Larry’s back.  Remind me, does that mean it’s 8 more weeks of winter, or 2 more months?

It means that I actually was inspired to say something.  Whether it was worth reading is something else.

BTW, I wrote the Yankees chapter for the 2009 Hardball Times Season Preview coming out this spring if you’re looking for more crap from me.

Point 3 was a good one.  Next year’s FA’s are not inspiring, and if you can get Teixeira and only give up a 3rd rounder to have to sign him, that’s a good thing.  Aren’t perverse incentives a bitch, Blue Jays?

the yankees reportedly cited reason #3 as one of the driving factors.

i think this is the first post like this from Larry since the Damon signing.

his prediction for the 2006 season, that adding damon and removing him from Boston was a 10 game swing, seemed to come true at least for one year.

here’s hoping this one works out as well, but hopefully lasts a little longer…

Am I the only one that would like to see the Yankees make a run at Bay over Holliday?

Probably.  But check back in a year when we know how they’ve done in the AL for a full season.

Good stuff Larry. You are like a cicada that comes out every 17 weeks or so.
Nimrod is a choker. Asshole too.
That said, he now has some protection in the lineup.
I cannot believe there will be a first basemen in pinstripes capable of hitting well and able to perform a 3-6-3 double play.
Its been a while.
On the subject of its been a while I had 12 emails from Red Sox fans inviting me and my ilk to go fuck ourselves. Those are just from friends.
The Empire Is Back.
George- #32 on the previous thread had me tearing up in laughter. That was some funny shit. Nicely said.
Thanks Manny, indeed.
Happy Whatever. Enjoy your loved ones.

I just got home after being out all day. I’m giddy.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/bsplit.cgi?n1=bayja01
http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/bsplit.cgi?n1=hollima01

I’ll take Bay and it’s really not close.

hehe, i knew it was Larry just based on the title.

sd2528, I wouldn’t say “it’s not really close.” Bay does have a pretty big edge in career road OPS, which I assume is what you’re referencing. Holliday does have the defensive edge in LF.

UZR/150 (from fangraphs):
Bay (2005-2008): 1.1, 7.8, -11.6, -15.9
Holliday (2005-2008): 15.2, -4.3, 9.3, 5.2

I’ll take Bay and it’s really not close.

There are a lot of pretty smart people who think that you shouldn’t use home/road splits that way.  And I seem to remember hearing a lot about how RFK was going to kill Alfonso Soriano a couple of years ago, all of it based on his splits at the Bandbox in Arlington.  Like Larry said, a full year in the AL and away from Coors should be a better indication of Holliday’s worth.  Lastly, I could be misremembering this, but I believe he also is a better defender than Bay.

There are a lot of pretty smart people who think that you shouldn’t use home/road splits that way.

And I agree with them for the most part but when they are this drastic and we are talking about a place like Coors I’d steer clear.

And I seem to remember hearing a lot about how RFK was going to kill Alfonso Soriano a couple of years ago, all of it based on his splits at the Bandbox in Arlington.  Like Larry said, a full year in the AL and away from Coors should be a better indication of Holliday’s worth.

Sample size to both.

Lastly, I could be misremembering this, but I believe he also is a better defender than Bay.

I don’t put huge stock into defensive stats at this point.  They are usually not very consistent year to year looking at the same stat and across multiple defensive stats they very rarely come to a consensus.

Obviously a year away for Coors will help us get a better read on Holliday but I’m just talking about what we know right now.  With all we’ve seen so far Bay is clearly ahead of Holliday and it would take an exceptional year for Holliday to pass him.

You mean it’s scary for the Cardinals in that we can bid for Pujols, right?

The Yankees seemed to have way overpaid for a very very good first baseman of marginal marketability.  If we were outbidding Washington or Baltimore I would hate this signing- but we outbid Bahston and so we paid extra to help us 2x by hurting our rival. 

“It locks the Yankees into a lot of payroll for a long time to come, but if the new Yankee Stadium pays off for them like they hope, they might be able to manage another $100 million a year in payroll by the end of this contract.”

I actually believe that the economic deflation we are experiencing right now will continue for some time- I think it’s conceivable that 2009 will be The Yankees (and everyone else’s) highest revenue year until 2012 or so.  Less revenue means lower salaries which means existing LT obligations are that much more burdensome.  On the bright side, matching the ~$93M in LT obligations to ARod, Teix, CC, and AJ there is probably another $100M or so comin off between Jorge, Jeter, Damon, Matsui, Mo, Nady, Swisher, Marte.  If the economy is what I fear then those players or their equivalents can probably be replaced for $50M.  Hopefully we will have quite a bit of cheap, MLB ready talent to either plug in or trade.

