Days of Yore Archives - Page 2 of 48

Revisiting the MLBTR Archives: February 2014

February 1, 2019 by Mike

Welcome to February. Spring Training is right around the corner. Now that we’re in a new month, it’s time again to dive into the MLB Trade Rumors archives to remember Some Guys and relive some old hot stove rumblings. The Yankees went 85-77 against all odds in 2013 and were looking to get back to the postseason. The Alex Rodriguez suspension saga was looming over them, as was an aging roster.

The 2013-14 offseason was a big one for the Yankees. Most notably, they lost Robinson Cano to the Mariners. They attempted to prop up the roster with four big signings (Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann, Masahiro Tanaka) and several smaller signings (Kelly Johnson, Brian Roberts, Matt Thornton). It didn’t work out — the Yankees went 84-78 in 2014 and missed the postseason again — but we didn’t know that in February. Let’s go back in time, shall we?

February 6th, 2014: Twelve Teams Have Asked Nationals About Espinosa

The Nats are balking at moving Espinosa despite interest from the Yankees, among other clubs, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

The Danny Espinosa collapse was well underway at this point. He hit .242/.319/.408 (99 wRC+) with 38 homers from 2011-12 and was a +3 WAR player each year. A league average hitting middle infielder with 20-ish homer pop and very good defense is a nice little player. Espinosa fell apart in 2013 (22 wRC+), however, and never really recovered. Given the state of the infield in February 2014, it made sense for the Yankees to try to buy low on 26-year-old Espinosa and see whether he could get back to being a +3 WAR player. I can’t help but wonder what they were willing to give up. Espinosa was in camp with the Yankees as a non-roster invitee last spring. They got their man eventually.

February 7th, 2014: Minor Moves: Cole Kimball, Omir Santos

The Yankees have signed righty Cole Kimball to a minor league deal, reports Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Kimball, 28, had spent his entire career with the Nationals organization, making a brief big league debut in 2011 with a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings (though he both struck out and walked 7.1 batters per nine). Since then, however, Kimball has struggled with shoulder issues. In 2012, he threw just 5 2/3 minor league innings. Last year, splitting time between Rookie ball and Triple-A, Kimball posted a 7.31 ERA in 28 1/3 innings with 8.9 K/9 against 4.8 BB/9.

Once upon a time Kimball had some prospect shine as a reliever with the Nationals. The Yankees scooped him up to see whether he could help out with a healthy shoulder, then he allowed 14 runs in 26.2 innings with Double-A Trenton. Kimball went to an independent league and later Mexico, and was out of baseball by 2015. Pretty wild how quickly it can fall apart in this game. Kimball was a good reliever prospect who got a taste of the show in 2011 and was poised to assume a larger role with Washington in 2012. Instead, out of baseball by 2015. Yeesh.

February 7th, 2014: Quick Hits: Epstein, Cespedes, Tanaka, Arb Hearings

Turning back to the aforementioned Tanaka, Yankees GM Brian Cashman told ESPN Radio today (via ESPNNewYork.com’s Andrew Marchand) that the club views its new acquisition as “a really solid, consistent number three starter.” Cashman noted that, though the club scouted Tanaka extensively, uncertainty remains as to how he will transition to the big leagues. “If we get more than that,” Cashman said, “all the better. He’s got a great deal of ability.”

Ah yes, the famed “a really solid, consistent number three starter” comment that was repeated ad nauseum for weeks. Brian Cashman always — always — downplays expectations. The Yankees had just given Masahiro Tanaka a seven-year contract worth $155M, and paid a $20M release fee on top of that. Yeah, sure, they expected a No. 3 starter. Cashman has always been an “underperform and over-deliver” guy and I’m not sure there’s a better example of that than Tanaka. Since his 2014 debut Tanaka is 21st in WAR and 22nd in ERA+ among all pitchers (min. 500 innings). That ain’t no No. 3 starter.

February 8th, 2014: East Notes: Marlins, Orioles, Yankees

The Yankees are making upgrades to their minor-league complex in Tampa, Fla., including a cafeteria for players and field refurbishments, reports Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News. The Yankees have also added to their player development staff, bringing in more scouts and a statistics guru, following a season that saw struggles up and down their farm system.

This was the start of the farm system turnaround. For years the Yankees struggled to produce even complementary players from within. There was Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang in 2005 and Brett Gardner in 2008, and not much else before the current crop of homegrown players. In 2014 the Yankees overhauled their player development system. Facilities were upgraded and personnel was changed, most notably Gary Denbo replacing longtime farm system head Mark Newman. We can never truly know how much of the farm system revival is the result of the changes that took place in 2014. My guess is basically all of it can be attributed to the overhaul. Things weren’t working out, things changed, things got better. Hooray for that.

February 12th, 2014: Derek Jeter To Retire After 2014

Legendary Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter announced today on his Facebook page that he will retire after the 2014 season (hat tip to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, whose colleague Mark Feinsand tweets that agent Casey Close has confirmed the retirement). Jeter, who turns 40 in June, re-signed with the Yankees — the only franchise he’s ever played for — earlier in the off-season.

Jeter’s announcement came as a surprise, even to the Yankees. I mean, yeah, it was not the most shocking thing in the world that a soon-to-be 40-year-old shortstop announced his impending retirement following an injury-plagued season the year before, but it was not set in stone. With Mariano Rivera, there were some pretty good indications he was ready to call it a career following the 2013 given what happened with his knee and everything in 2012. With Jeter, it kinda came out of nowhere.

The 2014 season was not Jeter’s best — he hit .256/.304/.313 (75 wRC+) with four homers in 634 plate appearances — but he did do this in his final Yankee Stadium at-bat, and this was pretty darn cool:

Not counting the 2009 World Series win, that’s arguably the best moment in new Yankee Stadium history, isn’t it? It’s either that, Rivera’s farewell, or Jeter’s 3,000th hit. I guess we could throw Didi Gregorius’ home run in the 2017 Wild Card Game and Alex Rodriguez’s game-tying home run against Joe Nathan in Game Two of the 2009 ALDS into the mix. This sport can be so great sometimes.

February 18th, 2014: Yankees Made Offer To Drew Earlier In Off-Season

The Yankees made an offer to free agent infielder Stephen Drew earlier in the off-season, believed to be for two or three years, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Nevertheless, the report indicates, the Yankees do not appear to be one of the four teams still pursuing the 30-year-old.

Yikes, I do not remember this. Drew eventually signed a one-year deal to return to the Red Sox in late-May. It was worth $10.2M, or the pro-rated portion of the $14.1M qualifying offer he rejected over the winter. We’ve seen top free agents wait very long to sign these last few years, even before these last two offseasons. Drew, Ubaldo Jimenez, Nelson Cruz, Kendrys Morales, and Yovani Gallardo all got stuck sitting in free agency until February and March (or later) in recent years. This isn’t a new phenomenon. It’s just more wide-spread.

