ByAs part of his lasting Yankee Stadium Memories, Alex Belth presented today a great piece by Ed Alstrom. Alstrom is the weekend and holiday organist for the Yankees, and as such, he was the last person to play anything on the historic organ at Yankee Stadium. Check it out. · (0) ·
Yanks ink Sergio Mitre to minor league deal
By · CommentsIt looks like Brian Cashman is wheeling and dealing in the early goings of the GM meetings. First we heard that he was chatting up Reds GM Walter Jocketty, which likely means nothing, but surely could mean something. Aaron Harang, anyone? Or maybe Jocketty is looking to cash in his Homer Bailey chip a bit late. That’s all just idle speculation, though. Chances are the two GMs were doing what they’re supposed to, which is gauging the market for available players.
However, the Yanks did sign a player today. Bryan Hoch informs us that former Marlin Sergio Mitre has signed a minor league deal. The 27-year-old righty underwent Tommy John surgery back in July, and likely won’t be ready until July or August of next year. This sounds like another scenario similar to Octavio Dotel. Hopefully the Yankees have learned from that experience in how they handle Mitre. You also would have liked to see them get some sort of option for 2010, as a reward for their signing him and paying for his rehab. Alas, that’s tough to do when you get a guy on a minor league deal.
After three disappointing seasons in Chicago, wherein he alternated between the rotation and bullpen, the Cubs dished him to Florida in the Juan Pierre trade*. He didn’t have much success in Miami either, though he did toss 150 innings for them in 2007. He has plenty of upside, though, as he fared very well in the minors as a youngster. This is a total upside move by the Yankees. If he pans out, great. If he continues to falter in his rehab, they will have wasted neither a lot of money nor a roster spot.
* Talk about a poor trade. Mitre, Rickey Nolasco, and Renyel Pinto for Pierre. Mitre and Pinto might be marginal players, but Nolasco had promise then, and had a break-out year at age 25 this season. Why do teams continually overvalue Pierre?
While the results didn’t bear it out, Mitre has fared decently as a reliever, in that his strikeout rates are far higher than as a starter. Considering the surgery and his lack of success as a starter, the Yanks should think about bringing him back solely as a reliever. Maybe then they can get some production out of him. Otherwise, this is just another in a line of low-risk pitching moves (Milton, Zambrano).
Update: Joe Frisaro, filling in for Hoch on the official Yanks site, notes that this is a $1.25 million deal, with a team option for 2010. The Hoch piece did not mention the option, or the dollar amount.
ByUpdated 3:35 p.m.: Michael Kay and the YES Network have finalized the three-year contract in September. According to a release published by the TV network. Kay will continue to be the lead play-by-play guy on the Yankee broadcasts and the overall voice of the YES Network. The network heads issued rather hyperbolic praise for Kay.
“We are pleased that Michael will continue to be the voice of the Yankees on YES while also hosting our signature CenterStage interview show,” John Filippelli, YES’ president of production and programming. “New Yorkers have long identified him with the Yankees and as a sports authority in general, and he is considered one of the best play-by-play men in baseball. His knowledge of the game and his ability to articulate in a clear, accurate and succinct manner make him an invaluable member of the YES team.” · (25) ·
Identifying the greater need
By · CommentsIn advance of this week’s GM Meetings, John Perrotto at Baseball Prospectus offered up some off-season preview capsules for all 30 teams. On the Yanks, Perrotto writes:
Despite Hank Steinbrenner’s yearning for Ramirez and an interest in Teixeira, they need starting pitching desperately, particularly with Mike Mussina leaning toward retirement. They’ll make big plays on the free-agent market for Sabathia, and also for right-hander A.J. Burnett if he fails to work out a deal to stay with the Blue Jays. There is some sentiment to acquire a center fielder, though many in the organization believe rookie Brett Gardner can ably fill that position. Right-hander Ian Kennedy is their top trade bait, and they are also more than willing to deal veteran outfielders Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.
Perrotto is on the right track; the Yanks certainly will need some starting pitching help next year. They probably won’t have Mike Mussina and shouldn’t count on Andy Pettitte to deliver too much. But his either/or construct is a bit faulty.
The Yankees, as they sit right now, days after the World Series and months before Opening Day, need both pitching and hitting, and they need both equally. On the season, the Yanks scored just 789 runs, good for seventh in the AL and just seven runs more than the listless Orioles. All playoff teams but one — Tampa — far outscored the Yanks, and the Yanks themselves scored nearly 200 fewer runs this year than last.
On the one hand, we can easily point to a few key injuries — Jorge Posada, Hideki Matsui — as well as the struggles of Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera as the root causes of this offensive slump. But on the other hand, this team isn’t getting younger. Bobby Abreu declined; Derek Jeter declined; A-Rod had a great season, but it didn’t measure up to his MVP campaign in 2007. For next year, Xavier Nady is an offensive enigma. His career .280/.335/.458 isn’t encouraging. So yes, the Yankees need offense, and Hank has that one right.
But the Yankees do need pitching too. Hopefully, they’ll have Joba and Chien-Ming Wang healthy and effective for a full year. Hopefully, Phil Hughes can put it all together. But that still leaves two or three holes in the rotation with or without Pettitte. The Yanks’ pitching was rather middle-of-the-pack last year, but that’s because their bullpen was one of the tops in the game. Their starters were only slightly better than the 75-87 Royals. Next year, we won’t sit through Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner, but someone has to take their places.
In the end, the Yankees clearly need both hitting and pitching, and it’s going to be a tough off-season. We all want them to sign everyone, and while some people think the team will do just that, it’s rather unlikely. The ride kicks off with the GM meetings today, and it should be a wild one.
