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Cashman open to a one-year deal for Damon?

Posted by Chris H. at 7:30 pm 16 Responses »
Jan 062010

While Scott Boras seems to signal that Johnny Damon’s pinstriped tenure is all but over, Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman indicates that there is still a chance the Yankees and the 36-year old free agent can come to an agreement. Brian Cashman, Heyman writes, “is said to only want to do a one-year deal at this point and believed to want to spend no more than $6 million.” This is inline with the figure I put forth yesterday as the number is small enough to be viewed as a big value buy for the Yankees. Heyman, however, acknowledges that the team might have to “stretch” that figure a bit in order to land the outfielder. Maybe a $6 million base with an extra $2-3 million in incentives could get the job done? Incentives are not included in the opening day payroll, so the Yankees, in an effort to adhere to their budget cutting principles, could still maintain that the signing has not put them over the $200 million mark by a large margin. Plus, they could always trade Chad Gaudin, who could possibly earn close to $3 million after arbitration, in order to free up payroll resources.

Basically, despite Cashman’s admission about Brett Gardner being the everyday left fielder, the Yankees are still in a very good position to land Johnny Damon at their price. The patient approach which they have employed this winter has worked wonders, as Damon’s demands have fallen dramatically. He may not be amenable to a one-year deal and an incentive-laden contract (which is my suggestion), however, at this point, it could end up being his best option.

Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

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Buster Olney-Yanks out on Aroldis Chapman

Posted by Steve S. at 6:37 pm 13 Responses »
Jan 062010

Just came down about two hours ago on his Twitter account. The usually reliable ESPN reporter says that both the Yanks and Mets are both out on the Chapman sweepstakes. Here’s the original message in its entirety:

Sources: The Mets are not in on Aroldis Chapman – just as the Yankees are not in on Aroldis Chapman. One talent evaluator expects the bidding on Chapman to go to $20 million. Concern in some quarters that he is better suited for relief than as a starter.

I’m neither surprised or disappointed at the news. Since seeing him pitch in various international outings (which can be seen on YouTube) and reading reports on him from experts in Cuban Baseball, I came away very much agnostic on Mr Chapman. I detailed my reasons in a prior post from back on December 3rd. He’s clearly a project, one that may take years to become MLB ready, if ever. Further, as the talent evaluator in Olney’s Tweet said he very well may be better suited to be a reliever than starter, which is something that Aroldis has stated he has no interest in doing. There are also reports of him clashing with various coaches in Cuba, making you wonder about his coachability. I know fans will say ‘Its only money, and the Yanks have plenty’ but part of being a well run organization is having a plan and sticking to it. If he’s a disruptive force (as was reported in Cuba) then it can impact other prospects as well. Assuming this report is accurate, and Buster is one of the best when it comes to knowing what Brian Cashman is thinking, I have no problem with the Yanks sitting this one out.

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Some Minor Leaguers...Pitching Edition

Posted by Matt Imbrogno at 5:00 pm 5 Responses »
Jan 062010

Yesterday, I discussed some minor league position players we could see in the Major League camp come February, so today, I’ll discuss the pitchers I think we could see.

First up is the tall man, Andrew Brackman. Brackman had a good start to his professional career before the wheels fell off. Regardless, he’s on the 40-Man roster and should, once again, get a nice look in Spring Training. For Brackman, 2009 was mostly about health, as he was coming off of Tommy John Surgery. 2010, however, must be more results based and I think we are all hoping for a big step forward fr him this season.

Next is left hander Wilkin De La Rosa. This lefty hails from the Dominican Republic spent time in both Tampa (three games) and Trenton (16 games) in 2009. Overall, he struck out 8.8 batters per nine, while walking 4.2, though he allowed just 7.1 hits per nine inning and had a very solid 1.252 WHIP. This was Wilkin’s first year as a full time starter and he did well, but I expect the Yankees to turn him into a reliever. He should be up when the rosters expand in September and may come even sooner than that if he impresses.

