Yankee Passion

Spring Training getting closer

mlblogsyankeecaptain — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 20:29:01 +0000

Well, the relevance of my last post lasted slightly less time then it took me to create it. Alex and the Yankee brass kissed and made up, Posada and Rivera re-signed, and most of the focus has been on Johan Santana ever since. I still think there’s work to be done on the roster before spring training begins, but whether or not the Yankees front office agrees is another matter.

Step 1: First Base

It is beyond me how the Yankees can have a payroll north of $200M, yet do not have a first baseman that could be called league average. And this will be the second year in a row that they have failed to acquire one. How is that possible?

It appears as though the current plan is for a Betemit/Duncan platoon at 1B — that should be a fallback position in the event of injury, not what you open the season with. No disrespect intended to either player, but at this point, they seem better suited for bench roles then in the starting lineup.

I stand by my previous post that the first option should be Nick Johnson. At the time, I thought the Nationals would be interested in a Clippard-Igawa package for him, but the Yankees have since traded Clippard to Washington for Alabaladejo. With Dmitri Young contractually entrenched at 1B for the next couple of years, the Nationals will not need a MLB 1B for a few years. How about an Igawa – Juan Miranda package? A pitcher now and a 1B ready to go when Young’s contract is up?

In the absence of a deal for Nick Johnson, I’ve always thought Dan Johnson would be a guy I wouldn’t mind seeing the Yankees take a chance on. While not the most defensively gifted individual, his willingness to take a walk should keep his OBP numbers high, and I think he could excel in a more hitter friendly ballpark then what he faces in Oakland. The future at 1B for the A’s is obviously Daric Barton — not sure what they would be looking for in exchange for Johnson, but I wouldn’t think it would be too overwhelming.

Let me know what you think? Any other options?

Up next — the outfield …

2008 New York Yankees

mlblogsyankeecaptain — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 15:51:11 +0000

Obviously, events of the last 2-3 weeks have completely altered the landscape of the 2008 Yankees. No need to re-hash them here as most are probably as sick of reading about them as myself. Instead, here’s my cut at what I’d do in GM Brian Cashman’s shoes in assembling the roster for next year.

Part I — The Infield

1. Re-sign Posada and Molina. Jorge has been THE anchor behind the plate for a number of years, and the drop in offensive production from him to the next best available catcher is huge. He’s a Yankee, and he needs to be re-signed. Molina gives the Yankees a better alternative on Posada’s days off then they’ve had in a decade — he should be re-signed as well.

2. Convince Derek Jeter to slide from SS to 3B. DJ’s range at SS is shrinking, and to be honest, it really wasn’t that broad to begin with. While it’s probably not what he wants to hear, DJ is beginning to age and he needs to be shown that his defensive deficiencies are now fully offsetting the positive contributions his bat provides to the Yankee lineup. This shouldn’t be looked at as a "switch of shame", but as a natural progression — some of the finest SS to play the game have made similar switches (Ripken, Yount, et al). It’s just DJ’s time.

3. Trade for a young SS. Alberto Gonzalez will have to show a little more with the bat to get any consideration for a starting position in NY. However, I think there are two prospects in other organizations who fit the bill — Brent Lillibridge and Chin-Lung Hu. My first preference would be Lillibridge simply because I think the Braves needs match up better with the Yankees then do the Dodgers. That said, my first choice would be sending Johnny Damon, cash, and maybe a B prospect to Atlanta in the exchange.

4. Trade for Nick Johnson. I know, Nick has proven to be extremely susceptible to injuries (and a very slow healer – a BAD combination), but he has to be due for some good luck at some point. Washington signed Dmitri Young to a deal this past year, and they’re dreaming if they think he’ll approach adequacy in the OF. That said, Johnson is a .900+ OPS guy when healthy, and I don’t think he’ll come as cheap as some may think. Igawa has no place in NY right now, and would likely benefit to a shift to the NL and a much more pitcher friendly ballpark. Clippard has also slipped behind several prospects and while I would hate to deal him, IF my doctors said Johnson will be ready by spring training, I’d send Igawa and Clippard to Washington for Johnson. The backup plan in the event of injury to Johnson is a Shelly Duncan / Wilson Betemit platoon.

Infield:

C: Posada, Molina

1B: Johnson, Betemit

2B: Cano, Betemit

3B: Jeter, Betemit

SS: Lillibridge, Betemit

Up next: The Outfield …

Where to from here?

mlblogsyankeecaptain — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 22:52:52 +0000

Well, the ’07 season is looking like one that Yankee fans won’t soon forget, no matter how hard they try. Joe Torre, the only manager some fans have ever known, is out. The Red Sox appear to be be well on their way to their 2nd World Series title in the last four years. And, unless the Yankees pony up $300 million, it looks like they can kiss Arod and his 50 HRs goodbye.

First, Joe Torre. I think it’s fairly obvious that Joe Torre was a great manager for the Yankees, and that he was loved and respected by his players. That said, it also looked like things were getting stale, and it was time for someone new to take the helm in an attempt to reverse the outcomes of the last few years. At this point, enough has been written about how the Yankees handled the removal of Torre — all I will add is that being paid $2M more then the next highest manager with another possible $3M in incentives doesn’t sound too insulting to me.

The Red Sox? Hate every one of them. Nuff said.

