River Avenue Blues

Fan Confidence Poll: December 24th, 2012

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2012 Record: 95-67 (804 RS, 668 RA, 96-66 pythag. record), won AL East, swept in ALCS

Top stories from last week:

  • The Yankees didn’t add any players last week, though a number of (potential) targets agreed to deals elsewhere: Raul Ibanez (Mariners), Stephen Drew (Red Sox), Nick Swisher (Indians), Cody Ross (Diamondbacks), and A.J. Pierzynski (Rangers). Ibanez and Drew were the only ones linked to New York this offseason.
  • Brian Cashman said the team will not pursue further rotation upgrades, though they continue to seek a right-handed bat. There’s “no chance” they will pursue Michael Bourn.
  • Injury News: Michael Pineda (shoulder) and Cesar Cabral (elbow) are throwing off flat ground from “extended distances.” Top prospect Jose Campos (elbow) is throwing off a mound.
  • The Ichiro Suzuki signing became official. Both right-hander Jim Miller and left-hander Josh Spence were outrighted to Triple-A.
  • The Yankees will field a second rookie level Gulf Coast League affiliate in 2013. They’re also considered moving top prospect Tyler Austin back to third base. Cuban left-hander Omar Luis Rodriguez is still waiting for his visa.
  • The 2012 luxury tax bill is $19.3M, though MLB made an error in the initial calculation and had to revise the bill.

Please take a second to answer the poll below and give us an idea of how confident you are in the team. You can view the interactive Fan Confidence Graph anytime via the nav bar above, or by clicking here. Thanks in advance for voting.

Given the team's current roster construction, farm system, management, etc., how confident are you in the Yankees' overall future?
Total Votes: 1985 Started: December 23, 2012 Back to Vote Screen

Sunday Night Open Thread

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The Yankees lost out on free agent target Raul Ibanez this weekend while Nick Swisher also signed elsewhere, though the team apparently had zero interest in re-signing him. He hit .268/.367/.483 (128 wRC+) with 105 homers during his four years in New York ($31.6M salary total), and WPA says this walk-off homer against the Orioles was his biggest hit with New York (+0.71). Subjectively, I most remember the first game of the second half in 2010, the first game following the deaths of George Steinbrenner and Bob Sheppard. Swisher hit the game tying homer in the eighth and then the walk-off single in the ninth.

Anyway, here’s your Christmas Eve Eve open thread. The 49ers and Seahawks are your late NFL game, plus the Knicks are playing. Talk about either game or anything else here. Go nuts.

Minor League Ball’s Top 20 Yankees Prospects

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John Sickels at Minor League Ball posted his list of the top 20 Yankees prospects on Friday night, and the top spot is occupied by C Gary Sanchez. The three outfielders — Tyler Austin, Mason Williams, and Slade Heathcott — round out the top four with RHP Brett Marshall ranking fifth.

I think Sickels tends to overrate performance but I do like that his lists are always off the beaten path a bit. Always neat to see different opinions with this prospect stuff. I do think it’s interesting that RHP Corey Black, this year’s fourth rounder, cracked the list (#12) while RHP Jose Ramirez did not. Both guys have huge, huge arms with elite velocity, but Ramirez will open next season in Double-A (confirmed by VP of Baseball Ops Mark Newman) while Black has yet to play his first full pro season. Oh well, the exact ranking is trivial since both are in the organization.

Raul be seeing you: Ibanez heading back to Seattle

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The Yankees will have a new DH next season. Raul Ibanez is headed back to Seattle, having agreed to a one-year deal with the Mariners according to multiple reports. He’ll earn a guaranteed $2.75M with another $1.25M in incentives. Just a few days ago we learned the Yankees were still talking to Ibanez about a return next season, but you can’t blame him for taking that deal. Great job by his agent. It’ll be Raul’s third stint in Seattle.

Ibanez, 40, earned True Yankee™ status with all of those ridiculously clutch homers late in the season and in the playoffs, but I was all for turning the page. I dig the idea of acquiring Jason Kubel to DH, but the free agent market has plenty of alternatives as well — Jim Thome, Travis Hafner, Jason Giambi, and Luke Scott just to name a few. I expect the club to seek a DH capable of actually playing the field in an emergency, so that probably rules out the Thomes and Hafners of the world.

Feinsand: Swisher heading to Cleveland

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If you were holding out hope the Yankees would swoop in and unexpectedly re-sign Nick Swisher, you can forget about it now. Mark Feinsand reports the switch-hitter has agreed to a four-year, $56M deal with the Indians that includes a $14M vesting option for a fifth year.

Cleveland has a protected first round pick (#5 overall), but that doesn’t matter as far as the Yankees are concerned. They were going to receive the same supplemental first round pick no matter where he signed. The Tribe forfeits their second rounder instead. Swisher was easily one of Brian Cashman’s best pickups, a tremendously durable and productive outfielder who cost Wilson Betemit and two prospects whose names you don’t remember.

Saturday Night Open Thread

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I know it’s frickin’ freezing (and windy) out, but I hope everyone has had a wonderful Saturday. Neither of the basketball locals are in action tonight, but talk about whatever you like here. Have at it.

Heyman: Yankees still seeking right-handed bat

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This is no surprise, but Jon Heyman says the Yankees continue to seek a right-handed bat for the bench. He reiterates that Scott Hairston and Vernon Wells are options, though he adds another candidate to the mix: Jeff Baker. I wrote a Scouting The Market post for the 31-year-old back in July, so I’ll just refer you to that and give you the short version here: he hits lefties well and has a ton of experience at first, third, and in right field. Baker is almost certainly a one-year contract guy (though who knows with this market), something that isn’t true for Wells or Hairston.