River Avenue Blues

Trading big-name pitchers doesn’t always work out

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On July 28, 1995, the Toronto Blue Jays were 35-47, in last place in the AL East by four games, and 10.5 back of the first-place Red Sox. This was a shame as they had sent three young players to the Kansas City Royals for David Cone just before the season started. Cone was pitching well — a 3.38 ERA over 130.1 innings — but that wasn’t nearly enough. Beyond John Olerud, Roberto Alomar, and a budding star named Shawn Green, they didn’t have much of an offense. While Cone and Al Leiter anchored the pitching staff, presumptive ace Pat Hentgen was having a horrible year (5.11 ERA in ’95, which he followed up with a Cy Young in ’96). So on July 28, the Jays traded Cone to the Yankees for Jason Jarvis, Mike Gordon, and Marty Janzen.

I’ve often heard people say that deals like that don’t happen any more. Three nobodies for a pitcher like David Cone? Fat chance, right? Well, maybe not. Janzen, after all, ranked #40 on Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects in 1996, so he wasn’t exactly a schmuck throw-in. He was actually a pretty good prospect who struck out about a batter per inning in the minors while keeping his walks very low. No, he never made it in the majors, but that’s the path trodden by many a prospect. So the Yankees didn’t give up nothing for David Cone. They traded a pretty good prospect, good enough to land fairly high on BA’s list the next year.

How does that compare to other memorable pitcher trades? RABer The Artist, writing as Steve S. at The Yankee Universe, takes a look back at seven recent pitcher trades and what the receiving team sacrificed in the process. In concluding, he notes that “the framework of a deal seems to include one top flight minor leaguer, surrounded by filler of various levels of floors and ceilings.” That seems to be what the Yanks gave up for Cone.

The most comparable trade on Steve’s list is the Tim Hudson trade. The A’s held a $6.5 million 2005 club option on Hudson. They exercised it and then dished him to the Braves for Juan Cruz, Dan Meyer, and Charles Thomas. It’s got the top flight minor leaguer in Meyer, plus the unknowns in Cruz and Thomas. Cruz had already bounced from Chicago to Atlanta, and was known for his velocity and inconsistency. Thomas was a decent prospect who had had a big season in AAA in 2004. The Braves turned that into Hudson, much like the Yankees took the high-ceiling Janzen, plus a few unknowns, and turned it into Cone.

While I disagree with some of the analysis (Brett Anderson was most certainly one of the centerpieces to the Haren trade, not Dana Eveland), Steve gives a good look at some recent deals. It seems the deals were split in terms of who won: the team receiving the pitcher or the team receiving the prospects. There were, however, a few landslides.

Unfortunately, this list doesn’t provide a ton of perspective for this year’s trade deadline. All the but one were in the off-season. Moreover, all of them involved pitchers 29 years of age or younger, while this year’s big names, Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay, are both on the other side of 30. The biggest difference, though, is the timing. Only the CC Sabathia trade came at the deadline. Both of this year’s names are a bit more attractive, because their contracts not only cover this year’s pennant rate, but also carry over to next year.

This doesn’t mean that Lee and Halladay will necessarily stay put. It does mean, though, that Mark Shapiro in Cleveland and J.P. Ricciardi in Toronto are right to demand top-tier talent for their pitchers. Unlike six of the seven deals Steve mentioned, these pitchers provide help down the stretch. Beyond that, they fill a rotation spot next year for the receiving team. That’s highly valuable, and Toronto and Cleveland should demand an equitable return.

Then again, once the deadline passes (there’s little chance either Lee or Halladay makes it through waivers), that added value is wasted. Neither pitcher will help their own team down the stretch as they could have helped another. In the off-season, teams obviously aren’t going to pay as much as they would now, since they only get one season out of the pitcher, rather than a crucial two months, plus the playoffs, on top of the one season.

There is still a wild card here, though. Heading into this season, most teams were tapped on payroll. Just a few could afford to add dollars. This affects deadline trading, because many potential trading partners just can’t afford to take on salary this year (though I’m sure most teams could find room for the remainder of Lee’s $5.75 2009 salary). Once we hit the off-season and teams shed some contracts, perhaps the Blue Jays and Indians will have more potential trading partners, creating more competition and therefore getting a better package of prospects than they would have received at the deadline.