The best thing a player can do to increase the marketability of a team is to help them win.  I think Teixeira will do a fairly good job at that.

The Rays had 9 total starts in 2008 that weren’t from their top 5 starters.  That is insane.

The Yankees had 15 Sidney Ponson starts alone.  That’s not counting 20 Darrell Rasner starts, 17 from IPK/Hughes with a combined ERA+ around 60, and 1 start from the Kei-man.  Please, please, pretty please, give them some health in the starting rotation next year.  That’s going to make a huge difference.

I’ll take Bay and it’s really not close.

You can’t take a look at those numbers and just call it day. Jason Bay had his full first season in the bigs in 2004 at ae 26. Holliday had his first season in 2004 but was two years younger. So Holliday was learning to hit in the big leagues at an age when Bay was in the minors. I know that doesn’t just make that road OPS go away, but when you consider Holliay has improved his road OPS every single season he has been a major league hitter and is two years younger than Bay, I think it doesn’t become so clear cut. And if you are talking about road OPS, you should actually mention the parks these guys play in. I bet if Holliday got to play the majority of his road games in Chicago, Houston, and Cincinnati(especially when he was still young) instead of Petco, Chavez Ravine, and ATT, things get a little murkier.

As for the defense, it is not even close. There is rarely consensus on players across defensive metrics, so when you find one like Holliday who ranks in the top 4 or 5 at his position every year, you have to take notice. And Jason Bay as always been considered no better than league average. You can’t just throw away defensive statistics like they don’t mean anything.

http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2008/11/13/656146/please-stop-abusing-matt-h

The funniest thing about this is Tex isn’t even signed yet - no nothing’s going to happen to stop it but he quite literally has NOT signed a contract - and we’re already worrying about which outfielder to sign for NEXT year? 

Before we’ve even played this year.  Before we have a chance to find out if Swisher is really the guy who put up consecutive 125 or better OPS+ seasons (which solves one of the OF problems).  Before we find out if Nady is a late-bloomer (he wouldn’t be the first), or at least a role-player (believe it or not, you don’t need an All Star at EVERY position).  Before we find out (or at least have an inclination of) if we DO have a long-term CF option in Melky/Gardner/Jackson.

Come on guys!  Looking long-term is a good thing, and that’s one of the reasons they signed Tex.  Fixed a problem for this year AND the next 5+ years.  But can we at least get to June before we’re debating the 2009 off-season?

The Yankees had 15 Sidney Ponson starts alone.  That’s not counting 20 Darrell Rasner starts, 17 from IPK/Hughes with a combined ERA+ around 60, and 1 start from the Kei-man.  Please, please, pretty please, give them some health in the starting rotation next year.  That’s going to make a huge difference.

What’s even crazier about this is that pitching wasn’t their problem last year.

Oh, and from the other thread from which OF to trade.  Trading Matsui makes the most sense.  He’s one dimensional, expensive, pretty old, and somewhat fragile the last few years.  You free up the DH spot which lets you rotate your other three corner OF AND get Posada more AB at DH, w/o needing to sit Matsui or (shudder) play him in the OF.  He’s also almost definitely NOT going to be back after next year.

After that trading Damon make sense.  He’s also pretty old, somewhat more fragile the last couple of years.  He’s not a liability in LF, but probably worse than Nady or Swisher.  He’s also expensive, and not likely to be back after next year.  He’d likely bring back more than Matsui in a trade.

After that, you only trade Nady if you can get significantly more value than you could from Damon/Matsui.  Because Nady can play both corners decently, is younger and cheaper, and actually MAY be on the Yankees in 2010.  He can also play CF in a pinch, and 1B if Tex misses some games.

Trading Swisher makes little sense.  He’s young, fairly cheap, signed to a long-term deal, and is likely to be at least average (offense+defense) at 4 different positions.  If the only one tradeable is Swisher, then unless they can get a ton for him, I’d rather keep all 4.

What’s even crazier about this is that pitching wasn’t their problem last year.

