ByPeteAbe‘s got the word. It seems likely that The Hammer of God will need his shoulder scoped to clean out some bone spurs, and the Yanks are just doing their due diligence by getting another doc on the case. Assuming it’s nothing more serious than this, Mo will be ready go to next spring.
Oh, and please stop it Girardi. Giving misleading information about injuries doesn’t make them go away. Grow up and tell the truth like you were taught as a child. [/rant] · (14) ·
ByNot in the big leagues, in Hawaii. Baseball America has the story. The Yanks’ 2007 first rounder still hasn’t thrown a pitch in a game thanks to Tommy John surgery and an appendectomy, but his undeniable talent is worth the wait. Game time is 7pm local, so unless my math is wrong, that’s 1am Sunday on the east coast. Regardless, it’s exciting to see him finally get going. · (22) ·
ByThe Yanks hold a $20 million option or a $5 million buy-out on Jason Giambi’s contract. While the team will, in all likelihood, not exercise that option, Giambi says he would like to return to the Yanks. I’m on the fence here. The Yanks need the 134 OPS+ Giambi brings to the table, and he’s certainly a much better option than Hideki Matsui at this point. But they need a better first baseman, and the team really needs to get younger. For the right price, I’d bring him back but not at the expense of any other potential moves to improve the team. · (22) ·
ByJim Palmer, an old buddy of Mike Mussina’s for his Orioles days, spoke to a MASN reporter yesterday and dropped in a line about Moose’s future. According to Palmer, Mussina told the Hall of Famer that he doesn’t think he’ll pitch in 2009. If Mussina, who goes for win number 20 this weekend, the Yankees would have quite a few rotation holes to fill in the coming months. · (32) ·
ByWhile Joe alluded to a problem with Mariano Rivera in the game thread, we didn’t realize the severity of the issue until later on. The Yanks’ All Star closer left the team in Toronto in order to get an MRI in New York on his sore right shoulder. Clearly, this isn’t the best news, but we’ll hold our breaths under the Yanks announce the test results tomorrow. More on the Yanks’ loss to the Blue Jays in a bit.
Update 11:38 Tyler Kepner reports that Rivera may need arthroscopic surgery but would be ready for Spring Training. The Yanks aren’t sure. That’s some way to put a damper on the end of a disappointing season. · (27) ·
Game 159: Another scrub-filled game.
By · CommentsNot that I’m complaining. I’m actually glad to see Frankie Cervelli behind the plate tonight. And no, I don’t mind seeing Melky’s cute little baby face patrolling left. Might as well get him some time while things don’t matter.
Ben wanted me to share this with you guys:
From someecards.com
A win tonight would solidify our spot in third place. In other words, our magic number is one. For a meaningless consolation prize. Though, as I’ve said, 90 wins would be nice, in an it-doesn’t-matter kind of way.
Most eyes will be on the Mets/Cubs game tonight. I know it’ll be on at the bar I’m hitting. I’d much rather see the Twins/White Sox, though. The Twinkies can go up a half game if they complete the sweep tonight, and have to face KC over the weekend, while Chicago gets the resurgent Indians, who have a chance to finish at .500 for the season. Imagine if they hadn’t dished CC.
Enough of that. Onto the lineups.
1. Brett Gardner, CF
2. Robinson Cano, 2B
3. Bobby Abreu, DH
4. Xavier Nady, RF
5. Jason Giambi, 1B
6. Wilson Betemit, 3B
7. Cody Ransom, SS
8. Melky Cabrera, LF
9. Francisco Cervelli, C
And on the mound, number forty-five, Carl Pavano.
Notes: Mo is back in New York getting a physical. Girardi says he’ll be able to pitch over the weekend. We’ll see about that.
ByA moment ago, the Diamondbacks lost to the Cardinals, and the Dodgers clinched the NL West. For the 13th season in a row, Joe Torre has managed his team to the playoffs. While the media will soon be all over St. Joe for this one, the Yankees have clinched at least the same record as the Dodgers, and LA plays in a weaker division. Manny Ramirez also deserves a lot of credit for driving the Dodgers to the playoffs. But for all that, I’ll tip my cap to Joe. That streak is quite an accomplishment, and this playoff berth is the reason why the Dodgers signed him. · (34) ·
ByIn a typical fact-less anti-A-Rod column, Fox Sports’ Ian O’Connor writes about the uneasy marriage between the Yankees and their expensive third baseman. O’Connor doesn’t think that A-Rod will make it through his contract as a Yankee and anticipates the team’s trading him within five years. My only questions are thus: Why would the Yankees ever trade A-Rod to a team that would be in a position to compete against them? How would the Yanks replace A-Rod’s bat? A-Rod might not be the most beloved Yankee ever, but the two of them can’t really exist without each other anymore. · (58) ·
The case for A.J. Burnett
By · Comments
A topic we’ve hotly debated in the comments over the past few months is A.J. Burnett. He’s eligible to opt out of the five-year, $55 million deal he signed after the 2005 season, and most people think he will. After he made his final start of the 2008 season last night, many Blue Jays bloggers bid him adieu, admitting that the chances of his return are slim. The Jays are rumored to be negotiating an extension, but at this point, this close to free agency, it’s not probable.
It’s not difficult to concoct an argument against signing Burnett. He’ll be 32 for the start of the 2009 season, and will likely require a four- or five-year contract with an average annual value of around $15 million, possibly more. That’s quite a risk to take on a guy who has just three 200-inning seasons in his career — and followed two of them up with injury-shortened campaigns. In short, taking on Burnett would be a considerable risk.
When he’s on, though, he’s nearly unhittable. Even with his ERA north of 4.00 this season (though just barely), he’s still struck out 231 in 221 innings, walking 86 in that time. His 19 home runs is quite low, too.
One case I’ve heard for signing him is that he’s a Yankee killer, so it makes sense to have him pitching for us instead of against us. He does, after all, hold a career 2.43 ERA against the Yankees in 77.2 innings of work. That alone, though, isn’t good enough a reason to ink him. Yeah, he might hurt us if he’s pitching for another AL team, though that damage is far lessened by just getting him out of the A.L. East.
You know what other team he’s succeeded against? Yep. The Red Sox. In 56.1 career innings against Boston, he’s pitched to a 2.56 ERA, including a 2.60 mark over 27.2 innings this year. In four starts, two of them in Fenway, he allowed just two homers, striking out 24 and walking 13. They hit a paltry .206 against him this year, and have managed just a .212 average over his career.
Does this mean that we should sign Burnett? Hardly. It does provide another point for the team to consider, though. Not only does he pitch well against them, but he pitches well against the Sox — and wasn’t too shabby against the Rays this year, striking out 26 to 8 walks in 20 innings (3.15 ERA). Which, of course, makes me wonder if the Red Sox will be in on him. While I’m open to the idea of Burnett, I’m not too keen on a bidding war over him. I hope the Yanks front office isn’t, either.
Image from flickr user Larry Coor under a Creative Commons license.
