A new month has started — and that new month is almost over, but I digress — which means it is time for another trip through the MLB Trade Rumors archives. June is typically a good month for trade rumors. The amateur draft passes and teams start to get serious about looking for ways to address their roster weaknesses, either short-term (buyers) or long-term (sellers).
On the morning of June 1st, the 2013 Yankees were 31-23 and one game behind the Red Sox in the AL East, though injuries and their patchwork lineup were starting to catch up to them. The Yankees lost five of their last six games in May and scored 14 runs in those six games. The fade in the standings and the struggle to score runs would continue in June — the Yankees averaged 3.26 runs per game in June 2013 — and we all know what happened next. Time to dive into another series of MLBTR archives.
June 4th, 2013: Yanks, Red Sox, Rangers, O’s On Lee’s No-Trade List
As with most partial no-trade clauses, Cliff Lee and his agents at Frontline had the opportunity before the season to restructure his. Lee can block trades to 20 teams, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, including the Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers, and Orioles. Most of the 20 are projected trade deadline buyers, a source tells Morosi. Keep in mind that the presence of these teams does not mean Lee will automatically block a trade to them; it just means he has leverage if the Phillies strike a deal with one.
The Phillies started their spiral into non-contention in 2012 and, by time the 2013 trade deadline rolled around, they were ready to discuss some big names on their roster. Lee was still an ace that season, throwing 222.2 innings with a 2.87 ERA (2.82 FIP), but he made only 13 starts in 2014 before injuries ended his career. The Yankees were focused on getting under the luxury tax threshold in 2014 and Lee’s contract did not fit. The time to get Lee was the 2010 trade deadline or the 2010-11 offseason, and the Yankees came up empty both times. In June 2013, it didn’t make a whole lot of sense.
June 4th, 2013: AL West Links: Angels, Morales, Mariners, Baker
Jeff Baker tells MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan that the Rangers and Yankees were the “main two” suitors for his services last offseason, though “a lot of teams knocked on the door.” Baker signed with Texas in January, before the Yankees’ need for corner infield help became so dire.
I irrationally loved Jeff Baker. He was a great right-handed platoon bat for a few years. The Yankees cycled through a zillion infielders in 2013 while Baker hit .279/.360/.545 (143 wRC+) with eleven homers in 175 plate appearances for the Rangers, including .314/.407/.667 (186 wRC+) against southpaws. Baker wouldn’t have put the 2013 Yankees over the top of anything, but they were looking for a platoon bat all season, and they had interest in him over the winter, but they missed out. Alas.
June 4th, 2013: New York Notes: A-Rod, Overbay, Francisco, Draft
Lyle Overbay has become a crucial depth piece for the Yankees, which has surprisingly led to the career first baseman playing right field. With Mark Teixeira‘s wrist still a question mark, the Yankees doesn’t want to lose Overbay but still wants to find playing time for the veteran.
I’m not sure what’s worse, the Yankees playing Overbay in right field, or the fact playing Overbay in right field was totally the right move at the time. Overbay filled in admirably at first base and had some big hits, especially early in the season …
June 7th, 2013: Yankees Release Chien-Ming Wang
Chien-Ming Wang has exercised the opt out clause in his contract and the Yankees granted him his release, according to Andy McCullough of the Newark Star-Ledger (via Twitter). Wang, who has been pitching for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, could have opted out on May 31st but put off the decision until today.
The end of the Chien-Ming Wang reunion tour. He had success with Triple-A Scranton, throwing 58 innings with a 2.33 ERA (3.36 FIP), but the Yankees weren’t willing to call him up and Wang used his opt-out. The Blue Jays gave him a shot and he pitched to a 7.67 ERA (5.42 FIP) in six starts and 27 innings for them. Wang hung around Spring Training this year not as a guest instructor, but more of an apprentice as he looks to transition to coaching. It would not surprise me at all to see him join the organization in some capacity in the near future.
June 8th, 2013: Stark On Miguel Cabrera, Kershaw, Nolasco, Stanton
The Orioles and Yankees are “leading the parade of teams that already have interest” in Miami’s Ricky Nolasco. The 30-year-old is easily the highest-paid Marlin, and should have about $7.7MM remaining on his contract at the trade deadline. Nolasco has a 3.61 ERA in 82 1/3 innings, and sports his best strikeout rate since 2010.
I will forever remember Nolasco as the poster boy for “he’ll pitch better soon because his FIP is lower than his ERA” analysis in the early days of sabermetric writing. That didn’t happen, of course. Like Michael Pineda, another guy who always underperformed his peripherals, Nolasco was a control over command guy whose mistakes got hammered. Good pitcher and a great career! But he always left you wanting more.
Anyway, the Marlins were again in the middle of selling off veterans at the 2013 deadline, and Nolasco was eventually shipped to the Dodgers for three nondescript pitching prospects. He had a 3.85 ERA (3.49 FIP) in 112.1 innings with Miami before the trade and a 3.52 ERA (3.15 FIP) in 87 innings for the Dodgers after the trade. Would he have helped the Yankees? Yeah, sure. Would it have mattered in the 2013 postseason race? Unlikely.
June 10th, 2013: Quick Hits: Rodriguez, Nolasco, Davis, Martin, Astros
Last November, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks expressed interest in Alex Rodriguez, Ken Belson and David Waldstein of the New York Times report. The Yankees never discussed the matter with the Japanese team, because they knew Rodriguez required hip surgery that would limit him in 2013, and because they knew Rodriguez would not consent to playing overseas.
