Off-Season Blather

[Sam56]

"NY Yankees manager Joe Girardi has hand in offseason plans

By Marc Carig/The Star-Ledger
 
December 02, 2009, 4:38PM

NEW YORK -- Yankees manager Joe Girardi will be in Tampa on Thursday, along with general manager Brian Cashman, for meetings with team ownership to finalize the Yankees' plans for the offseason. The most important piece of business at the meetings will be to hammer out the team's budget for acquiring new talent.

"We do have an older team and that is some concern," Girardi said. "We got younger last year and possibly get a little younger this year. I'm not sure if we will or not. The hardest thing is if we win as a group, there's a bond there and you don't want that bond to be broken."

Girardi, in Manhattan on Wednesday afternoon to accept the March of Dimes' Sportsman of the Year Award, said he has been in constant contact with Cashman in preparation for next week's winter meetings in Indianapolis.

Last season, Girardi took an active role in the team's pursuit of free agents, speaking with pitchers CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett before signing with the Yankees. Girardi intends to do the same again this offseason, though he has yet to speak with any free agents outside of the organization.

He has spoken to free agent Andy Pettitte, who is once again weighing retirement, but has yet to receive a decision from the veteran pitcher. If Pettitte returns, he is expected to sign again with the Yankees. Girardi called him a player that the team is "very, very interested in."

"I got the sense at the end of the season that he wasn't done," Girardi said. "But sometimes when you go home, you talk about things with your family. I'm sure he's going to prepare like he's going to pitch."

Girardi said Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay -- the subject of trade rumors linking him to the Red Sox and Yankees among others -- "could make a significant impact" on any team he joins.

"There's a lot of discussion," Girardi said, speaking generally of the rumors swirling around Halladay. "We don't know if he's going to be moved or not. But he's pretty good."

Girardi called addressing the team's starting pitching a "huge priority." Though he said Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain are still considered as starters, he said their roles next season will be determined by what the team does in the offseason.

Girardi said he is also fine with a team that doesn't feature a dedicated designated hitter.
As free agent Hideki Matsui battled knee issues last season, Girardi was able to rotate players such as Johnny Damon, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira into the DH spot, keeping their offensive production in the lineup while resting their bodies from playing the field.

"I found that to be extremely important," Girardi said. "I thought it was beneficial to the guys that we were able to give a blow to that day and we didn't lose their bats."

Girardi downplayed talk of his own contract, which expires after next season.

"I have not asked," he said. "I'm under contract. To me the most important thing to me right now is building our club... We'll worry about that when it's the time."

[Sam56]

Let the games begin -

Firing up the Hot Stove: NY Yankees hoping to put together team capable of winning championship No. 28

By Marc Carig/The Star-Ledger
 
"Since winning the World Series, the Yankees have maintained a low profile, working methodically to plan their budget and identify their priorities before entertaining any offseason deals. The result has been a quiet offseason thus far for the defending champions.

But the waiting period is about to be over.

The organization wrapped up its internal meetings Friday. With a firm budget figure in hand, and a defined list of priorities, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said the franchise is ready to begin piecing together a team capable of winning championship No. 28.

The Yankees, Cashman said, are no worse for the wait.

“Anybody in the market (that is) of interest to us hasn’t moved,” he said. “There are players who have been signed or traded, but those players were not on our list of players of interest.”

Those on the Yankees’ list should expect a busy week. Cashman lands in Indianapolis for baseball’s winter meetings, a week-long summit in which the Yankees are expected to begin making overtures to available players.

Last year, a $423.5 million free-agent binge netted CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira, key pieces of the team’s World Series run.

But this offseason, the Yankees find themselves in a much different position. They don’t have as many glaring needs in the starting rotation or in the lineup. The free-agent class — headed by outfielders Matt Holliday, Jason Bay and pitcher John Lackey — lacks the same kind of star power.

Yet, the Yankees have issues to address, starting with their own free agents. And there are enough impact players that could fit the Yankees’ needs.

“Now we’re in position to start engaging in the trade and free-agent market and trying to put the 2010 team together, to see where it takes us,” he said last week.

