Caldera: Yankees have “ended any pursuit” of Rusney Castillo

August 19, 2014 by Michael Axisa 192 Comments

Via Pete Caldera: The Yankees have “ended any pursuit” of Cuban free agent Rusney Castillo. For what it’s worth, George King says the Phillies are the favorite to sign him while Jim Salisbury says Philadelphia is not the front-runner, so believe these reports at your own risk. Caldera also notes Castillo is having visa issues and is unlikely to sign before August 31st, meaning he will not be postseason eligible this year.

The Yankees reportedly like Castillo as a second baseman more than as an outfielder, which goes against the consensus. They had him in Tampa for a private workout two weeks ago. Castillo is said to be sifting through several offers — it’s unknown if the Yankees made one — and he was initially expected to sign within a few days, but I guess the visa issues put an end to that. It’s unclear why the Yankees are passing on the 27-year-old Castillo. In all likelihood they think he’s not worth the money he’s going to get.

ACX

On the one hand, we need young hitters. On the other, I am happy he won’t be blocking Refsnyder, Austin or Judge’s chance to get here in the next couple years.
- runninonempty
  
  that’s true, but the Yankees didn’t need Him to block the youngsters you mention. Cashman and Girardi will do that quite well all on their own.
  - captainmike
    
    you betcha !!!!!
  - Too_Many_Idiots
    
    Who are these great players that are being blocked?
- YakaTanaka
  
  Bad players very rarely block good players. And a good player blocking a good player is a good problem to have. Especially in the AL where you have the DH to play with, in addition to a few bench spots and whatever positional versatility the players have.
  
  Think of it like a 2×2 matrix. On one axis you have established player, on the other prospect. The two categories for each are “good” and “bad.” Good-bad is irrelevant. Good-good is a good problem. Bad-bad is a problem either way. Only bad-good really matters. And most teams are not going to keep a bad vet playing over a real stud prospect. It’s most likely to be a more marginal thing where a slightly better player is held in AAA for a slightly worse player.
  
  So… point is that only in a very small portion of situations is “blocking” at all an issue. And most teams are smart enough to play a true stud prospect. There’s also luck to consider… and sometimes you bet on the proven guy and he suddenly stops producing… happens a portion of the time. Decision making isn’t about being right every time. It’s about making the best choice among the available options given the info available. You’ll be wrong a lot even if you do that… but you’ll be right more than you’re wrong.
Dalek Jeter

So, what you’re saying is he’ll be signed by the end of business today?
- Macho Man “Randy Levine”
  
  Ew. Change that avatar.
  - Bubba
    
    It matches his name (well not the Jeter part).
    - Macho Man “Randy Levine”
      
      Yes, I know. He should have just stuck with the regular Dalek.
      - Dalek Jeter
        
        Well I was going to photoshop a Yankee Jersey on to Mr. Dalek Sec…but it turns out that is very difficult when you’re using MS Paint and not Photoshop. Plus this avatar scares Mustang, so I like it.
blake

Well there you go
blake

There is a lot of unknown with players from Cuba…..it’s safer to invest money into 35 year olds that were all stars in 2006
- TWTR
  
  Ouch.
- dickylarue
  
  Danny Uggla’s gotta eat next year.
  - blake
    
    Thanks to guaranteed contracts he will eat just fine…..question is will be be getting Yankee meal money at some point before retirement ;)
    - YakaTanaka
      
      Giving Uggla a minor league deal or maybe guaranteeing him the league minimum is not really comparable to paying Castillo what he is likely to get.
    - ACX
      
      God I hope not. Uggla is definitely finished. Ask the Giants who tried to bring him back. If not Refs, just put Prado and his $11M at 2B.
- ACX
  
  Sounds cynical :)
- YakaTanaka
  
  It probably is safer, actually, but this is such an oversimplification. Castillo or a 35 year old is a false trade-off.
  
  Castillo isn’t even considered the best Cuban available before next season.
  - blake
    
    It was a joke and not meant to be serious
    - YakaTanaka
      
      Problem is that like half the commenters on here actually think that way… and a good portion of those who do look to you for guidance.
      - BearNJ
        
        I don’t see the fit for Castillo if the Yanks like him at 2B. Resnyder is a cheaper option at 2B and will be ready next year. In the outfield he doesn’t fit the need for a power bat in RF.
        
        YakaTanaka
        
        I don’t know much of anything about how good Castillo is… but if the Yankees can get him for what they think is good value (or could have in the case that it doesn’t work out), then I think the rationale is that it’s better to have two good 2B than none.
        
        Refsnyder is a strong prospect, but even most good prospects fail. He’s not a sure thing. Look up in Boston, where they’ve handed several prospects generally held in higher regard than Ref starting jobs… only to watch most of them flounder for extended periods.
        
        They could both fail… but if you consider them to both have roughly equal odds of success, you double your odds of having at least one good 2B. If one fails and one succeeds, you’re covered. If both succeed you can trade one, or move one to the bench or OF.
        
