2011 New York Yankees Thread

[thefiestygoat]

Seriously dude? One if his favorite sports teams just lost in the playoffs and you're gonna troll him with that right now? Come on man.

Thanks man. I actually want to take this opportunity to thank the Mets fans on this forum for being respectful to me over the years. Its nice to co-exist without any hostility. In fact the majority of my friends who like baseball in real life are Mets fans and I hope they get a chance to experience a WS title at some point. Your fanbase deserves a lot better than what you've got.

[Beezer34]

I know the playoffs are a crap shoot and I've been fortunate enough to see 5 WS titles in my life, but it doesn't make a first round loss after a great regular season any easier to deal with. Literally sick to my fvcking stomach right now.

+1.. especially how the game played out.

10 runners stranded. Sickening.

[PWW]

This was really just a tough series to watch as a Yankee fan. They failed in the clutch time after time after time. Even guys with reputations for coming through like Jeter just couldn't even come close to getting it done. The guys who came through the biggest this series seemed to be the most maligned all year in Burnett and Posada. Cano looked great at times, awful at others. Gardner was a pleasant surprise. Granderson was there when needed. Everyone else....not so much. Swisher was useless, Teix was useless, A-Rod was useless, and Martin was useless. I don't know how Girardi didn't think once about changing the line-up after the whole middle of it proved they were doing NOTHING. I truly hope he is fired in the offseason. Meanwhile, while the pitching wasn't spectacular, it should've been enough to get the job done. Here's to rooting for Texas and whoever wins the Brewers/D-Backs series.

[thefiestygoat]

All things considered a good season for the Yankees when you think of the huge question marks in their pitching staff at the start. But definitely a very tough loss tonight. Offense just didn't show up tonight in a few situations where they could have blew it open. Girardi did a very good job managing his pitching staff though.

Very excited for tomorrow's game. Roy Halladay is a future HOF, but this is the first gigantic game of his career. Very interested to see how he handles it.

I agree with you man, the Yankees really did get lucky with Colon and Garcia this year. I'm on record saying I didn't expect Colon to make it out of spring training and I didn't expect much from Garcia. All Colon did was post a 3.83 FIP 2.9 WAR and Garcia 4.12 FIP and 2.2 WAR.

I was also pleased to see a guy like Nova who I've been following for a few years now excel in his rookie season with a 4.01 FIP and 2.7 WAR.

I know I get on Girardi sometimes (mainly bunting) but I think he did a solid job managing this year.

[thefiestygoat]

+1.. especially how the game played out.

10 runners stranded. Sickening.

Yeah RISPfail makes it all that more frustrating. While I do believe the Yankees are the better team, I have to give the Tigers credit for taking advantage of the breaks when they came to them. Bottom line is they stepped up and the Yankees couldn't.

[nmigliore]

Thanks man. I actually want to take this opportunity to thank the Mets fans on this forum for being respectful to me over the years. Its nice to co-exist without any hostility. In fact the majority of my friends who like baseball in real life are Mets fans and I hope they get a chance to experience a WS title at some point. Your fanbase deserves a lot better than what you've got.

Thanks for the very kind words. Obviously I can't speak for every Mets fan, but I really have no ill will towards the Yankees. The two teams aren't division rivals and they don't even play in the same league.

And I agree with DR33, despite the 1st round loss (it's a crapshoot, like you said), it was still a good season; Sabathia proved he's still one of the game's top starters, Granderson's hitting adjustments look to have made him into one of the game's top position players, and there are still tons of other valuable assets on that roster (Cano, Gardner, A-Rod, Teixeira). I have no idea what they plan on doing this offseason, but with their rotation looking like a bit of a project, C.J. Wilson would make tons of sense for them. He'll be 31 next season but he's hitting free agency with not a lot of mileage on his arm and hes a clear ace. The Yanks would be ridiculous with their lineup and a 1-2 punch of Sabathia and Wilson.

As an aside, I can't believe Valverde has been perfect this season despite meh peripherals. Also, people act as if K-Rod has major antics when he closes out games... oof, please, the guy jumps for joy for almost every out he gets. What a tool. He'll blow one in the ALCS; I guarantee it.

