Cody Ross headed to Arizona; Yankees not close to any trades
ByFree agent outfielder Cody Ross has agreed to a three-year deal with the Diamondbacks, reports Mark Feinsand. The Yankees reportedly had interest in the right-handed hitter earlier this offseason, though they were never a realistic landing spot given his demand for three years. I wouldn’t have been cool with signing him that long even without the 2014 payroll plan.
More than anything, the signing increases the likelihood of Arizona trading one of their spare outfielders. Justin Upton is the big name, but Jason Kubel also makes a ton of sense for New York as the left-handed half of a DH platoon. D’Backs GM Kevin Towers spent a year in the Yankees front office and knows their farm system pretty well. Buster Olney says the Bombers are not close on any trades, however. The market for Scott Hairston, by far the best right-handed hitting outfielder left on the market, should also begin to really heat up as well.
81 Comments»
RAB Info
The Founders
Mike Axisa, Ben Kabak, Joe Pawlikowski
Editor-In-Chief
Mike Axisa Archives | Email
Managing Editors
Ben Kabak Archives | E-mail
Joe Pawlikowski Archives | E-mail
Contributing Editors
Larry Koestler (Archives)
Moshe Mandel (Archives)
Eric Schultz (Archives)
Weekend Writers
Hannah Ehrlich (Archives)
Matthew Warden (Archives)
Special Contributor
J.R. O'Grady (Archives)
Technical Consultant
Jay Gordon
Subscribe to RAB by RSS
Follow @RiverAveBlues
Search RAB
Yankees News from YESNetwork.com
- Yankees activate Nova from disabled list, send Betances to Triple-A
- Yankees down Rays in series opener, but lose Granderson to broken pinkie knuckle
- Curtis Granderson leaves game after fracturing knuckle on his pinkie finger
- Teixeira to play for Double-A Trenton Thunder on Wednesday and Thursday
- Teixeira plans to play in Minors Wednesday
- Brian Cashman speaks to media about injured Yankees pitchers
- Alberto Gonzalez clears waivers, will report to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
- Seattle Mariners option Jesus Montero to Triple-A
- Thriving with the Yankees, Vernon Wells fulfilling his father's dream
- Kuroda leaves early as Orioles win rubber game
Banner Design By
The Tyler Austin Watch
Yeah, no thanks on 3 years.
This non sign makes more sense than pierzynski, but I still am ready for the team to improve in some fashion. I didn’t want to believe it, but this off season pretty much confirms that $$$ > winning.
Yeah, how on earth can the Yanks expect to compete with a $200 mil payroll?
It’s a lot harder when so much of it is wasted paying for past glory.
Exactly. “I wouldn’t have been cool with signing him that long even without the 2014 payroll plan.” I venture that the payroll tax recognition plan will instill proper discipline to supplant the “my kingdom for that heartthrob” approach.
3 years $26M is way too much for a right handed pull hitter who did most all of his hitting at Fenway.
Agreed
Chase is really friendly to right handed hitters too. This is a good signing for Arizona.
Each day, the Yankees miss out on various good-fitting players and it breaks my heart. Ibanez wants to return. Pierzynski would have been great for the 1 year. They can have Alfonso Soriano for 5 million per year. They let Martin leave. Soria could have been a great fit…on and on each day. It’s making me physically sick. A good team could have been great with very little effort or money.
If anything you watch for entertainment is getting you physically ill while it’s in the process of getting made maybe it’s time to do something else.
Yeah, shaking one’s head should probably be the upper limit on any negative physical reaction.
The only thing that has me physically ill is I don’t want to get out of bed, as this is the first Saturday off I have had in probably a couple years, yet I should be doing house-work and wrapping christmas presents, and buying the one more I need to get.
To be completely honest here among my fellow Yankee fans…
I suffered severe nausea watching the RS complete the most awful playoff comeback I have ever witnessed. You guys know what i’m talking about.
I have no idea what you speak of.
Seriously though, that was gut-wrenching, and very different than freaking out about not signing platoon outfielders that are only a marginal fit at best to a 3 year contract.
What is this comeback you’re speaking of? I remember the Orioles coming back one season, and I remember the Rays coming back one season….
But a comeback involving Boston? Doesn’t ring a bell…
LOL at missing out on Cody Ross for 3 years “breaking your heart” and making you physically sick. They only move (or non-move) I really think sucks is letting Martin go.
Also, do people realize that the players themselves have to actually WANT to sign here? It’s not a damn video game.
The Martin move only sort of sucks, imo, in the context of giving Ichiro a second season. But for that move, I completely understood the reluctance to give him a second year.
What I think may truly suck is the corner they seem to be putting themselves in with regard to a future extension for Cano. IOW, either further limiting their already restricted payroll and roster flexibility if they aren’t willing to be free spenders again in 2015, or having to accept a mere draft pick for their best and youngest really good player.
