What SHOULD'VE Happened Last Year

As we all know, baseball isn't a game that pans out how it should . It frequently happens that the best teams on paper, don't always win. Using Bill James' Pythagorean theorem of baseball, Runs scored [squared] / (Runs scored [squared] + runs allowed [squared]), one can determine what a teams win-loss record should be based on the amount of runs they've scored and the amount they've given up. Here is what the standings would look like if this had happened last year:

American League

East:

1. 97-65 Boston Red Sox (2)

2. 94-68 Toronto Blue Jays (4)

3. 92-70 Tampa Bay Rays (1)

4. 88-74 New York Yankees (3)

5. 72-89 Baltimore Orioles (5)

Central:

1. 90-72 Chicago White Sox (1)

2. 89-73 Minnesota Twins (2)

3. 86-76 Cleveland Indians (3)

4. 78-84 Detroit Tigers (5)

5. 71-91 Kansas City Royals (4)

West:

1. 89-73 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (1)

2. 75-86 Oakland Athletics (3)

3. 75-87 Texas Rangers (2)

4. 66-97 Seattle Mariners (4)

Wild Card: Tampa Bay Rays

National League:

East:

1. 94-68 Philadelphia Phillies (1)

2. 90-72 New York Mets (2)

3. 81-80 Florida Marlins (3)

4. 78-84 Atlanta Braves (4)

5. 61-100 Washington Nationals (5)

Central:

1. 100-61 Chicago Cubs (1)

2. 88-74 Milwaukee Brewers (2)

3. 87-75 St. Louis Cardinals (4)

4. 77-84 Houston Astros (3)

5. 71-91 Cincinnati Reds (5)

6. 66-96 Pittsburgh Pirates (6)

West:

1. 87-75 Los Angeles Dodgers (1)

2. 83-79 Arizona Diamondbacks (2)

3. 73-89 Colorado Rockies (3)

4. 67-95 San Francisco Giants (4)

5. 66-96 San Diego Padres (5)

Wild Card: New York Mets

A few notes on these:

• The NL East and West were the only divisions to have the ex standings match the actual ones
• The biggest change happened in the AL East in which 4 teams were in different places
• The AL Central was the only division to have a different last-place team
• In the x standings, the Cubs had the best record in baseball, as opposed to the Angels
• The Nationals had the worst record in both
• The Mariners were the worst AL team in both
• The Red Sox were the best team in the AL instead of the Angels
• The Angels had the most change (11 games) followed by Houston (9) and Toronto (8)
• The Rays and Blue Jays moved the most in the standings, each having moved 2 spots

Who Should Bat Cleanup

This is one of the lesser-talked about things of the Teixeira deal (which is expected to be announced sometime next week): Who will bat cleanup? Teixeira or A-Rod? Well you can break it down a couple of ways:

1. Who's the better hitter?

Well that question is pretty much a given; A-Rod. Yes Teixeira also is an excellent hitter, but A-Rod is better. Over his 6-year career, Teixeira has a .290 AVG, 203 HR, and 676 RBI. In that same time, A-Rod has a .301 AVG, 255 HR, and 734 RBI. Those are true statistics of a number 4 hitter. 

2. Who will benefit more from having the other one batting behind them?

This question is a little hard to determine. Obviously, both would benefit greatly by having the other bat behind them. But the question is, which one would benefit more? I look at it as who is more comfortable in what spot? Well, A-Rod, after he left Seattle, has been a number 4 hitter and has batted cleanup for the Yankees ever since they got him (with a couple of stints as #3). Teixeira on the other hand, has spent most of his career as no. 3. While he was in Atlanta, he batted behind Chipper and that worked out o.k. However, when he got to L.A. and started batting 3rd, in front of Vladimir Guerrero, he reached his peak. Tex batted .358 with 13 HR and 43 RBI in 54 games as an Angel. If he could do that in front of A-Rod, that's an unstoppable 1-2 punch. One that's as good (if not better) than the Ortiz-Manny combo that the Red Sox had a couple of years ago (they didn't have it at all in 08).

However, in the end, this isn't a question for the media to decide; it's up to Joe Girardi.

Yanks Still Want Pettitte

Despite numerous reports saying that Andy Pettitte had "waited too long" and the Yankees were just going to go with Phil Hughes as their 5th starter, the Yankees still want Pettitte. In fact, a deal is expected to be completed perhaps as early as next week. Apparently, someone in the Yankees organization was just telling everyone that as a scare tactic as they new that Pettitte badly wanted to pitch in New York and at the New Yankee Stadium. A person in regular contact with the Yankees organization said that, "they just want him at their price, that's the bottom line." Pettitte, 36, had a 4.54 in 33 starts this year going 14-14 with 158 Ks which led the Yankees. Also, his 2.9 K/BB and strong groundball rate, indicate that he's capable of a bounce-back season. If he returns, he would probably be the #4 starter, pitching in front of Joba Chamberlain.

Injury May Halt Bernie's Comback

Former Yankees outfielder, and fan favorite, Bernie Williams has been playing Winter Ball since Dec. 22 in hopes of playing for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic in March. However, it might be over now as he injured his quad while playing for Carolina in Puerto Rico. 

Teixeira Signing A Lot Like A-Rod Deal

When Mark Teixeira turned down the Red Sox' offer for the Yankees' something about it seemed very familiar. In fact, it was just like when the Yankees traded for Alex Rodriguez in February of 2004. A-Rod, like Teixeira, was a star player and a great hitter who played for the Rangers (Teixeira didn't go from the Rangers directly to the Yankees like A-Rod). In fact, they both played on the same team in 2003. A-Rod was traded and Teixeira signed as a free agent, but they both could've gone to Boston, but didn't. In the offseason between the 2003 and 2004 seasons, the Rangers were shopping Alex. The Red Sox picked him off the shelf and began to move towards the cashier. However, the deal came up a bit short. 

Right around that time, someone said, "hey, wouldn't it be great if Alex Rodriguez came to New York and just moved to third base?" It seemed unlikely though, as the Rangers had just named A-Rod the captain of their team. But the Yankees swooped in and within about a week, they traded Alfonso Soriano to the Rangers for A-Rod (one of those rare, good player-for-good player deals instead of prospects). 

For a while, the Red Sox were seen as the front-runners for Teixeira, just like with A-Rod. However, the Yankees jumped in right at the end and nabbed him for $180 million, $10mm more than the Red Sox were offering. 

A-Rod has put up very good numbers in his time so far in the Bronx (.303 AVG, 208 HR and 616 RBI in 5 seasons). However, he's also attracted a lot of controversy too. Lets just hope that Teixeira only does the first one.

Baseball Needs Yankees

By signing A.J. Burnett, CC Sabathia, and Mark Teixeira, the Yankees have spent $423.5MM in contracts this offseason. This has caused many team's owners and GMs, and some players (Torii hunter), to hate the Yankees even more. Brewers GM, Doug Melvin, has said, "At the rate the Yankees are going, I don't think anyone can compete with them. Frankly, the sport might need a salary cap." The "salary cap" idea got a lot of discussion. However, with many GMs supporting it, there were many against it who were fine with the Yankees' spending spree. One GM said that this was "the Yankees way of competing," and that they "paid their price with that luxury tax, so who cares?" That is something that the baseball world has come to realize. The Yankees seem to have an infinite budget, and with the New Stadium (60% bigger than the old one and more expensive), $88.5MM coming off the books, and after not making the playoffs last year, the Yankees were determined to sign the best players, and they had the budget to do it. However, that is there way of playing the game. Many other teams do it differently such as the Rays, who have the second-lowest payroll in baseball, yet last year, they beat out the Yankees and the Red Sox (#s 1 and 3 in payroll) for the AL East and won the pennant. It's just the way life works.

However, baseball needs the Yankees. They need that team to hate. They need a Goliath. And now that the Yankees have made half of baseball hate them again, there can be a David (or just Goliath)

Site Update

From now on, Bronxrumors will also be posting at http://bronxrumors.mlblogs.com/.

There will still be posts here but just know that you may also view the blog there. This is out of the effort to try and get more site traffic.

It's His Own Fault

Manny Ramirez has only himself to blame. Right now, he could be either in Boston, knowing he has $20 million in his pocket after they exercised his option, or he could be with another team for around $24 million. However, his lack of hustle in Boston and the way he forced himself out of there, is keeping teams away. I mean what other reason is there? The guy is one of the best right-handed hitters of all-time and a future Hall of Famer. But at this point, it seems the only team willing to sign him for the amount of money he seeks, is the Dodgers. They saw how well he played for them and are hoping he can do that all year. However, the best fit for Manny would be the team that has a need and has the money to address that need. The team: The Red Sox. However, Manny has closed the door on them and has even expressed interest in joining the Yankees, just to annoy the Red Sox (of course that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world but still). 