        BearNJ
        
        Fair points if he’s an above slot draft pick. It looks like Castillo will be at $40–50 million investment. At that price I’ll pass and hand the baton to Refsnyder.
- Kevin Wrong
  
  Blake i just would have screwed up Castillo anyway
  - Macho Man “Randy Levine”
    
    For the love of God, shut your mouth.
    - Kevin Wrong
      
      LOL u seem to lack self control
      - Macho Man “Randy Levine”
        
        I was channeling Will Ferrell as Alex Trebek there.
        
        But, seriously, your act wore thin before you even started it.
        
        Kevin Wrong
        
        Yes apparently it has struck a nerve with you. But no act either. I am truly the worst hitting coach in MLB and i make a million a year for it — No worries
  - captainmike
    
    Mr Wrong
    are you retired and senile or are you an idiot with no job and nothing else to do but make stupid comments on this board
    - Kevin Wrong
      
      Actually a very factual comment – i have screwed up many hitters – stats clearly prove that
      - captainmike
        
        that has nothing to do with what I want to know
  - Preston
    
    Honestly I think the metal detectors at Yankee Stadium are a good development, if there are crazy people obsessing about Kevin Long the way you are out there.
    - Kevin Wrong
      
      Metal detectors are for the safety of the fans… Or have you heard of terrorist acts like 9/11 or the fact in todays world we have many incidents of nutballs shooting up schools, stores, etc etc etc
      - Preston
        
        You seem like one of those nutballs. Do you have pictures of Long with devil horns drawn on plastered all over your walls?
        
        Kevin Wrong
        
        Your obsession with me makes you out to be a nutball. Do you have nude pictures of me holding a baseball bat in your room?
- captainmike
  
  LOL
  
  I hope you are joking
- frogbogg
  
  Yes, Mr. Steinbrenner! Right away!
- Deep Thoughts
  
  Let’s see: Got it, got it, need it, need it, got it, got it, need it, got it, got it.
Macho Man “Randy Levine”

I’m sure that this thread will soon explode into a bunch of whining about the Yankees still not taking chances on Cuban players.
- dickylarue
  
  I love that the new “I’m a better Yankee fan than you” barometer is applauding the team for not spending money on potential impact players that only cost cash. I mean, God forbid the Yankees sign this guy and then potentially trade him like the A’s did with Cespedes for something they need down the road. No. That would be too risky. Too dangerous.
  - YakaTanaka
    
    Holy oversimplifications Batman…
    
    I think you’ve missed Randy’s point. I believe it’s that they should not and cannot sign every Cuban player, not that they should not sign any Cuban players.
    - Macho Man “Randy Levine”
      
      It was more along the lines of a lot of complaints about the Yankees not having signed Puig, Cespedes or Abreu ever since this guy became available, as if there was any kind of correlation.
      
      Oh, that’s right. They’re all Cuban.
      
      I don’t have strong feelings about this guy one way or the other. If they think he was going to cost too much and not be worth it, I’m glad they’re not bothering.
      - YakaTanaka
        
        Yeah… I was trying to say that it’s about he individual player, not just lumping all Cubans together.
    - blake
      
      It’s an oversimplification for effect yes…..but lets not act like they shouldn’t have signed Cespedes or Chapman or Puig or even Soler……they didn’t because of the risk and because of project 189.
      
      In this case they may have made the right call…..if he’s really a Rajai Davis type then no it’s probably not worth it…….I really don’t pretend to know if this is the right decision or not…..we have to hope it is
      - YakaTanaka
        
        You are looking at a fraction of all the Cuban players who defected in that time period. Only the ones who worked out (two of whom didn’t even work out THAT great), and one who hasn’t worked out yet (thought probably has decent trade value). And the risk that they wouldn’t work out was real even if, in hindsight, they did work out.
        
        We don’t know if the Yankees viewed Castillo as the next Mustelier and offered him 6 figures or if they viewed him as the next Roberto Alomar and offered him $50+ million.
        
        blake
        
        I’m looking at the ones who were highly regarded…..there have been lots of Cuban players yes but I think you’d agree that there have been a handful like Cespedes and Chapman that were on a different level …..the yanks have passed on all those players
        
        YakaTanaka
        
        And Alex Guerrerro… and others.
        
        Again, that those guys worked out tells you very little about Castillo.
        
        For one thing, his Cuban production was significantly below the vets in that elite group. I don’t have Musty or Garcia’s Cuban #s in front of me… but I’d be willing to bet you Castillo’s production was much more in line with Musty and Garcia than Abreu or Cespedes.
        
        Could be as much that the Yankees thought he might be able to play 2B defensively and his bat wouldn’t play in the OF outside CF as that they actually thought he was a great option at 2B.
        
        Also… related side note: market timing is often at odds with human nature. We see a bunch of other people experiencing success with a strategy, so we jump in. The market has already caught up to the strategy, though, so there is no longer value there. I’m not saying that Castillo will be a hugely overvalued Cuban… but I do believe there will be hugely overvalued Cubans coming over in the next few years. Some dumb teams will want the next Puig, so they’ll sign the next Mustelier to Cespedes money.
        
        blake
        
        You’re right it doesn’t tell anything about Castillo and it wasn’t an attempt to and I said that……it was mostly said in jest and at the least an attempt to question the Yankees evaluation of these things.
        
