What If Phil Hughes Does Not Make The 2012 Starting Rotation?
by Brandon C. on Dec 29, 2011 8:45 AM EST
in New York Yankees Analysis
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PrintPLEASE NOTE: I believe 100% that Phil Hughes will be a successful starting pitcher in the MLB. This post is based on a likely possibility, not necessarily what I want to happen.
Although the Yankees have not made a move regarding the starting rotation this off-season yet outside of re-signing Freddy Garcia, the Yankees seem to be rumored as in on every pitcher available.
Still, the common belief is that the Yankees will acquire at least one starting pitcher this off-season, whether it be in a trade, a signing, or a hostile takeover of another team.
That brings us to Phil Hughes. The up and down former top pitching prospect is now expected to have to fight for his job in Spring Training once again. Hughes previously beat out Joba Chamberlain, forcing Chamberlain to the bullpen (sigh) then kept his role for the next season.
After a shaky season, Hughes will have to pitch well in Spring Training to get a spot in the starting rotation. What if he doesn't, though? What if Hughes struggles, or someone pitches well enough to knock him out of a spot? It remains a strong possibility, as between Hector Noesi, David Phelps, Adam Warren, and others, perhaps at least one can pitch a fantastic Spring Training.
There is no clear answer to the what if, so let's look at the different scenarios.
Yankees Send Phil Hughes to AAA to continue working as a starter- This is what I prefer if Hughes does not make the rotation. I believe (please correct me if I am wrong, I am not 100% sure on this) Hughes has two options left, so the Yankees can afford to demote Hughes if he does not make the rotation.
This is the best move for the future of Hughes, as he can continue to work on the necessary changes, and also continue to pitch as many innings as a starter must.
Follow after the jump for the rest of the options.
Move Phil Hughes to the bullpen temporarily- Hughes would likely be a long reliever in this scenario, though it does not seem very likely. The Yankees already have Brad Meyers, George Kontos, and any possible minor league signings to pitch long relief. Hughes would not be in an important enough role, and still would not be getting enough innings. I do not suggest this option.
Move Phil Hughes to the bullpen permanently- As we saw in 2009, Hughes can pitch in a set-up role. Between Joba Chamberlain, Rafael Soriano, David Robertson, and possibly Phil Hughes, the Yankees could have the best bullpen in baseball. Even without Hughes they might, as Cory Wade is another solid pitcher in the bullpen.
This is another option I do not suggest, as like we saw with Joba Chamberlain, moving Hughes to the bullpen is not getting full value out of Hughes. The Yankees are not in need of bullpen help, so there is little reason to make the move.
Trade Phil Hughes- Quite possibly my least favorite idea of the bunch. Hughes' value is at its lowest right now, so a rough Spring Training would lower his value to unforeseen levels.
Which option would you pick?
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Phil Hughes will be in the starting rotation
No one will knock him out of his spot. The only way he would be replaced is if Hughes absolutely sucks. The Yankees don’t seem to take spring training very seriously and ‘try outs’ and ‘competitions’ are mostly formalities. They might say he will compete, but even if Warren/Phelps/Noesi all pitch better than him, barring a complete meltdown, Hughes will still make the opening day rotation.
Why do you think Hughes has a spot locked up?
Based on his performance from July of 2010 through the 2011 season, there’s no reason to think the Yankees have to guarantee him anything. Plus, he’s still an inexpensive pitcher, with possible options.
I don’t have enough information to say whether he has fully recovered from his dead arm issue, but I would hope that they would want to make sure he’s up to the task before throwing him in the rotation again like they did in 2011 (when he apparently had problems in spring training and ignored them).
It will be very disappointing if the Yankees guarantee him a spot, because I don’t think his performance has validated it yet. The only rotation locks, in my opinion, are CC, AJ, and Freddy Garcia. All are paid for it and Garcia has been publicly stated as having one. Unless Cashman or Girardi comes out and says otherwise, I think Hughes is very much playing for a rotation spot in Spring Training.