The Angels lost out on Teixeira but have said that they won't pursue Manny. The other teams in the Teixeira derby, the Orioles and Nationals, won't be chasing Manny for basically the same reason: they don't have the financial security to risk that kind of money. With Teixeira, they knew that they were getting a great player, but more importantly, a consistent player. They knew that each year he'd give them 30+ HR, 100+RBI, and bat over .300. However, with Manny, they don't know if they'll get the Red Sox version of him; a lazy player who wasn't invested in the game and faked injuries, or the Dodger version: 17 HR, .396 AVG, and 53 RBI in 53 games. He's just not worth the risk.

On this day in history...

89 years ago today, the Red Sox sold George Herman (Babe) Ruth to the Yankees. There were many reasons prompting this move, including the owner's debts and Ruth's threat to not play until the Red Sox increased his salary from $10k to $20k. The Yankees gave the Sox a $100k and a $300k loan, using Fenway Park as a collateral. You could now say that Mark Teixeira is the latest Ruth-like player, as he also spurned the Red Sox and joined the Yankees.

Teixeira Balks at Boston, Again

Mark Teixeira definitely has something against Boston. In fact, his not-signing-with the Red Sox is actually the second time Teixeira has rejected a Boston offer. After his senior season in high school, the Red Sox offered Teixeira a $1.5 million bonus as they targeted him for the first round of the draft. That left Teixeira a little on edge. Ben Shpigel of the New York Times reported that Teixeira said; "I have a very cynical approach towards the draft. I was naïve. It was my first realization to the business in baseball. The Red Sox told everybody that I wouldn't sign, and when it got to a late enough round, they said, "Let's take a flier on him." So they spoiled me for everyone else." The Red Sox drafted Teixeira in the 9th round, however he chose to go to Georgia Tech instead. He then was drafted by the Rangers fifth overall in the 2001 draft. Teixeira still is upset about what the Red Sox did to him and that may have played a role in why he didn't want to go there.

Has Pettitte Pitched His Last Pitch in Pinstripes?

Andy Pettitte has watched the Yankees have one hell of an offseason. He's seen them sign CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeira. However, he's yet to see them sign himself. Pettitte's agent, Randy Hendricks, has been holding out for the same contract he's gotten the last two years; a 1-year deal worth $16 million. However, the Yankees only wish  to pay him $10mm. This may be due to the fact that not even the Yankees can avoid the troubling economy and have decided to spend less on lesser-free agents.

Pettitte has been playing the waiting game, however, it now seems as though he's maybe waited too long. After signing those top free agents, the Yankees have invested $423.5 million in contracts this offseason. And with Brian Cashman saying that he wanted to lower payroll, it doesn't appear that they have room for Pettitte. Yankees officials have also said their perfectly fine with starting the season with their current roster and just use a prospect, such as Phil Hughes or Alfredo Aceves, to fill that last rotation spot.

I'd also like to point out that this is the 50th post that Bronx Rumors has made :)

Teixeira Had Higher Offer

Before the offseason, baseball experts were calling Teixeira the "ideal Boras client." This referred to the assumption that Teixeira didn't really care what team he played for, as long as they offered the most money he could get. After signing with the Yankees for 8 years, $180 million, it turns out that he didn't quite follow that approach. Roch Kubatko of MASN is reporting that the Nationals had actually offered $5 million more than the Yankees (8 years, $185 million). They actually would've gone even higher than that if they had been given the chance. However, after getting a final offer from the Yankees, Boras never gave them the opportunity to compete with it. 

Teixera Deal Analysis

As Scott Boras and the Yankees work out the final specs of the contract and Mark Teixeira flies to New York to receive his physical, lets go over what this deal will mean for the many involved and affected by it. 

Mark Teixeira:

Teixera got an early Christmas present; he was signed by a contending team and got a boat-load of money. I don't know about you all, but I would love to wake up and find that sitting under the tree. Lost in all of these talks of "who's going to offer the most?" and "will he sign with a contending team?" was the fact that Mark Teixeira and especially his wife, didn't want to go to Boston. That is one of the main reasons they waited so long to sign as they were hoping that a good contract would come from a contender other than the Red Sox. So when the Yankees offered him good money, he pounced on it. Also, the fact that he grew up idolizing Don Mattingly didn't hurt his chances either.

New York Yankees:

By signing Teixeira the Yankees fixed a number of things: Number one, they filled a blaring hole that they've had for nearly a decade; first base. Now lets get one thing straight before we start: Jason Giambi wasn't as bad a defender as everyone said he was. He had a .990 fielding pctg. over the last two years (which was when he mostly playing first base) and only had 10 errors over that time. But it is going to be better to have a gold glove over there no doubt. The other issue was their offense. After scoring close to 1,000 runs in 2007, the Yankees scored less than 800 last year. That was due in large part to injuries and an aging offense. Expect Teixeira to plug right in and become a good 1-2 punch with A-Rod for years to come.

Boston Red Sox:

This comes as a crushing blow to the Red Sox. They targeted Mark Teixeira early as their top off-season priorty and have been pursuing him ever since. But to have their rivals step in at the last moment and steal him away, that's devastating. However, don't feel bad for them. They've been down this road before, the Yankees spend big money and they just keep working on their farm system. A system that has produced the likes of: Dustin Pedroia, 2008 AL MVP, Kevin Youkilis, MVP runner-up, and Jacoby Ellsbury. Plus they have a fine pitching rotation with Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Other Teams:

This deal affects many other teams including: the Orioles, Nationals, Brewers, and Angels.

Lets go down the line: The Orioles and Nationals are in the same boat here. They both didnt' really have realistic shots at Teixeira but at least they proved to their fans that they could spend money and compete with the big boys. The Angels got a win over the Brewers here in odd fashion. When the Yankees signed CC Sabathia, the Brewers expected to receive their compensationary first-round pick. However, Mark Teixeira is ranked higher then Sabathia on the Elias rankings and thus the Angels get the pick and the Brewers get stuck with their second-round pick instead. Brewer's GM Doug Melvin was very upset about this as he said that "everyone knows the Elias system is flawed." He went on to say that they need to find a better system because the Angels also had a much better record than the Brewers.

A Timeline of the Yanks' Signing of Teixeira

The Yankees kept quiet for the whole Mark Teixeira sweepstakes until the very end. This made it very difficult to know what was happening and who was in the lead. However, truth to be told, they were only winning at the very end. Here's a rundown of what happened:

• Right Before the winter meetings, the Yankees made a very low offer (lower compared to the others) to Teixeria and Scott Boras. However, that offer was quickly withdrawn as Boras informed them how much he was seeking.
• Over the next few weeks, the Red Sox, Angels, Nationals, and Orioles made offers with the highest one being that of the Red Sox. The Yankees actually didn't make another offer until Monday. 
• The Yankees organization was actually very pessimistic about there chances of getting Teixeira because Boras told the Yankees that they needed an 8-year offer with two option years following that (which makes a 10-year deal). The Yankees gave a response of "no way."
• Around noon on Tuesday, Boras said that Teixeira would only agree to an 8-year deal if the annual value was $24 million, making the total contract $192 million. The Yankees conferred, but again stood pat on their offer.
• Boras then responded by saying that Teixeira would likely become a member of the Red Sox. He did this in hopes of getting the Yankees to raise their offer out of fear that he might go to their hated arch-rivals. However, the Yankees still refused to budge.
• 20 minutes later, Boras called them back to inform them that Teixeira would accept their 8-year, $180 million offer. Mark Teixeira would be a Yankee
• It turns out that the closest bid from a contending team (Teixeira wouldn't go to the Nationals) was a $168 million offer from the Boston Red Sox. So in the end, the Yankees outbid them by $12 million

Yankees Possible Opening Day Lineup

Here's a look at what the Yankees' Opening Day lineup could look like:

Rotation:

1. LHP CC Sabathia

2. RHP A.J. Burnett

3. RHP Chien-Ming Wang

4. RHP Joba Chamberlain

5. RHP Phil Hughes

Bullpen:

LRP: Phil Coke

LRP: Alfredo Aceves

MRP: Brian Bruney

MRP: Damaso Marte

SU: Edwar Ramirez

SU: Jose Veras

C: Marino Rivera

Lineup:

1. Johnny Damon LF

2. Derek Jeter SS

3. Mark Teixera 1B

4. Alex Rodriguez 3B

5. Hideki Matsui DH

6. Xavier Nady RF

7. Jorge Posada C

8. Robinson Cano 2B

9. Brett Gardner CF

Bench:

Nick Swisher OF/1B

Cody Ransom IF

Jose Molina C

Melky Cabrera OF

What's Next for Yanks? Any other holes?

The Yankees are putting themselves in position to have an amazing year. They've put together and outstanding rotation and lineup to go along with a good bullpen. To do this however, they've had to guarantee over $400 million in contracts by signing CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and A.J. Burnett. The question now becomes, did they do everything they had to? Lets break it down this way:

Lineup:

C Jorge Posada:

By signing Kevin Cash, the Yankees have prepared themselves if Posada gets injured or still feels the effects of last year's. To prevent this, they'll probably have to use Jose Molina 2 times for every 5 days instead of once. However, if Posada can't preform, they'll call up prospect Francisco Cervelli to catch.