        Mandy Stankiewicz
        
        Even those guys, its not all ‘should of could have would haves.’ Do you remember Cespedes being a punchline around MLB conversations with his box jumping training videos? And although I’d personally ‘Tonya Harding’ Tex to replace him with any player that could hit 50 bombs this year, there’s no room for a 1B/DH on this team (and don’t say we needed a backup for Tex — Abreu wouldn’t sign a contract to sometimes play 1B when he can be a starting stud on any team with an opening at his natural position).
        
        blake
        
        I watched those videos and thought…..man there aren’t many humans on earth that can do the stuff he’s doing there……maybe it was funny…..but how many people can hit the ball 500 feet and run like him? That doesn’t mean he can play Major League Baseball…..but that’s where your scouting comes in……but lets get real…..they didn’t sign Cespedes or Darvish or Puig or Soler because they didn’t want to put money on the 2014 books…….
        
        YakaTanaka
        
        Most NFL backs (RB or DB) are more athletic than Cespedes. Doesn’t mean they would succeed in MLB.
        
        Cespedes wasn’t even athletic enough to stick in CF. He’s been a solid value for the As, but hardly a home run. Basically an average starting RF. Would love to have that on the Yankees given how Granderson missed a lot of 2013 and Beltran and Soriano both flopped in 2014… but hindsight is 20/20.
        
        I’ll repeat something I said below that I think you’re missing:
        
        Decision making isn’t about being right every time. It’s about making the best choice among the available options given the info available. You’ll be wrong a lot even if you do that… but you’ll be right more than you’re wrong.
        
        blake
        
        I’m no disagreeing with any of that and again the Yankees may have loved all those players but Hal wouldn’t let them sign them because of project 189……yes you’re going to be wrong a lot ….I just hope they are right this time
        
        YakaTanaka
        
        Maybe they get one of those guys without 189… but I wouldn’t expect any more than that. Red Sox are a pretty well run, big market team… and they didn’t get any either. Neither did the Giants or Phillies or Angels or a dozen others…
        
        There are 30 teams and you’re talking about 4 guys. And part of it is that while a lot of those teams can afford to at least play in FA these days, few can afford to play in the deep end of the pool. I think part of the reason the Reds and As signed those guys is that it was one of their cheapest routes to getting a top quality starter. Last off-season’s moves have largely failed… but the Yankees can pay market rates for Tanaka, McCann, Ellsbury, and Beltran even after paying Tex, CC, and AJ a few years back. Or make trades where they take on salary like Swisher or Granderson or the 2014 deadline even with those salaries. If the expected returns are the same, you should be willing to pay more for the lower risk option… Yankees can afford to, other teams can’t consistently afford it. Doesn’t mean it will always work out.
        
        I think not needing an OF when Cespedes and Puig came in, not wanting to lock up a 40-man spot on an A-ball player when Soler did, not really needing a 1B or DH when Abreu did, and Chapman’s lack of polish had as much to do with passing as 189.
        Plus the actual valuations on the players themselves.
        
        Jorge Steinbrenner
        
        Thank you.
      - Too_Many_Idiots
        
        No one is acting like they shouldn’t have signed Puig, Abreu, or Cespedes.
        
        Jorge Steinbrenner
        
        Why should I focus on three particular players, though? The New York Yankees are not going to sign every available player out there. The New York Yankees will value some players differently than other franchises. The New York Yankees, believe it or not, will be wrong in their assessment of players, no matter where they’re from.
        
        Too_Many_Idiots
        
        I agree completely. The point I was trying to address (probably could have done better) was Blake’s false argument that someone said we shouldn’t have signed those guys. No one even broached that suggestion.
      - Jorge Steinbrenner
        
        How many of those guys happened before the 189 plan? And what about the other free agents that came from countries other than the one my parents were born in? They didn’t sign some of those either.
        
        blake
        
        Chapman is really the only one…..they really didn’t sign anyone since 2008……it led to the decay of the roster…..but that’s another story
        
        YakaTanaka
        
        That’s largely a LoHud narrative. You’re not going to find as much sympathy for it here as there.
        
        blake
        
        It’s still true
        
        YakaTanaka
        
        No, it is not. It’s a humongous exaggeration and oversimplification.
        
        First, 2008 = 2009… When you exaggerate about those kind of details… pretty good sign you’re grasping at straws.
        
        You’re ignoring several signings they did make (Kuroda comes to mind in 2012… Russell Martin in 2011… Youkilis and others that didn’t work out).
        
        You’re ignoring the trade market (odd when you say the trade market is the way to get a SS… how about Granderson in 2010? Vazquez? Pineda?)
        
        You’re ignoring internal development. Gardner became a starter in 2010. Nova, Robertson… and a series of other arms have emerged from the system. Hughes and Joba were expected to play big roles, though the results were mixed.
        
        Finally, when you have good starters on your roster… signing FAs isn’t going to do much for you. The Yankees won 95 games up until 2012 with largely the same core. It has been the decisions since then that haven’t worked out. Not their inability to sign free agents to back-up or replace the players on the roster.
        
