Absurdly too early look at the 2010 Roster
by gimpsta7 on Oct 14, 2009 5:49 PM EDT
54 comments
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This is absurdly early, but after the Yankees win the 2009 World Series (*knock knock knock knock knock*) they will have to replace some free agents and move on from Matsui who has been on a monster run this season. I say that they should offer him Arbitration, since he will still sign with another team, but who knows.
So here is the team that I see coming back next year.
Starting Lineup
SS Jeter
DH Damon
1B Texiera
3B Rodriguez
LF Holliday
C Posada
2B Cano
RF Swisher
CF Figgins
Starting Pitching
SP Sabathia
SP Burnett
SP Pettite
SP Chamberlain
SP Hughes
The bench will have Molina, Melky, utility infielder. The bullpen will look very similar, but maybe the Yankees will look for another lefty reliever and probably a better setup man now that hughes and Joba are in rotation.
What do you guys think?
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I'm just going to put what I hope it is...
C: Posada
1B: Teixeira
2B: Cano
3B: Rodriguez
LF: Holliday
CF: Gardner
RF: Swisher
DH: Vladamir Guerrero (if he’s healthy. If not, bring back Damon)
I like your starting pitching, only thing I would change is I would love to see Wang healthy and throwing well again.
by Wraithpk on Oct 14, 2009 8:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Wang
will not be healthy until the middle of the season
by justinxyankeesfan on Oct 15, 2009 10:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Already?
…don’t like all the FA signings. I think they are possible, but I’d rather bring back who wants to stay and build from within.
Id rather take the Bernie Williams/Jeter approach with AJAX and plug him in CF, set it and forget it.
..."I predict...the Giants are #1"...
...."That's not a prediction meatman, that's a FACT OF LIFE"!.
---Carl
by FreeBradshaw on Oct 14, 2009 8:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Stay away from Holliday. One thing I’m thinking of is staying with the Melky/Gardner/Damon combination for OF/DH along with A-Jax. From what I’ve read, everyone is saying Jesus Montero is nowhere near ready defensively to take over for Jorge once his contract is done, and that he should move to 1B. Well, thats obviously not happening. I hope maybe they move him to LF at Trenton next year. Everyone is saying he’s got an insanely good bat. And frankly, Holliday is a luxury the Yanks don’t need.
by NastyNate82 on Oct 14, 2009 10:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Move a catcher to left field?
I don’t think so. A catcher can’t run, and Montero also can’t throw. Putting him in left field will be like Johnny Damon out there, except without the range that Damon has. It will be a disaster. He needs to learn how to catch. With A-Rod and Teixeira locked up, the only position he can take is catcher. I suppose he could be a full time DH, but if he can’t learn how to catch and the Yanks don’t want him as a full time DH, then there’s no future for him on the Yankees.
by nyyrocks29 on Oct 15, 2009 8:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Actually Montero has a very very strong arm.
Strikeouts are boring- Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic.
by CasanovaWong on Oct 15, 2009 10:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Which would make a him a good candidate for Right Field.
Strikeouts are boring- Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic.
by CasanovaWong on Oct 15, 2009 10:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
or catcher.
..."I predict...the Giants are #1"...
...."That's not a prediction meatman, that's a FACT OF LIFE"!.
---Carl
by FreeBradshaw on Oct 16, 2009 6:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, that too.
Strikeouts are boring- Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic.
by CasanovaWong on Oct 16, 2009 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thats the problem…his catching, other than his arm, has been way behind his bat. Even if he can hit at the big league level, I’m not sure if its a good idea for him to learn how to catch in the majors. You’re right, he probably would be a disaster in the OF, and its a waste for him to stay at DH. But I don’t think the Yanks should simply ship him out of here if they can’t immediately find a place for him. That would be incredibly stupid…
by NastyNate82 on Oct 17, 2009 10:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yogi Berra, Elston Howard
Both Berra and Howard played left for some of the greatest Yankees teams of all time.
Also, I would like to add that I would vote against the FA’s you list there, especially Holliday, if I had a vote. I like Melky and Gardner until someone better comes along from the minors or until they start to suck.
by 209209 on Oct 18, 2009 1:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I agree on Holliday though
he’s a good player and a good guy, but he’s a NL player. He proved that in Oakland. I’d rather give AJAX his shot next year.
by nyyrocks29 on Oct 15, 2009 8:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oakland...
is a notorious pitcher’s park. He also just started off the season slow. He has a 4 year OPS+ average of 142. Mark Teixeira’s 4 year average is 143. Would you like another Mark Teixeira on the team?
by Wraithpk on Oct 16, 2009 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm sure we'll get into this more in the offseason but...