He is a lock to start the season in the rotation
but if someone proves capable enough they will be quick to pull the plug on Hughes if he struggles again. I think Cashman is banking on him being healthy and finally putting it all together. Cashman has always been very high on Hughes and I doubt they give up on him until they force him to or they acquire another pitcher. Warren, Phelps and Noesi are not going to beat him out to start the season. It’s just not happening.
I agree only because I have doubts that they'll land another starter
If they do get another pitcher, then who goes out of the rotation if not Hughes?
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!
Never mind
Just read more of your post than just the subject line. You already answered it. I completely agree that Phelps, Warren or Noesi has little to no chance of beating him out.
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!
They definitely could replace him during the season
but nothing they can do in ST will win them a job over Hughes. Only he can make him lose his spot.
You haven't provided any reasoning as to the "why" of your position
Why is he a lock? What has Cashman said, recently, that leads you to believe Hughes hasn’t lost credibility in the eyes of the organization?
Would you guarantee him a spot in the rotation after his late 2010/full 2011 seasons?
i'm basing it by the way the organization has handle previous ST 'competitions'
the team has a clear winner they want and they just want to see him work hard because he thinks his job is on the line. The Yankee Organization does not give much stock into spring training performance, how else would no one notice that Hughes had a dead arm? They’ve investment too much into him to just not give him one last chance.
Unless my memory is failing me, Bart was lights out in ST last year and started the season in the bullpen.
They realize that the ST is just that…hence why cellar dwellers have great records year after year.
by MichaelGGBGrabow on Dec 29, 2011 12:42 PM EST up reply actions
exactly
they wanted Freddy Garcia to start. As long as he didn’t embarrass himself, he was always going to start no matter what Colon did. It was a ‘competition’ that Colon obviously won, but they wanted Freddy so he won. The same thing happened with Joba vs. Hughes in ST 2010, they wanted Hughes so Hughes won.
+1
The Yankees see what they want in players through the sweetest pair of rose colored glasses anyone ever owned.
Possibly its why teams like the Rays field a post season caliber team for pennies on the payroll dollar the Yankees spend.
by NYYankeeDude on Dec 29, 2011 3:03 PM EST up reply actions
A lock??????
I think/hope he’ll be in the rotation, but there are numerous things that can happen in the next four months that can keep him out of the rotation to start the season. I don’t think anything is “a lock” for a guy who almost had a 6 era last season. If he gets shelled in Spring Training I think there is a definite chance he isn’t in the rotation.
Yeah "Lock" a little presumptuous
“Bad” Hughes can get knocked silly every inning he throws and by season start an alternative would be found. Don’t think that’ll happen and certainly don’t want it to… just sayin’
What FO’d say is the “tired arm” again so he’d be covered by a medical excuse — and the team could slot another guy in.
This is interesting
If Reddick not in deal, Bailey would have been traded to Texas
I’d like to know what the Rangers were offering because the package the A’s got was pretty lame. Reddick is not that good to be trading an outfielder for an outfielder. I think having to include Sweeney was a major loss for the A’s (not talent-wise, trade-wise)
5th option
Move him to the bullpen in short relief and then trade him when/or if Joba returns.
YANKEE BLOGGER CALLS FOR HUGHES' DEMOTION
I’m with you, priority 1 is him starting somewhere. And even if somehow he ends up in Scranton (Batavia/Syracuse/Buffalo…) in April, an injury or a breakdown (i.e. Garcia) will probably bring him back before long anyway.
The above comment is not affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, is not based on a secret source of team information, and may contain personal opinion.
"I'll never forget San Francisco and all those beautiful moments."- Andres Torres
by natteringnabob on Dec 29, 2011 11:23 AM EST reply actions
Reason for optimism?
Cashman says Rodriguez is "100 percent" right now and that there are "no red flags" going into spring training. Cashman says he expects Rodriguez to be able to play every day.