I disagree. STARTING PITCHING was a problem last year.  A lesser problem than hitting w/ RISP and defense, but it was still a problem.  They didn’t get enough innings out of their starters, and their starters didn’t pitch well enough (as a whole) when they did pitch.  Their bullpen I think is one of the big reasons that pitching as a whole was decent for the Yankees.

Now, starting pitching should not be a problem.  It will actually be a strength.  That may allow them to carry only 6 (and certainly won’t require 8) in the bullpen, which is good.  Also, they won’t need all 6 to pitch to ERA’s under 4.

I’m not throwing defense out completely I’m just not saying “Last year Bay gave up 20 runs on defense so Holliday gets a 2 win advantage on defense alone.”  As you said most of what you hear about Bay is he is about an average fielder.  So while Holliday is probably better is the difference really 2 wins or is it closer to half a win?

Offensive stats are much more advanced, projectable, and repeatable so I’d put more stock into the offensive advantage that Bay has shown. 

And if you are talking about road OPS, you should actually mention the parks these guys play in. I bet if Holliday got to play the majority of his road games in Chicago, Houston, and Cincinnati(especially when he was still young) instead of Petco, Chavez Ravine, and ATT, things get a little murkier.

Yes but that is the point.  There is less risk with Bay.  You sign him and you get a pretty good idea what you are getting.  I am also assuming he will be in less demand and will make less money than Holliday.  Unless he kills his value this year in Oakland, I’d expect Holliday will get paid like Teix this year. 

So less risk, with a good chance of equal or better reward, and costs less for most likely less years?  Sign me up… but as everyone says the decision might change by this time next year.  I’m just going on what we know now.

And I agree starting pitching was the problem.  The Yankees were 19th in ERA from starters and 25th in innings from starters.  Their starting pitching was well below average.

As for which OF to trade it would have to be Nady.  His value is the highest it will ever be and with Swisher on board for 2010+ I can’t see them keeping him.  It’s going to be tough for Cahsman to trade him for anything close to what he gave up to get him but pride aside it is still the best move.  Personally, I’d like to see everyone kept.  I don’t see any real chance that Damon and Matsui get through the year without a decent amount of time on the DL.

Yes but that is the point.  There is less risk with Bay.

You lost me there.  Your point is based on Bay’s road splits.  His point is that those stats are inflated by the parks they were accumulated in.  Basically, you’re park-adjusting the home numbers but not the road numbers.  How does that mean there’s less risk with Bay?

It’s going to be tough for Cahsman to trade him for anything close to what he gave up to get him but pride aside it is still the best move.

I agree that it will be hard to get what they gave up for him, and considering that they didn’t give up all that much while buying high, what’s the point of trading Nady?

Steve Lombardi put something up a while ago about how Teixeira was pissed about how the Red Sox treated him in the ‘98 draft. Could it be that payback is, in fact, a bitch?

I’d trade Nady only for something valuable, if not I rather keep him for 6 million and offer him arbitration in the offseason.

Let’s assume Andy signs.  What’s the best way to utilize the depth of starting pitching?  Starting Hughes in AAA seems like a waste, but would making him something other than a “traditional starter” hurt his development?

Could 7 SP for 5 rotation spots work? 

1) CC
2) AJ + IPK (two innings)
3) Wang
4) Pettitte + IPK (two innings)
5) Joba/Hughes

in 2010, Joba and Hughes get split up and IPK is still out of a rotation spot (sans injury).  So use him as a Goose Gossage type reliever in 2009.  When the Yankees have the lead, he’ll have a better defense behind him (Melky and/or Gardner coming in for the OF) and gain confidence.  The bulpen would be overly rested, so Girardi could justify pulling CC an inning early (thereby incrementally saving his arm for the postseason)

Nady is the super sub that essentially backs up 5 spots (3 OF, 1st, DH, but with the other guys rotating in and out of CF and DH).

So the Yankees bench would consist of Nady, Melky or Gardner, backup catcher, defensive infielder. 

13 fielders, 7 “sp-esque pitchers”, and 5 traditional relievers.

Personally, I’d like to see everyone kept.

FWIW, the 2010 starting lineup:

C Posada
1B Teixeira
2B Cano
SS Jeter
3B Rodriguez
LF Swisher
CF ? (Jackson)
RF ? (Nady)
DH ?

They also don’t need any starting pitchers.

2009 should be fun. They have a very competitive team, and we also get to sit back and see if Jackson progresses in AAA, Nady proves to a solution in RF, and get creative with how to fill the DH spot (which presumably should be the easiest position to fill.)

