jacksonianmarch

Ciriaco is a AAAA player who got white hot and then cooled off considerably. He's going to get the UTIL job by default and if he can at least show some offensive contribution this yr, he should stick there. I have a feeling Ciriaco is not a part of the sox come 2014

Exactly. And lets say he hits .250/.300/.330 for the yr and plays GG caliber defense. Would you take that?

It matters for the future. If he hits .200, he wont be starting for the sox come 2014

Nuno is a nice hidden gem who we've turned into someone who can provide depth.

Drew's injury was a little more serious. Jeter's issue will be chronic, but he is likely to spend a lot of time DHing, especially vs LHP's. I am not worried about whether he can play or not. He'll play. I'm more concerned with Tex

How is it looking like a big issue? They say his ankle is sore and he received a pain killing injection for it. He might start the yr on the DL retroactive to now, meaning he might miss a few games. Tex wrist is a big issue. Jeter's ankle is more an issue they will monitor as the season progresses. Its not uncommon for the muscle and tendons to be a little tight coming off his injury

My sleeper for 2013 is Greg Bird. He's a big, lefty hitting guy who was drafted 2 yrs ago out of HS. He signed late, so missed 2011 pro ball. He was drafted as a catcher, but a back injury last yr scrapped that idea and they moved him to 1b. He's showing some good defensive skills at 1b, albeit he is raw. His bat, though, is highly advanced. After recovering from his back strain, he hit .337 with a .944OPS between GCL and NYP and is poised to be unleashed on the SAL this yr. He is tearing the cover off the ball in ST as well. He has the discipline to reach base at a high clip, he makes good contact enough to hit for a high average and he has now power with some room to develop that puts him as a potential perennial 30HR hitter. As long as the back doesnt bark again, this kid has the looks of a special talent. I expect him to have a very good season as a 20 yr old in the long season leagues and will likely see High A by the time the yr is through

I agree RSF. I think Bogaerts is in your lineup come 2014 in some capacity (assuming good health) so if Iglesias cannot carve his niche in 2013, he's likely to be dealt or relegated to utility work, which is what I think he ultimately ends up being to be totally honest

You're moaning about CMW as a minor league option? The guy did win 19 games twice and is now 3 yrs removed from arm surgery. If he can even get into the low 90s again, he'd have a shot at being a worthwhile pitcher in the bigs again. That sinker is nasty. I hope the Yankees sign him. Cannot hurt

Thank f***ing god that its over

Jung, it is development time, but it'd be a little naive to completely disregard his putrid numbers below the bigs. That being said, I agree with the sentiment that its time to see what you have. The sox aren't good enough to win a title this yr, IMO, but if Iglesias comes out and shows he can hit a little then that sets you up for the future

I have a feeling Boesch starts at 1b for us should Mesa continue to play well enough to turn heads in the OF. That being said, I guarantee Overbay is looked at should you guys cut him

He might develop into a guy who can hit to a .670OPS at some point, but thus far in the minors, he hasnt come close to that. His MiLB career OPS is .626 and in 353AB last yr in Pawtucket, he had a blistering .624OPS. And for all the "added bulk" I doubt he all of a sudden starts crushing balls. He's got a career total of 39 extra base hits in 979AB with only 2 being big flies.

Vazquez is a guy you don't want to have to start. He's a solid defensive catcher who would upgrade the position defensively immediately, but his bat would be a black hole

He was slightly above average prior to the injury. Last yr, he was grossly below average. This isnt a 20 yr old returning from this injury. This guy is 30, so his lateral quickness is already at it's peak and he is only going to go down from here. I highly doubt he is a plus defender at SS ever again

First you would have to assume Stephen Drew is an upgrade on Iggy. The guy is coming off ankle surgery for a grossly injured ankle, and it showed. His UZR's for 09, 10, and 11 were positive. He breaks his ankle in 2011 and his UZR dropped to -10.7. He also just turned 30, so it isnt like he's getting any younger. He's likely going to be a minus defender in 2013 as well. So Iggy would massively upgrade that position defensively. Offensively, you have to see what you can get from Drew. Most people hear the name and think of a guy who was this elite offensive force in Arizona. He wasn't, he had 2 very good seasons with one okay one and 3 terrible ones. His lifetime slash line is .265/.328/.433. He is coming off a .223/.309/.348 line from a year ago. Who knows if he can actually go back to being the player he was for 2 seasons out of 6 in his career before a gruesome injury. My guess is, he wont. With a better lineup around him, maybe he ends up as a .250/.320/.400 guy, but I dont see much more than that even if he's healthy, which we know he already isnt. I doubt Iggy posts a .700+OPS in a single season, ever, but it isnt like you're dropping from Nomar to Mendoza here. For once, I agree with you SFF. Iggy likely doesnt drop production from SS when the drop is from Drew to him. Hell, he might even add a bit. I think the sox were playing the value game again here, hoping Drew turned his career around and then they offer him a QO and get a pick for him

