Archive for August, 2009
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Gardner out longer than expected
Posted by: | CommentsEarlier this week, the Yanks updated the world with their plans on Brett Gardner, and we overlooked that news. Basically, Gardner is going to be out for longer than originally expected. The doctor told him this week to keep his splint on for another seven days. With this delay, it is unlikely that the Yanks’ speedster will see action prior to September 1 but should be back by Labor Day. In reality, though, as long as Gardner is healthy enough to run for the Yankees in October, he’ll be available to play a big role for the team in the playoffs.
Eying Billy Wagner
Posted by: | CommentsLast night, as the 8th inning rolled around at Citi Field, the oh-so-familiar guitar strains of “Enter Sandman” echoed across the stadium. The crowd around me roared, and for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery last year, Billy Wagner jogged out to the mound in a Mets uniform.
In this one inning of work, Wagner dazzled. He hit 96 on the Mets’ gun and 95.4 according to Pitch F/X. He threw his change-up with a velocity separation of around 8-9 miles per hour, and his slider had bite. He also threw all three pitches for strikes and struck out two Braves while facing the heart of the Atlanta lineup.
For the Mets, Wanger puts them in a tough spot. The team still owes him around $2.5 million this year and holds a $10 million club option with a $1 million buyout. Because they have Francisco Rodriguez locked up for the next few years, the team will not pick up that option. Because they are a little tight on cash, the team would love to unload Wagner, and the market for hard-throwing lefty relievers is always robust.
Early rumors indicate that the Rays and Marlins are interested in Wagner. Jayson Stark notes, however, that the price tag — in essence, $2.5 million for one month — is far too high for those two teams on the fringes of playoff contention. If the Mets’ goal is to off-load salary by trading Wagner, the team won’t be inclined to ship money down to Florida.
Meanwhile, according to reports, Wagner has been placed on waivers that are set to expire today at 1 p.m. If the right team claims him, Wagner is willing to waive his no-trade clause. “You want to win a World Series, that’s for sure,” Wagner said. “If I’m fortunate enough to be asked to come and join a team that has a great chance to win the World Series, that is something that definitely I’d think about.”
So which team, searching for a lefty reliever and with cash to spend, may be World Series-bound this year? Well, one would have to look only about 11 miles away from Citi Field to find a trading partner for the Mets. Brian Cashman, pick up the phone.
This is, of course, not a novel idea. Mike Silva suggested a Juan Miranda-for-Billy Wagner swap and Bart Hubbuch has been pushing a trade to the Bronx as well. The Yankees could be, to borrow a phrase, a perfect fit for Billy Wagner. They have the cash, the potential mid-level prospect and the need for him. Let’s make a deal.
Yanks could go 13 pitchers for next 10 games
Posted by: | CommentsOn Tuesday, we got the latest word in the Damaso Marte saga: the lefty could rejoin the team in Boston this evening. Yes, Joe Girardi said “might,” but why would he say it at all unless it was the likely move? Marte, if healthy, could even further upgrade a bullpen that’s been among the best in the league over the last few months. In fact, because the bullpen has been so good, and because the Yankees need some extra arms in order to accommodate Joba Chamberlain‘s innings limit, they might have some difficulty shuffling things around in order to make room for Marte.
The only two options for demotion in the pen are David Robertson and Phil Coke. Robertson’s been pitching awful well lately, and it’s doubtful he goes at this point. Coke has had his struggles, but he’s also been an effective option out of the pen. Plus, both Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman have expressed their desire to have two lefty options, something they’ve essentially lacked all season. With Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre needed in the rotation, it looks like no one on the pitching staff will get demoted.
That leaves one name: Ramiro Pena. He’s a useful player to have around. He can play all around the infield, and the Yanks think he can handle the outfield. His bat isn’t anything to brag about, but he doesn’t look completely lost up there. He can also pinch run. In other words, he’s a serviceable utility guy. The Yankees have another player like that, Jerry Hairston, and they might opt to use just one utility player for the rest of August rather than deplete their pitching staff.
Thankfully, the month is almost over. The Yanks play three in Fenway, then have a day off before playing the final seven games of the month. After that they can have up to 40 men on the active roster, meaning they can recall Pena if they so desire. It might hurt to have a short bench, but it’s only for 10 games. With the off-days surrounding the Boston series, the starters should be fresh enough to handle it. Even if they’re not, the Yanks can deploy super-sub Hairston.
The most interesting part of the next 10 games will be how the Yankees use Marte. No, they won’t use him in a tight spot over the weekend, but they’ll have to get him some work so they can gauge how useful he’ll be down the stretch. We’ve been saying it since the man went on a rehab assignment: a healthy Marte makes this bullpen perhaps the best in the league.