BIGGEST WANTS/NEEDS

1. Starting pitcher: Manager Joe Girardi said locking in his team’s rotation is a “huge priority.” Andy Pettitte remains a target to re-sign, though he will be due a raise after an injury-impacted 2008 forced him to take an incentive-laden deal in 2009. The Yankees could target Roy Halladay or John Lackey.

2. Outfielder: Johnny Damon could be re-signed, though he and the Yankees will haggle over the length of his contract. If not, Matt Holliday and Jason Bay are attractive free-agent replacements. Bay, however, has proven himself in the American League East while Holliday struggled in his brief foray in the AL with the A’s.

3. Designated hitter: Hideki Matsui’s memorable World Series might not be enough to keep him in pinstripes, and Girardi has said he likes being able to rotate the DH spot among the team’s other aging players to ease the stress on their body. A player capable of playing the field — the Yankees don’t believe that Matsui can — would give the Yankees the most flexibility.

IF MONEY WERE NO OBJECT

1. Roy Halladay: It’s difficult to imagine that the Yankees would overpay for just one season of Halladay. He’d need to be signed to an extension, which some believe will along the lines of CC Sabathia’s seven-year, $161M payday to join the Yankees. But doing so could limit the Yankees financial flexibility going forward.

2. Matt Holliday: Holliday, perhaps the most highly regarded option, appears to be an ideal fit. He’s younger than Damon and better in the field. His bat would give the Yankees another weapon. But because Holliday and Bay represent the only elite bats in the pool, they are both in position to demand a big payday.

3. John Lackey: Imagine a rotation featuring Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Pettitte and Lackey, a top-flight pitcher that can be had without giving up the prospects required for Halladay. Lackey, the only bona fide pitching prize, would give the Yankees another reliable arm and would make great fit in the middle of the rotation for years.

IF THE DOLLARS AREN’T FLOWING

1. Mike Cameron: Cameron’s name surfaced last season as a potential trade target to shore up the Yankees’ center field situation. Eventually, the Yankees chose to go with Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner while Cameron remained with the Brewers, where at age 36 he proved to be a productive player.

2. Ben Sheets: Rotation choices abound, and they all are likely to take one-year deals for a chance to prove themselves. Sheets, who missed all of last season with elbow problems, could strengthen the Yankees rotation if he proves healthy. The same could be said about Rich Harden, Justin Duscherer, and Erik Bedard.

3. Hideki Matsui: If Matsui agrees to come back for one more year and on a lower salary, he might not be a bad alternative for the Yankees. The market is flooded with DH types, which makes it quite possible for Matsui to return on a deep discount. His knee issues pose an obvious risk, but Matsui is still a capable run producer."

[Gmo11]

I want no part of Holliday.  None whatsoever.  I'd rather have Damon out there.  Damon and his agent will probably out price themselves so Matsui may be the guy the Yanks keep of the two.  We know he will produce, we know he can pinch hit as good as anybody, and we know he won't ruffle feathers if he doesn't get to play as much as he has in the past.  Plus, he was a one man wrecking crew on the Game's biggest stage.  That counts for something in my opinion. 

Lackey would be great, but hes the best free agent pitcher on the market.  He's going to be getting more money than Burnett got last year, though less than CC, but thats just too much to be tied up with starting pitching for the Yanks.  Of the other names mentioned, I've always liked Sheets when he was healthy, but hes only been healthy for a couple months a year.  I'd rather have Duscherer who was hurt last year, but doesn't have the same history of injuries as Sheets and two years ago that guy was awesome.  If they are going after one of the lesser names, hes my guy.

[Sam56]

"Brian Cashman admitted that the Yankees were in on Jarrod Washburn. But the Mariners' price tag was too high. "It was going to cost us Austin Jackson to get Washburn, so we didn't do it," he said.