We may see a pitcher dealt before the deadline, but it’s not a given. While pundits preach that the Blue Jays will never get more for Halladay than they will right now, they forget that only a small number of teams can even afford Roy. Opening up the bidding to more teams in the off-season, when teams will have more free payroll, could yield a larger return. So while we’ve seen prospects for pitcher deals work out in the past, don’t expect a team to gamble on one now.

Pondering Wang’s — and the Yanks’ — future

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A couple of hours before the Yanks and Orioles squared off last night, the Yankees announced a setback for Chien-Ming Wang. Their erstwhile ace, on the DL since July 4 with a strained right shoulder, had experienced some bicep pain during a throwing session, and the Yanks no longer sound certain they will get any contribution from Wang this season.

“It’s not exactly the news that I wanted,” Joe Girardi said to reporters. “We were hoping two weeks’ rest would be enough for him to get on a throwing program. Does it mean he won’t pitch this year? No, I’m not saying that. But obviously, it’s not going to be as soon as we thought.”

During the pre-game news conference, Girardi hinted that Wang’s rotator cuff may be suffering as part of this amorphous shoulder strain. “I think anytime you’re dealing with cuff issues or shoulder tendinitis or whatever you want to describe it as, there is concern,” Girardi said. “Whatever he is able to do, we would love to have. But I think anytime someone is injured and you’re not sure when they’re exactly going to be back, you can’t count on them.”

For the Yankees, these apparent injuries justify what had been a controversial off-season tactic. For the last few seasons, the Yankees have opted not to sign Wang to a long-term contract. Rather, they have gone year-to-year with the arbitration-eligible pitcher. They did so because Wang’s peripherals did not necessarily predict future success and because the pitcher, as we’ve seen, is volatile. If Wang is out for the rest of the year, he will have gone 1-6 with a 9.34 ERA over just 42 innings since June 15, 2008.

Meanwhile, the Yanks have some other pitching questions to resolve. In writing about Wang today in The Times, Tyler Kepner explores how the Yanks’ rotation depth is suffering with Wang out:

Wang had pitched decently in his last few starts, and Girardi acknowledged that the latest setback was another reason to be concerned about rotation depth. After Mitre, the Yankees’ next option in the minors is Kei Igawa, who has repeatedly failed in the majors.

Relievers Phil Hughes and Alfredo Aceves are natural starters, but Hughes has become so entrenched in short relief that Girardi said he could throw no more than 40 pitches now. Adding 15 pitches an outing, it would take Hughes four appearances before he could throw 100 pitches.

That is not an easy or appealing option, especially because Hughes has been invaluable in the bullpen. Entering Monday, he had a streak of 19 scoreless innings, the longest by a Yankee since Mariano Rivera’s 23-inning streak in 2005, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

It’s far too early to write off Sergio Mitre. He hasn’t even thrown a pitch as a member of the New York Yankees, but my expectations aren’t high. Beyond Mitre, Kepner’s mention of Igawa is enough to make me want to curl up in a corner in the fetal position.

The answer though is staring the Yanks in the face. Sure, Phil Hughes’ 19 scoreless innings of the pen is an impressive number, but good pitchers make for great relievers. If the Yanks truly expect nothing from Chien-Ming Wang right now, the team would be far better off moving Hughes into the rotation. He may be on a pitch count, but it’s easy to stretch him.

First, the Yanks can have him duplicate what he did on Friday. That evening, he threw 40 pitches out of the pen. The Yanks could then have him make a 65-pitch start as they were willing to do with Alfredo Aceves prior to the All Star break. The 80-pitch outing leaves the bullpen in limbo, but with Brett Tomko still on the active roster and Mark Melancon ready to hop on the Scranton shuttle, the Yankees have some flexibility. That would do it.

As for the late-inning relief efforts, the Yankees still have Phil Coke and Alfredo Aceves ready, willing, and able to get the job done. It’s very tempting to keep Hughes in the late innings as a band-aid, but the Yankees need starters. Maybe Sergio Mitre can cut it, but Phil Hughes is the future while Mitre is a place-holder for Wang.

If Wang is out, if the Yanks are truly short in the rotation, it’s time to stretch out Hughes. He has the experience and the confidence. Now, all he needs is the work and the innings.

