River Avenue Blues

Thoughts prior to the start of free agency

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(Elsa/Getty)

We’re still a few days away from the beginning of true free agency, in which players can actually sign with new teams, but that’s kind of a pointless date anyway. Baseball isn’t the NFL or NBA or NHL, when the best players typically sign on the first day of free agency. We’ll have to wait a few weeks before the hot stove really picks up. Until then, here are some scattered thoughts on the upcoming offseason…

1. I’ve mentioned a few times already that I’d like to see the Yankees acquire a few more contact-oriented hitters this offseason, but I feel like I should explain why. It has to do with Alex Rodriguez’s continued decline and Mark Teixeira’s continued devolution, which have robbed the Yankees of two all-around hitters. One or two low-average, high-power players is perfectly fine, but five or six is pushing it. Adding a player (or two, preferably) capable of hitting for a high average to balance things out seems like a pretty good idea. I’m not a fan of going in extreme opposite direction and getting an all-contact/no-power guy, so in a perfect world they’d find a Johnny Damon-type who can hit for average/make contact and drive the ball out of the park. Those guys are few and far between though, which is why Johnny is a borderline Hall of Famer.

2. It’s going to be very important for the Yankees to have a strong bench next year, specifically a good utility infielder. Alex Rodriguez is going to miss several weeks with an injury at some point, that’s a given these days, plus Derek Jeter will be coming off his ankle surgery and might not be able to step back into the field full-time right away. Having someone (better than Eduardo Nunez) capable of stepping in and playing the left side of the infield for a few weeks at a time seems imperative. Jayson Nix did a fine job in 2012, but I doubt he’s that guy. The Yankees always have trouble signing bench players, so a trade may be the only way to go.

3. The construction of the bench is going to depend quite a bit on right field. If the Yankees bring in another left-handed hitter for that spot, they’ll absolutely need a right-handed hitting outfielder on the bench. Adding a right-handed (or switch) hitter creates some flexibility though. The fourth outfielder could be lefty or righty, ditto the backup infielder. Heck, if the fourth outfielder is the lefty bat off the bench and Eric Chavez retires, maybe bringing Casey McGehee back to serve as the backup corner infielder makes sense. It won’t be easy to do much better in free agency, and he could step in at first or third and play everyday no problem in case of injury. McGehee will be non-tendered (or traded before the non-tender deadline) in all likelihood, but there is a scenario in which the Yankees could keep him.

4. Don’t underestimate the minor league contract market. Even if the Yankees bring back Hiroki Kuroda and/or Andy Pettitte, there will still be concern over Michael Pineda’s injury and Ivan Nova’s brutal second half. Bringing in a starter or two as minor league free agents and stashing them in Triple-A for a few months — the new Collective Bargaining Agreement implemented a uniform June 1st opt-out date, remember — makes sense. Same goes for the bullpen, the extra depth to bring the gap between big league bullpen and MLB-readiness of Chase Whitley and Mark Montgomery will be a nice thing to have. There’s no such thing as too much pitching, you know that.

Martin, Teixeira, and Cano among Gold Glove finalists

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Russell Martin, Mark Teixeira, and Robinson Cano have been announced as finalists for the Gold Glove Award at their respective positions. Martin is up against Alex Avila, Matt Wieters, and A.J. Pierzynski while Cano will compete with the Dustins — Pedroia and Ackley. Teixeira is up against Eric Hosmer and Adrian Gonzalez, who I assume won’t win since he was traded to the Dodgers in August.

I’m surprised Derek Jeter isn’t a finalist at shortstop considering how well he hit this year. Gold Gloves are more of a popularity contest than an actual measure of defensive excellence. Anyway, the awards will be announced tomorrow night.

Frankenstorm Open Thread

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Photoshopped but still cool.

The worst is not supposed to hit New York until … well basically right now. Sometime this evening the wind will pick up and the rain will really start to fall as Hurricane Sandy makes a pass and heads west. Things aren’t supposed to die down until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. Atlantic City is underwater, a building partially collapsed on 8th Ave., thousands are already without power, and transportation — public and private — is shut down in NYC. It’s a mess out there, so all of you in the area please be safe.