Cashman said the Yankees would be open to exploring the second-tier pitching market, mentioning Staten Island native Jason Marquis by name. He also didn't rule out checking out the market of pitchers who may be looking for a chance to re-establish themselves after battling injuries, pitchers such as Ben Sheets. Cashman also said the team has not made a decision on whether to tender a contract to Chien-Ming Wang. Cashman said the team is still monitoring the pitcher's rehab from surgery and will speak with doctors before making a final call. He said Wang would be ready to pitch "sometime between April and June." He works very hard," Cashman said. "He's very structured. But at the same time shoulders are tricky too. Those are the things we'll have to determine."

Cashman said he would be comfortable with Francisco Cervelli serving as the Yankees backup catcher, and that seeking an alternative on the market is not high on his list.

He also confirmed initial talks with Bergen Catholic product Mark DeRosa.
"He's a flexible player," he said. "He can hit and can play multiple positions. That's the type of player that I think you could ask 30 clubs, and he would probably have a role for any of those 30 teams."

The entire coaching staff was asked during the playoffs to return to the Yankees. But Cashman said deals have not been finalized with all the coaches. "Once we get everybody done, we'll make an announcement," he said.

[babywhales]

Thanks for posting sam.

[Sam56]

"OKLAHOMA CITY — Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia will be presented the Warren Spahn Award at a gala Jan. 26 in Oklahoma City.

Sabathia was chosen as the recipient of the award, given annually to baseball’s top left-handed pitcher, after winning a tiebreaker with Wandy Rodriguez of the Houston Astros.

Sabathia has won the award each of the last three years, one shy of the record set by Randy Johnson from 1999 to 2002."

[Sam56]

The Yankees severed ties with pitcher Chien-Ming Wang on Saturday, most likely ending the right-hander's once promising career in the Bronx.

"There's no doubt that we had to make a tough decision," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said in a statement. "We are still hopeful that our relationship can continue, but those decisions are yet to be made."

Wang, 29, was a stalwart on Yankees teams that always seemed to be short of enough quality pitching, using his sinkerball to win 19 games in 2006 and 2007. As the Yankees struggled to find stability in its starting rotation, Wang stood out as the closest the team had to an ace, his success vaulting him to superstardom in his native Taiwan.

But a season-ending foot injury suffered while running the bases in an interleague game in June 2008 marked the start of a rapid, health-hastened decline that led to the Yankees non-tendering the pitcher before Saturday's deadline to do so.

The move was expected.

Wang earned $5 million in 2009 and was eligible for arbitration this offsason. To keep him under contract, the Yankees would have had to pay at least $4 million, a hefty price tag for a pitcher who the last two seasons has been hit hard by injuries.

Now a free agent, Wang could re-sign for less money to rejoin the Yankees, the team that first signed him out of Taiwan in 2000. But Cashman said at the winter meetings that the right-hander likely won't be ready to pitch until April, at the earliest.

Wang could also seek a fresh start with an organization willing to bet that after the second shoulder surgery of his career, he can stay healthy and regain the form that made him 46-18 with a 3.74 ERA in his first three seasons with the Yankees. He has been linked to the Dodgers, where he would be reunited with his former manager in the Bronx, Joe Torre.

His 2009 statistics -- Wang went 1-6 with a 9.64 ERA -- illustrates a season gone horribly wrong.

He gave up 23 earned runs over his first three starts and lasting past the second inning only once. He landed on the 15-day disabled list for hip weakness that the Yankees believed arose as Wang tried to compensate after his original foot injury. After a rehab stint in the minors, Wang returned as a reliever in late May and rejoined the starting rotation in early June.

Wang showed signs of progress from his awful beginning, though he was nowhere near as effective as he was before the foot injury.

His final appearance as a Yankee came on July 4, when he left a start against the Blue Jays with pain in his pitching shoulder. He underwent surgery less than a month later, which essentially sealed his fate with the Yankees."

[Gmo11]

I doubt any team throws more money at Wang than the Yanks would be willing to, but 4 mill was way too much for a guy who's basically a roll of the dice at this point.  I'm sure the Yanks will keep in contact with him, and when he is choosing between which minimum contract to take I'm sure the world champs where he started his career will mean more than anybody else.

