Thursday Night Open Thread

by 482 Comments

Yankees to designate Brian Roberts for assignment
DotF: Murphy homers in Scranton's win

Well that was a hell of a day, wasn’t it? The Yankees did more or less exactly what I expected them to — make relatively small upgrades without giving up anything of consequence. I don’t know if these moves will be enough to push the team into the postseason, but I’m not sure any series of moves could have done thatanyway. They’re going for it without sacrificing top prospects, which makes me happy. No complaints from me about this trade deadline, though I’m sure that puts me in the minority.

Anyway, here is your open thread for the night. The Yankees are off, thankfully. A game tonight would have been too much from my selfish “I have to blog this stuff” perspective. MLB Network is airing a game tonight, and who you see depends on where you live. Talk about that, the trade deadline zaniness, or anything else right here.

Yankees to designate Brian Roberts for assignment
DotF: Murphy homers in Scranton's win
  • TheRealGreg

    Blue Jays not happy about AA’s non-action at the trade deadline, especially the Fugitive:

    http://gregorchisholm.mlblogs.com/2014/07/31/blue-jays-closer-janssen-speaks-out/

    • Deep Thoughts

      I think you accidentally cut off the last paragraph where he talks about how upset he is losing Esmil Rogers.

      • W.B. Mason Williams

        ietc

        • Deep Thoughts

          Thanks. I was bummed when it hit me that the David Price trade probably means “Joba to the starting rotation” isn’t going to happen this year.

          Yet.

  • Yankee$

    Love today’s moves. I wanted them to incrementally improve and be competitive for the rest of the season (why not?) without selling the Farm. They did that. Prado can help in the future too. Love it. Three cheers for Cashman…

    • Asher

      I concur 100%. I’m not sure what people were expecting the Yankees to do aside from exactly what they have in terms of what they were willing to deal and what they got in return.

      There was never going to be a big enough deal to make this a 100-win team that didn’t kneecap it even worse in the coming seasons (there was never going to be a deal like that anyway.)

      • Bill

        Why would we want to get a high end pitcher with this offense? Let’s say they get someone with a 3.5 ERA. So what, they would still lose almost every game with the Yanks able to score 2-3 runs a game. Time to look to the future. Glad they didn’t sell the farm for nothing.

    • Bill

      What’s this about Roberts not getting the $250K bonus because he was 2 plate appearances shy. Then the Yankees made sure he didn’t get the 2 at bats? This sounds like the Commiskey moves that led to the Black Sox scandal. This is not the kind of low class actions I expect from a club with classy players such as Rivera and Jeter.

      • Mickey Scheister

        Who cares? Other than Brian Roberts. He’s been putrid as of late and I wouldn’t expect a bonus if I wasn’t performing at even replacement level over the past couple months. Incentives and bonuses are typically paid on performance and in any job, including baseball, if you’re not good enough to be penciled into the starting nine it is what it is. Good bye Roberts, we hardly knew thee.

      • Cheval Anonyme

        Yeah, now that the Yankees have established they are legendary cheapskates… REALLY?

  • MTU

    I think they fell a little short of what was needed but I do think they are a playoff Team now.

    More if Pineda and Tanaka return healthy and Bluebird of good fortune craps on the Yankee’s head as a good omen.

    IF D should be much better.

    That will help too.

    • Deep Thoughts

      Exactly. Kuroda and McCarthy have to be thrilled.

    • Havok9120

      The defensive improvement is huge, and the offensive improvements are nothing to sneeze at either. If Beltran and McCann really have turned a corner (as their last months indicate), the position player side of things might actually look pretty good for the rest of the year.

      Now it comes down to Pineda and Tanaka.

  • wanzies222

    Hi Mike,

    I was just saying I was coming over here….lol.

    I know you wanted some pitching today, but can’t kick about how cashman cleaned up the roster. Not quite as dysfunctional for the last 1/3 of the season.

    Steve

    • MTU

      Agreed.

      There is still August.

      • wanzies222

        I believe the NYY are pretty close to being the “contender” with the worst record, so they will have first shot at waiver claims during August (if this is wrong, please correct me).

        Other team may pull them back, but that at least puts them at the negotiating table.

        Steve

        • wanzies222

          That’s where you’ll see guys like:

          Danks
          Lee
          Benoit (maybe)
          de la Rosa
          Kennedy (maybe)

          I’m sure there are others.

          • MTU

            Gives them some additional time to evaluate Pineda and maybe Tanaka.

            No setbacks and Pineda should be ready by mid-August.

          • Jorge Steinbrenner

            Yup. There’s going to be some August action.

          • vicki

            byrd.

          • W.B. Mason Williams

            I’d be surprised if Kennedy hit waivers. But yeah there will definitely be moves.

          • Tom

            Thw waiver claims are done by league of the player put on waivers.

            For an AL player, the AL teams have first crack (from worst record to best) so the Yankees would be ahead of most contenders.

            For an NL player he’d have to get through the entire NL (worst to best record) and then goes to the AL (worst to best) – so for a guy like say Cliff Lee or some of the NL players you list, teams like the Dodgers or Cardinals would have a higher waiver claim.

        • MTU

          I liked the Prado move Steve.

          • wanzies222

            Agree, Mike.

            Hopefully, he’ll be the Kelly Johnson the NYY thought they were getting.

            Steve

            • MTU

              I think he’ll be better.

            • RetroRob

              He’s better than Kelly Johnson and so is Drew. How they’ll perform over the last two months, though, is unknown but we’re about to find out!

        • Blake

          I really think Cash has a great deadline…..he added 4 pretty nice players and really gave up very little in the long term…..Obrein is really the only significant piece given up.

          They upgraded the offense and the infield D….which was a big Achilles heal.

          Now I think we see how it plays out……see if Tanaka is coming back……see if Pineda is coming back….see how the standings shake out …..and see who falls through waivers.

          If they are sitting there right in the race in mid August and Cliff Lee is healthy and available then they still can pull that trigger……I think Cash has done enough to give them a shot…..and that’s about all we could ask

          • Paisa

            Even if its worst case scenario with Tanaka and Pineda, they can probably compete with the orioles anyway. Add a little luck to that equation and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to feel as though they have a real shot to make up the 5.5 games in 2 months and win the division.

  • Jamie

    considering that 4/5 of original starting rotation is out… it is pretty impressive that we are even in playoff contention… most teams would be done with all the injuries.. example the Rangers..

    • MTU

      Correctamundo.

    • vicki

      parity and pixie dust.

      i did have the same thought about the rangers, though. all ‘veteran presents’ considered, there’s something to be said for institutional/clubhouse leadership. keep calm and jeter on.

      • W.B. Mason Williams

        What color is pixie dust?

        Could it, theoretically, be smeared on a pitcher’s neck to help grip the ball better?

        Theoretically.

    • Jorge Steinbrenner

      Exactly.

      I wish more Yankee fans spoke like that.

    • Mr. Roth

      Hold on a second here…do you mean to tell me that Cashman didn’t fail?!

    • pete22

      The original rotation included CC who was awful last year and this year and a big question mark going into the season and Pineda who was also a question mark coming off labrum surgery and was only going to give them 20 starts or so best case due to an innings limit. The loss of Nova and Tanaka for 3 starts and counting hurt (Tanaksa impact will be more for the future than the past as he was healthy for almost 100 games), but many teams have suffered with similar injuries.

      Yankees have actually been relatively lucky in terms of injuries to regular position players. Its really been the offense thats killed them. The pitching has been ok with the depth and trades

  • vicki

    is it just me or did the cubs get a better haul for shark and hammel than the rays got for price? seems tampa could’ve gotten this package over the winter.

    • wanzies222

      Seems that way.

      Particularly with Hammel being what he is… awful.

    • MTU

      I’d agree.

      Surprised they didn’t get more for Price.

      Especially w the extra year of control.

      Franklin is no great shakes and Smyly looks like a back end type.

      • wanzies222

        Not kicking…

        Price to NY was a LONG shot…

        But if they can’t get him, they at least won’t have to face him.

        • MTU

          Except possibly in the post-season.

          • RetroRob

            I’ll take it because that means there will be a postseason for the Yankees this year.

            • Deep Thoughts

              Plus Jeter mashes this guy.

        • Mandy Stankiewicz

          Rays don’t trade within the division, I thought.

    • Old Man Time

      Yeah, Tampa’s haul seems a bit light.

    • ropeadope

      I’ve always liked Drew Smyly, and wouldn’t be surprised to see him take a big step forward under the tutelage of Jim Hickey.

      • Jorge Steinbrenner

        I’ve always been a Smyly fan as well.

        • ropeadope

          :)

    • Steve (different one)

      Yes. Despite all the fellatio Beane was getting here this morning, he has traded significant assets for what might be a one season window. If he falls short, he may have set his team back half a decade or so.

      • RetroRob

        It is interesting, though, and worth watching what he’s doing. He is the guy in baseball who popularized exploiting market inefficiencies, who coveted young players, and now as everyone has moved to overvaluing prospects, he’s selling them off for veterans. He clearly views that as the new market inefficiency.

        He should go all in now.

        • Steve (different one)

          I think he has a lot of guys nearing FA and he knows this is his best shot. It’s an admirable gambit, but the point I was replying to was that perhaps he could have made similar upgrades for less by waiting a bit.

          I would be surprised if he doesn’t try to reload by trading Shark this winter.

          • Cheval Anonyme

            I think it is part of the Beane philosophy that a small market club only gets a shot at the title once every few years. Timing is everything– he needs to go all-in when the opportunity opens.

      • Yanks

        That’s probably how it would have gone anyways though. Russell would have been a great player to have, but they probably have a much lower chance of winning the WS if they don’t have Shark. Cespedes is under contract next year, but there’s no way they’ll keep him after, and they’re banking on Lester being more crucial to their potential success. It’s the perils of being a team that can’t afford players. Gear up for just a few big runs.

  • Jorge Steinbrenner

    Now that this is over…

    Slightly concerned that O’Brien suddenly no longer as a hole in his bat in a year, and find him to be a slight overpay for Prado but, when we group all the acquisitions this team’s made in the past month and compare them to what was given up, nice job. The system remains 99% intact.

    Other teams became juggernauts today. We maintained a fighter’s chance in this. I don’t mind being the expensive underdog. It may not be someone else’s cup of tea. That’s fine. I don’t need to drink your tea.

    Wouldn’t be surprised to see an extra starter in August, and I’ll throw the gauntlet down on at least one of Tanaka/Pineda coming back strong in 2014.

    Nothing is guaranteed. I don’t need guarantees. That’s not why I’m a Yankee fan. Think otherwise? Fine by me.

    Even Wayne sleeps easy tonight.

    • wanzies222

      Can’t disagree with any of this.

      Cashman improved the club the best he could, IMO, given the lack of chips he had to work with.

      Let’s see what happens now.

      • derp

        he had much better chips, but didn’t spend them.

        you really think they couldn’t have beaten DET in prospects? sure they could have…. and it would have been beyond stupid.

        • Jorge Steinbrenner

          It’s not the time and place for that sort of a deal. I embrace my inner TWTR there.

        • wanzies222

          They could have beaten Detroit in terms of prospects, but when you add the “inter-division premium”, the cost would have been ludicrous.

          No thanks.

          • Jorge Steinbrenner

            This.

    • NoLoHudamI

      Hi. I’m not from LoHud, but I’ve been silently listening to you regulars for a few months now on RAB and I want to say, especially to Senor Jorge Steinbrener, I en-hoy (spelling intended) your comments. If I may, I’l weigh in lightly.

      There was a whole lotta unwatchable about the Yankees this year, and yet here we are not out of it. There was nothing gonna get us to back to the dominant years, so Cashman’s moves have been brilliant. If we’re aggressive in a smart way over the next off-season, and we can bring up some and wait for the massive pool of Caribbean youngsters we signed, that’s fine by me.