        And… it’s a lot of hindsight is 20/20.
        
        blake
        
        The winter of 2008 is when those players were signed…..that’s what I meant ….that offseason. And it’s really not debatable that Hal essentially shut down long term spending after the new CBA because he wanted to get under the luxury tax……it really made it difficult for the yanks
        
        Kuroda was a 1 year deal…..and they traded for Granderson because they didn’t want to pay Matt Holliday …..which was a mistake
        
        And it’s not really hindsight if you know me because I have been saying all this for years…..
        
        YakaTanaka
        
        You’re stretching the truth. Remember when they gave CC Sabathia all that money before the 2012 season? That was more long-term spending than many teams ever commit to. Did they have a budget goal that altered their spending habits for a couple of years? Yes. Did they cut off long-term spending? No. Is it the only reason they didn’t get every FA you wish they had signed in that period and before it? No. Is it the only reason they signed some free agents to short-term deals? No. You seem unwilling to even consider what the team looked like at the time and what the alternatives available to them were.
        
        Winter of 08-09 is spending for the 2009 season. It’s just an example of how you have exaggerated almost everything to make your point look better than it is. It’s not that you have no point. It’s that you have warped reality to make it seem more extreme than reality… which I’d have to guess happened in the LoHud echo chamber.
        
        That Kuroda was a one year deal is a good thing,,, not a bad thing. He was a proven front-end MLB SP, and he’s done very well for them without any need to commit money long-term. Just pay as you go. Every team wishes every player was willing to play at or below their AAV on a long-term deal on a one year deal. Teams don’t want to pay Robinson Cano until he’s 40 out of the kindness of their hearts…
        
        Not every FA is going to sign with the Yankees. They might not have wanted to pay Holliday and/or he might have preferred to play in St Louis. Unless you have some inside info, pointing to specific FAs that worked out is using hindsight.
        
        Jorge Steinbrenner
        
        Not signing Cuban players did not lead to the decay of the roster, Blake. I’d have to think about whether it’d even make my top three reasons for it.
  - Aaron Juez
    
    Nobody is applauding not spending money. Just not jumping off a cliff because the Yankees don’t sign everyone. And God forbid the Yankees sign this guy and he ends up being a bust. Than people would be complaining about him blocking some minor leaguer.
    - dickylarue
      
      Yankees haven’t signed “everyone” for awhile. They played their stupid budget game and folded before the hand was finished. With the exception of this past off season, other teams have been buying the best players on the free agent & international market.
      - Preston
        
        They stopped buying everyone for literally one year with 189 in mind. They immediately went heavy back into FA the next season and they just absolutely dominated IFA by literally buying half of the top prospects. You just want to complain.
        
        Pkyankfan69
        
        The 189 plan went into effect well before the offseason before the 2013 season… We didn’t sign anyone except Ichiro (and that was more for marketing purposes than production) from 2010 on that would have been on the 2014 budget.
        
        Preston
        
        They didn’t sign anybody because through 2012 we had a pretty damn good team without obvious needs.
  - Jorge Steinbrenner
    
    Comments like this are what happens when you don’t take the time to know your new surroundings and jump in thinking you own the damn place.
    
    “Sign all teh Cubans” almost has meme status around here.
    - Aaron Juez
      
      It even inspired my name.
    - dickylarue
      
      I actually have been posting here for years. My name is just different because of the switch to Disquss.
    - blake
      
      How about “sign some of the Cubans”?
      - YakaTanaka
        
        How about “look to the future, not to the past?”
        
        blake
        
        Yes lets hope they learned from not spending on Darvish and Puig and wasting money on the corpses of Kevin Youkilis and Vernon Wells. To the future!
        
        Too_Many_Idiots
        
        Who was the Cuban 3rd baseman they chose Youk over? What Cuban outfielder was available when they got Wells as an emergency replacement for Granderson?
        
        blake
        
        The point is that they had to sign stop gaps like Youk because they weren’t allowed to fix problems before that……Hal wouldn’t allow anything but 1 year and cheap contracts for like 4 years. You can’t just say well nothing else was available……with some planning they may not have needed half the stuff they had to duct tape together……..but this is getting into a much broader discussion now
        
        Too_Many_Idiots
        
        You still chose two players who do not fit the narrative you were going for. Injuries led to both those acquisitions.
      - lightSABR
        
        How about “sign the Cubans you think will be worth it, and don’t sign the other ones”?
        
        I think it’s clear the Yankees didn’t take Cespedes, Puig, or Abreu seriously enough, the same way they didn’t take Darvish seriously enough.
        
        I think it’s also clear that they’ve realized these were big mistakes and are trying to take the new players coming out of Japan and Cuba more seriously than they took the ones they missed out on.
        
        Why do we need to argue about this?
      - Jorge Steinbrenner
        
        The Yankees have had three exiles in their farm system in recent years. These weren’t high profile guys, but clealy the team chose to pursue some lower-priced options. None have worked out, but they did, in fact, sign “some of the Cubans.”
        
        How about we focus on “signing players than make sense for the team” instead?
        
        blake
        
        Well yea but can they identify those guys? That’s the question …..
        