Hah, I remember this. It was a publicity stunt by Fukuoka and nothing else. They weren’t taking on A-Rod’s contract — the highest paid players in Japan are making around $4.5M this year, so no, they weren’t going to absorb his $20M+ annual salary — and there’s no chance he’d agree to that move. Fukuoka generated some buzz by feigning interest in A-Rod. Good for them.
June 18th, 2013: Youkilis Out 10-12 Weeks Due To Back Surgery
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters, including Andy McCullough of the Star Ledger, that Kevin Youkilis will undergo back surgery for a herniated disc and miss 10-12 weeks (Twitter link). The best-case scenario for Youkilis, based on that timeline, would be a late August return, though the recovery could easily push into September.
Predictable injury was predictable. Youkilis was limited to 344 of 486 possible games from 2010-12 by a variety of injuries, including back trouble that dated back years. It was only getting worse and eventually it would go out for good, and it happened on the Yankees’ watch. The Yankees paid Youkilis $12M to cover third base while A-Rod was injured in 2013 and he played only 28 games (more than I would’ve guessed) and none after June 13th (later than I would’ve guessed).
June 18th, 2013: Yankees Acquire Fernando Martinez
The Yankees acquired Fernando Martinez from the Astros in exchange for minor league right-hander Charles Basford, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
Fernando Martinez! He’s still only 29, you know. Martinez was a very big deal with the Mets way back when. He was ranked among the game’s top prospects every year from 2007-09. Eventually it became clear he wouldn’t hit, the rebuilding Astros grabbed him on waivers, and the Yankees later picked him up as a depth option because Triple-A Scranton needed an outfielder at the time. Martinez hit .325/.394/.554 (164 wRC+) in 22 games with Scranton and was released after the season. He’s been out of baseball for a few years now.
June 21st, 2013: Yankees Acquire Yoshinori Tateyama
The Rangers announced that they have sent right-hander Yoshinori Tateyama to the Yankees for future considerations. The right-hander has been assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Tateyama spent some time with Triple-A Scranton in 2013 and 2014, and although he never did pitch for the Yankees, he was pretty fun. He had a funky delivery and worked with a low-80s fastball and a low-70s changeup.
The Yankees released Tateyama midway through the 2014 season so he could back home and play in Japan.
June 26th, 2013: Teixeira To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
At a press conference, Teixeira confirmed to reporters, including Andy McCullough of the Star Ledger, that he’s done for the season (Twitter link). Bryan Hoch of MLB.com tweets that the surgery will require 4-5 months of rest and rehab. Teixeira is hoping to be 100 percent in six months.
I am 100% certain the Yankees regret bringing Teixeira back from the disabled list at midseason in 2013. He hurt his wrist while with Team USA during the World Baseball Classic, and because the injury happened at the WBC, MLB covered his salary while he was on the disabled list. Once the Yankees activated Teixeira — they tried to rehab the wrist injury and brought him back because they wanted to stay in contention — MLB and the WBC were off the hook. Teixeira played 15 thoroughly ineffective games before re-injuring the wrist, at which point the Yankees were responsible for the salary.
June 29th, 2013: AL East Notes: Boldt, Young, Yankees, Hughes, Orioles
King further reports that the Yankees are also likely to be in on Young, as others have noted. Indeed, as CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman discussed yesterday, the Yanks seem to be a likely buyer at third. Alex Rodriguez is still a ways off from a return, and remains a major uncertainty.
Young in this case is Michael Young, the longtime Rangers infielder. Young was with the Phillies in 2013 — Texas salary dumped him on Philadelphia before the season — and they were looking to move him, and eventually they did. Young went to the Dodgers at the 2013 trade deadline. Young hit .279/.336/.395 (102 wRC+) that season, the last of his career. The Yankees opted for cheaper and similarly ineffective infielders — Young was so bad defensively late in his career that he was replacement level in 2013 even with that 102 wRC+ — throughout 2013.
June 30th, 2013: Cafardo On Utley, Gonzalez, Crain, Yankees
White Sox reliever Jesse Crain will draw interest and Cafardo warns not to rule out the Red Sox. Pitching coach Juan Nieves coached him in Chicago and he’s a stable force at the end of games. Meanwhile, there will be others vying for Crain, including the Orioles and Yankees. Our own Charlie Wilmoth recently examined Crain as a trade candidate.
Jesse Crain! That guy had some pretty good years and always seemed to be connected to the Yankees, either as a free agent or at the trade deadline. Crain was off the charts for the White Sox in 2013. He threw 36.2 innings with a 0.74 ERA (1.52 FIP) and was selected to the All-Star Game, but he got hurt in late June and literally never pitched in the big leagues again. Only 5.2 more innings in his entire career, all during failed minor league rehab stints. Relievers, man.
June 30th, 2013: Yankees Notes: A-Rod, Gonzalez, Devers, Molina
Also from King, the Yankees are interested in two players from the Dominican Republic: third baseman Rafael Devers and center fielder Leonardo Molina. The Yankees have been considered to be the “most likely suitor” for the 15-year-old Molina, while the Phillies and Red Sox have also been linked to Devers.
D’oh. Picked the wrong kid. The Yankees gave Molina a $1.4M bonus and, five years later, he is hitting .255/.279/.378 (83 wRC+) with Low-A Charleston. The Red Sox gave Devers a $1.5M bonus and five years later he has 23 homers in 137 big league games. He’s hitting .242/.287/.430 (88 wRC+) this season and that stinks, but the talent is obvious. Devers can hit the ball a mile. Molina? Not so much.
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