New York Yankees Hot Stove notes

New York Yankees Hot Stove notes


The New York Yankees officially announced a two-year deal with Brendan Ryan. There is a third year option. He is a defensive whiz who played a lot of SS for them at the end of last year. He is insurance for Derek Jeter. They are giving him two million a year and the third year option is for one million.

The Yankees apparently extended an offer to Hiroki Kuroda. It is for one year and 15-16 million. He takes his time and the Yankees know that but they are really trying to entice him. He has been very good for the Yankees the last two years. He has burned out at the end of the year but the Yankees have enough pitching that they could protect him more now. This would be a big signing for the Yankees considering they only have CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova as sure bets. They want Tanaka from Japan but don’t know when and if he will be posted. If they have CC, Nova and Kuroda they can fill out the other two spots with Phelps, Pineda, Warren, Nuno and feel comfortable.

The Yankees traded what ended up as their starting catcher last year. Chris Stewart is headed to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a player to be named later. He was a guy that most likely would have been non-tendered so instead they traded him getting something for him. It will most likely be a single A player.

The Yankees non-tendered David Adams who was a huge disappointment last year when he got his chance. Matt Daley and Jayson Nix were the other two players who were non-tendered. There were no surprises with this.

How about Robinson Cano, the Yankees and him remain about 80 million apart. He wants somewhere in the neighborhood of nine years and 250-260 million. The Yankees have offered him seven years and 160-170 million. I expect the Yankees and him to eventually come to an agreement but I don’t think the Yankees are going to budge much. They may go to 8 years and 200 million. He could find a team but right now there doesn’t appear to be any other team.

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.

New York Yankees updates heading into the Winter Meetings

The baseball hot stove has heated up the past couple of days. The Yankees are in the news for signing a couple of their old players. The Yankees have resigned Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera to one year deals. They did the same for Hiroki Kuroda a couple of weeks ago, they seem pretty set in the pitching department. The Yankees head into the winter meetings looking for a catcher, right fielder and some bench help. 
Andy Pettitte was signed officially yesterday for one year and 12 million with performance based bonuses. Mariano Rivera officially signed tonight for one year and 10 million also with performance based bonuses. Kuroda had signed earlier in the off season for one year and 15 million. The Yankees did lose Russell Martin to the Pirates tonight though, he signed for two years and 17 million pending a physical. The Yankees apparently didn’t make him an offer as they said they weren’t going to match that offer. I want to make it clear that it wasn’t that they didn’t have the money, they just chose not to spend it on Martin. The Yankees I am sure have a plan for catcher. I would trust Cashman and company more then some of the fans do. I do think he was a very good catcher but he did hit 211 last year so let’s not act like it is the end of the world.

The Yankees right now though have Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart as their catchers with Austin Romine in the minors about to get a good luck. I don’t think the Yankees will sign any of the free agents such as Mike Napoli and A.J. Pierzynski. I think if anything the Yankees will make a trade for a catcher, maybe they will just go with what they have, say play good defense and don’t worry about the hitting. They may figure that these guys can’t really do worse then 211, they will lose a lot of power though.

The Yankees most likely will resign Ichiro Suzuki to a one year deal to be their right fielder and I am all for it. They are going to lose Nick Swisher along with Martin though and that is a lot of power gone from the team. The Yankees may have a whole new offensive strategy though which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I am all for Ichiro, Gardner, Nunez and one of those catchers playing. They can use speed, more bunts and hit and run and manufacture runs. When it comes to the playoffs that is how you score runs and the Yankees won’t have to wait for the homerun and more often then not fail because of that.

In other baseball news the Minnesota Twins traded Denard Span to the Washington Nationals for minor league right handed pitcher Alex Meyer. It was a good move for the Nationals as they have a legitimate leadoff hitter now and he will play good defense also. Bryce Harper can now shit to left field where he is better served.