If you’re clear of the storm or just happen to still have internet access, use this as your open thread. The baseball season is over, so all you have tonight is the 49ers at the Cardinals. Talk about that or anything else (except politics!) here. Go nuts.

Twelve Yankees hit free agency

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A total of 137 players around the league officially hit free agency today, including a dozen Yankees: Eric Chavez, Pedro Feliciano, Freddy Garcia, Raul Ibanez, Andruw Jones, Hiroki Kuroda, Derek Lowe, Russell Martin, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Ichiro Suzuki, and Nick Swisher. Rafael Soriano can join them if he opts out of his contract by Wednesday’s deadline, which seems likely. Feliciano’s inclusion in the list of free agents is an indication that the Yankees have already declined his $4.5M club option. That is not surprising at all after the left-hander threw zero meaningful pitches during his time in pinstripes.

Under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, players don’t even have to file for free agency anymore. They just hit the open market. I never understood the point of that anyway. Players are free to sign with new teams starting Saturday. Click here for the full offseason schedule.

2012-2013 Offseason Calendar

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(Jonathan Daniel/Getty)

The World Series was quick and frankly not all that entertaining, at least not compared to the last few Fall Classics. It was an incredibly one-sided series for the Giants, who deserve major kudos for winning two championships in the last three years. Few (if any) teams can match their four-man core of Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey, and Pablo Sandoval going forward.

Anyway, with the end of the World Series begins the start of the offseason. Players officially became free agents today, though they won’t be able to sign with new teams for another few days. Here is the full schedule for the upcoming offseason…

  • This Wednesday (October 31st): Option decisions are due. The Yankees have already exercised their options for Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, and David Aardsma, so the only decisions left involve Rafael Soriano (likely to opt-out) and Pedro Feliciano (likely to be declined).
  • This Friday (November 2nd): Deadline for teams to make free agents a one-year, $13.3M qualifying offer. Nick Swisher is “extremely likely” to receive one, ditto Soriano if he opts out. Hiroki Kuroda, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, and Russell Martin are all qualifying offer candidates as well.
  • This Saturday (November 3rd): End of the exclusive negotiating period, so free agents can now sign with any team as of 12:01am ET.
  • November 7-9th: GM Meetings in Palm Springs, California. There may be a handful of moves made around the league during these three days, but for the most part the meetings are about laying groundwork for the rest of the offseason.
  • November 9th: Deadline for players to accept or reject qualifying offers. Any player who rejects the qualifying offer and signs with a new team will earn his former club a compensation draft pick.
  • November 12-15th: Major awards are announced. Click here for the full awards schedule.
  • November 20th: Deadline for teams to set their 40-man roster for the Rule 5 Draft. Right-hander Brett Marshall is New York’s most notable Rule 5 eligible prospect this offseason.
  • November 30th: Deadline for clubs to offer contracts to players with less than six full years of service time, otherwise known as the non-tender deadline. A fresh new batch of free agents will hit the market on this day.
  • December 3rd-6th: Winter Meetings in Nashville. All hell will break lose this week.
  • December 6th: The Rule 5 Draft during the final day of the Winter Meetings. The Yankees have selected two players (one righty and one lefty reliever) in each of the last two drafts.
  • January: Deadline for each side to submit arbitration filing figures. The player submits one salary, the team another. Last year’s deadline was January 13th but the exact date of this year’s is unknown.
  • February: Arbitration hearings throughout the month. The two sides can agree to a contract at any point prior to the hearing, even after submitting figures. The Yankees haven’t gone to an arbitration hearing since beating Chien-Ming Wang and saving $600k prior to the 2008 season.

The next few days will be kinda busy for the Yankees thanks to all the contract options and qualifying offers. They’re losing a number of significant players to free agency this winter, so expect this offseason to be the team’s busiest since the 2008-2009 spending spree.

