Grading the Yankees Offseason
by Let's Talk About Tex Baby on Jan 24, 2010 2:20 PM EST
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PrintFirst Exam - Austin Jackson, Ian Kennedy and Phil Coke for Curtis Granderson. The Yankees got themselves a starting center fielder with a reasonable contract, something they'd been seeking ever since Bernie Williams got old. If Jackson ever panned out to be Granderson we'd have all been thrilled and Ian Kennedy would not have gotten a chance to pitch here, so the price was very reasonable. Grade - A
Midterm - Nick Johnson 1 year deal with an option for a 2nd. It's hard to like this move a lot when superior DH's like Hideki Matsui and Vladimir Guerrero signed for roughly the same amount of money. True, NJ has the added value of being able to play a position, and the Giants were going to give him the same contract or more, but that value is negated by the fact that the Yankees won't use him at 1st. The Yankees could have made better use of this position either by bringing back Hideki or signing Vlad, or by using it for flexibility as they originally indicated. Grade - C-
Final Exam - Melky Cabrera and Arodys Vizcaino for Javier Vazquez. It's easy to see why a GM would make this trade. Cashman got himself a pitcher who pitches 200 innings every year who, despite some struggles in the AL, has always had a high K rate and a solid WHIP. Vazquez greatly reduces the possibiity of Sergio Mitre and/or Chad Gaudin starting games in 2010 which is important. Still, although Melky will never be a star his trade left the Yankees lacking depth in the outfield, and Arodys may be a good prospect, though he is a long way from the majors. The other negative is that the acquisition of Vaz keeps Hughes, or perhaps Joba out of the rotation. Grade - B+
So putting all those moves together gives Cashman a grade of B for the 2010 offseason. Not bad coming off a championship and one of the great offseasons of all-time in 2009. Perhaps the greatest success this offseason was not getting entangled in any long-term albatross contracts. This will allow the Yankees to be major players in a much better free agent market in 2011.
Extra Credit - Johnny Damon is still out there and bringing him back would easily bump this grade up to a B+ or A-. Damon's return would create a lineup without any holes and it would put Brett Gardner back in a role where he can excel - defense and running.
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I don't understand the Nick Johnson rating.....
You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there
Matsui was off the market....
because the Yanks were waiting for him to come down off his LF delusions.
Also..you have no idea what Matsui’s price-tag for the Yankees was….
Nick Johnson was an alternative..and an excellent alternative (and light years better then Guererro as an option…)
You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there
by FreeBradshaw on Jan 24, 2010 2:42 PM EST up reply actions
not to mention
that Johnson can back-up first base when needed, leaving Swish to keep his spot in RF.
In a perfect world, yes.
And this isn’t to say Johnson doesn’t have his own injury concerns, but it has to be noted that Matsui’s knees can blow up at any moment.
So it’s understandable why they weren’t too eager to retain him on December 12th. Only if he were still out there much later would they have come back to him.
by FloridaownsFSU on Jan 24, 2010 5:17 PM EST up reply actions
Best part of the post
Extra Credit – Johnny Damon is still out there and bringing him back would easily bump this grade up to a B+ or A-. Damon’s return would create a lineup without any holes and it would put Brett Gardner back in a role where he can excel – defense and running.
Abso-friggen-lutely.
Swish can back-up first
thats why we signed him. And i’m not sure how signing a guy with a .426 obp in the 2nd half is a c-?
Section 203 Row 15 Seat 1
Johnson ...
The NJ signing left me scratching my head. Sure he can play firstbase to spell Tex … what 3-5 times in a season? Okay he’s a good contact hitter who can’t run and has trouble staying healthy …
I loved Nick when he was a Yankee trying to crack the lineup. I was disappointed when we traded him. Now with his career unfolded before me, I see no point in bringing him back into the fold…
"Baseball is the background music of my life." -George Will
Johnson/Matsui
I think the unspoken discontentment with Nick Johnson stems from the fact that Matsui drives in runs, especially in the clutch, while Johnson main talent seems to be just getting on base. While one could argue that Johnson in the second spot in the order doesn’t really need to drive in runs, it would be nice to have someone who can offer some protection to ARod from the five position. If Johnny Damon comes back, Posada probably hits fifth, and Johnson ends up probably seventh, after Cano.
by designatedquitter on Jan 25, 2010 9:41 AM EST reply actions
so you have granderson...
a guy who could easily hit 35 home runs…hitting 8th? why.
by Frank Campagnola on Jan 25, 2010 9:48 AM EST up reply actions
maybe Nick Johnson doesn't drive in runs
cuz he played on WASHINGTON AND FLORDIA??