1B Mark Teixeira:

Great signing by the Yankees. Teixeira is not only a good hitter, but an outstanding fielder too (something the Yankees have lacked in previous years). He fills up a blaring hole and will bring good things for the ball club in years to come.

2B Robinson Cano:

Cano didn't have a great year in 2008 and there have been many reports of even trading him (which isn't going to happen because the organization still has great faith in him). However, he has been working on his swing with, Yankees' hitting coach, Kevin Long over the offseason and actually was hitting quite well with his new swing at the end of last year.

3B Alex Rodriguez:

Nothing wrong here. Alex is in the prime of his career, a good defender (much better than people think), and one of the best hitters of all-time. He's won MVPs in '03, '05, and '07, could there be one coming next year in '09? 

SS Derek Jeter:

Jeter's another guy who has to have sort-of a bounce-back year. He did hit .300 last year, but he struggled mightily there at the end (due to a possible leg injury?) and his defense was very sub-par. This leaves many fans concerned that his age might be getting the best of him.

LF Johnny Damon:

Damon's fine, in fact more than fine as he's coming off one of his best years ever! Damon hit .303 with 17 HR, 71 RBIs and 29 SB. The Yankees might however use him as trade bait as they have a log-jam in the outfield after signing Mark Teixeira.

CF Brett Gardner/Melky Cabrera:

The Yankees are going to see how this plays out in Spring Training. They will have Gardner and Cabrera compete against one and another and then the best one will be their starting center fielder. However, they probably won't be next year as Austin Jackson is rising, and rising fast.

RF Xavier Nady:

By not re-signing Bobby Abreu, the Yankees designate Nady as their starting right fielder. There have been some rumors about possibly trading him but I don't see them playing out because they don't have anyone with a better arm in RF and the organization really likes him as a player.

Rotation:

After signing Sabathia and Burnett, the Yankees have one of the best rotations in baseball. This comes as good news as they've rarely been able to say this in their long history. If you put this with a solid offense, it'll mean good things for years to come.

Bullpen:

After being a real weakness in 2007, the Yankees built their bullpen out of their farm system last year and it turned out pretty good. However, there still is a hole in the set-up position, despite what Brian Cashman thinks. Remember last year when the Yankees bullpen blew a game against the Blue Jays, they just couldn't get an out. To me, there is a hole here and they need to fix it. However, this time they don't have to spend a lot of money to fix it, just bring up Mark Melancon; the next Joba.

Yankees Get Cash

The Yankees, who have been spending a lot of it these days, have gotten Cash, Kevin Cash that is. In another blow to the Red Sox, after they stole Mark Teixera away from them, the Yankees have taken their back-up catcher. The Yanks signed Cash for a minor-league contract worth $700,000. This is insurance incase Jorge Posada is still injured, or is still feeling effects of it, and catching-prospect Francisco Cervelli is not ready to step-in.

Yankees Sign Teixeira

According to a report by ESPN.com, free agent Mark Teixeira has agreed to an 8-year, $180 million contract. He now joins CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett on the Yankees roster as they have put together what looks like the best team in baseball. Other teams in the mix to get him were the Red Sox, Nationals, Orioles, and his previous team, the Angels who had dropped out of contention already.

Manny Believes Yanks to Extend 3-Year Offer

A friend of Manny Ramirez has said that the slugger believes that the Yankees will offer him a 3-year deal worth around $75 million. The Yankees organization is very split on Ramirez, the 36-year old slugger from Washington Heights, Bronx NY. A Dominican Newspaper has reported that Manny and the Yankees were already in serious discussions and that he was close to signing. It also stated that an announcement should come shortly. However, MLB.com's Brian Hoch texted Brian Cashman about that and he responded with a, "not true." The Yankees want another bat after losing Jason Giambi and Bobby Abreu this offseason. Manny is not expected to make a decision until after Mark Teixeira does as that may gather more team's interest.

Yanks Moving in on Teixeira

Through numerous reports, it is apparent the Yankees are starting to circle Mark Teixeira. No one really knows right now if they have made an offer or not but when they do, expect it in the $160-180 million range.

2009 Season Predictions

Sure it might be a little early, rather, a lot early but I think it's fun to make predictions of what the 2009 season will bring:

American League:

East:

1. New York Yankees

2. Boston Red Sox

3. Tampa Bay Rays

4. Toronto Blue Jays

5. Baltimore Orioles

Central:

1. Minnesota Twins

2. Detroit Tigers

3. Kansas City Royals

4. Chicago White Sox

5. Cleveland Indians

West:

1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

2. Oakland Athletics 

3. Texas Rangers

4. Seattle Mariners

Wild Card: Boston Red Sox

National League:

East:

1. New York Mets

2. Philadelphia Phillies

3. Florida Marlins

4. Atlanta Braves

5. Washington Nationals

Central:

1. Chicago Cubs

2. St. Louis Cardinals

3. Milwaukee Brewers

4. Houston Astros

5. Cincinnati Reds

6. Pittsburgh Pirates

West:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

2. Arizona Dimondbacks

3. San Francisco Giants

4. Colorado Rockies

5. San Diego Padres

Wild Card: Philadelphia Phillies

Are the Yankees going to Become the Yan-K-ees?

Last year the Arizona Diamondbacks starting rotation had the most strikeouts in the major leagues (849). However, with the Yankees signings of CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, they seem poised to run right past that. With just the five starters (Sabathia, Burnett, Wang, Pettitte, and Chamberlain) they combine to about 900 K's! We'll see if this continues into next year.

Another thing to watch for is the Yankees single-season strikeout record held by Ron Guidry who in 1978 had 248 strikeouts. Last year, CC Sabathia had 251 and A.J. Burnett had 231. Both have ligament shots at breaking Louisiana Lightning's record.

Brewer's GM: Cameron-Yanks Talks "dead"

Milwaukee Brewers GM Doug Melvin called the trade talks between the Brewers and the Yankees "dead." He says that they haven't talked since the GM meetings in Las Vegas and doesn't expect a deal. He went on to say that the Brewers still like Cameron and are fine with the idea of him playing centerfield for them next year.

Yankees-Red Sox In Depth Comparrison

Here's a little more to what I posted earlier. This one just focuses on the Yankees and Red Sox.

Catcher: Yankees- Jorge Posada (BOS Jason Varitek)

First Base: Red Sox- Kevin Youkillis (NYY Nick Swisher)

Second Base: Red Sox- Dustin Pedroia (NYY Robinson Cano)

Third Base: Yankees- Alex Rodriguez (BOS Mike Lowell)

Shortstop: Yankees- Derek Jeter (BOS Jed Lowrie)

*Hmm...something about that looks awfully familiar. Oh that's right! That was the starting infield for the American League All-Star team.

Left Field: Red Sox- Jason Bay (NYY Johnny Damon)

Centerfield: Red Sox- Jacoby Ellsbury (NYY Brett Gardner/Melky Cabrera)

Rightfield: Red Sox- J.D. Drew (NYY Xavier Nady)

DH: Red Sox- David Ortiz (NYY Hideki Matsui)

Starting Pitchers:

Number 1 Starter: Yankees- C.C. Sabathia (BOS Josh Beckett)

Number 2 Starter: Yankees- A.J. Burnett (BOS Dice-K)

Number 3 Starter: Yankees- Chien-Ming Wang (BOS Jon Lester)

Number 4 Starter: Yankees- Joba Chamberlain (BOS Tim Wakefield)

Number 5 Starter: Yankees- Phil Hughes (BOS Justin Masterson)

Bullpen:

Long-Reliever(s): Yankees- Alfredo Aceves/Phil Coke (BOS Aardsma? Bucholz?)

Mid-Reliever(s): Red Sox-Horacio Ramirez/Manny Delcarmen (NYY Brian Bruney)

Lefty-Specialist(s): Yankees- Damaso Marte (BOS Javier Lopez)

Setup-Ma(e)n: Yankees- Jose Veras/Edwar Ramirez (BOS Hideki Okajima)

Closer: Yankees Mariano Rivera (BOS Jonathan Papelbon)

Final Tally:

Yankees: 12

Red Sox: 7

Yanks Set to Unveil Sabathia Thursday. Burnett as Well?

In one of the final events ever at Yankee Stadium, and perhaps the one that will set the Yankees future in motion, the Yankees are ready to announce the signing of C.C. Sabathia on Thursday. The formal introduction is scheduled to commence at 1:00 PM Eastern Time. The Yankees could not immediately confirm that Sabathia and fellow new Yankee's starter A.J. Burnett would be announced at the same conference. However, it has been reported on numerous sites that they will be donning pinstripes at the same time. Both pitchers agreed to contracts last week and both were in New York this week to fill out paperwork and receive physicals. The Yankees see this event as marking a turning point in the organization, one that will stand for years to come.