        Jorge Steinbrenner
        
        A question we don’t have much of a clue to. They didn’t pursue Abreu. I don’t recall what their interest in Puig or Cespedes was. I know that I was lukewarm on Cespedes based on the few reports there were, as well as that over-the-top box-jumping video.
        
        Perhaps there wsa a level of interest, but a disagreement on value. A big market team wound up with Puig, but not with Cespedes. That someone else signed a player to contract does not mean that the New York Yankees did not have some level of interest in the player.
        
        And, no, an exhumed GS3 wouldn’t have automatically had done so either. ;)
Kevin Wrong

None of us know how Castillo will do on this level and at 50 million or so thats a steep price to pay especially with someone like me molding his hitting skills..
- truefanforlife
  
  Are you ever going to make a comment not dissing long? We get it, you think Kevin long sux. Go become owner and fire him…. or shut up about it. The first few times were ok, but it’s just getting old. You could write nothing and I would know your opinion. Hope you catch on fire and forget how to stop drop and troll
  - Kevin Wrong
    
    I will tell u what – they did actually consider firing me last off-season. Hal actually wanted to but cashman and girardi saved my job…. If they decide to fire me this off-season i will leave but until then go suck on an egg
YankeeFan™

Oh well at least they tried.
Jake

Can’t knock the Yankees, not much video on the guy and his stats doesn’t blow you away. He could be good but with his stature the odds are stacked against him. Heard Yasmani Tomas, another cuban defector, had a better bat, hopefully we can go after him.
- William
  
  I don’t know why they waste there time and money for these tryouts because Hal always has some excuse as why not to sign the Cuban ball players.
  If George was still running the organization they would have sign some of these Cuban ballplayers
  - Too_Many_Idiots
    
    So, no matter what management does, you’ll find some way to whine and complain about it. Gotcha.
  - Jorge Steinbrenner
    
    Based on?
Pkyankfan69

The one thing that really did scare me with this guy was the overall consensus that he was an OFer and that we were really the only team that liked him in the infield. Seemed a little like we were trying to jam a square peg into a round hole based on need. The upside also doesn’t seem overwhelming either like with a guy we stupidly passed on in Jose Abreu.
- ACX
  
  Could be the Igawa to Puig…..
- YakaTanaka
  
  I think you’re reading too much into rumors. No one said the Yankees were the only team who liked him in the IF, or even how much more they liked him in the IF than the OF… let alone how much they actually liked him / were willing to offer.
  - Pkyankfan69
    
    From Mikes post a week or so ago:
    
    “Via George King: Following Friday’s private workout at the team’s complex in Tampa, the Yankees want to talk about a contract with Cuban free agent Rusney Castillo. They like him more at second base than in the outfield, which puts them in the minority. Castillo has experience both on the middle infield and in the outfield. The Yankees had scouts from several different departments at the workout.”
    
    Why even discuss him if we can’t based on rumors?…
    - YakaTanaka
      
      You misunderstood what I said. “The minority” and “the only” are not the same thing. A minority of MLB teams is 14 or fewer. Not one.
      
      We can discuss rumors without reading between the lines to extract information that is not there.
Bigdan

I’m totally ok with this. If he’s not an impact bat he’s really not a priority right now. The Yanks don’t need more expensive clutter for the lineup. Prado is enough of a risk.

The key upcoming event in the Yankee universe is Tanaka. The Yanks need to find out before the off season if he can pitch without surgery. If he can, then the Yanks have some options in the off season. A chance to hopefully improve they’re pathetic offense in some meaningful way. But if Tanaka needs surgery, that will change everything in terms or priorities.

For the rest of the season, I’d like to see Drew show some left-handed power to go with his glove. Something positive from Prado. More of the same from Greene. And a healthy and stronger Pineda. If the Yanks can get some of that the rest of the way, at least the last six weeks can have some meaning. And of course, they must not, at all costs, damage Betances, the most valuable player on the team.
- YakaTanaka
  
  And if he is an impact bat? Disregard the next 100,000 words?
blake

The yanks might be making the right call here…..I really have no idea…..i do know that that last 4 or 5 Cubans the Yanks thought weren’t worth the money were……well…..worth the money. Guess we will find out
- YakaTanaka
  
  What the last 4 or 5 Cubans did would be a pretty bad reason to sign Castillo…
  
  And, your memory appears to be selective.
  - blake
    
    Chapman, Cespedes, Puig , Soler…..they passed on them all to signs Mustys …..that’s fine I guess but all these guys were worth the money. Soler probably will be before it’s over……no that’s not a reason to sign Castillo…..just stayin things as they are. I hope they are right is all I’m saying
    - ACX
      
      Abreu is having a pretty good first year too.
      - blake
        
        I somehow totally forgot about him…..we didn’t need him because we have the super reliable juice press master (joking **)
      - Rick
        
        He needed to. It also needs to be disclosed how much better he has played than what he was projected to. It also needs to be disclosed that he needed to in order to warrant the contract given to him where everyone reviewing it immediately after the signing determined it to be an overpay. But yes, I agree with you that he has a good first year. He’s been tremendous.
        
        Scott
        
        Let’s also remember that everyone mashes in the PCL.
        
        Rick
        
        Yup, entirely fair point.
        