      I thank them for not making me watch another botched ball at second base. I thank them for not making me hope that Yangervis pixie dust would last forever. I thank them for settling something as bedrock as third base and secondary pitching without taking away all the prospect tree hugging I so enjoy in my hope-springs-eternal shortcomings. I think Teix may never have another helluva year but he may have a lot of helluva weeks here and there and my wife loves the way he shakes his butt with a man on first. I hope if they have to take back ARod next year they just eat it and bench him. I feel like Gardner’s extension was the signing of the decade, and Ellsbury thrills my soul over the long haul. I love watching him play. Get healthy Carlos and the starting pitching staff, and I can go back to being quiet and just reading Jorge Steinbrenner, Vicki and W.B. Mason Williams (my personal favorites) and not take up any more of all of your valuable time. Thank you for letting me over-introduce myself. I’ll now crawl back into my hole. Go Yankees, and make me be able to stand to watch baseball again. Good night.

      • W.B. Mason Williams

        Cheers man. This is the week for new friends apparently.

        Stick around, join the fun.

  • George Costanza

    Can someone explain to me why on earth Stephen Drew will be in pinstripes? Prado is fine, we’ll take what we can get there. But Drew? He’s completely useless. We already have a defensive-oriented backup SS in Brendan Ryan. What’s the point here?

    The most frustrating part of this is that the Red Sox made some amazingly good trades, and the Yankees continued to make these tiny moves that are supposed to help push the team into October baseball. What’s the point? Why are the Yankees (Cashman + Owners) so desperate to make the playoffs? The team stinks. Roberts was DFA’d, finally. Took them long enough.

    I don’t understand the logic here at all. Look at how the Red Sox got a nasty line drive hitter in Cespedes for Lester, meanwhile the Yankees let Cano walk last season. Imagine what we could have gotten for Cano! Instead we ended up with draft picks that we’ll probably screw up.

    I hate to be this cynical but this team is a disaster. Horribly mismanaged. We’re talking like, 1980’s Yankees bad. Can’t even recognize when it’s time to fold! If anything the Yankees should be sellers. Who are we kidding? Look at Oakland and Detroit. The Yankees have 0.00% chance of beating them in a series. Hell, we wouldn’t even beat the Orioles in a series, or even Toronto / LAA / or Seattle.

    This is a joke.

    • Jorge Steinbrenner

      So you all didn’t have DREW FEVAH all spring and summer over on the House that Pete Abe Built?

      • MTU

        Not me brother.

        But I did want them to improve their IF D.

        • wanzies222

          Particularly with how baseball is changing in the post-PED era.

          More ground-ball pitchers, better D.

          1968

        • Jorge Steinbrenner

          It was unbearable over here this spring with the Drew shit.

          HE’S HERE, FOLKS!!!

          • W.B. Mason Williams

            If anyone ever doubted that Cashman reads RAB, here is definitive counter-proof.

            • Jorge Steinbrenner

              And, really, we must give props to the Great Gonzo, who never wavered in predicting this.

        • W.B. Mason Williams

          Agreed. We went from a black hole at 2B to a half-black hole.

          Grey hole?

          Get Hawking on the phone.

          • vicki

            must — make — hole — joke —–

            • ropeadope

              A guy walks past a mental hospital and hears a moaning voice “… 13 … 13 … 13 …”

              The man walks over to the hospital and sees a hole in the wall. He looks through the hole and gets poked in the eye with a sharp object. The moaning voice then groans “… 14 … 14 … 14 …”

              • Cashman’s Cult Sabathia

                Curiousity killed the cat’s eye.

            • Deep Thoughts

              I was gonna go for “not all-the-way black.”

              • Mr. Roth

                RACIST!

      • NoLoHudamI

        +1. Really.

        Oh yeah, and apparently I lied about crawling back into my hole.

    • Deep Thoughts

      Ye$, what’$ the point of pu$hing for ba$eball in October? I can’t $u$$ it out.

    • Mel

      I’d be happy with some of the 1980’s Yankees teams production over this one. Everyone picks on the 80’s teams like they were horrible, but some of those teams were actually pretty good and would’ve won the wildcard. This team…probably not, I do think the Rays didn’t get a whole lot for Price, especially with another year left, not really sure why the M’s wanted Jackson, especially with the young kid they’ve got who is probably going to outproduce him, and really can’t understand why the Yankees couldn’t come up with a similar offer, unless the Rays just didn’t want to see him in the division.
      Drew in Pinstripes means only one thing…Blake has nude pictures of Hal

      • MTU

        Big party at Blake’s house this weekend.

        • Blake

          Haha….I’m pretty happy…..I think these moves make them a good deal better. What y’all want to eat? You bring the beverages

    • MTU

      The Sux definitely got a good haul.

      Hard to believe the A’s parted w Cespedes for a 3 month rental.

      They are definitely in win now mode.

      • wanzies222

        Small window for Beane to win, with that roster.

        Can’t blame him.

        Gotta do what you gotta do, and Cespedes’ numbers recently have been not good.

        • MTU

          I understand but Cespedes will be a force for years to come.

          He’ll kill it at Fenway.

          Wall maintenance and auto insurance will increase.

          • wanzies222

            Will he?

            He’s in Boston for a little over a year unless he re-ups.

            Give the Sox credit for getting more than a draft pick for Lester, though.

            • MTU

              I figure once he gets a taste he’ll be back.

              They need OF’er’s like him desperately.

              All he has to do is perform.

              Would not want to try to score from 3rd.

            • Jimmy

              Look at his spray chart. He’s going to hit a lot of balls off of the monster.

          • derp

            “force for years to come”

            how long is he signed for again?

            another year?

            woot woot red sox!

          • Mel

            I was kind of surprised he was included in the deal, but he doesn’t seem to be having the results as he was in the past, perhaps the change in scenery will do him good, a boost in his numbers could have him poised to win big as a FA

          • Jorge Steinbrenner

            There’s no guarantee in the least that force will remain in Boston.

            They must really think Lester will come back to them with that move. Not buying that for a second.

          • MTU

            Even more amazed at what they got for Lackluster.

            • wanzies222

              Now, now Mike.

              Are you going to call him Lackluster if he signs in NY this November?

              I have nothing but respect for Jon Lester.

              Hate the uniform, not the player.

              • MTU

                Talking about Lackey.

                • wanzies222

                  LOL… sorry, I focused on the “luster” part.

                  And, I’ll grant you that…

                  Can’t respect him for the “run away from cancer” routine.

                  • MTU

                    Got to run. Sorry.

                    Catch you tomorrow.

                    Have a good rest of your evening.

              • Jorge Steinbrenner

                Exactly.

                Mr. Awesome O’Clock can perennially eat a bag of dicks, though.

                • Macho Man “Randy Levine”

                  Supposedly he told the Cards he’d play for that paltry option next year. Gotta give just the teeniest of smidges of credit for that.

                  But, yea, still, fuck him.

                  • I’m One

                    Not like he had much of a choice, though. It is in his contract.

                    So yeah, fuck him.

        • MTU

          Beane must juggle well too.

        • nycsportzfan

          The weird thing to me is they had a sick rotation. I get adding Samardzji or Leser , but not both, plus Hammel. Addison Russell alone would of killed me to lose. That kid is gonna be nasty!

        • NoLoHudamI

          Give Beane credit for growing. He’s acknowledge that sabermetrics predict a long season but not a short series, so in midstream he switched to doing what the guys who win the post-season always do.

    • Old Man Time

      This is a joke.

      I would agree that post was a joke.

    • Frank

      Agree with you although I like the Prado acquisition. But the Drew for Johnson trade is a complete head scratcher. Yanks take on 5M in salary for essentially the same offensive player and now they plan to play Drew at 2B although he’s never played that position in his MLB career. At least Johnson played the position quite often through his MLB career. But overall, you’re correct. Bad decisions. Keep trying to patch a gunshot wound with a band aid. Yanks would never make the ballsy moves the RS and A’s made.

      • Frank

        Meant to respond to Costanza above.

    • Murakami

      They’ve been mismanaged since 2010. The reason they had to make these moves is because Cashman has failed miserably in player development, and he traded away any good young hitters they had. Now, it’s a bunch of 30 year olds – I guess that beats 40 year olds. One good thing – they gave up nothing of substance (I don’t happen to believe in O’Brien; seen enough of him to feel that way). Cashman is a very poor talent evaluator who has an uncanny inability to recognize how his team is trending. Any real owner would have fired him by now. I do want Jeter to get to October, though, and they have improved their chances of doing that. And I completely agree – Boston is stockpiling good young talent and we are, as usual, running to stand still.

  • derp

    My sentiments as well.

    It’s a team that with the right breaks could be in the thick of it, and even get lucky. All that with an eye on the future and our more coveted pieces intact and it’s a minor win.

    I like what the A’s and Tigers did too… they were both in a position to go for broke, and now that they have let the selig influenced baseball gods have their way with them in the playoffs. hooray parity!

  • TopChuckie

    Don’t like Drew, just don’t like him, but he should be an upgrade, and I really like the Prado move. With all the injuries on these old Yankee teams, a guy who is good enough for everyday at bats and can play almost every position is invaluable.

    Just hard to believe there wasn’t another SP upgrade or two available and maybe a MR. Getting Ziegler in the Prado deal would have been nice, and I still think an out of nowhere trade for Mike Fiers would have been ninja.

    • vicki

      drew is an asshat.

  • bojo

    I applaud Cashman for realizing the reality of the situation and not trading away the farm. Hopefully, this off-season he gets shot at resigning whichever of these additions show themselves to be worthy, and also signs Lester and perhaps Melky Cabrerra. I am writing Santa right now for Tulo as well.

    • bojo

      And if he doesn’t use his chips on Tulo, then I would hope he goes after Hammels. Tanake, Lester, Hammels, and young arms like Phelps, Greene, Whitley, Pineada, and eventually perhaps Nova….

      I’d be as a happy as a little girl…

      • Jorge Steinbrenner

        Koal Hammmels!

        • bojo

          And I even forgot McCarthy–who has impressed me greatly. Yankees might even have enough starting pitching to be forst to go to 6 man rotation–which should make their pitchers even stronger.

        • Cheval Anonyme

          He wants Santa to put Cole in his stocking.

  • derp

    smyly’s changeup has been atrocious…. wouldn’t be shocked if TB thinks they can fix that and indeed do.

    course it all depends on how franklin and the other IF’er pan out, but good move for rays, albeit seemingly a bit light. they seem to be good at fixing pitchers and not so good drafting IF’ers.

    • Mel

      I’m not sold on Franklin being that great a player. They at least should’ve thrown Montero in…now there was some star power.

  • stuart a

    Drew is a rental for Kelly Johnson. not a big deal..

    also drew against righties is much better then Brendan ryan 1 of the worst hitters in MLB.

    Prado is better then IChiro offensively not even close. The yanks got
    slightly better and gave up very little.

    If tanaka and pineda came back they are a playoff team not a contender. If tanaka does not come back they are going no where…

    • bojo

      If you put Prada at 2B against LHP, and perhaps Ichiro in RF, you minimize Drew’s weak bat…and keep defense strong everyday.

      • HansDavenport

        Offensively that works with Itchy’s splits too.

    • Frank

      But why Drew for Johnson and take on 5M in salary when Drew has never played 2B and offensively, their very similar?

      • vicki

        yeah, i don’t quite get it either, and i can’t quite swallow the audition theory. he’ll have to learn a new position in the middle of a [cough] play-off chase. plus, it’s drew’s bat in the lineup rather than the corner outfielder we could’ve acquired (playing prado and second).

        but since we didn’t over-pay in prospects for this theoretical outfielder, i’m cool. if the waiver-wire presents something nice for cash we’ll worry about it then.

        • Steve (different one)

          Agree, but who is this corner OFer? I am sure they tried…

      • pete22

        Drew can also play SS if Jeter needs time off. Also, Drew did most of his damage last year in August/September, and unlike KJ, crushes RHP’ers w/ a high OBP. THis years SSS has to be taken with a grain of salt. This is the classic buy low strategy.

        • HansDavenport

          It’s true. Career wise he has hit RH well for a middle IF guy.

      • Steve (different one)

        Well, Johnson is probably still owed about $1M, so it’s more like $4M. Plus, he is currently on the DL, so there’s that.

        Drew has a some upside if he keeps hitting as he has the last month. It’s a gamble for sure, but not a very large one.