Yankees Have "Increased Interest" in Manny

The New York Daily News is reporting that a baseball official told them that the Yankees aren't just curious in Manny Ramirez, but rather have strong interest. The official also said that they see Ramirez as the perfect complement in their lineup to A-Rod. That would form a 1-2 punch similar (mabye even better) than what he did in Boston with David Oritz. The official believes that the Yankees are even wiling to give him a three-year deal worth $22-25 million annually. However, two different officials are skeptical that the Yankees would go to 3 years and foresee a deal in the 2-year $50 million range.

If the Yankees were to sign the right-handed slugger, it would create a log-jam in their outfield. With solid outfielders/DH Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon and Xavier Nady, it seems like the Yankees have two options here: No. 1, trade one of them. Many sites say that they might look at trading Nady, but I don't see it because the Yankees front office likes him and aren't about to let him leave after less than a season. And no.2, they could put Johnny Damon back in center, keep Nady in right, and put Manny in left. Now this would create a less-than-pleasing defensive outfield but it's passable if it means that Manny's in their lineup.

Best in The: AL East

The American League East Division is one of (if not the) toughest division in Baseball. You have probably the three best teams in the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays competing against each other plus you have capable teams in the Blue Jays and Orioles.

1st Base:

1. BOS: Kevin Youkillis

2. TB: Carlos Pena

3. NYY: Nick Swisher

4. TOR: Lyle Overbay

5. BAL: ???

Youkillis and Pena are both very good offensive and defensive first basemen. I put Youkillis over Pena mainly because he finished higher in the MVP voting. Swishers there only on the estimate that he'll have a bounce-back season. Overbay's solid and I don't really know what's going on with Baltimore. Last year, their 1B was Kevin Millar, who is now a free agent. They could put DH Aubrey Huff there, in which case they'd probably move up to 3rd or 4th.

Score: BOS 5, TB 4, NYY 3, TOR 2, BAL 1

2nd Base:

1. BOS: Dustin Pedroia

2. NYY: Robinson Cano

3. BAL: Brian Roberts

4. TB: Akinori Iwamura

5. TOR: Aaron Hill

Pedroia is no. 1 without a doubt. After winning AL Rookie of the Year in 2007, Pedroia followed it up by winning the AL MVP award in 2008. My prediction is that Cano will have a great bounce-back season. He was doing amazing right after the all-star break and at the end of the season last year, and I think his work this off-season will really help him improve. Roberts is a great base-stealker and defender. I do however think Cano's a little better. Iwamura has proved he's solid over the last two years and I believe he's better than Aaron Hill.

Score: BOS 10, NYY 7, TB 6, TOR 3, BAL 3

3rd Base:

1. NYY: Alex Rodriguez

2. TB: Evan Longoria

3. BOS: Mike Lowell

4. TOR: Scott Rolen

5. BAL: Melvin Mora

This is a very good division for 3B. All of these players are very strong. That being said, there's really no question who gets it: A-Rod. Without a doubt one of the best players of all-time and makes this decision a no-brainer. Longoria had an outstanding rookie campaign and thus beats out the best-defensive 3B of all-time, Mike Lowell. After a career year in 2007, Lowell was hampered by injuries in 2008 and we'll probably be more of a liability the rest of his career. Rolen just barely beat out Mora but it was pretty close.

Score: BOS 13, NYY 12, TB 10, TOR 5, BAL 4

SS:

1. NYY: Derek Jeter

2. BOS: Jed Lowrie

3. TB: Jason Bartlett

4. BAL: Cezar Izturis

5. TOR: John McDonald

Behind Jeter, the shortstops in this division are pretty thin. Lowrie hasn't really proved himself, and Barlett, Izturis, and McDonald don't put up good numbers. However Jeter is a future hall of famer, the face of the Yankees, and Mr. November. He ran away with this one.

Scoring: NYY 17, BOS 17, TB 13, TOR 6, BAL 6

LF:

1. BOS: Jason Bay

2. NYY: Johnny Damon

3. TB: Carl Crawford

4. TOR: Adam Lind

5. BAL: Luke Scott

Jason Bay was the clear favorite for this one. Bay posted good numbers after the Red Sox aquired him and was the best out of all of these. Damon and Crawford were pretty close. They're both good baserunners, Crawford is much better though. However, Damon had one of his best seasons last year whereas Crawford struggled with the bat and injuries. Lind and Scott were also close but I went with Lind.

Scoring: BOS 22, NYY 21, TB 16,  TOR 8, BAL 7

CF:

1. TB: B.J. Upton

2. TOR: Vernon Wells

3. BOS: Jacoby Ellsbury

4. NYY: Brett Gardner/Melky Cabrera

5. BAL: Adam Jones

Another strong position for all. Upton had a great year last near and an  incredible post-season. The former no. 1 pick won by a fair amount. Wells is still a good offensive machine and thus got second. Ellsbury, with Coco Crisp gone, will now be a regular in CF. Expect to see good numbers out of him. Garner showed very good numbers in his second stint with the Yankees not to mention the best baserunner out of all of them. If the Yankees get Mike Cameron, they'd move into 3rd place.

Scoring: BOS 25, NYY 23, TB 21, TOR 12, BAL 8

RF:

1. BAL: Nick Markakis

2. BOS: J.D. Drew

3. NYY: Xavier Nady

4. TOR: Alexis Rios

5. TB: Matt Joyce

Markakis for some odd reason has yet to make the all-star team. He will this year as he's only 25 and has improved each year of his career. Drew is probably the best all-around hitter here but will see what happens after he had a career year last year. I put Nady ahead of Rios because I feel he's a better hitter. And Joyce, just no.

Scoring: BOS 29, NYY 26, TB 22, TOR 14, BAL 13

DH:

1. BOS: David Ortiz

2. NYY: Hideki Matsui

3. TOR: Travis Snyder

4. BAL:???

5. TB: Eric Hinske

Yes Ortiz is still the top DH, but only because Matsui isn't that great either. They both had injury hampered years last near but Oritz is the better hitter. The Blue Jays have high hopes for Snyder and well see if he can deliver. If the Orioles don't put Huff at first, they will be first but for now, they're 4th. I'm not going to go into Hinske.

Scoring: BOS 34, NYY 30, TB 23, TOR 17, BAL 15

Starting Rotation:

1. NYY: Sabathia/Wang/Burnett/Chamerlain/Pettitte?Hughes? Lowe?

2. TB: Kazmir/Shields/Garza/Price/Sonnastine

3.BOS: Beckett/Dice-K/Lester/Wakefield/Masterson?

4. TOR: Halladay and the rest

5. BAL: Yaaaa, no

The Yankees went into rotation overhaul this year and boy did it pay of or what? They have one of (if not the) best rotations in baseball. The Rays have built from within and pilled together a very nice rotation showcased by 2007 no. 1 pick David Price. The Sox also got a decent one with Beckett, Dice-k, and Lester leading the pack. The only problem is that the is no pack. Wake is losing well, everything and they can't have Masterson as one of their starters. As for Toronto and Baltimore, all I see is Roy Halladay and Daniel Cabrera. 

Scoring: BOS: 37, NYY 35, TB 27, TOR 19, BAL 16

Bullpen:

1. NYY: Veras/Ramirez/Marte/Melancon

2. TB: Balfour/Wheeler/Howell

3. BOS: Ramirez/Okajima/Delcarmen

4. TOR: Downs/Frasor/Janssen

5. BAL: Baez/Burress/Johnson/Sarfate

The bullpens in the east are okay. None are very impressive though. The Yankees have built there bullpen out of their farm system, plus the addition of Damaso Marte, and have done it very nicely. The same goes for the Rays but the Red Sox are a little different. They went out and got Horacio Ramirez from the Royals to go along with Hideki Okajima to form a pretty strong pen. The Blue Jays also have a good bullpen and it seems like they've had these guys for ever. 

Scoring: BOS 40, NYY 40, TB 31, TOR 21, BAL 17

Closer:

1. NYY: Mariano Rivera

2. BOS: Jonathan Papelbon

3. TOR: B.J. Ryan

4. TB: Troy Percival

5. BAL: Chris Ray

This is probably one of the most debatable positions. Rivera and Papelbon are both elite closers and very close. However, Rivera is widely considered to be the best closer of all-time and thus deserves no. 1. He also had a better season in '08 than Papelbon and that made this decision a little easier.

****FINAL SCORE****

1. New York Yankees---45

2. Boston Red Sox------44

3. Tampa Bay Rays-----33

4. Toronto Blue Jays---23

5. Baltimore Orioles---18

Also these rankings do not give points for how much better a team's player is and thus the real-life situations may turn out a bit different.

Yankees "ready to pounce" on Manny

The Yankees know that they're probably not going to sign Mark Teixera (who's expected to make a decision this week) however, they're prepared to get the next-best-thing: Manny Ramirez. The Yankee organization "loves the idea of Manny." He's not only one of the best right-handed hitters in the game and one of the best post-season hitters of all-time, but it would be yet another way to tick-off the Red Sox. If Teixera signs with the Red Sox, Manny Ramirez and his super-agent Scott Boras would be in a very good situation. Boston is the one place Manny's not going and if Teixera goes there, the Angels might have interest in him. 