        YakaTanaka
        
        PCL? What am I missing? Abreu plays in the AL Central…
    - Jorge Steinbrenner
      
      Diaz. Guerrero.
      
      If you’d like, I can also list all the white free agents the Yankees have passed up on. Some of them have worked out. Some haven’t.
      - blake
        
        It really has nothing to do with players from Cuba ….but those are players you can sign for just money….making them options for the Yankees to add talent that aren’t there elsewhere …..especially at the ages these guys are. Talking about free agency isn’t really an apples to oranges discussion becashe those players cost even more money and in most cases are much older……point is that Cuba is one of the only places the Yankees can get young talent ……they haven’t exactly taken advantage of it .
        
        So it’s not about race….it’s about an avenue to get young players…..something is agree they need
        
        YakaTanaka
        
        I agree with the race vs. avenue for talent point… Still I think Jorge is right to point out that these are a small fraction of the available FAs. Stinks in hindsight and would be nice to have them now, but has to be put into the context of where the team was at the time, their alternatives, and the info that was available.
        
        I understand the desire to have at least one of those good Cuban players on the team… but in the it’s not race theme… it’s no different from me wishing they’d have signed… I don’t know… Marlon Byrd over Ichiro or whatever. It’s a hindsight thing and each player needs to be looked at individually and in context.
        
        Jorge Steinbrenner
        
        Exactly.
        
        Jorge Steinbrenner
        
        Agreed in principle but, much like MMRL said previously, there is a contingent of the fanbase that will jump on the report of any Cuban player possibly being available and wonder why the Yankees aren’t signing them. Like Yaka said, each player needs to be judged on their own merits, and being relatively young and of Cuban descent simply isn’t the reason for the New York Yankees to be interested in someone. That is no different than the process they should go through for any player.
- TWTR
  
  That’s why it’s tough to trust their judgment.
- Bigdan
  
  I think the last couple were infielders who weren’t very good. Diaz with the Cardinals and didn’t the Dodgers sign one?
  
  I still believe the Yanks want to make a Cuban investment but the last couple just weren’t strong enough. They seemed to give both Diaz and Castillo a strong look.
  - Rick
    
    Alex Guerrero? The Dodgers are about to call him up. He has played very very well in the minors so far. What that means for his major league success, we will find out.
    - Bigdan
      
      Yes thanks for the name. The reports on him in ST were not very good. He’s 27 years old and has been hitting the hell out of the PCL. Maybe there is something there. I guess we’ll see.
      - Rick
        
        Agreed. I admittedly know nothing about him other than his name and the info on his fangraphs page. I also had not realized he was 27, for some reason I thought he was 21 or 22.
      - Evan3457
        
        Correction: he was hitting the hell out of the ball before Olivo went Mike Tyson on him. Since his return…
        
        18-84, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 8 R, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 12 K, .214/.250/.274/.524 with 2 SB and 0 CS in 22 games since his return.
        
        In the PCL. In Albuequerque.
        
        He’s hitting so poorly at the moment, they’ve called up two other guys to replace Hanley and Uribe, who’ve both gone on the DL recently (Darwin Barney and Carlos Triunfel).
    - Preston
      
      Miguel Olivo thinks Alex Guerrero is great (tasting)
      - YankeeBill
        
        Less filling
- Jorge Steinbrenner
  
  Not necessarily true. Diaz, Guerrero, and Abreu were last three. Clearly, Abreu has worked out, but the jury hasn’t even come to session on the other two.
  - blake
    
    Diaz and Guerrero were somewhat highly regarded but Id argue not on the level of Abreu or Cespedes or Castillo…..Diaz had the age controversy and reports were mixed on both of them from what I read.
captainmike

I hope they are right this time, they usually make the wrong decision
- Dick M
  
  It’s all about asset allocation.
  
  For all we know, the Yanks may love this guy. The fact is he doesn’t fit.
  - blake
    
    If he can hit then he fits…..I’m guessing they don’t see him as an impact bat
    - Dick M
      
      Where would he play? If he was a SS then it’s a different story.
      - blake
        
        If he can hit you find a place because they can’t hit as a team…..they need anybody who can be a n above average big league hitter
blake

I’ll have to be more careful making jokes in the future….you guys are serious
- dickylarue
  
  Thank You. Please read the past 5 years of comments to properly prepare yourself to comment in here otherwise, “you’re like a child who wanders into the middle of a movie and wants to know…”
- Jorge Steinbrenner
  
  We’re not THAT serious, Blake. :)
  - blake
    
    Y’all are pretty serious…..Why so serious RAB in my best Joker voice
- Game 3
  
  Homophobic remarks are welcomed here for some reason. You can always stick to those.
Bigdan

Let’s see if Tomas becomes available over the winter. That seems like a better test of the Yanks’ resolve. I think the book on him is his power is def legit. He may not have the bat speed of Abreu so average may be an issue but he seems to have Abreu’s power. I believe he’s also a corner OF.
- Pkyankfan69
  