This information isnt new. They reported it a week ago that there was a tear in his wrist. Now we know it's the tendon sheath. Cashman has to prepare as if he isnt coming back, although if they dont f*** up his rehab, he should come back by June 1. Chances are, they'll f*** up his rehab and he'll miss the season

Looks like Matt Diaz wasn't the answer to the RH platoon OFer

You cannot fault Boras for what he does. Guys hire him to get the most money they can get without regard to anything else, for the most part. The only guy who I can remember under Boras' guise who didn't go big money and stayed home was Tek. I think Ells is gone at yrs end regardless. If he has a great yr, he's dealt at the deadline. If he has a moderate yr, he's gone after the yr. if he sucks, he'll look for a pillow contract in a lefty hitters park to recoup his value. I'll tell you what, if he sucks in 2013, don't be surprised to see him sign a 1 yr contract in the Bronx to boost his value

Eck also tells it like it is. He's definitely partial in a pro sox fashion, but he'll say outright in game if a guy doesn't belong or pick out a flaw before its evident to most. He might not have the 'entertainment value' of Remy and Orsillo, but I think he's a much better analyst.

1 yr $1.5 mil. This just made too much sense for this not to happen. Tons of power, tons of K's not a lot of patience and bad defense. Put him in Yankee Stadium and see what he can do. If he cannot be worthwhile in that stadium for half his games, then he isnt going to be any good ever

He's a rookie. No matter what they think, he's not someone who can be counted on for anything more than a flier for the most part. That's not a bad thing, but he could dominate, he could suck or he could do anything inbetween.

I doubt he ends up starting the yr in Boston. I bet he goes to AAA, gets on a roll and they bring him up hot. No need to have him endure what Pedroia did in his rookie yr

I'd have Boesch in RF and move Ichiro to LF. A lefty with power in Yankee Stadium could play well, where have I heard that before? That being said, I am genuinely concerned about the direction of this Yankee team. Here's why. The Yankees need a facelift. Mo is gone after the yr. Jeter is 38 and coming off a broken ankle. ARod is 37 and recovering from hip surgery. Youkilis is 33 but an old 33. Pettitte is 40. Kuroda is 38. Ichiro is 39. Hafner is 35. And then the other "young guys" are Tex at 33, CC at 32, Cano at 30, Granderson at 31. The only position playing starters under 30 are going to be Gardner at 29 and Cervelli at 27. What concerns me is the fact that the Yankees are really staring at a "final" year of the dynasty and what they might do to "hold on" to the glory. I have a feeling we start the yr off slow, as we almost always do, but confounded by the injury bug, it might be worse than I had thought. My guess is that come June 1, we'll be around .500. That gives us 2 months to get back into contention with the players we came into the yr with. If we cannot do that, then Big Stein faces a difficult decision. Allow the current team to figure it out in the final 2 months OR make a bold and daring now move with our farm system to bring in guys who could help for a 2 month stay. I sincerely hope it isnt the latter. Come 2014, we will have 3 starters under contract in CC, Phelps, and Nova (Kuroda, Pettitte and Hughes will be FAs). We'll have a pen highlighted by Robertson and nobody else (Mo will retire, Joba and Logan will be FA's). We'll have a lineup that could be devoid of Jeter if he opts out, but that loses Granderson, Hafner and Youkilis at season's end. We need to get younger. We need to develop from within. Teams around the league are flush with money just as much as the Steinnys are, if not more and some are more than willing to surpass the Yankees in cash flow. It's time to change the game a little and restock the team. We have some guys who profile as cornerstone player in the bigs coming up and coming up quickly. We cannot afford to deal them off for quick fix deals especially since this team is aging very fast. I am concerned that come Aug 1, a guy like a Mark Buerhle will be pitching in the Bronx or a Torri Hunger type will be suiting up while guys like Austin, Ramirez, Sanchez and Williams will be starting for other clubs

Pedro had a 96mph fastball and untouchable curve. Mo only has the cutter, everyone knew it was coming and they couldn't hit it