River Avenue Blues

Open Thread: Images of Johnny

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When the Yankees agreed to a deal with Randy Winn this afternoon, it effectively ended Johnny Damon’s tenure in pinstripes. I’ll admit it, I was one of the many who hated the Damon signing when it first happened because I despised him for his time with the Red Sox and that grand slam off Javy Vazquez in Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS. Although it still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, Damon’s four years in the Bronx were more than enough to make me appreciate him as a player and as a person.

A .285-.363-.458 hitter with the Yanks, Damon hit more homers in pinstripes than with any other team he’s played for, and of course he was an important part of last year’s World Championship. His nine pitch at-bat against Brad Lidge in the 9th inning of Game 4 of the World Series was one of the greatest at-bats in recent Yankee history, and his double steal one pitch after that was perhaps the biggest moment of the postseason. Damon was tremendously productive with the Yanks, and he was integral in changing the culture from uptight and corporate to fun-loving.

We should all thank Johnny for his service in pinstripes. Even though I hated him at the start, I’ll readily admit he was worth every penny.

After the jump, we’ve got some of Damon’s finest moments with the Yankees. Pictures are worth 1,000 words, after all. Once you’re done perusing them, then go to town on this here open thread.

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Notes: New Jersey Rays, Tino on Yes

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Well, that whole Randy Winn thing sure made for an interesting afternoon, didn’t it? I haven’t seen people react so vehemently to a $2-million bench signing in a long time. We’ll have more on the Yanks’ firm budget later, but for now, let’s get to a few stories that didn’t make the cut earlier.

Could the Rays move to New Jersey?

Every few months, the idea of a third team in New York makes some waves. This time around the team in question are the Rays who think their current stadium is rather lacking. Peter Gammons noted that MLB would love to stick a third team in the New York Metropolitan area; WNBC examined locations for a third baseball stadium. It was a veritable rumor by that point.

Today, in the Village Voice, Neil de Mause explores whether or not such a move could be successful. He hits upon the typical issues — MLB’s desire for a third team in the area; territorial rights; antitrust concerns — and concludes that such a move is more of a pipe dream than anything else. I’ve explored the idea before, and while it makes for some good discussion, it probably won’t happen.

YES interested in bringing Tino aboard

With David Cone out at YES, the Yankees’ TV network is looking to fill a former player commentator spot in the booth for approximately a quarter of the team’s 2010 slate. Today, Joel Sherman examines Cone’s departure and believes that YES will look to bring Tino Martinez aboard. Tino served as an analyst as ESPN after he retired, and he was both unspectacular and uncontroversial in that role. Hopefully, the fan favorite will bring a bit more character to the YES booth than what he displayed while with the Worldwide Leader if he does indeed end up in the Bronx.

Non-Yankee-related self-promotion

Finally, I would be remiss if I failed to mention this. In recognition of my transit blogging at Second Ave. Sagas, the Village Voice this week featured me in their cover story on 18 of the city’s best blogs. The excerpt on me and my site is right here, and the print edition features a picture of me on page 18. So check that out.

Yanks reach one-year deal with Randy Winn

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Randy Winn doubles off Mike Pelfrey at Citi Field in August. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Proving once and far all that the team was serious about both having a budget and not overpaying for Johnny Damon, the Yankees today reached a one-year deal with Randy Winn, pending a physical. Joe Sherlman broke the news this afternoon via Twitter, and as Winn’s signing marks the definitive end of Damon’s tenure in the Bronx, Yankee fans were, unsurprisingly, up in the arms about the deal.

According to Sherman, Winn will probably get $2 million in 2010, and the Yanks opted for him over Reed Johnson both because of the price tag and because they view Winn as “a better overall player.” Even with this signing, it’s no sure thing that Winn will be the starting left fielder; I wouldn’t be surprised to see Brett Gardner remain a starting outfielder with Winn as the Yanks’ defensive-minded fourth outfielder or see a platoon situation develop in the outfield.

Winn, 35, is seven months younger than Damon but hasn’t been nearly as productive a hitter as Johnny over the last few years. In 2009, Winn suffered through a .262/.318/.353 with just two home runs in 597 plate appearances. Based on his four-year line, he’s no better than Melky Cabrera but will cost $1 million less in 2010.Against lefties, he hit .158/.184/.200 in 125 PAs and was, according to Baseball Prospectus, the worst showing by a right-hander against left-handed pitching since 1954. It’s worth noting that Winn hit lefties to the tune of .289/.343/.470 in 2008, but with the most recent data on hand, it’s hard to see how Winn fills an offensive need. Joel Sherman reports that the Yanks could still ink a right-hander to a minor league deal.

On the other side of the ball, though, Winn is still a plus defender. He put up a overall OF UZR of 16.9 last year with a 7.9 mark in 54 games in left. His arm too is above average, and as he struggled offensively last year, he put up a 1.7 WAR. If he can simply duplicate those results, he will outperform the $2 million the Yanks are paying him.