  Badler sure likes his power
  
  “A righthanded-hitting corner outfielder, Tomas can hit towering home runs thanks to the strength from his thickly-built 6-foot-1, 230-pound frame. Tomas has 70 raw power on the 20-80 scale, and with Jose Abreu already gone, the only player still in Cuba with more raw power than him was Alfredo Despaigne.”
  - Bigdan
    
    Well if he can’t hit, I like him at FB.
    - Pkyankfan69
      
      “Overall, Law contends that a reasonable projection for Tomas would be an “average to slightly above-average regular in left field, with 25 to 30 homers, a low OBP and below-average defense.””
      - Bigdan
        
        On one hand that doesn’t sound super sexy, but given what the Yanks have been running out there this year, he’d def bat 4-5. The Yanks do seem to be set in RF though with Beltran so who knows, but this would be one fairly certain way to improve practically the worst offense in the league.
      - Jorge Steinbrenner
        
        Sounds more like a guy the Yanks could potentially use.
        
        Deathstroke Heathcott
        
        Agreed. We already have 2-4 Rusney types depending on how good he is but we don’t have many guys in our system with 70 power.
        
        MikeNYC
        
        sounds like the guy we cut in early June
Jorge Steinbrenner

There’s really not much for me to say here. They more than did their due diligence, and this is the decision they’re making. We can’t say that they weren’t in the game, they didn’t take a serious look, etc. They did. They brought him in for a private workout. They were one of the five or so of the most interested teams. If they’re walking away, time will tell if their reasons were valid or not.

So tired of the Cuban fetishism. Some fans don’t even know some of these players’ names. It’s just “The Cuban.”
- Aaron Juez
  
  Its like flavor of the month except with Cuban ball players. This month its Rusney.
- Preston
  
  I know where you’re coming from here, but there is a reason that Cubans are apart from other players. They are defecting, they aren’t subject to the IFA cap and there is very little known about them due to the majority of there games being played in a country where american scouts can’t go. It makes those players prime targets for rampant speculation and hyperbole. The fact that a couple of them have panned out recently is just adding flame to the fire.
- Macho Man “Randy Levine”
  
  Sounds like you missed your calling then……Cuban.
gageagainstthemachine

Was definitely intrigued by the guy but I think the FO did their job and decided it wasn’t the right move in the end. I’ll just hope they were right and that Ref keeps mashing and progressing in AAA and forces a tough decision in ST, considering they were talking Castillo as a 2B option more than OF.
gageagainstthemachine

The obsession with getting a Cuban player on here keeps taking me back to this….
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NqQIm-AtsXs/hqdefault.jpg
- Rick
  
  Thought the same thing.
Bigdan

There’s going to a few international guys floating around this off season and available for the taking. I believe Kenta Maeda is def coming over. The Yanks should save some money for that Otani guy. I don’t know when he’ll be available but it seems like it will be in the next couple of years. Imagine a 21-22 year old Japanese pitcher with better stuff than Tanaka?

There’s always another next big thing. Looks like Castillo wasn’t it.
- Kevin Wrong
  
  Otani probably wont be allowed by its japanese team to come here for the next 2 years which is when the current international agreement with Japan ends….. They wont in any way shape or form want to agree to this one they have currently in place ever again… Japanese owners are furious with the current agreement
  - Bigdan
    
    My understanding is Otani already has some agreement that he privately negotiated with his team that will allow him to come over here at some point, most likely soon. Again, when you read reports of secret agreements, who knows what to believe. But this kid threatened to avoid the draft all together and come to the States a couple of years ago. I think it’s a pretty safe bet he’ll be here at some point. And probably sooner rather than later.
    - Kevin Wrong
      
      He will dan but it is going to be after 2016 when the new agreement is in place. Maeda will be the next one to come over and probably the only big name this off season to come over from Japan
  - Evan3457
    
    …and it was all put in place to try to screw the Yankees out of any chance of reaching the $189 million self-imposed payroll cap because all the small market teams KNEW they were going after Tanaka big-time.
- Arkius
  
  “A 21-22 year old Japanese pitcher with better stuff than Tanaka?” He would be an incredible pick up.
  
  Is he a southpaw?
  - LazerTown
    
    I cannot even imagine where he pulled that from. The stats don’t say he is better than Tanaka, and have not heard any scouting reports that say he is any higher than a mid-rotation guy.
blake

Good discussion……have to run…..hope they are right on Castillo but the task at hand is sweeping the Stros and getting the Mariners and Royals to hear some footsteps before September
Kevin Wrong

Jon Heyman is reporting Castillo is likely to make his decision towards the end of the week and not within the next day or so. He is also reporting 6 teams are talking with him and none of these 6 teams have been eliminated as of now. The six reported teams are the phillies, yankees, redsox, tigers, mariners, and the cubs.
- Jorge Steinbrenner
  
  There’s also the possibility that Pete Caldera is wrong. Yes.
  - Preston
    
    “Walking Away” might actually mean made their final offer, or done bidding until someone outbids them.
    - Jorge Steinbrenner
      
      Or Suzyn will scream that he’s in Hal’s box (or “caja”) tonight.
      - Preston
        
        They’ll just set up a table on the INF have him sign, present the jersey and then leave him out there to play 2b.
        
