jacksonianmarch

if he had a lot of value to other teams then it would have taken more than 2 meh lefty relief prospects to get him. His value is at an all-time low. If the hope is to get some value out of him, trading him now does you no good. He's a throw in at this point more than anything. If the sox turn him around he could actually be a useful chip. Right now, he isnt.

I think I said top 5-10. Regardless, I have never said he was a guy with great stuff. He's a guy with one overpowering pitch and 2 mediocre pitches.

Well, I am gonna start out my post and see if my fatigue lets me finish it. First, one must look at the departures... Andy Pettitte made $12 million in 2009 Jose Molina made $2 million in 2009 Hideki Matsui made $13 million in 2009 Johnny Damon made $13 million in 2009 Chien-Ming Wang made $6 million in 2009 (I think he gets non-tendered) Xavier Nady made $6.5 million in 2009 That leaves a surplus of $52.5 million dollars To look at the yankee plans, one must take it position by position. Catcher #1- Jorge Posada Catcher #2- Francisco Cervelli Firstbaseman- Mark Teixeira Secondbaseman- Robinson Cano Shortstop- Derek Jeter Third base- Alex Rodriguez Left field- ??? Centerfield #1- Melky Cabrera Centerfield #2- Brett Gardner Right field- Nick Swisher Designated Hitter- ??? Utility IF- Ramiro Pena Utility OF- Jerry Hairston That leaves 13 position players, which is probably the amount that we break camp with. Once all the pitchers find their grooves and settle out, we probably go back to the customary 14-11 split. In terms of position players who are down the pipe but possible to make an impact on 2010... Jesus Montero will be making his MLB debut in 2010. He has proven to be an elite offensive talent at an incredibly young age. The only concern is his defense, which by all accounts, is well below average. So, while Montero will likely be in the bigs in some capacity in 2010, I think it is more as a hitter and less as a catcher. Austin Romine will at least be on the radar as he will be moving into AA. He was the FSL MVP and is both a solid offensive and defensive catcher. If catastrophe strikes in the Bronx and a full time catcher is needed, Romine has an outside chance of being the guy called upon Austin Jackson the speedy OFer capable of playing all 3 OF positions completed a successful season in AAA last yr. But the lack of power was concerning for the Yankee brass, something that might buy him another season in the minors. Regardless, he will make his debut at some point There are plenty of others in the system with bright futures, but they are at least a yr away. The above guys are the notable ones In terms of pitchers... SP#1- CC Sabathia SP#2- AJ Burnett SP#3- ??? SP#4- Joba Chamberlain SP#5- Phil Hughes In terms of starting pitchers who will be vying for the 6th spot and beyond... Sergio Mitre will be in the Yankee fold again for 2010. He had a couple good starts mixed in with a lot of putrid ones. But he will be another yr removed from surgery and could be an asset if used right Chad Gaudin is a guy who could be a contributor to the rotation if need be, but I think he snakes a spot in the bullpen for 2010. Zach McAllister is another extreme sinkerballer with a good change and curve who is due to start the yr in AAA. He might not be one of the first line replacements, but he is a guy to definitely watch as the season starts. He looks like he's gonna be a good one. Ian Kennedy dont sleep on this guy. He is likely to be showcased next season in some capacity. And either he makes enough of an impact to be good and stay, or he makes enough of an impact to be part of a deal for a need at the deadline. Regardless, he is pitching well in the AFL, which few pitchers are doing, and should be ready to go after he lost 2009 to aneurysm surgery Relief Pitching.. So, there are 12 pitcher slots, meaning there are 7 relief spots. Here are the guys I believe have spots locked up #1- Mariano Rivera #2- Damaso Marte #3- David Robertson #4- Alfredo Aceves #5- Chad Gaudin That leaves two spots open.. Internal players vying for the last 2 relief spots... Mark Melancon was solid in AAA but walked far too many in the bigs. I think he is the front runner based on his stuff and his makeup. All he needs to do is not get rattled and I think he locks up a spot in the pen Brian Bruney the enigma continues. Some days, he is untouchable, others he sucks. He's under control through 2010, so this is his last yr in a yankee uni to prove he can hang. Phil Coke made a name for himself after being removed from the Nady/Marte deal. Then he lost his velocity and his slider midway through 2009. If his velocity stays in the 90-91 range, then he goes to the minors. If his velocity is back into the 94 range, then he breaks the big club Michael Dunn Lefty with a big fastball and an even bigger slider. Control has been his problem. Grant Duff good guy to keep an eye on. After toiling for multiple