jacksonianmarch

Just wanted to see if this will actually update....

I honestly think the Yankees fabricated the shoulder injury for Pineda. What it comes down to is that they do not want another Phil Hughes incident. Another young pitcher coming off a big workload who didnt do s*** in the off-season. He comes in overweight and without his plus stuff, so they wanted to justify putting him on the shelf until he gets back into shape. They couldnt justify optioning him due to his performance the yr before and also due to the fact that he's been effective in the spring up until his final start. The Yankees also have a glut of starters with another borderline HOF starter warming up for May. They also couldnt unload one of their starters in the spring in Garcia. This gives them the best of all worlds. Pineda won't file a grievance because he's racking up big league time and money. Garcia gets to build his value and start. And just as Pettitte is rounding into form, Garcia will have either shat the bed or built his value into a tradeable commodity. All the while, Pineda is in fat camp working off the extra lb's while working up his arm. By June, he'll be back throwing his typical mid 90s stuff and looking more svelt while prior to that, the Yankees get to see if Pettitte still has it. It will be interesting nonetheless, but I am excited to see how it plays out. I do feel like the Yankees have a solid rotation right now due to the fact that Hughes looks like he's back in 2010 form. And with the addition of Kuroda, they actually do have a formidable top 5. But it will get so much better should Pettitte come back on point and Pineda be able to get into shape. Pretty pumped for the yr. I took Friday off to see them start the season!

Masterson was abused by lefties and had a minus changeup that needed a lot of development. If he never developed it, he was going to be a RH specialist. They got offered a catcher who could hit .300 and 20+HR's who became the 3 hitter on an 89 win and a 95 win team. Not like you got s*** for him.

That's the high risk-high reward model. Some subscribe to it, some don't. The conservative method would be to keep him where he is, and that is the relief ace role that you know he can thrive in. The risk of moving Bard to the rotation is losing his effectiveness in any role. I think Joba needs to be the posterchild of what can happen to a high ceiling pitcher being yanked between roles. Ineffective as a starter, then injured, and comes back with slightly less stuff than before and not as effective as before. The jackpot of moving him to the rotation is obviously higher for both Bard and the sox. But the risk needs to be addressed as a possibility

Yes, he threw after they were aware of the injury and now he is heading back to Boston. I think you are giving the sox medical staff too much credit. My guess is he is going to have an MRI and get examined by a hand specialist. And with the season starting so soon, I would surmise that even if they think it is just tendonitis, they'll shelve him for 15 days to make sure he is healthy. They need him for the long haul, not to have a nagging injury for the whole season.

Papelbon isnt irreplaceable. He's just difficult to replace due to his durability and consistency. You knew the guy was going to be healthy and finish near 90% of his games. His career save % is 89%. In only one season has he blown more than 6 and had a lower save % than 85%. You also knew he could play in Fenway, which isnt a given these days. You got Bailey. He's lights out when healthy, but he is frequently injured and is likely to start the season on the DL. Not a good start

When are they leaking the #5 spot? I honestly think that putting Bard back in the pen is the best thing the sox could do. The guy is lights out for 1 inning and would give your team insurance should Melancon s*** the bed. Striving in Houston doesnt necessarily mean you're gonna do it here, especially when he relies on a breaking pitch as much as he does. Melancon-Bard-Bailey is a good finish to your pen. Not exactly Bard-Papelbon, but very good nonetheless. Neither Aceves nor Bard are great rotation options. I have a feeling both are in the pen by midseason and the sox acquire a mediocre innings eater to take the #5 spot

I thought everyone expected Doubront 4 and Bard 5?

He passed 2 physicals then ends up with bone chips in the elbow. Those typically accumulate over time. I wonder if his elbow was MRId

No structural damage. He's being shut down for 15 days and will be built back up from there. He'll be back.

Looks like Corban Joseph will miss the yr with a labrum injury. Still awaiting a second opinion, but that isnt good. He was due to start at 2b for the AAA SWB Yankees. Tough break for the kid

Dante Bichette came to big league camp for one game. He saw two pitches vs the Astros major league team. He put both of them in the seats. He's gonna be a good one

Pineda to the DL with shoulder tendonitis. They better let him get all the way better before he resurfaces. This might be better than many may think.

Got to see a little bit of Pineda today when eating. His velo was around 89 in his first inning, then was popping a few 94's up there, but he didnt have it today as he got smoked. Not the right way to finish ST when you are in a competition for a rotation slot. I have a feeling that after today, he's ticketed for AAA and will come up by June 1 with Pettitte.

They will not be good enough. The Tigers might as well plan for the playoffs right now. No team in that division will be within 10 games of them

The walks are the concern. We know he has the stuff, but if he isnt locating, he will not be successful

The Guardians will win 83 games this season.

Salty may be your catcher. I think Lavarnway is your backup catcher and half time dh while youkilis will be part time 3b and half time DH

Kuroda really looked good yesterday. I watched him pitch for the first 4 innings, and he was mixing his pitches well, pinpointing both sides of the plate. His FB was in the 92mph range but he cut it, he ran it, he sunk it. It was just a very impressive performance and he could be quite an underestimated addition to this rotation. The Braves didnt have an answer

Kuroda really looked good yesterday. I watched him pitch for the first 4 innings, and he was mixing his pitches well, pinpointing both sides of the plate. His FB was in the 92mph range but he cut it, he ran it, he sunk it. It was just a very impressive performance and he could be quite an underestimated addition to this rotation. The Braves didnt have an answer

Cuban was looking to get it under $1 billion. Over 2 is absurd

Of course. I like Aviles and think he could adequately play the position to a point that sox fans won't be gnashing their teeth on a daily basis. Cherington brought in Punto so you wouldnt have to rush Iglesias

Iglesias was optioned. Aviles is your starting SS

Lucchino got Valentine to win now. Valentine thinks the kids are ready as is, Cherington thinks they might be better served in the long run by being in the minors. Valentine cements himself as a winner if he takes the sox to the title. Cherington does the same, but all will be forgotten in 5 yrs if the sox win in 2012 and then dont find a solution at SS or catcher long term because they messed with Lavarnway and Iglesias. He'll be Theo Jr, even with a title. Valentine will be long gone by then