Update: Mike Cameron

The Mike Cameron for Melky Cabrera deal is currently on the backburner. The Brewers agreed to take Kei Igawa and pay a little of the $12MM he's owed. However, that amount isn't enough for the Yankees, currently

Hall Being Discussed in Cameron Deal

The Mike Cameron-to-the-Yankees has seemed to hit a stalement. The Yankees are trying to get the Brewers to eat up some of either Cameron or Kei Igawa's contracts. However, the Brewers are reluctant to do this seeing as the Yankees outbid them by $61 million on Sabathia. Another thing that's coming into play on this deal is Brewers 3B/IF Bill Hall. The Yankees have interest in Hall for a couple of reasons: Number one, he's good friends with C.C. Sabathia, which is also one of the main reasons they're trying to get Mike Cameron. Number two, they like Hall as a back-up infielder. Despite coming off a down year in 2008 (.225 AVG), Hall has put up very respectable numbers in Milwaukee. The third reason depends on what happens with Robinson Cano. If the Yankees were to trade Cano, possibly for Jake Peavy or Matt Kemp, Hall would not be a bad guy to have as a replacement. He can play second base and put up good numbers while doing so. Over his career he's averaged 21 homeruns, 74 RBIs and a .258 AVG. They're not great numbers but decent. 

Cameron Talks to Heat Up

Expect the Yankees and Brewers to intensify trade talks today. The Yankees are looking to deal Melky Cabrera and possibly Kei Igawa to the Brewers in exchange for Mike Cameron. The Brewers are willing to take Igawa, who was recently moved off the Yankees 40-man roster, but want the Yankees to pay for a large chunk of his remaining $12 million. The Brewers have asked about numerous pitchers on the Yankees roster including: Phil Coke, Jose Veras, and Mark Melancon, but were immediately shot down. 

Mike Cameron is scheduled to make $10 million in the up-coming season and the Brewers are trying to unload his contract to clear up money for pitching. They have big gaps in their rotation after losing C.C. Sabathia and probably losing Ben Sheets. The $100 million that was offered to Sabathia was only for him and thus not much of it will be used for other pitchers.

Mo Thankful For Newest Yankees

Last winter, when the Yankees were trying to acquire Johan Santana, Jorge Posada said "no disrespect to Wang" but the Yankees need a real ace-type. By this he meant a pitcher who can strike out anybody and dominate opposing lineups. Well it seems like Rivera feels the same way. "I think they're good acquisitions, I think they can help us out," Rivera said of C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. "With good pitching, we can have a lot of good things. It has been the problem for a few years, so now we have pitching, and hopefully we'll get it going." 

"There's nothing guaranteed; you still have to go out there and preform, but pitching is the name of the game," he added while signing autographs at the Last Licks ice cream parlor in Ryebrook. "It's great to have veterans at the front of the rotation."

"With young kids Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, a lot of things can happen, and that's what happened last year. Hopefully they can learn, and when they have a shot again, they take advantage of it."

Rivera, 39, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his throwing arm this offseason, but expects to be ready come Opening Day.

"Everything is okay, a lot of rehabbing," he said. "It's definitely painful, but everything is good."

C.C. Was a Bargain

There are many sportswriters out there criticizing Brian Cashman for spending too much money. They're saying that the $161 million they gave to Sabathia was way too much. We'll I've got a couple of points to make to counter what they're saying: The Yankees initial offer for C.C. was $140 million for 6 years which is $23.3 million per year. The final offer was $161 million for seven years which is actually $23 million per year, $.3  million less.

Many people have also compared it to Johan Santana's deal that he received from the Mets ($137.5 million, 6 years). However, based on how you look at it, Santana's deal can make Sabathia's look like a bargain for the Yankees! Santana has a $25 million club option for 2014 or a $5.5 million buyout. However, it can increase based on how he does in Cy Young voting and his IP. If that happens, he could get up to $157 million over seven seasons. Yes that's $4 million less than the Yanks paid for Sabathia but, the Yankees didn't have to give up any prospects to get him. And in that, lies the true reason why they got a good deal by signing Sabathia.

Santa CC-laus is Comming to Town!

The plan for C.C. Sabathia goes something like this:

Monday: Fly to New York and get there Monday night.

Tuesday: Take Physical

Wednesday: Be presented to the New York Media and put on the #52 XXL Yankees jersey

As for Burnett, he'll come as soon as his deal is official. His agent, Darek Braunecker said that no date had been set for A.J.'s physical.

Yanks Enter Teixeira Sweepstakes

The Yankees are interested in Mark Teixeira. It was bound to happen. How could the richest team and the best player not be bound to run into each other? Now that the Yanks have tended to their needs; signing C.C., A.J. and another low-priced starter on the way, it seems as though they will start to think on the offensive side. After saying goodbye to two great run-producers in Jason Giambi and Bobby Abreu, the Yankees are in need of someone to protect A-Rod and no, that someone is not Hideki Matsui and his artificial legs. Think about what their losing. Giambi and Abreu combined for 52 HR and 196 RBI. You can't replace that with Matsui, Posada, and Swisher's combined seasonal average of 75 HR and 288 RBI. You need those numbers other places in the lineup. 

However, the price tag on Teixeira might be a little to steep for them. With there already being three $20 million+ offers on the table (Nationals, Orioles, and Angels) and with another on the way from the Red Sox, it seems like the Yanks would have to give up a lot to get him. We'll just have to wait and see if this develops into an offer.

Update: Mike Cameron

The Yankees are trying to unload Kei Igawa on the Brewers and have them eat up the remaining $12 million on his contract. However, the Brewers are trying to trim their payroll and adding more money is not the way to do it. They need the money in order to restock a rotation that lost C.C. Sabathia and probably Ben Sheets. The other thing standing in the way is the 2nd player the Yankees would send. They have told the Brewers that no pitchers on their 40-man roster are avalible; meaning that Igawa would be the best pitcher they could get. The Brewers asked for Phil Coke, Jose Veras and Mark Melancon but were quickly told no.

Both sides expect this deal to get done eventually.

What if...

I always like to play the "what if" game. These are some cool Yankees what if scenarios:

What if...

1. the Yankees trade for Jake Peavy

Unlike some of the other things on this list, this one is more likely (but still not) to happen. If the Yanks were to put together a package that could include the likes of Austin Jackson and Ian Kennedy, they could deal for the 2007 NL Cy Young (that would give them both of the 2007 Cy Young winners). Just imagine their rotation then: C.C. Sabathia, Jake Peavy, A.J. Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang, and Joba Chamberlain. That is an incredible rotation, possibly best all-time. To have a guy like Wang, who's won 54 games in just 4 years, including two 19-win seasons! It would be amazing.

2. the Yankees had traded for Johan Santana

The Yankees had all the pieces there. They could've easily traded for the 2008 NL Cy Young runner-up, however they wouldn't trade Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy and thus began the 2008 season empty-handed. If they had traded for Santana, they probably wouldn't of signed C.C. Sabathia (or mabye they would) so you could just substitute him in Sabathia's place. However, one's things certain; if they had traded for Santana, they would've been in the play-offs last year. 

3. Pettitte doesn't come back

Brian Cashman is in Houston right now, talking with, longtime Yankee, Andy Pettitte. This has been the case the last couple seasons however it's a little different this year: The Yankees don't need him back this year. They could very easily sign another SP, most notably Ben Sheets or Derek Lowe. All Cashman is doing is going up to Pettitte and saying, "look, we don't really need you so here's 10 million dollars, take it or leave it." So this brings up the question of "what if he doesn't come back." Well, they move on. They go sign Sheets or Lowe or mabye a lower-teir guy. Or they put Pettitte's spot up for competition in their system. Either way, there'd be no #46 in the Bronx next year.

Aquisition Pics

Here are some pictures of what some of the 2009 Yankees acquisitions will look like in pinstripes:

 Nick Swisher

 A.J. Burnett

 C.C. Sabathia

Burnett To Accept Yanks' Deal

Members of the Yankees organization have comformed that RHP A.J. Burnett is ready to accept their 5 year, 80-85 million dollar contract. This gives the Yankees a great 1-2 punch (actually 1-2-3 punch w/ Wang) in Sabathia and Burnett. However, there's also a lot of injury concern regarding Burnett. He's pitched 8 seasons, but has only had 200 innings in 2 of them. It's very risky to give such a large offer to such a injury-prone-pitcher. However, that's a risk the Yankees seem to have to take if they want Burnett in their rotation.

What's Holding the Yankees Back From Teixera?

