The New York Mets signing of Michael Cuddyer

The Mets signed outfielder Michael Cuddyer to a two year and 21 million dollar deal.  They were the first ones to make a big splash.  Cuddyer is a sign that the Mets are ready to compete and done with their rebuilding mode.  He turned down the one year/15.3 million dollar qualifying offer from the Colorado Rockies.  The Rockies will get a compensation pick from the Mets which will be the number 15 pick in the draft. 

Cuddyer is 35 and a two time all-star.  He was the 2013 National League batting champion.  He is a veteran of 14 seasons with the Minnesota Twins and Colorado Rockies.  He owns a career 279 average and has played in 1,419 games.  He hits and throws right handed.  He played 49 games last season with the Rockies batting 332 with 10 homeruns and 31 RBI.  He made three trips to the disabled list with a left shoulder strain and a left hamstring strain. 

"We talk a lot about not giving up picks.  In this case, we looked at it, did the analysis and decided this player was worth it.  We had a pretty good sense of what was out there.  We're pretty happy that we addressed one of our biggest needs and, although we sacrificed a draft pick, didn't give up any of our current talent," Ricco said.  "We're still in a great position to have a productive meeting at the GM meetings and see how else we can improve the team.  "Certainly we value our draft picks and would like to hold onto them.  But, at the same time, we're looking to win.  So in this case, we decided that the value of Michael Cuddyer was worth it." 

They said that they looked at the injuries and there was nothing too concerning.  They feel he will be a good player for them.  They said the age is the age and their is risk with any signing but this is one they were willing to take.  I think this is a good move for the Mets as long as they add at least a shortstop with it.  I believe they are going to do that and then they are on their way.  They are too close to contending now to not take some risk and spend some money.  He will be a good veteran bat in the middle of their lineup.  It also signals to the fans and the rest of the baseball world that they aren't fooling around anymore and that the Mets are for real now. 

The New York Yankees reach an agreement with Brian McCann

The New York Yankees reach an agreement with Brian McCann


The New York Yankees have opened up their wallets and signed Brian McCann. It is the first big signing of the free agency season. The Yankees who didn’t get much out of the catching position last year now have one of the best in the game. At least offensively that is. McCann isn’t a great defensive catcher but he isn’t horrible either. The Yankees had Jorge Posada for all those years and were able to win. You don’t find really good hitting catchers too often and now they have another on in McCann.

The Yankees did have Russell Martin a couple of years ago but he wasn’t even that good offensively. He hit a lot of homeruns but didn’t hit for a very high average. McCann is near a 280-career hitter. He is a pull hitter, which will play very well in Yankee stadium and their short right field porch. He is a guy who consistently hits 20+ homeruns and now should see a boost in Yankee Stadium. I could see him now hitting 30+ a year.

The Yankees not only gave him 5 years and 85 million, he has a 6th year vesting option which could push it to 100 million. He also has a full no trade clause. He is 29 years old so he is still in his prime.

Is this a risky deal, it could be in the final couple of years of the deal. The Yankees though are the ultimate now team. They are coming off a year where they missed the playoffs and their rivals the Boston Red Sox won it all. The Yankees are not going to rebuild, they are going to reload. This is just the first step; they now have their catcher.

McCann could also move to first base in 2016 when Mark Teixeira becomes a free agent and he will be able to get DH days being in the American League. I think this is a good deal for the Yankees and of course for McCann.

The Yankees will now set their sights on Carlos Beltran and then hope to resign Robinson Cano. If they can do that, it will be some lineup and they could work on the pitching. They have their eyes on Tanaka from Japan but don’t know when and if he will be posted. If he is they figure to go hard after him and hope to resign Hiroki Kuroda also. The Yankees anyway you look at it will have a very busy off-season. It got off to a good start for them on Saturday with this big signing. Stay tuned for more to come and it could be soon.

Baseball News

I am back, i took the day off yesterday due to me and my family having some kind of stomach virus. I didn't get to talk about the Yankees inviting 20 non roster players to spring training. I am not going to go through the whole list but basically you know most of them. The Yankees have announced some of the signings in the past few weeks. Reid Gorecki, Royce Ring, Marcus Thames etc got the invites and minor league deals with incentives if they make the roster. The 2 top catchers Austin Romine and Jesus Montero got invites along with Kei Igawa. If you forget who Igawa is he is the Japanese pitcher the signed a fews yrs ago that has become a bust. I am thinking the Yankees will give him the chance to be the 2nd lefty out of the pen but I doubt that will happen. The Yankees currently have Damaso Marte but they have other guys who will try and win that job. Wilkens Arias and Jeremy Bleich are 2 left handers to keep an eye on. Arias is 29 so not much of a prospect but held lefties to a sub 200 batting avg last year in the minors. Bleich spent his first year in pro ball last season and is a starting pitcher that could move quickly. It is always good to see some of the prospects and guys fighting for jobs in spring training. It appears that Chien-Ming Wang will be heading to Washington. He is expected to sign a minor league deal for 2 million with the chance to make the team when healthy. Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reported this morning that he already chose the Nationals. The Atlanta Braves offered Johnny Damon a one year deal today for 4 million with deferred money that could double it. He apparently turned it down still seeking a 2 yr deal. The Tigers and Rays are still said to have interest but may also want to keep it at a one year deal.

Slow Day in Baseball

I didn't get up any posts yesterday, as it was a really uneventful day. The one bit of news that emerged was Jerry Hairston Jr. on a XM radio show saying that he never got an offer from the Yankees. The reason is the story though, he said it is because the Yankees were waiting for Johnny Damon to come to them and his price to drop. Yankees GM a little while later shot down that rumor but I would think it is probably true. If Johnny Damon comes to the Yankees and says he will take a one year deal for 5 million are the Yankees really going to say no?? I mean if they go a few million over budget is it going to kill them, I don't think so this is the Yankees. The Angels also signed Joel Piniero to a 2 yr deal worth 16 million. This is another guy the New York Mets missed out on. I really wonder who the Mets may get now, Jon Garland, Ben Sheets?? I think this was a good move by the Angels, they had to do something to counter what Seattle has been doing plus he is a pretty steady veteran pitcher.