And so Johnny Damon’s reign in New York comes to an end at the expense of someone no better than a fourth outfielder. The Yankees were drawn to Winn because he comes cheap and — with Carl Crawford nearing free agency — he comes for just one year. It was clear, based on recently discussions and rumors, that Damon wouldn’t re-up for a single season or at a price that fits the Yanks’ budget. Considering that the Yanks will probably still sport the same starting outfield tomorrow as they did yesterday, the team could have found a better fourth outfielder. Whether or not that player would have signed for so little is an entirely different story.

I couldn’t fit this into the post, but a good old tip o’ the cap to Jay Jaffe for highlighting the BP article about Winn’s 2009 platoon splits.

The 2009 RAB Pledge Drive Update

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Way back in April we announced our plans to use the popularity of RAB for the betterment of mankind by starting the The 2009 RAB Pledge Drive. It’s the second year in a row we’ve raised money for a noble cause, this time Joe Torre’s Safe At Home Foundation. Think what you will of his baseball management abilities, there’s plenty of reasons why we should get behind Torre’s foundation, which helps fight domestic violence and gives children from abusive households a safe haven.

The idea of the pledge drive was simple. For every run the Yankees scored this year, you’d pledge some dollar amount, whether it be $0.05, $0.10, whatever. The Yankees obliged by leading the league with 915 runs scored, and most who pledged were kind enough to include their postseason runs scored as well, and some even rounded up their donation beyond that. The generosity of the RAB community never disappoints.

We raised $1,050 for The Jorge Posada Foundation in 2008, and I’m proud to announce that we raised $1,500 for Joe Torre’s Safe At Home Foundation in 2009. I rounded my pledge up just to make it nice round number again, just like last year. A screen cap of the rather bland donation confirmation page can be seen here. I included a note saying that it came “From the readers of RiverAveBlues.com,” however that apparently gets noted nowhere. Their donation setup is pretty weird; instead of making one big $1,500 donation, it was 1,500 donations of $1.00. Whatever.

Thank you again to everyone who pledged, and also to those fellow bloggers who spread the word. We greatly appreciate everyone’s help and support. We’ll surely do it again in 2010.

If you missed out on the pledge drive but want to donate, visit the Safe At Home website.

Klaw’s organizational rankings

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One day after Frankie Piliere posted his organizational rankings, Keith Law did the same. He was a bit harsher on the Yanks than Piliere, ranking their system #25 overall. “Lost picks and trades depleted the system,” says KLaw. “After Jesus Montero, the next impact guys are probably Slade Heathcott and Gary Sanchez, with three pro games combined to date, while their highest-ceiling arm, Andrew Brackman, struggled with command in his first full year back from Tommy John surgery.”

Chances are Baseball America will rank the Yanks’ system somewhere in the 15-25 range, so that generally gives us an idea where the Yanks stand. There’s not much of a difference between the 15th best team and the 20th best team, or the 20th best team and the 25th best team. They were middle of the pack coming into the year, and after graduating so many players to the bigs while dealing two top 100 guys in Austin Jackson and Arodys Vizcaino, they were bound to drop.

The Phillies and the state of New York baseball

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As the Hot Stove League rounds third and heads for home, the Yankees are again in everyone’s crosshairs. With the World Series trophy once again ensconced in the Bronx, the Yankees are baseball team’s to beat, and as AL teams gear up to take on the champions, the runners-up have their eyes on them too.

During his first press conference of the year, the svelte-looking Charlie Manuel, manager of the NL Champion Philadelphia Phillies, spoke about the Yankees. First, he spoke about losing to the Yanks in November:

“If you go back and look and followed us playing the Rockies and the Dodgers, we played real good. We didn’t really play as good as we can against the Yankees. It might have been because of their bullpen and their pitching. We ran into a situation in the World Series with how it went, the Yankees were a well-balanced team with their offense. At the end, Rivera did what he’s been doing all these years. We can play better and we can pitch better offensively and defensively. I felt like in the ones they beat us, they were like a step ahead of us. We were always chasing them and trying to catch up. They were always ahead of us … It was who got the breaks and they got the good breaks. We can beat them. At the end of the World Series last year when I talked to our team, I told them that I feel like we owe the Yankees one … They got us.”

Later, he spoke again about facing the Yankees and beating them the next time around. “We can play with the Yankees. We could have beaten the Yankees but we didn’t,” he said. “That give us more determination and everything. We definitely want to get back to the World Series. I know that. I know we want to go back to the World Series and win it. It’s hard to go two years in a row to win the World Series. We got there but didn’t get it done. This year, we’re going to key on that. We’re going to keep our same philosophy.”

As we sit here on the edge of February, it’s not a stretch to imagine an October rematch between the Yankees and the Phillies. With Javier Vazquez aboard to beef up the rotation and Curtis Granderson patrolling the outfield, the Yankees have more depth from the get-go and are becoming younger in the field while maintaining their prodigious offensive output. The Red Sox have put together a defensive-minded team that should score runs, and they have the pitching to compete; the Mariners are the prohibitive favorites in the West; but the Yanks remain the American League’s team to beat.

