Monday Night Open Thread
By · CommentsFair or not, I will probably always remember Chris Stewart as the guy who struck out on two strikes. He was so awful in the second half and that just seemed like the ultimate rock bottom. Stewart is a backup catcher who was miscast as a starter, and that is on the team, not him. The Yankees planned on giving him significant playing time, they admitted it before the season, but it was a plan that was doomed to fail. Frankie Cervelli saved their bacon for a few weeks in April before suffering what amounted to a season-ending hand injury. The Yankees agreed to sign Brian McCann last week and traded Stewart to the Pirates today, a move that makes sense for both sides. He can be a backup and the Yankees have a real starting catcher.
Anyway, here is tonight’s open thread. The Saints and Seahawks are the Monday Night Football Game, plus both the Rangers and Devils are playing. It goes without saying at this point that there’s some college something on somewhere. Talk about Stewart, McCann, any of those games, or anything else right here. Have at it.
Yankees re-sign Brendan Ryan to two-year deal
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(Patrick Smith/Getty)
Dec. 2nd: Joel Sherman reports Ryan will earn $2M in both 2014 and 2015. There is a club option worth $2M for 2016, but if that is declined, Ryan will have a player option worth $1M. His luxury tax hit will be $2M for the next two years. Hopefully this is the last update.
Nov. 27th: Ken Rosenthal says it’s a two-year contract worth $5M plus a mutual option for 2016 that could push the total value to $10M. Options are complicated, but I believe Ryan’s luxury tax hit will be $2.5M since the mutual option does not exceed 50% of the potential total value of the deal. The contract is official according to Rosenthal, so the 40-man roster is now full.
Nov. 18th, 3:17pm ET: It’s a one-year pact worth $1-2M or so, according to George King and Buster Olney. Not bad, pretty reasonable. The deal is not yet final, however.
1:00pm ET: The Yankees will have a legitimate shortstop on their roster next season. Jon Heyman reports the team has a deal in place with free agent infielder Brendan Ryan, though terms of the contract are unknown at this point. I can’t imagine it’ll be longer than one year. The two sides were said to have an agreement in place a few weeks ago, but Ryan had an unknown minor surgery after the season and his physical was delayed. The Yankees have not officially announced anything yet.
Ryan, 31, spent the end of 2013 with the Yankees after being acquired from the Mariners on September 10th. He hit .197/.255/.273 (44 wRC+) in 349 plate appearances overall and .220/.258/.305 (51 wRC+) in 62 plate appearances in pinstripes. There is little to like about Ryan’s offensive game. He’s never hit (career 71 wRC+ in over 2,600 plate appearances) and this past season he struck out more than the league average (20.9%), walked less than the league average (6.6%), showed little power (.075 ISO), and didn’t steal bases (4-for-6). With all due respect, he’s a zero at the plate.
Defensively, on the other hand, is where Ryan stands out. He is an elite defensive shortstop regardless of metric — +51 DRS, +26.5 UZR, +19.1 FRAA, and +19 Total Zone since 2011 — with ridiculous range, baby soft hands, and a strong throwing arm. The guy can really go get the ball.
Ryan is one of the best shortstop defenders in baseball and by far the best on the Yankees. Hal Steinbrenner recently told Derek Jeter that despite his new contract, the team intends to pursue a capable everyday shortstop following his injury-plagued season. I’m not a fan of players who can’t hit (like, at all) but Ryan is an asset because of his defense and would contribute much more in a full-time role than Eduardo Nunez, whose only redeeming quality is his speed.
It has been a while since Ryan has played a non-shortstop position — last played second base in 2009, last played third in 2008 — but given his defensive ability, I don’t think moving around the infield would be much of a problem. Jeter figures to play shortstop whenever possible because hey, he’s Derek Jeter, but his time at DH is likely to increase this season. Ryan is an upgrade over Nunez and chances are he will be an oft-used bench player in 2014. The Yankees still have a number of roster questions to answer this winter, but backup middle infielder is no longer one of them.
By4:30pm: The offer was made “a long time ago,” according to Mark Feinsand. The Yankees never expected Kuroda to make a decision right away. Sounds like they made a standing offer soon after he declined the qualifying offer to just make it clear they want him back.
1:00pm: Via Andrew Marchand: The Yankees have offered Hiroki Kuroda a contract in the $15-16M range in hopes of keeping him from retirement or going back to Japan. Kuroda turned down the $14.1M qualifying offer last month. The team is said to be “more upbeat” about their chances of keeping him now than they were a few weeks ago.
Kuroda, 38, had a 3.31 ERA (3.56 FIP) in 201.1 innings this past season, but he faded badly down the stretch for the second straight year. The Yankees paid him $15M in 2013 and although I love Kuroda as much as anyone, his age and the back-to-back second half fades are definite red flags to me. The team needs starters in the worst way and there might not be a better deal out there than Kuroda on a one-year contract, but I’m much more nervous about him returning for another season right now than I was last winter. · (98) ·
Staff Notes: Krause, Bullpen Coach, Williams
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Krause. (Jamie Ramsey/Reds)
Joe Girardi‘s coaching staff was shaken up a bit last week when we learned bullpen coach Mike Harkey is leaving the Yankees to become the Diamondbacks’ pitching coach. Harkey was one of Girardi’s closest friends and confidants, so replacing him won’t be easy in that sense. Here’s the latest on some coaching and front office positions courtesy of George King, George King (again), George King (yet again), and Josh Norris.
