Yesterday in the comments of Chris’s article on Brian Cashman and Kei Igawa, a discussion about whom the Yankees have traded in the past two seasons started. I’m of the opinion that with a few exceptions, the players Brian Cashman has traded have been nothing incredibly special and losing them will not hurt the team in the long term. So, let’s take a look at the last year and a half or so of Brian Cashman’s trades to see what the Yankees gave up.
Let’s start with the “deadline” deal of Ross Ohlendorf, Jose Tabata, Jeff Karstens, and Daniel McCutchen for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte. What did the Yankees give up here? With the exception of Tabata, nothing special. Though Ohlendorf pitched well for the Pirates in 2009, he would not have played a big role for the 2009 Yankees and likely would have had just as small a role for the 2010 Yankees. Karstens did poorly in 39 games–13 starts–with the Bucs. McCutchen held his own (98 ERA+) and showed decent control (2.97 BB/9) in ‘09, but like the other two pitchers in this deal, he’d have no real place on the Yankees moving forward. There are plenty of guys ahead of him.
Jose Tabata was really the only player of consequence the Yankees forfeited in this deal with the Pirates. At the time of the trade, his OPS in the Eastern League was a meager .630. He raked once joining Altoona (.964), but 2009 was less spectacular (.763 OPS between AA and AAA). In a system that’s hurting for position player prospects, losing Tabata hurt, but Jose’s production had dropped year to year and level to level with the Yankees and there were apparently character issues. Perhaps all he needed was a change of scenery. It’s worth noting that Tabata’s star has taken a bit of a hit in recent years; he was rated the 27th best prospect in baseball pre-2007, the #37 pre-2008, and the #75 pre-2009.
The next trade of any importance was the December 2008 trade fleecing of Kenny Williams in the Nick Swisher deal. Cashman traded away Jeff Marquez–who’d seemingly stalled in his development and subsequently bombed with the Sox AAA team in 2009–Wilson Betemit–who was eventually DFA’d–and Jhonny Nunez who did poorly in a 5.2 inning stint with the Sox, but performed very well in the minors. This deal was absolutely great for the Yankees. They bought low on a very good cost controlled player and payed an incredibly small price.
In February of last year, Cashman traded Chase Wright to the Brewers for Eric Fryer; Fryer was eventually included with Casey Erickson in a deal for Eric Hinske. While Hinske didn’t have a huge impact on the Yankees, he added much more than either player would have now, or in the future. It’s also worth noting that the Pirates paid for Hinske’s time with the Yankees.
In other relatively minor trades, Cashman traded Chase Weems to the Reds for Jerry Hairston, Jr., who proved useful off the bench down the stretch and in the playoffs. Again, what Hairston added last year was more than Weems would likely add in the future. Weems would have been stuck behind any number of Yankee catching prospects and it’s likely that he’d never even make the Major League team.
For literally nothing but money, Brian acquired Chad Gaudin, who could be useful as a swingman out of the bullpen in 2010.
A brief review: so far out of these trades, the only remotely useful piece given up was Jose Tabata, and he was likely still at least a year and a half away from being in the Majors at the time of his trade.
The trades of which we’re unsure are the ones made in this offseason. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t judge them now.
The first trade made in 2010 was trading Brian Bruney to the Nationals for a player to be named later, Jamie Hoffmann. It appears that the Yankees grew tired of giving the oft-injured and inconsistent Bruney second chances and tried to turn him into a useful bench piece. If Hoffmann doesn’t make the team and must be returned to the Dodgers, as he’s a Rule V pick, then this trade looks a little worse. If he does stick with the team, this trade looks about equal: marginal piece for marginal piece.
This post is running a bit long and the other, more “major” players traded early in 2010 require a separate post that I’ll put up tomorrow. That one will feature my thoughts on Phil Coke, Mike Dunn, Melky Cabrera, Arodys Vizcaino, Ian Kennedy, and Austin Jackson.
On the 17th, Tim of MLB Trade Rumors posted the off season in review for the Yankees. There, he obviously lists all the moves that Brian Cashman has made since the Yankees won their 27th championship in November. Since the roster is more or less set, and we’ve got little to do until the Spring Training opener, I thought it’d be nice for us to do a little review of some of the different moves. Today, we’ll talk about pitching
The Yankees made two moves in the rotation this year: they re-signed Andy Pettitte to a one year, $11.75MM deal and acquired Javier Vazquez from the Braves–along with reliever Boone Logan–for Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn, and Arodys Vizcaino. Both of these moves are good moves, and I think we all know why.
