Yanks should target Huston Street
by Ed Valentine on May 27, 2009 11:09 AM EDT
in News
29 comments
The Major League Baseball trade rumor mill is beginning to heat up, and Gordon Edes of Yahoo! Sports has a breakdown of some of the possibilities today.
To me, there is only one real area in which the Yankees could use an upgrade. I doubt anyone would disagree that the Yankees should jump at the chance to nab a top-notch set-up man if one is available.
The outstanding River Avenue Blues took a look at some of the bullpen arms who might be available between now and July 31.
To me, again, there is really only one pitcher to target who makes any sense. If the Yanks are going to make a move, I think Colorado closer Huston Street is clearly their best option. Houston's Jose Valverde might also be available, but it would seem like a no-brainer that Street is the better choice.
Street, just 25, is seven years younger than Valverde and could be looked at as much more than a stop-gap 8th inning guy. He has been, and is, an excellent closer and could one day be the guy to take the reins of the Yankee 9th inning from Mariano Rivera. No way I'd trust Valverde with that. It also doesn't hurt that the Rockies are terrible and appear headed toward a massive selloff.
Street also has the added advantage of having been successful -- very successful -- navigating the tougher lineups in the American League. That factor can't be discounted, as the Yankees have found out the hard way over the years.
NOTE: Later this week, I will take a look at possible Yankee trade chips.
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Bullpen, not Closer
I agree that Street would be an excellent addition to the bullpen, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say he would be our next closer for the long term.
Who are you suggesting we give up for him in a trade?
by jmappelbaum on May 27, 2009 11:42 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
At this point
I haven’t figured that out. I will have something later this week on possible trade chips. As for a future role, he would be a possible closer down the line. He’s still young, and he’s been successful in the role. I’m not saying he is definitely the guy, but he would give the Yankees someone who has done it.
by Ed Valentine on May 27, 2009 12:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not
having watched him pitch, his numbers look pretty good. He has not allowed an earned run in 9 straight appearances, and has Ked the side 2 times in that span. Questions are:
1)Is he ok as a setup guy?
2)What can the Yankees offer?
by Buzzy on May 27, 2009 12:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Setup
I know he did some setup work in Oakland. I would think he would really flourish in the role, especially w/a good lefty like Phil Coke out in the bullpen to help him. Righties hit .204 against him for his career, and lefties hit .231.
by Ed Valentine on May 27, 2009 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Street
You can find his career pitching splits here — http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?n1=streehu01&year=Career&t=p
They are impressive — to me — in both save and non-save situations.
by Ed Valentine on May 27, 2009 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
yeah
I thought he did. I should also say that when I did watch him pitch (when he played for the As) there looked like there was something amiss health-wise (I think it was last year). But he seems over that, and his numbers look good, and Coors is not the best place to pitch…
by Buzzy on May 27, 2009 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
like the move?
with any kind of trade is what do the yanks give up for him? you know colorado will hold us up for ransom! but we need another arm in the pen that can give options for giraidi. hopefully they want some middle of the road propects. i am so tired of veras!
by my favorite spliter on May 27, 2009 12:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Here's where it gets interesting
Street is making $4.5 million this season with one year of arbitration left, so expect it to jump to $5-$6 million next year. Irrespective of his salary he’s a good pitcher, however, the fact that he hasn’t really been used as a Closer® the past few seasons, but is being paid like one, could be a big sticking point for potential trade partners.
But beyond that, it becomes a process of elimination: what contenders either need a closer and can take on Street’s salary, or are willing to pay a share of $4.5 million this year and perhaps $6 million next year for an 8th inning guy?
Not many. The Red Sox, Mets, and Phillies don’t need the bullpen help, and the Dodgers, Brewers, and Braves probably don’t have the money. The Rangers are in a youth movement and the Angels always fill the roster from within. Perhaps the Cubs and Cardinals, but they have other issues that are more pressing. The Tigers need the bullpen help, but already have a glut of dead payroll on their books (Gary Sheffield, Nate Robertson, Dontrelle Willis, et al).