Making the most out of a trip to Boston
Posted by: | CommentsNearly two weeks ago, the Red Sox left New York reeling. They had just been swept by the Yankees to fall 6.5 games out of first place in the AL East. It was a good weekend for Yankee fans.
Since then, though, the Red Sox have recovered. While the Yankees have gone 7-3 over their last ten games since facing Boston, the Red Sox have also gone 7-3 since leaving the Bronx. They just wrapped up a three-game sweep of Toronto in which they scored 24 runs and gave up just 11. This weekend’s match-up features two hot teams playing for right now.
The Yankees, as we well know, have not had much luck in Boston this season. They’re 0-6 in Fenway, and barring an October match-up, this weekend’s trip will be the last of the season. Tyler Kepner explored how the Yankees have something to prove in Boston.
This weekend, though, goes well beyond something to prove. This weekend will determine the AL East. We’ll find out if the Yankees have to worry about the Red Sox. We’ll find out if the Red Sox can mount a comeback. We’ll find out if the very hot Yankees can come into Fenway and make a statement.
As things stand right now, the Yankees are 6.5 games up, and they can leave Fenway in one of four positions. They could sweep and be 9.5 games up. September would be a cakewalk for them. They can win two of three and head home with a comfortable 7.5 game lead. They could lose two of three and find themselves 5.5 games up. Or they could find themselves on the wrong end of yet another Fenway sweep and feel the Red Sox breathing down their necks just 3.5 games out of first.
Of course, we’ll hope for the three-game sweep but be satisfied with two of three. Even that outcome would strip four games off the Yanks’ Magic Number, and the pitching match-ups favor the Bombers. How will it end is anyone’s guess, but it’s bound to be a wild weekend no matter what. In Fenway, it always is.
Murphy makes his debut as Horne dominates
Posted by: | CommentsTwo Yanks’ minor leaguers were suspended after testing positive for banned substances. I’ve never heard of either kid.
Mike Ashmore says Ian Kennedy is going to join Colin Curtis in the Arizona Fall League. So I guess he is eligible after all.
Triple-A Scranton
Game 1 (4-3 win over Lehigh Valley in 7 innings, walk-off style) makeup of yesterday’s game, which was flooded out … this game was actually played in Lehigh because SWB’s park is still flooded, so Lehigh lost via a walk-off on their own turf … that must be tough
Kevin Russo & Austin Jackson: both 2 for 4 – Russo tripled & scored twice … Jackson drove in the winning run with a walk-off single, swiped a bag, scored a run & K’ed
Colin Curtis & Juan Miranda: both 1 for 3 – Curtis doubled, scored a run & walked … Miranda K’ed
Shelley Duncan: 1 for 2, 1 R, 2 RBI
Yurendell DeCaster: 2 for 3, 1 RBI, 1 K
John Rodriguez & Reegie Corona: both 0 for 3 – Corona K’ed
Chris Stewart: 0 for 2, 1 BB, 1 K
Ivan Nova: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 6-5 GB/FB – 52 of 76 pitches were strikes (68.4%) … nice outing after he’d been struggling
Jon Albaladejo: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 3-0 GB/FB – 6 of 11 pitches were strikes (54.5%) … he actually blew the save in the top of the 7th, but walked away with a win
Yanks, Pads complete Gaudin trade
Posted by: | CommentsTwo weeks after shipping Chad Gaudin to the Bronx, the Padres decided to take $100,000 back in return. It was originally reported that the Pads would receive a player to be named later, but apparently they had until Sept. 1st to decide between cash or a player. So that’s a loose end tied up.
Open Thread: This and that
Posted by: | CommentsAfter a seven-game tour of the west coast, the Yankees are chillin’ out and enjoying their off day before heading to Boston for a three-game set. Some of the Yanks are going to see Creed (Creed???), while I’m sure others are hanging out with the fam. We the fans are stuck with a Yankeeless night though.
Here’s a few loose links to help you cope…
- The Yanks paid 77% overslot to sign the first eight players they drafted. The Tigers lead the way by spending 214% overslot, while Texas came in at a paltry 43%. Yikes.
- The Mets, however, are an entirely different brand of FAIL. Not only did they overdraft several players, but they also didn’t meet the asking prices of some of their better draft picks. That team is top heavy with elite talent talent, but it’s going to collapse on top of itself because the foundation is weak.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs has an interesting take on how to fix the draft, he says it should be abolished all together. Each team would be allowed to spend a certain amount on amateur talent based on their record, with the money coming from the revenue sharing pool. I think it’s a much better system than straight up hard slotting.