- The Yankees have hired Matthew Krause as their new strength and conditioning coach after declining to renew Dana Cavalea’s contract a few weeks ago. Krause held the same role with the Reds from 2005-2013. He also spent three years with the Pirates and eight years in the Marines, so the Yankees are in good shape for potential benches-clearing brawls. New York has been one of the most injured teams in baseball over the last four years while Cincinnati has been one of the least injured, though obviously not all of that can be attributed to the strength and conditioning coach.
- Gary Tuck is one candidate to replace Harkey as bullpen coach. He held that role with the Yankees in 1990 and with the Red Sox from 2007-2012. Tuck also served as Joe Girardi’s bench coach with the Marlins in 2006 and spent 1998-1999 as a catching instructor in the Yankees’ minor league system.
- Among the internal candidates to replace Harkey are Triple-A Scranton pitching coach Scott Aldred, Triple-A manager Dave Miley, Triple-A hitting coach Butch Wynegar, senior pitching instructor Greg Pavlick, minor league pitching instructor Gil Patterson, catching coordinator Julio Mosquera, and Rookie GCL Yanks manager Tom Nieto. All except Aldred have some kind of big league coaching experience.
- Pro scout Rick Williams has left the Yankees to take a job with the Braves. He and Atlanta GM Frank Wren have known each other for a while, dating back to their playing days and time working for the Marlins. Williams was most often used to scout pitchers prior to the trade deadline.
- Double-A Trenton hitting coach Justin Turner is out for whatever reason. He has been with the organization for a while but this was his first season with the Thunder. It appears High-A Tampa hitting coach Marcus Thames (yes, that Marcus Thames) will take over in Trenton.
(REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine)
As expected, the Yankees cut ties with Chris Stewart on Monday. The team announced it has traded the catcher to the Pirates for a player to be named later. Tonight is the non-tender deadline and New York was expected to cut Stewart from the roster in the wake of the Brian McCann signing. We heard he was drawing trade interest over the weekend. Dan Barbarisi says the trade was agreed to on Friday but was contingent on Stewart working out a contract with the Pirates, which he has done.
Stewart, 31, will backup former teammate Russell Martin in Pittsburgh, which is pretty much the perfect role for him. He can frame the hell out of borderline pitches but he can’t hit (career 59 wRC+) and is just okay at the non-pitch-framing part of catcher defense. Matt Swartz projected Stewart to earn a modest $1M in 2014, but the Yankees have a small army of young catchers on the 40-man roster and don’t need to keep him around at that price.
Brian Cashman confirmed the team will tender Frankie Cervelli a contract prior to tonight’s deadline a few weeks ago, making him the easy favorite to backup McCann next year. That leaves Austin Romine and J.R. Murphy to split time behind the plate with Triple-A Scranton while Gary Sanchez catches everyday at Double-A Trenton. A trade to further clear up the logjam is possible. Romine seems most likely to go but Murphy might have the most value as a no doubt catcher who is pretty close to big league ready.
The player to be named later coming from the Pirates is almost certainly a non-40-man minor leaguer. Chances are it is someone who is eligible for next week’s Rule 5 Draft as well, the teams just have to make sure the player goes unclaimed before completing the deal. Pirates Prospects has a list of Pittsburgh’s Rule 5 Draft eligible minor leaguers, if you’re interested. The Yankees were a few hours from non-tendering Stewart and getting nothing in return, so it’s not a surprise they received relatively little in the trade. Relatively little is better than nothing.
Fan Confidence Poll: December 2nd, 2013
By · Comments2013 Season: 85-77 (637 RS, 671 RA, 77-85 pythag. record), didn’t qualify for playoffs
Top stories from last week:
- The Yankees and Robinson Cano‘s representatives met face-to-face several times last week. His camp lowered their demands to a nine-year contract worth $250-260M while the team is holding steady at seven years and $160-175M.
- Brendan Ryan‘s contract is now official. He received a two-year deal worth $5M with a mutual option for a third year worth another $5M. New York also added infielder Yamaico Navarro on a minor league deal.
- There is mutual interest between Carlos Beltran and the Yankees, but Beltran wants three years while the Yankees are only willing to offer two. The club does not have an offer out to Stephen Drew.
- MLB and NPB officials met to continue negotiating a new posting system, though there is no agreement yet. The Yankees are “more upbeat” about Hiroki Kuroda returning next season.
- Chris Stewart is drawing trade interest. The team is also talking to him about a contract that will allow them to avoid arbitration.
- Bullpen coach Mike Harkey will be named the new pitching coach for the Diamondbacks this week.
