jacksonianmarch

The Yankees arent under an edict to get younger, they are under an edict to get under $189 million come 2014. This 1 yr deal is exactly what they wanted. Kuroda was our best pitcher last yr, he was solid in the playoffs and now he is back for 1 more yr. Now re-sign Pettitte and Mo and your pitching questionmarks are answered

1yr $15 mil. Great f***ing move!

Brentz sounds like a starter on a second division team. If the sox want to start keeping players who will be just above replacement level for their position, then sign me up. He sounds like a guy who could be akin to Jeremy Burnitz. 25-30HR, no walks, average in the low .200s and mediocre defense. Those players start in Milwaukee, not Boston

Agreed UN?. But the price would be so devastating that nobody would be willing to pay it. They can get a massive haul for him in 2 yrs. So they would need an even more massive haul now. We're talking the 3 B's as a starting point. Why not? They have nothing to lose and by keeping him, they at least have an identity to their team

Liriano is an option only if the sox are sure they arent contending. They are already full of enough underachieving players, and bringing an underachieving lefty into Fenway could be death for him. He's a prime candidate for a 1 yr pillow contract

Berkman is a switch hitter who, when healthy, can hit 30 bombs and OPS .900. He can also play a corner OF spot or 1b and DH when our elderly regulars are ready to play the field

Guys, while he may be redundant and sometimes inane, Fred has been pretty spot on the last 1 plus seasons in calling the sox moves what they were, crap. In terms of his point, I think it is less about Cherington lacking confidence and more about him lacking power. Ben is a figurehead, and if you think he actually orchestrated the Melancon and Bailey moves, I have a bridge to sell you. He was barely in his new digs when the deals were struck. My guess is Lucchino saw them as potentially risky from a PR standpoint and decided to stick the new boy wonder's neck out there. I also think it is pretty obvious that LL put himself into the front of the Dodgers negotiations since they knew that sox fans would be receptive of it. LL is not a great baseball man, but he is a phenomenal PR and marketing person. He is going to try to come off squeaky clean in everything he does. And by having Ben around, he can decide which deals he can take a PR backseat on and which ones he can get out in front of. It likely means Ben won't be running this team for long. He'll be there through the sox turnaround and once the team looks like it is on the precipice of contending, I am guessing that LL will find someone else, make it look like his move and take all the credit

Very good to great Japanese league relievers do seem to have a history of success. Okajima, Sasaki, Saito, Uehara, etc. Not sure why he'd be drawing this much interest and have such a long and sustained successful career and just not be that good.

I wanted the Yankees to sign him last yr. Above average glove, average stick, minus patience, below average power. Sounds like a guy who could stick at the position. Won't be flashy, but could fill the hole

He may be on his last legs, but he is also a guy you buy low on. When he is healthy, he mashes everything. When he isnt, he's on the shelf. He's had surgery, he is presumably healthy, he will come on a 1 yr deal on the cheap and if he continues to hit, you have your protection for Ortiz. Hell, I wish the Yankees would be looking at this opportunity

I understand that he hasnt made a ton of money thus far and the $16 mil will effectively set himself up for life. But if he signed a 1 yr deal for $8 mil, he could have set himself up for a 5yr $75 mil deal next offseason

That's really the rub here. No team gets hoodwinked these days since they all have advanced scouts who watch these kids hundreds of times. Iglesias cannot hit, and has proven he cannot hit on multiple levels. Until he proves he can hit good pitching, he will be considered a UTIL guy forever

My Irish are #1!!!

The book is out on Salty. He is not a catcher and he cannot work a walk. Guys with power only as their tool and no real position have no real value. Also, the White Sox have Tyler Flowers who will be their starting catcher

lol

That deal to the Guardians is laughable. McCarthy is a FA and Floyd would take a fair amount to get.