Of course, thats what he said last year too. Lets keep it that way this year.
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!
100% in December doesn't mean much
It’s better than if he was on death’s door, but I’d like to see him 100% in October.
by long time listener on Dec 29, 2011 1:03 PM EST up reply actions
Not really
He had a procedure but I don’t think it was surgery.
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!
Option Five
Send him to AA as a starter so I can see him when Trenton comes to town.
Obviously I’m hoping he’s over injuries/dead arm/growing pains/etc and 2012 is the start of a successful career for him.
by MichaelGGBGrabow on Dec 29, 2011 12:45 PM EST reply actions
he's going back to his old workout system
rather than the get-fat-and-never-pick-up-a-baseball-until-spring-training routine he used last year. I think he will be healthy and he will be back to early 2010 Hughes.
I do have to say one thing
I would be disappointed if it turns out the reason Hughes was ineffective last year is because he was in poor condition. He’s played with guys who have legendary workout routines, like Clemens and A-Rod (please, no steroids comments; they work out like crazy apart from whatever “supplements” they take), as well as guys whose workout routines are less publicized, but are always in top condition, like Jeter and Mo. If he indeed took it easy for whatever reason, and that was a big factor in him struggling over the last year or so, it’ll be disappointing, though my disappointment would be mitigated by him learning his lesson and being committed to staying in top condition.
by long time listener on Dec 29, 2011 2:03 PM EST reply actions
(please, no steroids comments; they work out like crazy apart from whatever "supplements" they take),
I would never inject such comments into this thread.
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"No matter what I talk about, I always get back to baseball."
"Every day is a great day for hockey."
But seriously, I agree completely. He keeps talking about being in better shape this year, too.
Follow me on twitter @nyybrandonc
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"No matter what I talk about, I always get back to baseball."
"Every day is a great day for hockey."
I don't understand how he could just sit around and expect to be good
I’m surprised the organization actually lets players do their own thing until ST. You’d think with the amount they are investing in these guys they would have more control over their conditioning, training and medical.
I'd imagine there's a limit to what they can do
The CBA probably dictates how much, if at all, teams can order players to work out during the off-season.
by long time listener on Dec 29, 2011 2:27 PM EST up reply actions
yeah, I imagine its probably in there soemwhere
but its things like this that make me wish baseball contracts weren’t all guaranteed
Fair incentives in which salary is a product of performance and not guaranteed up front is THE DEVIL.
/Every union ever
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The unfortunate thing is that the vast majority of players are screwed over by the system. The entire point is to set it up so that players hit free agency in their prime so that the A-Rods and Pujolses of the world can sign mega deals. But, think about this:
Chien-Ming Wang was the best pitcher on the richest team in baseball for two or three seasons and made relative peanuts for it ($9.8MM in 4 seasons in New York), and with his body giving out, will likely never sign more than a string of one year deals.
Instead of a system that rewards performance, we have one that rewards being well thought of in your late 20s, so that you can be an overpaid burden in your 30s. And if you’re a great player but your body/ability gives out before you hit free agency, that’s too damn bad.
Essentially, if you’re a Type A kind of free agent, you make a killing, if not, you don’t. A wider usage of incentives and a restructuring of the team controlled years would benefit the vast majority of players who are underpaid while Barry Zito makes money hand over fist, but as it would cut into the huge deals that top players, agents, and the union love so much, it’s never going to happen.
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i’m a fan of incentive laden contracts and I wish they structured more deals around them. How would you restructure the team controlled years though? have less so good players get extended faster? add more so teams can take advantage of their players in their prime?
I just wish that contracts could be voided based on injuries (specific injuries can be listed like in CC’s deal) and crappy performance. If players can opt out of a contract for performing well, teams should be able to opt out of a contract for terrible performances. Even if it’s something like the amnesty clause in basketball, at least teams don’t have to suffer through an underperforming, vastly overpaid player.