Anyway, the Yankees were tentatively scheduled to go to into the 2014 season with Kelly Johnson at third, Derek Jeter at short, Brian Roberts at second, and Mark Teixeira at first. Eduardo Nunez was in the mix as well, though he lost his roster spot to Yangervis Solarte in Spring Training. The Yankees eventually traded Johnson for Drew at the deadline, then re-signed Drew the next year. If they offered him two years as this report says, they wound up with him for a year and a half.

February 23rd, 2014: Yankees Agree To Terms With Andrew Bailey

SATURDAY, 11:18pm: Bailey will earn a prorated base salary of $1.975MM if he works his way up to the Major League club, Olney reports. All told, the Major League side of the deal is valued at $2.5MM, and includes a 2015 option and buyout.

Once upon a time Bailey was a Rookie of the Year closer with the Athletics. He wound up with the Red Sox and made 49 appearances from 2012-13 (4.91 ERA and 4.68 FIP) before his shoulder gave out. The Yankees signed him and rehabbed him through numerous setbacks in 2014 and 2015, and then he allowed eight runs in 8.2 innings as a September call-up in 2015. My lasting memory of Bailey as a Yankee will be the three-run home run he gave up to Russell Martin …

… that closed the door on Yankees’ AL East title chances in late September. Dellin Betances was warmed up and ready to go in the bullpen, but Joe Girardi decided to stick with broken down Andrew Bailey, and there went any shot at the division. Signing injured pitchers on the cheap and rehabbing them is a smart move that doesn’t pay dividends all that often. So it goes.

February 24th, 2014: Yankees Extend Brett Gardner

Brett Gardner was positioned to be one of the top free agents in next year’s class, but he’s no longer on the market. The Yankees officially announced today that they have signed the Pro Star Management client to a four-year extension with a club option for a fifth season. Gardner’s new deal begins in the 2015 season and is reportedly worth $52MM. He receives a $2MM signing bonus and will earn $12MM in 2015, $13MM in 2016, $12MM in 2017 and $11MM in 2018. The 2019 club option is worth $12.5MM and contains a $2MM buyout.

Only four times this century have the Yankees signed a player in his arbitration years to a long-term extension: Derek Jeter in 2001 (ten years, $189M), Javy Vazquez in 2004 (four years, $45M), Robinson Cano in 2008 (four years, $30M), and Brett Gardner in 2014 (four years, $52M). All except Cano were entering their final season of team control. (The Yankees also signed CC Sabathia and Hideki Matsui to extensions, but those guys were veterans already working on free agent contracts.)

The Yankees have been stingy with long-term extensions and I thought the Gardner deal was an indication the way the team did business was going to change, but nope. To be fair, it’s only now that the Yankees have some young players worth extending. It sure would’ve been rad had they signed Didi Gregorius in, like, January 2016, but alas. The Gardner contract worked out quite well — that $52M bought them +14.2 WAR across four years — and it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see the Yankees wait until Aaron Judge, Luis Severino, et al are a year away from free agency before extending them.

February 25th, 2014: Quick Hits: Santana, Billingsley, Tejada, Drew, Hanrahan, Diaz

Across town, the Yankees are keeping tabs on reliever Joel Hanrahan after inking another rehabbing former closer in Andrew Bailey, reports Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. As Martino explains, interest in arms like Bailey and Hanrahan shows that the club has some concern with its pen depth.

The Red Sox made some really terrible reliever trades back in the day. They gave up Josh Reddick (and two others) to get Andrew Bailey, who stunk for them and got hurt. They also gave up Mark Melancon (and three others) to get Joel Hanrahan. Hanrahan allowed eight runs in 7.1 innings with the Red Sox, all in 2013, and never pitched again. Wrecked his arm. The Tigers gave him a look in Spring Training in 2014 and 2015 but nothing came of it. Hanrahan was a two-time All-Star with a 2.24 ERA (3.24 FIP) from 2012-13. His career lasted 7.1 more innings. Brutal.

OOTP Guest Series: What if the Yankees signed Vlad Guerrero instead of Gary Sheffield?

January 30, 2019 by Mike

The hot stove is running cold right now, so this week we’re running a series of guest posts from Sam Tydings, Steven’s brother. Sam used Out of the Park Baseball to simulate some past “what if” Yankees scenarios. We’ve already looked at the Greg Maddux non-signing and the Albert Belle non-signing. Now it’s time for the Vlad Guerrero non-signing. You can follow Sam on Twitter at @simmonsclass.

The 2003 offseason was a pivotal one for the balance of power in MLB. By Thanksgiving, the Red Sox added Curt Schilling to a team that was five outs away from winning the AL pennant. The Yankees locked in on Braves outfielder Gary Sheffield to shore up a right field spot that had been filled by the likes of Raul Mondesi, David Dellucci, and Ruben Sierra since Paul O’Neill’s retirement two years prior. Sheffield had no other major suitors and the Yankees zeroed in on him and signed the slugger to a three-year deal despite a better, younger, future Hall of Fame player hitting the market.

Vladimir Guerrero ended up leaving the Expos (who did not offer him salary arbitration) for the bright lights of Los Angeles of Anaheim, joining an Angels team on a five-year deal that saw him win MVP in year one and notch three other top-10 finishes. Sheffield joined a bevy of relievers in the Yankees’ 03-04 free agency haul, one that saw them lose Roger Clemens, David Wells, and Andy Pettitte from their rotation. Neither Guerrero nor Sheffield won a World Series with their new clubs, but since this is a Yankees blog, let’s see what happens if Vlad ended up patrolling the Yankees outfield instead of the guy who ran into Bubba Crosby.

For the sake of this sim, we’ll send Sheff to the Angels, who need a right fielder with Vlad spurning them for the Yankees. We are also going to note that even though a Vlad signing makes it more likely that the Red Sox follow through on a trade for Alex Rodriguez, he will still be in pinstripes for the fake 2004 season, which in many senses mirrored reality. Vlad was the MVP runner up with 45 home runs, the Red Sox defeated the Yankees in the ALCS and beat the Cubs to win the title.

Fake Vlad’s signature season with the Yankees was 2008, in which he won league MVP and World Series MVP as the Yankees defeated the Diamondbacks to send off the old stadium with a bang. From there, Vlad decided to take his talents to LA in free agency, joining the Dodgers and leaving the Yankees on a high note and with a compensatory draft pick.