1. No Holliday. No Figgins. Holliday is going to get minimum 5/100. There’s no way I’d give him that given how he played in the AL this year. Also the Yankees don’t need to. With Tex and A-Rod in the middle we don’t need another expensive bat. Same logic applies to Jason Bay. As for Figgins, I know he kills us but he isn’t good enough defensively to play center, and scrappy powerless speed guys are rarely good into their mid 30’s. Vlad Guerrero is tempting since he won’t get a huge contract, but I really don’t see him leaving Anaheim.
2. There’s no reason not to bring back both Damon and Matsui assuming they both take 1 year deals. If either wants a 2nd year I’d let them go. We can probably sign them both for next year for around half of what they’re making this year, and as we saw in 09, sitting a couple times a week seemed to help both of them a lot. If we don’t sign both I’d sign one or the other along with a low priced corner outfielder like Xavier Nady or Rick Ankiel. Signing these types to 1-year deals and passing on the overpriced Holliday and Bay frees us up to pursue Carl Crawford in 2011. I’d keep the Melky/Gardner platoon in center until A-Jax shows he’s ready which could be in Spring Training or later in the season.
3. Starting pitching: If Pettitte stays, which I think he will, my rotation is CC, AJ, Pettitte, Joba, Hughes. I would re-sign Wang with the idea of him returning in July or August, which would allow Hughes to not be on a Joba-like innings limit as a starter. He’d simply move to the bullpen late in the season. Ian Kennedy and Zach McAllister will be in AAA in case of injuries.
4. Bullpen. I don’t see the need to sign anyone. Robertson and Coke are fine as the setup tandem with Aceves in long relief and unfortunately Marte still in the mix. I’d probably keep Gaudin and non-tender Bruney and let the last couple of spots be an open competition between Melancon, Ivan Nova, etc. Even if the bullpen stumples during the season we know we’ll have Hughes out there down the stretch and in the playoffs.
5. Montero. Won’t be on the team next year, but I definitely agree with moving him to the OF, although I’d put him in RF given the dimensions of Yankee Stadium. I’m sure he wouldn’t be Roberto Clemente out there but he’s good a good arm and some pretty unathletic guys have managed to play the OF. To me it makes no sense to keep a great hitter as a catcher if he’s not a good defensive catcher. Mike Piazza, for example, should never have been a catcher. All it did was limit his at bats and cause him to break down late in seasons and earlier in his career.
by Let's Talk About Tex Baby on Oct 15, 2009 11:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
agree with all a that...
but 5) Why are we all so quick to move Montero from catcher? He’s not athletic now? HE was basically the same size, 6’3, 230+, when the Yanks signed him as a 16 year old. He’s 19 years old too. He deserves at least another year or 2 to get better at it. Cuz his bat probably will get him to the bigs soon.
I’d agree with giving him some time out in the OF just in case one of the other 9 million catcher prospects the Yankees have show that they are better all around.
But it Montero is a Mauer or Weiters or Posada type behind the plate, why would you move him? Piazza was HORRIBLE at throwing runners out, something Montero with his cannon arm should only get better at.
..."I predict...the Giants are #1"...
...."That's not a prediction meatman, that's a FACT OF LIFE"!.
---Carl
by FreeBradshaw on Oct 16, 2009 6:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You know how Mauer couldn’t score from second on that single? It’s because all the squatting puts a ton of strain on his joints and back, and Montero is about Mauer’s size. Since we’ve got other (better defensive) catchers climbing the ladder, I think it makes sense to put Montero on a Victor Martinez path. He can catch once in a while, but we should find him a home somewhere else on the diamond.
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
by jscape2000 on Oct 16, 2009 7:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Mauer had a kidney obstruction
and offseason surgery to correct the problem. It had a lingering effect in the back inflammation that caused him to miss all that time in the beginning of the season.
The kidney problem was what led to his back pain last year too.
Catching didn’t help the process of course, but unless Montero has a similar problem with his kidney, he shouldn’t be as hobbled as Mauer was this season.