        I don’t really like Drew, but he is going to be better than Roberts.

    • NoLoHudamI

      +1

  • Get Phelps Up

    I wonder if today passed Cliff Lee Non Trade Day for the biggest day on RAB.

    • W.B. Mason Williams

      Definitely a lot less piss and vinegar

  • nycsportzfan

    Hey, we got a super utility player who can hit and is only 30yrs old for Peter O’Brien, which goes down as most underrated trade of the day in my opinion. If Headley rakes to end the season, and we want em back, having Prado makes it less easier to say no, if the price gets to high as well.

    Stephen Drew is simply the better player at this point over KJ and BROB. I don’t care for Drew, but you got a better chance of him putting up all around numbers then you do KJ or BROB , and he is a stud defensively, nuff said.

    • Frank

      He’s never played 2B. And stop with “we.” You’re not part of the Yankees, your just a fan.

      • SweetSpot

        “We” say . . . no fans no Yankees. Thank you!

      • Deep Thoughts
      • Giuseppe Franco

        I gotta admit….the “we” stuff has always annoyed me too.

        • HansDavenport

          Deal me in there. At work, I used to ask, “What position do you play.”

          • W.B. Mason Williams

            I can understand the sentiment, but to me this is the same kind of thing where people are deliberately splitting hairs to be argumentative.

            Obviously nobody on this blog is actually on the Yankees besides Cashman, but it’s not like the people who say “we” are actually trying to lump themselves in with the organization. It’s just expedient for us, as fans, to say “we”.

      • We

        I am honored that my name is used by so many.

        Yet there is no need to resort to douchebaggy comments when fans of a team say ‘we’. It is their team from a fan point of view.

        Move along.

        • Frank

          See, but the difference is I expressed my opinion without name calling. On the other hand, you did. So, who’s the douchebag?

          • nycsportzfan

            He didn’t call you a name. He called your comment a name.

          • Now Batting

            You didn’t express an opinion; you gave an order. I think that makes the title appropriate for a short time.

            Saying “we” annoys me too but I understand why someone would want to write 2 characters instead of “the Yankees.”

      • Jorge Steinbrenner

        This stopped being the stick up everyone’s butt about five years ago, Frank.

      • Get Phelps Up

        *You’re just a fan.

      • nycsportzfan

        I could care less about the “WE” thing so its hard to pay attention to it when i’m writing it. I don’t say we all the time but its a habit.

        And i’m assuming your talking about Drew not playing 2nd which worries no one, because SS’s usually have zero trouble playing 2nd assuming they are good defensivley to begin with. Brendan Ryan was just there recently and looked fine. He’s a upgrade over what we had there. And if you gotta pick whos gonna help offensively more, outta KJ,Roberts,and Drew, you’d have to take Drew. At this point, he gives the Yanks the best chance to produce offensively, despite what his avg is right now.

  • emac2

    I’m happy with the moves.

    We got more help then I expected and didn’t give away any elite prospects. With Drew as the worst of the 3 full time infielders we just picked up the team has some significant offensive potential.

    Now we have to see if Mitchell, Ramirez, Banuelos, loftgren or Severino can help in the majors at all this year.

    • RetroRob

      I argued against Drew in the offseason because I didn’t want the team to pay the price Boras was asking. Now here we are and the Yankees have Drew for only a few million and no long-term commitment on him. I would have taken that in a NY second several months back, just didn’t think it was possible.

      Drew is not hitting all that much, but that’s what happens when a player has an extra-long offseason, starts Spring Training in June and does it on the MLB level against pitchers in mid-season form. When he’s fine, he’s a significant upgrade over what we’ve had.

      • SweetSpot

        One never knows what any given player is going to do. If someone had told you Gardner would have twice as many home runs as Cano on July 31st few would have believed it. There is a chance that with a fresh start wearing Yankee pinstripes, Drew and others can over perform.

        • RetroRob

          I don’t even need over performance. Just Drew being Drew will help. A league-average hitter in the infield would be a good thing. The fact he’ll be learning a new position, 2B, does have me concerned.

      • Deep Thoughts

        Exactly. In a spring where Omar Infante got 4/30ish and Drew dug his heels in, it would have been awful to be saddled with him then. The Yankees can gladly hold their nose, pick him now on a short-term tryout, and see if there’s enough left to merit consideration at short in a post-Jeter world. While improving, of course, on the ragged corpse of Brian Roberts.

        • Steve (different one)

          Would have been awful to be saddled with Infante too, but that didn’t stop everyone from losing their minds over that either….

        • RetroRob

          And SSS alert, but he has been more productive since the All-Star break, with roughly an OPS over 800. Won’t take much to be an improvement over what they’ve had.

    • Jorge Steinbrenner

      I am on the same side as emac2 and Stuart on something.

      • Macho Man “Randy Levine”

        I’ll be watching the skies for four eerie figures on horses.

        • Cashman’s Cult Sabathia

          Carebears riding my little ponies?

  • Blake

    They could always play Prado at 2B vs LHP and sit Drew…..that’s probably what is do. Prado in RF vs RHP and at 2B vs LHP……Drew can’t hit lefties but he usually hits RHP very well and he’s a significant upgrade over Roberts for the last 2 months IMO……he could get hot and really help out

  • pete22

    I was in the sign Drew camp since last NOvember. If he had been signed then the Yankees would be in first place by now. He will now save the season. You watch.

    It was a tough situation in Boston with many people unhappy Boegarts was moved to 3B, including Boegarts, and starting a season in June w/o
    ST. He has been much better this month though.

    He might struggle a bit at 2B though to start, but he may very well be the yankees SS next year as he showcases his talents.

    Also love the Prado move and Roberts DFA.

    Great month by Cashman, he has redeemed himself in my mind. .

    • derp

      LOL!

      so stephen drew is a ten Win player?????

      he’d have us in first?????

      another lohud tragedy dumped on RAB’s doorstep. for shame.

    • OldYanksFan

      “I was in the sign Drew camp since last NOvember. If he had been signed then the Yankees would be in first place by now.”

      Can we give this statement some kind of Lohudish reward?

  • wanzies222

    Cliff Lee just left his start in the third inning… mid-batter.

    Pointing to his elbow.

    • Exiledintampa

      Should have given him away when they had the chance.

    • Giuseppe Franco

      Hurry, Cash! Go get ’em!

    • wanzies222

      AJ Burnett is talking to Lee and probing his UCL.

      Ouch.

      Bad day to be a Phightin’ Phan.

    • Jorge Steinbrenner

      Which is NOT the same as pointing to the Wrestlemania sign.

      • Macho Man “Randy Levine”

        I’M GOING TO WRESTLEMANIA!!!

        I WAS PROBABLY GOING TO BE ON THE CARD ANYWAY!!!

  • Exiledintampa

    I just saw Cliff Lee exited the game with another elbow injury. Kiss that plan goodbye.

    • CashmanNinja

      That sound you heard was either Lee’s UCL tearing or Ruben Amaro’s heart breaking. Oh well…that’s what happens when you get greedy.

    • pete22

      Should never have been on the radar with his salary and elbow concerns

  • Blake

    @AdamKilgoreWP: And Cliff Lee leaves in the third inning. Dejected.

    Ok forget that

    • Bret The Hitman

      Dodged a rocket launcher there.

      Considering the price tag on Cole Hamels, I’m assuming Lester has become the Yankees top target.

  • Dalek Jeter

    So over the last month Solarte, Nuno, Johnson, a “B” prospect (O’Brien) and Roberts into Headley, McCarthy, The RAB White Whale Stephen Drew and Prado? I like it. This team has a punchers chance to get into the playoffs, where once you get in anything can happen, AND hugged all their top prospects. I’m not in love with Prado, but what we gave for him? Not a bad move.

    • Blake

      I think Prado is better than what he showed in Arizona ….he’s versatile defensively and he’s a great clubouse guy……plus as I mentioned earlier he really has hit lefties this year and they need somebody to do that given that

      • wanzies222

        Hi Blake,

        So did the NYY get ALL of your wishlist (ultimately)?

        Headley, Drew, Prado, McCann….

        And BTW, LaRusso has to take control of the Snakes… all of the scouts that have watched O’Brien see the same thing… Shelly Duncan.

        What in the world are those nimrods thinking?

        Steve

        • Blake

          If I talk about Tulo enough maybe that will come true!

          • wanzies222

            Well, I’ll give you credit for getting him to Yankee Stadium…lol.

      • nycsportzfan

        Hes a Career 340OBP guy as well. Not bad when for a 5-7 yr career. Also hes got alittle pop in that bat. Shoot, he was hitting 280 like 4days ago. Overall, hes always hit for a solid to above solid avg. Hes also only 30yrs old. I think there is alot to like about the trade for Prado. Always have liked him. And add in his versatility and you got yourself a player

    • Farewell Mo

      I agree 100% though not so much the part where “anything can happen” in the playoffs. The Yanks would likely have to beat Detroit and Oakland with rotations of Price, Scherzer, Sanchez, Porcello/ Verlander and Lester, Samardzija, Kazmir and Gray respectively.

      That would be somewhere around the 1980 US hockey team level of miracle IMO.

      • Jorge Steinbrenner

        I’ll take that.

      • RetroRob

        Yup, but we all, hopefully, recognize this is not a great team, but I do believe anything can happen once in the postseason, so let’s hope they get to the postseason. A return of Tanaka and Pineda would be cool, too.

        • Farewell Mo

          Even if they lost in the playoffs, it would be great to see Jeter in the post season 1 last time.

          • Havok9120

            Exactly. If they find a way to play meaningful games in October, I will be very happy.

    • derp

      RAB wasn’t the only crew whaling for Drew. blake practically polished his (baseb)balls for months.

      and to think…. Boston paid to get him warmed up and we didn’t have to sign the putz for four years. woot!

      • Jorge Steinbrenner

        This is good to know. Thank you.

        *pulls out “Guide to LoHudders” notebook*

      • Blake

        Well basically I talked all winter about how bad the infield defense was……and it was ….and that Drew could help

      • Exiledintampa

        Blake also wanted Lee badly.

        Blake, you win a few, you lose a few. Hope he isn’t spoiling your celebration. lol

        • Blake

          Only if healthy and obviously he isn’t

    • Cheval Anonyme

      Well, Depaula also.

  • Farewell Mo

    Great job by Cashman. 4 solid upgrades and no major part of the future mortgaged.

    Now they can resign Headley for 3B next year, Prado could be 2B or super utility if Refsnyder is ready, OF is set with Gardner, Ellsbury, Beltran (for better or worse).

    Just need a SS (resigning Drew is a possibility) and a couple of starters.

    • TheStraw

      Scherzer will be in Pinstripes.

      • Farewell Mo

        I don’t know how I feel about giving a pitcher on the wrong side of 30 a 5-7 year deal north of $140 million.

        They just never seem to work out for more than a year or two at best.

        • vicki

          resign yourself. this is the world we’re living in.

          • W.B. Mason Williams

            So you’re saying A-Rod can pitch…

      • Jorge Steinbrenner
      • RetroRob

        If they go for a pitcher, I’m thinking more Lester.

        • wanzies222

          No QO, more $$ than Scherzer.

        • vicki

          yep. gimme the lefty. and in light of kershaw, ryu and urias (should he make it), i can see the dodgers backing the truck up for right-handed scherzer.

          but, man, i hate lester’s face.

          • wanzies222

            vicki,

            WADR, I think if the NYY sign him, you’ll be very happy.

            He is truly a humble man, appreciative of the history of the game and very engaged in charitable work.

            We’ve had him at camps in the past and you can’t help but like him.

            Steve

          • RetroRob

            I know, but I grew to hate his face less by comparison. He was on the same team as Lackey, who should be picked out 10 out of 10 police lineups as the criminal/thief/murderer/child molester suspect. Plus, Lester appeared in Jeter’s commercial while still a Red Sox, so hat tip to that. Hmmm, just realized that AJ Eyechart was also in that commercial and both have now been cut or traded by the Red Sox.

            Seriously, though, I’ll take the lefty over the righty. The Yankees are going to need one with CC on the decline.