Sheffield, on the other hand, had three solid seasons in Anaheim before winding down his career. Vlad was elected to the Hall of Fame on his first ballot and went in as a Yankee. Sheffield also ended up getting in, which says much more about the makeup of the actual electorate than how OOTP decides guys should be enshrined.

Obviously had the Yankees locked in on Montreal’s free agent right fielder instead of Atlanta’s 15 years ago, the upside for those mid-00’s teams would have been immediately improved. It would not have fixed the team’s biggest flaw (pitching) and they might not have actually been able to overcome that, even with Vlad on the team. But Guerrero’s presence would have meant the Yankees had no need to acquire Bobby Abreu, and then Nick Swisher after Abreu’s departure, allowing the Yankees to hold onto those prospects for a possible trade for a starting pitcher. Even if guys like C.J. Henry and Jeff Marquez didn’t pan out, they were still assets with value at the time they were moved.

Any time a team makes a mistake in free agency or whiffs on a trade, they have to compound that mistake by giving up something of value if they’re trying to win. Therefore, there is obviously a tremendous reward for locking in a young talent in free agency for nothing more than money and draft or international signing pool punishments. Had the Yankees signed Vlad to a long-term deal in 2004, they would have had an extremely talented and popular player penciled into a corner position for at least half a decade. It would have freed up their assets so they could fix obvious holes on the team.

Yankees fans have to hope that the decisions they have made so far this offseason aren’t just repeating mistakes from critical moments in the past.

Poll: After Derek Jeter, who will be the next Yankee voted into the Hall of Fame?

January 24, 2019 by Mike

Mariano Rivera made history throughout his 19-year career and he made history again earlier this week, when he became the first ever unanimous selection to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. All 425 voters named him on their ballot. I didn’t think it would happen but it did, and it’s pretty awesome. Couldn’t pick a better player to be the first unanimous Hall of Famer.

Mike Mussina, Rivera’s teammate with the Yankees for eight years, was also voted into the Hall of Fame earlier this week. Mussina has not yet decided whether he’ll wear a Yankees hat or an Orioles hat on his Hall of Fame plaque, though he did have more wins (147 to 123), more innings (2,009.2 to 1,553), more All-Star appearances (five to zero), and more WAR (+47.8 to +35.2) with the O’s. Going in as an Oriole seems appropriate.

Derek Jeter joins the Hall of Fame ballot next year and, like Rivera, he is a slam dunk first ballot Hall of Famer. He might even be unanimous! That would be fun, Rivera and Jeter being the first two unanimous Hall of Famers. Either way, Jeter is getting into the Hall of Fame next year. There’s no doubt about it. After that though, it might be a while until another Yankee gets voted into Cooperstown.

Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada have already dropped off the Hall of Fame ballot, having received less than the 5% needed to remain on the ballot another year. (Williams did spend two years on the ballot. Posada dropped off in year one.) Don Mattingly exhausted his 15 years on the ballot without being voted into the Hall of Fame. I suppose one of the eras committees could vote him in a la Harold Baines. We’ll see.

We know Jeter will be the next Yankee voted into the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. We don’t know who will be the next after that. Let’s go through the upcoming candidates, shall we? Here are the Yankees due to appear on the Hall of Fame ballot in the coming years.

2020 ballot

Jeter is the big name here. He’s the only slam dunk Hall of Famer joining the ball next year. Also joining the ballot are former Yankees Jason Giambi, Bobby Abreu, and Alfonso Soriano. Abreu has a stathead case for Cooperstown but, if he gets in, he’ll have a Phillies cap on his plaque. He played more games with the Phillies (1,353) than all other teams combined (1,072).

Giambi played more games with the Athletics (1,036) than the Yankees (897), plus he won an MVP and finished second in the MVP voting while with the A’s. Also, there’s the performance-enhancing drug thing. Giambi gave that vague apology for letting people down without ever saying what he did, but we all know what he was talking about. So many Hall of Fame voters are dug in against PEDs that, even if Giambi’s case were stronger than it actually is, I still don’t think he’d get in.

Soriano played more games with the Cubs (889) than the Yankees (626) but he had some of his best seasons in pinstripes. He led the league in hits (209) and homers (41) in 2002 and finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting and third in the MVP voting while with the Yankees. Soriano’s best season, his 40/40 season (46 homers and 41 steals) came with the Nationals in 2006.

I don’t think Giambi has a chance at the Hall of Fame because of the PED stuff. Abreu and Soriano strike me as Hall of Very Good players rather than Hall of Famers, and hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. They had great careers and made tons of dough. Also, we’re looking for the next Yankee Hall of Famer here, and I don’t think Giambi, Abreu, or Soriano would have a Yankees hat on his Hall of Fame plaque even if they get in. They did more with other teams.

The best player with a chance to go into the Hall of Fame as a Yankee next year other than Jeter is Andy Pettitte. Pettitte was on the ballot for the first time this year and he received only 9.9% of the vote. He’s much, much closer to falling off the ballot than he is getting the 75% needed for induction into Cooperstown. It took Mussina six years on the ballot to get into the Hall of Fame. I have to think it’ll take Pettitte at least that long, if not longer to gain induction.

2021 ballot

There are no slam dunk Hall of Famers set to join the ballot in 2021, Yankees or otherwise. The best players joining the ballot are probably Tim Hudson and Mark Buehrle. The best former Yankees set to join the ballot are A.J. Burnett and Nick Swisher. Next.

2022 ballot

Now we’re talking. Alex Rodriguez joins the ballot in three years and his career was very obviously worthy of the Hall of Fame. There’s no arguing with the raw numbers. A-Rod is one of the 10-15 best players in the game’s history and, if you take his career at face value, he should be a unanimous selection. You can’t take his career at face value though. Rodriguez admitted to using PEDs and served a year-long suspension for a separate PED transgression.

If Barry Bonds and Rogers Clemens do not get into the Hall of Fame, A-Rod has little hope of getting in. The voting body is skewing younger and thus more forgiving of PEDs, but so many voters are dug in on this subject and will not change their minds. Jeff Passan recently spoke to voters who do not vote for Bonds or Clemens and it’s clear where they stand. Bonds and Clemens have seen their support plateau in recent years. It would take a sea change in the Hall of Fame voting for them to get in before their eligibility expires in three years.

In the unlikely event he does get voted into Cooperstown, it’s safe to assume A-Rod would go in as a Yankee. He played more games as a Yankee (1,509) than he did as a Mariner and Ranger combined (1,275), plus he won two MVPs in pinstripes and his World Series ring. More games, more homers (351 to 345), more hardware, more rings as a Yankee than everywhere else combined. Should he get in — assuming Rodriguez stays on the ballot all ten years, his final year of eligibility will be 2031, which is a looong ways away — A-Rod would go in as a Yankee.