There are some other rumors going around such as the Dodgers being the favorites to sign Zack Greinke. The winter meetings will begin next week and I am sure we will get a lot of action and really start to see how things are going to line up for next year. Will the Yankees have a new catcher and right fielder by the end of the meetings, will they sign some spare parts?? Will the Yankees make a big move such as signing Josh Hamilton?? I would doubt them making a big move but you never know.

Yankees Day in Camp

Jesus Montero put on a show, he hit one ball on top of the scoreboard. He just has amazing raw power and Joe Girardi said that his offense is real mature. He also talked about how he has been improving behind the plate and they still view him as a catcher. This kid appears to be a amazing offensive machine and that is what is going to get him to the big leagues, they will figure out the rest. Montero said that he hasn't been trying to hit long homeruns, he said this " Today I found it a little bit, I tried to put a good swing on the ball and that is what happened." The other big story of the day was Posada catching A.J. Burnetts bullpen. Here is what A.J. had to say " It all went back to when I was right, if Jorge was going to catch me or not is irrelevant becasue when my mind is right then everything is a lot easier for Jorge." A.J. Burnett was blaming himself and then added everything went well today and he hopes he catches all his bullpens and starts all year. Here is what Joe Girardi had to say " I think sometimes when people talk about the relationship, they make the relationship bigger then it is, like it's what they do when they aren't in the game together." " To me it is just the understanding of the pitcher when he is on the mound that day and what you need to do. That's the relationship that you continue to learn." Here is some more of what A.J. had to say " I never questioned Jorge, never would and never did. I questioned myself and then everyone thought I questioned Jorge. He has caught in this league for a long time and I can do nothing but learn from him, so I am looking forward to it." There is audio of A.J. Burnett as well as Joe Girardi on the Lohud Yankees Blog

Here are some Yankee notes

I missed this a couple of days ago but David Cone has been let go by the Yes Network. I am really going to miss him, I thought he grew into his role and the best is when he said crazy things and didn't even realize what he was saying. There was talk when this first started being rumored of Tino Martinez going to the booth but right now that doesn't look to be the case. Sergi Mitre signed a 1 yr deal with the Yankees for $850,000. According to Chad Jennings of the Lohud Yankees Blog who spoke with Brian Cashman, Cash said the Yankees are basically done. They are just looking at a right handed bat for left field to play against lefties and some bench help and non roster invitees to spring training. I think the more and more you interpret this it means Gardner is going to be the left fielder with Reed Johnson signing as a role player. The Yankees did announce as expected that all the coaches are returning in their roles from last season. Cash said as of right now Cervelli is the backup catcher- I hope they don't sign someone else because the pitchers really liked working with him and he even hit a little which a backup isn't expected to do. Cashman said he is not looking for bullpen help, that he is always looking for pitching but with what they have right now that is not his focus. Phil Hughes, Boone Logan, Francisco Cervelli and Romulo Sanchez each have one option left. Joba Chamberlain has three. He also said the team has agreed to several minor league contracts but he isn't ready to disclose those yet.