Well, the problem is that teams are completely reliant on using cheap talent that has yet to hit free agency. Shortening the number of team controlled years means that the Pirates have less time before they lose Andrew McCutchen, the Rays have less time with David Price, etc., but if McCutchen or Price stop being great players for whatever reason, their years of excellence go pretty much unrewarded. My completely academic solution would be something like this:
Instead of taking money from the Yankees and Red Sox and handing it over to the teams that generate less revenue, levy a revenue sharing tax and distribute that money to players under team control. It would make the most sense to do this with some kind of arbitration panel, but for the sake of simplicity, let’s just say that they do it by fWAR.
By applying an escalating payroll tax to any team that spends in excess of ~$100MM on payroll, collect some money and distribute it accordingly (so a 5 fWAR player gets more of a league bonus than a 1 fWAR player). I think it would sit a lot better with the owners to be contributing to good, young players than it would to be directly subsidizing their competitors.
With these kinds of bonuses available, arbitration raises could become less steep, and you could even conceivably lower the league minimum salary. So, Andrew McCutchen is even more affordable to the Pirates, but he’s also getting a nice bonus from the league for being such a good player. In this case, I would prefer four or five years of team control to six, meaning that free agent deals are less likely to span into the mid to late thirties, but I could be flexible on that.
As far as contracts are concerned, I would leave that completely up to the free market. If a team and player negotiate to make the contract 100% guaranteed money with no incentives, that should be allowed. If a team and player negotiate to make a contract 0% guaranteed money, and 100% incentives, that should be allowed too. And incentives should absolutely be expanded outside of games played, awards, and the current stuff to include average, home runs, wRC+, WAR, whatever they want.
There are myriad reasons why this will never happen and it’s still far from a perfect solution that is fair to all teams from all market sizes, but it appeals to me in a lot of ways.
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+1
Baseball Statistics and Acronyms Explained
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by Lord Duggan on Dec 30, 2011 12:37 AM EST up reply actions
Agreed. Then again you’d think that they wouldn’t have to…being ya know, a professional athlete and all, working out shouldn’t be an “ugh i’ve got to go to the gym” type thing like it is for us and that they’d be in pretty good shape at all times.
by MichaelGGBGrabow on Dec 29, 2011 4:26 PM EST up reply actions
I don’t think that we should trade him right now, but if he isn’t good for the 1st half of the season, then he should be on the trading block, or be put in trades that could help the Yankees recieve a player
by yankeesfan1325* on Dec 29, 2011 2:20 PM EST reply actions
You’re not going to get very much if he continues to not do well for another half of a season…
by MichaelGGBGrabow on Dec 29, 2011 4:27 PM EST up reply actions
I love it
Follow me on twitter @nyybrandonc
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"No matter what I talk about, I always get back to baseball."
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by Brandon C. on Dec 30, 2011 6:19 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions
rorschach44
I never forget about my colon
Last night, a comedian died in New York. Somebody knows why. Somebody knows
You have more faith in Hughes than I di
Sending him to AAA is pointless. He dominates AAA but can’t get his fastball by major league hitters. He’s always looked good in AAA but what he dies in AAA hasnt translate the MLB level.
by lololol on Dec 29, 2011 2:52 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Just lease him for 99 years
take the depreciation and PROFIT.
The above comment is not affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, is not based on a secret source of team information, and may contain personal opinion.
"I'll never forget San Francisco and all those beautiful moments."- Andres Torres
by natteringnabob on Dec 29, 2011 7:54 PM EST up reply actions
Most people don't do the tax benefits of leasing correctly...
based upon the IRS stalking the steinbrenners I don’t think this should be an option…
by JerseyGuy77 on Dec 30, 2011 12:39 AM EST up reply actions
THE LIBYANS?!
"Don't you think it's strange that you'll make more money than President Hoover this year?"
