2014 Yankees Thread

[Onddeck]

Catastrophic. It's unreal how bad of luck that is.

Just gotta stay optimistic

[thefiestygoat]

https://twitter.com/YankeesWFAN/status/487402160011767808

 

"Cashman said 3 Drs examined Tanaka, all agree partial tear UCL. Will get PRP injection, begin rehab, hope to be back in 6 weeks."

 

https://twitter.com/YankeesWFAN/status/487402406364196864

 

"Cashman said if Tanaka's rehab doesn't work, Tommy John surgery is likely."

 

 

With the way things have gone this year, I fully expect him to need TJ surgery.

[Onddeck]

These TJ surgeries this year are absolutely devastating to the game. A true lroblem.

What an epidemic it has become

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

I wonder if the Yanks would consider trading for Colon.  The Mets probably wouldn't be looking for much in return (if they can't get a better deal somewhere else)...they'd probably be happy enough getting Colon's money off their books.  I pointed this out in the Mets thread, but there's some things that would probably turn the Yankees off:

 

1) Weight and age (though neither seem to be adversely affecting Colon...he's the same pitcher he's been for years now:  provides innings, doesn't walk anyone, gives up a fair number of hits, doesn't let early troubles wreck an entire outing)

2) Numbers in New Yankee Stadium aren't great:  5.04 ERA, 14 HR allowed in 84 IP pitched there.  Got bombed there earlier this season.

3) Last three starts weren't anything special:  21 IP, 13 ER.  Yankees aren't the kind of team right now that can consistently support a pitcher who needs 4+ runs to win. 

4) Colon's ERA for the season is 3.99...MLB average is 3.80.  Colon's road ERA is a little misleading due to four very rough starts (the other six were good or better), but his 5.06 road ERA and his 2.81 home ERA will have some people wondering if his overall decent numbers are CitiField-driven. 

5) Yankees have been down the Colon road before (2011), and his numbers this season are about in line what what they were then.  Don't know if they're good enough that the Yankees would want to bother.

Edited July 11, 2014 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Hi, I'm VALUE!]

Honestly? 

 

If Tanaka is lost for the season, we're better off trying to sell at this point and restock the farm system.

 

Knowing we're the Yankees and that's not happening even though 4 of our original 5 SP's are not pitching again this season most likely, I think the extra year of Bartolo isn't a bad thing assuming he doesn't fall off a cliff, since it offers insurance for the extra time that Tanaka would take next season if he needs TJ.

[thefiestygoat]

Yeah, if Tanaka wasn't injured I'd be open to trading for Colon. The Tanaka injury seems like the nail in the coffin for this team though. I think it's likely the Yankees stand pat minus minor trades like how they just got McCarthy and Francis for nothing. The only selling move I can see the Yankees making is moving Kuroda to one of the LA teams (his family lives there) and that would only happen if the Yankees really fell out of the race. The only good thing going for the Yankees is just how mediocre the competition is.

[Hi, I'm VALUE!]

Yankees acquire Chase Headley. 

 

@@JonHeymanCBS

so that was headley plus $1M to ny for depaula & solarte, done deal

 

Not sure how I feel about this, but I feel positive in general about it I think.  I assume he slides into 3B and Johnson becomes the 2B, with Roberts sliding down into a utility role.

 

I like it from a defensive standpoint, and I like it because there's no string attached at the end of this year, although there's obviously part of me that hopes we can deal or buy out ARod and insert Chase into this place if he does well.

[Onddeck]

ah, part of me was wishing we held on to Solarte. we got Headley for a guy that was batting higher than him (.259 Solarte vs. .229 Headley), and was three years younger.  you could say its a defensive move but Solarte looked fine to me.  and we got rid of ANOTHER prospect.

 

I just cant stand the fact that the yanks never really wanna hold onto their youth

[Hi, I'm VALUE!]

Let's be fair: Solarte's offense was buoyed up by a hot April.  He was not hitting anymore, he wasn't in the team's long-term plans, and while there's no guarantee Headley will be, it's more likely than Solarte was. 

 

Plus, can't Headley play 2B? 

[thefiestygoat]

I love this trade just like I loved the McCarthy deal. Cashman gave up spare parts and got half seasons of McCarthy and Headley, pretty solid. Solarte is nothing more than a career minor leaguer that had a hot start and the Yankees won the lottery on. DePaula is an interesting prospect but has struggled in parts of 2 years at A+ and projects as a reliever. I don't mind giving him up.

Headley is having a down year but has a .285 BABIP despite a career high 26.7 LD%. Moving away from a pitcher's park to a hitter's park should help him rebound a bit. Both ZiPS and Steamer project him to hit above average the rest of the way which is a big improvement for the Yankees at 3B. Plus all the metrics like his defense at 3rd.

With all that said, I don't think it makes them a playoff team but they gave up nothing and these moves help them stay competitive and have a chance.

[Daniel]

Man, it's amazing how much interest I've lost in baseball. I remember the days when I would soak up those lame post trade deadline deals. I don't even know who Chase Headley is.

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[Onddeck]

what a crazy first night with the new team for Headley.  Cant get much better than that.  Good stuff, hopefully he can carry some momentum and energy on.

 

 

no pressure tonight Phelps, you're only going against Darvish

[Hi, I'm VALUE!]

