Yankees 2011-2012 Offseason Thread (1 Viewer)

[Smack Tripper]

Congrats again to the Tigers and their fans.

And now, the post mortem begins.

Overreactionary first thoughts:

-Swish will be back because he has a reasonable option for a player of his production, but he is really a killer in the postseason. He piles up stats against 4th and 5th starters, seems to have no plan at the plate as evidenced by his continually getting worked over by decent starters and relievers and he will not be part of the solution long term. Too much swinging for the downs with him. A natural lefty, he oddly seems more capable as a RH bat. If they can get back to postseason next year, I would hope they would have integrated a strong 4th OF along the way, through trade or free agency, to phase him out as soon as he slump. He's a black hole in the post season line up. Which leads me to....

-Get Montero an OF glove, send him to the instructional league and see what he can do. I'm not interested in seeing him traded for any pitcher other than in a Kershaw package. Not for Felix, not for Gallardo, not for anyone. Would really like to see him get an opportunity here. RF is reasonable here due to small foul ground and a short wall. See if he can be viable here, and get him 500 abs next year between RF, C and DH. To help him out....

-Move Gardner to CF. Great plays by Grandy aside, Gardner's range is off the hook and could be used in CF to cover extra ground to break a Montero in. Grandy probably takes over Gardner's mantle as best defensive LF in the league. Smallish type change but exploit every opportunity

-Sign CC. I'm worried about him a bit, but you really have not choice

-Don't sign CJ Wilson. This team doesn't need more albatrosses of inflexibilty.

-Ditto Edwin Jackson.

-Explore fully the insanely unlikely possibility of trading Tex or A-Rod. Both have no trade clauses I believe but look anyway. I'll say this for ownership, I think if either one of these guys drags for the next two years, the money won't be an obstacle for benching or cutting. At some point, you wonder if it ever is with this team, but you know it has to be. A-Rod struggled this series, he was dinged and had limited reps so I can't totally kill him. But that said, he is probably never going to be 80 percent of what he was. Heard Gammons on the radio this week talking about how deadly those hip surgeries are as far as altering a players running gait and therefore causing injuries to other body parts(his knee). You also can't ignore the roids being a determing factor in causation of the joint injuries. 6 years at 143 million remaining on his deal and that is unbelievably ugly. They don't win in 2009 without him, but his presence, even when producing, was a galvanizing one. A-Rod in decline might start to be really detremental . Trading either one next year, even eating money and IF you found a fool willing to take them(hello Anaheim) would hurt you for 2012 but they will be untradable by 2013.

They seem to have a blank check for "owner mistakes" and that number seems to function outside of the budget(A-Rod, Soriano) but I wonder what they are looking at now.

Its an interesting time. Some really intriguing youth was integrated this year in the catchers and then you throw in DRob blossoming but you have this zombie squad of big money age that is soon to clog things. And in the middle, the team was sort of turned over to Grandy and Cano as offensive contributors. They also hit every inside straight of pitching gambles with Nova developing, and Colon and Garcia delivering. At least two of those guys figure to regress, but do you get Hughes back and contributing?

Could be a very interesting time.

 

[Daywalker]

Congrats again to the Tigers and their fans.And now, the post mortem begins.Overreactionary first thoughts:-Swish will be back because he has a reasonable option for a player of his production, but he is really a killer in the postseason. He piles up stats against 4th and 5th starters, seems to have no plan at the plate as evidenced by his continually getting worked over by decent starters and relievers and he will not be part of the solution long term. Too much swinging for the downs with him. A natural lefty, he oddly seems more capable as a RH bat. If they can get back to postseason next year, I would hope they would have integrated a strong 4th OF along the way, through trade or free agency, to phase him out as soon as he slump. He's a black hole in the post season line up. Which leads me to....-Get Montero an OF glove, send him to the instructional league and see what he can do. I'm not interested in seeing him traded for any pitcher other than in a Kershaw package. Not for Felix, not for Gallardo, not for anyone. Would really like to see him get an opportunity here. RF is reasonable here due to small foul ground and a short wall. See if he can be viable here, and get him 500 abs next year between RF, C and DH. To help him out....-Move Gardner to CF. Great plays by Grandy aside, Gardner's range is off the hook and could be used in CF to cover extra ground to break a Montero in. Grandy probably takes over Gardner's mantle as best defensive LF in the league. Smallish type change but exploit every opportunity-Sign CC. I'm worried about him a bit, but you really have not choice-Don't sign CJ Wilson. This team doesn't need more albatrosses of inflexibilty. -Ditto Edwin Jackson.-Explore fully the insanely unlikely possibility of trading Tex or A-Rod. Both have no trade clauses I believe but look anyway. I'll say this for ownership, I think if either one of these guys drags for the next two years, the money won't be an obstacle for benching or cutting. At some point, you wonder if it ever is with this team, but you know it has to be. A-Rod struggled this series, he was dinged and had limited reps so I can't totally kill him. But that said, he is probably never going to be 80 percent of what he was. Heard Gammons on the radio this week talking about how deadly those hip surgeries are as far as altering a players running gait and therefore causing injuries to other body parts(his knee). You also can't ignore the roids being a determing factor in causation of the joint injuries. 6 years at 143 million remaining on his deal and that is unbelievably ugly. They don't win in 2009 without him, but his presence, even when producing, was a galvanizing one. A-Rod in decline might start to be really detremental . Trading either one next year, even eating money and IF you found a fool willing to take them(hello Anaheim) would hurt you for 2012 but they will be untradable by 2013. They seem to have a blank check for "owner mistakes" and that number seems to function outside of the budget(A-Rod, Soriano) but I wonder what they are looking at now. Its an interesting time. Some really intriguing youth was integrated this year in the catchers and then you throw in DRob blossoming but you have this zombie squad of big money age that is soon to clog things. And in the middle, the team was sort of turned over to Grandy and Cano as offensive contributors. They also hit every inside straight of pitching gambles with Nova developing, and Colon and Garcia delivering. At least two of those guys figure to regress, but do you get Hughes back and contributing? Could be a very interesting time.