What Went Wrong: Brett Gardner

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To call the play innocent would be a lie, especial after Hideki Matsui’s broken wrist in 2006. The Yankees were trailing the Twins by two runs in the third inning of the 11th game of the season when Brett Gardner made that sliding (and awkward-looking) catch on a Josh Willingham line drive to end the third inning, a hold-your-breath moment both considering the game situation and the injury factor. Gardner remained in the game though, and in fact he went 2-for-2 with two doubles and two walks on the night. By the end of the game, the sliding catch was an afterthought.

Unfortunately, that was the last time the Yankees and their fans would see Gardner until September. That awkward-looking catch resulted in a right (non-throwing) elbow injury that nearly ended Gardner’s season and eventually required surgery. The timeline of events is lengthy and quite chaotic…

  1. April 17th: Sliding catch against the Twins.
  2. April 18th: After being a late scratch due to elbow stiffness, the Yankees placed Gardner on the 15-day DL with a bone bruise and a strain in the right elbow following that night’s game.
  3. April 28th: Swings a bat for the first time since being placed on the DL.
  4. May 2nd: Temporarily shut down with pain in the elbow after taking batting practice for a few days.
  5. May 7-8th: Minor league rehab games with Triple-A Empire State.
  6. May 10th: Shut down again after re-aggravating the injury during the rehab assignment.
  7. May 29th: Swings a bat for the first time since the setback.
  8. June 8th: Minor league rehab game with Low-A Charleston.
  9. June 9th: Setback #2. Gardner wakes up with pain in his elbow and schedules a visit with Dr. James Andrews as well as Dr. Tim Kremcheck per his agent’s request.
  10. June 14th: Yankees announce that Gardner received a cortisone shot and platelet-rich plasma therapy on the elbow and will miss 3-4 weeks.
  11. June 26th: After 69 days on the DL, the Yankees shift Gardner to the 60-day DL to clear a 40-man spot for the recently-claimed Danny Farquhar.
  12. July 6-11th: Swings a bat for the first time since treatment.
  13. July 15th: Simulated game in Tampa.
  14. July 19th: Yankees announce that Gardner will have surgery in the coming days after continued soreness in the elbow.
  15. September 15th: Gardner ran the bases and bunted for the first time since surgery.
  16. September 24th: Live batting practice for the first time since surgery.
  17. September 25th: Yankees activate Gardner off the DL for pinch-running and defensive replacement purposes.
  18. October 2nd: Doctors fully clear Gardner to play without restrictions, meaning at-bats against big league pitchers.

With Gardner on the shelf and Eduardo Nunez demoted to Triple-A, the Yankees lacked speed in a painfully obvious way. The threat of the stolen base was non-existent, and going to first-to-third on a single was a tactic employed by Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, and pretty much no one else. The Yankees acquired Ichiro Suzuki from the Mariners prior to the trade deadline to replace Gardner, a move that worked out even better than I think the team expected.

(Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Although he returned late in the season, Gardner contributed little in September and into the playoffs. He started the final two games of the ALCS in place of Granderson and Nick Swisher, but failed to reach base in eight trips to the plate. In fact, you can argue that Brett’s biggest contribution to the Yankees in 2012 was getting caught stealing in the eighth inning of Game 161 against the Red Sox. That allowed Granderson to leadoff the ninth against the right-handed Andrew Bailey rather than bat with two outs in the eighth against the left-handed Craig Breslow. Granderson singled to open the ninth and Raul Ibanez followed with a game-tying homer, and the rest was history.

All told, Gardner went 10-for-31 (.323) with five walks (.417 OBP) and two stolen bases (four attempts) during the regular season. He appeared in just 16 games (eight starts) and was a non-factor following the initial injury on April 17th. The Yankees received what amounts to league average production from their left fielders during his absence (103 wRC+), but they lost a ton defensively and on the bases. It’s also worth noting that Granderson started the team’s first 71 games (and 89 of the their first 90 games) in center field, something that certainly wouldn’t have happened with a healthy Gardner.

The Yankees dealt with an overwhelming number of injuries this season, more than any team other than the Padres, but Gardner’s injury was the only one that hurt the club in three different ways — offensively, defensively, and on the bases. He’s been a valuable yet often underrated part of the team for the last few years, and this year the Yankees missed him in a big way prior to acquiring Ichiro.