Pettitte may not be very flashy anymore, but he’s almost a lock to provide 180-200 innings of at least league average pitching. He’s had that type of season (at least 180 IP/100 or greater ERA+) in 11 of his 15 Major League seasons. Consistent performance like that is incredibly valuable, especially when it’s coming from the team’s third starter.
Consistency is also something they’ll get from Javy Vazquez, who’s pitched under 200 innings just three times in his career (172.1 in ‘98, 154.2 in ‘99, and 198 in ‘04). Considering he’ll be lined up as the de-facto fourth starter, the Yankees are likely to get great value from Vazquez. The trade that brought him (back) to the Bronx was also a great deal.
While Melky Cabrera was useful, his being traded seems to signal that the Yankees don’t think he’s going to grow much more than he already has. While that’s one long term ramification of the deal–there is another one–in the short term, it’s a solid deal. I’d be willing to bet something of good value that Javier Vazquez will be more valuable in 2010 than Melky Cabrera will. The other piece the Yankees sent along, Arodys Vizcaino, definitely has high upside but he’s still untested in a full season league, so it’s more than doubtful that he’ll provide any value to Atlanta’s big club team in 2010.
Losing Vizcaino meant that the Yankees’ system took a big hit. However, like it’s been said, despite his undeniable talent, he’s very far away from being a big leaguer. It’s conceivable that, if they offer him arbitration and let Vazquez leave after this season, the Yankees could get a suitable replacement for Vizcaino in the 2011 draft.
Boone Logan was also brought in, and he’ll compete in Spring Training for a bullpen spot. If he makes it, it’ll be as the second lefty. Logan has a .702 OPS against lefties (.333/.398), so he could be a good second option. Is he a necessity? No. Could it hurt to give him an audition at some point in the season? Sure. Basically, Logan replaces Mike Dunn, who would’ve been the second lefty out of the bullpen after Phil Coke was traded to the Tigers.
Of course, the Yankees also lost some pitching in the offseason, though none if it is incredibly major. Aside from Vizcaino, the Yankees parted ways with Phil Coke, Ian Kennedy, Brian Bruney, Mike Dunn, Chien-Ming Wang and Josh Towers. Let’s break this down pitcher by pitcher:
Coke: The biggest loss of the pitchers, going solely by impact on the ‘09 team, he was likely to be the second lefty after (a hopefully healthy) Damaso Marte. Coke was traded to the Tigers along with outfielder Austin Jackson for Curtis Granderson. Apparently, the Tigers may try him in the rotation, though manager Jim Leyland sees–and rightly so–as a bullpen guy.
Kennedy: He went in the same deal as Coke, but he headed to Arizona. I’m sad to see Kennedy go. I feel like he never got a fair shake in NY and it would’ve been nice to see him compete for a bullpen spot (an Al Aceves type role) for 2010. Instead, he’ll likely end up in the Diamondbacks’ rotation, where he could do alright, as long as he’s not as timid as he was in his 2008 rotation stint. Attack the zone, Ian! Anyway, losing Kennedy made the Yankees’ depth take a hit, but that was somewhat fixed by Vazquez’s addition. And, like the other players in the two major trades of this offseason, the players brought in will definitely be more valuable than the players that left.
Bruney: Bruney was traded to the Nationals for their pick in the Rule V draft, which turned into outfielder Jamie Hoffmann. Brian would’ve been struggling to make a spot and after a few years of inconsistency–and the beginning of a relatively expensive portion of his career–the Yankees were right to cut him loose.
Dunn: Not a big loss, Dunn still needs some seasoning in AAA. If he can harness his control, he could be a decent lefty option going forward for the Braves.
Towers: This means literally nothing but the loss of some AAA fodder.
Wang: We’re all sad to see Wang go, but the move makes sense. There doesn’t seem to be room for Wang going forward. He wouldn’t be a good fit in the rotation–there’s no room there and he wouldn’t be the fifth, or even sixth, best starter on the Yankees–and his pitch-to-contact-style is not desirable for a bullpen pitcher. For the Nationals, this move is a low risk, medium reward signing. I wish CMW luck in our nation’s capital and I appreciate his pitching of ‘05-’08, but the Yankees will likely be better off without him.
Check back tomorrow for the hitting version of the offseason review.
According to George King (NY Post), a team interested in acquiring reliever Brian Bruney from the Yankees, was told that Bruney would be headed to Atlanta. I’m not really sure why the Braves would be interested in the frustrating righty — actually, two teams are interested in him if this report is correct — but I would be pleased to see Bruney shipped to another club instead of seeing the Yankees pay him anything after arbitration in 2010.
Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
From Adam Spunberg (YESNetwork.com):
Robertson is an amiable guy, but he let his affability extend to the Phillies today. After Marte came in and expertly navigated through two outs of a jam, Robertson proceeded to walk Jayson Werth and surrender a two-RBI single to Raul Ibanez. Good-natured Dave should offer to do CC Sabathia’s laundry for a week after muddying what had been a detergent-fresh start.
While Spunberg is correct in that David Robertson allowed a frustrating 2-out 2 RBI single after Damaso Marte had already pulled a rabbit out of a hat, I think placing this much blame upon him is absurd. Robertson allowed a weak single to Ibanez, that’s true, however, Phil Hughes had already walked two men—Rollins and Victorino—in that half inning and they were the two runs. The hit wouldn’t have mattered if Hughes had done his job (or if he had done even 1/3 of his job), but, then again, if that were the case, Robertson would not have been facing Raul Ibanez to begin with.
Last night’s loss, a 6-1 drubbing, can be connected to the poor job done by the Yankees offense and by two relievers, specifically—Hughes and Bruney. To heap blame upon anyone else is both unwarranted and unfair. Then again, I guess you could criticize Joe Girardi for bringing in Brian Bruney, who was awful in what will hopefully be his only appearance this series. I can see that move as a premature, informal surrendering of sorts, as he promptly gave up 2 earned runs and put the game out of reach for the Bombers’ bats. Still, while that’s a legitimate managerial critique, the Yankees didn’t lose because of that decision, instead, it just made winning that much more difficult in the 9th inning.
Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
According to the NY Post, the Yankees have added Brian Bruney and Eric Hinske to their World Series roster. They’ll replace Francisco Cervelli and Freddy Guzman. I think most would agree that these additions are good moves. Hinske is a solid bench bat that can help out at Citizen’s Bank Park and, although you never know with Bruney, at this point, he’s more useful than Freddy Guzman. I’m also assuming that Jose Molina won’t catch Burnett this series, making him the backup for every game (meaning Cervelli is expendable).
Brian Bruney is a bullpen anomaly.
After posting a 4.86 ERA in the first half, Bruney has seemingly settled down since the All-Star break, throwing 16 1/3 innings of 3.31 ERA ball. However, Bruney’s ERA is a beautiful illusion—the product of good luck and good defense. Over the last 30 days, Bruney has pitched 7 1/3 innings. During this period, he has a .176 BABIP and an 8.81 FIP. He also has a 2.45 K/9 and a 12.27 BB/9. Still, despite these numbers, Bruney’s ERA is a mere 1.23 over the last 30 days. Remarkable, right?
Because of his second half, Bruney’s season ERA has fallen to 4.09 (his season FIP is 5.33). As evidenced by his 8.18 K/9, Bruney can still punch out batters with regularity, however, his main problem is command. He walks 6 per 9 and has not been an efficient reliever.
At some point—not this season, but over the winter—the Yankees are going to have to figure out what they have with him. He can’t really be trusted in the later innings due to his propensity to walk batters, so what’s the point of keeping him around? Does he really deserve to be with the team? He has good stuff, but, at what point does stuff become irrelevant if you can’t throw strikes?
Over the last two nights, Brian Bruney has entered in the 8th inning with the Yankees leading by two runs to an overwhelming chorus of groans from Yankees fans. On Wednesday night, he notched just one out before allowing a home run to Nolan Reimold. Last night, he tossed a perfect 8th before walking the only batter he faced in the 9th, at which point Damaso Marte entered and finished the game. Many Yankees fans questioned Joe Girardi’s continued use of Bruney in big spots, noting that it did not give the Yankees their best chance to win each individual game. However, it seems clear that Joe Girardi knows exactly what to do with a 7.5 game lead, and his usage of Bruney makes perfect sense.
At this point, winning the individual game is just one of two parallel goals. The Yankees need to discover exactly who they can trust in big spots in postseason games, as well as rest some older players and have them fresh for the playoffs. With a large lead in the division and an insurmountable lead over any possible wild card competition, the manager has the luxury of putting players in some positions that you may not want them in during a must-win game. This allows Girardi to determine whether he can count on those players to get important outs in pressure filled situations during October. By throwing guys like Bruney, Robertson, and Marte into the fire, Joe can figure out who he might want on the postseason roster, and who he would bring in with two on and two out in the 6th inning of a 1-run ALDS game.
Thus far, it is evident that Rivera, Hughes, Aceves, Coke, and Robertson are going to make the postseason roster. Damaso Marte has only tossed 4.1 innings since returning, but his stellar performance (5 K’s, 1BB, 0H, 0R) and status as a second lefty make him a likely addition to the roster as well. Assuming the Yankees carry 11 pitchers, that last spot will come down to Sergio Mitre, Chad Gaudin, possibly Mark Melancon, and Bruney. These last few weeks are perfectly suited for ferreting out the best option among these players and gauging just how trustworthy guys like Marte, Coke, and Robertson are. So far, Girardi has done a credible job of using the Yankees’ lead wisely. It should result in the Yankees carrying their best possible mix into October.