        Jorge Steinbrenner
        
        “Stephen, just take your uniform off and hand it to Rusney. Wear this towel back off the field.”
        
        Evan3457
        
        …and to save further time, they’ll film the Yankeeography during that game, and give him a Rusney Castillo Day with a plaque in Monument Park by the end of the homestand.
  - Arkius
    
    There’s always that possibility, but I think it’s unlikely.
    - YakaTanaka
      
      There is apparently an equally reliable report out there saying it is wrong. Not sure why you would favor one to the other.
      - Arkius
        
        My argument focuses solely on Jorge Steinbrenner’s comment, relative to the Calder report. Any information that outside of this context, are irrelevant.
        
        If my argument focuses on a single issue, then all other issues are extraneous, and hold no value, what-so-ever.
        
        YakaTanaka
        
        Sorry fella, but Jorge was responding directly to a point about Heyman’s report.
        
        Arkius
        
        Sorry fella, but I was responding directly to a specific comment. If Jorge meant something else, then he should have said so.
        
        You lose.
        
        YakaTanaka
        
        You did not understand the comment that you were replying to, apparently. The comment was about Heyman’s point.
        
        If you think you can win on an anonymous blog about the Yankees… you might have some deeper issues.
- Jake
  
  I’m guessing the Yanks and the other 5 teams were told to submit their best final offer and the Yanks balked.
  - Kevin Wrong
    
    No the pete caldera report was wrong – the yankees are in still in on Castillo – doesnt mean they will sign Castillo but they are still in on him…. Thats what it means
    - Arkius
      
      Your interpretation of Pete Caldera’s report, is misguided, and unreliable.
      - YakaTanaka
        
        It’s not an interpretation of Caldera’s report… it’s an interpretation of Heyman’s contradictory report.
        
        Arkius
        
        Kevin Wrong wrote: “No the pete caldera report was wrong – the yankees are in still in on Castillo” (sic). Clearly, Kevin Wrong is expressing his interpretation of the Pete Caldera report.
        
        Wrong does not mention John Heyman at all, so your argument on this issue, fails.
        
        Angelo
        
        Actually, Kevin Wrong cited Heyman in the post that led to all of our replies.
        
        Arkius
        
        You wrote: “Actually, Kevin Wrong cited Heyman in the post that led to all of our replies.” True, but I’m not replying to that post. I am, however, replying to a specific post that contains specific information, and make a specific argument.
        
        Angelo
        
        Well…he was clearly talking about the Heyman post for his reasons to believe Caldera was wrong.
        
        I don’t really agree with what he says, but if you can’t put two and two together, I think that’s your problem. I can read one “specific” sentence that you write, out of context I can come to whatever conclusion I want. There’s clearly a context.
        
        Learn to make sense of the clear context that was provided for you. He didn’t feel need to recite what he had just said in the exact same conversation.
        
        YakaTanaka
        
        Again, fella, he wrote that in a chain of comments about Heyman’s report.
        
        The way this blog works is that comments are nested in a single stream of responses. So, all the comments indented after an initial comment are in response to that comment.
        
        No need to be a total asshole. Sorry that you didn’t understand what was going on.
        
        Arkius
        
        I understand the nesting scheme.
        
        Clearly, you need to pound your chest like a beat down chimp, trying to gather support from the other, loser chimps.
        
        I’m sorry that you have reading comprehension issues.
        
        YakaTanaka
        
        Again, you responded to a comment about Heyman’s report… Why are you not understanding that?
    - Angelo
      
      Actually, there’s no way to know which report is correct.
  - Arkius
    
    Your hypothesis, is a reasonable assessment.
EndlessMikeJr

Cashman can’t rely on 16 kids to help our farm and the Yankees can’t keep passing on international talent as this is Cashman’s weakness as he has let major talent go.
The Yankees can take a $40 million mistake.
- Jorge Steinbrenner
  
  So they should give a guy $40 million up front and evaluate whether he’s worth it later?
  
  I give up.
- Arkius
  
  The Yankees can afford to pass on questionable talent.
  
  Please name the players with “major talent,” that Cashman has “let go?”
- Angelo
  
  That’s some really strong analysis. Because Cashman didn’t get Cespedes, Puig (which the consensus wasn’t crazy about before he signed) or Abreu (Tex says hi), the Yankees should sign Castillo.
  
  Because…you know…all Cuban players that defect to the US are all-star caliber talents.
captainmike

it could be a ploy to make other teams make a mistake in their strategy in handing the process
Ricardo

Cashman won’t take a chance with a guy who can become a star, but will give millions to has been that will become a burden.
- yankeesfn2
  
  To much for unproven talent
- Too_Many_Idiots
  
  Another flat out false statement.
YankeePhan1234

Makes sense, especially with Refsnyder in the wings at 2nd and Ellsbury/Gardner in the outfield already. You can’t have an outfield of only speedsters as we found out earlier this year.
Farewell Mo

Time will tell if this is another bad decision like passing on Darvish, Cespedes, Puig, Ryu, Abreu among others or a wise move like not overbidding for Dice K. IMO, the Yankees have more than enough resources and a dire enough need for young talent where I’d have liked to see them go all in for this guy but only they and their scouts can really make that determination.

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