They could very likely not need to make any moves for 2010 and be just fine.

Also, if you play 1B or 3B in the Yankee farm system, I hope you don’t have a long term lease on your apartment. Miranda, Duncan, Vecchionacci, etc.

Merry X-Mas to you too Larry. That’s very sweet of you to think of us when…wait, you were being sarcastic, weren’t you! Then screw you!

Your comparison to the ARod offseason is interesting, if a bit off on the details. But this is the offseason modus operandi for the Red Sox EVERY OFFSEASON. Last year it was the big question over whether they’d trade for Johan. The year before it was Dice-K. Before that it was Beckett/Lowell for the best player ever. It’s gotten to a point where I believe the Sox really like to create offseason dramas, with happy or sad endings, in hopes of firing up their fans.

As for 2009, the Yankees are scaring the hell out of me. They got Swisher for nothing and picked up the 2 best players out there, who happened to fill big needs on their team. I haven’t crunched the numbers, but SG’s rotation comparison was scary enough. Here’s hoping the Red Sox have a great plan B.

You lost me there.  Your point is based on Bay’s road splits.  His point is that those stats are inflated by the parks they were accumulated in.  Basically, you’re park-adjusting the home numbers but not the road numbers.  How does that mean there’s less risk with Bay?

Because with Bay what you have seen the last few years is what you will get.  If you sign Holliday you may get the .950+ OPS guy or you may get the .850 OPS guy he has shown himself to be on the road the last 3 years while paying for the .950+ OPS guy.

With Jason Bay you know you are getting a .900 OPS guy with about average defense for a lower AAV over fewer years.

I’ll take Bay and it’s really not close.

First you grab our planned 1B, now you’re going after our current starting left fielder?

“With Jason Bay you know you are getting a .900 OPS guy with about average defense for a lower AAV over fewer years.”

The numbers on Bay the past few years do not show him to be an average fielder. It could be a fluke, but he’s looking to be well below average.

First you grab our planned 1B, now you’re going after our current starting left fielder?

Yankee fans aren’t supposed to discuss this publicly yet, but we’re also considering buying Fenway as a practice facility.

if Jason Bay is clearly head and shoulders above Matt Holliday (which i don’t think he is), than the people who work for the Red Sox are certainly aware of this, and therefore he will most likely never hit the open market.

we already know that the Sox have (at least) $168M they can afford to spend.

it’s not like he’s still on the Pirates.

Apparently my plea for not discussing LF to get after next year has gone for naught.  Can’t we just enjoy what we have now?  Outfield may not even be a problem by the 2009/2010 off-season!

I really want Melky in CF and Swisher in RF. Nady could start against lefties and also could rest Damon and Matsui. I think we have to play with our best defensive lineup almost every day.

It is for naught in the sense that next season’s drier FA market was one of the reason that lead to the alleged Tex deal.  So what’s good enough for Cashman is good enough for the regulars and lurkers here.

Happy everything everyone here and not here.

Fangraphs is a really nice site.  But I came accross this today penned by David Cameron (I beleive a known Sox fan):

“Including their luxury tax payments, the Yankees are going to blow by $250 million in spending on their 25 man roster for 2009.”

Um, what?  MLB computed the Yankees’s salary around $229M last year, and on top of that paid about $29M in luxury-tax.  From what I’m reading, even if they add Pettitte and don’t trade anyone, they’re payroll should be about $200M, or a little below.  So he’s pretty much inventing an extra $20M in payroll, just so he can complain!

On a positive note for Fangraphs…David Appleman just added a new section called “Value” to the player pages.  He describes how it works on the front page, but he has a stat called “value wins” (basically, WAR) that is computed using Offense (I think Base Runs) + Defense (UZR) + positional adjustment (from Tango Tiger), and then he multiplies it by a win-value (I think $4.5M for 2008, different value for each year) to come up with how much the player was worth.  This can be particularly useful for the debate of, “was Johnny Damon worth the contract the Yanks gave him?” (looks like w/i $3M so far)

I think the ##‘s differ a little from some stuff SG put up a while back comparing contracts to value.  I’d be interested particularly in SG’s take, since he has done some similar things.

Oh, and as villainx says, happy everything to everyone!

As you said most of what you hear about Bay is he is about an average fielder.  So while Holliday is probably better is the difference really 2 wins or is it closer to half a win?