ByVia Tim Dierkes, we find out that the Brewers have exercised the 2009 option for Mike Cameron. He’ll make $10 million for the season. Cameron would have been an intriguing option as a one-year stopgap in center field while the Yankees figure out the situation. The likelihood of Melky or Gardner starting the season in center field just got greater. Jim Edmonds remains an option as a one-year stopgap, though I’m not sure how seriously the Yanks are considering him, if at all. · (94) ·
Should the Yankees offer Pudge arbitration?
By · CommentsWe’ve talked about this a bit before, but with it becoming official that Ivan Rodriguez will be a Type B free agent, we should revisit it. Should the Yankees offer him arbitration in order to gain a supplemental round pick when he signs with a different team? There are a couple of factors to consider in this decision, and I’m sure it’s something the Yankees mulled at their organizational meetings.
If the Yankees do offer Pudge arbitration, there is always the risk he accepts. As we learned when I read through the relevant sections of the CBA, this means he is counted as a player for next season and is added to the 40-man roster. The Yankees will then either have to hammer out a deal with him, or go to an arbitration hearing. Neither of these seems ideal, as the Yankees surely don’t want him back. They can cut him prior to Spring Training and only be liable for a portion of his salary, but they’ll then 1) not get the supplemental pick when he signs elsewhere and 2) be short a 40-man roster spot, which can be used to protect J.B. Cox, Alan Horne, Chris Garcia, etc. from the Rule 5 draft.
However, it doesn’t seem that large a risk. Pudge knows that the Yankees plan to start Jorge Posada behind the dish. Surely he does not want to be relegated to backup status, which he would be if Jorge proves healthy in Spring Training. Plus, he could probably get a two-year deal elsewhere, which would be far more attractive to him at this stage in his career. Chances are that he’d decline an arbitration offer, though it’s certainly no sure thing.
Because he is a Type B free agent, there is no disincentive for a team to sign him. Had he been a Type A, as was the projection at Tiger Thoughts, Pudge would have been more likely to accept arbitration. Teams would have probably stayed clear, not wanting to sacrifice a first rounder for a 37-year-old catcher who was putrid in the second half. Without the draft pick at stake, Pudge becomes more attractive for a team in need of a catcher (helloooo Mets).
In this instance, I think the risk of offering Pudge arbitration is worth the potential reward of a supplemental pick. It helps in the mission to rebuild the farm system, and gives us some form of compensation for Pudge, who was an utter disappointment in pinstripes.
ByI honestly don’t know what to say about this article in the Times about Jim Leyritz. It recounts his messy 2002 divorce, the fact that he’s dead broke, and of course the accident last year. It’s some tragic stuff. Read for yourselves. · (28) ·
ByAccording to a few reports, the Yankees are planning on declining Damaso Marte’s $6 million option for 2009. As we figured the Yanks would pick up this option, I’m about surprised by this move, but the Yanks could be taking one of two approaches here. They’re either going to cash on Marte’s Type A status and take the draft picks or they will attempt to sign him to a multi-year deal worth less per year than his one-year option. I’d like to see Marte return; he offers more stability than Phil Coke and could be the best lefty the Yanks have employed since the heydays of Mike Stanton. We’ll see how this plays out. This is certainly not a finalized divorce. · (171) ·
Sublett returns from two week layoff
By · CommentsApologies for the tardiness, it’s not worth posting two lines worth of stats a day, so I’m spreading DotF out a bit now.
AzFL Peoria (13-1 loss to Mesa)
Austin Jackson: 1 for 5, 1 R, 1 3B, 2 K - threw a runner out at third from CF
Humberto Sanchez: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 3-1 GB/FB – 17 of 22 pitches were strikes (77.3%)
HWB Waikiki (13-8 loss to West Oahu)
Damon Sublett: 2 for 5, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K
Austin Romine: 0 for 4, 1 BB, 1 K – 3 for his last 21 (.143)
Friday’s Games
AzFL Peoria (3-2 loss to Mesa)
Kevin Russo: 1 for 5, 3 K – the league’s longest active hitting streak reaches 12 games
Austin Jackson: 0 for 4
Jeff Marquez: 4 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 4-2 GB/FB – 39 of 62 pitches were strikes (62.9%) … picked a runner off first
HWB Waikiki (3-2 win over West Oahu in 7 innings)
Damon Sublett: 0 for 4, 1 K
Austin Romine: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 PB
Thursday’s Games
AzFL Peoria (7-1 loss to Phoenix)
Austin Jackson: 0 for 4, 2 K
Kevin Russo: 1 for 4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K – way to account for your team’s entire offensive output
Kevin Whelan: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 4-3 GB/FB – 26 of 44 pitches were strikes (59.1%)
HWB Waikiki (5-2 win over Honolulu)
Damon Sublett: 2 for 4, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 E (fielding) – big comeback after missing 16 days due to a mystery injury
Andrew Brackman: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 3 WP, 7-4 GB/FB – 57 of 91 pitches were strikes (62.6%) … phew, he’s not a bust this week
Via loyal reader Angel, Melky Cabrera will make his Dominican Winter League debut for Aguilas on Nov. 12th.
ByReplacement Level Yankee Weblog ran an early version of their CAIRO system to project the 2009 Yankees. The results are rather uninspiring, to say the least. Of course, the Yanks stand to pick up some players via free agency and lose some that they won’t miss. The 2009 Yankees though are going to need some offensive help and some pitching stars as well. · (22) ·
