Yankees Afternoon News and Notes

by Frank Campagnola on Dec 15, 2011 2:08 PM EST in New York Yankees News

Sorry for the delay, folks. Finals have gotten the better of me this week. Anyway, here's what's going on in Yankees Universe right now.

According to a baseball official with direct knowledge of the process, the Yankees did place a bid on Yu Darvish. It is not expected to be a large bid. On the flip side, the AL East upstart Blue Jays are rumored to have placed a "whopper of an offer." The Rangers' bid is expected to be in the $40-49MM range.
According to Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees are mulling over the possibilities of a sign-and-trade of Hiroyuki Nakajima.
Joe Pawlikowski wonders what Josh Willingham's new contract will tell us about Nick Swisher's upcoming deal. Will he even get a raise?
Mike Axisa took a look at Jesus Montero and opposite field power. Before clicking the link, who do you think the top three right-handed hitters were when going to right field?
What do you think of this trade proposal from ESPN's Jim Bowden that would send Felix Hernandez to New York? Andrew Marchand thinks it is all moot anyway, since Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told him he will not be trading his ace.

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Looking forward to seeing who bid without going over

I bet the D’Backs only bid #1.

As for Bowden’s trade, I could’ve sworn that was a fanpost!

"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"

by I'mGivingYouARaise on Dec 15, 2011 2:13 PM EST reply actions

I expect Swisher to have a career year

So I think he’ll get a raise from someone.

by long time listener on Dec 15, 2011 2:23 PM EST reply actions

Perhaps I'llBeGivingHimARaise

"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"

by I'mGivingYouARaise on Dec 15, 2011 2:27 PM EST up reply actions

i see what you did there

by GriffMan on Dec 15, 2011 2:29 PM EST up reply actions

I'll believe the posting numbers after I see them

No speculation from me until then.

Swish should and will get a raise if he has a season as good as any of his last three Yankee seasons have been. He definitely will get a raise- he’s underpaid right now for everything he does.

I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot.- Kobe Bryant

A.J. Burnett's only fan!

by nyyrocks29 on Dec 15, 2011 2:40 PM EST reply actions

Can ESPN stop talking about a Felix to the Yankees trade

I mean haven’t they realized that the Mariners GM is not going to trade him

I really hate ESPN

by 2xtheBully on Dec 15, 2011 2:44 PM EST reply actions

I’d do that one in a heartbeat. Thats exactly why it won’t happen. Any conversation for Felix is going to start with Cano and likely will go way beyond that. Especially since they have clearly said that they aren’t trading him.

I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot.- Kobe Bryant

A.J. Burnett's only fan!

by nyyrocks29 on Dec 15, 2011 2:49 PM EST reply actions

No, not even close. First, the Mariners have no need for Cano as he doesn’t provide salary relief and they have a cost controlled second baseman in Dustin Ackley.

Also, Felix’s trade value isn’t as high as it is perceived to be. He’s now making an average of $19.3M per season over the next three years, and has already thrown nearly 1,400 Major League innings at the age of 25.

That’s a lot of money to trade and a hell of a lot of mileage at such a young age.

Contributing writer for Pinstripe Alley.
Follow me on Twitter @frankiecamp48

by Frank Campagnola on Dec 15, 2011 3:08 PM EST up reply actions

Actually, I probably wouldn’t trade Cano for Felix straight up. Cano is a little cheaper and fairly equally productive.

Contributing writer for Pinstripe Alley.
Follow me on Twitter @frankiecamp48

by Frank Campagnola on Dec 15, 2011 3:15 PM EST up reply actions

Cano contributes every day

I think of it as if you’re trading one for the other i’d rather have the elite position player, if you have a choice to sign two elite players, I might go with the elite pitcher.

by jetanumba2 on Dec 15, 2011 3:22 PM EST up reply actions

unless that pitcher would be really really expensive, but there’s a difference between spending boatloads of cash on CJ Wilson and spending boatloads of cash on Halladay

by jetanumba2 on Dec 15, 2011 3:24 PM EST up reply actions

Of course, I’m just trying to point out that the Felix thing is overblown. Cano is an All-Star caliber second baseman in his prime that has put up an average of 6.1 WAR over the last two seasons. He also makes less money than Felix.

To suggest that Felix would start with Cano and climb from there is ridiculous, when you could make the argument that in a 1-for-1 swap, the team getting Cano is getting the better end of the deal.

Contributing writer for Pinstripe Alley.
Follow me on Twitter @frankiecamp48

by Frank Campagnola on Dec 15, 2011 3:27 PM EST up reply actions

this is a good point

if only we were not the Yankees then this would actually be relevant. Since we in fact are the Yankees, the asking price will be Cano, Gardner and Montero just because.

by jetanumba2 on Dec 15, 2011 3:33 PM EST up reply actions

By salary relief, I mean in a traditional sense. Cano makes about $4M or $5M less, but if a team is planning for the future, and trading away a guy making $19.3M, they’d want more salary relief than $4M or $5M to open up other roster possibilities.