yrs in the yankee system and sustaining injury after injury, his pre-draft velocity is back. He's in the AFL right now throwing 99mph. If he shows the same velocity in 2010, he could be on the fast track to the majors There are plenty of other guys to keep an eye on, but the above guys actually have a good chance to make a significant impact in the pen So, thats the team as of right now. But as we all know, the yankees wont sit by idly and not spend their freed up dough. So, lets look at positions of need Starting with DH- I do think the yankees will retain one of the duo of Matsui and Damon. The rumor was that Cashman would offer a 2 yr deal worth $16 million to both players and the first to sign it will be retained. With Abreu's signing, that may need to go up by a mil per yr, but I do think we retain one of them. And that guy, IMO, is Hideki Matsui. Estimated contract 2 years, $18 million Then you go to LF- This is a tough one to assess. NY wants to shed payroll. And after the Matsui signing, we are down to a $42.5 million surplus. If you assume that NY wants to cut spending by $10 million, then that leaves $32.5 million to fill 3 holes. So, that means we need to go outside the box. This is why I think NY makes a deal here for a player in their prime. And that player, IMO is... Brad Hawpe- rumors are running rampant that this guy is on the block. And these rumors stem from the fact that Hawpe isnt a very good RFer and that is where he is playing in Colorado's large ballpark. They need guys with good range and Hawpe is right around average. But, Hawpe is exactly the kind of player the Yankees will be looking for. Lefty, he's 30 yrs old, he takes a ton of pitches and hits for a lot of power. And, when you look at his splits, 14 of his 23 homers in 2009 were hit on the road. He's due $7.5 million in 2010 and then would become a FA, something I think the yankees would not let happen should they like the guy. In terms of who they would give up, I have a feeling Austin Jackson would be one of the centerpieces, since Hawpe would be blocking him pretty much and Colorado loves athletic, 5 tool OF prospects. I would also expect the deal to be pretty pitching heavy as well. Maybe a 3 or 4 for 1 with high upside guys mixed in. On to the rotation. With Hawpe in their clutches, NY has spent a grand total of $16.5 mil to round out their offense. That brings us down to a spending limit of $25 million. In this model, I expect NY to sign John Lackey. It just makes too much sense. He's 30, he's a horse, he's been good in the playoffs, etc. etc. etc. The guy just makes too much sense not to pass up especially since pitching was the factor that put NY over the top. For Lackey, I use AJ Burnett as a starting point and add on a yr (since Lackey is a yr younger than Burnett was last season) and 1.5mil per season. 6 yrs, $108 million. With Lackey in the grasp, that brings NY's spending limit to $7 million. That leaves NY just enough to pursue a top notch reliever to replace Hughes move into the rotation. Take your pick between Rafael Betancourt, Rafael Soriano, Mike Gonzalez, Jose Valverde, Kevin Gregg, JJ Putz and Billy Wagner. I am sure we can snag one of those guys to man the setup role for $7 million per yr or less. One other note, I would also sign Chien Ming Wang to a heavily incentive laden 1 yr deal with a pretty big 2011 option that vests at a certain IP mark. Mayeb $1.5 mil in 2010 with $2-3 million in IP bonuses, followed by a vesting option that becomes a club option if it doesnt vest in 2011 for $5 mil plus. If there is anything left in that arm, I'd rather see it used for us than against us. So. My plan gets us to about $10 million less than the team we had on the field this yr ($208 million dollars was spent in 2009) and gets us under $200 mil projected prior to the season. And this would be the roster C- Posada C- Cervelli 1B- Teixeira 2B- Cano SS- Jeter 3B- Rodriguez LF- Hawpe CF- Cabrera RF- Swisher DH- Matsui OF- Gardner OF- Hairston IF- Pena SP- Sabathia SP- Lackey SP- Burnett SP- Hughes SP- Chamberlain RP- Gaudin RP- M. Gonzalez (who I am picking out of that list) RP- Marte RP- Rivera RP- Aceves RP- Robertson RP- Melancon (who I expect to win the last pen spot if not dealt for Hawpe). Thats my team, and it that is the team going into 2010, we will be incredibly hard to beat

Matsui nor Damon are getting a 3 yr deal from Cashman. That isnt happening. The contingency plans are there and the money has to be brimming over in the yankee coffers if they need it. Damon and Matsui will have until November 19th to make their decisions. That can be guaranteed, and I bet we are able to keep one of them. And my guess is that Matsui is the guy we hang onto. I think Damon's defense is so bad that putting him in LF is akin to trying Matsui out there. And Damon's offense is very much linked to the park. Matsui, OTOH, has as fast as bat as he has ever had and his power hasnt dwindled one bit.