If the Yankees offer to to pick up his entire salary and offer a B-list prospect or two, that may be enough to get a high-priced reliever from a team that currently holds the second-worst record in baseball.
by 3460kuri on May 27, 2009 12:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Id like to grab him
Id think he’s available, and for the right prospect and the fact the Yanks would have no problem taking on his salary, Id love to have him
As for the future closer thing, you can’t ignore it. The guy’s 25.
The bullpen and maybe some bench players with some pop are the main targets for the Yanks.
by FreeBradshaw on May 27, 2009 12:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
and the problem with Street
is that just about every team that need pen help, and maybe even some that don’t, are gonna want him.
Probably means the price is gonna be sky high, tho who the hell knows what the Yankees can offer (its probably a lot less than teams like Minnesota or the Rays…)
by FreeBradshaw on May 27, 2009 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Price
I think the economy, and of course the deep Yankee pockets, could come into play. A team like the Rays has the need, but do they have the pockets and the willingness to pony up the prospects and pay Street? You know the salary will never be a problem if the Yankees want the guy.
by Ed Valentine on May 27, 2009 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
exactly
Im pretty sure every team would want this guy, he’s the type of arm you want in your pen, be it for closer or anything not a starter.
The Yanks could luck out here and may get him “cheap” in terms of prospects cuz not only do other trade partners not want to pony up the cash, but also the Rockies don’t really want to pay him either.
by FreeBradshaw on May 27, 2009 4:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nah...
If Joba continues messing things up in the 1st inning… and Hughes continues winning I see Joba going to the bullpen and Hughes and Wang get the starting jobs. Yanks have the money to get this guy but who are they willing to give up?
by YANK77 on May 27, 2009 5:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
If he messes up the first inning, why would you want in a role where he only pitches one inning?
by long time listener on May 27, 2009 5:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Because Yankees Fans
In general have no patience. Our rookies all need to be rookies of the year. All our young pitchers need to win 18 games. I can scream from the top of my lungs but there are always people who won’t get it. Joba is NOT going back to the pen. Not gonna happen. EVER. He is a full point lower in ERA than Beckett. He is 2 points lower than Jon Lester. Joba has everything you could want in a 23 year old starter. Mid 90’s heat. fast, late cutting slider, 12-6 Curve that he can throw for strikes, developing changeup.
by HappyLuckyGoldenDragonNumber1! on May 27, 2009 5:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thank you
everyone who """SEES"""" Joba back in the pen need to """SEE"""" a Yankee game or 2, preferably one Joba pitches in. Yes he throws too many pitches, but so does Phil Hughes. Hughes is NEVER talked about going to the pen. He’s 23. He’s gonna have growing pains. YOU DO NOT MAKE A GUY OF HIS CALIBER AND AGE INTO A RELIEVER NOW!
I loved what Joba did in the pen a few years back. It was amazing. But many times I wish it never happened cuz NO ONE would ever talk about him in the pen. The guy was a starter in college, the minors, and now in the big leagues. He has excelled everywhere you put him.
Why the hell would you want an excellent starter in the pen? Who cares who else is on the team. Joba is a LEGIT #2-3 starter RIGHT NOW!
by FreeBradshaw on May 27, 2009 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
amen
He was great in ‘07, but what did it ultimately get the Yankees? They could have been knocked out in the first round without him, and no one would be talking about him in the bullpen. I can’t say it was a bad move because it did help the team, but it’s only a game if they have the courage to ignore the calls to send him back the bullpen – which will be substantial if Bruney misses a lot of time and they can’t find another reliable late-inning reliever.
by long time listener on May 27, 2009 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ahh... ..