[Sam56]

"Bill Madden reported in the NY Daily News on Sunday that Chien-Ming Wang rejected a minor league contract offer from the Yankees. Meanwhile, Fox's Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the right-hander has attracted interest from six teams."

If healthy, he still is a relatively young and not overly used pitcher. Having back-to-back winning 19 game seasons not that long ago will attract teams.

So I'm not suprised that six teams are already interested in him.

Wish him the best of luck, and definately hope he doesn't sign with a AL Yankee adversary.

[Sam56]

How elimination of John Lackey, Roy Halladay from market would affect NY Yankees
By Marc Carig/The Star-Ledger

"WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE YANKEES

As the process moved on, the price tags for both Halladay and Lackey seemed to remain too high for the Yankees, who would have had to sacrifice an elite prospect or future payroll flexibility to sign either. But general manager Brian Cashman has said adding to the rotation is a priority. And with the two best available pitchers now seemingly off the market, the Yankees can turn their attention to narrowing down a list of available second-tier pitchers. Possibilities include Ben Sheets and Justin Duchscherer."

[Gmo11]

So who's buying a championship again?  John Lackey, Mike Cameron, Chapman...and on and on and on.  Boy its a good thing the Yanks are buying all of their free agents too or else they wouldn't possibly be able to compete with the big bad red sox....oh wait they haven't signed any free agents at all.

[Sam56]

The Bombers ALWAYS win, thats why they have 27 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS.

"For starters, 27 has long been a numeric mark of legendary greatness. In music, Wolfgang Mozart completed 27 concertos for piano and orchestra. In baseball, ironically, 27 is considered to be the modal age of peak performance for Major League Baseball positional players, as based on a study put together by sabermetrician Bill James. 27, in its holy existence, it is also argued to be one of the most divine of numbers, as there are 27 letters in the Hebrew alphabet and 27 books in the New Testament.

But 27 also accounts for more than 25 percent of the 104 World Series Championships ever played. New York, with its latest triumph, now boasts over one quarter of all the Commissioner's trophies ever handed out. Together, the next three winningest teams in Major League Baseball history (Cardinals with 10 World Series Championships, Athletics with nine and Red Sox with seven) only account for 26 titles. No other Major League baseball team has even made 27 World Series appearances, while the Yankees have made 40.

27 trumps the 17 National Basketball Association titles won by the Boston Celtics, the six Super Bowl victories earned by the Pittsburgh Steelers and the 23 NHL titles won by the Montreal Canadians.

As Yankee fans took to the ticker tape-infested streets in celebration of the arduous journey that was the 2009 Major League Baseball season, they were in fact celebrating more than just another title; they were there in honor of 27, the number that pays homage to the many years of pinstripe tradition and achievement."

In 1921, the second year of Babe Ruth playing with them (thanks Boston Red Sox owner), the Yankees won their first pennant . In the World Series, they lost to the New York Giants, 5 games to 3. The 1921 World Series was the last Series played in a best of 9 format.

In 1923, they won their first World Championship (4 games to two). Must have been because of all their money through their early Twenties YES cable TV network  

[Gmo11]

First of all as things stand now the Yanks are under 180.  I dont know the exact number, but I know its lower than that.  Second, the Sox were at 130 LAST season.  Now they've added cameron to an incredibly stupid contract and Lackey at market rate.  They are virtually even, and possibly, Sox are higher now.

[Sam56]

"Ah, did you remember to subtract Bay out? And Varitek, Wagner, Saito, and Gonzalez? No, I didn't think so. I did."

I frankly couldn't give a hoot.

My only question of real concern is "AT WHOSE STADIUM WILL THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FLAG BE FLYING OVER ALL NEXT SEASON"???

That's all I give a damn about.

GO YANKEES!!!!!!!

[Sam56]

Dasher,

What the hell are you talking about?

I have never given a hoot about how much the Yankees, Giants, Knicks or Rangers spent. Just how well they do with their money.

Friend, you sound like a sore loser.

Sorry about that, but at my age I don't probably have another decade to see my teams win titles. I'll rejoice when they do it (as long as they do it legally).

Go Yankees!!!