The other notable former Yankee joining the ballot in three years is Mark Teixeira. My hunch is that, if Fred McGriff was unable to get into the Hall of Fame, Teixeira won’t get in either. Teixeira did hit 409 homers and he led the league in homers and total bases once (39 and 344 in 2009, respectively), but that’s pretty much it. Teixeira did play more games as a Yankee (958) than as a Ranger, Brave, and Angel combined (904), so if he gets into the Hall of Fame, I think he’d go in as a Yankee. I’m just not sure he’s getting in.

2023 ballot

The only serious Hall of Fame candidate joining the ballot in four years is Carlos Beltran. I think he’ll get into Cooperstown. If not on the first ballot, than eventually. Beltran is an unlikely candidate to be the next Yankee in the Hall of Fame simply because he played the bulk of his career elsewhere. Only 341 of his 2,586 career games came in pinstripes, or 13.2%. I guess Beltran would go into the Hall of Fame as a Royal or Met? Either way, it won’t be as a Yankee, so Beltran’s not the answer to our question.

2024 ballot

Players who retired following last season will be eligible for Hall of Fame induction in 2024. That means Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer, Chase Utley, and David Wright. They combined for zero (0) games as a Yankee. Matt Holliday and Curtis Granderson could also join the Hall of Fame ballot in five years if they fail to find work this winter. Holliday spent one kinda crummy year with the Yankees. He’d go in as a Rockie or Cardinal. Granderson had some of his best seasons in pinstripes but played more games with the Tigers (674) and Mets (573) than the Yankees (513). Love the Grandyman but I don’t see him as a serious Hall of Fame candidate.

Active players

Ichiro Suzuki is a clear cut Hall of Famer and he’s going in as a Mariner, as he should. That leaves two active players who spend the bulk of their careers with the Yankees and deserve serious Hall of Fame consideration: Robinson Cano and CC Sabathia. This offseason’s trade ensures Cano would go into Cooperstown as a Yankee. He’ll split the second half of his career between (at least) two teams, meaning he won’t be able to accomplish enough with the Mariners to change his legacy from Yankees great to Mariners great.

Cano of course served a PED suspension last year, which likely ruins his chances at the Hall of Fame. Manny Ramirez has no-doubt Hall of Fame credentials, but, because he served two PED suspensions, he hasn’t topped 24% of the vote in his three years on the Hall of Fame ballot. Cano is closing in on 3,000 hits and Jeff Kent’s home run record for second basemen. Robbie’s the best second baseman of his generation. The suspension means he has a tough hill to climb.

Assuming Cano finishes out the final five years on his contract, that means he’s ten years away from appearing on the Hall of Fame ballot and 20 years away from exhausting his ten years on the ballot. We could still be talking about Robbie being on the ballot as a potential Hall of Famer in 2038! That’s an awfully long way away, man. The voting body can and will change between now and then, and a PED suspension may not be as much of a dealbreaker then as it is now. We’ll see.

Sabathia has more wins (129 to 117) and more starts (284 to 254) as a Yankee than he did as an Indian and Brewer combined, though he has slightly less WAR (+29.7 to +32.5). Also, Sabathia won his Cy Young in Cleveland and split 2008, his best individual season, between the Indians and Brewers. He won his World Series ring (and ALCS MVP) as a Yankee and has three top four finishes in the Cy Young voting in pinstripes. At some point this year he’ll record his 250th win and 3,000th strikeout, which is pretty cool.

I believe Sabathia would have a Yankees hat on his Hall of Fame plaque. The real question is whether he gets into Cooperstown. Mussina was an objectively better pitcher and he had to wait six years on the ballot to get in. Pettitte was a notch below Sabathia but he has the whole legacy Yankee thing going for him, and he didn’t come close to induction this year. (Pettitte is an admitted human growth hormone user though.) Sabathia will retire after this season and that means he’ll hit the Hall of Fame ballot in 2025. If he gets into the Hall of Fame, it’ll probably take several years on the ballot a la Mussina (and Pettitte).

Looking more long-term, Giancarlo Stanton is on a potential Hall of Fame track seeing how he’s at 300 homers and +40 WAR through his age 28 season. Five-hundred homers and +65 WAR is well within reach. Aroldis Chapman is like 60% of the way to Billy Wagner’s career at this point and Wagner hasn’t come close to induction yet, so Chapman has an uphill climb. Aaron Judge was a bit of a late-bloomer (he played his first MLB season at age 25), which puts him behind the Hall of Fame eight-ball. Gary Sanchez? Gleyber Torres? Miguel Andujar? Luis Severino? Great talents who are a long, long way from the Cooperstown combination.

What about Dellin Betances? He is the best setup man of his generation (yup) and it’s possible that, by time he’s eligible to appear on the Hall of Fame ballot, the voters may have very different standards for relief pitchers. As long as Wagner stays so far away from induction — this was Wagner’s fourth year on the ballot and he’s yet to receive even 17% of the vote — I can’t see Betances as a serious Hall of Fame candidate. Gosh, it would be fun though, wouldn’t it?

* * *

We know Jeter will be voted into the Hall of Fame next year. That is a certainty. The next Yankee to go into the Hall of Fame after Jeter is up in the air, largely because A-Rod and Cano have served PED suspensions, which significantly lowers their chances of winding up in Cooperstown. Since we’re here, we might as well turn this into a poll, so let’s get to it.

Who will be the next Yankee voted into the Hall of Fame after Jeter?

Mariano Rivera becomes first unanimous Hall of Famer

January 22, 2019 by Mike

The National Baseball Hall of Fame has four new members. Earlier tonight the Hall of Fame and the Baseball Writers Association of America announced Mariano Rivera, Mike Mussina, Edgar Martinez, and the late Roy Halladay have been voted into the Hall of Fame. They’ll be joined by Harold Baines and Lee Smith during induction weekend. Baines and Smith were voted in by the Today’s Game committee.

“Mariano was a fierce competitor and a humble champion, which has made him such a beloved baseball legend,” said Hal Steinbrenner in a statement. “Success and stardom never changed Mariano, and his respect for the game, the Pinstripes and for his teammates and opponents alike makes this day such a celebration of his legacy. There will be many more great and talented relief pitchers, but there will never be another like him. This is another incredible achievement for Mariano, and a day like today brings me great pride knowing he wore the Pinstripes for each and every game of his remarkable career.”

