jacksonianmarch

The Yanks payroll is right around $178 million, if reports are accurate with estimates of it being around $195 by opening day with Pettitte plus some pen help in the fold

That's the thing. When Burnett was a solid #2/#3 starter, this rotation was very good. Once he fell off a cliff, it was assumed that the rotation sucked, when it really didnt.

Beltran makes no sense at all right now. Unless you are moving Ellsbury when his value is at an all time low, then you dont have the room

Dipre, good analysis. For the first 3 yrs of this deal, he should still be a high WAR guy. The 4th and 5th, you'll see some slippage. By years 6 and 7 he'll be platoon worthy at best. But for the majority of the deal you'll have elite to above average production before he becomes a bit of an albatross.

I read that he averaged 93mph. Hmmm, maybe my numbers are off. Regardless, Cashman shot that down as well. As it stands right now, Andy told the Yankee brass that he is leaning towards returning but wont be lowballed. He's got the Yanks by the balls and will probably command around $15 million. The thing is, our rotation's ineptitude is really being overstated. 1. Sabathia- 21 wins 3.18ERA 1.19WHIP 237.2IP 197K- ace material who is durable 2. Pettitte- 11 wins 3.28ERA 1.27WHIP 129IP 101K- capable of being a solid #2, but durability is a questionmark 3. Hughes- 18 wins 4.19ERA 1.25WHIP 176.1IP 146K- solid first full season out of the rotation, should improve on his peripherals but dont expect much change in wins 4. AJ Burnett- complete collapse in the second half 5. Ivan Nova- great stuff but no MLB track record If Pettitte returns, we still have a very solid top 3. Our concern comes around playoff time, IMO. Our left handedness should help significantly against Boston's lineup. Our rotation is still vulnerable to a righty heavy lineup like the Rangers, although them losing Lee might make them less likely of making the playoffs in 2011. And with AJ, I expect to see an improvement. Through the end of July, his numbers were actually pretty respectable for a 3rd starter. But the 6.61ERA and 1.60WHIP after August 1st coupled with a nasty divorce around that time and the loss of his pitching coach really killed his season. I expect a bit more out of AJ this yr, and I expect him to get back to the guy he can be and he showed he was in his first season. Inconsistent, but capable of giving innings and intermittent dominance

We'll see if he is true to his word. He says he would never opt out and will honor the deal. The only reason why he put the opt out in there was if he didnt like NY, but he has embraced NY with both humongous arms. He will not opt out, but if I were NY, I might reward him with a player option for an 8th yr at maybe $20 mil or so.

The A's are going to be very interesting this yr. With their solid pitching and improved offense, they should challenge the Rangers, who took a massive hit while losing out on Lee, and the Angels, who havent done much to improve on a poor 2010 performance.

If Jenks is right in the head, he's a dynamite option. If he isnt, then he could be a serious problem on a 2 yr deal. His stuff is so good that he's worth the risk.

Yeah, I wanted him from the outset since he doesnt cost a pick. He'll tandem with Logan as solid left handed relievers for a manager who does everything by the book. Hope his rubber arm is still attached at year's end

There are a higher concentration of good lefties in the AL East than in most other leagues, even without Lee. Assuming Pettitte returns... NYY- CC, Pettitte TOR- Romero, Cecil BAL- Matusz TB- Price It does come out to about 30% of the time, which is still significant. And you figure the Yankees and the Rays will be manuevering their rotation to allow their lefties to lineup with Boston on a regular basis

That's a risky proposition though. You say to just pitch your starters an extra inning. Well, Tito seems to wait too long to pull his pitchers anyways, so you want him to wait extra long? A fresh reliever is typically better than a tiring pitcher. There arent too many pitchers with ERA's and WHIP's in innings 7-9 that are up to par or better than innings 1-6. In today's game with patience being preached and lefty-righty matchups, a good pen is essential. Theo has to make some moves, which I expect him to do soon

I think the Yanks are lying in the weeds on Soriano and may be offering him a 3-4 yr deal with the promise of closing when Mo retires after 2012. That would be a pretty good idea and an absolute lock down back end of the pen

Exactly BSN. Great baseball player, but a fantastic American. Excelled at everything he did. Was most proud of serving our country, even though he was a very famous and excellent ball player. Godspeed.