Mariano Rivera-Simply the Best

Mariano Rivera notched his 500th save last night becoming only the second pitcher in history to accomplish that and made me stop and think back. I am 31 years old and have seen pretty much every save that MO has ever had, i am a diehard fan and go or watch just about every single game. Mariano Rivera started out as a skinny little kid that was a starting pitcher in the minor leagues. He came up in 1995 and if Buck Showalter knew what he had in MO things may have drastically been different for lots of people. The Yankees lost a thrilling division round playoff to the Seattle Mariners that year in 5 games. Buck Showalter didn't know what he had in MO and if he did the Yankees probably would have won and maybe gone on to win the World Series and there would of been no Joe Torre and maybe not all those championships but who knows. Mariano Rivera failed as a starting pitcher and was converted to relief and thank goodness Buck and Gene Michael and some others saved him because if it was up to George Steinbrenner they would of traded him to get a shortstop because they were so worried about a kid named Derek Jeter being the starting shortstop for the Yankees. It is really funny how all these years later they are still teammates and both headed to the Hall Of Fame. Mariano Rivera started out as a setup man in 1996 for John Wetteland and made the games 6 innings when Mo would come in for the 7th and 8th and just blow people away and hand the ball off to Wetteland for the save, the Yankees won the World Series that year and next year Wetteland was gone and MO became the closer which he has stayed ever since. Mariano is such a humble man that he didn't even think about that in the offseason until they called him up and said you are going to be our closer and he said ok I will do my best. Mariano Rivera is such a cool customer and never shows too much emotion either way, he acts the same all the time, no matter if it is playoffs, World Series, regular season, spring training. It is funny that now you have Jonathan Papelbon, K-rod even Joba Chamberlain who have some histrionics to them and you still have MO just simply walking towards the catcher and shaking hands. The game last night was a time when he truly could of let loose with emotion but he did what he always does and of course everyone of his teammates walked up to him and hugged him, Derek Jeter had a moment with him and Jorge Posada also had a nice embrace, these guys have been together for a long time and it was great to see. The thing that makes MO great other then him just saving all of these games and being the best in the postseason and never sweating even after he does blow games is how humble he is and what a great person he is. They asked him about saving 500 and what he means and he still thanked go and all of his teammates, it is truly a pleasure to have witnessed his whole career and being able to tell my kids and grandkids one day that i saw the greatest closer of all time pitch. I don't know what will happen when he finally decides to hang it up but it will be a sad sad day. I definitely would love to be there the day he is in Cooperstown inducted into the Baseball Hall of FAme. Congratulations MO you are simply the best.

Roster move and a couple other injury notes

Kevin Cash was optioned to AAA-Scranton. They like Francisco Cervelli and want him catching CC Sabathia tomorrow. Jose Molina is going to catch in a game tomorrow and will be back soon enough. Xavier Nady starts a throwing program on Monday and Brian Bruney on Tuesday. The Yankees have not discussed Joba in the pen and Girardi said the great thing about presidential debates is that they end. I love that line, he is a starter and should be a starter, they will find a reliever if they have too but for the long run Joba belongs in the rotation. There is hope that Melky could be back in the lineup on Monday, he has really progressed in the last couple of days and says no need to go on the DL. You can hear audio of Jorge Posada on Peter Abrahams blog. He discusses how proud of Cervelli he is.

Yankees weekly Minor League roundup

AAA- The Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees continue to be in first place. Austin Jackson who is the Yankees #2 prospect is batting 358 with 0 homeruns and 19 rbi's. It would be nice to see a little power but that is always last to develop and he plays a good centerfield. He has a 442 obp. In the pitching department we know what Dave Robertson and Mark Melancon are as we have seen them as well as Edwar Ramirez. Ian Kennedy is on the DL and Phil Hughes is in the major league rotation. AA- Jorge Vasquez is hitting 299 with 7 homeruns and 30 rbi's. He was signed out of the Mexican league just like Alfredo Aceves. Eduardo Nunez is batting 286 with 2 homeruns and 16 rbis. Vasquez plays 1b and Nunez is a SS. Pitching wise Christian Garcia is healthy and has pitched 9.1 innings giving up 6 hits, 6 walks and 8 strikeouts. He hasn't given up a run yet, the Yankees think highly of him but he has to stay healthy. Zach McAllister is 2-2 with a 2.25 era. He has pitched 40 innings giving up 33 hits with 13 walks and 27 strikeouts. A- Jesus Montero is batting 324 with 5 homeruns and 30 rbi's, he is the Yankees top prospect and is a catcher. Austin Romine who is also a catcher is hitting 289 with 4 homeruns and 21 rbi's. Austin Krum an outfielder is batting 300. Pitching wise Jeremy Bleich is 3-2 with a 2.94 era. Dellin Betances is 2-4 with a 4.87 era.