Wilson is coming to NY. Best way to get rid of Tex is to sign Pujols and relegate Tex to DH. Then maybe he will sign off to a trade where I would think their would be many suitors at 5 years 112mill. Angels took Wells at 19/mill a year. Mets, Washington, Toronto, Florida and Baltimore would all be likely destinations.No one would touch Arod even at 2/3 his salary.

 

[Smack Tripper]

Ugh, cj Wilson is a good pitcher but not at 6 for 100. Isn't next year the big year for free agents? Or at least bigger? He ties you up and he's a 3 starter in the al east.

Sounds like nova is a tj possibility based on his MRI. It's too bad noesi had a developmentally stunted year, I think he has a chance to contribute.

I also want to throw out, there is always compulsion for "change" for changes sake, but this was,'even with an early exit, an enjoyable and fun year. I didn't expect the division and 99 wins or whatever they got but this team played a tick over their head during the season. Granderson and arod basically swapping production. Profiles out of nowhere helped. A lot went right this year, from Garcia to colon to even nunez 2012 looks a but uncertain but a year of cano hitting 3 or 4 could be fun. He may be finally ready to take that last step into the elite. The only thing that has stopped him is his own attention span.

Just wanted to say thanks to the team for a fun ride,'even if it wasn't as long as we might have hoped.

 

[Da Guru]

Tough loss for Yankess fans..hard to believe the Yanks did not score 6-7 runs last night.

Any Yank fans concerned about Sabathias weight problem? I know he has always been on the chubby side, but in the last year or two it appears CC has put on 30-40 more LBS and is looking obese. Every pitch seems to be a struggle for him now. You can`t tell me that Sabathia should not have a weight clause in his contract.

I was at the game at Comerica and CC labored to walk to and from the mound between innings.

 

[Smack Tripper]

Tough loss for Yankess fans..hard to believe the Yanks did not score 6-7 runs last night. Any Yank fans concerned about Sabathias weight problem? I know he has always been on the chubby side, but in the last year or two it appears CC has put on 30-40 more LBS and is looking obese. Every pitch seems to be a struggle for him now. You can`t tell me that Sabathia should not have a weight clause in his contract.I was at the game at Comerica and CC labored to walk to and from the mound between innings.

I am and I doubt you'd get a clause in. I just hope he's self motivated enough to keep it in check. He can pitch big but you're right, pitching this big is a ticking time bomb. He had a knee injury last year which precipitated his off season "shape up". He looked, last night in particular, to be more shouldering and muscling the ball. Were the legs not there? He has worked 3 times in 6 days but still. I love his heart and his spirit. He is a leader but he needs to take care of himself. One thing that Shannon sharpe said as he aged and has stuck with me as I've gotten older myself is, he needed to lose 2 lbs per year to stay competitive. That is a great model to work to in your 30s, simply Because it keeps you condition minded as natural ability falls away.