  • TheStraw

    Cliff Lee called for the trainers immediately after throwing a pitch and then left the game. Guess that contingency plan is out the window.

    • Pkyankfan69

      Thank sweet baby Jesus we didn’t trade for him today

  • Exiledintampa

    I’m grateful I won’t have to endure watching Lackey pitch against the Yanks this week. If you can hate a guy you’ve never met, Lackey’s on my list.

    • HansDavenport

      Oh my God. Yes, I hate the guy too.

  • forensic

    Personally, I kind of put the Drew and Prado moves in the class of the Headley move. I don’t see them as much of an upgrade, though maybe there’s a slight bit there (at least potentially), but at least they didn’t really give up anything I’m going to be overly upset about. Really, the worst thing might be that I don’t like that Prado is on the books for how much he is over the next two years. I don’t see them as that much closer to making the postseason now (or making noise in the postseason, which might be less likely given what other teams did) than I did yesterday.

    • CashmanNinja

      I don’t think the Drew deal is that big, but all we did was give up Kelley Johnson. Even though I don’t think Johnson got a fair break here…he’s expendable none-the-less and now we have a chance to see what Drew can do and maybe re-sign him next year. The Prado move is the one that makes me happy because he’s just a very solid player. He can help us out in several areas and even when he’s bad he’s still pretty good. He’s not some insanely amazing player or anything, but he’s solid and will help this team. He’s kind of like a much better version of Jerry Hairston, both offensively and defensively.

      • baseballforpimps

        haven’t bother to check Prado’s power numbers this year. but having gardner, Ells and Prado in the OF means to me that if Yanks are interested in adding a power bat this OS if will have to infielder or at DH. Maybe Prado can play 2nd base til the Reefer man gets here in 15.

        • vicki

          099 iso.

        • W.B. Mason Williams

          Hanley Ramirez or bust!

    • derp

      well it’s hard to think we’d have worse than johnson, ichirold and roberts….. so ya, i’d say it’s a nice little upgrade.

      getting rid of two of those guys and putting old man winter on the bench and replacing them with RLP’s is an improvement ffs.

      prado… cheap and versatile. yes… 11M is now pretty cheap for a guy that can move around the field and not embarrass himself at the plate.

    • RetroRob

      I do think collectively the McCarthy, Headley, Prado and Drew moves have made the Yankees four or five games better. Yet they’ve lost Tanaka, who was probably worth four games better, so it might just be a wash. Yet they’re still better.

  • baseballforpimps

    love the lester for Cespedes deal for Bonton. on the yanks, looks like they did not give up much for incremental upgrades. probably the best scenario for a team that is not remotely close to winning a championship.

    • CashmanNinja

      I wouldn’t say they have no chance of winning, but it’s definitely an uphill climb. These moves are ones that will help a bit so at the very least they’re a better team than they were yesterday. I’d much rather they make this kind of move rather than sell the farm for another player. While that player may help a ton…it just isn’t the wisest baseball move to give the future for someone who can help, but isn’t the “missing piece” right now. We have several missing pieces.

    • derp

      what’s so great about the Cespedes deal? they get an outfielder through a rebuild year.

      yay cherrington?

      not exactly.

      • Jorge Steinbrenner

        If Lester signs somewhere else, and I gladly take the field there, then I think they lost an opportunity in not getting multiple pieces for him.

        • wanzies222

          Agree.

          No QO for Lester, so more $$ as well.

          Gonna be tough for him to turn down 25/yr.

          • derp

            they got a comp pick from OAK as well didn’t they?

            there’s that problem solved.

            • wanzies222

              Good point.

    • pete22

      Cespedes is a FA after 2015 and may not be a great fit in that clubhouse. Its a great move for Oakland for this year, they get an ace in Lester for the post season and Gomes can hit if given a chance to play, and is a good character guy to boot. Boston did trade him to someone who would be unable to extend or sign him so he may be back with Boston, but I doubt it.

      Red Sox on paper should not be much competition for the rest of the season with all their dumps, and the Rays will be weakened by the loss of Price despite the gain of Smyly. Good day for the Yankees. Another SP’er would have been nice though.

      • RetroRob

        It’s funny, but when Cespedes signed with the A’s, I figured he’d be traded in July 2014, so Beane could maximize return value. I forgot about it until a few weeks ago, but figured since they were in the race he’d hold him and trade him in the offseason. Guess not, he still went with plan A.

        I doubt Cespedes signs with the Red Sox. He’ll shoot for free agency.

        • vicki

          after building even more value in cozy fenway.

          • RetroRob

            Exactly.

  • Hankflorida

    The Yankees need power in the infield as long as Gardner and Ellsbury play together as I still consider them to be table setters and not power players. I grew up with the power of DiMaggio, Keller in the outfield with the table setters in infield. Once you remove power from the outfield, you have to find it at other positions and Drew and Prado do not fit the bill.

    • RetroRob

      Problem is there is a shortage of power across MLB now. Seriously, I was looking at AL OFers and as a group they are a far cry from the big, hairy home-run hitting beasts we expect. I guess my point is I don’t know how easy it will be to get that power. Certainly harder than it was four or fives years ago.

      King Kong Keller. Now that guy could have been a HOFer if a few things broke differently for him. Way before my time, but I’ve read quite a bit about him.

    • Jimmy

      Tommy Henrich was in that outfield as well. My Dad’s all-time favorite player growing up. That was a historical outfield that lasted for almost ten years.

  • SweetSpot

    So . . . many Yankee fans bitch and moan that Cashman et al suck at drafting and developing good major league ballplayers. In that context, the hand wringing and pleading to not deal current prospects makes no sense.

    • HansDavenport

      I really don’t care what anyone says about Cashman. He’s got a high paying high profile job and it comes with the territory. I won’t lose any sleep if some one criticizes him.
      Sounds like your hand wringing in his defense. You and his close buddies?

  • ChipS56

    Winners:
    Boston – they have positioned themselves to have a big offseason and if Craig goes back to being the player he was last year they have a solid offensive OF with him and Cespedes

    Yankees – mini-splashes but didn’t give up much to do it. And equally important Toronto and Baltimore didn’t do anything to upgrade significantly.

    Detroit – Seriously, David Price for Austin Jackson and Drew Smyly? And not having to be held hostage by Max Scherzer come November…huge.

    Seattle – Austin Jackson is the perfect offensive fit for Seattle which has been trying to bang square pegs into round holes looking for sluggers rather than gap hitters.

    Jon Lester – going back to the playoffs and enters the winter not only as a top free agent but a top free agent that’s not attached to draft pick compensation.

    Losers:

    Tampa Bay – Seriously…Nick Franklin and Drew Smyly for David Price – that’s it?

    Phillies & Mets – two teams that should have made moves but didn’t.

    Oakland – I love Jon Lester, but they didn’t need to improve their rotation and the cost of doing so was downgrading from Cespedes to Fuld/Gomes in the lineup. That’s gonna hurt come playoff time.

    Chase Headley – I think the Prado pick up makes it darn near impossible for him to return to the Yankees. Before Prado, even if Alex comes back, Headley could play 3b with Alex at DH and Beltran in the OF. Now, if Alex comes back he’s either the 3b (with Beltran at DH and Prado in RF) or the DH with Prado at 3b and Beltran in RF. That is unless Prado winds up at 2b next year – in which case Rob Refsynder’s stuck.

    Mike Matheney – A couple of days ago he ripped reporters who asked why he wasn’t playing Oscar Tavares. His response was that he was trying to win games not develop players. Days later his GM deals Craig, essentially forcing his manager to play a player he didn’t want to play.

    Toronto & Baltimore – both needed upgrades and between them they got Andrew Miller.

    Jim Bowden – seriously, ESPN needs to have some sort of class on how to use Twitter.

    • vicki

      pretty much.

    • Go Win

      Prado’s acquisition almost surely means Headley is just a rent.

    • Jorge Steinbrenner

      Disagree on Headley. He hits, he gets an offer. Prado’s not blocking that.

      • HansDavenport

        Agreed. There would be room for both on this roster.

      • wanzies222

        Agree. Headley may end up playing a lot of 1B.

      • Bret The Hitman

        Agree 100%

        Headley + Prado is also excellent infield defense at 3B and 2B. Sprinkle in Tex and the Yankees can afford to add a shortstop with merely an average glove like Hanley Ramirez.

      • ChipS56

        Only way I see room for Headley, Prado, Beltran and Alex to all be on the roster is if Prado plays 2b. That’s totally possible. The Yankees could use Refsnyder in a deal for a SS if they decide to not re-sign Stephen Drew. But outside of that how do you make the four of them fit into three spots?

        • wanzies222

          FWIW, and we’re getting ahead of ourselves, but I don’t think Prado is going to be exclusively an IF. As a RHH, his flexibility is going to be attractive.

          And who knows, if Castillo and/or Tomas are signed?

          Lots of potential for roster reconstruction next year.

          For now, let’s get #28 out of the way first.

    • Cashman’s Cult Sabathia

      Winners:
      Pete O’Brien – went from an organization that has literally no place to play him to an organization that has a history of loving swing for the fences guys (Reynolds, Trumbo, and Dunn, if he didn’t walk so much)

      Michael Axisa – Tons of traffic.

      Losers:
      Jose Bautista – complained about it publicly, which probably didn’t endear him to the Jays FO.

      Team Sizemore

    • pete22

      Good post.

      In the Price deal the Rays got a prospect, albeit only 18 yo who is supposedly ahead of the curve and playing in an older league and doing quite well. They might think Smyly has more upside if he can learn to get RHB’ers out

      I also think Cespedes bat is over rated, and his defense does not play as well in Fenway. Then there are character issues and the fact he is only signed through 2015. Gomes might surprise with regular playing time and his character credentials could help

      The importance of an elite pitcher with post season success may also be underrated. A’s have some good pitching for the regular season, but only Kazmir can be considered elite and who knows how he holds up in October. Billy Beane realizes what works in the regular season may not work in the post season

  • Bigdan

    I like the Drew acquisition. I was against the Yanks signing Drew earlier this year because he simply wasn’t a good fit for 2014 and the Yanks clearly understood that. But Drew could be an effective option for 2015 on a short term deal and the last two months of this season makes for a nice try out with little to lose but a bit of cash and Roberts.

    Prado is problematic. The problem is his contract. He will play no matter how ineffective he is because he’s got a serious contract. $10MM per through 2016. This isn’t Roberts. No DFA for this guy. He’s here for the relatively long haul. And he’s not OF, at least not with the bat. He will be targeted for the infield and play every day because of his contract. With Arod at 3b second base is the only real option for him so where does that leave Refs? I hope he hits better than his .686 OPS in over 400 ABs this year. One wonders if Solarte could beat that at 1/20 of the cost.

    • pete22

      Drew was acquired to help in 2014. The try out spin is a secondary consideration. One can only imagine how this would have worked out of Drew was signed in the offseason (BTW, whats going on with that lefty releiver in the draft that was supposed to help this year, have not heard much of him)

      As for Prado maybe this deal signals that Arod is not long for this team. If not, it could mean Arod will be getting most of his playing time at DH, and that Beltran will be expected to play RF in 2015 and 2016. Its either one or the other, but in either case, it signals that they have a role for him next year and in 2016

      I do agree they gave up on Solarte too early, but Headely makes them a better team this year

    • Bret The Hitman

      I think you’re letting Cashman trip you up when it comes to Headley. He can’t say he’s a possible fit for 2015 because that just reignites the Arod circus and media frenzy. I think Headley is definitely in play for 2015 at 3B and Arod will be mostly a DH for the final 3 years of his career. It’s important to get Beltran’s arm healthy for RF. Then again Arod will be turning 40 in his return season after a long layoff and who knows if he’ll hold up even as a DH. The interest in Headley is very real. Cashman said he worked on acquiring him for 3 months – a rental? I also believe Cashman inquired about Headley before any of the Arod stuff. Headley is far superior to Alex on defense and DH is wide open next year assuming Beltran can recover in the offseason.

  • Gamer

    Our offense is stacked now, no holes

    GARDNER LF
    JETER SS
    ELLSBURY CF
    TEIXEIRA 1B
    BELTRAN DH
    MCCANN C
    HEADLEY 3B
    PRADO RF
    DREW SS

    I believe that we get another pitcher during waivers to…maybe Kennedy?

