How can Igawa be any uglier than the Hughes/Kennedy Run an Inning Express.

“How can Igawa be any uglier”

agreed.

Yeah, he’s a funny looking dude. He needs to get his teef fixed.

On a completely unrelated note, I was wondering about waived Yankees this year.  Duncan made it through, Rasner made it through, Moeller made it through…I wonder if there’s a low-level collusion going on here. 

I was mildly surprised each time, but add it up…there’s NO team interested in a flier on a young former first rounder, there’s NO team interested in seeing if Rasner can be a decent starter (hello—the Nats are starting Tim Redding BECAUSE THEY WAIVED RASNER), there’s NO team in a catching-poor market interested in taking a chance on Moeller?

Oh—I didn’t mean he’s ugly in person, just agreeing that it’s hard to imagine he’ll be worse than K and H.

No time to panic yet.  If Rasner can produce at replacement level and Igawa hold on until Kennedy is fixed, then they should be OK.  I’d be more worried about the offense, but there’s not much Cash can do but wait.  He can’t move most of those guys and there’s no one in the minors ready to produce.

Any team taking Duncan would have had to keep him on the 25 man roster the entire year.  In that context, the fact that every major league team passed on him makes plenty of sense. 

As for Moeller, he works fairly well with the pitchers but can’t hit and doesn’t have a great arm.  Why would teams be lining up for that?  The Yanks only called because their top two catchers were injured.

Rasner I believe had a side deal with the Yanks.  I don’t believe he was ever passed through wavers.  The fear of doing so is what kept the Yanks from calling him up until they felt he would stick with the club.

fgasparini - why would anyone collude to help the Yankees?  Yanks are out spending the league by a wide margin.  I can’t see any of the poorer teams lending Cashman and the Steins a helping hand.

“Any team taking Duncan would have had to keep him on the 25 man roster the entire year.  In that context, the fact that every major league team passed on him makes plenty of sense.”

Huh, didn’t know that.  As for Moeller, why not claim him to screw the Yankees?  Unless he’d also have to beadded to the 25 man…but I know that Rasner was a waiver claim and was not added to the 25, but maybe to the 40, don’t remember.

And you’re right about Rasner.  He was released and then re-signed.

As for why help the Yankees—well, if you get something in return.  Like if the clubs have some kind of informal agreement about not claiming certain players if the word goes out.  But my case is made a lot weaker since I was wrong about Rasner clearing waivers.

Not sure if anybody has discussed this yet…  Derrick Turnbow was waived by the Brewers.  Although he isn’t posting any impressive numbers now (ERA of 15+), I think it would be a good move to pick up a guy with so much potential.  He was recently and All-Star and he may benefit from a change of scenery.  If he would somehow reclaim his stuff, he could become a late inning guy and Joba’s transition to the rotation would be a bit smoother.  I don’t know what troubles Turnbow but their isn’t much out there right now to solidify the bullpen.  Some of the recent bullpen successes for the Yanks have been guys that were in similar situations at Turnbow - guys not wanted on their team and picked up on the cheap -like Bruney in ‘06 and Sturtze.  Then again, their is an always an Alan Embree for every Bruney.

Last year we had starts from Igawa and Tyler Clippard.  Many teams are going to have starts from pitchers that are…uninspiring in the fifth spot.  Some of those make the playoffs anyway.  We’ll weather some bad starts, don’t we always?

Am I being too positive?

[5] Oh sorry, my snark sensor needs calibration.

But Yatt, hang on.  You’re talking about the Rule 5 draft, right?  Didn’t Duncan have to clear waivers to come off the 40 to even be elgible for the Rule 5?

Ivy, I don’t think so. Even if Igawa puts up an ERA of 6 it’s a big upgrade over what IPK and Hughes were giving us.

I know we aren’t the ones saying it, but every reporter who says “We could have had Santana” had BETTER include the fact that Melky “Playing out of his mind offensively while being awesome defensivel” Cabrera would ALSO have been part of any deal for Santana.

Even if Igawa puts up an ERA of 6 it’s a big upgrade over what IPK and Hughes were giving us.

Agreed.  Igawa isn’t a bad short-term solution.  He can’t be worse than Hughes/Kennedy.  Longer-term, I think the Yankees need to start thinking about external options to get through this season.  They certainly have enough second-tier young arms to bring back a veteran in trade, if need be.

I’m not saying they need to panic and make a trade right away, but they need to get some names on their radar…

I have a feeling that when Hughes comes off the DL, he’ll be back to being the Hughes of olden day.  Call it <strike>a woman’s</strike> Bubba’s intuition.

Kennedy needs to get his head straight, it’s not like he’s forgotten how to pitch all of a sudden.

The whole, “We coulda had Santana” thing after one month is ridiculous. First the opportunity cost was huge, $140 million plus three cost controlled prospects?

What if Santana blows out his shoulder tomorrow? What if he couldn’t handle the pressure of pitching for the Yankees? He’d be a hell of expensive write off that all the Cashman bashers would go to town on.

Flip side, even if Hughes and IPK don’t pan out, you still have Melky. And Hughes and IPK are cheap.

I remember last season when we were all getting excited about the Big Three, of IPK, Hughes, and Joba, someone pointed out that pitching prospects are such fragile propositions that if one of them pans out, you got lucky, if two of them pan out, you got REALLY lucky, and if all of them pan out, you might as well move to Vegas.

Here’s my “problem” regarding a trade. Is there ANYone out there available (or even possibly available in the future) who would be worth anything?