I do agree on the fact there are other, more athletic and better defensive catchers in the Yanks system. But unless Montero can successfully switch positions (and I’d rather let a young player such as himself not be relegated to DHing so early on) AND one of those other catches is a good hitter, then I’d rather have him catch.
No one’s expecting Montero to be a 40/40 guy anway…….
..."I predict...the Giants are #1"...
...."That's not a prediction meatman, that's a FACT OF LIFE"!.
---Carl
by FreeBradshaw on Oct 16, 2009 8:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
One of the things to think about is that Montero is this big at 19…he’s going to get bigger, which makes it more difficult to catch. I think the RF idea has possibilities, given his arm and smaller field to work with. As far as his cannon arm behind the plate…well, that doesn’t do much good if the rest of his game defensively is atrocious.
by NastyNate82 on Oct 17, 2009 10:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
from what I've seen and heard....
he’s pretty much Jorge behind the plate.
Take that for what you will….but that guy has had a pretty nice career hasn’t he?
(and I wouldn’t call Jorge atrocious behind the plate…average is a good term for it)
..."I predict...the Giants are #1"...
...."That's not a prediction meatman, that's a FACT OF LIFE"!.
---Carl
by FreeBradshaw on Oct 17, 2009 10:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
No, I don’t think Jorge is atrocious either…those two passed balls against Minnesota last week nonwithstanding. I just hope Montero gets a spot somewhere. Even though the Yankees have gotten more patient with the young players, I’m still nervous that they’ll be cast aside when they struggle at some point.
I know the Yanks would get much more value out of his bat as a catcher, but if he is sloppy behind the plate, maybe some sort of everyday utility role can be filled (C-DH-1B-RF). Thats been tossed around here, and I don’t think thats a bad plan. The nice thing is, Jorge still has two years left on his contract..ideally, Montero improves to the point where he can just take over the job from Jorge. There…problem solved.
by NastyNate82 on Oct 17, 2009 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
true...
I don’t think he’ll be rushed.
But I just don’t see where he’s so bad behind the plate that he can’t be a catcher.
I’d like to think that if he was that bad, they would have switched him already.
So he’s obviously not. He wants to play catcher. If they move him around like V-Mart (tho earlier in his career), I’d be fine with it. Especially if they carry 2-3 catches like Cervelli and a Romine or another athletic guy like JR Murphy (who may play OF because he’s just that good of an athlete)
..."I predict...the Giants are #1"...
...."That's not a prediction meatman, that's a FACT OF LIFE"!.
---Carl
by FreeBradshaw on Oct 17, 2009 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think Cervelli and Romine are mostly defense-only catchers (I think Romine has good power, but not much else at bat) which is fine if you have an offensive monster like Montero. Frankly, I’m just excited cause it sounds like the Yanks have developed very good talent after years of awful draft picks. It almost sounds like his bat is good enough that he could get called up next year.
by NastyNate82 on Oct 17, 2009 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
a couple disagreements
first, why would you want to wait for Crawford, but not take Holliday or Bay now? Crawford will likely demand similar money, but his 4 year averages are quite a bit lower than the other two. I don’t hate the idea of having Montero learn 1B, would give him some flexibility.
by Wraithpk on Oct 16, 2009 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Crawford
Because Crawford can hit at the top of the order, get on in front of Tex and A-Rod and play good outfield defense which fills more of a need for us in 2011 than a poor defensive slugging outfielder to bat 5th.
by Let's Talk About Tex Baby on Oct 16, 2009 8:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Exactly
Because Crawford would be worth the money and fit the team’s needs. Girardi likes speedy players, too— that’s why Hinske isn’t on the roster this time. Holliday is like another Hinske.
by 209209 on Oct 18, 2009 1:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
hopefully by the time Crawford ACTUALLY is available...
its irrelevant cuz AJAX is making it that.
..."I predict...the Giants are #1"...
...."That's not a prediction meatman, that's a FACT OF LIFE"!.
---Carl
by FreeBradshaw on Oct 18, 2009 10:22 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Crawford would play left and Ajax would be in center hopefully. Still its 2 years away, a lot can change.
by Let's Talk About Tex Baby on Oct 18, 2009 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
ummmm, not sure they should make any major free agent signings next year. nothing like holliday. just minor improvements.