…and their best and youngest really good player isn’t that young, anymore.
Pierzynski sucks (as a person, and on the field), Alfonso can only pull homers to the cavernous left field (and can’t field), Soria wants a setup job (which Robertson rightfully deserves, and our bullpen is probably the one thing we don’t have to worry about for now). Pierzynski and Soria’s contracts were not cheap at all.
Not trying to sound harsh but being happy with what the Yanks do have could do you a lot of good.
Ummmm, not all “good fitting players” are really great fits. If the Yankees signed every good fit player, they would have a roster of about 95 people, and you still wouldn’t be happy.
And I am sorry to hear of your physical illness. Try some Midol. Should help ease the symptoms
They could probably get Kubel in a salary dump for basically nothing, no? Can’t see Arizona getting any kind of impact prospect for him. I would take him as a LH DH for 2013 and then buy out his 2014 option for $1m. Hairston/Kubel wouldn’t be terrible for a DH platoon.
What about Dickerson instead of Kubel?
If we’re talking DH, Dickerson isn’t a great option in my opinion since his fielding gets negated. I think I would’ve been OK with rolling with him in RF and letting Ichiro go if it meant they could bring Martin back, though.
3 years for cody ross?
we’re through the looking glass, people!
BIG + 1
I keep waiting for BC to make a shocking trade, and it’s certainly not too late, but I get the feeling that we’re looking at our 2013 NYY, for e most part. Unless someone decides it makes more sense trading granderson or cano bc we won’t be able to re-sign them….I don’t see where they would make a big splash. Stanton and upton aren’t coming, so what other position would they even target? I guess a catcher but I don’t know of any big names who are available. Sad offseason thus far with at least one more to follow.
Just relax, will ya? On paper, we should be at least good enough for 2nd wild card. Boston is still kind of a mess, Orioles didn’t do squat to fill their holes, TB and Toronto might get East and WC. Central goes to Detriot, West goes to LA. Texas lost Hamilton, Napoli and lost out on big names, and Oakland, well, they’ll fall back to Earth.
While this team aren’t favorites for anything, they certainly are a legitimate post-season contender.
Three years? No thanks.
Boycott Boras.
All hal steinbrenner things about is monry
I guarantee you that monry is not all he things about.
I used to think about it all the time too when I was in school, but I’ve grown up. But I can still appreciate a nice monry now and again
Maybe you should “thing” about spelling.
Perhaps he is Ricky Ricardo.
Wouldn’t it be something if the Angels traded for Upton somehow. I don’t see how they have the pieces but that would be a fun outfield.
Rangers seem like the obvious fit for Upton.
We are going to suck that much is for sure.
I can live with that for one year. As long as we don’t sell the top of the farm again.
“We” as in you and the voices inside your head, sure. I’d believe that.
TIL his multiple personalities want to fellate me…. Awesome?
woulda been cool if they signed ross, converted him into a pitcher and made him a super utility player/relief pitcher. wish mlb had one of them types
Well before that he needs to learn how to play infield.
Also, they did (somewhat)
Bert Campaneris, Cesar Tovar, and two other deadbeats.
Rick Ankiel is sitting, whistling.
o, and boston apparently is close to getting hanrahan. can’t wait to see that guy get shelled, his fastball is pretty straight
Imagine if wonder boy Iglesias is in the deal?!?!?
Heyman recently posted he’s not in the deal…
Bummer. That could have been fun though. Thanks for the update.
Well, it’s a good thing they traded Reddick for Bailey just a year ago, then. Their management is awful.
Trade for Morse
Make Adam LaRoche sign first and then we can start the clamor.
That would be nice. I wonder what the price would be, though.
Maybe Nova and another player? I dunno….they don’t need another starter as bad now that they signed Haren but Haren could break at any moment too…..
Their farm has been depleted. What do you think it would cost if they wanted just prospects?
Joba for Morse?
Like the Non-Sign, Dis-like Scott Hairston, and without 100% health and w/o a few more additions (DH, SP, RP)it could be a long season in the boogie down…
Sounds like a lot of whining and moaning this offseason about marginal players…nothing that’s going to make a huge difference. Ichiro is probably the biggest mistake at two years, but nothing that can’t be lived with. At the beginning of last August everyone was ready to sign up to be the one to buy Martin a ticket out of town, now they can’t live without him because of his magical ability to frame pitches, and his late season run. As well as trade the farm and my wife for Stanton…or at least my mother-in-law…seems like some think one player is going to make all the difference in the world.
It would be nice to see what happens by spring training, what the team looks like…and how often the team that breaks camp rarely has the same look as the team that finishes the year…seems like we missed the end of the world just to get to the end of the Yankee world.