We've heard so much about the Yankees focusing on the rotation this off-season. However, after looking at numerous polls, it's apparent that the fans feel otherwise. They mostly think that the Yankees should be going after Mark Teixera instead. I mean who can blame them? The guy's a fantastic defensive 1st basemen and a good run-producer! I don't understand why the Yankees don't pursue them. They can easily afford him: They've got about $88 million coming off the books this year. They've spent about 20 on Sabathia and they'll probably spend about $30 more on the rest of their rotation, that leaves about $25 million (you have to subtract other salaries too) to spend on Teixera, more than enough! Not to mention the always fun part: pissing off the Red Sox.

Updates: Mike Cameron

Here are some updates on the Mike Cameron/Melky Cabrera deal. 

Initially, the deal seemed like it was going to get done very quickly because there weren't any road blocks. 

The Yankees were requesting that the Brewers eat up some of Cameron's contract. However, they aren't really willing to comply.

A third player seems to be in the mix as the Brewers seem to really want a pitcher. They would prefer Ian Kennedy but I can guaranty that that's not going to happen. They Yankees have been trying to push Kei Igawa on them, but the Brewers are a little hesitant.

Apparently the Brewers have asked about Igawa, which is good for the Yankees. I think that the deal will be and Cabrera and Igawa for Cameron but the Yankees will agree to eat Cameron's contract if the Brewers pay for most of Igawa's remanining money.

Cashman Flies to Pettitte

In an attempt to get Andy Pettitte's signing out of the way, Yankees GM Brian Cashman has flown to Houston in order to meet with the left-hander. The Yankees have been offering Pettitte a one-year deal worth about $10 million. However, Pettitte is looking for the same contract he's had the last 2 years, 1 year, $16 million. The Yankees seem very reluctant to go over 12.5 million dollars and unless Pettitte's willing to take that kind of a discount, he's not gonna be playing for a Yankees skipper next year (at least not the current one). If they had gone through an arbitration process, the contract would probably be about $13 million, which is higher than the Yankees are willing to go.

TWO 200 Million Dollar Men in the Bronx?

According to SI.com's Jon Heymen, the Yankees have re-entered the bidding for First Basemen Mark Teixera. The Yanks all but conceded from the Teixera derby a little less than a month ago, when NYY GM Brian Cashman said that he "didn't see both Sabathia and Teixera on the Yankees roster next year." However, the Yankees aren't about to just give Tex to the rival Red Sox. If they were to sign the powerful and defensive first basemen, they'd probably move Nick Swisher to the outfield. One other thing that could make it even more complicated is if they traded for Mike Cameron. Then, Swisher would probably be re-made into the role he hates so much, the bench. But I don't see this happening. The Yankees traded for Swisher in the hopes that he would be a starter for them, not a bench player. Also we've seen in the past that he struggles as a bench player a lot more than when he's playing on a regular-basis. So if the Yanks are able to sign Teixera (which I don't see happening), they probably won't trade for Mike Cameron. 

Yanks' 2009 CF: Gardner? Cabrera? Neither!

According to numerous sources. The Yankees are set to deal CF Melky Cabrera to the Brewers in exchange for CF Mike Cameron. Cameron is a great friend of Sabathia and the Brewers were waiting to see where Sabathia would sign before they dealt Cameron. This gives the Yankees a center fielder for 2009 but not much more, as they're just looking for a temporary one until Austin Jackson can hit the bigs.

C.C. Signing Finnishing Up, Burnett AND Lowe Next???

The Yankees and C.C. Sabathia have reached an agreement for $161 Million over 7 years. He also gets an opt-out option after 3 years. This sets a new record for a pitcher's salary, breaking that of Mets LHP Johan Santana (6 years 137.5 million) but not by much. Sure, $161 is a lot more than $137.5, but look at the annual salary. Santana makes $22.9 million a year, with this contract, Sabathia would get $23. However, it's still a lot of money and we'll see if he's worth it.

On another note, after reaching an agreement with Sabathia, the Yankees have since moved on to there other free agent targets: A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe. The Yanks have significant interest in both and are in discussions with the two righties. Lowe's offer is thought to be about 4 years, $64 million (about $15-16 a year) and Burnett's about the same. But both are different from another. In Lowe's case, the Yankees feel like they would be getting a durable innings-eater. They're prepared to offer him a good amount of money and know what they're getting in return. 

With Burnett, it's a little more complicated. Burnett's injury history has had a lot of teams concerned. However, when healthy, he puts up very good numbers. A.J. has been asking for a five year deal but so far the front runners for him have been the Atlanta Braves. But it appears that has changed. The Yankees have reportedly topped the Braves offer of 4 years $60 million with 4 years $64 million. It's also believed that they are willing to give him the 5th year if it means he signs with them. 

As for a clean sweep, I don't see it happening. Sure it would be nice, but to me, it seems like a waste of money. If the Yanks were to sign the top 3 pitchers of the 2009 Free Agent Market, they're combined salary would be a whopping $55 million! That's more than the Rays, Pirates, A's, Marlins, and Nationals all spent on they're whole teams last year! I think a better solution would be to sign either Lowe or Burnett (in that order) and then sign Pettitte to a 1-year $10-15 million contract. Then they're rotation looks like this: C.C. Sabathia, Chien-Ming Wang, Derek Lowe/A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, and Joba Chamberlain. That's what you call a dominant rotation! Put the Yankee's rock solid line-up behind that, and you've got yourself a play-off team!

NYCC

CC Sabathia has reportedly accepted the Yankees offer! The actual offer is undetermined right now (either for 6 years $140 million or 7 for $160 million). But that's not important right now.

What is, is that Brian Cashman met with Sabathia and he has finally accepted the Yankees offer.

C.C. Sabathia is going to be a Yankee!

Yankees Buying Pinstriped Sheets?

If you want to talk about a player's injury history affecting the contract he gets, Ben Sheets is the guy. Sheets' career has been riddled with injuries. In fact, a prime example of what his career has been like was last year: Sheets started the 2008 All-Star Game for the National League after going 10-4 with a 3.15 ERA in the first half. However, the injury bug bit him in the second half when injuries forced him to miss the play-offs. He finished the season with a 13-9 record, a 3.09 ERA, and 158 Ks in 198.1 IP. Those are good numbers that the Yankees apparently are interested in. 

The Yankees met with Sheets last night, a meeting that left, Yank's skipper, Joe Girardi impressed. Girardi said, "I thought it was a very good meeting. Obviously, I faced Ben Sheets when I was with the Cubs and have admired the work that he's done over the years. It was good to talk to him about his health, his routines, what he likes to do. He was a very open young man and he was very impressive." In his career, Sheets is 86-83 with a 3.73 ERA spending 8 seasons as an ace pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers. The Yankees have been reported as preparing an offer for him around $30 Million for 2 Seasons. "His numbers stack up against anyones," Girardi said. "He's healthy now, we believe. He's had some injuries, but injuries have been what have kept him out of that class. When he's on the mound, he's dynamite." The Yankees organization considers Sheets to be a low-risk move with lots of upside.

Cashman "Sabathia has interest in NY"

C.C. Sabathia met twice with the Yankees on Monday. The first time was by the club's request, the second one was his. It's been very well documented that Sabathia wants to play on the west coast. However, after meeting face-to-face with him, Yankees GM Brian Cashman says that C.C. has ligit interest in playing for the Yankees. Cashman also said that the meetings were very "positive" and even with Sabathia leaving Las Vegas, the Yankees are very optimistic. This might be the giddiest they've been so far in the race for the powerful lefty.

Yankees Top 10 Prospects

Here are my picks for the Yankees' top 10 prospects:

1. CF Austin Jackson AA Trenton

Jackson is probably the most athletic player in the Yankees organization. He is a highly touted prospect and could very well be the Yankees starting CF in 2010.  However, is baseball skills are still catching up to his potential but he has improved greatly since last year. Expect to see him in double-A or maybe even triple-A to start the season but could make his major league debut during the September call-ups.

2. C Jesus Montero A Charleston

Montero is the clubs best-hitting prospect. He batted .326 last year good for tops in the Yankees' system. He also showed good pop blasting 17 HR and collecting 87 RBI's along the way. Jesus has already experienced playing in Yankee Stadium: he was named to the futures team in 2008 and collected a base hit while there. He could make a return to the Bronx in 2011 or 2012.

3. CF Brett Gardner MLB New York

This one I'm sure people will disagree with. A lot of people have speculated about having Gardner man CF for the Yankees until Austin Jackson gets there (see above). They've questioned if he could hit well enough to hit in the big league level. However, the average CF last year hit in the low .200s, Gardner hit over .270 after his September call-up. And no one can argue with his speed. He is fun to watch and annoying for pitchers when he gets on base.

4. RP Mark Melancon AAA Scranton-WB

People have debated for what seems like a decade now about whether or not Joba Chamberlain should be a starter or not; this guy could have a lot to do with that. Melancon has been frequently touted as "the next Joba." The Yankees need a bridge to Rivera, and with a good Spring Training, Melancon could be that bridge.