Let’s do a quick check of the teams that are likely to be bad this year:

Washington - no pitching
Texas - no pitching
Seattle - no pitching that would be available in trade
Pittsburgh - no pitching (although, as I mentioned the other day, I wouldn’t mind seeing what the price of Marte is right now)
Colorado - no pitching
Cincinatti - Arroyo and his 8.63 ERA, I am sure are available
San Francisco - no pitching that would be available in trade

I just don’t see a viable trade choice this season (just like last season, when there was no impact pitcher available)

The whole, “We coulda had Santana” thing after one month is ridiculous.

Oh yeah, totally agreed.

Just saying that if you DO want to go “We coulda had Santana,” you simply MUST mention Melky, and I bet we won’t see it.

A ode to Melky

AN ode.  Damnit.

Agreed with 14 and 16, Igawa is hardly the sign of the apocalypse he’s being made out to be. He’s struck out a batter an inning in AAA and has kept the ball in the park better. If he’s adjusted at all to American offenses, he should be serviceable, especially with the improved outfield defense and possibly because of the lower HR levels so far this year. I can’t wait to see him start myself.

I can’t wait to see him [Igawa] start myself.

Have you tried therapy for this?

Not to pull an Ozzie Guillen, but did y’all know Kent Mercker was still pitching?

How ‘bout that.

Off-topic but hilarious:

ARod is a wimp.

So he turned his grade 1 quad strain into grade 2 not by coming back to soon but by collapsing during his second daughter’s birth?

(hello—the Nats are starting Tim Redding BECAUSE THEY WAIVED RASNER)

I think it’s worse than that.  Didn’t the Nats waive Rasner specifically to make room for Redding?  Or maybe I’m misremembering that.

Not sure if anybody has discussed this yet… Derrick Turnbow was waived by the Brewers.  Although he isn’t posting any impressive numbers now (ERA of 15+), I think it would be a good move to pick up a guy with so much potential.

Someone mentioned it the day he was DFAd.  Gotta say I don’t get the Turnbow love.  The guy completely lost the ability to command his fastball two years ago, and now he has lost about 3 mph off of that fastball that he can no longer locate.  He is definitely not worth a major league roster spot at this point.

Here’s my “problem” regarding a trade. Is there ANYone out there available (or even possibly available in the future) who would be worth anything?

Fair enough.  Of the teams you mentioned, maybe Millwood or Padilla from Texas?

Millwood’s salary: 
2008: 8.5M
2009: 11M
2010: 12M

Padilla:
2008: 11M
2009: 12M
2010: 12M

I know.  Yikes on those salaries.  Withdrawn.

This season is gonna be tough.

The offense needs to get healthy and on a roll.  That will cover up some serious deficiencies in the pitching and give the team some breathing room to get Hughes healthy & right, transition Joba, fix whatever is going on with IPK, etc.

What do we know about the MLBFA that’s being advertised?  Any thoughts?

Great article on Bronx Banter about some of our prospects…

http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/974352.html#fold

Is it not obvious that Edwar Ramirez has to stay up with the big club? I mean, how can you expect him to learn anything in AAA when he just mows people down.

The yanks have to let Carmona go wild with his pitches.  He’s walked 26 batters in 35 IP this season. I’m looking for the Base-Clogger to go 0-1 with 3 walks today.

Abraham reports that Betemit is back and in the lineup tonight.  Does this spell the end of ex-AG’s stint (as Pete seems to think)?  Or is it curtains for one of the small army of relievers they’ve got on the roster? 

My bet is on Britton.

“Washington - no pitching
Texas - no pitching
Seattle - no pitching that would be available in trade “

As some one already mentioned, Milwood is a possibility from Texas, and if Seattle keeps stinking up the joint, Bedard could become available.  Also, if you just want a league average innings eater, Washburn and Batista could probably each be had for a B- prospects.  They are signed through 2009 at about $9-10 M per.

The only way Bedard becomes available is if Bavisi is fired and they get a new GM.  Even then, the price will be pretty high, but I guess you wouldn’t be dealing with a divisional “rival”.

Colorado - no pitching

Why is Colorado likely to be bad?

Why is Colorado likely to be bad?

Likely, a trip back to planet earth?

Likely, a trip back to planet earth?

Colorado was not a fluke, lucky team, they are a young team with one or two old vets that has gotten off to a slow start.

Why is Colorado likely to be bad?

They weren’t THAT good last year, they just hot at the right time and BARELY snuck into the playoffs. Remember the 05 Cardinals? You saw them, you weren’t thinking “The 06 Cardinals are gonna be good!” right?

So I went in with pretty low expectations, and they’ve been far worse than that - and Tulowitzki’s out for a few months.

I think they’re likely not going to contend this year.

Colorado was not a fluke, lucky team, they are a young team with one or two old vets that has gotten off to a slow start.

I agree with the broad premise, but to believe they were a world series worthy team last year is a stretch. They have some solid parts, but if you look closely into the parts that led to their second half resurgence and playoff propulsion, they were unlikely to sustain themselves. They were not as bad as the WS winning St. Louis team in 2006 (which subsequently have sucked), but they were pretty close.

I expect major regression and no playoffs for Rockies this year.

Colorado is nothing like that 06 Cardinals team. They won 90 games in the toughest division in the league. They were a 91 win pythag team. Every important player on the team is in their peak or younger except for Helton. They were nothing like the 06 Cards. If they fall apart it will be because they lost their stud young SS. They might not make the playoffs, but they are not sellers and will be back in the race next year if they don’t bounce back this year.

FWIW, SG had them projected to win 82.5 games this year.

How is 82.5 - much Tulowitzki’s contribution factored in with their 12-20 start contending?

I would rather see Betemit at 1B and Ensberg at 3B this evening.  Giambi is an automatic out if one is not Paul Byrd or Mike Timlin.