Fielding statistics set aside - Bay was considered to be a very poor defensive player in Pittsburgh after he suffered from that knee injury in 2006.  His range decreased quite a bit and never fully came back. On top of that he has always had a very weak arm.  He was not considered even an average defender in Pittsburgh by the time he left.

His defense was never good by metrics - but if you take a look whether its UZR or Davneport translations or whatever they all show a similar trend of Bay falling off precipitously in 2007 after that knee injury.

Fair point on the knee injury.  Maybe I’ll change my option on the matter by this time next year but for now I’ve very leery of paying Holliday like he is a .950+ OPS hitter in his prime.

a known Sox fan

Wait, what?

yeah, Cameron is the Mariner’s guy, right?

Wait, what?

I could be wrong; I thought I’ve read stuff from him before where it was apparent.

yeah, Cameron is the Mariner’s guy, right?

Beat me by 7 seconds.  Yeah, maybe I’m mixing up my David’s…

Perhaps next year we will have so many stud arms who are blocked that we can trade one or two of them for a stud position prospect or budding star a couple years from FA. Someone throw out a POOMA pitching prospect for hitting prospect trade we can get worked up over for 2010…

Someone throw out a POOMA pitching prospect for hitting prospect trade we can get worked up over for 2010…

Kei Igawa for Colby Rasmus.  Done.

I think the Yanks should not get in a hurry to unload Nady. I know he’s only a one year guy at this point, but we have lusted for years for a decent righty hitter to offset some of our impotence against leftys. I wouldn’t worry about making cf a bit of a revolving spot. Using Swisher early in games and using Gardner or Melky late for defense seems reasonable for at least the first half of the year. It seems injuries happen to our outfielders sooner or later as well.  Nady may lose some abs but he’ll be there for the tough leftys. There is always the trade deadline mid season to review where things stand. Nady cost a pretty good prospect and I think they should allow him an opportunity to help them in 09.  Swisher too, is signed cheap, is young and has a multiyear so it doesnt’ make sense to move him. Matsui might be dealt if we can get some value, but he’s a very good bat when heatlhy and could knock in 90-100 runs. They need to simply be patient and unless blown away by an offer, they should hold their assets until at least mid-season.

As for 2009, the Yankees are scaring the hell out of me. They got Swisher for nothing and picked up the 2 best players out there, who happened to fill big needs on their team. I haven’t crunched the numbers, but SG’s rotation comparison was scary enough. Here’s hoping the Red Sox have a great plan B.

I don’t see why the Red Sox need to panic.  The Yankees did add the three top free agents plus Swisher, but they also lost two of their better hitters and a 20 game winner and maybe Pettitte off a team that finished third last year.  So the Yankees NEEDED to make all these moves just to 1) maintain where they were last year and 2) add projected wins to get back into contention in the very tough AL East.

The Sox, on the other hand, have the luxury of already being a 90-something win team, and don’t really need any premium additions to contend.  A plan B of trading for a catcher and maybe adding a Sheets or Smoltz or Lowe would probably serve them just fine.

So I think everyone can enjoy the holidays.

Yankee fans aren’t supposed to discuss this publicly yet, but we’re also considering buying Fenway as a practice facility.

That might actually lead to a ground war. Connecticut would be torn asunder. Brother against brother. Not good. [although I suppose it would give the local economy a boost.]

I don’t see why the Red Sox need to panic.

The worry is that our offense doesn’t project forward very well. It’s a real worry, but I’m in the camp that thinks there will be ready solutions. The angst has more to do with what might have been.

If Beckett returns to 2007 form, Clay Bucholz breaks out, and Matsuzaka and Lester don’t regress, their rotation is as good or better than the Yankees’.

So many ‘ifs’ in there.  Kind of similar to my calculations in landing a one-night stand with Adriana Lima.

BTW, is getting Tex away from the Angels the first time since 2000 that the Yankees have beat them-at something?  Word is their fanbase is ticked, but then other than Yankee fans, who isn’t?  Given the results of other FA signings over the last 8 years or so, count me in among those who feel the Yanks have only maybe on paper caught up with the division leaders.  Healthy teams make the difference and after last year we all should be very aware of the potentialities.  Nevertheless,Merry Christmas to all!

Merry Christmas to all! God Bless us everyone.