Which brings me to Alex Rodriguez. As you can tell from the post below, I’m not the world’s biggest Arod fan, and to be honest, hitting 50 HRs hasn’t changed my mind. I think he is a supremely talented player, but there’s no way I give him the kind of money they’re talking about giving him. While his departure would create a huge hole in the middle of the order, by no means do I think that it would spell disaster for the Yankees. More on that later …

No time like the present

mlblogsyankeecaptain — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 11:56:57 +0000

The Yankee farm system has at least a half dozen very good pitching prospects right now. However, the same can’t be said for positional prospects, of which there are few, and certainly not enough to fill the kind of holes that will be left behind as the current Yankee lineup creaks its way toward retirement (or maybe SF).

Unfortunately, there is only one player on the Yankee roster capable of generating the kind of return that can restock a relatively barren farm system in one trade. Adding to the difficulty, that player also has a full no trade clause and can opt out of his current contract at the end of ’07.

That said, I’m a huge believer that deals get done when all sides benefit.

I’d guess Boras has $30M / year in his sights for Arod. But $30M annually is a pretty big pill to swallow for any owner — but what if it’s spread across a few? Here’s what I would propose:

The Yankees extend Arod an additional 5 years for $159M, bringing his total package for the next 8 years to $240M.
In exchange, Arod waives his right to opt out for the next 5 years, and his no trade clause until 12/31/07.
The Yankees then trade Arod and $$$ for high end prospects — personally, I think the Dodgers matchup best with Yankee needs.

Out of the $240M / 8, the Rangers pay $27M years 1-3, the Yankees chip in $53M years 4-8, and the Dodgers end up getting Arod for what amounts to $160M / 8 years.

In return, the Yankees receive James Loney, Andy LaRoche, and Matt Kemp from the Dodgers. While the Yankee lineup would then lack the big HR threat in the middle (to be fixed in a future post), they would be looking at:

C Posada

1B Loney

2B Cano

3B LaRoche

SS Jeter

LF Kemp

CF Cabrera

RF Abreu

DH Matsui (Damon?)

In the end, it works because all sides benefit:

Arod/Boras get their $30M/yr and Arod gets to be the man in LA rather then 2nd fiddle to DJ in NY. He also gets to leave NY on a high note (his 07 numbers to date), rather then after what could be a postseason slump (or no postseason at all).

The Yankees get the young talent their farm system currently lacks, their payroll gets smaller, and they do remove a large distraction from the clubhouse.

The Dodgers get the middle of the order bat they desperately need, they get him at a "reasonable" salary, they get to protect their young pitching (Bills, Elbert, Broxton, Kershaw), and they probably get to watch Arod catch Barry over the next few years.

If I’m in Cashman’s shoes, that’s what I’m thinking about as the AS break approaches …

The ??? Rules

mlblogsyankeecaptain — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 23:28:27 +0000

In Michael Jordan’s early years, the Detroit Pistons implemented what came to be known as the "Jordan Rules". In a nutshell, they banged on the guy every time he came anywhere near the basket. And they experienced success against the Bulls not because Jordan was intimated or backed down, but because they eventually began to wear his body down.

I’ve always wondered if the Yankees had their own unwritten "Pedro Rules". While they couldn’t bang his body like the Pistons did Jordan, their strategy each time they faced Pedro seemed to be to take as many pitches as possible, foul them off, anything and everything to get him to 100+ pitches as soon as possible. Then the Red Sox were faced with a choice — leave a tiring Pedro in the game or turn it over to the pen. Regardless of which way they went, it seemed to usually result in a Yankee win.

While I refer to them as the Pedro rules, the same could be true for just about any other true "top of the rotation" starter the Yankees face. That’s why I don’t understand the logic today in having a lineup facing Johan Santana that included Cairo, Nieves, Phillips, and Thompson.

You can point to whatever stats you want to look at for past success (or lack of) against Santana, you can say lefties don’t hit him at all, but with momentum maybe shifting in the Yankees favor and the chance for a sweep, I want my "A" team out there working the counts, fouling off pitches, and doing everything they can to get Santana out of the game.

Given the final outcome, I’m not sure it would have made a difference, but I’d have at least known I took my best shot.

Fish or cut bait?

mlblogsyankeecaptain — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 18:46:51 +0000

I don’t know where the line in the sand gets drawn — the one that once crossed, serves as notice to all that the Yankees have stopped playing for 2007, and have begun preparing for 2008. It’s been so long since any Yankee has had to ponder such a question, but barring a serious 2nd half run, it’s one they will have to address in 2007.

I’ve been thinking that the Yankees were probably due for a year like this. For so long, they’ve kept adding a piece here and there and been able to stay just enough ahead of the pack to make the playoffs, while not seriously threatening another championship.

Of course, that assumes they use this opportunity to tear down what needs demolishing, protect what needs to be saved, and acquire those pieces that make sense in both the short AND long run.

I’m no different then anyone else — I’ve got my opinion about who needs to go and who needs to stay. I started this blog today to post my thoughts, and solicit your feedback — good or bad.

Over the next few days/weeks, I’ll give you my evaluation of the roster, talent coming up through the minor leagues, etc. If you agree with me, leave a comment telling me that. If you don’t, post that out there too.

That said, I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July, despite the loss earlier today …