It would take a near complete wiping of your farm system. Seeing as they dont do discounts for dealing for multiple players, let's see the prices you'd be looking at for each... Choo would probably be the cheapest because he's got 1 yr left on his deal. But he is also the most explosive offensively. He was a .300/.400/.500 player from 08-10. His 2011 season is pretty much a mulligan and he bounced back well in 2012 with a very high OBP. He's likely to require at least 3 prospects, one of which would be considered a right now kind of guy (Brentz) and 2 more guys with down the line potential (Cecchini and Jacobs). Asdrubal Cabrera has his flaws, but he is still one of the most valuable SS's in the AL and he's signed reasonably for 2 yrs. He will likely require one of the B's, preferably Bogaerts on their end to replace their big offensive producer in the middle of the diamond. You'd probably be looking at Bogaerts and a guy like Workman to make this happen. Masterson is a guy they have zero reason to deal. He's a kid who has put together back to back 200IP seasons and had an ace level season in 2011. The funny thing is, his peripherals in the first half of 2012 were better than his season in 2011, then he fell off the wagon. Seeing as he is under control for 2 more yrs and just a year ago he was coming off an ace season, they would need to be paid at ace level to deal him. I am not saying he is an ace, just that in order for them to deal before they see what they have in 2013, they'd need an ace haul. You'd need to see Barnes, Owens, and Swihart for him, a deal the sox shouldnt and wouldnt do. Should Masterson pitch to his 2012 season, he'd be worth a ton less after 2013. So, to get those three, you are looking at Barnes, Bogaerts, Brentz, Ceccini, Workman, Jacobs, Owens, and Swihart

I think Cecchini is a future trade chip and Bryce Brentz should be a now-trade chip. Cecchini is blocked and isnt going to be as good as Middlebrooks, and Brentz is a boom or bust player with limited walk potential. I'd deal Brentz now and wait for one more yr on Cecchini

There are only 2 ways this ends up. Fabulously, or god awful. Either Melky shows he is for real and the testosterone effects arent going to wear off, or he is going to suck massively and be a waste of a contract. The fact that Melky went out and signed a 2 yr deal shows me that he doesnt have a lot of faith in himself. If he went out and signed a 1 yr deal, lit it up again and went back on the market, he'd be one of the highest paid players on the market next yr

Cabrera is an intriguing guy. From a metrics standpoint, he's a worsening defender, and just from the eye test, he's put on some LBs. But that extra weight has come in the form of muscle (mostly) and has seen his power emerge. I would be a bit wary going out and getting him knowing that he is a guy you dont re-sign after these 2 yrs since he will likely end up at 3b

From a sheer business perspective, Henry has the right and the obligation to his shareholders to inquire about the worth of his team. If what he says is true, then the sox shareholders havent taken dividends on their investment, meaning they have seen zero return on investment. By getting the estimated worth of the franchise, it will not only give the investors some idea as to what their part is worth, but also might give Henry the impetus to buy some of his investors out. Also, if I was the owner of the Yankees (to make it more equal) and I knew that I could sell my share for 4-5X what I bought it for pre-recession, then I would sell in a f***ing heartbeat. There is being a businessman who is a fan, and there is being a fan who is an idiot investor. Henry is no idiot investor

The Yankees were better armed prior to this season actually. Banuelos was a top prospect before the Yankee brass decided to throw him out there in s*** ass weather, he strained his elbow, it was misdiagnosed and finally just had TJS. So he's out for 2013. Betances looked like an ace in the making before completely imploding. We dealt away DJ Mitchell, George Kontos and Hector Noesi. Our best right now options are David Phelps and Adam Warren. Phelps looked like a big leaguer out there, 4 pitch arsenal that he located, struck out nearly a batter an inning and showed some balls out there without being too afraid of the strike zone. Warren has shown the same thing in the minors, but in his lone big league appearance he was anything but. Both of these guys profile more middle to back end of the rotation, although they do give big innings. Behind them, we have Brett Marshall, who is better suited near the top of a rotation based on how he finished the yr. He's a guy who can throw his four seamer into the mid to high nineties, but became a sinkerballer after TJS. He couldnt strike anyone out the first half of the yr, then got his slider back and started incorporating his 4 seamer more, and he K'd 59 in the final 59 innings of the season. He starts the yr in AAA, but if he continues to show the improvement he did in season from last yr, he will be an option come mid season. Another guy who will start in AAA most likely is Mikey O'Brien. He is a guy capable of hitting mid 90s, but locates better at 90-92. He probably profiles more as a reliever, but could be a back end guy with his arsenal should his breaking ball round into form. Those are the guys who should be in AAA or higher to start the yr. We have a bunch of talented guys who will start the yr in AA or lower with the best talent likely ticketed for A ball or lower (Campos, Hensley, DePaula).

He should do that. Upton is a supreme talent coming off a bad yr. he shouldn't be selling low

Sounds like Hal is adamant about getting under $189 mil. It'll be nice to see the kid and elderly show the next few yrs

Kuroda sounds like he's heading back to LA