jacksonianmarch

I loved Aceves, and if the Yankees werent pissed off at him, they would have tendered him a contract. His fractured collarbone was the last straw. I highly doubt he comes back at the beginning of the yr, but if he can reclaim his stuff and more importantly, his location, he could be a valuable asset in the pen. We missed him something fierce last season

If they deal Montero to fix the pitching issue, you can be pretty certain they would be bringing in a top notch pitcher

Well, Russell Martin says he is in the best shape of his life after using MMA to help work out. Hope he's not lying. A prime Russell Martin would be great for this team, although a bad Russell Martin wouldnt be the worst thing in the world with Montero hanging around

Pujols for Yankee LF in 2012. That is all

Last yr we nabbed 3 top end prospects in what was considered a weak season in the end. This upcoming yr is supposed to be pretty deep

Regardless how good the Rays are, they were dominant in 2008, okay in 2009 and dominant again in 2010 based on pen. Look at the numbers. In 2008, they had the best pen in baseball, in 2009 they had one of the worst and in 2010 they had one of the best again. As their pen goes, so will go their team. Also, subtracting a rabbit like Crawford and a 30HR guy in Pena is not offset by adding an aging Damon and Manny. It will be eased a bit, but offense was their problem last yr and they just lost 2 of their best offensive players, downgraded in the rotation and seriously downgraded in the pen. They'll be back by 2013, IMO, but this upcoming yr, they'll be a .500 team. Toronto lost Marcum and nearly their entire pen, which they rebuilt with vets coming off down yrs plus Frank Francisco who will be depended on to be their closer (yuck). Their offense loses Overbay and Wells and adds in only Juan Rivera. The Jays are going to be the dogs of the division, IMO. The Orioles lose one of their best hitters in Wigginton and add in a guy coming off an abysmal yr in Lee. Getting Reynolds is a risk as well. Vlad would be an upgrade, but overall, they didnt do much where they needed to, in the rotation. Plus, they are probably losing Millwood, who at least gave them innings. I think the Sox are bound for 95-100 wins, the Yanks 90-95 wins, the Rays 80-85 wins, the O's 70-75 wins and the Jays 65-70 wins. The Jays did themselves a favor by unloading Wells and cheapening their roster, but they're a ways away

It "could" but we'd need Burnett to return to a 4ERA pitcher, we'd need Hughes to elevate his game to ace status and we'd need status quo from CC. Regardless, losing Pettitte leaves us with almost no room for injury or ineffectiveness. We'll make the playoffs, but having to throw Freddy Garcia in a short series would suck

With TB falling off a lot and no other real contender for 90 wins outside of Minnesota and Boston, I think the Yankees will back into the playoffs a la 2004. Lots of offense, a lockdown pen and a top heavy rotation with CC and Hughes. But damn we either need everything to break right or we need a major trade to be relevant come playoff time. Even with Burnett's probable improvement, we cannot have 40% of our rotation completely suck. Here is to hoping we get Millwood and he can carry the load to the tune of 180IP 4.5ERA and we can get Nova into the mix as our #5. Regardless, we are left with no good contingencies if one of CC or Hughes goes down

Well, I am glad he didnt string this out into Spring Training. I have a feeling the FO has been tipped off to this based upon their s*** on the wall signings of Colon, Garcia and probably the signing of Millwood which I expect soon. But this hurts more than losing Lee. Without Lee, we made it to the ALCS to face Lee. Without Pettitte, we dont make the playoffs in 2010. 5 WS titles, a whopping 8 WS appearances and only one season really ended by injury (with Houston). He had a great career. A borderline HOF career. His ERA and WHIP dont jump out at you, but his post-season resume will and that might get him in via the veteran's ballot. Regardless, he was one of the best pitchers in the illustrious Yankee history and I respect his decision. Any man who can stare $12 million in the face and say no must really be set on his decision. Regardless, good luck with retirement, but we are f***ed right now

Without Pettitte, it is VERY top heavy

Felipe Lopez signed a minor league deal with TB. The sox will not get a pick

Or if you have a rough season, you fall.

He's piloted the sox to 2 championships after not having one for 86 yrs. Unless you guys were alive in 1918, Tito should win by default.

Hellickson threw 36IP in the bigs last yr. A cup of coffee if you will. He looked great, I will tell you that, but if you are now gonna rank players based on how close they are to the majors, then you arent ranking them as all around prospects. These ranking systems are meant to rank players as you see them over the next 5-10 yrs, not over the next 18 months or so. Plus, Hellickson is 4 yrs older than ManBan. Meaning Manny could take until 2014 to make his big league debut and still be the same age as Hellickson was when he made his debut. Kinda crazy, especially when considering Manny was 19 for a full season (still is 19 actually) cutting through Tampa and Trenton like it was nothing. Now obviously, injury and ineffectiveness are roadblocks, but Manny has what it takes to be a front line starter and has a more rounded prospective arsenal than Hellickson. He throws harder, he's younger, and he's left handed. At the same time, these prospect rankings are all moot anyway. The fact that they are both ranked highly should mean good things for them in the future

And the Yankees themselves had control over that? Morons are in every stadium, and I can tell you this, Red Sox fans are WAYYYY worse to Yankee fans than the Yankee fans are to sox fans. And this has changed dramatically since 2003

It's also about training. A lot of these kids are musclebound earlier in their lives and arent as flexible. While they are stronger, they are also more brittle. Look at a lot of the earlier ballplayers. Some were fat, others skinny, others brawny, but how many ripped players did you ever see take a baseball diamond? Not many. But they had the strongest wrists and the most flexibility of their peers. They were truly durable as they were around their true weight in terms of BMI and were built on running and flexibility.

Lee spurning the Yankees isnt embarrassing at all. The Yankees offered the most money and yrs and also offered a perennial trip to the post-season. What else should they have done?

Not planning on anything from your MiLB roster gets you in trouble by the end of the yr. Look at the Yankees 4 in 5 WS runs. Their farm got them ready then their farm kept them at the top with trades (Clemens, Justice, Fielder, etc) and with some unexpectedly key play. You need a strong farm all around to sustain greatness. Your farm got you to this point, now there arent any contingencies

He threw to a 4.6ERA last yr in 140IP. We'd take that out of the #5 hole, and he was on a MiLB deal. If he sucks in ST, he's gone

To a minor league deal no less. I like the signing. If he shows up to camp and cannot outpitch Nova, then there is no money on the hook. If he shows up and shows he has what it takes, then he makes $1.6 mil in salary. Garcia, Colon, Mitre, Nova, and a bunch of other solid prospects. I am sure we can find one out of that group that can pitch (my money is on Nova). Now we just need to sign Pettitte

Strength is only part of it. Timing is the other. Regardless, I am predicting a slow start for Youk then a standard .320BA and .900+OPS from June 1 on.

I may have taken my share of liberties, but as it stands right now, the sox really dont have a standout prospect above A ball. Drake Britton looks like a reliever, Iglesias hasnt proven he can hit, and Lavarnway is a DH masquerading as a catcher. That will change this yr, IMO, but right now, the system shouldnt be counted upon for anything more than cups of coffee