From Erik Boland:
“It’s the best stuff we’ve seen since he’s come back,” Girardi said. “You don’t always look at the results, you look at the stuff and his stuff was much better today, and it’s really something to build on.”
Now, there was an element of truth to that in regard to the first two hitters Bruney faced. The 91-mph slider Bruney struck out Robert Andino with was nasty, and the 95-mph fastball he got Brian Roberts on was outstanding.
So Bruney’s stuff, overall, did look better than it did in his previous outing in Anaheim, but he didn’t do himself any favors attempting to downplay the home runs either.
“I thought I threw the ball tonight like I had thrown at the beginning of the year and it just so happened that they hit two out of the park,” Bruney said. “Hats off to them. I’ll get them next time.”
Bruney said later: I felt good about the way I pitched today, if I didn’t, I’d tell you I didn’t.”
That is certainly true. It was Bruney who, after the game in Anaheim, told us, ““I’m pitching like —-, that’s all I can say.”
He definitely wasn’t that Wednesday afternoon but it’s tough to “yeah, but…” two home runs in an inning.
Bruney’s stuff did look better, but the results just were not there. What is wrong with Bruney?
A look at the numbers seems to suggest a simple answer. Brian Bruney’s Yankees career has been fairly solid: A 3.38 ERA and 1.37 WHIP are reasonable for a late inning reliever, as the WHIP is heavily inflated by his poor 2007. Since Joe Girardi took over as manager, the ERA is 3.14 and the WHIP is 1.12. His walks have come down to 4.5 per 9 innings (compared to a rate exceeding 6 per 9 earlier in his career), while his home run rate has held steady below 1 per 9. Bruney has always been difficult to hit, but in the last two seasons he has retained that ability while cutting down on his walks. However, since returning from the DL, Bruney has seemingly lost his command and control. He is leaving pitches up over the plate, leading to 3 home runs and 2 doubles in 7.2 innings after not allowing any homers and just one double prior to his DL stint. When the ball is not sitting over the middle of the plate, it is missing entirely, as evidenced by the 8 walks he has allowed since returning, compared to two (on Opening Day) prior to the injury.
Girardi and Bruney claim that his stuff was as good as ever yesterday. However, it seems clear that he is battling both command and control issues. He is no longer difficult to hit, and he has regressed in terms of walking batters. These seem like the sort of issues that may be caused by rust and altered mechanics. If the Yankees can figure out what is going on, it would be a major boon to the bullpen, allowing Joe Girardi to give Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera a day off during a stretch of close games. If Bruney continues to struggle out there, he may find that his role will continue to shrink.
Two weeks ago, Brian Bruney and Francisco Rodriguez participated in a war of words Honey divx started by Bruney. The feud culminated with an on-field confrontation between the two players that required teammates to separate the two relievers. Rather than exacerbate the situation and rekindle the hostilities, the players are both content with letting this story fade away:
“I just wanted to find out, honestly, if there was any difficulty or any problem, just come to me, just say it,” Rodriguez said Thursday after the Mets’ 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. “If you have something to say, just say it.”
Surfer, Dude release “I shouldn’t have done that, because I didn’t want to make it bigger and the fans were in there,” Rodriguez said. “But at the same time, I felt a little offended and I just wanted to find out why. That’s all.
“He got me a little out of line, but nothing more than that.”
“You make a mistake and you learn from it,” Rodriguez said. “Next time, before he’s going to say something about somebody, you’ve got to be careful of the way you say it. That’s it. We’re humans, and sometimes unfortunately we make comments about other people and we don’t realize what we say.
“We’re not thinking. We just say it, and if you say something out of line, that’s when, you know.”
Rodriguez said Thursday a clubhouse attendant delivered a Bruney apology to the Mets’ locker room after the game with the Yankees.
“He apologized to me and I accepted his apology,” Rodriguez said. “We moved on after that.”
“To me, it’s incredible that this is a big story,” Bruney said after the Yankees beat the Mets 15-0. “They’re a great team and he’s a great player. I’m sure he’s not concerned about what I think. He just had some things to say.”
Dracula: Dead and Loving It release As I said at the time, Bruney needs to quiet down and K-Rod needs to keep his emotions in check. While these kinds of feuds are always fun for fans and add a little hostility to a rivalry that is lacking in that department, it is nice to see these two act like a dults and put it behind them. Of course, Bruney could bat in a game this weekend, which could start a whole new round of pleasantries should anything untoward happen.