    Phelps
    Kuroda
    Mccarthy
    Kennedy
    Capuano or Greene

    Not the best…but not bad at all

    • http://www.penuel-law.com/ Cuso

      Kennedy won’t clear waivers with that low salary and team control left.

      Waivers are for the big money guys like Lee in August. And he just got yanked from his start.

      Point is, Pads won’t waive Kennedy.

      • nycsportzfan

        I’m hoping for Antonio Bastardo to clear waivers.

    • derp

      kennedy as a waiver wire salary dump?????

      if they didn’t trade him, they won’t just let him go.

    • Jimmy

      Assuming you mean Drew at 2B unless you want him standing behind the diving Jeter.

  • Exiledintampa

    I think you undertimate how important an addition like Andrew Miller can be for the O’s. They’re already in first place and pulling away.Another arm really helps them alot.I was kinda hoping the Yankees picked up a bullpen piece given how much they look like their tiring

    • Exiledintampa

      Meant to be a reply to ChipS56

      • ChipS56

        You’re not happy with Esmil Rodgers :-)

        Miller’s a nice pickup – but Baltimore still needs another bat and starter.

  • http://www.penuel-law.com/ Cuso

    I’m very content today for the record. Except for the part about how the Cardinals bent over for the Sox.

    • RetroRob

      They do it in the World Series, so why not at trade deadline too?

      • http://www.penuel-law.com/ Cuso

        I said the exact same thing to my Cards fan buddy.

        All of 2013, he was telling me how the best contract in
        The majors was the one Craig had just signed. He was offended when I suggested that GMs view Rizzo as having higher value than Craig. Never said Craig was not worth his contract – just that Rizzo was more valuable.

        Today? Mozeliak is a genius! In no way was the Lackey deal an overpay. Flip-flopping occurs everywhere. Even with the “best baseball fans in the world.”

  • Dicka24

    I live in Boston, and I have to say, I wish the Yankees did last year, what the Redsox did this year. Hindsight is always 20/20, but I was of the opinion that the Yankees should have been sellers last year. Think of what Cano might have fetched at the deadline.

    It pains me to say it, but the Sox did well today. Cespedas, Craig, Kelly, (prospect) Rodriguez, and a Comp B pick are a nice haul. Imagine if they resign Lester too. It was smart business today.

    I like what the Yankees did, and have done. We give Cashman grief, but consider how much he’s been able to do, and what little cost he’s paid to do so. To date, the best prospect he gave up is O’Brien. While he has monster power, he’s got a sub .300 OBP, and no position on the diamond. Headley, Prato, Drew, McCarthy… it’s hard to not like it, all things considered. I’d love for them to get another starter, but for now, they’ve improved enough to give them a shot at a playoff spot.

    I can’t believe that’s what Tampa traded David Price for. Really? Drew Smyly, a struggling at the pros top prospect, and some A ball guy who few have ever heard about. They obviously know more than me, but that seems awfully light for a year+ of Price + what should be a compensatory pick if he’s tendered next year. Real surprising.

    Cliff Lee just left his start with an elbow injury. So we can scratch him from the August waiver period. He ain’t going anywhere but to Dr Andrews office, and then the DL.

    • ChipS56

      Oh, I completely agree – the Red Sox did with Lester EXACTLY what the Yankees should have done with Cano.

    • http://www.penuel-law.com/ Cuso

      Kinda crazy after all the posturing that all they got was Smyly and Franklin. I mean wouldn’t just trading him straight up for Pederson been more valuable than that? Seems like a misstep by Freidman.

      • Paisa

        I thought this at first too. But they did net a mid rotation starter and a guy who will likely start right away for them at 2b. They’ll control both of them for roughly the next 5 years so I don’t think it’s a disaster and it’s possible they get more out of those guys over that period than they would with price.

        Whether they could have gotten more is another story.

    • derp

      IF they sign Lester…. IF they resign Cespedes next year….

      neither of those are probable. they’re small market and gritty ya know.

    • RetroRob

      Well, there is a difference. The Yankees were in the race last year and they didn’t exactly build an empire by folding the cards. For the third time in four years, the Red Sox are having a bad season. They’re out of it, so they can trade Jon Lester. The Yankees weren’t trading Cano and they intended to sign Cano, unlike the Red Sox, who basically took their Andy Pettitte and shipped him off.

    • Jorge Steinbrenner

      The Yankees weren’t dead last at this point last season.

      • HansDavenport

        No but they were effectively out of it. Not mathematically but everyone but them knew they weren’t going anywhere in October, besides home.

        • RetroRob

          Because that’s what fans think. They give up. Easy.

        • Now Batting

          I believe the Yankees were within 1 game of a playoff in September before fading. They clearly weren’t playing like a contender but when you’re that close you have to roll the dice.

        • Mr. Roth

          Who is this “everyone” you speak of?

  • wanzies222

    Jim Salisbury ?@JSalisburyCSN 3m
    Official word: Lee has recurrence of left flexor pronator strain. Given that he missed 2 months last time, I’d say season is done for him.

    • wanzies222

      Matt Gelb ?@MattGelb 30m
      The Phillies owe Cliff Lee approximately $45.8 million through 2015.

      • RetroRob

        …which is why he couldn’t be traded. Teams needed to see he was healthy, and he just didn’t pitch enough. Imagine if the Yankees traded for him, he took the mound in Boston tomorrow, and left in the third inning? Yikes!

        • Get Phelps Up

          Cashman didn’t fail.

        • steve (different one)

          Imagine if he accepted their 6 year offer 3 years ago?

          • Get Phelps Up

            Well, that would have been a little different because they would have had him in 2011-2013 when he was still an elite pitcher.

    • W.B. Mason Williams

      I’m pretty sure RAJ just forgot that the deadline was at 4 and realized 3 innings into the game that he hadn’t traded Lee yet.

  • Havok9120

    This may have been Cashman’s most impressive trade deadline as GM. I’m not saying any of these moves turned the Yanks into contenders for the championship, but 4 moves which collectively improved the team by 3-6 wins and cost virtually nothing?

    No, there was no big flashy move, but the quantity was impressive, as is the fact that the farm remains almost completely intact.

    • http://www.penuel-law.com/ Cuso

      Agreed. I’m very happy with the restraint, yet ability to make something out of nothing too.

  • BoS8

    Just add up the projected WAR by the players added. (Multiply by the Square Root of the Lease and cast out nines). Some pretty solid, shrewd moves by the Cash. Four fifths of the rotation gone and it’s still an interesting season. This team has a chance at an Aura and Mystique story if the stars align. Now that’s entertainment.

    • Go Win

      Martin Prado has been good for a cumulative WAR of 15 in the last 4 years. On average this means a WAR of 3.75 per year. We basically have only one hitter in the big leagues tracking to achieve a WAR above 3.0 this year and that is Brett Gardner.

      Net Martin Prado does lengthen the line up, is a solid player and is not that old at 30 yrs of age. Also he provides position flexibility which will help a lot if the yankees are planning to use ARod next year – if this is the case they need a back up plan at 3B and Prado is a solid one, and he can fill other positions while/if ARod is healthy and playing 3B.

      The bad news is that Prado will not help in the power department which is the yankees biggest need. Also his contract is not cheap. Finally he is not playing up to his usual numbers this year so the yankees are betting on a rebound.

      O Brien had some holes in his swing and he did not seem to fit anywhere on defense. On the other side his power was very difficult to find these days.

      Most probably O Brien will not figure things out and this will turn out to be a good trade for the yankees. But if O Brien develops acceptable solid skills and can play passable defense this is a deal that the yankees could regret. It is kind of a safe bet with the odds on yankees favor. The diamondbacks took the risk and also the upside.

  • wanzies222

    And LAA’s Skaggs just left his start with an injury…..

    • Exiledintampa

      Ya with a no hitter goin in the 5th. How quick your luck can change.

      • wanzies222

        Roch Kubatko ?@masnRoch 11m
        Skaggs left game with left forearm tightness

  • wanzies222

    Martin Prado: “I think everybody dreams to play for the Yankees”

    • RetroRob

      I do, but they never call. Bastards.

    • vicki

      i’m a sucker for that stuff.

    • gilmac

      Why didn’t he speak up sooner!

    • Steinbrenner’s Ghost

      Except for Cliff Lee’s wife

  • Jorge Steinbrenner

    One thing I haven’t seen mentioned once is what wasn’t traded. There was not movement of the high-end prospect types at all. Everyone is prospect-hugging right now, other than Russell going in the Shark trade.

    • ChipS56

      Instead of moving high end prospects teams were willing to deal off their 25 – which is kinda shocking.

      • Jorge Steinbrenner

        Surprised me for sure. Wonder if we’ll see more of this moving forward. I think Boston missed an opportunity to maximize on their return because of it.

        • ChipS56

          I read an interesting article on the A’s deal with the Cubs for JS – that Moneyball’s basic premise is to find what’s overvalued and use it to get you what is being undervalued and right now what’s being overvalued are prospects so Beane used them to get him what he needed.

          I think that speaks to the the larger trend. Look at Seattle – you’re willing to give up Nick Franklin for Austin Jackson (a nice player) but not willing to give up Franklin and Tijuan Walker for David Price? Silly.

    • RetroRob

      Yes, but there is one man who is not prospect hugging. The original prospect hugger. Mr. Market Inefficiency. Billy Beane.

      His entire roster is pretty much not home grown. He traded Russell. While everyone else hugs the prospects, he has once again gone to another part of the market…and others will follow…again.

      • Old Man Time

        I think he has 2 home grown players.

    • gilmac

      About time you’ve got to that. Covered everything else.

    • derp

      they were mentioned several times dumbfuck…. try reading the threads.

  • ChipS56

    I’m also adding Yankees to my list of losers for what they did to Brian Roberts. Just bad form hosing a guy out of his roster bonus.

    And increasing the loser status of the Phillies, now they’ll get nothing for Lee.

    • http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadgeek Roadgeek Adam

      Yeah well, Ruben Amaro Jr still has a job as of tonight….

    • Mr. Roth

      Roberts is a multi millionaire, there’s no reason to feel bad for him. If he played better baseball he would have gotten his bonus because he wouldn’t have been benched.

      • ChipS56

        I don’t feel bad for him, I feel like the Yankees (as an organization) should be better than that.

        • Mr. Roth

          It’s a business, man. I can’t expect the Yankees just to go around handing out bonuses that weren’t earned. If Roberts gave them a reason to keep him in the lineup, he would have made his bonus.

          He didn’t.

    • n0exit

      They clearly didn’t cut Roberts to save 250k. They took on like ~10m today so it wasn’t at all about the money.

  • Pollyanna aka tri.sha

    Pete22, that was funny, seeing how long before Polly.anna disappears! Anyway, talk about an insecure blog owner. Tri.sha was offed before she had a chance to be controversial!

    I’ve always liked Prado. The one thing about the Yankees is they seem to miss the wave. I’m not doubting we can still get good production from Prado, but they seem to have a penchant for picking up quality players but always later in the game.

    Also, it’s tough to separate MMQBs from real innovators. Nobody knows whether any player is going to get the job done. You don’t just move a player paradigm from one park to another. Evolved minds at least consider the possibility that playing under the spotlight in the Bronx might not always play. It took Clemens better than half a season to adjust to being in pinstripes.

    • bojo

      Given that usual adjustment period thingy, I have been very, very impressed with how Headley and McCarthy have performed.

      • HansDavenport

        You mean like real major league players?

      • Pollyanna aka tri.sha

        As have I. Some will come in and just do it. Others need adjustment time.

    • vicki

      i bartend in the east village, basically a nightlife district with its dense concentration of bars. i always marvel that it’s so hard to get 86’d drunks to leave, when they could just move along to another place right across the street. it’s the negative attention, i guess. some’s better than none?

      • gilmac

        It is a peculiarity. Noticed the same thing.

      • HansDavenport

        It’s been ages but I recall the same thing when I tended bar. I hated to call the cops. You know?

    • Paisa

      “they seem to have a penchant for picking up quality players but always later in the game.”