In the National League, the Phillies are the clear-cut pre-season favorites. They will enjoy a full season of work from Roy Halladay and have a solid rotation behind him. Perhaps the Cardinals could unseat them; perhaps everything could go just right for the Marlins; perhaps the Rockies have the pieces to regain their 2007 NL title. As the Yankees are in the AL, though, the Phillies should be primed for a wire-to-wire run at their third consecutive National League crown.

As the Yankees and Phillies remain baseball’s crown jewels heading into 2010, I can’t help but think about the Mets, a historical rival to both teams and a rival to neither right now. In an e-mail to me and Joe last night, Mike expressed his condolences for Mets’ fans. In the face of their worst finish since 1993 and their second highest loss total since 1993, Omar Minaya and the Mets have basically stood pat. Their biggest move came when Jason Bay signed with them for too many years and too many dollars, and their loudest recent splash involved a move that netted them an outfielder who can’t hit, can’t field and hasn’t flashed much power lately.

It’s true that some of the Mets’ 2009 failures stemmed from bad luck. The team was not equipped to handle the injuries that befell them. But at the same time, they’re heading into 2010 with Fernando Nieve as their fifth starter and Omir Santos as their starting catcher. Bengie Molina saved the team from themselves, but they couldn’t find a league average innings eater type such as Jon Garland to shore up a shaky rotation.

I don’t root against the Mets. I have nothing against the Flushing Faithful, and I believe the city benefits with two competitive baseball teams fighting it out for a playoff spot and media attention. But as the Mets reach a recent nadir, I’m glad to be a Yankee fan. I’m glad to see Brian Cashman actively working to improve the team and generally knowing what does and does not work. If the stars align properly, the Yankees and Phillies should be back in the World Series, and as long as Omar Minaya is in charge in Queens, the Mets will be at home watching.

Hindsight makes the Vazquez deal look better

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The Yankees made it clear when the off-season began that they planned to sign a starting pitcher. In 2009 they dealt with a constantly fluctuating fifth starter spot, plus Joba Chamberlain’s growing pains. The team understandably wanted to solidify that rotation rather than placing both Chamberlain and Phil Hughes in the rotation, especially after the former pitched more innings than previously in his career, and the latter faces an innings limit in 2010. As we moved through the off-season’s beginning stages, most of us thought that the Yankees would sign Justin Duchscherer or Ben Sheets. Instead they traded for Javier Vazquez.

At the time I argued it was a good move. Vazquez has been a solid pitcher in most seasons of his career, mixing average seasons with excellent seasons. At worst he’s the best fourth starter in the league, and probably a mid-range third starter. At best he complements A.J. Burnett as a No. 2. That sounds like an acceptable range of outcomes. The price was right on Vazquez, too. In addition to his $12 million salary, the Yankees traded the exact type of player they should in this case. Melky Cabrera, while a solid contributor last season, has shown himself a league average player during his Yankees tenure. Arodys Vizcaino is a young prospect a few years away from the majors. Mike Dunn was a throw-in, offset in a way by Boone Logan.

In Vazquez, the Yankees not only received a potentially excellent starter, but also a durable one. Only once in the last decade did Javy miss the 200-inning mark, and even then he hit 198 innings. That, I think, represents a large part of the decision to trade for Vazquez rather than sign one of the free agent starters. Both Sheets and Duchscherer are coming off injuries which kept them out of action in 2009. Perhaps the year off rejuvenated them, but that’s still a hefty bet. Maybe Sheets pitches 170 innings in 2010. But is that a bet that, as a GM, you’d be willing to make?

Now we see where Sheets and Duchscherer have landed. Duchscherer signed a one-year, $2 million deal that can pay him up to $5.5 million with incentives. That seems like a steal, and perhaps the A’s did get a familiarity discount. The Yankees could have easily made that move, but Duch has never crossed the 150-inning mark in his life. The price might have been low, but the Yankees had no way of expecting the kind of production they wanted from a rotation signing. It was a nice thought — Duchscherer did, after all, dominate in his first full season as a starter, allowing under one walk plus hit per inning pitched. But with the history of low inning totals and a completely missed 2009 campaign, the Yankees wanted something of a better bet.

Sheets got $10 million plus incentives, not quite the $12 million he sought but closer than I thought he’d get. The Yankees reportedly like Sheets, but in this case I can see why they weren’t willing to wait him out. It was pretty clear at the winter meetings that Sheets wasn’t signing any time soon, and the Yankees wanted to get their situation in order. They couldn’t know what kind of contract Sheets would eventually command, but it figured to be substantial. The Yankees apparently deemed him not worth the wait. It wasn’t because of ability — at his best, Sheets is a better pitcher than Vazquez. Durability certainly played a role in the decision to trade for Vazquez rather than wait out Sheets.

I know a number of fans did not like the Vazquez trade, and I doubt anything will convince them that it was the right move. But upon seeing how the free agent pitching market played out, I have a hard time arguing against it. The Yankees traded the type of players they can afford to part ways with for a pitcher who fits their mold — durable, possibly dominant, whereas Sheets is dominant, possibly durable. When considering all other possible options and outcomes for that open rotation spot, the Yankees did well for themselves.