Here’s the video of Rivera and his family getting the phone call with the news:

Rivera appeared on all 425 ballots and is the first unanimous selection to the Hall of Fame. I can’t believe it. Never thought it would happen. It is stunning. Rivera is also the first player originally signed or drafted by the Yankees to be voted into the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA since Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford were voted in back in 1974. (Phil Rizzuto and Joe Gordon were Veterans Committee selections.) Here are the seven highest voting percentages in history:

Mariano Rivera: 100.00%
Ken Griffey Jr.: 99.32%
Tom Seaver: 98.84%
Nolan Ryan: 98.79%
Cal Ripken Jr.: 98.53%
Ty Cobb: 98.23%
George Brett: 98.19%

No other player received at least 98% of the vote. Not Hank Aaron (97.83%), Babe Ruth (95.13%), Willie Mays (94.68%), or Ted Williams (93.38%). Rivera is of course deserving of a perfect voting percentage. He is the greatest reliever in baseball history and it’s not all that close. Especially not once you include his postseason numbers. Consider the all-time postseason win probability added leaderboard:

Mariano Rivera: +11.7
Curt Schilling: +4.1
John Smoltz: +3.6
Andy Pettitte: +3.5
Jon Lester & David Ortiz: +3.2 (tie)

“It’s humbling to think of the incredible journey that Mariano has had over the course of his life — his unassuming beginnings in a Panamanian fishing village to pitching for the Yankees under the brightest lights with the world watching,” Brian Cashman said in a statement. “I speak for every Yankees fan when I say how fortunate we were to have had him on our side for so long. Clearly his World Series rings and longtime statistical dominance testify to his standing among the greats to ever play our sport. But no matter how big a star he became, he never failed to carry himself with unerring professionalism and class. Mo was always someone who I could point to and say, ‘That’s what a Yankee should be like.’”

Rivera retired with a 2.21 ERA — his 205 ERA+ is far and away the best in history among pitchers with at least 1,000 innings pitched (Clayton Kershaw is second with a 159 ERA+) — and a record 652 saves in 1,283.2 regular season innings. He also posted a 0.70 ERA and 42 saves in 141 postseason innings, and 31 times in those 42 saves he recorded at least four outs. Bonkers. A deserving Hall of Famer through and through.

As for Mussina, he became a star with the Orioles and had more wins (147 to 123), starts (288 to 248), and innings (2,009.2 to 1,553) with Baltimore than he did with the Yankees. He was still a great Yankee, however, pitching to a 3.88 ERA (114 ERA+) in eight seasons in pinstripes. Mussina never won a Cy Young or a World Series, but he is one of the ten best pitchers since the mound was lowered 50 years ago, and now he’ll assume his rightful place in Cooperstown.

“I’m so happy to see Moose recognized for his incredible career. Accomplishing what he did while spending all 18 of his seasons in the ultra-competitive AL East is remarkable,” Cashman added. “Unlike the big arms that dominate today’s pitching landscape, Mike was a quintessential craftsman who played up to his strengths and hunted for the weaknesses in his opposition — before that level of preparation was a commonplace thing to do. More importantly though, he was a gamer, plain and simple. He wanted the ball, and did everything within his power to get himself ready to contribute. I don’t get too invested in players’ individual milestones, but I was thrilled that he won 20 games in his final season. He deserved that validation then just like he deserves the validation he’s going to get this summer in Cooperstown.”

I guess it’s fitting Martinez and Halladay are going into the Hall of Fame the same year as Rivera. Edgar is pretty much the only hitter who solved Mariano. Hit .579/.652/1.053 in 23 plate appearances against him. Good gravy. Halladay had a seven or eight-year stretch as the best pitcher in baseball and, as Tom Verducci wrote in 2013, Rivera helped Halladay refine his cutter. Verducci says the Yankees fined Rivera in kangaroo court for that. I was not sad when Halladay got traded to the National League. Not at all.

Andy Pettitte received 9.9% of the vote and will remain on the ballot another year. I don’t think Pettitte is a Hall of Famer but I also didn’t think he’d receive such a low voting percentage. Five percent is needed to remain on the ballot another year and Pettitte cut it close this year. Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada dropped off the Hall of Fame ballot in their first year of eligibility in recent years. Pettitte gets another chance.

Former Yankee Roger Clemens (59.5%) continued to gain Hall of Fame support in his seventh year on the ballot but again fell short of the 75% threshold needed for induction. So did Barry Bonds (59.1%) in his seventh year on the ballot. Fred McGriff, who the Yankees drafted then traded as a prospect, received 39.8% of the vote in his final year of Hall of Fame eligibility. The BBWAA did not vote him in, but don’t worry, one of the new eras committees surely will. The full Hall of Fame voting results are available on the BBWAA’s site.

Next year Derek Jeter will join the Hall of Fame ballot and, like Rivera, he is lock for first ballot induction. Will he be unanimous? Maybe! Former Yankees Bobby Abreu, Eric Chavez, Kyle Farnsworth, Jason Giambi, Raul Ibanez, Lyle Overbay, Brian Roberts, and Alfonso Soriano are also due to join the ballot next year. Abreu will get some stathead support. I can’t imagine any of those guys coming close to induction though.

Former Yankees ace, pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre passes away at 77

January 14, 2019 by Mike

Longtime Yankees ace and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre passed away Sunday near his home in Seattle following a long battle with bone marrow cancer. He was 77.

Yankees chairman Hal Steinbrenner issued the following statement earlier today:

“Beyond his tremendous accomplishments as a player and coach, Mel Stottlemyre was beloved for his class, dignity and fighting spirit. His contributions to different eras in our history guided us through difficult times and brought us some of our greatest all-time success. As a result, Mel’s popularity transcended generations, all of whom thought of him as their own. His plaque in Monument Park will forever serve to celebrate the significance of his legacy.

“His passing is a tremendous loss to the Yankees and all those in the baseball community, and we extend our deepest condolences to Mel’s wife, Jean, and the entire Stottlemyre family.”

Stottlemyre, a right-handed pitcher, joined the Yankees at age 22 in 1964. He emerged as the team’s best starting pitcher in 1965 and served as the staff ace during the franchise’s lean years from 1965-74. Stottlemyre was part of the 1964 AL pennant-winning team as a rookie, but never returned to the postseason as a player.

In parts of eleven big league seasons Stottlemyre went 164-139 with a 2.97 ERA before shoulder trouble forced him into retirement. He was selected to five All-Star Games and received MVP votes in four different seasons. Stottlemyre fell off the Hall of Fame ballot in 1980, his first year of eligibility. He spent his entire playing career with the Yankees.

Following his playing career, Stottlemyre jumped into the minor league coaching ranks with the Mariners, and eventually worked his way up to the big leagues. He served as pitching coach with the Mets (1984-93), Astros (1994-95), Yankees (1996-2005), and Mariners (2008). Stottlemyre won World Series rings with the 1986 Mets as well as the 1996 and 1998-2000 Yankees.