5. C Francisco Cervelli AAA Scranton-WB

Cervelli is the Yankees' most major-league-ready catcher other than Posada and Molina. If anything were to happen to Posada that would keep him out long-term, this guy will get the call.  Cervelli batted .308 in an injury-shortened season last year after he was involved in a collision during Spring Training. He is also considered to be a plus-defender behind the plate.

6. SP Alfredo Aceves MLB/AAA Scranton-WB

Aceves rose quickly through the Yankees system last year. He was signed out of Mexican baseball and showed very good stuff along the way. He also made his major league debut plus a little extra in 2008. He went 1-0 in 3 starts with a 2.40 ERA and 16 Ks. Aceves showcased his ability to hit the corners, go deep in games, and change speeds effectively during his Bronx tenure. 

7. 1B Juan Miranda AAA Scranton-WB

Miranda is a good defensive first basemen with a good bat. He's well known around the Yanks' system for having a good glove at first base (something the Yankees haven't had since the Bamtino was wearing the pinstripes). Miranda also hit .287 with 12 HRs for Scranton. However, the thing he's most famous for, is his eye. Miranda had a .384 OBP. last year netting 55 walks along the way. That's something that will defiantly net him some consideration in years to come.

8. P Phil Coke MLB New York

He was almost dealt. In the innitial reports of the Yankees trade for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte, Phil Coke was said to be part of the deal. However, they retained him sending Jeff Kartasens instead. Good move! Coke was called up on September 1st and from then on, became the Yankees go-to guy in the bullpen. Coke netted  14.2 IP with the Yanks, going 1-0 with a fantastic 0.61 ERA (only allowed 1 run). He also recorded a nice 14 punch-outs. Coke is envisioned to play a significant part in the Yankees pen next year as a long reliever.

9. RP Pat Venditte A Staten Island

You can some up Pat Venditte: interesting. Venditte is the only switch-pitcher in baseball right now. When the Yankees drafted him they said that it wasn't just because of that fact that they drafted him, they considered him to be a legit prospect, and boy were they right. Venditte spent the season as the Staten Island Yankees closer, notching a 0.83 ERA, 23 saves, and 42 strike outs in 32 innings! You can tell already that it won't take him long to reach the Bronx (and possibly SNL).

10. SP Andrew Brackman N/A

Brackman was the Yankees No. 1 pick in 2007. He signed a 4-year $4.55 million dollar major league contract thanks to having super-agent Scott Boras helping him out. In college, Brackman played both Baseball and Basketball, while excelling in both. However, in the end he chose baseball. He's 6'10" and slings a 95+MPH fastball. That equals one word for hitters: intimidating. He's frequently compared to Randy Johnson. He's coming off Tommy John surgery and the Yankees envision him as an ace pitcher in the near future. 

Honorable Mention:

AAA: Eric Duncan 3B, Steven Jackson RP, Ian Kennedy SP, J.B. Cox RP, David Robertson RP

AA: Chase Wright SP

A: Humberto Sanchez P, Jeremy Beich SP

Reagins, "Teixeira Still Top Priority"

Tony Reagins, the Angel's GM, said today that retaining First Baseman Mark Teixeira is still the ball club's top priority. Recent rumors have stated that the Angels had moved on from Teixeira and were going after SP C.C. Sabathia instead. Reagins quickly shot down these rumors saying that there was "nothing to them." I'm sure this comes as good news to those in the Yankees organization who were worried about the Angels possibly stealing Sabathia away from them and their 6-year, $140-million offer.

My Free Agent Pics

Here are my pics as to where I think this years top free agents will land:

SP C.C. Sabathia-New York Yankees

Despite the rumors going around about the Angels possibly leading the chase for the ace left-hander, I still think he'll be putting on the pinstripes come next Spring. This is because I think that the Yankees feel like they need him too badly. They know that they can't offer the West Coast, but can offer bigger $$$ and a brand-new stadium for him to throw the first pitch in. 

SP A.J. Burnett-New York Yankees

I think A.J.'s also gonna wind up in the Bronx. The Yanks are prepared to offer him the most money out of all the teams bidding for him. Also, all the rumors about it being all about the 5th year being key for him, I don't buy. I think that it's just a scam set up brilliantly by his agent to get teams to offer him more money. However, I still think he wants the 5th year, it's just doesn't all depend on that.

SP Derek Lowe-Boston Red Sox

Lowe's interesting. He's a Scott Boras client, but unlike most Boras clients, he knows where he wants to play and he's willing to take less to go there. That place: Boston. He loved his time there and wishes to return. The Red Sox have a spot open in their rotation and they would welcome him back with open arms. However, many of the big market teams (and some small ones two) would love to change that as he is desired by most of the non-Sabathia teams. And the Yankees (of course).

1B Mark Teixera-Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (worst name EVER)

We all know the Angel's preference for how to sign free agents: short and quick. We've seen it many times with the most recent one being Tori Hunter in 2007. However, if they want Teixera they're gonna have to change that. Tex is the ideal Scott Boras client and is going to wait and let the market develop. There has been much speculation that the Angels will go after C.C. instead, but, as I've said before, I don't buy it. I think it's just a trick to get Teixera to lower his demands.

Sabathia Shutting Down

Having not made a decision yet, C.C. Sabathia and his agent have decided to take the weekend off.

At this point, it's a mystery as to what's going on with C.C. Some reports have been saying the Angels are dead serious, others are not so sure. Many people in the Yankees organization believe that it's all an attempt to get Mark Teixera to lower his demands. Also, there have been many reporters saying that if the Angels make it close, they won't raise their demands. However, it now seems like they would be willing to go to about $150 milllion if the Angels go to $130 million.

Angels Going "coocoo" for C.C.?

C.C. Sabathia has said it, and almost every article written about him since then has said the same thing: he wants to play in California. Well, you can add this one to that list after that. 

The Yankees know that if all things were fair, C.C. Sabathia would be pitching on the West Coast come this April. However, they're trying to make things not-fair. By offering C.C. $140 million, they showed their great interest. And up to this point, no one has dared go near. In fact, the only other offer on the table at this point is that of the Brewers, however, it's $40 million less. But, that doesn't mean there isn't speculation.  It is now being reported that the Angels, unable to sign Mark Teixera in their quick-strike fasion, will now switch their focus to Sabathia. If they can get anywhere near the money the Yankees have on the table, Sabathia will be getting used to having a halo on his jersey. And, FOX Sport's Ken Rosenthal reported earlier that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (worst name ever) are prepared to offer him Johan Santana money (that's $137.5 million). If they do that the Yankees have 2 options: 1) Raise their offer even further. Possibly even to $160 million for 7 years. or 2) Let him go to the Angels. Either way, Hank and Hal won't be happy.

The other interesting thing being said, is that if the Angels sign Sabathia, the Yankees will pursue Mark Teixera. Now to me, this move doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The Yankees already got Nick Swisher and unless they wanna put him in center and Teixera at first  (which isn't that bad), it doesn't seem likely. Also, Angels' owner Arte Moreno has never been one to dish out big contracts to pitchers. Plus, John Lackey's got an extension comming his way soon and having a $20 million pitcher on the roster wouldn't help that.

Another thing to look at is if this happened, neither of these clubs would be addressing their real needs by doing this. The Angels need offense and already have above average pitching. I think they need to step up and give Teixera a good offer, he'll come around. The Yankees BADLY need pitching. It's a top priority for them. Their offense will come back. Posada will be healthy (hopefully), Cano will probably bounce back and so will Swisher. Not to mention A-Rod being on cycle for recieving another MVP trophy this year (he's won it in '03, '05 and '07). Their offense will be fine. So unless there's some big Blockbuster deal in the works here, I don't see this happening. So cheer up Yankee fans! It's a long winter!

End of Moose Calls in The Bronx

Mike Mussina has officially retired. He told the associated press today that he is retiring from baseball. Turns out, this is what he was planning to do all along. He informed the media that before the season he knew it would be his last. But boy did he have a good season. Mussina racked up his first ever 20-win season of his career, notching his 20th win on the final day of the 2008 season, and in the final game of his great career. A career that might have a place in cooperstown someday. That is an argument that will go on for a while: is Mussina and his 270-career wins worthy of the plaque that all players desire? That is a question that the baseball writers will answer in 5 years. But for now, my hat is off to you Mike. You had a hell of good career.

Yankees About to Make Offer To A.J.?

According to George King of the New York post, and comfirmed on various other sites, the Yankees are readying a deal for RHP A.J. Burnett. It was announced today that the Yankees are going to offer Burnett a deal for about $80 million for 5 years. On the other side of the offer, the Blue Jays current offer stands at about $54 million for 4 years. To give a comparrison, if he accepts the Yankees offer, Burnett would make $16 million a year, with the Jays, he would only make $13.5 million. However, I highly doubt this is it when it comes to offers. Burnett is thought to be the most saught pitcher on the market due to the fact that the Yankees are most likely going to get Sabathia with ease and Burnett (and Derek Lowe) is the next best thing.