Edited October 7, 2011 by nmigliore

[thefiestygoat]

Thanks for the very kind words. Obviously I can't speak for every Mets fan, but I really have no ill will towards the Yankees. The two teams aren't division rivals and they don't even play in the same league.

And I agree with DR33, despite the 1st round loss (it's a crapshoot, like you said), it was still a good season; Sabathia proved he's still one of the game's top starters, Granderson's hitting adjustments look to have made him into one of the game's top position players, and there are still tons of other valuable assets on that roster (Cano, Gardner, A-Rod, Teixeira). I have no idea what they plan on doing this offseason, but with their rotation looking like a bit of a project, C.J. Wilson would make tons of sense for them. He'll be 31 next season but he's hitting free agency with not a lot of mileage on his arm and hes a clear ace. The Yanks would be ridiculous with their lineup and a 1-2 punch of Sabathia and Wilson.

CC is also going to get paid again by the Yankees for being one of the top pitchers. I just hope when he opts-out they handle it rather quickly. I'd love to add Wilson to the rotation and I definitely think the Yankees are going to be aggressive in their pursuit. (Not advocating it, but I wonder if Darvish is coming over this year and how much some teams are willing to bid on him)

As you mentioned Granderson's hitting adjustments with K-Long made him one the best players in the league. Teixeira didn't have a year up to par for what he is making but he did mention he is going to work extensively with K-Long this offseason to correct his left handed swing and get less pull happy. Should be interesting to see if he bounces back at the plate next year.

[Onddeck]

bottom line is we absolutely played like sh!t this postseason. i wanna start with arod because he has forced me to be pissed off at him. he couldn't buy a hit this postseason, of course was injured on and off this year, and his contract still just glares at me in the face. he played with no passion whatsoever, and i wish something could change.

Jeter, too, played the exact opposite of clutch this season. the stats of how many RISP he has left on is ridiculous. they were hard to watch last night, i was so tired of seeing so much un-clutch at bats.

we did have a good regular season, you guys are right. but thats not what Yankee baseball is built for, we expect success in the postseason.. which, unfortunately, we played sh!tty in

[Jerrydevil]

Even guys with reputations for coming through like Jeter just couldn't even come close to getting it done.

He's been living off that reputation for a long time, since the Mr. November HR. He hasn't had very many big playoff hits in a decade.

Edited October 7, 2011 by Jerrydevil

[ghdi]

This team is old.

[thefiestygoat]

I don't think its really fair to get on A-Rod a whole lot. Yeah his contract sucks and he has struggled to stay healthy for a few years now but it always appears that he is giving it everything he has. I never understood why he gets the reputation that he doesn't care. From everything I've read from the beat writers the past few years, it appears he is one of the hardest working, most passionate guys in the game.

[Onddeck]

I don't think its really fair to get on A-Rod a whole lot. Yeah his contract sucks and he has struggled to stay healthy for a few years now but it always appears that he is giving it everything he has. I never understood why he gets the reputation that he doesn't care. From everything I've read from the beat writers the past few years, it appears he is one of the hardest working, most passionate guys in the game.

... and he cant hit a damn ball

[thefiestygoat]

... and he cant hit a damn ball

Which is why he is a career .302/.386/.567/.953 .265 ISO .407 wOBA 148 wRC+ hitter? Even in a down year plagued by injuries he put up a line that most guys in the league would be very happy to do: .276/.362/.461/.823 .185 ISO .361 wOBA 125 wRC+

[Onddeck]

Which is why he is a career .302/.386/.567/.953 .265 ISO .407 wOBA 148 wRC+ hitter? Even in a down year plagued by injuries he put up a line that most guys in the league would be very happy to do: .276/.362/.461/.823 .185 ISO .361 wOBA 125 wRC+

it doesn't matter what his career numbers are. the point is he has dropped off this year and cannot hit in the clutch to save his life (this year) im tired of it

[thefiestygoat]

it doesn't matter what his career numbers are. the point is he has dropped off this year and cannot hit in the clutch to save his life (this year) im tired of it

Even in an off year where he battled various injuries he still put up decent numbers. They may not be what are normal for his career and his contract may not be great but the Yankees could still be a lot worse off. Even in just playing 99 games with just over 420 PA he still ranked 4th in WAR amongst 3B in MLB this year with 4.2 and 7th with a .361 wOBA. As for "clutch" I'm not going to get worked up about it. All we can go off of is a real small sample size and its not like he was the only player to not step up.