Wang is a buy low candidate. Coming off shoulder surgery, you have to expect his stuff to worsen. But, he wasnt much of a stuff guy to begin with. He was a one pitch pitcher. If he comes back and throws low 90s instead of mid 90s with the same sink, then he'll be useful again. If that sink goes away, then he's absolutely useless. That is what we saw at the beginning of the yr.

Look at what it took to get Hermida and then rethink your post. Think about it this way. Hermida is the broken down old house that you can get for 90K. If you build it back up, you could double or triple your money. But getting that 90K house and then trying to resell it without doing anything to it is not really a great philosophy. Hermida is at worst, a not so bad 4th OFer. At best, he could become a decent starting major league OFer. I dont think his ceiling is as high as it was before, but he still comfortably projects as a starter if his performance catches up with his talent

He's under team control for another 2 yrs. But he's in his second to last arbitration season, meaning he is getting expensive. He made $6mil last yr to do nothing for us, and arbitration rules preclude him from losing more than 20% of his pay. He should get non-tendered, but I would want to have him back at a reduced rate

I dont think he's done. I do think that his reluctance to throw the splitter has made him a less reliable closer. That being said, he's gone from surreal closer to All-Star closer. Amazing to great. You get my drift

Just noticed something. The last 9 yankee titles were during a democrat's presidency. Obama may not be worthless after all

I am enjoying it Gom. It was the perfect end to a great season. And, it segways into one of my favorite times of year. The months of November and December are when all the trades are consummated and FAs are signed. I love player movement. This is like frickin heaven right now.

He will have an equal chance to sign as Damon will. IMO, one of them gets invited back to be the DH and infrequent LFer. I have a feeling they will offer the same contract to both of them and pull the offer once the other guys accepts it

what downside? Hunter Jones had no future in Boston and the other kid is not gonna make it out of the minors in all likelihood. Seems like this is a salary dump, as he made 2.25mil last yr and might be due a raise

Wait a minute. They deal a soft tossing lefty reliever and a kid with minimal ceiling who is in A ball for Hermida? Hermida was once one of the best prospects in baseball and still has tons of talent to spare. This is a very solid move for Boston, very, very solid. Hermida at least provides league AVG OPS in LF where a guy like Reddick is truly an unknown. And if Boston got his head right, he could be a very solid player.

Oh, and this sets the market for the aging corner OFer. $9.5 million a yr for this guy likely means we are heading into an expensive offseason. If Abreu is worth that much, imagine how much Holliday and Bay will get. Hell, and Damon for that Matter. The rumor percolating through NY was that the yankees were gonna offer 2yrs 16 mil to Damon to keep him. That might be a tad low now.

Good deal for Anaheim. There goes the most viable LF option outside of Bay and Holliday

His BB totals are alarming for a guy who has a history of being impeccable when it comes to control

The champagne is still wetting the carpet in the Yankee clubhouse, and while I will revel in this victory for a long time, plans for next season need to be made. This will be the thread I will use for rumors and what have you. Feel free to post your thoughts, it will take me a bit to come up with my plan for 2010.

Well, technically, there should be a year zero. If we are to consider our calendar based on the birth of Jesus then theoretically, time should start after that with seconds to minutes to days, months to years. So theoretically, a year zero should have occured. But I dont think we did it that way to be honest with you.

The question wasnt the most memorable. It was, the "team of the decade". To be honest with you, The 2000s will be remembered for droughts ending. Not really for what just the red variety of stockings did, but the white ones as well.

If we made that deal, we dont get CC and the season ends in early October. His manuevers, however controversial, have worked out to a T. His master plan got us #27.

You lovin Cashman now?

NY is the team of the 2000s. 9 playoff appearances, 8 division titles, 2 World Series titles, 4 AL pennants. It isnt close

It's more satisfying than the last 4. We got spoiled, and the 9 yrs inbetween just reminded us how hard it is to pull it off. Great to reach the mountain top again

This is incredibly satisfying. Wish I didnt have to watch it at work

He's in Tampa. I think he can now die happy