- Left-hander Omar Luis will be available in the Rule 5 Draft next week due to a contract snafu.
- Mike Mussina is among the first timers on the 2014 Hall of Fame ballot.
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?
Sunday Shorts: Hughes, Beltran, Cano
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Chances the previous batter just hit a homer? ( Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Trying something new today. People like to read on Sundays, right? So let’s take a short look at a few stories that probably won’t get full posts of their own, but are of interest to anyone who follows the Yankees daily.
Replacing Phil Hughes
When Brian Cashman said that he needed to find 400 innings this off-season, he mostly referred to the loss of Andy Pettitte and potential loss of Hiroki Kuroda. He’ll also need to find a replacement, perhaps internal, for Phil Hughes, who signed with the Twins yesterday.
In his four years as a starter (since 2010) Hughes has averaged under 150 innings per year, and he failed to eclipse that mark in his walk year. Of the 96 pitchers who have recorded at least 500 innings since 2010, Hughes’s 4.65 ERA ranks 89th. In that time he has produced 3.1 bWAR*, which ranks 80th.
*bWAR is chosen here, because it works on RA rather than FIP. Honestly, measuring a pitcher’s value based on FIP seems silly to me. FIP can be a useful tool, but not as a measure of produced value. To me, RA is a much closer mark. It also helps that this is a multi-year sample.
While he’s been a rotation mainstay, the Yankees should have no trouble at all replacing both his innings and his performances, almost certainly with someone better. Which asks the question, why didn’t they seek a replacement for Hughes sooner?
Waiting for Beltran
For about a week now we’ve heard that the Yankees have prioritized signing Carlos Beltran, and that Beltran prefers the Yankees. So why haven’t they come together on a contract yet? It appears that Beltran seeks three years while the Yankees, and most other teams in pursuit, prefer to keep the deal limited to two years.
Joel Sherman recently got an executive’s take on the situation: “Beltran wants three years, so I think the Yankees will either go three years or give him a [bleep]-load more on a two-year deal. I think the feeling in the industry is if it comes down to a two-year deal because no one goes to three, then the Yankees will win.”
Even though a three-year contract would come with a lower AAV, which would seem to help the luxury tax threshold, chances are it won’t make a significant difference. It’s difficult to see a difference of more than $2 million per year (e.g., $42 million for three years vs. $32 million for two years), so the Yankees definitely benefit by waiting out this situation and trying to get him on that two-year contract. I’d expect Beltran to sign by the winter meetings at the latest.
Connecting Cano and Rodriguez
Robinson Cano might have backed off his $300 million demand, but not by much. The latest reports have Cano seeking $250 to $260 million over nine years, including a vesting option for a tenth year. There is little to no chance the Yankees go this high, and in the wake of the Albert Pujols contract most teams have to be a bit cautious about this.
In a recent post I opined that a hardline stance could benefit both sides (while obviously benefitting the Yankees more). If Cano’s camp is publicly talking about $250 to $260 million, they clearly have no intention of signing soon for less than that. While the Yankees might seem handcuffed in that case, they can afford to wait on Cano while stocking their team with players to help in 2014.
If they sign Beltran and Tanaka, that will go a long way in rebuilding the offense — but they might not have the budget to bring back Cano, who will make more of a difference than any other player on the free agent market. Yet the Yankees could open up budget later this off-season, when they learn the details of the Alex Rodriguez arbitration hearing. By that point Cano’s market should be pretty clear.
ByVia LaVelle E. Neal: The Twins have agreed to sign Phil Hughes to a three-year contract worth $24M. I thought he would take a one-year deal, hope to rebuild value in 2014, then try to land a big contract next winter, when he would still only be 28. Hughes appears to have gone for the biggest payday instead, which is never a bad idea. Target Field should help his homerun problem, at least somewhat. The Yankees will not receive a compensation draft pick because they didn’t make Hughes a qualifying offer. · (88) ·
ByVia Ken Davidoff: Robinson Cano’s camp requested a nine-year contract worth $250-260M when the two sides met face-to-face earlier this week. That’s down from the ten years and $305M they were seeking earlier this year. The Yankees, meanwhile, are holding steady with a seven-year offer in the $160-175M range. No reason to tack on another year or anything until another club actually makes him a competitive offer. Something tells me Robbie won’t be signing anytime soon. · (41) ·
ByVia Chris Cotillo: Catcher Chris Stewart is drawing trade interest from unknown teams in advance of Monday’s non-tender deadline. The Yankees are also discussing a contract with him to avoid arbitration. Matt Swartz projected the backstop to earn $1M next season, his first trip through arbitration.
Stewart, 31, hit an awful .211/.293/.272 (58 wRC+) in 340 plate appearances this past season, though he did contribute defensively, especially with his pitch-framing skills. The Yankees recently agreed to sign Brian McCann and they have a small army of young catchers on the 40-man roster, so they no longer need Stewart. If they can get something for him via trade, great. If not, then he’ll almost certainly be non-tendered on Monday. There will be resolution soon, one way or another. · (73) ·