Weekly look at the Yankees Minors

AAA-Scranton- They are 26-11 in first place by 4.5 games. Kevin Russo is batting 449, they like this guy and are trying to turn him into a super utility player. Austin Jackson is hitting 342, he doesn't have a homerun and has 13 rbi's. The power is usually the last to come but he is a great athlete and has done a good job in AAA so far and could be with the Yankees at the end of the year or next year. Shelly Duncan is the big power guy down there batting 313 with 11 homeruns and 32 rbi's. I wonder if he may get a shot again at some point, I don't think they will keep Angel Berroa and Ramiro Pena both around forever. Juan Miranda and John Rodriguez both have 6 homeruns. Juan Miranda really doesn't have a place since he plays 1b and Tex is here now for a long time and John Rodriguez is another guy like Shelly Duncan but we will see what the Yankees do. Pitching wise Kei Igawa started bad but is pitching well going 3-0 with a 3.70 era. He has pitched 41 1/3 innings giving up 36 hits with 8 walks and 25 strikeouts. I wonder if someone will want him if he puts up another good year in AAA because this guy won't sniff NY again. Casey Fossum has pitched well since being claimed off waivers for them, he has a 1.78 era in 5 games. Zachary Kroenke is lights out going 3-0 with a 1.08 era, he has pitched 16.2 innings giving up 10 hits, 10 walks and 10 strikeouts. Mark Melancon is 2-0 with a 0.66 era and Dave Robertson is 0-2 but has a 1.54 era. AA-Trenton- Trenton is 16-18 on the year 3 games out of first place. Jorge Vasquez a prospect they signed out of Mexico is hitting 329 with 6 homeruns and 26 rbi's. Colin Curtis is batting 291. Reegie Corona is batting 282. Pitchers- Zach McAllister is 2-1 with a 2.38 era. He has pitched 34 innings with 12 walks and 22 strikeouts. George Kontos was pitching well here and just got promoted to AAA, I will wait a little longer to see how he does there. Wilkins Arias is 0-1 with a 2.95 era, Wilkin De La Rosa is 1-0 with a 2.45 era. He has thrown 11 innings giving up 12 hits with 4 walks and 16 strikeouts. He was pitching so well in A they bumped him up to AA. A-Tampa- The tampa Yankees are 15-21 in last place 9.5 games out of first. Jesus Montero is one of the Yankees brightest prospects he is hitting 318 with 5 homeruns and 25 rbi's, he is a catcher. Austin Romine another catcher is hitting 275 with 3 homeruns and 16 rbi's. Mitch Hilligoss is hitting 316. Austin Krum is hitting 284, he is an outfielder that was drafted last year. Pitchers- Jeremy Bleich is 2-2 with 3.13 era. He has pitched 46 innings giving up 41 hits with 15 walks and 31 strikeouts. Dellin Betances one of the other Yankees top prospect is 2-3 with a 4.19 era. He has pitched 38.2 innings giving up 41 hits with 20 walks and 39 strikeouts. A-Charleston- They are 20-17 and 1.5 games out of first. David Adams is batting 291 with 16 rbi's. Corbin Joseph is batting 321. Pitchers- Manny Banuelos is 1-1 with a 3.38 era. He has pitched 26.2 innings giving up 24 hits with 9 walks and 31 strikeouts. Andrew Brackman is 0-4 with a 4.01 era, he has pitched 42.2 innings giving up 42 hits with 17 walks and 40 strikeouts. Pat Venditte is 2-1 with a 1.06 era. He has pitched 17 innings giving up 13 hits with 1 walk and 26 strikeouts. He has 10 saves.