- If you haven’t already, make sure you follow RAB on Twitter. You should also follow Ben, Joe and myself while you’re at it.
- I laughed. At this too.
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Update: Late add to the linkroll: Tyler Hissey took a look back at the shortstop controversy for Team USA in the WBC. Heh, how different things are now.
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Anyways, here’s an open thread for the night. The Mets are playing the Braves, while the Phils and D-Backs are on MLB Network. You’ve also got the Eagles and Colts on FOX in preseason action. Anything goes, just be nice.
A bumpy relationship with Scranton
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Prior to the start of the 2007 season, the Yankees moved their AAA operations from Columbus to Scranton. The Pennsylvania-based home of The Office allowed the Yanks to keep a closer eye on their top Minor League affiliate. Scranton is, after all, nearly 500 miles closer to New York than Columbus is.
The first few seasons were prosperous ones. The team’s new ownership group promised a new stadium and economic development for the town, and everyone loved seeing the Yankees. This year, though, things have changed for the worse. Attendance in the economically-depressed town has crashed, and the field at Lackawanna County Stadium has been plagued by flooding.
In Baseball America this week, Will Lingo looks at the uneasy relationship between the Yankees and Scranton (subscriber only). The team is committed to Scranton through 2010, but according to Lingo, the Yanks could look elsewhere when the current player development contract is up.
He writes of a slate of bad news for the Yanks and Scranton. The plans for a new ballpark lost political support and then economic support. Meanwhile, engineering studies suggested $13 million in repairs for the current park, and upgrades could be a few years away.
The Yankees, meanwhile, are mum on their plans. “Our plans are, we love the Scranton area,” Lonn Trost said. “The intent was hopefully a stadium will be built, we just haven’t gotten to it. We understand that things have changed, and we’re monitoring that situation, but we have all intentions of staying.”
In the end, the Yanks’ options are few. Only Rochester, Syracuse, and Lehigh Valley are remotely close to New York, and those cities come with their own problems. Scranton may be the best option among struggling International League cities.
(Hat tip to WasWatching for first noticing this story.)
Resting the starting pitchers
Posted by: | CommentsChad Gaudin kinda, sorta, got the job done last night. He didn’t escape the 5th inning and threw a few too many pitchers, but he held the A’s to just one hit. As Sergio Mitre has done, he gave the team a chance to win and has earned himself another look as a starting pitcher.
At this point, you might be asking, “So what?” Gaudin is, after all, just a fill-in for a few weeks. He probably won’t be on the post-season roster and won’t pitch in many of the Yanks’ important games. Yet, Gaudin — and to a lesser extent, Mitre — could have a significant impact on the Yankees’ post-season success for the simple reason that they give the team options and the ability to rest everyone else.
Flashback to the second half of 2008. With the Yanks’ pitching depth on shaky ground, Andy Pettitte needed to throw every five days despite shoulder pains. The results weren’t pretty. In 13 second-half starts, Pettitte was 4-7 with a 5.35 ERA. He allowed 17 more hits than innings pitched, and opponents had a .783 OPS against the Yanks’ lefty. His second-half slide was a big reason why I advocated against re-upping Pettitte for this season.
This year, Pettitte has spun a different tale. After a first half that saw him go 4-4 with a 4.83 ERA, Pettitte has turned it on of late. He is just 1-1, but in 39.2 second-half innings, he has a 2.04 ERA and 43 strike outs. Opponents have just a .543 OPS against him after putting up a .795 mark in the first half.
In a way, Pettitte is the key to the Yanks’ post-season success. While A.J. Burnett and CC Sabathia could carry the team, having an effective Pettitte would cement the Yanks’ position as October favorites. To that end, the Yankees have to make sure that Pettitte, at 36 years of age, gets the rest he needs.
After the game last night, Pettitte said as much. “It’s huge,” Pettitte said to the beat writers of Gaudin’s start. “If you can give myself and CC and A.J. a few extra days between now and the end of the season, it’s going to pay off.”
Pettitte isn’t the only one who needs the rest. CC Sabathia has thrown nearly 500 regular season innings over the last two years and is on pace for another 238 this year. A.J. Burnett threw a career-high 221.1 innings last year and is on pace for 205 this year. We all know what the Yanks’ plans are for Joba.
If the Yankees can win a pair of games in Boston this weekend, if Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre can give them a few decent outings, the Yanks can rest Pettitte, Sabathia and Burnett. They can get the team ready for a stretch drive and playoff push that could bring us another parade. While the Yanks have a seven-game lead right now, a bigger one will give them the luxury of rest. Getting to that point may start with Boston this weekend, but Gaudin will have a role to play yet on this team.
Just 21 days 'til pitchers and catchers report.