 

[Snotbubbles]

Congrats again to the Tigers and their fans.And now, the post mortem begins.Overreactionary first thoughts:-Swish will be back because he has a reasonable option for a player of his production, but he is really a killer in the postseason. He piles up stats against 4th and 5th starters, seems to have no plan at the plate as evidenced by his continually getting worked over by decent starters and relievers and he will not be part of the solution long term. Too much swinging for the downs with him. A natural lefty, he oddly seems more capable as a RH bat. If they can get back to postseason next year, I would hope they would have integrated a strong 4th OF along the way, through trade or free agency, to phase him out as soon as he slump. He's a black hole in the post season line up. Which leads me to....-Get Montero an OF glove, send him to the instructional league and see what he can do. I'm not interested in seeing him traded for any pitcher other than in a Kershaw package. Not for Felix, not for Gallardo, not for anyone. Would really like to see him get an opportunity here. RF is reasonable here due to small foul ground and a short wall. See if he can be viable here, and get him 500 abs next year between RF, C and DH. To help him out....-Move Gardner to CF. Great plays by Grandy aside, Gardner's range is off the hook and could be used in CF to cover extra ground to break a Montero in. Grandy probably takes over Gardner's mantle as best defensive LF in the league. Smallish type change but exploit every opportunity-Sign CC. I'm worried about him a bit, but you really have not choice-Don't sign CJ Wilson. This team doesn't need more albatrosses of inflexibilty. -Ditto Edwin Jackson.-Explore fully the insanely unlikely possibility of trading Tex or A-Rod. Both have no trade clauses I believe but look anyway. I'll say this for ownership, I think if either one of these guys drags for the next two years, the money won't be an obstacle for benching or cutting. At some point, you wonder if it ever is with this team, but you know it has to be. A-Rod struggled this series, he was dinged and had limited reps so I can't totally kill him. But that said, he is probably never going to be 80 percent of what he was. Heard Gammons on the radio this week talking about how deadly those hip surgeries are as far as altering a players running gait and therefore causing injuries to other body parts(his knee). You also can't ignore the roids being a determing factor in causation of the joint injuries. 6 years at 143 million remaining on his deal and that is unbelievably ugly. They don't win in 2009 without him, but his presence, even when producing, was a galvanizing one. A-Rod in decline might start to be really detremental . Trading either one next year, even eating money and IF you found a fool willing to take them(hello Anaheim) would hurt you for 2012 but they will be untradable by 2013. They seem to have a blank check for "owner mistakes" and that number seems to function outside of the budget(A-Rod, Soriano) but I wonder what they are looking at now. Its an interesting time. Some really intriguing youth was integrated this year in the catchers and then you throw in DRob blossoming but you have this zombie squad of big money age that is soon to clog things. And in the middle, the team was sort of turned over to Grandy and Cano as offensive contributors. They also hit every inside straight of pitching gambles with Nova developing, and Colon and Garcia delivering. At least two of those guys figure to regress, but do you get Hughes back and contributing? Could be a very interesting time.

Wilson is coming to NY. Best way to get rid of Tex is to sign Pujols and relegate Tex to DH. Then maybe he will sign off to a trade where I would think their would be many suitors at 5 years 112mill. Angels took Wells at 19/mill a year. Mets, Washington, Toronto, Florida and Baltimore would all be likely destinations.No one would touch Arod even at 2/3 his salary.

Arod is untradeable, IMO. Tex you could get rid of. But really, signing Pujols and you'll be in the same situation in 3 year when he totally breaks down and you're stuck with 4-5 years and 150M. Best bet is to go after a younger Prince Fielder over Pujols.

 

[shadyridr]

You have to break up the ARod, Teixeira, Swisher trifecta any way you can. These guys just dont produce in the playoffs. I dont know how possible it would be to trade Tex but hed be the one Id say bye-bye to and put Montero @ 1B. Only guy Id trade Montero for is Kershaw or Felix. I wouldnt mind CJ Wilson but Rangers fans say he is a California boy who would struggle in NY so I will defer to them and say they dont sign him.

 

[shadyridr]

Theres alot of hate for ARod going around but the guy is old and falling apart health wise. Tex hasnt done anything in the playoffs in 3 yrs and has no excuse. He has become Giambi at the plate with a much better glove.

 

[Michael Brown]

CC is probably going to opt out and the Yanks will probably bend over for him, but the weight finally became a real issue towards the end of the season. He looked awful in the LDS with his gut jiggling all over the place. He was always pretty fat, but he was a solid fat, if that makes any sense. This is no power gut. He's a slob. A pretty good slob, but a slob nonetheless.

Really don't see any reason to try and do anything with Teixeira. Pujols is going back to the Cardinals anyway. There's no way they throw all of that money at Holliday a few years ago without knowing they also have enough to back up the truck for Albert. It's all posturing to try and prevent a $300 million contract, but there's no way he walks.

