RHP Hector Noesi
RHP Ivan Nova
RHP Romulo Sanchez
INF Reegie Corona
INF Eduardo Nunez
INF Kevin Russo
OF Austin Jackson
Added to the 40 man to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft.
They chose not to protect Texeira, Horne or Whelan. They must figure that none of those 3 could stick for a full season with another team because of injury or ineffectiveness.
h/t LoHud
Is Swish really on the trading block?
by 3460kuri on Nov 20, 2009 6:04 PM EST
14 comments
If you haven't heard the rumor, the Yankees are "quietly" making Nick Swisher available for trade. I have no idea if there is any truth to this, nor do I know how available Brian Cashman has made him. However, if this rumor is correct, I think I may know why.
Compare Nick Swisher over the last three seasons to a certain Mystery player X:
Want to guess who this mystery player is? I'll give you a hint: he just reportedly turned down a 4-year, $60 million dollar offer.
Jason Bay is the second-most coveted, and likely to be the second-highest paid, outfielder/hitter on the free agent market this offseason. And while he's a fine player, I'm just not that convinced he's that much better than Swisher when you factor in defense and age. And that's where it gets interesting.
Bay is 31 years old, and at this point it seems unlikely that he'll sign for anything less than 5 years/$75 million. Swisher, on the other hand, is only 29, and is signed for a total of $25.5 million (including a team option) for the next three years.
Given the choice between two good (but not elite) outfielders, most GMs would probably choose the younger, cheaper one. Brian Cashman is no doubt aware of this. Swisher is a great value, based on his production and his salary (and who the Yankees gave up for him), and I have a feeling that his availability hinges on the number of teams who have pitching, need hitting, and don't want to spend eight figures in the free agent market.
This is pure speculation, but the Atlanta Braves fit that description perfectly. They have holes in at least one outfield corner and first base, in fact, the lack of offense probably kept them out of the playoffs in 2009. They also have six good starting pitchers signed for 2010. Tommy Hanson is untouchable and Tim Hudson just signed a three-year extension. While they'd love to move Derek Lowe, his salary is probably too high, and nobody seems that interesting in Kenshin Kawakami. That leaves Javier Vazquez (pass) and Jair Jurrjens.
One would think that any team would be reluctant to part with a 24 year old pitcher who's posted stellar ERAs the past two seasons. I'm not suggesting this is probable or likely. However, when a team is dealing from a position of strength to fill a glaring need, strange things can happen. And I think Cashman may be dangling Swisher in hopes of a deal like this falling into his lap.
14 comments | 1 recs
Boredom in the Bullpen
by jscape2000 on Nov 20, 2009 11:15 AM EST
in Analysis
14 comments
Confession:
I didn't find this season's bullpen nearly as exciting as the '08 version.
First, CC, AJ, Andy and Joba contributed more than 170IP more than the 2008 top 4 starters of Moose, Pettitte, Rasner and Wang.
Then, Phil Hughes locked down the 8th inning- 51IP, 0.86 WHIP, .228 SLG against, 11.4K/9.
And finally, while the 2008 squad was very good (.235/.310/.373), the 2009 'pen was even better (.231/.308/.393). Plus, the '09 team did it with only 21 pitchers while the '08 team used 24 men. Furthermore, 14 guys relieved in 10+ games in 2008 and only 12 guys did that in 2009.
What should the bullpen look like in 2010?
I see that people are trying to link the Yanks to high profile relievers like Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez. Haven't we learned the Karsay/Farnsworth lesson? Every once in a while it works out right and Tom Gordon shows up, but relievers are the hardest players in the game to predict. Not only would either Soriano or Gonzalez cost most of the Yanks' payroll space, since both are Type A free agents the Yanks would lose their first round draft pick next June.
The Yanks are stacked with pitching prospects, and the simplest way to employ those prospects is to throw them in the fire. Joe Girardi has proven he's the right guy to handle a Cashman style cost control bullpen, shifting roles regularly to put the hot hand in the game.
And even better (or worse if you get excited by leadoff walks, line drives, and blown saves), of the pitchers who relieved for the Yanks in 2009, only Josh Towers (5.1IP), Anthony Claggett (2.2IP), Brett Tomko (20.2IP), and Jose Veras (25.2IP) will not return. Coke and Marte will be back as effective lefties, and Houdini Robertson, Alfredo Aceves and Brian Bruney will be ready as the right-handed bridge.
Shall we sign Soriano to a Farnsworth style deal? Wouldn't that make 2010 more exciting?
14 comments | 0 recs |
The Slow Offseason, the 2010 Free Agent Class, and Collusion
by jscape2000 on Nov 20, 2009 7:43 AM EST
in Analysis
9 comments
"We have evaluated, now we will organize," Cashman said. "Then we will meet with ownership."
Cash will go talk to Hank and Hal, get authorization for next season's budget, and then dive into the market.
Because the Yanks are moving so methodically, the mood around baseball seems to be that this will be a long free agent season. No one wants to be the team to set the market, and no free agent wants to sign until the Yankees have made their offer.