"Why not? I had a better year than he did." - G.H. Ruth
Only the yanks
Would spend years developing a Noesi, and then not give him a shot. Hope I’m wrong.
You never know what your history is going to be like until long after you're gone.
If Phil Hughes isn't the old Hughes
Then we have zero chance at a WS. We need at least 3 starters who we can rely on in the playoffs. Even if we assume we can get someone like Ivan truly ready for postseason reliance (which we did partially last year) then we’re still one short. Headcase will have to prove it. Garcia fools the bad teams most of the time. Short of them getting another starter who can pitch (Edwin?) they’re going to need him. If that means starting him at AAA for 50 innings to ensure his arm is strong then so be it.
If Phil Hughes isn’t the old Hughes
Then we have zero chance at a WS.
That is far from true. Hughes wasn’t Hughes last year and the team won the division.
"Don't you think it's strange that you'll make more money than President Hoover this year?"
"Why not? I had a better year than he did." - G.H. Ruth
Also beyond Chris Carpenter, the Cardinals did not really have reliable starting pitching. I don’t think that many Cards fans were inspired by Garcia/Jackson/Lohse.
"Don't you think it's strange that you'll make more money than President Hoover this year?"
"Why not? I had a better year than he did." - G.H. Ruth
I’d absolutely be inspired by a 2, 3, 4 of Garcia, Jackson, and Lohse.
Jaime Garcia had a 3.23 FIP and threw 194 IP. I’d be ecstatic about that from my number two starter. Edwin Jackson had a 3.58 ERA for them over ~ 78 IP, and if my fourth starter has a 3.39 ERA over 188 innings, then I’m in pretty damn good shape.
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by Frank Campagnola on Dec 30, 2011 4:41 PM EST up reply actions
I know, I’m just saying that they just didn’t pitch well in the playoffs and my point is that you don’t always need good pitching to win in the playoffs
"Don't you think it's strange that you'll make more money than President Hoover this year?"
"Why not? I had a better year than he did." - G.H. Ruth
While your second post make sense (and ties into my edwin note) you as well as most on this board know that we didn’t stand a snowballs chance in hell of winning the WS last year. Not with an aging “juggernaut” offense and 1.5 starting pitchers. Even with the best bullpen in baseball. To be honest with you I’m not any more certain about next year without some chips failing in the right place. We’ve starting to resemble more of the pre-04 redsox than the pre-04 yankees. We have to make some changes to fix it too. I think Montero could be the key either as a chip for a great SP or as the revamping of the offense.
Trying this again...
No… the Astros didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of winning the WS last year.
Not with an aging “juggernaut” offense
Uhhh… the offense was damn good last year. 2nd most runs scored in the league.And as I proved before, you don’t need THAT many quality starters to win a WS. Yes, the 2011 Cardinals had Chris Carpenter, but they also needed mediocre guys like Garcia, Jackson, and Lohse to take the hill. Yes, the 2008 Phillies had Cole Hamels, but they also needed mediocre guys like Moyer, Myers, and Blanton to pitch. There are countless more examples. Could the 2011 Yankees have done it with CC leading a group of Nova, Garcia, and A.J.? Definitely. They were a game away from the ALCS. That is more of a "snowball’s chance in hell."
It’s like winning 97 games and the division doesn’t mean anything to some people.
"Don't you think it's strange that you'll make more money than President Hoover this year?"
"Why not? I had a better year than he did." - G.H. Ruth
Is that our standard now?
I watched about 150 games last year including my partial season ticket package. They were very good hitters against some good pitchers and whole lot of bad pitchers. I don’t disagree that the Yankees offense wasn’t pulling some of its own weight but I also saw that offense disappear (some of those folks) during the playoffs. In fact if Granderson and a few others didn’t carry the offense in the first part of the season we would’ve been the wildcard team. The Yanx consistently found ways to be hot and cold on offense. And I’d like to point out that I said they were aging, which no one on here denies. Additionally I think its interesting that no one is defending our starting pitching by saying “oh no they’re better than that” and instead they’re saying “well they aren’t the worst team vying for the title”. Again when did that become our standard. 97 wins is great. I’ll take 85 and 11 in the playoffs instead.