And regardless, signing a guy like Prince or Pujols puts them in the same spot in a couple years that they're in now with Teixeira (and can you imagine paying CC and Prince a combined $50 mil over the next 7 years??? Yikes.) If you aren't going to develop a young 1B yourself, what are you gonna do? Keep signing the biggest name 30-year-old free agent 1B every 3-4 years and trading them at the first sign of decline? Recipe for disaster.

I'll say again, there's no way they make a serious play at CJ Wilson either. I think now that Cashman is (mostly) calling the shots, the days of chasing good pitching with elite-level cash is pretty much done. They're clearly trying to develop some pitchers from within, and I think barring injury next spring we'll see a rotation of: CC, Nova, Hughes, Burnett, and either Betances or Banuelos.

It's an interesting offseason, if only because there will be a lack of options. The big-ticket free agents aren't really a good fit and there isn't really a ton of work that needs to be done or can be done. You're not getting a 3B better than A-Rod on the FA market, you're not getting a RF better than Swisher, and a lot of the other offensive positions are locked in.

The free agent market for SP leaves a lot to be desired. So really, you're kind of sticking with what you've got an hoping the kids make some strides. Let's face it, this was still a 97-win team that was basically one hit away from being in the ALCS for a third straight year. I don't think you can base your entire offseason off of the failings of 2 or 3 ABs over the course of 167 games. Granted, the team probably played a bit over its head especially in terms of the starting staff, so that's why I think you say thank you to Garcia and Colon and move on to give the kids some innings.

Montero needs to play every day, so let him get some work at 3B/RF/1B, in addition to catcher. Let him DH, but whenever A-Rod or Tex or Swisher or someone needs a partial day off, Montero can play somewhere in the field. His bat needs to be a part of this lineup.

LF - Gardner

SS - Jeter

2B - Cano

3B - ARod

1B - Teixeira

CF - Granderson

DH - Montero

RF - Swisher

C - Martin

* I'm also fine with flip-flopping Granderson and Teixeira so you don't clog up the bases for Grandy. You still never have back to back righties or lefties at any point using the above lineup even if you switch those two.

 

[Michael Brown]

Theres alot of hate for ARod going around but the guy is old and falling apart health wise. Tex hasnt done anything in the playoffs in 3 yrs and has no excuse. He has become Giambi at the plate with a much better glove.

Tex hit the ball hard in Game 4, and hit a double and a bomb to the warning track in Game 5 to go along with a bases-loaded walk. Not saying he has played well in the playoffs obviously, but people are just looking at the end result and deciding he can't hack it. I don't think you dump a guy who has averaged 37-114 with an OPS of 877 because he had another bad playoffs. Until the 1998 World Series, Tino Martinez was 18-96 (.188) with a single HR and 5 RBI. So far in Tex's career, he's 18-106 (.170) with 3 HR and 12 RBI. And now Tino is lauded as a postseason hero.Just saying, like A-Rod, you get enough postseason ABs and something good is bound to eventually happen if you've got talent. ARod seemed to lack the intestinal fortitude earlier in his career, but you could see something changing in the 2007 ALDS against the Indians. His ABs didn't look lost at the plate, he just didn't get results. I think the same with Tex here.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

Anyone expecting Montero to play anywhere but DH is drastically overestimating his defensive ability IMO

 

[Raider Nation]

Anyone expecting Montero to play anywhere but DH is drastically overestimating his defensive ability IMO

I don't think the Yankees believe he can be an effective defensive catcher at this point.

 

[Raider Nation]

You have to break up the ARod, Teixeira, Swisher trifecta any way you can.

All three of them should donate their last few paychecks to charity.

 

[Michael Brown]

Anyone expecting Montero to play anywhere but DH is drastically overestimating his defensive ability IMO

Agreed. It's just that A-Rod, Tex, Swish, etc, are going to need the occasional pseudo-day off. I don't wanna just stick Montero on the bench to be a glorified pinch hitter for 50 games, so giving him some reps at 1B and possibly 3B won't kill them IMO. And Yankee Stadium RF is one of the easier positions to play especially with Grandy helping out covering the gap and Cano/Teixeira eating up most grounders on the right side. Really, how many times did Nick Swisher have to make a play that was out of the ordinary this past year?I think you get Montero 150 games like thisH - 1201B - 203B - 5RF - 5You can mix and match so that ARod plays 130-140 games assuming 1 DL stint and relative health, Tex gets another 140 or so, and it gives some flexibility. Montero doesn't need to be even decent in the field to justify his bat, he just needs to not embarrass himself Todd Hundley-style and he'll more than make up for any defensive inefficiencies with his bat.