[Onddeck]

the guys sucks in the postseason

[nyrsuck26]

So I've had a couple of days now to digest this season's end, and overall it was a good season, I liked this team, but they were never championship material. They never were able to play from behind, that's what separated them from the '09 team, and in the end, that's what did them in. We can point fingers all we want, but in the end, everyone on the team had a chance to make a difference, and they all failed.

Anyway, it is what it is. I don't foresee to many changes this off-season other than a starter to go behind CC. They have some very good prospects coming up, and I think they may get their chance. I'm certainly excited for what next season may bring.

[Hi, I'm VALUE!]

Offseason fan debate.

Assuming Cashman's looking to unload a pitcher, would you trade AJ Burnett for Adam Dunn straight-up?

[nyrsuck26]

Offseason fan debate.

Assuming Cashman's looking to unload a pitcher, would you trade AJ Burnett for Adam Dunn straight-up?

No, Adam Dunn had one of the worst seasons in baseball history last year, and it would even be that effective of a salary dump, as Dunn makes over $10 mil. Plus, unless I'm mistaken, I think this is Burnett's last year of his contract, no?

[Hi, I'm VALUE!]

No, Adam Dunn had one of the worst seasons in baseball history last year, and it would even be that effective of a salary dump, as Dunn makes over $10 mil. Plus, unless I'm mistaken, I think this is Burnett's last year of his contract, no?

He has two years, this one included.

It's more or less of a crapshoot, and it depends on if Dunn has 3 or 4 years of control left...but there's two schools of thought about it:

1) He's done, or

2) He'll get rejuvenation playing in a hitters' park surrounded by a better lineup then the ChiSox have.

Whereas AJ is, IMO, fvcked. He's a locker room guy, which is why I don't think the possibility would be entertained. But it's hard to predict anything good like that happening for AJ. And to be honest, as bad of a year as AJ had, you can probably get Dunn and prospect(s)/cash for him. Ken Williams is a sucker for these kind of trades too.

[thefiestygoat]

I'd say no to a Burnett for Dunn swap even though the Yankees have an excess of starting pitchers and one could hope that Dunn turns it around into becoming part of the player he once was. The reason the trade doesn't make sense is from a stricly financial standpoint.

Burnett's Contract: 2012: $16.5M 2013: $16.5M

Dunn's Contract: 2012: $14M 2013: $15M 2014: $15M

Dunn's contract pays him into 2014 opposed to Burnett's which ends after 2013. The Yankees have numerous issues revolving around 2014. First and foremost, they are on record saying that they need to get under the $189M luxury tax threshold for financial reasons. They also will want to be in play to sign Hamels or Cain (though it looks like the Giants will lock him up). In addition to that, Granderson and Cano will be due big raises and it looks unlikely they'll be able to keep Swisher around. There is just no way the Yankees can afford to take on any salary on a risky player like Dunn in 2014. They'll already have to get creative to sign Hamels and keep their own players. Even without taking on salary, the Yankees may have to let Granderson go in order to sign Hamels unless Cashman can get really creative.

Sidenote: I really wish they locked up Cano last year or even this winter. They may have been able to negotiate a more favorable per year salary and they would've ended up signing him for more of his prime years as opposed to what they'll have to do after 2013 when he will be 31 and the long term deal he wlll get will eat up some of his decline years.

[Daniel]

Yanks will come to regretthe Montero trade. They traded the next Miguel Cabrera for a number 3 starter.

[thefiestygoat]

Yanks will come to regretthe Montero trade. They traded the next Miguel Cabrera for a number 3 starter.

I've been meaning to post my thoughts on the trade but I just haven't had the time to collect them all. As someone who follows the minor leagues on a regular basis and remembers what it was like the day the Yankees signed Montero, I took the trade really hard. Montero had become one of my favorite prospects and like many other fans I viewed him as the next homegrown star. At first I was really taken aback from the move but the more I found out about Pineda and Campos the more I went from hating the trade to liking it. I'll post my reasons soon.

[Hi, I'm VALUE!]