Romulo Sanchez was just recently added to the 40-Man roster and word on him is that he can throw very hard. He came to the Yankees’ system in the Eric Hinkse Hacker trade, and has previously spent time in the Majors with the Pirates (31 innings across 2007 and 2008). Like De La Rosa, he should be up in September and possibly sooner than that if results can follow his velocity.

Another recent addition to the 40-Man is the right handed Dominican Hector Noesi. In time with Tampa and Charleston in 2009, Noesi put up video game type numbers. His ERA was a measly 2.92 and his K/BB was an impeccable 7.87. He may not get a call to ML camp because he’s never pitched above A+, but those results are hard to ignore.

Ivan Nova was taken in the Rule V Draft last season, but the Yankees protected him this year. Splitting time between AA and AAA, Nova lowered his ERA from 4.36 to 3.68 and continued to keep the ball in the park, allowing just 0.5 HR/9. He absolutely crushed the Dominican Winter League as well, pitching to the tune of a 1.05 ERA with 17 strikeouts and just four walks in 25.1 innings.

Lastly, there’s my favorite of the Yankee pitching prospects, Zach McAllister. While Yankee fans are very familiar with Zach, he’s relatively unheralded outside the Yankee circle. Last year, Zach led the Eastern League with a 2.23 ERA and had a very solid 2.91 K/BB. All he’s done in his time with the Yankees (drafted in 2006) is put up great numbers. Still, though, he doesn’t get much praise from those outside the Yankee realm. Compare his numbers to Phillies Blue Jays pitching prospect Kyle Drabek’s:

Kyle Drabek: 267.0 IP, 3.70 ERA, 1.259 WHIP, 8.1 H/9, 0.7 HR/9, 3.2 BB/9, 7.6 K/9, 2.35 K/BB

Zach McAllister: 378 IP, 2.81 ERA, 1.163 WHIP, 7.3 H/9, 0.3 HR/9, 2.2 BB/9, 7.5 K/9, 3.34 K/BB

Scouts say Drabek has a higher ceiling than Z-Mac because the former can dial it up to the mid-upper nineties. However, numbers wise, they’re pretty damn close. McAllister doesn’t profile as a top-of the line starter, but he’s incredibly solid and could even compete for the fifth starter’s spot in 2011 (if the Yankees don’t make any big free agent signings in the SP market). I definitely hope we see him pitching to Major Leaguers in Spring Training.

Moving Cano To Left Field

Posted by Moshe Mandel at 3:00 pm 25 Responses »
Jan 062010

Dave Pinto of the excellent Baseball Musings blog has undertaken the massive task of profiling every single player in Major League Baseball. He recently covered Robinson Cano, and made an assertion that I strongly disagree with:

Like Carew, Robinson Cano is not likely to stay at second base very long. His fielding numbers came up negative in most years he’s played. He does have the power to move to first base, but I would guess he’s more likely to follow the Alfonso Soriano route to the outfield. If the Yankees can develop a slick fielding second baseman, they may be able to fill their leftfield hole with Robinson eventually.

Cano would lose a significant amount of value if he moved to the outfield. His .320/.352/.520 bat is elite at 2nd base, while it is closer to the pack (but still excellent) relative to left fielders. Just as a point of reference, the league average left fielder hit .269/.340/.440 last year, while the league average second baseman came in at .271/.336/.414. While it does not seem to be a huge difference, Cano as an average defender in LF last year would likely have been about a 3.8 win player (thanks to Mike Axisa for running the numbers), rather than the 4.4 win guy he was at 2nd base.

More importantly, it is easier to find a decent bat in left field than it is to find one up the middle. If you develop a player who is great offensively at one of those positions, you only move him if he is awful defensively, and Cano does not qualify. The strength of the Yankee dynasty clubs on the late 90′s was their incredible offensive capabilities up the middle, with Posada, Jeter, Bernie, and Knoblauch providing the core around which the rest of the lineup could be built. Hopefully, Cano, Curtis Granderson, and Jesus Montero form the core of the latest Yankee powerhouse.

