Yankees looking at Jeff Keppinger
ByVia Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees have spoken to the Astros about infielder Jeff Keppinger with regards to their seemingly never-ending search for bench help. Rosenthal says a trade is not close, but where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
I wrote all about Keppinger over the summer and nothing’s changed. He’s a big time contact guy, walking more than he’s struck both last year as a full-time player and over his entire career. He’s unquestionably an upgrade over Eduamiro Penunez, and the only thing Jerry Hairston Jr. has on him is the ability to play the outfield and familiarity. The prospect cost should not be high, either. Keppinger is arbitration eligible for the second time this offseason ($1.15M salary in 2010), so he’d be under team control through 2012.
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The Tyler Austin Watch
Yes, please.
Can’t see a way to hate this move.
Me neither, assuming it wouldn’t take all that much to get him. I’m sure others would find some way to hate on it though.
Eduamiro Penunez <– How could you not like a guy with a name like that?
Seriously, For the right package, Keppinger would be a great addition.
Sounds like a name that Roberto Bolano would invent.
And while we’re on the phone, how about you throw in that Wandy guy too?
“Eduamiro Penunez”
That’s gold, Jerry, gold!!!
@Ken_Rosenthal Ken Rosenthal
Agreement with Hall practically ensures #Astros will trade Keppinger. As reported earlier, #Yankees interested in Kepp as utility guy.
–Go get him Cash
Kepp is a career .331/.385/.480 hitter against LHP and practically never strikes out. I wish he had some pop but it’d be nice to have a guy off the bench who can hit a lefty at a decent clip.
.480 is pretty decent pop.
You’re right – Only 9 homers in 560 PAs though. But he hits a bunch of doubles with some triples sprinkled in.
In Yankee Stadium those doubles turn into homers, the triples into superhomers and the homers into ultrahomers.
/MSMbandboxtheory’d
I’d like to nominate this for post of the year. Thank you kindly for the good laugh, sir.
Theory? Ha! It’s proven fact! Yankee Stadium is the biggest joke in professional sports, it’s a mockery of the game and tramples baseball history more than Alex Rodriguez’s PED admissions or Derek Jeter’s fake Hit-By-Pitches ever could.
For Diamond Cutters, this is Peter Gammons.
What would it take to acquire him?
Someone we don’t know, I would hope.
ietc!
This looks more likely now that the ‘Stros signed Bill Hall.
Wouldn’t mind this at all, provided the cost isn’t very high.
I’d like this…. but I’d LOVE me some pitching.
Wonder if we could, ya know, have both?
/crazy,Iknow’d
This won’t stop them from perusing a pitcher, you know.
Patience, young padawan.
Stop them from perusing a pitcher it will not.
A virtue patience is.
Mastering this virtue and accepting plan B I have yet to do.
Andy Pettitte and others I long for.
wont stop them from pursuing a pitcher either.
/nitpick
eff that. kill the younglings and burn down the house.
i’m tired of this namby pamby dressed up like brian cashman–when is he going to burst through the door shocking us all?
I WANT TO BE SHOCKED.
so…no Scott Harriston?
I think this would mean no Jerry, not no Scott
i love to see the bench: Cervelli,Scott,Keppinger
oh and add John Rauch
Scott is a moron with a terrible last name. No thanks.
He is a moron but holy crap would he be a great bench bat.
I like having a Yankees team full of guys I enjoy rooting for so, instead, I propose we trade Noesi for Jason Heyward. Better bench bat and not a moron.
You know, that sounds pretty good to me
(I know what you mean. Rooting for Scott would be barfy. But he’s an excellent hitter. Blech.)
I echo the poster who mentioned Wandy. Throw in slightly better prospects and try to get Kepp and Wandy. He’s no Cliff Lee, but he’d give us another legit lefty to mix in at the back of the rotation with with CC and Andy.
Neither of those guys should cost elite prospects (ManBan, Montero, Brackman, Dellin). I’d consider giving up a Romine and a few arms not listed above.
Outside of a rough stretch this past May, Wandy has been one of the best LHSP in the NL for the last three seasons. The Astros will need some ML-ready talent as well as some real upside guys to justify trading their ace.
I could see them moving Wandy if we agreed to take back Carlos Lee but I’d rather do something like:
Wandy, Keppinger and Lindstrom (inconsistent fireballer who is about to get expensive) for Nova, Nunez, Cervelli and someone like Warren or Stoneburner.
Deal done:
Yankees Get:
Wandy
Keppinger
Lindstrom
Astros get:
$$
Nova
Nunez
Cervelli
Warren
http://riveraveblues.com/2009/.....son-19809/
its not a trade if it doesnt hurt alittle so I would go:
Yankees get:
Wandy
Keppinger
Astros get:
Joba
Nova
Romine
um no… 1 immediate starter, 1 set up / future starter and one future catcher for 1 3rd starter who may or may not be good in the AL and one lifelong utility guy.
id offer nova and 2 lower level guys
why are people so easy to give up on Romine…Sanchez is still years away from making it–you really want to depend on Martin as a catcher?
Wait. . .Russell Martin AND Jeff Keppinger?? In the SAME offseason??
Somebody pinch me.
beLEEve it!
Bill Hall was a much better utility man and the Astros took him
remember Yankees dont overpay …and he is going to play more with HOU
Yeah, it’s all about fiscal responsibility now that they won’t be signing Lee this off-season. We’re a small market team!
Now Cashman needs to go get Wheeler or Rauch before Boston gets them for peanuts
rauch sucks
Rauch and his ERA+ of 128 and 23 saves over his last two seasons
Wheeler and his ERA+ of 138 over the last three seasons disagree.
Our bullpen currently consists of Mo, Joba, Robertson, Logan, Feliciano and Romulo Sanchez —- Mitre is technically part of the rotation until Cashman does something.
The two guys I mentioned would instantly become our two best set-up men.
Rauch is a flyball pitcher to the max. That probably wouldn’t go over too well at Yankee Stadium.
Wheeler is 100 percent useless against lefties. The Yankees just paid a decent chunk of change today for a LOOGY. Do they really want to do the same for another one-dimensional reliever in Wheeler?
ROOGY?
Dude, if you’re going to number-cut to support your argument, try to make it a bit less transparent. Use two years for both or something.
Because I wanted to avoid the crutch that people use to bash players who put up eye-popping numbers in the NL. I used their AL experience.
Wheeler pitched part of 2007 in the AL which you didn’t include. He pitched poorly. Rauch pitched part of 2009 in the NL which you did include.
You sure it had nothing to do with cherry-picking back as far as the guy’s last bad season?
Pass. Boston can have them.
How many roster spots does Boston have?
Well, Casey Kelly did take up like, 12 of them. He was just that good.
Casey Kelly is omnipotent. At once he occupies all and no roster spots.