I'd say no to a Burnett for Dunn swap even though the Yankees have an excess of starting pitchers and one could hope that Dunn turns it around into becoming part of the player he once was. The reason the trade doesn't make sense is from a stricly financial standpoint.

Burnett's Contract: 2012: $16.5M 2013: $16.5M

Dunn's Contract: 2012: $14M 2013: $15M 2014: $15M

Dunn's contract pays him into 2014 opposed to Burnett's which ends after 2013. The Yankees have numerous issues revolving around 2014. First and foremost, they are on record saying that they need to get under the $189M luxury tax threshold for financial reasons. They also will want to be in play to sign Hamels or Cain (though it looks like the Giants will lock him up). In addition to that, Granderson and Cano will be due big raises and it looks unlikely they'll be able to keep Swisher around. There is just no way the Yankees can afford to take on any salary on a risky player like Dunn in 2014. They'll already have to get creative to sign Hamels and keep their own players. Even without taking on salary, the Yankees may have to let Granderson go in order to sign Hamels unless Cashman can get really creative.

Sidenote: I really wish they locked up Cano last year or even this winter. They may have been able to negotiate a more favorable per year salary and they would've ended up signing him for more of his prime years as opposed to what they'll have to do after 2013 when he will be 31 and the long term deal he wlll get will eat up some of his decline years.

Yankee contract source

I really don't think the Yankees will get under $189 anytime soon unless they do a firesale to some other team. They're committed to ~$75 MM to 4 players in the 2014 year (Tex, CC, ARod, Jeter's option buyout). This assumes that Jeter is going to have his option declined/decline it himself or he will retire before the choice has to be made; it's probably closer to ~$85 million if that option gets picked up, and realistically if Cano continues to play at his level he's looking at a raise from his $14MM. For the purposes of this exercise, however, let's assume that Cano stays at a flat $14MM for that year. That means you have the following players under team control:

SP: CC, Nova (ARB1), Pineda (ARB1)

RP: Robertson (ARB3), Wade (ARB2)

C: Cervelli (ARB2)

1B: Tex

2B: Cano

3B: ARod

OF: Gardner (ARB3)

C: Cervelli (ARB2)

It's hard to project this salary with so many arb cases, but assuming we want to retain all of these guys in 2014, a salary of $120 MM right here is not unheard of considering ~$75 MM is due Tex/Arod/CC, and we're assuming that Cano bumps it up to $90 MM. That means we need a starting-caliber SS, at least one starting-caliber OF, a starting-caliber C, some guy to hit DH, a sh!t-ton of relievers (also assuming best-case that Robertson picks up where Mo left off after the end of his next contract) and another starter ON TOP OF signing Hamels. Yes our next SS and RF will probably come cheaper than the combined $25 MM that Jeter and Swisher make to help ease this pain, but the next realistic chance the Yankees have of getting under the L-Tax is probably the 2017 season, when CC and Tex drop off the books. This of course could also be jeopardized by the likely massive contract we're paying Hamels to come to New York.

EDIT: And this is one of the reasons I like the deal of Monteiro for Pineda: Pitchers are way more money than defensively-challenged offensive C/1B/DH's

Edited January 26, 2012 by Hi, I'm VALUE!

[nmigliore]

If you're going to be an impactful DH, you better hit a ton. The bar is set very high for those that offer zero value in the field. Maybe Montero does that, or maybe he's more good than great a la Paul Konerko who topped out as a 4-win player.

Pineda looks really good. He posted the 6th best strikeout rate and was just outside of the game's top 40 qualified starting pitchers in WAR, and he did that as a rookie mostly working off of just 2 pitchers in his fastball and slider. If his changeup ever develops, allowing him to handle lefties better, he could take off, but even as is I think his floor is a 3-win pitcher, which is very valuable.

Jose Campos was a nice get too; he's raw and a bit a ways away, and a lot things can go wrong from here, but he is a high-ceiling prospect. The Braves snatched up a similar pitcher in Arodys Vizcaino a few years ago in the Javier Vazquez deal and he's blossomed into one of the game's better pitching prospects, granted his future may be in the bullpen.

Of course, the obvious caveats apply here -- pitchers are a way more riskier than hitters -- but I think the Yankees made out okay. I thought it was a nice deal for both sides.

Not a Yankee fan obviously, but that's just my opinion of the deal.