 

[Eephus]

Anyone expecting Montero to play anywhere but DH is drastically overestimating his defensive ability IMO

Agreed. It's just that A-Rod, Tex, Swish, etc, are going to need the occasional pseudo-day off. I don't wanna just stick Montero on the bench to be a glorified pinch hitter for 50 games, so giving him some reps at 1B and possibly 3B won't kill them IMO. And Yankee Stadium RF is one of the easier positions to play especially with Grandy helping out covering the gap and Cano/Teixeira eating up most grounders on the right side. Really, how many times did Nick Swisher have to make a play that was out of the ordinary this past year?I think you get Montero 150 games like thisH - 1201B - 203B - 5RF - 5You can mix and match so that ARod plays 130-140 games assuming 1 DL stint and relative health, Tex gets another 140 or so, and it gives some flexibility. Montero doesn't need to be even decent in the field to justify his bat, he just needs to not embarrass himself Todd Hundley-style and he'll more than make up for any defensive inefficiencies with his bat.

Those five games at 3B will be fun to watch

 

[Tremendous Upside]

Anyone expecting Montero to play anywhere but DH is drastically overestimating his defensive ability IMO

I don't think the Yankees believe he can be an effective defensive catcher at this point.

And I don't think he can be an effective anything else at this pointJust as a reference point, he has NEVER played an inning at any field position other than C in his entire minor league career. Now we're putting him at 3rd base all of a sudden? That's crazy talk.

 

[Thunderlips]

Anyone expecting Montero to play anywhere but DH is drastically overestimating his defensive ability IMO

Agreed. It's just that A-Rod, Tex, Swish, etc, are going to need the occasional pseudo-day off. I don't wanna just stick Montero on the bench to be a glorified pinch hitter for 50 games, so giving him some reps at 1B and possibly 3B won't kill them IMO. And Yankee Stadium RF is one of the easier positions to play especially with Grandy helping out covering the gap and Cano/Teixeira eating up most grounders on the right side. Really, how many times did Nick Swisher have to make a play that was out of the ordinary this past year?I think you get Montero 150 games like thisH - 1201B - 203B - 5RF - 5You can mix and match so that ARod plays 130-140 games assuming 1 DL stint and relative health, Tex gets another 140 or so, and it gives some flexibility. Montero doesn't need to be even decent in the field to justify his bat, he just needs to not embarrass himself Todd Hundley-style and he'll more than make up for any defensive inefficiencies with his bat.

If Lance Berkman can play RF in St. Louis....there's no reason to think that ANYONE can't play RF in NYC.

 

[TLEF316]

I'll buy Montero at 1st or MAYBE RF in a pinch. But 3rd is crazy talk

 

[Eephus]

Anyone expecting Montero to play anywhere but DH is drastically overestimating his defensive ability IMO

Agreed. It's just that A-Rod, Tex, Swish, etc, are going to need the occasional pseudo-day off. I don't wanna just stick Montero on the bench to be a glorified pinch hitter for 50 games, so giving him some reps at 1B and possibly 3B won't kill them IMO. And Yankee Stadium RF is one of the easier positions to play especially with Grandy helping out covering the gap and Cano/Teixeira eating up most grounders on the right side. Really, how many times did Nick Swisher have to make a play that was out of the ordinary this past year?I think you get Montero 150 games like thisH - 1201B - 203B - 5RF - 5You can mix and match so that ARod plays 130-140 games assuming 1 DL stint and relative health, Tex gets another 140 or so, and it gives some flexibility. Montero doesn't need to be even decent in the field to justify his bat, he just needs to not embarrass himself Todd Hundley-style and he'll more than make up for any defensive inefficiencies with his bat.

If Lance Berkman can play RF in St. Louis....there's no reason to think that ANYONE can't play RF in NYC.

Berkman used to play CF in Houston. The issue for him wasn't with his skill set, it was whether his knees would last a full season in the OF.Montero is a big guy who hasn't been a very good defensive catcher at the minor league level. I don't think anybody knows for sure if he can handle the OF, 3B or even 1B. It's a tough decision for the Yankees organization; they haven't done a very good job of giving themselves options up to this point.

 

[Daywalker]

Gist of this thread is Yanks aren't likely candidates for any of the top FA's. That's just not going to happen.

 

[Eephus]

So if you're Sabathia and Boras, how much more than 4x$23M can you get by opting out?

 

[Snotbubbles]

So if you're Sabathia and Boras, how much more than 4x$23M can you get by opting out?

It depends. Are the Washington Nationals in the running for Sabathia. I know they were interested in Cliff Lee. Boras got Werth that crazy salary from the Nats. Maybe they throw 25M per year at him.

 

[Eephus]

So if you're Sabathia and Boras, how much more than 4x$23M can you get by opting out?