You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there
by FreeBradshaw on Jan 25, 2010 10:15 AM EST up reply actions
ya..
that’s usually a pretty compelling reason for lack of RBIs.
by Vancouverguy on Jan 25, 2010 11:33 AM EST up reply actions
and his only talent
just getting on base? i mean i guess its ok if a guy’s lowest OBP over the last 4 seasons was .408. he even hit .290 last year. he’ll see fastballs in front of tex and a-rod and his power numbers and avg will go up.
come on thats phenomonal and the yanks are gonna score a ton of runs with him hitting 2nd.
by Frank Campagnola on Jan 25, 2010 4:33 PM EST up reply actions
It was Matsui who chose to go to Anaheim.
We didn’t want him playing the OF, Matsui wasn’t satisfied, so he got a deal with the Angels. So the only 2 other real options Cashman had were Nick Johnson and Vlad Guerrero. We already have enough power hitters on our line-up, and need players like Nick so A-Rod and co. can drive them in. This move was an A+.
I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious.
Vince Lombardi
its been ok.
but why nick johnson? though i like the addition of granderson and i really dont like vasquez cause what he did in the AL he is a great NL pitcher but i dont know about him on the yankees cause he really wasnt that great in 04, all i remember is the ALCS, that hurt.
but…………….69 DAYS TIL OPENING DAY!!!!!!!!
by donnybaseball23 on Jan 25, 2010 3:56 PM EST reply actions
you cant base opinions
on a pitcher because of a few innings in a playoff game. he made the all star team with the yanks that year…and struggled down the stretch with shoulder issues.
by Frank Campagnola on Jan 25, 2010 4:30 PM EST up reply actions
i forgot to add the 4.91 ERA he had that year.
by donnybaseball23 on Jan 25, 2010 10:09 PM EST up reply actions
he was on the all-star game due to a 3.56 pre all-star ERA and had a 6.92 ERA after.
by donnybaseball23 on Jan 25, 2010 10:25 PM EST up reply actions
Vaz
In 4 seasons in the AL he had a 4.52 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 3.29 K:BB and 8.1 K:9. His peripherals were really solid which makes it hard to figure out why his ERA was so high but it’s too large a sample size to be a coincidence, so the logical explanation is that he struggled with men on base/out of the stretch. His greatest strength is definitely his durability.
by Let's Talk About Tex Baby on Jan 25, 2010 10:48 PM EST up reply actions
ur right.
i just worried that he wont be a dominate pitcher the yankees want, but i think he will be a good 3rd man, i just think everyone(mainly the media) is hyping him up too much, cause he wont repeat the season he had last year and that is what some people are expecting.
by donnybaseball23 on Jan 26, 2010 10:32 AM EST up reply actions
A
why we got a great 4 starter and a nice cf and lost very littie to get them
okay i have cereal palsy arhrtis and chronic fatiue as well i have a grea life loveing folks some days are better that other days i got a make a wish in 2001 saw my favorive team the broncos was the trip of the lifetime i wish everyone couild gotten to enjoy that with me i know some of u hate the broncos and that ok but i bleed organ and bule reseident broncos fan for ap lol denver will rise again resident broncos fan for every blog resident broncos fan for stanpleid bule
Cubs sign Nady- looks like Damon may be back after all.