      Because they get them for cheap at the last second. He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not
      will be victorious

  • nycsportzfan

    So here is the question. Is Rob Refsnyder the Yanks primary 2nd basemen next yr?

    • RetroRob

      Yes.

      No.

      Maybe.

      I hope that clears things up.

      • Jorge Steinbrenner

        Perhaps.

    • Bret The Hitman

      Prado at 2B

      Headley/Arod at 3B

      Hanley at SS

    • Magic 8-ball

      Reply hazy try again

  • Yanks101

    Guys can we slow down the comments alittle. I know theres a huge influx of you from Lohud. But try not to rank up the comments into the hundreds. we try to keep it to a few conversations here not 100’s of comments im sure that most rab people would agree with me. Please also try not to cause the trouble here that you did at lohud.

    • Jorge Steinbrenner

      You got here three days ago.

      • Yanks101

        No I was under another handle and got banned actually lol. So check you facts

        • Exiledintampa

          So you’re a banned poster telling new posters how often they should post. On an open thread that clearly states in the last sentence what this thread is for. OK

          • Jorge Steinbrenner

            Thank you.

            • Exiledintampa

              Look I know many or most of you guys are not doing back flips that we had to leave a place and come here to find the next best alternative to the freedom we once enjoyed. but most of us are adhearing to the guidlines and normal posting rates. I guess being banned means something else here.I do understand though, We had too many people that just would not go away no matter how much trouble they caused. So, I understand.Consider our persence here a complement to our viewing this as the place we choose to migrate to.You guys have a great blog and I hope I’ll be an accepted part of it.

              • HansDavenport

                Possibly you chose this as a place to migrate to as you had nowhere else to go. Like the Puritans.

              • Yanks101

                Thats all I ask for. Didnt mean to start a fight. and you have very insightful opnions exiled in tampa. I read your comments alot on lohud and I posted on Lohud the other dy how big of an ass move it was that they did over there and you agreed with me. so I do like your perspective what are your thoughts on the yanks deadline moves?

              • Jorge Steinbrenner

                Honestly, I’m really happy to have you all here.

                Not that I claim to have a clue as to what Mike does behind the scenes on a daily basis, but I don’t think bans happen often here.

                If you’re crossing a line, Mike will call you out. You don’t listen, that’s on you.

                We also tend to have people purposely trying to sabotage threads posting under different handles. They usually meet their demise.

                Other than that? Mike doesn’t run a tight ship.

                Some new commenters are doing a great job on here. Some don’t seem to care that they showed up overnight on an established community and still want to do things their own way. That’s going to happen.

                The “Hi!” and “Bye!” posts seem silly to me, and I do wish you all would integrate that into regular comments a bit more, but complaining about people being nice to one another does seem pretty counterproductive.

          • Yanks101

            I got banned for cursing once

            • Dalek Jeter

              Calling bullshit. I’ve sworn up and down threads and never have been banned.

      • Yanks101

        You actually like the 253 comments? in half an hour? You cant freaking find anything

        • Jorge Steinbrenner

          You’re no better in DOTF when it’s 1/3 of the comments.

          • Yanks101

            Yes but that still stays under 100 usually.
            The trade deadline was over 1000. it just sucks to have to search for what your looking for

    • Old Man Time

      I guess your nightly 200 questions in the DotF thread doesn’t add to the comment count.

      • RetroRob

        I guess he doesn’t like the competition.

        • Jorge Steinbrenner

          I kind of like how the volume drowns out some of our worst offenders, actually. Hell, it even drowns us regulars out a bit.

          • RetroRob

            Do I know you?

            It will find it’s own pace eventually. The arrival of the Lohudders along with the trade deadline has probably aggravated it some.

          • forensic

            I actually don’t like the insane jump in volume. I had gotten comfortable with things how they were and liked being able to find comments from usual commenters and easily finding some of the people whose analysis and opinions I’ve come to respect. But, it’s not my blog so who cares about my opinion or preferences.

            It’ll be interesting to see what happens here over time, though, both with ‘regulars’ and ‘newbies’, for lack of better terms.

            • Yanks101

              see thank you for agreeing with me foresic its just too much.

              • forensic

                It’s too much now, just because it was basically an overnight deluge. But, unlike you, I’m not telling people what to comment or how often to comment. It is what it is. If I, or others, don’t adapt, then we’ll just have to make a decision in terms of how often I/we comment or just lurk.

                They’re also not ‘causing trouble’ as far as I can tell so far, for the most part. Just like we want somewhere to talk about the Yankees, so do they, and it’s not my place to begrudge them that, even though it’s not what I had gotten used to and liked for a long time.

                Change is inevitable, but rarely easy.

                • The Big City of Dreams

                  Just like we want somewhere to talk about the Yankees, so do they,

                  But, unlike you, I’m not telling people what to comment or how often to comment
                  —————–

                  That’s the thing we are all here because we root for the same team.

                  It’s like Shame said it’s a culture clash. The regulars have their opinions and the new members have theirs. There is no way the posts well be in the 100 comments range.

                  • Jorge Steinbrenner

                    Co-sign.

                  • Jorge Steinbrenner

                    I still may have grumpy moments where I go off on someone for not using the reply button.

                    • The Big City of Dreams

                      That’s understandable because you think hey this player or move or topic is being discussed several posts up top. This transition will take some getting used to. I also think the trade deadline plays a role in the volume of comments. I’m sure there will be topics the new members have no interest in just like there are topics the regulars had no interest in.

            • Bret The Hitman

              forensicyankees,

              On average, with more posters posting, each poster will have to do more reading in proportion to posts.

              I know speed reading/skimming is not terribly exciting but once you pick out usernames you enjoy conversation with vs. not it’s easier. Plus you can skim for nested threads since those typically involve topics of interest you might want to jump into.

              • forensic

                Why do you keep calling me forensicyankees?

                I know how to skim through them, but there’s a difference time-wise between doing it for 100 comments vs. 300 comments. And, other than ‘open threads’, the comments here should be on topic with the original post, so it’s not like there should be 15 conversations about random things with only one nest group you have to find that would be on topic.

                • Bret The Hitman

                  Because forensicyankees is your original handle.

                  • forensic

                    lol, didn’t want to give it away as a test.

                    Were you on the ESPN boards way back when I used that name? I don’t remember if I ever used it here.

                    • Bret The Hitman

                      How the hell else would I know it? I posted about BERGKID telling me about Melky Cabrera when Melky was just 17. Thought that might have tipped you off I’m one of the originals.

                    • forensic

                      I recognized BERGKID but didn’t remember if that was here or way back then. You actually camouflaged it well since I wasn’t sure if that was there, if that was you, and what your original name was.

                      My schedule is all screwed up this week so I’m a little slow on the uptake right now.

                    • Bret The Hitman

                      Like you, BERKGID, RODNEYNYG27, MCMC23, MIKEYBRONX, I am one of the founding fathers of Yankees talk online. We invented the Internet. I can’t for the life of me remember the name of the troll who cracked jokes about $$ and Yankees buying championships. He hated Notre Dame, very skilled troll. It will come back to me.

                    • forensic

                      Wow, I remember all those names, crazy. Talk about taking a trip in the wayback machine. For some reason, yours isn’t sticking out like theirs but maybe it’s just the group of them in caps in one place that’s making them stick out.

                    • Bret The Hitman

                      NDlosers!

                      That was his name.

                      Greatest sports troll who ever graced the planet, master of the hit-and-run, never wore out his welcome so that with every appearance his material seemed fresh, like a pile of poop, yet it was the same regurgitated theme about George and the Evil Empire buying up baseball. Brewers fan. My guess.

                      Which brings me to OTFDT, funniest poster who ever lived, resided in Madison, Wisconsin.

                    • vicki

                      otdtf (as i called him) had moved to seattle by 2009, when i moved in. i loved him sincerely, and i like to think it was mutual.

                      and the king of all trolls called himself mostly berkshirebull and braunfallsonface by the end. he trolled his fellow brewer fans more than anybody. i was once accused of being a berk persona; it was a great honor.

                      you can’t access this stuff via espn anymore, but here’s a fossil.

                      http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/forum/_/name/mil/milwaukee-brewers

                      there will never be another.

                    • Bret The Hitman

                      Oh hi Vicki I’m going back further than 2009 but Seattle seems to suit OT. I think I remember reading your flirtations with him but that was long after I departed the board.

            • Tanuki Tanaka

              As a regular semi-lurker I’ll have to agree that while it’s harder to find stuff and more people to sort out (e.g. dalelama hates Cashman like Cashman ran over his dog then backed over it and barbequed its corpse on his grill and fed it to his family, eddard lives under a bridge, and a certain semi-lurker who waits for good opportunities to post Friends videos) it is not our place to dictate what can and cannot be done.

          • http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadgeek Roadgeek Adam

            Way too much drowning. Hard to hold a conversation when RAB was borking in the open thread.

            • Yanks101

              I agree adam we dont want to lose RAB like they lost lohud

    • HansDavenport

      I’m going to try my best.

  • gilmac

    Annie Wilkes is in the room.

    • Murakami

      Apparently, she’s determined to ruin this discussion board as well.

      • HansDavenport

        That would be her M.O. I am sad to say.

  • Yankeefeminista

    Gilmac, you saw them ask that you don’t make trouble in their house. Try to respect that and leave the Annie Wilkes stuff back at Lohud. TIA.

    • HansDavenport

      You should use the reply button.

      • yankeefeminista

        Sorry. Still learning.

        • HansDavenport

          What was that nickname you had for Jorge Posada?

  • Paisa

    Thinking more about this Lester deal..I really think that it makes a lot of sense from Oaklands perspective. They were going to have to trade cespedes in the offseason and they probably don’t agree to this trade if that’s not the case. So you basically ask yourself do I want 2 months of cespedes plus whatever minor leaguer I get back for him this offseason? Or do I want to add one of the best pitchers in the game for 2 months to best team in the game.

    I really think that the latter is the better choice because what is the return really gonna be for 1 year of a power hitting corner outfielder who doesn’t get on base and struggles on defense? And I know he has all the potential and talent in the world but he’s 28 years old and this is most likely just the player he is.

    • n0exit

      I disagree, in a vaccum this trade is good for Oakland, but when you consider that they already made this trade a few weeks ago with shark it seems kind of redundant. While I don’t normally like Dave Cameron over at fangraphs his point that lester is only a marginal upgrade over the pitcher he’s replacing in the playoffs is a valid one. One extra lester start over kazmir/gray isn’t worth what is essentially the heart of their offense. For the red Sox I think the deal won’t be as good as it looks now. Cespedes strikes out a lot and doesn’t really play good enough defense to play right in that park meaning his arm isn’t really a factor. What did they honestly get? A few home runs and a ton of strikeouts plus a draft pick.

      The flaw in beane’s plan was his lack of patience, if he waited and made this deal instead of the first one then it would have been better.

      • forensic

        Lester, Kazmir, and Gray would all be in the PS rotation for them (along with Samardzija). Lester would be replacing someone like Jesse Chavez or Jason Hammel, one of whom has really been showing some weakness lately and the other of whom kind of sucks already.

        • n0exit

          Lester, kazmir, gray, shark, lester over five games currently instead of shark, gray, kazmir, Chavez/hammel, shark(or some other variation thereof where the game one starter starts game five).

          While the first option looks more enticing the upgrade is one Chavez/hammell start plus one shark start for which they gave up cespedes. That’s a marginal upgrade. They need to score runs regardless of the pitcher.

          • Paisa

            I don’t understand how you can say that cespedes is both the heart of the a’s offense and not that good for Boston at the same time.

            And it’s not just about the playoffs. Oakland still needs to hold of the angels, make sure they win the division, and avoid that crazy wild card game.

            • n0exit

              No Astros and rangers in then east. Yanks, o’s rays and even the blue jays all have better pitching than Astros and rangers. Tougher pitchers will outweigh better parks as he strikes out a lot. Not saying he’s bad but won’t be what everyone is making him out to be. I feel like they made the same move twice and therefore the law of diminishing returns means that the upgrade to the rotation doesn’t make up for the loss to that team. Keep in mind he is the third best player on that team and arguably the biggest star. Also probably the most consistent. And that crisp is injured so the outfield is much weaker now. It could work out but the risk reward doesn’t make sense IMO.