Yankees/Twins Recap and other Yankee Notes

The New York Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins this afternoon at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. This was a nice quick game with Andy Pettitte getting the start and Jorge Posada behind the plate. Pettitte pitched 3 innings giving up 0 runs, 2 hits and 1k. Phil Coke also pitched 3 innings giving up 3 hits, 1 run, 1 walk and 2ks. Jose Veras, Anthony Claggett and Steven Jackson all pitched scoreless innings. The important thing was Jorge Posada did catch 4 innings, he didn't have a chance to try and throw a runner out but was throwing in between innings and Pettitte said he looked the same. He also had 2 more hits so he continues to be right on schedule to start the season. The offense had Damon and Swisher going 1-3. Big Tex was 0-2 but had a sac fly, Shelly Duncan went 1-1 and Melky Cabrera went 1-2. Angel Berroa continued his hot hitting going 1-2 with 2 rbi and Pena went 2-3 with a rbi. News and Notes: There were some guys cut today and reassigned to minor league camp and they are Jesus Montero, Mark Melancon, Christian Garcia, Kevin Russo, Ian Kennedy and Kyle Anson. The only suprise if you want to call it that is Mark Melancon who many thought might make it out of spring training including me, but I am sure he will be up with the Yankees at some point this season. Jesus Montero defintely showed off to the Yankees in the time he had in big league camp. Ian Kennedy is hoping to have a bounce back year but I am sure Phil Hughes is ahead of him so we may not see him at the big league level this year. Wang was working with pitching coach Dave Eiland on his arm slot in the bullpen today. Cashman had a lot of quotes today on some of the guys. This is what he had to say about Marte and Cano " There's a yellow flag, Hopefully it's just rest and recovery. Until we see the MRIS we just don't know, i hope there is no bad news. Ian Kennedy- " I just know that he went home and processed what took place last year. It was the first time in his career that he failed. He went to winter ball, made some adjustments and came out with the confidence. He came to camp in a great frame of mind and he heads to Scranton the same way. " Because he had so much success early, he didn't finish off some things he needed to work on and now he's back on track. I think he's going to have a big year, I really do. It will be a different Ian Kennedy for this franchise in 2009 then there was in 2008." Phil Hughes- " You're seeing that curveball and change more and more and to me that's a very good sign. He's becoming more complete." Mark Melancon- "He's somebody we're excited about. He's got ability, he works hard and he wants it. That's a good recipe right there." Jorge Posada-" It's good that we got to this day. Not this specific day, but we thought we wouldn't be ready to catch until Mid-March to catch in games and here we are. So we go from this point, that's an important first step of many more. These next few weeks, we'll really see it. " I guarantee and this is just me thinking, knowing how injuries are that in the back of his mind he doesn't trust it yet. Until he gets to the point where it's instinct and it just happens and he says, Wow, I didn't think about that. That's where he will work through the final phase of this thing. " I need Matsuis knees to be fine and I need Posada to be a catcher. That gives our lineup length and depth, with guys with plate discipline, guys with the ability to give professional at bats. Those guys know what they are doing. If these guys aren't available it changes the lineup radically, especially 6-9. I don't want to be in that position, honestly. " Jorge Posada is feisty, hungry and he wants to win. He doesn't get enough credit for the leadership he brings to that clubhouse. He is intense and sometimes that intensity can carry into some emotional outbursts that aren't always a bad thing. We missed him both on that field and in that clubhouse last year. Losing Wang and the way our pitching went last year was devastating. But our biggest loss was Jorge Posada."

Yanks make Minor Trade

The New York Yankees traded left handed pitcher Chase Wright to the Milwaukee Brewers for outfielder/catcher Eric Fryer. Chase Wright is best known for giving up 4 consecutive homeruns in Fenway Park a couple of years ago. He was 25 yrs old and a pretty good pitcher in the minors but this is where the Yankees are stacked and it appears they made a solid trade here. Eric Fryer is 23 yrs old batted 335 with 26 doubles,5 triples,10hrs and 61 rbi in 104 games with single A West Virginia in 2008. He led the South Atlantic league in Avg,obp and ranked third in slugging percentage(.506). He was originally selected by the Brewers in the 10th round of the 2007 draft out of Ohio State. He will be assigned to single A. The Yankees as I have said before are short on position players and we may see more of this in the future. They are stacked at pitcher and not everyone can make the big club so it benefits them to get some better position players in return for their pitchers. Brian Cashman alluded to this last night at a dinner he was at in Connecticut.