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Bring Back Wood?

Posted by Matt Imbrogno at 3:00 pm 11 Responses »
Aug 192010

Kerry Wood has been pretty good since coming to the Yankees. Despite some control issues, six walks per nine innings, he’s been effective. He’s allowed just seven hits and one run while striking out thirteen (after a 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2K performance last night). Overall, I like what I’ve seen from Kerry Wood in his brief time with the Yankees.

Next season, Kerry Wood has a team option worth $11M. That’s a whole lot of money and there’s no way the Yankees should exercise it. I’m pretty sure they’re smart enough not to. However, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t bring Wood back.

Wood’s stuff has still been fantastic this year and I would not hesitate to offer him a contract for 2011. Like I said when he was traded to the Yankees, at best, he’s a dominant reliever who could close if need be. At worst, he’s a hard thrower who misses bats. Those are both valuable things in at least some capacity.

Relievers, though, are tricky. Today’s valuable piece could be tomorrow’s DFA fodder. It’s also worth noting that some of Wood’s numbers have been trending the wrong way for the last few years.

Perhaps, then, there should not be a Damaso Marte like offer made. That is, I don’t think Cashman should make a multiple year offer to Wood. Ben Kabak and I were Tweeting about this the other night and we thought maybe the Yankees could offer a two year deal, essentially splitting the $11M on Wood’s option, which might be a little much, but not terrible. However, it’d probably be better for the Yankees to offer Wood a one year deal at a price lower than the $10.5M he’s making this year. Maybe one year with a low base and a few incentives/escalators? What do you guys think?

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Berkman To DL, Nunez Called Up

Posted by Moshe Mandel at 1:00 pm 1 Response »
Aug 192010

In a mildly surprising move, Lance Berkman has been placed on the DL and Eduardo Nunez has been called up. We first heard that Nunez was with the club this morning, leading many to believe that Alex Rodriguez was the one headed to the disabled list. However, despite being available last night as a pinch hitter, Berkman was put on the shelf, as he continues his quest to emulate Nick Johnson in every way possible.

The recall of Nunez, an infielder, to replace Berkman suggests that A-Rod is unlikely to play the field for the next few days. If he was able to play third base, Berkman likely would have been replaced by Juan Miranda, who he had supplanted at the trade deadline. I would expect Nunez to be with the club until Alex can play the field again, at which point he will be exchanged for Miranda until rosters expand on September 1st.

Other options that some Yankees fans might have wanted to see get a shot include Brandon Laird and Jesus Montero. I advocated calling up Laird when it seemed like A-Rod was heading to the DL, but I understand not going through the machinations of getting him on the roster 10 days before they expand just to be a backup for a few days. As for Montero, he is not on the 40 man roster, and adding him now, before it is necessary for Rule 5 draft purposes, could cost the Yankees a player they may want to keep in the Rule 5 draft (h/t @joepawl). We will likely have to wait until 2011 to see Jesus.

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Thoughts from a Night of Yankee Baseball

Posted by Matt Imbrogno at 11:00 am 2 Responses »
Aug 192010

Feels nice to have the Yankees put up 15 runs over the last two games, huh? It’s great to see the Yankee offense do it’s thing. Here’s what was on my mind as the game went on, in no specific order.

1. What a night for Yankee minor league pitchers, huh? Manny Banuelos was apparently hitting 97 MPH on the gun, Ivan Nova had a solid start, and Adam Warren set a Trenton record with 15 (!) strikeouts. I’m really getting excited about Banuelos. I’ve always liked Warren, too. His ceiling may not be super high, but he’s pretty polished and I wouldn’t be surprised if he hit the big leagues at some point in 2011.

2. Prospects Gary Sanchez (C) and Cito Culver (SS) were both moved from the GCL Yankees to the Staten Island Yankees. Culver had held his own the GCL, but Sanchez just ripped it apart. That guy’s bat seems special and I can’t wait to see him in a full season league next year. Speaking of awesome hitting catchers, Jesus Montero hit another HR last night and his triple slash is up to .284/.359/.491. Considering where he was for most of the year, that’s incredible. I love the .075 IsoD and the .207 IsoP.

3. Is it time to end the Dustin Moseley experiment? I don’t hate the guy and he’s done what a spot starter should do–pitch 5-6 innings and keep the team in the game–but he homers are getting to be a little too much. With he and Nova matched up on the same day, I think the Yankees could call Nova up and move Moseley to the bullpen as the second long man that of course means…

4. It’s time to end the Chad Gaudin Experience. Last night was just ridiculous. He hasn’t been that awful in the last month or so, but with Javier Vazquez struggling and Dustin Moseley starting to slip a bit, Gaudin’s spot as the 25th man should be in jeopardy. He’s got no upside left and I don’t see a reason to keep him around.

5. David Robertson has allowed four inherited runners in his last four outings (though he wasn’t exactly put in a favorable spot tonight) and hasn’t struck out a batter in his last two. You know that this means, David? You need the high socks back. Speaking of relievers…

6. It’s hard to complain since the Yankees won and I usually like how Joe Girardi spreads the workload out in the bullpen, but I’m not sure if he should’ve pulled Joba Chamberlain after just one inning and twelve pitches. They ended up using six relievers when they probably didn’t need to. I think he could’ve let Joba go one more inning there, which could’ve saved Wood, Logan, or Robertson an appearance.

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