"I'm not superstitious, just a little stitious"- Michael Scott
by GTWYankee on Oct 14, 2009 10:49 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs
No Holliday No Figgins
Holliday is gonna want a huge contract. Chone hasn’t played CF since 2006 and put up a -9.6 UZR. Something tells me he hasn’t gotten any better since then. No thank you.
Strikeouts are boring- Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic.
by CasanovaWong on Oct 14, 2009 11:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Stay away from Figgins
These are his slash lines for his six major leagues seasons, plus stolen base numbers:
2004 – .296/.350/.419, 13 SB, 7 CS, 65% success rate
2005 – .290/.352/.397, 62 SB. 17 CS, 78% success rate
2006 – .267.336/.376, 52 SB, 16 CS, 76% success rate
2007 – .330/.392/.432, 41 SB, 12 CS, 77% success rate
2008 – .267/.367/.318, 34 SB, 13 CS, 72% success rate
2009 – .298/.395/.393, 42 SB, 17 CS, 71% success rate
While he has some stiff competition for the title, Figgins is quite possibly THE MOST OVERRATED player in all of baseball. His OBP hasn’t been anything special in four of the last six years, and while he steals a lot of bases, his overall success rate isn’t that impressive.
If we want a speedy CF who can post a .750ish OPS, play great defense, and steal a lot of bases, we already have one.
by 3460kuri on Oct 15, 2009 9:02 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Also turning 32 in January
Chances are good that Figgins is going to demand a minimum of four years to sign him. Other than sporting a very solid 3B glove, his defensive metrics at other positions range from slightly below average to poor.
by Scooby Snacks on Oct 15, 2009 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Pass on Holliday and Figgins please.
And it should be really interesting to see the project with Joba and Hughes next year. I’d rather have Crawford>Figgins……and Halladay>over Holliday.
------It's October,winning is what the Yankees do........let's just do it already
by ReggieARodJeter on Oct 15, 2009 10:23 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
CRAWFORD!
While I appreciate Damon’s strong season, he should take a seat now and find work elsewhere next season. Matsui, on the other hand, is one of the game’s greats, even on gimpy knees, and should be resigned to finish his US career in the Bronx.
Plug in Carl Crawford in left – and the #2 hole – and let Melky/Gardner/Ajax sort itself out in center – and we’ll repeat as champions in 2010.
by Joey in LA on Oct 15, 2009 12:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
What do you give up for him?
The Rays will exercise Crawford 2010 $10m option. They’re going to want a king’s ransom in order to trade him to a division rival. Not gonna happen.
by Scooby Snacks on Oct 15, 2009 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
he has a 1.25 M buyout option. It would probably be smart of him to take it, cause he’ll get paid more than 11.25 M on the open market.
by Wraithpk on Oct 15, 2009 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Matsui would accept arbitration
He doesn’t want to leave, and he’d make a fortune.
by New York Sports Jerk on Oct 15, 2009 12:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
+1
A good way to save a million bucks. Plus we’ll get to say Cervelli! once every 5 or 6 days.
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
by jscape2000 on Oct 16, 2009 7:58 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i believe
the BUC will be Cervelli over Molina: cheaper, about as good on D, and much faster.
re: Bay, Holliday and Figgins, they’re not worth the long-term deals they’re going to want, PLUS they’re each a Type A FA, meaning they’ll also cost a 1st rd. pick. it would be a much better move to re-sign Damon for 1-2 years (hopefully he accepts), no long-term commitments, he stays in LF, and we keep our 1st rder.
while we’re on the subject, i’m going to take an absurdly early look at 2011:
SS: Jeter
C: Mauer
1B: Tex
3B: Arod
DH: Posada
2B: Cano
RF: Swisher
LF: Damon
CF: Ajax
Rotation:
CC, Burnett, Joba, Hughes, Washburn, Wang
Bench:
Montero, GGBG, Melky, Cervelli, Pena.
by Travis G on Oct 15, 2009 4:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I have a hard time believing that we will get Mauer.
I’d love it if they could, but I can’t see Mauer leaving the Twins. He loves it there. They love him. He’s from Minnesota. He’s the face of their franchise. It would be like Derek Jeter leaving the Yankees. I just can’t see it.
And also, please, PLEASE no Washburn. I want no part of him. He’s a fly ball pitcher, who will not succeed in the New Stadium. He’s older, especially in 2011. And he showed me nothing in Detroit this year.