The consensus that next season holds the free agent gems, may deflate the market even more- if you know there's going to be a party on Saturday, you don't spend all you funds on Thursday night.
Then there is the talk of collusion. Ken Rosenthal reports on the escalating war of words between Scott Boras and MLB Chief of Labor Relations Rob Manfred. Boras thinks the game was worth $6.3 billion dollars, and that there are a dozen clubs with $200M revenues fielding teams for around $70-$90M (what they receive from revenue sharing and MLB's tv and licensing contracts). All of these numbers have allegedly attached to them because baseball doesn't disclose hard numbers, a point sure to come up in the next labor talks.
I've hated Scott Boras for years. His willingness to pick and choose facts to present each client as a baseball immortal, his eagerness to move successful players to dead-end franchises for an extra nickle, and his enthusiasm for non-traditional contract loopholes and incentives are all repugnant to me.
But if Scott Boras becomes one of the central figures in a movement to expose baseball's finances and move more of the revenue from the owners to the workers, he could have a Darth Vader moment.
9 comments | 0 recs |
Bud Selig said there will be a tightening of baseball's postseason schedule in 2010...
Regarding instant replay, Selig said he's taken the matter under advisement after a rash of missed calls in the first two rounds of the postseason.
Though the matter wasn't addressed here last week by the 30 general managers during their two days of meetings, a number of them told the media that they'd like to expand the use of video technology to enhance the sport.
1 day ago
Travis G
3 comments
0 recs
Lincecum wins NL Cy Young
He edged out Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. (via BTF)
1 day ago
Travis G
6 comments
0 recs
Around the Yankee Universe: Mark DeRosa, anyone?
by Ed Valentine on Nov 19, 2009 12:15 PM EST
in News
26 comments
Here are a few stories worthy of discussion today Around the Yankee Universe.
Infielder Mark DeRosa's glove could be good fit
Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News is suggesting that the Yankees pursue DeRosa, the veteran utility man.
If the Yankees bring back Johnny Damon, DeRosa would be a good fit because he could play left field on days when Damon serves as the designated hitter. DeRosa, who has started 212 games in the outfield, 311 at third base, 304 at second base, 139 at shortstop and 23 at first base, could also spell Alex Rodriguez at third base on his DH days, making him an ideal addition for the aging Yankees.
The Yankees have shown prior interest in DeRosa, who is well-regarded by many inside the organization. At least 10 teams are reportedly in the mix for DeRosa, who hit .250 with 23 home runs, 78 RBI and 78 runs scored in 139games with Cleveland and St. Louis last season.
My take: This is an idea that I like, particularly if HIdeki Matsui and Jerry Hairston Jr. are not part of the 2010 Yankee roster. There have been seasons when GM Brian Cashman has pretty much ignored the bench, and last season we saw how important having quality depth is. Just like Hairston was an upgrade over Cody Ransom, DeRosa would be an upgrade over Hairston.
26 comments | 0 recs |
Pythag Record and the Future
by jscape2000 on Nov 19, 2009 11:00 AM EST
in Analysis
7 comments
I'm a big believer in Pythagorean record as a test a team's quality. I like the simplicity: reduce runs allowed or increase runs scored to increase winning. Hitting, pitching and defense are already built into the analysis. (Click here for a down and dirty explanation).
| RS | RA | Diff | Pythag | actual W% | |
| 2009 | 915 | 753 | +162 | .586 | .636 |
| 2008 | 789 | 727 | +62 | .537 | .549 |
| 2007 | 968 | 777 | +191 | .599 | .580 |
| 2006 | 930 | 767 | +163 | .586 | .599 |
I was surprised to find that 2009 was not a marked improvement over the previous 3 clubs. The pitching and defense was actually worse than the 2008 squad, and whole team was roughly equal in 2006 and 2009.
Could it be that the big transformation wasn't CC or AJ or Hughes in the pen. Certainly, both players were essential to replacing Mussina, to cover for the loss of Wang, the 5th starter debacle and a slight regression by the bullpen (87 OPS+ against in 2008; 92 in 2009). But those problems at the back of the rotation mask the improvements at the top.. It was the addition of Tex and the return of a healthy Posada and Matsui that really put the team back in the driver's seat.
On the other hand, the Yankees significantly overshot their expectations in 2009, so unless the team improves on one side of the ball or the other, we had better brace for a step back in 2010.
Having Mariano in the pen (and a strong pen in general) seems to skew the Yanks to the top side of the projections (because they lose fewer close games than other teams). While I expect Joba/ Hughes/ mystery pitcher to outperform 2009 Joba/ Wang/ Mitre/ Gaudin, I'm worried that will be balanced by a step back for CC or AJ.
Johnny Damon was a decent offensive left fielder but a terrible defensive one. Offensively he was 24.5 weighted Runs Above Average, and defensively -9.2 runs below average according to UZR, for a net of +15.3 runs. Matt Holliday netted +39.6 runs in 2009. Jason Bay netted +23.0. My preference, Mike Cameron, netted +18.8 as a centerfielder.
7 comments | 0 recs |
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