Felix has a limited no-trade with the Yankees on it. This isnt happening

You had Nomar for years. He was worse

Fuentes has retained his ability to dominate lefties. If his sole purpose is as a lefty specialist, then he is a good get. If you are getting him for anything more, then you better hope he turns back the clock

Sorry, just woke up. But you are operating under the premise that Crawford is a platoon player, which is 100% off. I would assume Drew would be splitting time with Cameron. Plus, I doubt Lowrie continues the .900+OPS vs lefties out of such a small sample size. Regardless, I think the sox end up being lefty vulnerable in a lefty dominated league, but vulnerable is a relative term. Instead of scoring 5.5 runs per game , they might only score 5.0 vs lefties

You are using career numbers when Drew and Ortiz have fallen off the map against lefties over the past few seasons and Crawford is coming off an abysmal season against them. Here is your lefties OPS' against lefties over the last 3 seasons Crawford- .684 (.696 in 2010) Gonzalez- .787 (.937 in 2010) Ortiz- .674 (.599 in 2010) Drew- .767 (.611 in 2010) Ellsbury- .748 (career .749 OPS) Ellsbury is the only guy who doesnt have a massive split difference. Gonzo is the only guy to have reversed the split last year. Crawford, Drew, and Ortiz were useless vs lefties last season. And without Victor, who absolutely abused lefties, you will be lefty vulnerable this upcoming season. Which is why you have to keep Cameron and are still looking for a righty utility bat to use in late inning situations

I wait. Right now is not the time to make an irrational move. And Greinke is an irrational move. I love his stuff. He has top notch, Ace stuff that works on any pitching staff. But his mental disease coupled with NY would be potentially devastating. In KC, nobody ever booed him. In NY, if he gives up a run in his first inning, he might get booed. The last thing I want to see is NY giving up Montero plus for this kid, signing him to a 20 mil per year extension after his 2 yr contract and then finding out he's curled up in a ball crying for mommy as soon as he sees the big lights. Now, some of these disorders are controllable and if the Yankees can be convinced by medical records, psychological evals, etc that he is stable right now, then maybe, just maybe. But, with that major risk AND the prospect load it would take to get him, I do not want him. I have been hearing about Zambrano. He is exactly the kind of move I would endorse. He's still young, but a recent rash of injuries and suspensions have taken some mileage off his arm of late. He still brings it mid 90s, he still has devastating stuff, and when he came back from suspension, he was unreal (although the walks were very high). He's only signed for 2 more years with an option and due to his high AAV, the Cubs would likely ask for little in return. If his stuff works in NY, then he's worth it, if it doesnt, then they can cut bait after 2012 and he only cost money. If Zambrano isnt on the table, then I get Andy back at whatever price he wants on a 1 year deal. I throw Nova out there as the 5th starter, as I think he has the potential to be an innings eater. And another reason why I dont mind Nova is that it gives him a chance to show what he can do for a future trade since the real studs are coming behind him. And then I consider adding to the pen. The annoying thing is that Crain and Wood appear to be off the table. I liked those two as potential late inning relievers. A lefty is an absolute must. And otherwise, I think the team as is still makes the playoffs. You need to have patience, cause invariably a team drops out of it and puts a player up for bidding. Who knew Haren was moving midseason? This is the kind of move we are loaded for bear for, especially if Hughes or Burnett or Nova regress.

Not a bad list. I would have Banuelos at least a B+, probably an A-. He's 19, left handed, runs it up there 95-96 mph and has two plus offspeed offerings.

Greinke waived his NTC to any club. He wants out of KC. Regardless, I dont see the Yanks being on any potential list

Sooo.... Might have a reason for AJ's failures last yr. He was served with divorce papers halfway through the season and his wife apparently has been pretty rough through it all. Not an excuse, but maybe that is why he tanked 3 of the last 4 months. Who knows, we shall see

We'll see if Montero is overhyped. The kid can hit. That being said, I think the Yankees make some small moves over the next few weeks. Sign Pettitte. Re-sign Wood. Definitely add a lefty, likely Feliciano. Go out and get another Thames type player. Add some more depth signings to the minors. Probably add Hairston to the bench. Make the team a bit deeper with the money left on the table by Lee. I doubt we acquire a big time starter aside from Pettitte prior to the trade deadline. But at the deadline, if the rotation hasnt gelled and improved, then I expect Cashman to make a major acquisition

Guerrier gets eaten alive by ARod and the Yankees in general. Not good to sign a reliever to big money who cannot get your arch nemesis out

Reeking of desperation? This is a depth move. Nothing more.