In 2015, the Yankees surprised Stottlemyre at Old Timers’ Day and announced he would be honored with a plaque in Monument Park. It was a very touching moment and ceremony. Here’s the video:

Stottlemyre is survived by his wife, Jean, and his two sons, Mel Jr. and Todd, both of whom pitched in the big leagues. He had a third son, Jason, who died of leukemia of 1981. Longtime RAB guest poster Adam Moss posted a tribute to Stottlemyre over at his site, so make sure you check that out.

Revisiting the MLBTR Archives: January 2014

January 1, 2019 by Mike

Welcome to 2019. The present day Yankees are looking for bullpen help and a middle infielder to replace the injured Didi Gregorius. The 2013 going on 2014 Yankees were looking for rotation help and a Robinson Cano replacement at this moment five years ago. They went 85-77 the previous year and missed the postseason for the first time since 2008, and it was clear they needed more help to return to October in 2014.

At this point of the 2013-14 offseason the Yankees had already made most of their major moves. Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Carlos Beltran had all been signed and both Derek Jeter and Hiroki Kuroda were re-signed. The Yankees still had to figure out second base and they needed to get Kuroda, CC Sabathia, and Ivan Nova some rotation help. On the first day of 2019, it’s time to go back in time five years to January 2014. Here’s the latest edition of our MLB Trade Rumors archives series.

January 10th, 2014: Yankees Sign Matt Thornton

More than three weeks after the initial agreement was reached, the Yankees have officially announced their two-year deal with left-hander Matt Thornton. The longtime White Sox hurler will reportedly receive a $7MM guarantee. Thornton is represented by Diamond Sports Management.

Man, I’d forgotten Matt Thornton was a Yankee. He had that great stretch with the White Sox from 2008-10 (2.70 ERA and 2.46 FIP) before gradual decline started to set in. Thornton’s surface numbers with the Yankees were pretty good (2.55 ERA and 2.73 FIP in 24.2 innings) but he had some trouble with inherited runners and a few notable meltdowns. The Yankees let him and the $4.5M remaining on his contract go to the Nationals on a straight August trade waiver claim. Salary dumped him. Those multi-year contracts for left-on-left relievers didn’t out well for the Yankees for a while there.

January 11th, 2014: Alex Rodriguez Suspension Now 162 Games

The result of Alex Rodriguez‘s appeal is in, and he will be suspended for 162 games, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. Rodriguez plans to appeal the suspension in federal court. The suspension will cover the full 2014 season, and also the postseason, Yahoo! Sports’ Tim Brown tweets. The suspension previously was 211 games. Even though the suspension was reduced, the decision by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz appears to be a victory for Major League Baseball, which won a suspension for A-Rod that goes far beyond those of other first-time PED offenders.

What a nightmare this was. The appeal process was ugly — A-Rod did all sorts of radio interviews and bashed the entire process while it was still ongoing (at one point he claimed the Yankees made him play through his hip injury hoping it would end his career) — and eventually his suspension was reduced. He then filed lawsuits against the Yankees, MLB, the MLBPA, and some others. They were later dropped. For a while there though, Rodriguez’s appeal and the fallout was ugly. The ugliest period for the Yankees in a long time.

Two weird things about A-Rod’s suspension. One, the suspension covered 162 games, but the Yankees still had to pay Rodriguez for the team’s 20 off-days in 2014. For real. That amounted to a little more than $3M. And two, A-Rod could’ve still gone to Tampa and been a full participant in Spring Training, which would’ve been a major distraction. Ultimately, he announced he wouldn’t go to camp when he dropped all his lawsuits and whatnot. Imagine though? A-Rod suspended for the regular season but still a regular in Spring Training? That would’ve been a hoot.

January 11th, 2014: Minor Moves: Coello, Braddock, Keppel, Manzella

The Yankees have signed righty reliever Robert Coello to a minor-league deal, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy tweets. Coello, 29, pitched 17 innings for the Angels in 2013, posting a 3.71 ERA with 12.2 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9.

Oh man, I totally forgot about Coello. He never did pitch for the Yankees — Coello had a 1.69 ERA (3.08 FIP) in 32 innings with Triple-A Scranton before being released at midseason — but he was notable because he threw what amounted to a knuckle-forkball. Coello gripped it like a forkball but the ball had no spin like a knuckleball. The statheads nicknamed it the WTForkball. Look:

Coello hooked on with the Orioles after the Yankees released him, then he spent 2015 in Triple-A with the Giants and Rangers, and 2016 in Korea. He’s been out of baseball since. Thanks to the WTForkball, Coello struck out 39 (and walked 17) in 29 career MLB innings with the Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Angels.

January 11th, 2014: Reynolds Unlikely To Return To Yankees

Mark Reynolds is unlikely to return to the Yankees, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News tweets, citing a source who says the Yanks have only offered the infielder a minor-league deal. “He won’t take that,” Feinsand says.

The Brewers gave Reynolds a one-year deal worth $2M about a week later and he went on to hit .196/.287/.394 (87 wRC+) with 22 homers in 2014. Five players batted 140 times as a right-handed hitter for the 2014 Yankees. Their numbers:

Francisco Cervelli: 130 wRC+ (in 162 plate appearances)
Mark Teixeira: 97 wRC+ (in 146 plate appearances as a right-handed batter)
Derek Jeter: 75 wRC+ (in 634 plate appearances)
Alfonso Soriano: 66 wRC+ (in 238 plate appearances)
Carlos Beltran: 52 wRC+ (in 153 plate appearances as a right-handed batter)

Reynolds was terrible in 2014 and he would’ve been the third best right-handed hitter on the Yankees. Woof. Reynolds is still around though. Dude hit .248/.328/.476 (112 wRC+) with 13 homers as a part-timer for the Nationals this season, and even had a 5-for-5 with 10 RBI game. Twelve years in the big leagues, six homers away from 300 for his career, and nearly $30M in contracts. Not too shabby.

January 12th, 2014: Yankees To Sign Scott Sizemore

3:50pm: Sizemore has opt-out dates of May 1 and August 1, if he isn’t on the Yankees’ 25-man roster, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. In a second tweet, Sherman reports Sizemore had two Major League offers, but saw more opportunities with the Yankees.

10:55am: The Yankees have agreed to a minor league contract with infielder Scott Sizemore, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter link).

The 2014 Yankees had such a crummy infield that I was on this very website practically begging them to give Sizemore more playing time. He hit .266/.329/.433 (108 wRC+) with Triple-A Scranton that season and went 5-for-16 (.313) in his brief big league stint with the Yankees. Once you’ve begged for Scott Sizemore to get playing time, potentially replacing Didi Gregorius with Tyler Wade or Hanser Alberto doesn’t seem so bad.