In a post that I am far too lazy to look up, Duggan pretty much dispelled the rumors of being any more “boom or bust” than any other team in baseball. No team is going to score 12 runs every game.
Jesus Montero fangirl
by WhatwouldJeterdo on Dec 30, 2011 12:44 PM EST up reply actions
Well of course another good starter would be nice, but I just don’t see who’s worth the cost (be it financially or prospect-wise) out there on the trade market or in free agency.
"Don't you think it's strange that you'll make more money than President Hoover this year?"
"Why not? I had a better year than he did." - G.H. Ruth
Does anyone think Hughes can succeed without a third pitch?
I mean, his phantom third pitch just hasn’t developed after all these years. All he’s doing today is throwing his fastball up in the zone and mixing in a decent curveball….
At this point his ceiling seems to be AJ (young AJ) with a slightly better fastball and slightly worse curve….
Someone please convince me I’m wrong, but I’m really down on him atm, healthy or not :(
AJ threw 96-97 consistently when he was younger
Hughes in no way has a better fastball. Hell, AJ’s fastball (and his curve) right now are probably better than that of Hughes.
And a young AJ would be fantastic. The man was a pretty good if not great pitcher through 2009. Amazing how people forget.
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!
Ah didn't realize he had that good a fastball, though he was more in the 94-95 zone.
Even then though, what does Hughes have to make it with, if all he’s got is a decent fastball and an OK curve? Especially with all his flyball tendencies.
by Henryyilupe on Dec 30, 2011 11:50 AM EST up reply actions
Location
His stuff isn’t as good as AJ’s, but AJ had the best stuff in all of baseball for a long time and he still probably has one of the best if not the best curveballs in all of baseball.
Hughes’ stuff is more than good enough to be a legitimate pitcher, but he needs to pitch. He’s not going to get away with trying to overpower hitters. He needs to locate, change speeds and be a smart pitcher. A lot of the best pitchers in baseball don’t have overpowering stuff. Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee both barely touch 90 with their fastballs, but they are two of the best in the game.
I’m not saying Hughes is going to become Halladay or Lee, but his stuff is more than good enough to succeed. He just needs to locate better and be a smarter pitcher. If he does that, then he can be a good mid-rotation starter for this team. If he doesn’t, then it’s probably back to the pen where the velocity is higher and he actually can overpower some hitters, or to another team where the fly balls won’t kill him as much as it would on the Yankees.
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!
I'm exaggerating because i like the guy
But you’re kidding yourself if you think someone that threw 100 with that curveball isn’t among the best pure stuff in the game.
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!
I pull for AJ to succeed and defend him against the people trying to diagnose him with some mental disorder, but damn…
Jesus Montero fangirl
by WhatwouldJeterdo on Dec 30, 2011 12:46 PM EST up reply actions
Command!
Lots of great pitchers have only 2 plus pitches and maybe another 1 or 2 “show-me” pitches to keep the hitters off balance.
Hughes also has a cutter, a two-seamer, and the much talked about, rarely seen change. If he got ahead of hitters and hit his spots he’d more than likely do fine.
Live every week like it's shark week.
