history (remember Carl Pavano?). I like this move and I look forward to seeing this rotation dominate next season.

1. CC Sabathia LHP

2. AJ Burnett RHP

3. Javier Vazquez RHP

4. Andy Pettitte LHP

5. Joba Chamberlain RHP

Possible new addition to the Yanks

There is a possibility that the Yankees are going to sign Nick Johnson, a former Yankee, to be their new DH. The puzzling thing about this deal is that Johnson has little power and his defense at 1B is below average. So, it seems like we would be signing a guy who will play very little in the field which begs the question: Why didn't we just resign Matsui? The only positive about Johnson is that he gets on base a LOT. His on base percentage last season was .426 and, to show how solid that is, the league average is .336. Another example is Derek Jeter. He had the highest on base percentage for the Yankees this past season and his was .406. Johnson would likely bat second behind Jeter which would move Granderson lower in the order. This move would seem to say that the Yanks want to focus more on manufacturing runs rather than hitting them all out of the park. Here's the projected lineup if this move goes through:
1. Jeter SS
2. Johnson DH
3. Texeira 1B
4. Rodriguez 3B
5. Posada C
6. Cano 2B
7. Granderson CF
8. Swisher RF
9. Cabrera LF

Reasons for concern

There are rumors that the Red Sox will be making another big change to their roster within a week or so. They are looking to trade for the San Diego's 1B Adrien Gonzalez, a huge bat that would more than make up for the possible loss of Mike Lowell in a trade to the Rangers. The BoSox recently announced the signings of John Lackey, the number one free agent pitcher on the market, and Mike Cameron, a soon to be 37 year old with some power, who is likely to play left field. Gonzalez would add some of the power the BoSox lost with the departure of Manny Ramirez but he would also allow the BoSox to have a more potent lineup one through nine. Not only do the BoSox look to have a great rotation next year, but they could have a feared lineup to go along with the strong pitching staff. I'm crossing my fingers that this move doesn't happen.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Good - It appears that Roy Halladay is moving to the NL in a three team trade with the Phillies. This takes the best pitcher of the decade and moves him out of the AL East which can only be good news for the Yanks heading into the 2010 season.
The Bad - The Mariners appear to be getting Cliff Lee in that three team trade. This gives them Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee as their one-two in the rotation and that spells trouble for opposing teams. Lee pitched a little better in the NL so my only hope is that he struggles a little more in the more powerful AL.
The Ugly - The Red Sox signed John Lackey, the best free agent pitcher available, to a five year deal which gives them the best one-two-three pitchers in the game of baseball. Lackey, John Lester, and Josh Beckett are power pitchers and high strikeout guys which can only make AL teams cringe at this signing. Also, the BoSox have Daisuke Matsuzaka, Clay Buchholz, and Tim Wakefield to finish off the back end of the rotation. This is not good. Our only hope is that CC can make Halladay, AJ and Beckett are equally wild (which they both tend to do every so often), and Pettitte can pitch like he did five years ago to match Lester, who was the ace of this staff last year. God help us all if they sign Beltre to play third base, Mike Cameron to play left field, and complete the trade that send Mike Lowell to the Rangers. Estimated number of wins for them next year if all that happens: 104.

Rule 5 Draft

The Rule 5 Draft took place this morning and the Yankees acquired 25 year old Jamie Hoffmann from the Nationals as compensation for sending Brian Bruney to them earlier in the week. The rules of the Rule 5 Draft state that Hoffmann must stay on the Yankee active roster for the year or else he would be offered back to the Nationals for half of the price the Yankees paid for him ($50,000). According to reports, the Yankee front office has had interest in Hoffmann for a few years. At this point, Hoffman would compete with Brett Gardner for the fourth outfield spot.
There are a couple wrinkles that could effect the look of the outfield next season. The Yankees are apparently negotiating with Johnny Damon on a contract to bring him back next season. Damon would likely DH and could play the field occasionally to give others a break from the field. Also, teams are contacting the Yankees about possibly trading Gardner or Melky Cabrera, as they currently have five outfielders and would have six if Damon resigns. A likely move would be a trade of Gardner for a minor league prospect because the Yanks do not need another big league player and Gardner became the odd man out after he got hurt last season. The only problem is that he was our fastest player and we would lose that weapon off the bench. I guess we'll see what happens in the following days and weeks.