I am not asking for this.. i am just telling you cause this is the way the Yankees management think.. and yes i watch all the games specifically the Yankees games. I prefer Joba been a Starter myself and give the team and edge having an extra SP in the rotation.. but the way i see it and the way the management sees it a different way.. They want to win and get to the WS.. Does this Makes sense? to you FreeBradshaw and long time looser.. oops listener..
by YANK77 on May 27, 2009 6:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
well maybe if you've been watching
Yankee management HAS SPECIFICALLY SAID JOBA IS A STARTER and will continue to be one for the foreseeable future. Not a direct quote, but pretty much what they have been saying all along even when Joba was a reliever.
by FreeBradshaw on May 27, 2009 7:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What the Yankees fans need to do
Is show a little semblance of patience. Do we need better inning from the pen? Absolutely. Especially when two of your 5 starters are young and will not consistently pitch into the 7th. As Yankees fans we should be over joyed. We have one helluva rotation. CC, AJ, Wang (he will right himself, my god he pitched 2 19 win seasons in a row and if he didn’t get hurt last season it would have been 19+), Phranchise, Pettite and Joba. They are only gonna get better as the season progresses. Will Hughes and Joba win 15 a piece this season? Probably not, but you give them the ball so that by next season they both have the opportunity to. Why haven’t we gone deep into the post season these past bunch of years? No strong rotation. Plain and simple. The Yankees have done everything we could have dreamed of. Given us a gold glove first basemen, who will hit a ton because of who is hitting behind him. They are letting some of the young guys play because management understands that winning teams aren’t like wine, they don’t get better with age. Our defense has been outstanding, our plug and play with Swish, Melky, Gardner, Pena has worked pretty damn well. Our back up catcher’s back up have played well. Hell Cervelli would probably be a starter on a lot of other teams. The achilles heel right now is middle relief and RISP. We are doing pretty damn well considering our starting catcher is on the DL, our perennial 19 game winner lost his mechanics and is slowly coming back, our left handed specialist / setup man is on the DL, A-Rod is probably only at about 85% capacity and our RF is on the DL. These injuries would have decimated any other team with the exception of Boston. We are .5 games back? Holy cow I cannot wait til the second half when Jeter gets really hot, Posada’s bat is back in the lineup and Matsui gets his stroke again.
by HappyLuckyGoldenDragonNumber1! on May 27, 2009 7:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Exactly
‘Kudos’ to you, my friend!
by Ed Valentine on May 27, 2009 6:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Why not see if we can pry off Hawpe while we're at it?
"Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, that's a straw, you see? You watching?. And my straw reaches acroooooooss the room, and starts to drink your milkshake... I... drink... your... milkshake!"-Daniel Plainview
by yankee come lately on May 27, 2009 5:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I hate to say it too
cuz many non-yankee fans like to hate Yankee fans for wanting every player, but Hawpe would be nice.
He’s a young guy, a very good fielder, and while the Coors thing can’t be ignored, Hawpe’s actually been just about the same outside of Coors in his career, not counting this season (tho he’s got more HR outside Coors….)
Again, the cost in prospects for Street AND Hawpe would probably be pretty high. Considering what the Yankees gave up for Marte and Nady, the asking price may be too high in this case.
by FreeBradshaw on May 27, 2009 7:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The eternal debate continues...
if the bullpen was at least remotely decent this year we wouldn’t even be having this debate regards Joba. He’s developing, there are going to be bumps in the road. The only situation in which I would support Joba to the bullpen is if the injury concerns are well founded.
http://www.drivelinemechanics.com/2008/04/10/pitching-mechanics-joba-chamberlain/
Other then that, he stays in the rotation.
by FrankDiscussion on May 27, 2009 6:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Joba
is in the rotation for the foreseeable future — or until he hits his innings limit. It’s a tired debate because it’s not a debate. The Yankees would have to be considering it for their to be a real debate — and they are not.
by Ed Valentine on May 27, 2009 6:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Huston Street
I love the idea of getting him. I’ve got no problem picking up his contract and I’d rather do that than get raped on prospects.
It still makes me angry that Minnesota asked us for Hughes, Kennedy, AND Melky then ended up taking sooooooooooo much less from the Mutts for him. Part of it can be a different league, but even asking for that much for Santana just gets under my skin.
by CahnmanTX on Jun 1, 2009 6:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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