It depends. Are the Washington Nationals in the running for Sabathia. I know they were interested in Cliff Lee. Boras got Werth that crazy salary from the Nats. Maybe they throw 25M per year at him.

I think they can manuver at least an extra year out of the Yankees

 

[shadyridr]

Gist of this thread is Yanks aren't likely candidates for any of the top FA's. That's just not going to happen.

happened last offseason

 

[shadyridr]

ill be pretty pissed if yanks give him another 3 yrs. at some point enough is enough

 

[Daywalker]

Gist of this thread is Yanks aren't likely candidates for any of the top FA's. That's just not going to happen.

happened last offseason

If C. Lee didn't exist you'd be right.

 

[Balco]

Obviously they won't get a great prospect and would have to eat a little salary or take back a bad contract (more likely), but I don't think the Yanks would have any trouble finding suitors for Tex. Great glove. Great bat. Baltimore would jump in a heartbeat.

 

[shadyridr]

Obviously they won't get a great prospect and would have to eat a little salary or take back a bad contract (more likely), but I don't think the Yanks would have any trouble finding suitors for Tex. Great glove. Great bat. Baltimore would jump in a heartbeat.

he has a no trade clause

 

[Michael Brown]

I'll buy Montero at 1st or MAYBE RF in a pinch. But 3rd is crazy talk

I dunno, can he be any worse than Eduardo Nunez was there for awhile? He's obviously got good hands having been a catcher for awhile now. His footwork likely isn't great and his range is unknown but I'm also not suggesting throwing him into the fire in April. Give him work throughout the offseason and spring, and see what you've got. The 5 game suggestion was just a number to toss out there to see if he could hack it. If he's abominable after 1 game, experiment there is over. No harm, no foul. But he could certainly play a handful in RF and a bunch at 1B.

 

[Eephus]

I'll buy Montero at 1st or MAYBE RF in a pinch. But 3rd is crazy talk

I dunno, can he be any worse than Eduardo Nunez was there for awhile? He's obviously got good hands having been a catcher for awhile now. His footwork likely isn't great and his range is unknown but I'm also not suggesting throwing him into the fire in April. Give him work throughout the offseason and spring, and see what you've got. The 5 game suggestion was just a number to toss out there to see if he could hack it. If he's abominable after 1 game, experiment there is over. No harm, no foul. But he could certainly play a handful in RF and a bunch at 1B.

The Yankees need to make a decision now about where Montero is going to play in 2012. Send him to Venezuela and have him play there exclusively. You have a 21 year old who's been your #1 hitting prospect for several years. You give him a chance to succeed somewhere; don't move him around like he's Miguel Cairo.

 

[shadyridr]

I'll buy Montero at 1st or MAYBE RF in a pinch. But 3rd is crazy talk

I dunno, can he be any worse than Eduardo Nunez was there for awhile? He's obviously got good hands having been a catcher for awhile now. His footwork likely isn't great and his range is unknown but I'm also not suggesting throwing him into the fire in April. Give him work throughout the offseason and spring, and see what you've got. The 5 game suggestion was just a number to toss out there to see if he could hack it. If he's abominable after 1 game, experiment there is over. No harm, no foul. But he could certainly play a handful in RF and a bunch at 1B.

dude youre talking about making a horrible fielder into a jack of all trades utility guy.

 

[Michael Brown]

I'll buy Montero at 1st or MAYBE RF in a pinch. But 3rd is crazy talk

I dunno, can he be any worse than Eduardo Nunez was there for awhile? He's obviously got good hands having been a catcher for awhile now. His footwork likely isn't great and his range is unknown but I'm also not suggesting throwing him into the fire in April. Give him work throughout the offseason and spring, and see what you've got. The 5 game suggestion was just a number to toss out there to see if he could hack it. If he's abominable after 1 game, experiment there is over. No harm, no foul. But he could certainly play a handful in RF and a bunch at 1B.

dude youre talking about making a horrible fielder into a jack of all trades utility guy.

Not quite -- I suggested DH'ing him for 120 games and playing him at 1B for another 20. If you don't want to use his bat the other 20 games, fine. Just figured it was a way of keeping his bat in the lineup. But I think 10-20 games at various positions and 75% of the games at one spot hardly qualifies as a "jack of all trades".

 

[Smack Tripper]

Montero is 22 years old and its the lowest square footage of any RF in the league. Would I plug him out in Fenway, no, but I would assume the kid has a modicum of athletic ability. We'll see.

Now here's more pie in the sky.