And more global warming debunking.

http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Blogs&ContentRecord_id=2158072e-802a-23ad-45f0-274616db87e6

Healthy teams make the difference and after last year we all should be very aware of the potentialities.

Following up on that, Dave Studenman had this to say in an interview with Rich Lederer:

When you read that the Yankees “lived or died” with young pitching last year, you see that the emphasis on veterans will continue. I wonder, really, is young pitching really that much more variable than old pitching? Injuries did the Yankees in last year, but somehow their young pitchers got blamed, at least in some columns I read.

I think that’s so true, and that one of the reasons Cashman has loaded up on quality pitchers is *not* that he’s given up on Hughes and Kennedy.  But that when injuries start to occurs, he’s relying on Hughes and Kennedy INSTEAD of relying on pitchers like Ponson, Rasner, and Pavano, not to mention the occasional start by Igawa or a guy out of the bullpen.

The ink is not even dry on the Teix contract and some are already salivating over who to sign next.  Take it one step at a time and hope Andy (or someone else like Andy) signs for cheap and AJ can stay healthy.

I’m betting this offseason spree will finally get some owners and media making a serious drive towards a salary cap.  Don’t know if it will go anywhere, but if the Yanks run away with the World Series in 2009, baseball will probably feel compelled do something.

If the Yanks don’t win, you’ll be able to hear the guffaws from Boston up in the space station.

People are failing to recongnize the fact that their payroll will most likely be down vs. last year and possibly down significantly.  Where were these people last year when Philly and Tampa were playing for the WS while The Yanks, Mutts, and Tigers failed to even make the playoffs?  That being said, I see how they get frustrated when the financially rational contract bid limit for a normal team will always be less than that for The Yanks…but The Yanks also get held up for more $ both by prospective FA’s (CC) and trading partners (Minnesota).

but The Yanks also get held up for more $ both by prospective FA’s (CC) and trading partners (Minnesota).

Not to mention luxury tax and revenue sharing.  I mean, if there was a cap, would teams spend more money? Wouldn’t a good bulk of teams be spending way below whatever hypothetical cap there is anyway? Is it because there isn’t a cap that deters them from spending money?

Am I the only one who would prefer seeing Hughes as the number five over Pettitte?

...and, well, yeah, STARTING pitching was a problem.  But if they could have hit even just as they were supposed to, they would have been in the postseason.  And I was really just highlighting how good a) Moose and Joba and b) their bullpen was.  No need to jump all over a brotha.

I would like to see Hughes instead of Pettitte unless Andy is certainly healthy. Lets give Hughes a shot over a full season assuming he can stay healthy too.

Happy Christmas Eve everyone. Enjoy all!

Is it because there isn’t a cap that deters them from spending money?

You know another thing that gets me?  This idea that Cashman isn’t a good GM since the Yankees have money (but Theo is *despite* the Red Sox having money).  Cashman has been careful NOT to throw money at every big name FA or trade the past few years, just so he could do something like this.  Not that he was saving up for CC or Tex over the last few years per-se, but that he’s been trying to get to a point where he has the payroll flexibility that he COULD do these things.  I still think Cashman is one of the top 10 GM’s in the game, probably top 5.

Am I the only one who would prefer seeing Hughes as the number five over Pettitte?

Eh.  I want to see Hughes pitch for sure.  At the same time, I can also see a benefit to letting him get some success in the minors, and hopefully when he comes up for an injury-replacement the Yanks are already so far ahead that he doesn’t have the same pressure to win.  I guess whichever happens I’ll be happy.

No need to jump all over a brotha.

Sorry if I did.  Just wanted to clarify.

I really want Melky in CF and Swisher in RF. Nady could start against lefties and also could rest Damon and Matsui. I think we have to play with our best defensive lineup almost every day.

The improved rotation will improve overall defense more than Melky will. Melky has had a few good offensive stretches, but he always seems to regress. Swisher is just as likely to improve his CF defense as Melky is to hit.

I think the Yanks should not get in a hurry to unload Nady…
Using Swisher early in games and using Gardner or Melky late for defense seems reasonable for at least the first half of the year…
There is always the trade deadline mid season to review where things stand… Matsui might be dealt if we can get some value, but he’s a very good bat when heatlhy and could knock in 90-100 runs. They need to simply be patient and unless blown away by an offer, they should hold their assets until at least mid-season.