Pair of solo homers powers Yanks past Orioles 2-1

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When a game ends in a walk-off, it’s easy to forget what came before. Last night’s game was a tense one right up until Hideki Matsui relieved it with a blast into the bleachers. The game remained tied from the bottom of the second to the bottom of the ninth, and it seemed as if Baltimore was just about to break through on a couple of occasions. But the Yanks fended them off, taking their third straight game by the score of 2-1.

Andy Pettitte gave up a run in the first, a homer to Nick Markakis on a ball that was around his shins. That was not a sign of things to come, as he retired 12 of the next 13 batters he faced. Troubled brewed in the fifth after a walk and a Matt Wieters single put runners on first and third with one out, but Pettitte escaped that. A pair of double plays erased a couple of singles in the sixth and seventh, but then Pettitte faced a second and third, one out, jam in the eighth and Joe Girardi thought it best that someone else get out of it.

(Taking this space to give Eric Hinske props on a good play on Roberts’ double. He knew he wasn’t going to catch it, so he didn’t over pursue. He let the ball ricochet and played it well. I can’t help but think another outfielder might have chased it all the way in the corner and let Wieters get to second, or worse, let Izturis score. Also, his homer was brutal. Absolutely crushed. Love to see that.)

What follows is an ode to defense and determination. With Phil Coke on the mound in relief, Nick Markakis stepped up, ready to hit. Coke threw a 93 mph fastball on the inside edge, and Markakis turned on it, bouncing the ball hard to Mark Teixeira at first. It seemed like Teixeira wanted to tag first and go for the double play, but he knew he had time only for the lead foe. He fired to Molina, who reached around to tag Izturis and record the inning’s second out.

The play amazed on every level. First, Teixeira fielded the bouncing ball quickly. Second, he decided he had enough time to throw home. Third, he threw an accurate bullet. Fourth, Molina laid down the tag right on Izturis’s spikes, which cannot be a pleasant feeling. Fifth, Molina actually held onto the ball, which was at the edge of his webbing. Everything went right, and the Yankees kept the game tied.

That eased some tension. Now the runner couldn’t score from third on an out. Coke could just concentrate on the batter and get him. So what does he do? The catcher’s worst enemy: a fastball in the dirt. Molina got down for it, but sometimes there’s just no blocking it. It squibbed away and Brian Roberts came charging from third. Molina recovered and flipped to Coke who, like Molina on the play before, was in perfect position. Roberts, seeing a glove waiting there to tag him, tried to get around, but Coke would have none of it.

The star of that play was home plate umpire Adrian Johnson. When Roberts popped up after his slide, Johnson looked at him and explained exactly what was going on. Coke had tagged him before he got to home plate. With just two pitches Coke had set down the Orioles in bizarre fashion. The game was still tied.

In the end, Matsui was the star. Jim Johnson dealt him a 95 mph fastball on the inner half, and Matsui laid into it, sending it up into the bleachers and causing a ruckus in the Bronx. Group celebration at home plate, pie in the face, the whole nine yards as the Yankees won their fourth straight game. A 6-3 Red Sox loss in Texas means that they’re back in a tie for first place in the AL East.

While the offense sputtered a bit again, the Yankees’ pitching delivered. After a couple of poor starts, Andy Pettitte came back with a strong performance at home. The bullpen, without Hughes and Mo, finished it off for him. The Yanks have to feel good after that one. Everything seemed to be working just when it needed to be.

Medchill delivers a walk-off hit as Staten Island wins their 10th straight

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Neil Medchill was named NY-Penn League Hitter of the Week, while Adam Warren and Trenton Laire shared Pitcher of the Week honors. Meanwhile, Brett Marshall was placed on the disabled list. He had been pitching pretty poorly of late, so maybe this explains things.

Triple-A Scranton (8-1 loss to Columbus)
Kevin Russo, Austin Jackson, Yurendell DeCaster & Frankie Cervelli: all 1 for 4 – Russo & Jackson each swiped a bag … DeCaster doubled & K’ed … Cervelli K’ed
Ramiro Pena: 1 for 3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB – played CF as well
The Duncans: both 0 for 4 – Eric K’ed
Colin Curtis: 3 for 3, 1 BB
Romulo Sanchez: 3.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 1 Balk, 4-5 GB/FB – 46 of 82 pitches were strikes (56.1) … not what they needed on a night when they had only one fresh reliever
Anthony Claggett: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 4-3 GB/FB – 20 of 41 pitches were strikes (48.8%)
Edwar Ramirez: 2 IP, zeroes, 2 K, 2-2 GB/FB – 16 of 24 pitches were strikes (66.7%)

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Game 92: Streaking after the break

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At the All-Star Break last year, the Yankees were 50-45, six games back of Boston for first place and 5.5 back of Tampa for the Wild Card. They opened the second half on a tear, winning their first eight games, two of which were against the Red Sox in Boston (lest we forget the Joba game). The Yankees look to build a similar post-break streak this year, as they’ve won their first three. The difference, of course, is that the Yankees were 51-37 at the break. That, and they’re fielding a much stronger team this year.