  • nycsportzfan

    Capuano against Ranaudo(ML Debut) tomorrow night

  • HansDavenport

    So what does this leave for the current bench? Ryan, Cervelli, Suzuki, and Almonte? Think Zoilo stays?

    • RetroRob

      They cut Roberts and traded Johnson and added Drew and Prado, so it looks all even. I think Zoilo does stay, or at least he can stay.

      • HansDavenport

        Isn’t Scott Sizemore gone too? So I guess he can stay. Wish he’d show some of that LH power he showed in the minors.

        • forensic

          Sizemore wasn’t on the 25-man and neither was KJ (since he was on the DL). I would all but guarantee that Zoilo is sent down with the bench being Ryan, Cervelli, Suzuki, and Wheeler. Girardi is pretty well committed to not giving Zoilo any real chance, even though he’d be a fine platoon partner for Prado, and I’m sure they’ll instead use Ichiro in some sort of platoon against his weak side, just because he’s a lefty.

          • HansDavenport

            Yes. He really doesn’t care for Almonte.

      • ChipS56

        My guess is they keep Wheeler up instead of Almonte.

        • HansDavenport

          I think so. I’m counting heads and think I got it right, and that is what it comes down too.

        • Jorge Steinbrenner

          I think Wheeler stays as well. Zoilo seems redundant, and Wheeler’s SSS looks more impressive than his.

    • Exiledintampa

      That lase spot is gonna be up and down from SWB.They’re gonna be running bullpen arms like crazy too.

      What happened to Wheeler? With all thats gone on, was he sent down or something and I didn’t hear it?

      • HansDavenport

        I’m not sure, but if he was I would bet they keep him over Zoilo.

      • HansDavenport

        I think Johnson was on the 40 but had just come off the DL and wasn’t on the 25 man. Someone, likely Wheeler or Zoilo will need to be sent down when one of Drew, or Prado is added to the 25 man.

  • yankeefeminista

    FTR,the person above posting with my handle (capital Y) is not me.

    • HansDavenport

      Got it. Didn’t notice the Cap.

    • Tar

      Hi YF

      Thanks for pointing that out. Good to know that someone *cough* can change a letter to a capitol and impersonate someone else.

      • HansDavenport

        I didn’t think she would stick her nose into something like that. I left that bunch months ago. Like this place a lot. Sorry to see a lot of those folks come here.

    • HansDavenport

      Now surely you recall how you used to refer to Jorge Posada?

  • nycsportzfan

    Another 2hit night and a ribby for Refs tonight.

    • Bret The Hitman

      How much is he worth in a trade, theoretically?

      • Jorge Steinbrenner

        A middle reliever……theoretically.

        • Bret The Hitman

          So he has no chance of becoming an A-prospect? Sucks.

          • Jorge Steinbrenner

            Does it really matter? He’s one step away from the majors at the moment.

            • Bret The Hitman

              A major league 2B? What’s his ceiling?

          • derp

            he has a chance of being a 2B if people would just shut their vag’s and relax.

            it’s not as if he had been riding a sky high babip over a short sample and could actually use more time in the minors.

  • hey now

    After today, who’s the lead dog in the AL: Oakland or Detroit?

    My $$$ would be on Det. Both have stacked rotations, but Detroit’s lineup and bullpen improvements give them the edge.

    • n0exit

      Detroit, have no idea how Oakland will react without cespedes. He was a big part of their offense. Also crisp and gentry are injured I think.

      • derp

        cespedes was hardly their best hitter…. funny how a bunch of flagellation from the network could cloud the facts. derp derp derp.

        • n0exit

          Third highest wrc on team among qualified hitters third highest was third highest homerins. Heart of offense not necessarily best player. Biggest star on team.

          • n0exit

            War not was.

  • BigLoving

    Alright maybe I am being pessimistic here or maybe I am just not seeing things clearly so please don’t jump down my throat and at least hear me out…..

    The offense has been such a disappointment this year and I didn’t see it turning the corner unless they got an impact middle of the order bat. Drew and Prado are nice players but they aren’t the guys who will ignite an offense especially considering how bad this lineup has been.

    If they weren’t going to add an impact bat I feel like they should have sold off the little assets they had to try and land some pieces for the future. These moves aren’t making much of an impact right now and certainly aren’t building for the future so what is the direction of this team going forward?

    • Bret The Hitman

      Have to pray McCann, Tex and Beltran, or a combination of 2 of them go on a tear in the 2nd half. I think 2 need to wake up, not just 1.

    • Evan3457

      The problem with this is that these are the Yankees, and, right or wrong, the Yanks don’t sell off. Ever.

      Ever.

  • Get Phelps Up

    I can’t remember any day with as many 200+ comment threads as there were today.

    Overall, I’m happy with what the Yankees did. Persue upgrades at minimal cost which they certainly did. Headley, McCarthy, Prado and Drew are no doubt more valuable than Nuno, Solarte, Roberts and friends whatever way you slice it. I actually thought they could have gotten more for O’Brien and his power numbers, but I’m not too choked up about that one. I suppose the other teams saw the same things concerning his swing that we all did! Also, neither Baltimore or Toronto did much to improve.

  • Pat M.

    Yo Yanks 101, go grab some pine

  • Improbable Island’s Dirty Midget Whores (formerly RRR)

    Prediction: Yankees slip into the second wild card, but a Tanaka back from the disabled list in early September gets crushed.

    I’d be very disappointed, but I’d be happier with that than not making it, absolutely.

    • Bret The Hitman

      I fear TJS for Tanaka. Pitchers over there get abused.

      • forensic

        TJ is essentially a guarantee, it’s just a matter of when it’s going to blow out and be a necessity. A part of me would still rather he just got it done now so he could pitch a little toward the end of next season and then hopefully be full strength in 2016, when hopefully they’ll have a better all-around team and more to play far.

        It’s far from limited to pitchers from Japan, though.

        • Bret The Hitman

          That’s extremely depressing. Tanaka is damaged goods but I’m sure properly insured.

          • derp

            word is most young pitchers are damaged goods.

            coming from the docs… not the lohud faithful.

      • Tanuki Tanaka

        Funny thing is folks in the first half of the 20th century get “abused” even harder and a lot of them manages to be able to pitch for a long time. I don’t really care whether it’s a four-man, five-man or even three-man rotation, or which one of those is better for pitchers. I just want to point out that maybe 70 years ago we’d say pitchers over there get babied.

  • nycsportzfan

    Jaron Long with a gem yet again tonight. At some point we should probably take this kid seriously. Hes striking guys out, and pitching brilliantly.

  • Scott

    I’m glad to come on here and see that cooler heads have prevailed. From the moment Lester was traded this morning, many fans on blogs were all gloom and doom (I’m glad I don’t get WFAN) and Yankees suck, Cashman failed, etc, etc…

    But if you step back and think about the Yanks not having to give up much and make the small changes they did, it was a good deadline. Do I think they will make the playoffs?? Not really, if they do, it will be more because the teams ahead of them (in the WC, I don’t think they can catch the O’s) fall off then the Yanks steam ahead. But they should be more competitive and fun to watch.

    Can’t wait until tomorrow night to see what the line up looks like.

  • Wave Your Hat

    I think the Yanks are a post-season team after today. Not a deep post-season team, but at least a post-season team when they weren’t before. And they didn’t sacrifice any future to do it.

    • Pat M.

      Wave. I agree with you however I think they need either Tanaka ( unlikely ) or Pineda ( more likely )to beef up the rotation for the stretch run.

      • Wave Your Hat

        Absolutely, but I’m not counting on Tanaka, and assuming he doesn’t have a “setback” Pineda still has an awful lot to prove.

      • Bret The Hitman

        I think they need both. I hope I’m not asking for too much.

  • Bret The Hitman

    So Lee is out of the picture – BUT NOT MATT KEMP

    • Nuke Guy

      I’ll gladly pass on Matt Kemp. But Kershaw…

  • Bret The Hitman

    I like Prado for 2B now and next year, Headley for 3B now and next year.

    Shortstop I want Hanley Ramirez over Stephen Drew.

    Pitching I’ll take Lester over Scherzer.

    RF I hope Beltran can play next year so they can DH Arod and keep Headley.

    Arod will be 40 and he’s breaking down. The OPS has been plummeting for years now and he’s a statue at 3B

  • JPK

    I hope cashman can take a nice long shower to get the slime of not only dealing with the Red Sox, but doing so to bring is a sleezyball from a long line of over talented under motivated sleeze bags, to replace a guy who they benched to save 250,000 dollars (chump change to the Yankees)…..What a joke

    • Old Man Time

      $250K was the least of the reasons (if one at all) to replace Roberts.

      • JPK

        2 ab’s come on….I know he been subpar but that’s as much the Yankees fault for thinking he could cut it in the first place…. and beching him only to cut him 2 ab short of his bonus in a move that you expect from…… well any other team but the Yankees… to me it comes off as class less.

        • Tar

          Who was that player a few years ago where they actually let collect a roster bonus, and cut him like the day after? I know JF would remember. AN outfielder if I remember correctly

    • Evan3457

      Soooooo…lemme see if I got this right…

      The Yanks chiseled Roberts out of $250 K, but laid out about $3.5 million for the difference in salaries between Johnson and Drew, and took on over $10 million in salary to put Prado on the 25-man and send Wheeler back to AAA.

      Ohhhhhhkayyyyy….

      • Evan3457

        Not to mention that if Roberts latches on with another team, the other team pays only pro-rated minimum, while the Yanks pick up the remainer AND any other PA bonuses Roberts reaches.

        Ohhhhkayyyy…

        • Old Man Time

          JPK must be his agent.

      • JPK

        yeah why cheap out on Roberts when they spend like drunken sailors on everyone eles ….looks bad from my pov

  • SweetSpot

    It’s pretty funny that so many at LoHud used to complain about newbies and non-regulars. Now, they are the ones fending off that criticism from regulars here. (who have been very gracious) Not upsetting . . . just funny! :)

    • Tar

      Who use to complain about “newbies”? Or are you confusing people *cough* who us multiple handles as “newbies”?

      I notice the sucking up trait has moved to this blog. But you’re right not upsetting…. just funny

      • Pat M.

        Tar….The LoHud was a fast pace environment especially in it’s hay-day. Sadly though there were times when the quantity outweighed the quality towards the end of it’s run

    • The Big City of Dreams

      They will adjust soon enough. It will be interesting to see when it settles down.

  • Pat M.

    SweetSpot.. The game has just speeded up here at RAB and some will have to adjust. It’s a fast game at this level !!!!

  • Bret The Hitman

    Where is SJ44? Beating his Heat? Slapping his Lebroni?

    • Pat M.

      Hitman. I haven’t spoken to SJ in awhile and certainly I didn’t bring up neither LeBron nor The Heat. But man did I make some dough on The Spurs…

      • Bret The Hitman

        Good for you!

        How about Nick in SF, your gambling colleague?

        • Wave Your Hat

          I miss Nick in SF, like to see him make a comeback here.

          • hey now

            co-signed.

        • Pat M.

          Nicky boy has been off the grid since the NCAA Hoops Tourney. Myself and Doreen have sent e-mails to him and surprisingly he no longer replies. When I was in Oakland for the Yanks series I was hoping to catch up with him but no dice….

          • Bret The Hitman

            OK just as long as he’s aware UConn rules.

          • Bret The Hitman

            Also when is that gorgeous gorgeous absolutely stunningly gorgeous Doreen coming over here?

            • Howler

              Already been.

              • Bret The Hitman

                Ok good.

            • Pat M.

              Doreen, yes stunning inward as well as very easy on the eyes !!!!!

              • Bret The Hitman

                And I suspect you’ve laid your eyes on plenty of stunning ladies you dog you. She’s up there, huh?

    • Jorge Steinbrenner

      The SJ44 from years back? He’s a Heat fan? Then he’s more than welcome by me here. We need some more ORIGINAL Heat fans to come out of the woodwork. Love Lebron. Sad to see him go. I’ve lived through worse in over 25 years as a Heat fan.