-Trade Phil Hughes to Florida for Logan Morrison. I don't know how down they are on him, maybe you could steal him for less but I think this is a reasonable offer. Hughes looked great in the playoffs but I think we'd all be right to wonder about his durability. He is what he is to some extent, and that doesn't look like a Verlander/Weaver type. I don't even know if he's good as a Matt Garza or Shawn Marcum. So that said, going into arb years, you might be able to get a nice cornerstone lefty swinging OF to plug into RF. Or maybe not even cornerstone but plug him in here and see what happens. If you want to change the vibe, you bring him in and...

-trade Swisher to the Phillies for Antonio Bastardo. Phillies plug Swisher into a RF/1b combination, which they'll need if Howard ruptured his achilles. At one year and 10 million on this option, he offers great insurance for Philly. Maybe you'd be right to expect or ask more of Philly than Bastardo. I don't know how down they are on Domonic Brown, or if he'll ever pan out, but there is another dynamic lefty bat to incorporate, maybe in place of a potential Morrison trade.

 

[Eephus]

Montero is 22 years old and its the lowest square footage of any RF in the league. Would I plug him out in Fenway, no, but I would assume the kid has a modicum of athletic ability. We'll see. Now here's more pie in the sky.-Trade Phil Hughes to Florida for Logan Morrison. I don't know how down they are on him, maybe you could steal him for less but I think this is a reasonable offer. Hughes looked great in the playoffs but I think we'd all be right to wonder about his durability. He is what he is to some extent, and that doesn't look like a Verlander/Weaver type. I don't even know if he's good as a Matt Garza or Shawn Marcum. So that said, going into arb years, you might be able to get a nice cornerstone lefty swinging OF to plug into RF. Or maybe not even cornerstone but plug him in here and see what happens. If you want to change the vibe, you bring him in and...

@LoMoMarlins is making nice with @OzzieGuillen. I don't see the Marlins dumping him. In any event, the Yankees need all the starting pitching they have.

-trade Swisher to the Phillies for Antonio Bastardo. Phillies plug Swisher into a RF/1b combination, which they'll need if Howard ruptured his achilles. At one year and 10 million on this option, he offers great insurance for Philly. Maybe you'd be right to expect or ask more of Philly than Bastardo. I don't know how down they are on Domonic Brown, or if he'll ever pan out, but there is another dynamic lefty bat to incorporate, maybe in place of a potential Morrison trade.

You're undervaluing a pre-arbitration arm like Bastardo's. Ruben Amaro Jr. doesn't. Swisher's option is an interesting one though. The money is pretty much market value for a player like Swish and it's really never about the money with the Yankees. He contributes to the logjam on the right side of the defensive spectrum, which may be a good enough reason to let him go somewhere else.

 

[shadyridr]

Montero is 22 years old and its the lowest square footage of any RF in the league. Would I plug him out in Fenway, no, but I would assume the kid has a modicum of athletic ability. We'll see. Now here's more pie in the sky.-Trade Phil Hughes to Florida for Logan Morrison. I don't know how down they are on him, maybe you could steal him for less but I think this is a reasonable offer. Hughes looked great in the playoffs but I think we'd all be right to wonder about his durability. He is what he is to some extent, and that doesn't look like a Verlander/Weaver type. I don't even know if he's good as a Matt Garza or Shawn Marcum. So that said, going into arb years, you might be able to get a nice cornerstone lefty swinging OF to plug into RF. Or maybe not even cornerstone but plug him in here and see what happens. If you want to change the vibe, you bring him in and...-trade Swisher to the Phillies for Antonio Bastardo. Phillies plug Swisher into a RF/1b combination, which they'll need if Howard ruptured his achilles. At one year and 10 million on this option, he offers great insurance for Philly. Maybe you'd be right to expect or ask more of Philly than Bastardo. I don't know how down they are on Domonic Brown, or if he'll ever pan out, but there is another dynamic lefty bat to incorporate, maybe in place of a potential Morrison trade.

i like the first move and u know florida wants get rid if lomo

 

[DCThunder]

So if you're Sabathia and Boras, how much more than 4x$23M can you get by opting out?

It depends. Are the Washington Nationals in the running for Sabathia. I know they were interested in Cliff Lee. Boras got Werth that crazy salary from the Nats. Maybe they throw 25M per year at him.

Stephen Strasburg comes back at full strength (but on an inning count) next season, and he and Jordan Zimmerman look to be the #1 and #2 starters for the Nats. They also have a bunch of young arms that showed promise in September. Not sure they'd make a crazy offer for CC now, because 2013 is supposed to be te year they really push for the NL East..

 

[Thunderlips]

So if you're Sabathia and Boras, how much more than 4x$23M can you get by opting out?

It depends. Are the Washington Nationals in the running for Sabathia. I know they were interested in Cliff Lee. Boras got Werth that crazy salary from the Nats. Maybe they throw 25M per year at him.