January 13th, 2014: Yankees Sign Brian Roberts

JAN. 13: After nearly a month, Roberts’ deal with the Yankees is now official, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter). Roberts will receive Alex Rodriguez‘s 40-man roster spot.

Going from Robinson Cano to late career Brian Roberts was like going from, well, Aaron Judge to Shane Robinson. It was bad. Roberts hit .237/.300/.360 (86 wRC+) in 348 plate appearances for the Yankees, and he was very uneven. He hit a tolerable .247/.318/.367 (95 wRC+) in April and May and a dreadful .226/.281/.352 (77 wRC+) in June and July before being released. Roberts did do this though …

… and that was pretty cool. No one picked Roberts up after the Yankees cut him loose and he retired as a career .276/.346/.409 (101 wRC+) hitter with 1,527 hits and +30 WAR. Nice little career he had. Too bad injuries sabotaged his early 30s. Roberts could’ve been up over 2,000 hits otherwise.

January 13th, 2014: Yankees Have Asked Padres About Trade For Infielder

The Yankees have inquired with the Padres about the possibility of trading for some of San Diego’s infield depth, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The most realistic target is utilityman Logan Forsythe, according to Morosi.

At the time the Padres had Forsythe, Chase Headley, Jedd Gyorko, and Everth Cabrera on the infield. The Yankees eventually acquired Headley and had on-and-off interest in Gyorko and Forsythe over the years. I distinctly remember folks in our comments and on social media first wondering why the Yankees wanted Forsythe (73 wRC+ in 2013), then wondering why the Yankees didn’t get him from San Diego after he broke out with the Rays a year later (125 wRC+ in 2015). Good times.

January 16th, 2014: Yankees Release Vernon Wells

JANUARY 16: The Yankees have released Wells, according to the MLB.com transactions page.

Wells was designated for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot for Thornton and there as much rejoicing. Wells hit .233/.282/.349 (77 wRC+) with the Yankees in 2013 — that includes a .216/.258/.296 (49 wRC+) batting line after April — and no team signed him after he was cut loose. Probably not a good sign that so many 2013-14 Yankees were immediately shuffled into forced retirement after being released, huh?

January 22nd, 2014: Yankees Sign Masahiro Tanaka

After months of drama and speculation, the Masahiro Tanaka saga has come to an end. The Yankees today officially announced that they’ve signed the Japanese righty to a seven-year contract that is reportedly worth a massive $155MM. The contract provides Tanaka with an opt-out clause after the fourth season and also contains a full no-trade clause. Tanaka is represented by Excel Sports Management — the same agents that negotiated Clayton Kershaw‘s record-setting extension.

It’s easy to forget how young Tanaka was at the time. On the day he officially signed with the Yankees, Tanaka was 131 days older than Luis Severino is today. The Yankees were getting the prime years of a very talented pitcher — a talented pitcher with no MLB track record, but a talented pitcher nonetheless — and, by and large, Tanaka has delivered. In the first five years of his contract he’s pitched to a 3.59 ERA (118 ERA+) and 3.80 FIP with +15.6 WAR in 824.2 innings. Over the last five seasons Tanaka ranks 21st in WAR despite being 34th in innings. And he’s delivered in the postseason too. Imagine where the Yankees would be without him the last few years? In an era when most big money pitching contracts become disasters, Tanaka’s been well worth the money.

January 22nd, 2014: Yankees Designate David Huff For Assignment

The Yankees announced that they’ve designated left-hander David Huff for assignment in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for Masahiro Tanaka.

Huff somehow had two stints with the Yankees. He threw 34.2 innings with a 4.67 ERA (4.95 FIP) in pinstripes in 2013, was traded to the Giants for cash after this DFA, then was reacquired for cash in June 2014. Huff had a 1.85 ERA (4.00 FIP) in 39 innings in his second stint with the Yankees. David Huff really had a 3.18 ERA (4.45 FIP) in 73.2 innings with New York? Who knew? This past season he had a 4.87 ERA in 94.1 innings for the Yakult Swallows in Japan.

January 22nd, 2014: AL East Notes: Carp, Blue Jays, Yankees, Robertson

David Robertson will be the Yankees’ closer in 2014, Steinbrenner told Sherman and Dan Martin of the New York Post. Cashman wasn’t quite as firm during a media conference, saying that Robertson is “obviously…the odds-on favorite” but not ruling out any further bullpen additions.

Everyone freaked out — understandably, I think — about having to replace Mariano Rivera in 2014, yet Robertson made it easy. He had a typical Robertson season after moving from the eighth inning into the ninth inning. And, really, the Yankees haven’t had much trouble replacing Rivera at all. At least not during the regular season. Their post-Rivera closers:

2014: Robertson
2015: Andrew Miller
2016: Aroldis Chapman (then Dellin Betances after the trade)
2017-18: Chapman

There have of course been some hiccups along the way — closers always have hiccups, they’re inevitable during a 162-game season — but, by and large, the Yankees have fared pretty well in the ninth inning since Rivera retired. Things aren’t quite as automatic in the postseason and that’s the key difference. There will never be another like Mo in October.

January 27th, 2014: Minor Moves: Chris Leroux, Pete Orr, Blake Davis

29-year-old righty Chris Leroux has inked a minor league deal with the Yankees, tweets Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca. The Canadian hurler has 69 2/3 MLB innings under his belt, all in relief, over which he has maintained a 5.56 ERA and 8.1 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9.

The Yankees signed Leroux after he allowed 26 runs in 22 innings for the Yakult Swallows in Japan in 2013. He spend most of the 2014 season with Triple-A Scranton (4.94 ERA and 4.25 FIP) but he did manage to find himself in the Bronx for two appearances. Two innings, five runs. Leroux hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since and he’s been out of baseball since 2016. David Hale was the 2018 Chris Leroux. I wonder who 2019’s Chris Leroux will be?

January 29th, 2014: East Notes: Kimbrel, Rodney, Yanks, Phils, Red Sox

Also from Martino, the Yankees haven’t had any talk with Rodney since one “very preliminary” discussion back in November. While the team is aware of its bullpen holes, a Major League source tells Martino that they lack the payroll flexibility to address the ‘pen after signing Masahiro Tanaka. The Yankees are hoping that Dellin Betances can serve as a power reliever, Martino adds.

Geez, I don’t remember the Yankees being in on Fernando Rodney at all. He tends to make things interesting and I’ve always kinda hoped the Yankees would steer clear because of that. Rodney had that rebirth season with the Rays in 2012 (0.60 ERA and 2.13 FIP) and was again pretty good with Tampa in 2013 (3.38 ERA and 2.84 FIP). The Mariners gave him two years and $14M and hey, he saved 48 games with a 2.85 ERA (2.83 FIP) in 2014. Things have gone downhill a bit since then. Still pretty amazing 41-year-old Fernando Rodney was out there slinging 95 mph fastballs in 2018. May we all have that sort of longevity.