Shows you how much of the Yankee fanbase are just spoiled brats who only root for the team because they spent the most and always got the shiniest toys.
Is Kubel that much of an upgrade over Dickerson, that we would give up a player for him? He may be, I never really followed him much, but I do think that Dickerson is better than he gets credit for and he doesnt get a whole lot of playing time to prove it.
The Yankees need power. Kubel would provide some. Dickerson wouldn’t.
Not to sound like an idiot (and many will think I do), why doest everything have to be about power? I’m not relating this to Dickerson/Kubel, but if you had to choose between two players…
a) .320 avg and 5 hr
b) .250 avg and 20 hr
…who would you rather have? It just seems that the Yankees would rather have the low average, high HR guy, than the guy who regularly makes contact. Is there something else I’m missing here?
The Yankees like guys who get on base and hit homers (as do I), and they’ve lost a lot of HRs this offseason with Swisher leaving, Martin and Jones out, A-Rod hurt, and Ibanez potentially departing. Kubel would fill the power void left by that group a lot better than Dickerson would.
Ever heard of on base percentage?
Those options are too simplistic. Does player B have a rock solid OBP (Giambi type) or does he not walk at all (Mark Trumbo type)? Big deal there. If player A hits .320/.350/.350 (hitting those 5 homers) and player B hits .250/.360/.450, I take player B all day, every day.
Gotcha. I should have included a bit more. LOL. I never took into account what someone said below, about losing power from Swisher, Martin, Jones and possibly Ibanez. I guess we would have to get it from somewhere. That makes sense.
Depends on walks, contact rate, and, perhaps above all, if the .320 hitter was hitting enough XBH to have a SLG as high or higher than the second player. Some studies have shown SLG to be the most important offensive statistic, so if the .250 players 20 HR also come with way more doubles and triples, they’re probably the best choice.
Ask the Mets how important power is. Problem is power works for 162 games but is unreliable in the post season. Be careful what you ask for because if you don’t get to the playoffs it really doesn’t matter how much contact you might have had in the playoffs.
Some more power perhaps…pretty much worse everywhere else. I’d prefer to see Dickerson…the Yankees just don’t like him though. Who knows…could be upper management doesn’t want him on the big stage because of his outspoken environmentalism. Kubel is seen more as a DH though.
“could be upper management doesn’t want him on the big stage because of his outspoken environmentalism”
Or that’s a ridiculous theory. How about he just isn’t good enough?
Serious question…could Dickerson’s ability to play the field (coupled with more speed) be of greater need to the Yankees than Kubel’s power? How is Kubel’s fielding ability?
Kubel can’t play the field worth a damn
He can play it in the a same way Ibañez can. Can probably fake it ok in YS’ RF, which is good enough for me if the goal is for him to primarily be a DH.
Considering the loss of Swisher, A-Rod, and Martin and the addition of Gardner and Ichiro into last year’s primary team, no I’d say power is the thing they should be looking to replace.
Yea, Ichiro was the mistake…but I see him more as insurance if Gardner goes down again.
how can you tell…they never give him a chance…there has to be some reason…it the time he’s gotten to play he’s shown he certainly has the tools to be given the opportunity, I’m not the only one to wonder why he hasn’t been given more playing time. I just threw that out there as a possible cause…sometimes teams don’t want a marginal player that is going to turn off a large segment of their fan base, especially the ones who are buying seats in the New Yankee Stadium
They never give him a chance because they don’t think he’s good enough. It’s pretty obvious. Besides, I don’t think “a large segment of the fan base” knows anything about Chris Dickerson or his off-field lifestyle. If they did, so what? He’s not exactly clubbing seals and fighting dogs.
Dickerson cleared wavers twice (I think) last year and the year before that he got traded for Sergio Mitre. There’s a reason he’s going into his age 31 season with 599 MLB plate appearances under his belt. He’s just not that good.
599 plate appearances in what sort of consistency…it makes a big difference…never really got a chance with the Yankees to play on a everyday or near everyday opportunity…playing a day here, or there, or one AB here or there is not a way to establish yourself as a player…it’s just not going to happen. Will he be great, perhaps not…but he’d probably be better than some of the alternatives they’ve talked about.
$9 million per over 3 years for a 32 year old Right handed hitting corner outfielder who’s below league average against right handed pitching and doesn’t give you much in the field or on the bases?
Anyone who needed an example of inflation, here it is.
Happy every time one of these players drop off the board and he does not end up on the Yankees. Mediocre free agent market. Stay away.
This. Especially multi-year deals for mediocrities.
Our line up against lefties looks like dog shit
Better fine some big RH bats soon.
I like Cody Ross on a one year deal. With enough bourbon, I coulda been talked in to a low AAV deal for Ross on two seasons. But 3 FUCKING YEARS? I thought Kevin Towers was doing it right… Ha.