      • Pat M.

        Yes that SJ. Big Heat fan, plays golf at the same club as Riles. Smart baseball guy

        • Jorge Steinbrenner

          Hey, I once rung up Grant Long AND Harold Miner as a music store employee while in college…

          …and Steve Landesberg, still one of my favorite celebrity stories.

      • forensic

        ORIGINAL Heat fans

        There’s such a thing? ;-)

        • Tar

          Yep….. Webster’s defines them as ex-Knick fans.

          • Jorge Steinbrenner

            Funny. Was never a Knick fan.

            However, and some folks here know this, I was raised in Miami and expansion came exactly at the time I really gaining interest in the sport so, yes, Heat fan since the names on the backs of the jerseys were Rory Sparrow and Pearl Washington.

            Truther will come on later and tell you I’m really a Marlins fan.

            • Pat M.

              Rory Sparrow, ex-Knickerbocker and of course Syracuse great Pearl Washington, Oh what a game vs. Georgetown

      • Bret The Hitman

        His nephew was drafted top 5 by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

        Tony Sanchez.

        Right now he’s blocked by Russell Martin, last I checked.

        But yeah, SJ44 is locked into MLB.

        See what you missed over at the redheaded step-child known as LOHUD?

        • Jorge Steinbrenner

          I remember SJ44 as the original “this guy supposedly has inside info” guy waaaaaay back in the day on LoHud, which is where I started lurking and commenting right when this site was getting off the ground. While that was fun, once the original crew here got into their groove, you didn’t even need to comment on here. I’d just sit back and laugh my ass off.

          Not that I mind people with actual connections being a part of this, to clarify why I gave Steve a bit of a hard time on here, but this kind of thing is pretty damn easy to fake and I’ll always play the cynic. No offense meant.

          • wanzies222

            No worries.

            Not my first ro-deo.

            And yes, there are a lot of phonies in this world, particularly hiding on the interweb….lol.

            FWIW, you won’t see anything posted by me that’s not fact (I’m not smart enough to be a phony).

            If it’s my opinion, you’ll see an “IMO”.

            Been doing this baseball thing a long, long time….

            And you can take what Pat M. says as fact as well….his golf buddies….lol.

            Steve

            • Jorge Steinbrenner

              I’m very much enjoying your presence on here. Just wanted to put that out there.

              • wanzies222

                Thanks, I’ve kept an open mind about the differences in the forums and I’m actually a fan of the nesting…

                Plus, the acrimony of LoHud isn’t here, at least that I’ve seen.

                Thanks for your hospitality.

          • HansDavenport

            I agree 100% on the cynic route. I pay attention to what most of these blog “insiders” say, just to note to myself how often it turns out to be BS. Which is often.

            • wanzies222

              Understandable.

              Hopefully, you won’t find that I offer bad info. Call me out if that’s the case.

              My sources are usually scouts and team officials I’ve worked with over the years (but nothing that’s inappropriate for me to post).

        • Blake

          Spoke to SJ today…..he thinks they should have sold and basically thinks they should bring the wrecking ball in

          • Bret The Hitman

            So like SJ44 to go all emo.

            • wanzies222

              Yeah, Joe is usually all in on whatever he’s discussing.

              Not much wishy-washy about him.

              Good guy.

              • Bret The Hitman

                Total teddy bear type.

              • blake

                agree….he’s a good guy and you always know where he stands that’s for sure….agree or disagree.

        • stuart a

          I remember sj4 big time. I really liked reading what he had to say.

          his nephew a disappointment but made it to the show…

          • Jorge Steinbrenner

            Who is his nephew?

            • The Big City of Dreams

              Tony Sanchez

  • Rocky

    With the devastating losses in starting pitchers and the pitiful hitting performances we have had, our chances of going to the WS were slim and none. Today we made some definite improvements without giving up the store. We now have a chance of making a decent showing, while giving new talent time to develop. We also have some new blood who might just thrive here. I say that it is much better than trading our best young talent for old fossils, going nowhere, in order to plug holes in a broken dam. If we can get one more big bat in free agency at the end of the year, we may just improve enough to attract a couple of top notch pitchers to sign with us in free agency, without giving up players in return.

    • Exiledintampa

      Cashman acquired McCarthy, Capuano, Prado, Headley, and Drew in exchange for Nuno, Johnson, Solarte, and DePaula, and O’Brien.It may be enough to keep it interesting w/o mortgaging the farm.Unless they intend to keep Headley and Drew it won’t have that much effect on next year.Although Prado next year at 2b is a big plus over what they had.

      • Tar

        Exiled I just wrote this , refreshed and saw your post.

        I’m not sure if they are a play-off team or not (leaning towards not) But I am certainly a little more excited about watching them play tomorrow , as opposed to yesterday.

        Our defense is better, our line-up is better, Joe has more weapons to play match -ups with…so over all not bad. The cost IMO was Deaula and O’Brien everybody else eh……. In return they got McCarthy, Headley, Drew and Prado.

        Not a Cashman fan at all, but he gets an A for effort. Now if he can swing a pitcher on waivers that would be nice.

        • Exiledintampa

          I wouldn’t mind a decent bullpen arm too. We weren’t gonna get Price or Lester or anybody like that. The price for those guys woulda been through the roof for the Yankees. Suprised how low Tampa sold on Price.So I don’t know what else Cash can do now except take on salary. I hear he needed Hal’s permission just to do that today.So i’m not suprized at all.They did just enough to keep me hopefull and suspicious.And I’m no Cashman fan. just recapping what’s in front of me.

          • wanzies222

            Don’t be surprised if Benoit is put on waivers.

            Scouts have been following him for two months.

            It would take a bit to get him, but since no prospects were moved, that’s a reasonable get.

  • Bret The Hitman

    Since this is OT thread, I will have you know today is my fasting day – I fast 1x every 7 days (of eating Paleo Diet). Fasting stimulates the breakdown of ketone bodies for ATP in brain cells, creating a sense of euphoria in the process. Fasting also helps conserve energy for non-digestive physiological tasks such as immune activity, cognition, emotion. It is restful to the body similar to sleep, also stimulating release of HgH which slows cellular aging.

    • derp

      cheeseburgers and beer here ghandi.

      next up: the lohud scouts tell us how betances should be in the rotation.

      • Bret The Hitman

        Gandhi was a vegetarian. Paleolithic man was a hunter-gatherer, with the bulk of his calories coming via animal fat. Man is engineered to be a sophisticated hunter, with lean muscle, high bone density, quick reflexes, stamina, speed, power, agility. Man is born athlete.

      • Bret The Hitman

        BTW, I once blasted Betances for being a bust and insisted he’d be better off as a reliever. Prufrock and the Betances-to-the-rotation crowd blasted me insisting since he walked guys as a starter he’d walk them as a reliever and his BB problem would go worse.

        So you got the wrong guy, right clique.

    • HansDavenport

      Can’t tell you how riveting that was. You all like to put your personal life on display you really need to do that facebook thing.

      • Bret The Hitman

        Human health is not a personal topic but a universal one.

        • derp

          however universal, not appropriate on a baseball forum. the reference was for your advertised fasting, which no one here cares about. if you want something more personal, hit chad up and run on back to the hud where the back and forth blubbering cut into the actual baseball talk.

          oddly enough… you should all be facebook friends and free us all of the outside chatter.

          think about it, and get back to chad. please.

          • Tar

            “Talk about that, the trade deadline zaniness, or anything else right here.”

            Who are you to say what’s “appropriate” when Mike (directly above) says it is appropriate? It wasn’t politics or Religion and it definitely falls under “anything else” Category.

            So maybe you need to think about it and get back to Mike on it.

            mumbles under my breath whiney MF

          • Tar

            “which no one here cares about.”

            One last thing….. what makes you think you know what I, or anybody else cares about? You do not speak for me.

            Think about it, and get back to me. please

          • Jorge Steinbrenner

            We were doing the same before they showed up. Come on now.

        • Chip Rodriguez

          yes, but when the Crossfitters and paleo crowd keep preaching about it, it becomes a nauseating topic.

      • The Big City of Dreams

        I know it’s rubbing ppl the wrong way but it’s not meant to be done in a arrogant or self absorbed way. Despite the craziness on Lohud the regular bloggers became friends with each other. To the point they shared personal life stories whether it was birth of a child, battling certain health issues, careers they have, etc. Few members even talk offline and have met each other in real life. Even the hello goodbye greeting isn’t meant to be attention seeking. It goes back to how close some of the regulars became. I’m not saying they should flood every thread with it but it’s not being done to grab the spotlight.

        • Tar

          +1 Thank you

        • Jorge Steinbrenner

          I get that.

          The same thing happens here. You just don’t read about it on the comment section itself. Six guys got together for a game a week ago for the first time after interacting for years. Another just had a major life event last night. People have close bonds on here that aren’t immediately noticeable.

          There’s a time and place for everything.

          • Jorge Steinbrenner

            Just a reply to BCOD, not to the fasting comment above, which I have zero issue with.

          • The Big City of Dreams

            True time and place for everything. I think you’ll see it happen in the comment section but not as much as it would be on Lohud because they want to respect the idea of staying on topic.

    • n0exit

      Not to be exclusionary or anything but I think a lot of you guys might enjoy the company over at reddit.

  • mustang

    Just spot reading the comments from the regulars I think we are mostly in the same boat and I guess in the minority with Mike.
    Bottom line Cashman made mediocre moves for a mediocre team.

    • Chip Rodriguez

      he played it like a poker pro plays a hand with a 2 and a 7. not great cards, but he did what he could without much to work with.

  • Pat M.

    Watching Clayton Kershaw pitch is like attending a pitching clinic. The dude is so very good. He’s the best in the game today

  • Mick taylor

    How does Detroit get price for only Jackson smiley and a mediocre prospect. This is bullshit that yanks can only get a singles hitting outfielder who is barely an upgrade over ichiro andrews who us worse than Roberts or Johnson. Steinbrenner’s do not really care about winning.

    • blake

      Cashman said the Yankees were willing to trade a lot for Price but that the Rays were absolutely not trading him in division and especially not to them…..said they didn’t even return his calls.

      I think the Rays really got a light return….Smyley is a decent pitcher and is controllable and Nick Franklin is a nice piece…..but I think they could have gotten more. Who knows….the Rays have a pretty good track record in these decisions.

      • http://RAB Yankee Trader

        Blake-

        The only winners in the 3 team deal were the Tigers. They had a better option to replace Jackson, in Davis.

        I would think the Rays could have extracted more from the Cardinals, had they jumped in before the Red Sox, and gotten Craig.

        • blake

          I think Seattle did ok…..Franklin was expendable and they turned him into a CFer.

          I don’t like the Rays end of it on the surface but knowing them they’ll turn Smyley into a 20 game winner and Franklin will cheaply give them solid production at 2B.

          I know everyone is basically booking the Tigers and A’s in the ALCS…..but it doesn’t always work that way…..I remember the Phillies having the “best rotation ever” a couple of years ago…..

  • http://RAB Yankee Trader

    So now the Yankees face Anthony Ranaudo, Allen Webster, and Clay Buchholz.

    It’s Capuano, Greene and Phelps.

    It’ll be a challenge to navigate thru Craig, Cespedes, Napoli and Ortiz in Fenway.

    Hopefully the Yankees middle of the lineup will wake up.

  • http://RAB Yankee Trader

    The Rays would have done better getting Craig, who has a reasonable contract.

    13:$1.75M, 14:$2.75M, 15:$5.5M, 16:$9M, 17:$11M, 18:$13M club option ($1M buyout)

    In fact I wish the Yankees could have matched up to get Craig and Kelly.

  • http://Riveraveblues Austinmac

    They are starting Pineda at SWB next. That sure tells me if all goes well, he may be up this week or at he latest the week after.

    Looking at Rogers record, he can throw hard(averaging almost 94), but generally throws a FB and slider well over 80% of the time. He looks like a reliever to me.

    • http://RAB Yankee Trader

      After looking at Esmil Rogers stats, can’t see why he was picked up. The bullpen needs some help, as they appear overworked.