Andy Pettitte is an all-time great Yankee but he is not a Hall of Famer, and there’s nothing wrong with that

December 20, 2018 by Mike

In four weeks and five days MLB and the BBWAA will reveal the 2019 National Baseball Hall of Fame class. Mariano Rivera is a lock for induction. Edgar Martinez seems like a good bet for induction in his tenth and final year on the ballot. Rivera and Martinez going in the same year is kinda funny seeing how Edgar is pretty much the only hitter who solved Rivera (.579/.652/1.053 in 23 plate appearances!).

Among the many players on the ballot who will not receive enough votes for induction into the Hall of Fame next year is Andy Pettitte. As of this writing Ryan Thibodaux’s ballot tracker says Pettitte has appeared on only 11.3% of submitted ballots — that is eight votes on 70 public ballots — well below the 75% needed for induction. Pettitte should clear the 5% needed to remain on the ballot another year. Induction won’t happen in 2019 though.

And that’s fine. Pettitte is, clearly, on the very short list of all-time great Yankees pitchers. He is the franchise leader in strikeouts (2,020) and tied with Whitey Ford for the franchise lead in starts (438). Pettitte is top three in pitching WAR (+51.4), wins (219), innings (2,796.1), and a bunch of other things. And he was a key component of five World Series championship teams. He didn’t just come along for the ride and win a ring as a bystander.

The Yankees retired No. 46 for Pettitte three years ago and deservedly so. The Hall of Fame standard is much higher than the “the Yankees should retire his number” standard though, and, to me, Pettitte doesn’t meet that Hall of Fame standard. I can sum this up in three points.

1. Pettitte had the longevity but not the peak. Let’s do the ol’ blind comparison test, shall we? Mystery Pitcher here is a fellow lefty who pitched in the same era as Pettitte.

	G	W-L	IP	ERA	ERA+	K%	BB%	bWAR	fWAR
Pettitte	531	256-153 (.626)	3,316	3.85	117	17.4%	7.3%	60.7	68.9
Mystery Pitcher	518	214-160 (.569)	3,283.1	3.81	117	13.6%	5.4%	60.3	51.9

Give up? Mystery Pitcher is Mark Buehrle. Buehrle was really good! Had he not spent most of his career on some crummy White Sox teams, he’d have more wins and more postseason appearances to his credit, but that’s not really his fault. He did his part. His teammates didn’t. Does anyone think Buehrle is a Hall of Famer? Nah. A Hall of Very Good pitcher through and through, and gosh, it sure is tough to tell him apart from Pettitte, statistically.

For all intents and purposes, Pettitte was a consistently above-average pitcher for a very long time but he was never top of the league and on the short list of the game’s best. Seventeen times in 18 big league seasons Pettitte posted at least a 100 ERA+. Only six times in those 18 seasons did he best a 112 ERA+, however, and in three of those six seasons he made no more than 22 starts. Andy’s career is one of longevity, not top of the game dominance, and you typically need both to land in Cooperstown.

2. His postseason resume doesn’t boost his candidacy much. Five World Series rings is crazy impressive, and Pettitte is the all-time leader in postseason wins (19 — leads by four) and innings (276.2 — leads by 58.1), but his overall postseason body of work was more really good than great. He has a career 3.81 ERA in October, which more or less matches his regular season 3.85 ERA. Pettitte’s had some postseason gems (like this one and this one) but also some postseason stinkers (like this one and this one).

There is definitely something to be said for just how much Pettitte pitched in the postseason. The addition of the LDS round in 1995 and the fact the Yankees were so good for so long allowed Andy to rack up those postseason innings and he did answer the bell. I mean, a 3.81 ERA in 276.2 postseason innings is pretty bonkers. That’s more than an extra season’s worth of innings in his career. So perhaps knocking him for being merely very good and not truly great in October is wrong. It just seems to me there’s not enough October excellence to push Pettitte into Cooperstown.

3. It doesn’t matter that he’s better than someone who’s already in. With the Hall of Fame, it’s very easy to fall into the “well if this guy is in then that guy should be in” trap, and, with Pettitte (and others), the Jack Morris comparisons are inevitable. Pettitte compares very favorably to Morris statistically — he has him beat handily in both versions of WAR (60.7/68.9 to 44.0/55.8) despite throwing roughly 500 fewer innings — so, if Morris is in, Pettitte belongs to be in too, right?

Well, no. That’s the wrong way to look at this. For starters, Morris maxed out his 15 years on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot and was not voted into Cooperstown. The Modern Era committee had to vote him in last year. Yeah, he passed, but only because the teacher gave him an extra credit assignment. Secondly, Morris has the highest ERA (3.90) and third lowest ERA+ (105) among full-time pitchers in the Hall of Fame. A case can be made he’s the least accomplished pitcher in Hall of Fame. Morris was great! But this shouldn’t be the standard for induction.

When that’s the sort of comparison that has to be made to get Pettitte into Cooperstown — Andy would have the second highest ERA among Hall of Famers should he get voted in — well, it’s a losing argument. The voters would be doing a disservice to fans and the Hall of Fame by lowering the standards for induction based on a handful of players who probably shouldn’t be in but are in. Morris is one of them. Pettitte would be as well.

* * *

Personally, I don’t get too upset about performance-enhancing drugs, but many voters do, and Pettitte is an admitted human growth hormone user. There is definitely selective outrage with PEDs — generally speaking, we only get outraged when the players we don’t like use them — but some Hall of Fame voters undoubtedly will hold it against Pettitte when the time comes to submit their ballot.

In Pettitte’s case, this wouldn’t be PEDs keeping a surefire Hall of Famer like Roger Clemens or Barry Bonds out of the Cooperstown. Pettitte is more of a borderline candidate. The current (small sample) voting totals make it clear the voting body doesn’t consider him a strong candidate. Even without the PED stuff — lots of people seem willing to gloss over that with Andy anyway — he wouldn’t be a lock for induction. The performance doesn’t make an overwhelming case for Cooperstown.

There’s nothing wrong with being an all-time great Yankee and something short of a Hall of Famer. It doesn’t take away from what Pettitte accomplished and it certainly doesn’t change the way I feel about him or how I felt watching him pitch. Those memories aren’t tarnished. Maybe Pettitte will pull a Morris and get voted into Cooperstown somewhere down the line. If he does, cool. If not, I’ll live. He’s still the greatest Yankees starter I’ve ever seen and a huge part of my formative years as a baseball fan.