Since someone just posted “The Damon Market Shrinks Some More” it seems more likely that the Yankees may get him back after all. If so, Damon is a better #2 hitter than Johnson, and we won the World Series with him in the #2 slot. If that happens, I can’t see Johnson hitting any higher than 6th. Posada looks like the 5 hitter. Maybe Johnson 6th to set up Cano 7th, or maybe Swisher 7th and Johnson 8th to set up Granderson 9th. “Granderson 9th?” you say? Why not- bunch his speed with Jeter’s at 1, and with 2 .400+ OBP guys ahead of him, Granderson could drive in a bunch of runs. I suspect Granderson will hit 5th, at least against righthanders.
by designatedquitter on Jan 26, 2010 3:02 PM EST reply actions
I like
the Cano 6th, Johnson 7th, Swish 8th and Granderson 9th option. I think Cano is set up for a break-out season and would prefer to keep him somewhere in the lineup where he can drive in some runs. Swish and Johnson both walk a lot and would be on base often for Granderson whose speed will avoid a lot of DP’s and when Grandy does get on his speed will benefit Jeter in that his DP’s will be lessened.
Johnson 2nd
A person getting on base 40 percent of the time in front of Teix and A-Rod.
Uhm why the fuck not.
Leave me, leave me, I can't effin stand you.
Did we not
just win the World Series with Damon batting second? This was based on Damon resigning. You would bat Johnson second with that scenario? With his speed as opposed to Damon? Really? And what’s with the “F” word?
How?
If Granderson is on first, how does he help reduce Jeter DP’s? Beating out double plays is solely dependent on the hitter himself. Granderson could steal a base perhaps prior to that, but he hasn’t exactly been a base-stealer the past couple of years.
by FloridaownsFSU on Jan 26, 2010 8:15 PM EST up reply actions
If we get Damon back:
Jeter
Damon
Tex
A-rod
Cano?
Posada
johnson
Swisher
Granderson
I’m suprised at how little thought has one into maybe Cano batting 5th to protect A-rod. Let’s face it the kid can flat out hit. If he is poised for a break out year like some seem to believe then why not giv him a try in the 5 hiole?? If damon doesn’t come back (which is looking like the situation right now) u throw NJ in the 2 hole and bat grandy 7 or 8th, gardner 9th. Having 2 guys with good speed at the back of your line-up is fantastic, especially when you leadoff hitter happens to be a guy named Derek Jeter
by Br0nxb0mber914 on Jan 27, 2010 7:47 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Cano 5th
In principle, Cano is the perfect 5th hitter – he has gap power and he makes a ton of contact which makes him a nice fit to hit behind 2 OBP machines in Tex and Arod. Unfortunately Cano has hit a putrid .256/.291./.398 with RISP over 868 plate appearances. He’s also prone to long slumps. Until he figures those 2 things out he really can’t be relied on to hit in the 5th spot.
by Let's Talk About Tex Baby on Jan 27, 2010 10:18 AM EST up reply actions
Here's why Damon is better hitting second that Johnson
Aside from the perfectly valid point of ‘we just won the World Series that way’ argument, Damon has demonstrated that he does the things a 2 hitter needs to do exceptionally well- he avoids both striking out and hitting into double plays. His ratio of GIDP last year was lower than Johnson’s, and I think we can assume that hitting behind Jeter he had many more opportunities to hit into double plays. Damon also drove in runs in clutch situations when Melky and/ or Swisher was in scoring position.
As for the 5th position, aside from being able to drive in runs, you need someone dangerous enough or regarded as being good enough with men on base so that ARod does not receive too many intentional walks. Matsui fit that descritpion perectly. TexBaby is right that Cano is too streaky to fit the bill. That’s why I had Posada/ Granderson in the five spot.
by designatedquitter on Jan 27, 2010 1:37 PM EST reply actions
for the #2 hitter
OBP is more important than Ks or GDPs. NJ excels in that area. and his K rate was almost identical to Damon’s last year (and Damon’s has increased each of the last 5 years).
Randy Winn
I say that bumps him down to B-. Reed Johnson was the better choice
Sorry to bother everyone about Damon
I guess Johnson hits 2nd. I hope we don’t spend the season wishing we had damon’s skills in the 2 hole
by designatedquitter on Jan 28, 2010 11:08 AM EST reply actions
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