Stephen Strasburg comes back at full strength (but on an inning count) next season, and he and Jordan Zimmerman look to be the #1 and #2 starters for the Nats. They also have a bunch of young arms that showed promise in September. Not sure they'd make a crazy offer for CC now, because 2013 is supposed to be te year they really push for the NL East..

C.C. would let them do that a year early though.

 

[Smack Tripper]

The fans are going to eat up CC not opting out. Great job out of all sides, especiay the big man

 

[Bogart]

The fans are going to eat up CC not opting out. Great job out of all sides, especiay the big man

As a Ranger fan, this makes me very happy.

 

[TLEF316]

Obviously its huge to get him back.

But I'm extremely worried about his weight. A clause in the contract would have been ideal, but obviously the Yankees couldn't afford to piss him off by insisting on it (or my guess, even suggesting it)

I still think they make a pretty aggressive play for Darvish.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

So it all boils down to 1 year, $30 million added? That's a great result for the yanks IMO.

 

[Eephus]

So it all boils down to 1 year, $30 million added? That's a great result for the yanks IMO.

$35M including the sixth year buyout but it's good for all parties to get the deal done early without any public acrimony.

 

[shadyridr]

So it all boils down to 1 year, $30 million added? That's a great result for the yanks IMO.

CC handled it right, ARod did not. What else is new?

 

[Smack Tripper]

Obviously its huge to get him back.But I'm extremely worried about his weight. A clause in the contract would have been ideal, but obviously the Yankees couldn't afford to piss him off by insisting on it (or my guess, even suggesting it)I still think they make a pretty aggressive play for Darvish.

Cc actually addressed it on his conference call. He said basically, for his own health,'he knows what he has to do. I'll take him at his word. I'm barely joking when I say, look at Patrice oneal and Clarence clemons, there is already a higher stroke risk when you're black, nevermind being heavy too. He seems to be as great a guy as he is pitcher and I hope we have him around for a long time, on the bump and at old timers day.

 

[Raider Nation]

Anybody hear Joe in studio with Fatty Francesa last week? Really good interview.

The two main highlites:

- He confirmed that Jesus will be playing every day, one way or another. Mostly at DH, and often behind the dish.

- He reaffirmed his man-love for A.J. He's not going anywhere. :X

 

[shadyridr]

Anybody hear Joe in studio with Fatty Francesa last week? Really good interview.The two main highlites:- He confirmed that Jesus will be playing every day, one way or another. Mostly at DH, and often behind the dish.- He reaffirmed his man-love for A.J. He's not going anywhere. :X

like dislikei want beuhrle

 

[Oh Yes!]

love the yankees fans worrying about free agency.

 

[Not Sure]

http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/7276708/sources-freddy-garcia-new-york-yankees-agree-one-year-deal

Sources: Yanks, Freddy Garcia agree

By Buster Olney

The New York Yankees have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with veteran pitcher Freddy Garcia, according to sources.

The deal is worth between $4 million and $5 million, according to the New York Daily News. Garcia wanted to return to the Yankees, despite the fact that he could have found two-year deals with other teams, the Daily News reported, citing sources.

The Yankees had been surveying the free-agent market for pitchers. General manager Brian Cashman met with Bob Garber, the agent for C.J. Wilson and Roy Oswalt. However, team insiders told ESPNNewYork.com's Wallace Matthews that the Yankees are skittish on both pitchers.

Sources told ESPN that there is a quiet confidence within the organization that Phil Hughes will have a strong bounce-back year in 2012.

The Yankees will continue to have talks about available starting pitchers, the sources said, and they could sign some low-cost veterans, as they did last winter when they worked out agreements with Bartolo Colon and Garcia.

Garcia was 12-8 with a 3.62 ERA in 25 starts for the Yankees last season. The 35-year-old righty struck 96 and walked 45 in 146 2/3 innings.

 

[Raider Nation]

Why exactly are we talking to John Danks???

:X :X :X

I guess you never can have enough pitchers with a 1.5 WHIP!

 

[shadyridr]

Why exactly are we talking to John Danks???

:X :X :X

I guess you never can have enough pitchers with a 1.5 WHIP!

Hes 26 year old lefty with a decent contract and hasnt had a 1.5 WHIP since his rookie year. His WHIP the last 4 years... 1.23, 1.28, 1.22, 1.34. Last year was the first yr since his rookie year he had an ERA over 4... 3.32, 3.77, 3.73, 4.33. Solid K/9 rate... 7.0And all that pitching in a HR hitting ballpark. Honestly, I dont know whats NOT to like about him? Are you sure you arent MOP and just never heard of him?