Next on the ledger is the Baltimore Orioles, the team which derailed the Yanks’ efforts last season. The Yanks lost the series finale to Boston, which is understandable, but then dropped two of three to Baltimore before embarking on a mediocre August. That put them pretty much out of the race.

They’ll lead things off against rookie right-hander David Hernandez. A 2005 16th round draft pick, Hernandez traveled the minors a level per year, posting ho hum results until last season in AA. There he threw 141 innings to a 2.68 ERA. His strikeout rate was a ridiculous 10.6 per nine, though he walked 4.5 per nine, which is always a concern. His strikeout rate actually jumped when he moved to AAA this season, 79 in 57.1 innings (12.4 per nine). The difference is that his walk rate dropped below the 3.0 mark.

As is the case with many minor leaguers, the strikeout rate hasn’t yet translated to the majors. The only appearance in which he recorded more than three strikeouts is a 2.2-inning relief appearance against Oakland in June. He has a solid 93 mph fastball which he can dial up to 95. He also has a changeup and a slider, though FanGraphs’ Pitch Type Values pegs the latter as his weakness.

Hernandez looks like the prototype of the kind of pitcher the Yanks struggle with: they’ve never seen him before, he’s on a crappy team, and he’s posted mostly middling results. If he can hit his spots tonight, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Yanks struggle. Then again, maybe the offense is ready to feast on a neophyte after facing two of the league’s best in the past two days.

Strangely, Posada caught all three games this weekend, including CC in a day game after a night game, yet Molina gets the call to catch Pettitte, one of the pitchers vocal about how he enjoys pitching to Jorge. The message from Girardi is simple: you’ll pitch to whoever is catching on any given day.

Lineup:

1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Johnny Damon, LF
3. Mark Teixeira, 1B
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
5. Hideki Matsui, DH
6. Robinson Cano, 2B
7. Eric Hinske, RF
8. Melky Cabrera, CF
9. Jose Molina, C

And on the mound, number forty-six, Andy Pettitte

Remembering the moon walk at Yankee Stadium

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Forty years ago, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong landed on the moon. While The Onion will always have the last word (NSFW) on the moon landing, baseball had its place in this historic moment.

As Wezen-ball detailed today, baseball teams announced the moon-landing as the games went on. Larry excerpts from this New York Times article about the Yankee reaction to the moon walk. Bob Sheppard, of course, played a key role:

“Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please,” came the voice of Bob Shepard, the public address announcer. The umpires, according to prior arrangements, waved their arms and stopped play.

Announcement Cut Short

‘You will be happy to know,’ Shepard continued, ‘that the Apollo 11 has landed safely…’

And a tremendous cheer drowned the words ‘on the moon.’

The cheering continued for about 45 seconds. On the scoreboard, the message section read ‘They’re on the moon.’ People stood. They waved the bats back and forth. Shepard kept talking, but his words could not be made out through the din.

On the field, the players seemed confused, or impatient. Most did not turn toward the scoreboard. Finally, the announcer could be understood and he asked the crowd for a moment of silent prayer for the safe return of the astronauts.

The crowd stilled. After a few seconds of silence, a recording of ‘America the Beautiful,’ sung by a chorus, blared through the loudspeakers. At the end of the song, another mighty cheer arose, just like the one that usually greets the completion of the National Anthem before a game.

The game resumed at 4:21 pm. McMullen bounced into an out at the plate, and exactly one hour later the Yankees scored the winning run.

The Yankees of 1969 weren’t very good. They finished 80-81, good for fifth place 28.5 games behind the Orioles. But on July 20, 1969, those 32,933 fans who saw the Yanks win in 11 innings heard history as it should only be delivered: straight from the voice of Bob Sheppard himself.