New York Yankees News & Notes: 2/17/13

Will Jeter Regress?: The Yankee Analysts examine Derek Jeter’s 2012 season and determine that none of the trends seems to indicate that he was lucky last year. His batting average on ground balls and line drive rates were all around his career norms and he might even improve. Jeter’s UZR/150 was so bad, compared to his normal not good, that he has to improve somewhat so he can reach his career average. An improvement on the field would go a long way to increasing his WAR for the season. He’s turning 39 this year, but there’s no indication that he can’t still produce at the amazing level he was at last year.

Granderson Extension: There are going to be a lot of Yankee free agents next year. A good chunk of the team: Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano, Phil Hughes, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Kevin Youkilis, Hiroki Kuroda, Travis Hafner, and maybe even Derek Jeter. CC Sabathia will be the only reliable pitcher under contract in 2014. The team will be pretty barren and they’ll have very little money to refill it with top talent. They will need to use the remaining money to resign Cano, but since Granderson is open to an extension, the Yankees might be wise to buy low on him and try to lock him up on a hometown discount. It could actually help field a competitive, and yet, economical team in 2014.

February Deals: NoMaas believes the Yankee could still make a move, even if it’s already February. They briefly look into the past to note the organization’s history with February transactions. Chuck Knoblauch, Roger Clemens, and Alex Rodriguez were all brought in around this time. More recently, Marcus Thames, Eric Chavez, Freddy Garcia, and Raul Ibanez have all signed deals. The precedent is there, but will the Yankees continue that trend in 2013?

The Future for Phil: Phil Hughes will be a free agent after the 2013 season and, as of right now, there’s no certainty the Yankees will retain him. Hughes will eb the youngest starter on the free agent market and will likely get a lucrative contract for someone, but the Yankees don’t quite know which Hughes they’d be paying for. Would it be the 18-game winner, or the fly ball pitcher? It all comes down to health for Hughes, if he can gain consistent success in 2013, the Yankees might see no other choice but to keep him. He certainly wants to stay with the team, but we won’t know for sure until he’s on the open market.

Grading the Offseason: David Schoenfield of ESPN grades the Yankees offseason. He gives them a C for offseason moves, highlighting their ability to make up for most of the lost value, but not at catcher. He gave them a B for their current lineup, which still projects to be very strong. He grades them an A- for having a strong pitching staff, both rotation and bullpen. All together the Yankees receive a B+ grade for the winter.

Prospect Profile: Yankee Fans Unite have a profile on Yankee relief prospect Mark Montgomery. They discuss his past succeses, his pitch selection and his future in the Yankee organization. He’s really the only pitching prospect the Yankees have that could definitely make an impact in 2014. Hopefully the Yankees won’t hesitate to speed him through the system like they have been doing and bring him up when they think he’s ready.