Three team trade

The Yankees are involved in a three team trade in which they would send Ian Kennedy to Arizona, send Phil Coke and Austin Jackson to Detroit, and they would receive Curtis Granderson in the deal. Other players are involved between Arizona and Detroit but they don't matter. Essentially the Yankees will get a new starting center fielder for a Triple A starter in Kennedy, a so-so bullpen lefty in Coke, and their top outfield prospect in Jackson. The 28 year old Granderson is a solid center fielder with great defense, some speed, and enough pop to match or exceed Damon's homerun total with the short porch in right. However, he strikes out too much and struggles against lefties at times. His struggles might force the Yanks to play Melky in center against lefties, as he is a switch hitter, and Gardner can slide into either left or right. My guess is that Granderson would bat second behind Jeter because Jeter gets on base better than Granderson and Jeter also hits into more double plays. AJax, who's 22, was a top prospect in the Yankee system so my hope is that we didn't give up our future for nothing. Only time will tell if this move was a good one or another flop.

Winter Meeting update

The Yankees have traded relief pitcher Brian Bruney to the Washington Nationals for a player to be named later. Bruney had an up and down tenure with the Yankees and had recently been erratic which isn't a great quality for a late inning reliever. The Yankees have a lot of relief pitchers and many can throw high heat just like Bruney so his departure isn't terrible. The only down side is that he was only 27 years old and could have improved his control. It will be interesting to see who the Yanks get in return.

This just in...

Today is day one of four of the winter meetings and there is already some good news for the Yanks. Sources say that Andy Pettitte has decided to return for another season and will simply need to work out some contract details. This is great news for Yankee fans but I'll wait for the contract signing and confirmation before I completely jump for joy.

"Doc" Halladay a Yankee?

Rumors are spreading that the Yankees are discussing a trade with Toronto that would give the Yanks the 33 year old ace. However, the Yankees would have to give up one of their top prospects from the list of Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Jesus Montero, or Austin Jackson. The Yankees have been hesitant in the past to part ways with their top prospects but in this case I would make an exception Halladay has been a dominant pitcher for years and he has shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon. He continues to pitch late into games, he throws a lot of innings, gets a lot of strikeouts, and he can help younger pitchers develop their skills.
The Yankees could pass on the deal not only to keep their prospects but also to avoid a Kevin Brown or Carl Pavano type deal. "Doc" has thrown a lot of innings in recent years, mostly because Toronto's bullpen is weak, and he will be 34 before the start of the 2010 season. Pitchers that throw a lot of innings and pitch late into games eventually have a drop off but Halladay hasn't shown any signs of this happening. Plus, he is a workout demon, keeps his body in great shape, and is dedicated to his craft.
Here's what I would do: make the trade. It isn't often that a pitcher of this caliber becomes available so the Yankees need to look long and hard at the deal before they pass or accept. Within the organization I think the consensus is to hold on to Montero and Jackson so the deal would include either Hughes or Chamberlain. Montero is viewed as the catcher of the future and Jackson will compete for an outfield spot during spring training at the age of 22. I would be okay with letting either Hughes or Chamberlain go because I think the both of them have their faults and might not live up to the hype. Chamberlain is showing a streak of inconsistency without the ability to pitch his way out. With the problems AJ has had with the one "bad inning," the Yankees do not need two pitchers like that in the rotation. However, he did show signs of life as a relief pitcher and has been touted as a possible replacement for the immortal Mariano Rivera. Hughes pitched very well as a relief pitcher during the season but struggled in the postseason. Also, relief pitchers come and go and unless Hughes becomes a starter and continues to improve, there is no real reason to hold on to him just because he pitches one good inning at a time. It will be interesting to see what happens by the end of December because I have a gut feeling that a deal, whether to the Yankees or not, will be done involving Halladay by then. Keep checking in as I'll let you know what happens when it happens. Cheers!

Arbitration Time

The Yankees declined to offer salary arbitration to all of their eligible players. This is the second year in a row they have done this and it worked out pretty well last year. This does not mean that these players cannot be resigned but it does mean that their salaries will not be determined by an arbitration group, which will favor the player if they have had a significant impact on the team. The most notable of the arbitration eligible players are Damon, Matsui, Pettitte, and Nady. I would still like to see the Yanks bring back Pettitte and possibly Nady on an incentive deal but I think it is time that Damon and Matsui move on to greener pastures. For now, the Yankees have remained quiet this offseason but they can make a splash at any time. Look for signings and trades to pick up for all teams after the winter meetings take place around Dec. 7th-9th. Thanks for reading!