Contributing writer for Pinstripe Alley.
Follow me on Twitter @frankiecamp48

by Frank Campagnola on Dec 15, 2011 3:29 PM EST up reply actions

Realistically

a trade would start with Montero and go up to any of Gardner, Robertson, Nova, Banuelos, Betances, Noesi. These are the players a team trading off their best pitcher will be looking for.

by jetanumba2 on Dec 15, 2011 3:35 PM EST up reply actions

I can agree with that

I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot.- Kobe Bryant

A.J. Burnett's only fan!

by nyyrocks29 on Dec 15, 2011 3:37 PM EST up reply actions

I’d also venture to say that Felix’s shiny ERAs in 2009 and 2010 have overrated him. Not to say he isn’t an elite starter, but his peripherals suggest he is a bout a 3.10 ERA type of pitcher, not a 2.2 or 2.5 like ’09 and ’10 suggest.

Contributing writer for Pinstripe Alley.
Follow me on Twitter @frankiecamp48

by Frank Campagnola on Dec 15, 2011 3:11 PM EST up reply actions

Not the point

Just because the peripherals suggest that he may be a 3.10 ERA starter in the future doesn’t take away from the fact that he had ERA’s in the low twos recently. Also the fact that he pitches as many innings as CC, has ridiculous strikeout totals and is under team control for a long time gives him added value. Thats what the M’s and other teams will look at. Just because fangraphs says that he might be overrated doesn’t mean other teams are going to treat him as such. I’d be shocked if the asking price didn’t include Cano+Montero at least.

I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot.- Kobe Bryant

A.J. Burnett's only fan!

by nyyrocks29 on Dec 15, 2011 3:35 PM EST up reply actions

Well, most recently, he had an ERA in the mid 3’s, which would put him at an ERA+ of 111. That’s not exactly giving up top prospect worthy.

Also, the fact that he pitches as many innings as he does at 25 is concerning to say the least, the fact that your overrating his strikeout totals greatly which are a career 8.2 K/9 (he’s also never had a season of 9 K/9 or higher) is under team control at $19.3M per year (a lot of money meaning it lowers his trade value) all suggest that his trade value is no where near what you think it is.

I’d be shocked if the Mariners realistically think they are getting Cano +, especially when the argument can be made that in a 1-for-1 swap, the team getting Cano would be getting the better end of the deal.

Contributing writer for Pinstripe Alley.
Follow me on Twitter @frankiecamp48

by Frank Campagnola on Dec 15, 2011 3:44 PM EST up reply actions

I'm not saying I think of him like that

Though I definitely think he’s an elite starter. I’m just saying that the people who are doing the trading (Mariners) are going to overvalue him as much as possible because they want as much as possible back. Felix has arguably been the best pitcher in baseball the last three years and he’s young. I just think the Mariners would want more than just prospects for him, even if it is Montero.

I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot.- Kobe Bryant

A.J. Burnett's only fan!

by nyyrocks29 on Dec 15, 2011 3:52 PM EST up reply actions

I never said that he isn’t an elite starter. Actually I said the opposite.

Not to say he isn’t an elite starter

The Mariners can think that way, but all teams have to do is use common sense to see that the Mariners’ estimation of his value is way too high. He’s young, yes, but he makes a ton of money and he’s a borderline injury risk with the amount of innings he’s thrown through his age 25 season.

To give examples, through their age 25 seasons:

Roy Halladay – 575 IP
CC – 1,165 IP
Cliff Lee – 241 IP
Verlander – 600 IP
Greinke – 888 IP
Hamels – 736 IP
Dan Haren – 558 IP
Jered Weaver – 460 IP

You get the picture. It’s an unprecedented amount of innings at that age.

Also, I’m looking at it only from strictly a baseball perspective, and of course there would be something along the lines of a “trading away our franchise player” tax that would make the acquiring team give a little extra.

Contributing writer for Pinstripe Alley.
Follow me on Twitter @frankiecamp48

by Frank Campagnola on Dec 15, 2011 4:07 PM EST up reply actions

Also, Montero’s trade value is through the roof as a top 10 hitting prospect who put up insane numbers in his short Major League stint.

Contributing writer for Pinstripe Alley.
Follow me on Twitter @frankiecamp48

by Frank Campagnola on Dec 15, 2011 3:47 PM EST up reply actions

Re: ESPN Seattle/NYY Trade

I’d tell them to go pound sand up their ass. Felix is great and we need pitching, but that trade is lopsided in Seattle’s favor in my view.

by Alex40204 on Dec 15, 2011 3:32 PM EST reply actions

What has the world come to when neither the Yankees nor Red Sox are likely to be competitive bidders on Darvish?

Or that the Yankees big moves are re- signing Garcia and posting Nakajima, and that the Red Sox big moves are acquiring Mark Melancon and Nick Freakin’ Punto?

It’s the end of an era.

by designatedquitter on Dec 15, 2011 3:52 PM EST reply actions

Not really

I guarantee you that if the Yankees didn’t panic and spend big money on a setup guy last year, they’d have been far more competitive with Darvish this year. That is, if the reports are true that the Yankees bid is only modest compared to Toronto and Texas.

I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot.- Kobe Bryant

A.J. Burnett's only fan!

by nyyrocks29 on Dec 15, 2011 3:55 PM EST up reply actions

pressed post too soon

It’s not that they don’t want to spend money, but it’s that they have lots of money already spent and don’t want to add more payroll. Especially under the new CBA.

I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot.- Kobe Bryant

A.J. Burnett's only fan!

by nyyrocks29 on Dec 15, 2011 3:56 PM EST up reply actions