I’m good with CC, Burnett, Joba, Hughes, and Wang for 2011. In fact, thats a rotation that could last until 2013 at least, maybe more.
I’m hoping that Montero could learn how to catch, because they say he’s going to hit 45 homers per season with his bat!
by nyyrocks29 on Oct 15, 2009 8:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
yea...
I would have been OK with having Washburn on the squad now, but in a couple years? Hell no.
And I agree with you on Mauer. I’d like to see him in the Bronx, but I think that’s better saved for MLB 09. I don’t see him leaving Minny, especially with their new stadium and the possibility that their owner may spend a buck or 2 given that.
Plus….we’d have Jesus by then, who may end up being as good as Mauer.
..."I predict...the Giants are #1"...
...."That's not a prediction meatman, that's a FACT OF LIFE"!.
---Carl
by FreeBradshaw on Oct 15, 2009 9:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
he should be...
better offensively, but not as good defensively
by Wraithpk on Oct 16, 2009 12:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
money talks
CC supposedly wanted to go to SoCal. there are countless other ‘hometown favorites’ who were either traded or signed elsewhere, e.g. Nomar, Arod, Griffey, Damon.
Mauer, just like every other FA, will most likely sign the the team that offers him the most money.
as for Washburn, the idea is to sign him for 2010 for 2 years. he’s still a very solid back end pitcher, and would allow us to not have to RELY on Joba and Hughes for a full season (and allow Wang to take his time coming back). he has a solid 109 ERA+ and 1.3 WHIP. his season was marred by 43 bad innings with Detroit, but that shouldn’t overshadow his previous 133 ip with Seattle.
re: Montero, i’m picturing him in 2011 being a C/DH/1B/RF. we definitely have better defensive catchers coming up, but Montero could catch a fair amount until one of them is ready. then, since his bat will (hopefully) be great, he’ll need to play everyday and hence learn 1B and RF.
i forgot to mention one guys’ name: Ben Sheets, who should be healthy next year. worth taking a flier on.
by Travis G on Oct 16, 2009 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Washburn
Washburn and Randy Wolf are the kinds of guys we could look into if Pettitte retires but hopefully it doesn’t come to that.
by Let's Talk About Tex Baby on Oct 16, 2009 9:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I could see Andy
hanging em up if the Yanks win it all.
THen again…if the Yanks make the right offer, Andy will come back. And I’d take Andy in a heartbeat over those 2.
..."I predict...the Giants are #1"...
...."That's not a prediction meatman, that's a FACT OF LIFE"!.
---Carl
by FreeBradshaw on Oct 17, 2009 9:43 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm fairly certain that theTwins will resign Mauer
Ownership will throw him Fort Knox and a limited no-trade clause contract. Mauer could surpass Mike Piazza as a hitter and already plays Ivan Rodriguez-like defense. If the Twins sputter thereafter, they can ship him out and still get good value in return.
by Scooby Snacks on Oct 16, 2009 4:40 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Mauer will be a Met or a Red Sock
In 2011. I can’t see the Yankees adding another $25 mil per year player. There has to be a limit somewhere. The Red Sox will be dumping Lowell’s $13 mil and Ortiz’s $12.5 mil after 2010 and they were 20 mil below what they normally spend this year. I can’t see the Twins coming up with that kind of offer and even if Mauer has the desire to take a home town discount, the union will put a ton of pressure on him not to.
by Let's Talk About Tex Baby on Oct 16, 2009 8:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I can see that...
I mean, by 2011 you never know what will become of Jesus Montero. It might make any idea of signing Mauer moot, cuz if this guy goes to AAA and tears it up, there’s nothing stopping the Yanks from bringing him up..
We all need to remember that this guy is a Mauer type prospect. And he’ll cost a whole lot less than Mauer…at least until his arbitration years are through.
..."I predict...the Giants are #1"...
...."That's not a prediction meatman, that's a FACT OF LIFE"!.
---Carl
by FreeBradshaw on Oct 17, 2009 9:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
National Leaguers
I don’t want anyone with an NL pedigree. You can keep Holliday.
by BronxBorn LifeLong on Oct 17, 2009 11:03 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I just want to see
Melky on the 2010 roster. I don’t have anything else to say about the team other than: We’re kicking but!
I plan to live forever. So far so good.
by TheMelkman on Oct 17, 2009 2:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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