One thing your forgetting
AJ won’t be with the Yankees Opening Day.
you got CC a lock.
you got Nova who like Hughes will have to embarrass himself.
you got Hughes and I predict now 17-5 with a 3.48 era 200+ innings pitched.
you got Garcia who’s going to pitch around 3.50 in over 200 innings
then there’s no. 5 looking like Noesi, Colon, Warren, Phelps who all together no doubt can put up better numbers over a full season than AJ at a much cheaper rate.
and so with this back log of players whom the Yankees have whom can contribute to make up and surpass AJ’s production even if the Yankees were to eat a part of AJ’s salary they would still get more in return with a trade for a bench player and or prospects scenario.
if two of those four have stellar springs AJ is trade bait. if all four have decent springs there is no way AJ Burnett breaks camp with NY. Everybody needs pitching not just the Yankees and AJ actually right now looks better than most options out there. for all the talk about AJ’s salary it is still possible to move him.
by bleedsyankeeblue on Dec 30, 2011 6:18 AM EST reply actions
the only player that is more of a lock than AJ is CC
AJ will be on this team. No one is going to want AJ now and no one is going to give up anything for him. Whatever we can get from AJ is not going to be more valuable than AJ himself.
And Freddy Garcia is not pitching 200 innings. I’ll take 150 from both Garcia and Hughes
This
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!
up?
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!
You keep telling yourself that.
AJ won’t be with the Yankees Opening Day.
"Don't you think it's strange that you'll make more money than President Hoover this year?"
"Why not? I had a better year than he did." - G.H. Ruth
I’m not really sure where you’re getting any of that from
Follow me on twitter @nyybrandonc
Co-Manager/Writer for Pinstripe Alley, Editor/Writer for Blueshirt Banter
"No matter what I talk about, I always get back to baseball."
"Every day is a great day for hockey."
by Brandon C. on Dec 30, 2011 6:21 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions
AJ won’t be with the Yankees Opening Day?
Who is your source?
I'm not telling myself that
That is a direct order from Hank S. that, “AJ must go by opening day.” to Brian Cashman. So he’s outta here guaranteed. I’ll make a bet of my bleacher seats for your home plate seats or better. Or the equivalent.
by bleedsyankeeblue on Dec 30, 2011 6:21 PM EST reply actions
Did your sources tell you that, or does it actually exist somewhere that no one else seems to know about?
Jesus Montero fangirl
by WhatwouldJeterdo on Dec 30, 2011 7:05 PM EST up reply actions
Are they going to trade him for draft picks?
by Jedi Master A-Rod on Dec 30, 2011 7:29 PM EST up reply actions
Where do you get your info from?
Follow me on twitter @nyybrandonc
Co-Manager/Writer for Pinstripe Alley, Editor/Writer for Blueshirt Banter
"No matter what I talk about, I always get back to baseball."
"Every day is a great day for hockey."
Voices in his head.
Jesus Montero fangirl
by WhatwouldJeterdo on Dec 31, 2011 12:57 PM EST up reply actions
I'd bet you an ass-hair braiding session that he'll be a Yankee at opening day
and your half baked “order” is complete horseshit.
Last night, a comedian died in New York. Somebody knows why. Somebody knows
I got sources
I got my sources. A J is done. The team gives him that, ’can’t pitch in NY’ label and one of the smaller market teams takes him for bench support. If we’re lucky we eat only 5mil the first year. That’s 25mil off the payroll. I’m also betting Colon comes back and between him and Noesi at less than 3mil they more than make up AJ ‘s production. I’ll wager concessions on that much. So no AJ is not more valuable he is more expendable.
by bleedsyankeeblue on Dec 31, 2011 4:40 AM EST reply actions
Keep tellin’ yourself that bub.
"Don't you think it's strange that you'll make more money than President Hoover this year?"
"Why not? I had a better year than he did." - G.H. Ruth
The wager is on the table either shut up or take the wager. 20 games bleachers seats vs. seats behind home plate plus concessions and let’s throw in parking too. put up or shut up. put your seats where your mouth is.
by bleedsyankeeblue on Dec 31, 2011 3:25 PM EST up reply actions
If Hughes can't make the rotation this year
if Hughes doesn’t make the starting rotation this year, it’s time to give up on the idea and make him the 7th or 8th inning pitcher. Let’s face it, he was lights out when he was the 8th inning pitcher!
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