Now one big thing to look at here is that elusive 5th year for Burnett. Due to his injury history, teams are hesitant to give him that many years. Buster Olney of ESPN has an article about why the 5th year could be very important in deciding where Burnett ends up.

Padres GM: No Peavy Trade Talks With Yankees; Not Yet

Last week there were numerous published reports that the Brian Cashman and Padres GM Kevin Towers had been having trade talks regarding the Padres ace pitcher, Jake Peavy, since the end of the GM meetings. Today, Towers downplayed those rumors saying that a Peavy deal was not imminent. He said that he has not talked to Cashman in anything that resmebles "trade talk." Towers went on to say that "there wasn't any deal close right now" and that he would like to trade Peavy "sooner rather than later."

Towers said that right now the Cubs are his primary interest. However, they don't seem like the likely destination for the 2007 NL Cy Young Award Winner because they already have a rotation stacked with Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden, and probably Ryan Dempster. Not to mention Ted Lilly who is more than capable. Right now, it looks like Jake Peavy will be having a very nice offseason, in San Diego.

Where Does Nick Fit?

On Thursday, the Yankees acquired OF/1B Nick Swisher from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Wilson Betamit, Jeffrey Marquez and Johnny Nunez. The Yankees also acquired minor league pitcher Kanekoa Texeira. The question has been asked: was this a good or bad move for the Yankees. Lets break it down:

The Yankees traded for Wilson Betamit on the day of the trading deadline in 2007. The acquired him from the Dodgers in exchange for reliever Scott Procter. At the time, and for pretty much the remainder of the '07 season and parts of '08, it seemed like a good deal. Procter was over-worked by Joe Torre (1 of very few mistakes he made) and never really found himself in L.A. Betamit on the other hand, really hit his stride the first couple days he came to the Big Apple. In his very first at-bat donning pinstripes, Betamit launched a homerun over the center field fence and really showed that he had great power. However, he wasn't much of a defender. He could really only play 3rd or 1st base, with a little short thrown in. But his major problem, was with his eye. Betamit demonstrated terrible plate discipline, frequently striking out and chasing bad pitches. Sure, he had his good moments. However, a lack of hitting from the right side and in general, cost him mightly as he was tagged a liability by the Yankees and on Thursday, traded.

Marquez is a different story. He was labeled one of the Yankees top prospects before 2008. Everyone was predicting him to be the next top Yankees prospect. However, these predictions were off. Marquez was injured for a good chunk of the season and in what time he was healthy, he was busy posting a 4.00+ ERA and thus he never made it out of Triple-A. Sure he might've been better in the furture, but he was clearly over-rated.

Finally we get to Swisher. I like comparing Nick to Jason Giambi. It's pretty easy to tell by the numbers that Swisher is an upgrade from Giambi. The former 1st round draft pick by the A's, Swisher holds an amazing eye and thus picked out by A's GM, Billy Beane (this story is illustrated in the great book "Moneyball"). Swisher quickly rose the ranks and played very well for the A's. Before the 2008 season, he was dealt to the White Sox. There, his numbers slipped a little. His batting AVG dropped mightly as his strikeouts rose, however, I still consider him to be a quality player. Lets compare him to Giambi now. Swisher and Giambi's stats are quite similar. They both have batting AVGs hovering around .250 (Swisher's is a bit lower than Giambi's but he had a down year). Giambi had more HRs than Swisher (Giambi had 32 whereas Swisher had 26), however he also had more ABs. They both hold great eyes at the plate, but both have quite a few K's racked up. And both are great influences in the clubhouse. Swisher is also quite a bit younger than Giambi. However, it's in the field that really sets them apart. We've all seen it and we all hate watching Jason Giambi lumber around 1B. He's no defender and is only there due to the Yankees having to many DH type players (something I would love to see them change). However, Swisher is another story. Nick Swisher can do it all; he can play all the outfield postitions and he can play a solid 1B. Win win for the Yankees.

For now, it looks like Nick Swisher will be the Yankees everyday first basemen, but you never no. 1 of a couple things could happen: The Yankees are expected to offer Mark Teixera about $20 million a year for around 5-6 years instead of the 10 he's asking for. If he accepts, he'll obviously play first base. The other scenerio (one I'm actually quite hopeful for) is that Juan Miranda's name will come into play. He's been tearing it up in the Arizona Fall League and is a great defensive first basemen with a great OBP and average power. He too could play 1B for the Yankees in 2008. If either of the situations happen, it will probably put Nick Swisher in CF replacing Brett Gardner (I personally would love to see the Yankees keep him there but that's a story for a different day). Gardner would probably be used as a pinch-runner or defensive replacement late in games. Here's a look at what the Yankees lineup could look like if either of those situations pan out.

1. Johnny Damon LF/Johnny Damon LF
2. Derek Jeter SS/Derek Jeter SS
3. Mark Texiera 1B/Xavier Nady RF
4. Alex Rodriguez 3B/Alex Rodriguez 3B
5. Hideki Matsui DH/Hideki Matsui DH
6. Xavier Nady RF/Jorge Posada C
7. Nick Swisher CF/Nick Swisher CG
8. Jorge Posada C/Robinson Cano 2B
9. Robinson Cano 2B/Juan Miranda 1B

Sabathia Thinking; Yankees Pursuing Burnett and Lowe

C.C. Sabathia has gotten a record-setting offer. He's heard all the hype. And he's heard each writer give his or her own opinion on where he will wind up (most go with the Yanks). But now it's decision time. He's going to take this weekend to think over the Yankees six-year, $140 million contract. When he's done, we may have a #52 Yankees jersey being made.

In other news the Yankees are now aggressivly pursuing A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe. They're expected to make big offers to both, but only sign one. Lowe has publicly said that he wishes to return to the Red Sox and would be willing to take less money to go there. However, the question remains if they would like him back and how much is "less" because after all, he is a Scott Boras client. If you look at the Red Sox rotation if they signed Lowe, it's a rotation that would strike fear into opposing teams. You got Beckett and Dice-K leading off, then you can throw in Lowe, put the young-gun Lester in after him, and then you have the reliable Tim Wakefield closing things in. In other words, sucks to be someone on the other team.

With Burnett the Yankees see themselves having a better chance. He's expressed interest in both playing in the American League and the East Coast, win-win. He's also said he's interested in playing for the Yankees. If you look at his track record, he doesn't look like the best guy to throw money at. He's well-known for being injured, in fact last year was one of just a few full seasons that he's had. But what a year it was. He had his career season going 18-10 4.07 ERA (passable) and a WHOPPING 231 K's! That's something the Yankees have been missing for the past decade or so. Also he's been very tough against the Yankees in particular in 2008 and his whole career. He's a guy they should try to lock up for 4-5 years.

There's also been some speculation that the Padres might have found a trading partner in the Yankees for Jake Peavy. The Braves and Cubs we're initially (and up until a couple days ago) thought to be the front-runners for the 2007 NL Cy Young winner. But they both dropped out recently. The Braves because the Pad's just didn't like what they were offering them. And the Cubs because they relized that with Ryan Dempster comming back, they don't really have a need for Peavy and don't want to give up all the young talent to get him.

However, just because the Yankees are still there doesn't mean they're going to get him. The Padres are looking for young pitching as well as a major league-ready center fielder. The Yankees probably could get Peavy with a package consisting of Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Austin Jackson, Brett Gardner, or Melky Cabrera. The irony in this is, that this was pretty much the exact same offer that the Twins were looking for last year when they were shopping Johan Santana. However, I don't see the Yankees giving up that much quality talent for a seemingly non-necessary piece to their organization.

Darrell Dealt

Darrell Rasner asked the Yankees for a trade. His agent told them that he wanted to play in Japan. So, they listened to him. They sold his contract to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, a club in central Japan. His agent informed the Yankees of his decision on Saturday and he is expected to sign a two-year deal with the Golden Eagles.

Rasner made 20 starts for the Bronx Bombers last year going 5-10 with a 5.40 ERA. He joined them after being virtually unhittable in Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barry. He started off going 3-0 with the Yankees but then his stats dropped off the rest of the year when he went 2-10, eventually being demoted at the end of the year. He probably did not factor into the Yankees 2009 rotation but could've served a role as a long reliever or a fill-in starter ready to go in Triple-A.

Yankees Start Off Sabathia Sweep-Stakes

Friday was the first official day where other teams could make offers to free agents. As many people around baseball had predicted, the Yankees made the first move. According to numerous reports, the Yankees have offered free agent pitcher C.C. Sabathia a deal believed to be for about 6 years and north of the record-setting contract the Mets gave Johan Santana last winter. That deal was for about $137.5 million dollars, the Yankees pitch to Sabathia is believed to be around $140 million.
If Sabathia signs this deal, or a deal worth more than that, it will set the record for the highest ever contract given to a pitcher. A record that I'm sure Sabathia would love to own. His agent has yet to inform the Yankees of Sabathia's decision regarding the offer, but it will probably be declined as C.C. and the Yankees organization move into discussions.
Sabathia will probably sign with a team within the next 2-3 weeks.