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Boras and Cashman: Yankees and Damon Are Through

Posted by Moshe Mandel at 1:01 pm 18 Responses »
Jan 062010


From Pete Caldera:

Out in the Bronx, there is no cause to add a slugging left fielder to the Yankees’ lineup.

“Our team is, for the most part, set,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday by phone from his office at Yankee Stadium……..

“We have a left fielder,” Cashman said, adding, “We do like Brett Gardner.”

“With the money we had to spend, we chose to spend it in those spots,” Cashman said. “We’re just playing with the bench right now.”

Still, the Yankees have room for another outfielder – preferably a right-handed bat; Cashman acknowledged that he’s searching for a right-handed hitter.

Cashman has mislead the fans about potential signings before (Johnny Damon’s 2005 dealings with the Yankees come to mind), but the combination of the Yankees stated budget and Cashman’s quotes suggests that Johnny Damon’s tenure in the Bronx is over. Scott Boras seems to agree, as Bryan Hoch provides the following soundbite:

And in the instance of Johnny Damon it was just a situation where, you know, for whatever reason he really wasn’t given an opportunity to return to the Yankees and, you know, he’ll have to just move forward.”

Taking all of this information together, it seems that the Yankees have moved on, and will target players such as Xavier Nady, Reed Johnson, Marcus Thames, Johnny Gomes, or Rocco Baldelli to spell Gardner in left field against tough lefties. This is an unfortunate conclusion to Johnny Damon’s tenure in pinstripes, one that could probably be avoided with a creative offer similar to the one Adrian Beltre garnered from the Red Sox. Alas, it appears that it is not to be, and JD will be manning the outfield for another club in 2010.

Photo Courtesy Of The Daily News

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A quick look at Nick Johnson's injury history

Posted by Chris H. at 11:00 am 5 Responses »
Jan 062010

Here’s a quick and dirty view of Nick Johnson’s injury history via Fantasy Pitch F/X.

Picture 6

During the course of his 8-year career, Johnson has spent roughly 589 days on the bench due to medical issues.

However, he has never been a team’s designated hitter for a full season. Perhaps the change will alter his fortunes.

Photo by Chang W. Lee/NY Times

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Ex-Yankee link dump

Posted by Steve S. at 6:50 am 1 Response »
Jan 062010

A variety of news in recent days regarding some potential and former Yanks, so I decided to put it all in one handy-dandy post for all you fine folks. Here goes:

Randy Johnson to retire-Start the countdown to 1st ballot Hall of Fame induction. He wasn’t the most charming fellow that’s passed through here, and his time as a Yankee was disappointing all around. But he played his ass off for us. Never begged out of a start despite nagging chronic back pain. Anyone who takes an epidural to make a playoff start is someone I’ll never say a bad word about. Check out Tyler Kepner’s ‘appreciation’ piece on the Big Unit.

Eric Hinske signs with Braves-The King of Queens body double has found yet another home for himself, this time with Atlanta. This will be his 6th team in the past 4 years. This of course means that the 10′ Braves will be in the World Series (07 Red Sox/08 Rays/09 Yanks).

Jason Giambi likely to return to Rockies-The infamous golden thong wearer has garnered little interest as a free agent this off season, so it appears likely he will return to Colorado, who has expressed a desire to bring him back for 2010.

Shelly Duncan signs with Indians-Girardi will have to find a new henchman to do his dirty work for him. How cool would it be if Jonny Gomes ends up with the Tribe as well?

In other news, Aroldis Chapman appears ready to make a decision within the next few days. The Angels, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Marlins all appear to be in hot pursuit, but don’t count out the Yanks. This is a classic case where they’ll stay quiet, allow the market to set itself and swoop in with a last minute offer. That is, if they liked what they saw enough to give him 20-25 mil, which appears to be what it will take to land him.

Finally, for those of you still lighting candles for Johnny Damon, Brian Cashman was quoted by Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record  saying “Our team is set” and “We have a left fielder. We do like Brett Gardner”. He’s just looking for bench players at this point.

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