jacksonianmarch

I think Bard is going to be dealt in one of those deadline deals to shed a 40 man roster space and find himself in obscurity. He'll be the future closer of the Houston Astros, LOL

That'd surely be interesting. LaRoche is the wrong move, IMO. He's a guy who will struggle to hit to a .800OPS and he's already 33 yrs old. Not sure if committing 3 yrs to a guy for his mid 30s who isnt suited for the park is a good idea.

And in Yankee Stadium. He's an FA at season's end and a guy I expect to leave NY for Cali as he is a Cali kid. If he signs on in a place like SD, he will end up being a Cy Young candidate.

Surprised to see the M's part with DJ Mitchell. I have said all along that he's the kind of guy who'd thrive in a Mendoza type role with his stuff. But the M's must have looked at his work as a starter and came away unimpressed. Here's to hoping the Yankees jump on this one

I think Cash is doing the best he can to keep the house of cards from falling. He's built a short term pitching staff with the hopes that Banuelos and Pineda will be big contributors come 2014. He's built a lineup of guys who have proven success in big spots but are old and injury prone. He has a bullpen that all have live arms and are pressure tested. But if the old guys all start playing their age at the same time, they're dead.

Hughes struck out close to 8 per 9IP. That's a strikeout pitcher. And he walked 2.1 batters per 9IP, so it isnt the walks that are causing his problems. Hughes' problem is the long ball. 35 HR's allowed last yr is what has caused his ERA to be in the average to slightly above average range. If he can limit the longball down to even the low 20s (which is still high) then his ERA will drop drastically.

The current move with the Pirates isnt significant enough to end our sig bet

They didnt give up much in terms of 2013 value, that is for sure. I bet Pitt thinks they can turn Melancon into a guy like Hanrahan and make a big move with him

Matt Diaz on a milb deal. It's a smart move and the guy mashes lefties, but he better not be the big offseason acquisition

That's a pretty reasonable contract. I though he was looking at 4yrs $60 mil easy. His production mirrors jayson Werth's phillies numbers and he got $70 mil less in guarantees

what sources?

The reports have been pretty positive on Jeter. But they do have his heir apparent in Nunez. Nunez would be a starter on a lot of big league clubs right now, and the Yankees would need to get him regular playing time so he doesnt actually have the troubles in the field he's shown when getting scarce PT. I have a feeling we see a lot of Nunez between 3B and SS in the first half of the season regardless. At catcher, I thought Pierzynski on a 1 yr deal made sense, but I guess the Yankees saw how dramatically their staff improved under a defensive minded catcher that they're gonna stay in house. Stewart is going to be the backup, as he proved very capable in that spot this past yr. The starting C job will be between Cervelli and Romine. And if Romine is healthy in camp (which he was in the AFL), then it shouldnt be a competition. Romine is a very solid defensive catcher and will at least temper the blow of losing Martin. Offensively, he reminded me of the Martin who was in LA, with the good average, the stolen bases and the defense. The kid would have been the backup this past season if not for his back injury. Kinda tough to just throw him out there to the wolves, but he is their best option outside of a trade In the OF, I have a feeling we get Scott Hairston, who just bludgeons left handed pitching. If we don't, we have 2 OF prospects who would better serve the team defensively in Zoilo Almonte and Melky Mesa. If I had to say who'd win that comp right now, it'd be Mesa. He's absolutely abysmal against right handed pitching, but dominates lefties, can play all 3 OF positions well and has a cannon. He'd be a good option for 4th OFer.

He's keeping it tight-lipped until physicals are performed. My guess is there is someone going the other way who may have some questionable medicals.

At least in Yankees history. He's been involved in 4 postseasons and 8 postseason series and he has hit something like .120. Thats no longer a small sample size

I always liked Swisher as well. We couldnt afford him and needed to improve defensively and from a consistency basis in RF. Swish was the kind of guy who'd disappear for long stretches, then have one 3 week hot streak where he'd carry the club. We'll miss him during that streak, we can replace him for the rest of the yr. And with the OFers coming down the pipe, it was important not to clog up a position with an aging slugger with poor defensive skills. We will miss him in 2013, no doubt, but I doubt we miss him too much past that

I always liked Swisher as well. We couldnt afford him and needed to improve defensively and from a consistency basis in RF. Swish was the kind of guy who'd disappear for long stretches, then have one 3 week hot streak where he'd carry the club. We'll miss him during that streak, we can replace him for the rest of the yr. And with the OFers coming down the pipe, it was important not to clog up a position with an aging slugger with poor defensive skills. We will miss him in 2013, no doubt, but I doubt we miss him too much past that

Not at all. Melancon was a Yankee farmhand who dominated the minors but had a rep for shrinking in the spotlight. In Pittsburgh, he would flourish

We'll find out soon enough, although I think everyone on here is expecting an overpay. Not sure why the sox are willing to repeat the same mistake twice. Instead of health being a question, it's control. You really want to try to close out a game vs the Yankees knowing he's gonna walk a few?

And for SFF and others who thought Iglesias could get it done, let's see what they actually give up

Upton's getting traded. Ross to the DBacks for 3 yrs

Iglesias has limited value due to the total minus of his game on the offensive end. Even if he could hit at the level of a replacement level SS, he'd be worth it. But he hasnt shown that ability, hence his value is down. If the sox hold onto him and he gets big league time and hits .260 or so, then he'd be in big time demand

Cano is actually a very strong defender, so your above comment is rather misguided

The jays will be one of the top attendances in baseball this yr. Toronto will keep their club. Also, I'm not sure a team can survive in the Caribbean due to the prices it would take to go to games and the fact that television support would be tough to get in a place where people grow up without electricity (DR)

Plus many, many others

You wont be "sending" NY a supp pick. It doesnt work that way anymore. The Yankees get one automatically if he signs a big league deal, which he is going to get. The sox 1st rounder is protected, so they'd lose their second round pick, but it no longer goes to the team that lost said player. That pick just gets deleted. If you signed Swisher, the Yankees get a supp pick (magically appears in the draft order) and you lose your second round pick (magically disappears into thin air)