Joeln,
I agree with all of your points. Cashman has fixed almost all of what was broken. Nady is a solid player, replacing him should not be a priority for next season. Matsui would not bring back much in a trade unless he can prove he is healthy. If he is healthy the Yankees can use him. Everything will be clearer in June. The starters are set, now Cashman needs to be focusing on the bench.

Am I the only one who would prefer seeing Hughes as the number five over Pettitte?

Hughes’ injuries tell me they are better off going slow with him. Between Joba, Burnett, and (maybe) Pettitte there will be plenty of call-up opportunities for him.

The starters are set, now Cashman needs to be focusing on the bench.

The Yankees, like most teams, will carry 12 or 13 non pitchers.  Right now this is what they have:

Posada
Molina
Matsui
Teixeira
Cano
Jeter
Rodriguez
Ransom
Nady
Cabrera
Damon
Gardner

Thats 12.  Kevin Cash will get called up if/when a catcher gets hurt.  What kind of player do you want for number 13?  Another utility infielder?  Another pinch hitter in case you have to use one for each center fielder?  A fifth outfielder who hits better than Gardner?

Thats 12.  Kevin Cash will get called up if/when a catcher gets hurt.  What kind of player do you want for number 13?  Another utility infielder?  Another pinch hitter in case you have to use one for each center fielder?  A fifth outfielder who hits better than Gardner?

Oops, forgot Swisher.  We’re already at 13.

Merry Christmas everyone. I got back to CT just in time for it to get warmish and start raining. I never expected the Yanks to get Tex. Can’t say I’m upset. Now, like Dave I only hope that they leave Pettitte alone and start the season with Hughes.

Forget about pitchers and catchers…...i can’t wait for april 6th….

also for what its worth, i think if Chopsui can stay healthy (big IF) we have a great DH/chipinwhenneededOF…...

also, have u listened to these aholes talking about yanks ruining baseball?......just bc they have money to spend to improve their product?.......when there are no rules against it?.....yankee haters have to eventually understand its not their fault, its a business…..other GM’s should be kissinf their asses

....kissing is the word i was going for

Do other GM’s not realize how much $ the yanks make them?........let alone the fact (as u all know) that MLB hasn’t implemented a salary cap bc the yanks make them tooooo much money, whether it be Lux tax or rev sharing or whatever….get off our back and realize the NYY will spend what makes sense for the team

you know what burns me up?

all this shit about the yanks having spent 450 Million this winter. It’s not like they give the guys cash up front. They are spending like 60 on new players but even though that’s a far more honest way of looking at it, it’s totally ignored for the sensational headline.

also, my 2 cents:

ditch matsui and go with damon / swisher / nady

matsui has value, but probably more to someone else. seattle?

You know what i don’t understand, in golf matches, the announcers don’t say what club the player is using.  There’s no way to say player x hit a (more) amazing shot from the fairway or whatever becasuse he was using y iron or z wood.  Or there is no question of a player on why he or she used y iron or z wood at a particular moment.  Deciding what club to use is a big part of the game, and for amateurs watching, it’s an area that he or she can pick up pointers from watching the match on television. But it’s never mentioned. It’s just watching the dude or dudette swing, ball in the air, then roll or bounce. There is a sense of accuracy or distance, but totally without context.

I don’t get it.

Boohooohoooo, I own the Brewers owner Mark Attanasio and I’m crying for a salary cap.  I don’t care if the Yankees’ payroll is going to be lower in 2009 than 2008, I don’t look at facts.  All I care about is now we’re only getting a 2nd round pick, not a first rounder for CC.  Booooooooo!!!!

Oh, and, um, boo golf announcers?

Aw damn, I’m retarded.  I need to reread my posts before hitting submit.

“...I am Brewers owner Mark Attanasio…”

Puj- been there. Its OK.
No Goatboy. No Andy. No Hayzoos loving cheater throw pops under the bus 16 mil earning real Yankee.
No Andy!!

Deciding what club to use is a big part of the game, and for amateurs watching, it’s an area that he or she can pick up pointers from watching the match on television. But it’s never mentioned.

I haven’t watched as much golf the last few years, but in the past I think there have been plenty of times they’ve mentioned what club the player is using.  They certainly don’t *always* mention it.  But you’ll see say Mickelson teeing it up on a par 3, and they’ll note it is 205 yards and he has an 8-iron (sick, isn’t it?). 

I wonder if the reason they don’t do it every time is because the announcer on the scene can’t see what club it is; can you imagine if Tiger is standing over the ball and the on-scene guy asks him what club he’s using?

Oh, Merry Christmas!  I got Yankees’ gloves!

I don’t like Ransom as the utility infielder. I rather have someone who plays good defense across the diamond.

It’s not even Jan. 1 yet.  I doubt the util. inf. is set in stone yet. 

Merry Xmas,
Merry Christmas,
Happy Hanukkah,
MerHappy Kwanzaa,
Belated Ramadan,
Glorious Freedom Day (Dec. 30th)
Basically, happy holidays.

I love that ESPN.com’s lone headline on the Tex signing (and it’s been there for a couple of days now) is that Joe Maddon is not fazed by the signing.

That’s some awesome coverage there, ESPN!

By the way, I know a lot of us were wondering about how Gammons would spin it. If so, you really need to read his latest column. It’s actually quite impressive. He’s extremely complimentary while still managing to work his spin it. It’s honestly really good when read in that manner (a guy trying to spin for Boston while still complimenting New York).

Merry Christmas, everyone!

re 72: you are my hero.

Lately one reads a lot of “the Yankees buy all of their championships” and “you can’t buy championships” in the same place.

Logical inconsistencies in sports writing?  If only there were some site that lampooned the foolishness of such writers.

I also get annoyed by golf coverage for the same reason.  Quite frustrating.  They should have someone feed the detailed club info back to a guy in the van so he can throw it up on the screen.

Merry Christmas RLYW peops!

How long till DRIVEf/x and PUTTf/x?

This from Buster Olney, via BB. It’s Doug Melvin:

“The Yankees will lose some draft picks, but they can draft unsignable players in fourth and fifth rounds, and pay over-slot, as they did with Andrew Brackman (the Yankees’ No. 1 pick in 2007). “The Draft Elias rankings and compensation needs to be changed. I do not want to sound like I’m whining, but teams who have to build with draft picks get frustrated. I had interest in Juan Cruz, and because I thought we had extra first-round picks for CC and for Ben Sheets, I had considered a Type A signing. Now I have to reconsider.” “We will keep having fun with scouting and player development, and finding our role players. Brian [Cashman] has to do what his owners and market asks him to do.”

First of all, when some one says “I don’t want to sound like I’m whining, but..” the next thing they usually say can almost always be categorized as whining.

My response to Melvin: Tough shit, dude.  The system says you get the Angels get the Yankees first pick. You should have thought of that as at least a possibility before you traded for Sabathia.

The other problem with Melvin’s rant is that it doesn’t even sound like he wants to make the compensation system fairer.  He just wants to “fix” the Elias system so Sabathia ranks higher than Teixeira and the Angels get screwed instead of the Brewers.  After all, he wasn’t complaining until the Teixeira signing, and doesn’t seem at all concerned that the Angels would have gotten a second rounder if their star had signed with Baltimore or Washington, or of the rankings were fixed the way he proposes.  Is that OK because they’re getting the Mets first rounder for K-Rod?  What if Omar signs Lowe too?  Is Melvin going to weep for the poor poor Dodgers?

How about just putting all the comp picks in the sandwich round and using the free agents rankings only to order them?  Two for a type A, one for a type B.  Signing teams still get penalized by losing picks, but those picks just disappear instead of getting redistributed.  This way everybody would know in advance what they’re giving up by signing (or re-signing) a player or getting by letting one walk.  The picks you get for losing a top player shouldn’t depend on where he goes or how many other top players change teams that winter.

And Happy Boxing Day to all.

I wonder if the Yankees will entertain trading Wang before he becomes a free agent. Between Chamberlain, Hughes, Kennedy, Brackman, Betances, and McAllister (and Bleich?), the rotation could potentially be crowded in the next 2 years, and starting rotation depth, while nice, is not an efficient use of those particular talents.

BTW- For those considering a trade to turn a clogged OF/DH situation (Swisher, Damon, Nady, Matsui) for a more pressing need (CF, BUI), consider this: Nady was ranked as a Type A 1B/DH/OF in the most recent rankings. Considering that Cashman needed to make sure he had the money to pay Sabathia, Burnett and Teixeira, I can see why he didn’t want to go to arbitration with Abreu, Giambi and Pettitte, but Nady would be the type of guy you would be ok with going to arbitration with, as his 2009 salary will probably be in the neighborhood of $8M.

FWIW, Matsui was a type A and Damon was the #1 type B.