Yankess acquire both Martin Prado and Stephen Drew in trades.  Outbound is Kelly Johnson (Boston) and prospect C Peter O'Brien and a PTBNL (D'Backs).

 

It's already being speculated that Drew will play at 2B.

 

So our infield is now Tex/Drew/Jeter/Headley, and I suspect Prado (who can play OF) will spell Ichiro on some days.

[thefiestygoat]

I like what Cashman did today. Just like the McCarthy and Headley trades he improved a mediocre team for little cost and didn't give up any of the few worthwhile prospects in the system.

Drew for Johnson is seems a bit lateral but I like that they are taking a chance to see if Drew can rebound from his horrible start. His .216 BABIP is extremely low (.304 for his career) and he is just a year removed from a solid 2013. He's due to rebound offensively and is doing better lately (last 14 games: .255/.386/.489/.875). Plus his D is better than Roberts or Johnson. Yankees 2B ranked 27th in WAR (-0.2) and 23rd in wRC+ (72). A reasonable rebound by Drew will be a solid upgrade at little cost.

Prado is a bit expensive for a utility guy (owed $11M in 2015 and 2016) but will help tighten up the Yankees D. Plus he was above league average offensively in 5 of the past 6 years prior to 2014. He also gives them a 2B option for next year if Refsnyder isn't ready though I hope he is. Refsnyder is having a breakout year: 151 wRC+ in 199 PA in AAA this year, 157 wRC+ in 244 PA in AA. O'Brien was a fun prospect to follow this year but I like that the Yankees cashed in while his value is at it's peak. He has great power and nothing else to his game and I bet he ends up as a AAAA player long term.

 

Also Roberts got DFA'd 2 PA's shy of a $250k bonus. Tough luck for him but it had to be done.

[Daniel]

I'm curious to get thoughts from people that follow the Yankees and MLB.

 

From the depths of the Brien Taylor days up until basically the last year of the old stadium, I was as passionate about the Yankees as I am about the Devils now.  This past year though, I've probably watched a total of 8 innings of baseball the entire year, and would rather watch the Devils playing Calgary on a Tuesday night than a game 7 of a Yankees-Dodgers world series.

 

It's probably due to a multitude of factors.  One of them is definitely the new stadium.  It's incredibly boring and nauseating elitist.  Am I the only one that finds it a wee bit absurd to have an overpriced steakhouse in a baseball stadium, and this is coming from someone that otherwise likes overpriced steakhouses, and is an unabashed political conservative who generally doesn't have a problem with elitism or businessmen trying to make as much money as they lawfully can.  It's to the point that if I'm paying for a baseball ticket, I'd rather go to Citi Field.  Another issue is the awful announcing they get from Michael Kay and Jon Sterling.  The biggest issue though is the lack of any players that are remotely exciting, much less any homegrown talent that's either here or even close to being on the horizon.

 

Do people who are more in the know sense that my feelings are becoming more commonplace, and that it's going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better?  It seems like the splashes that teams will be able to make in free agency will get smaller and smaller as the really great players will get locked up to long term deals at a relatively young age.  From what I can gather based on those espn top prospects listings, the Yankees farm system is bare to the point that they couldn't land anyone better than an overpriced 3rd or 4th starter in a trade.  So it just seems to me that you have a recipe for the Yankees getting worse and worse to the point that they might eventually turn into a 95 to 100 loss team in a year or two, and that it will stay that way for at least 3 years.

 

Anyway, sorry for the longish post, but I'm really curious to hear other peoples' thoughts on this.   

[thefiestygoat]

I've probably complained about the new stadium on here in the past so I apologize for doing it again but I completely agree that it sucks. I loved going to the old stadium and sitting in the RF bleachers next to the black seats. The passion of the crowd, the intimacy has been completely lost. In fact I can't even sit in the bleachers in the new stadium due to the obstructed view because they had to put in some fancy club/bar in CF. I usually sit in the upper deck now which is a great view but the things you pass going to it are comical. The fancy NYY Steak restaurant, the lounges for people who don't even watch the game, and when you look down at the elite Legend Seats they are half full. It's like more like a country club than ballpark.

On the announcing side, I think Sterling/Waldman may be the worst combo in the history of sports. I really can't wait for the day that the Yankees get a somewhat decent pair of radio announcers. I watch almost all the games on TV (live or DVR) and I agree that Kay can be bad. I don't like him, I'm more indifferent to him at this point, but I can see why people can't stand him. The only good thing is YES has some solid color guys like Singleton, Cone, and O'Neill that all bring something different to the table.

I agree that the Yankees aren't exciting. The offense has been non-existant for the most part over the past 2 years with aging veterans. Over the past 2 years the Yankees offense has hit .245/.309/.378 with a .133 ISO and 88 wRC+ - essentially 12% below league average. With Cano gone, Gardner is the only homegrown player over the past few years that has come up and been a solid contributer. Then of course this year they sign McCann who seems a shell of his former self and an aging, declining Beltran.

The only good thing is that the farm system is finally having a rebound year after years of disappointment. 2B Robert Refsnyder is 23 and having a fantastic year setting himself up to be the Yankees 2015 2B. He's hitting .310/.394/.482 with a .395 wOBA and 144 wRC+ in 283 AAA PA's after having a 158 wRC+ in 244 AA PA's. 21 year old 1B Greg Bird has shown impressive power in A+ and AA this year and has a 133 wRC+ and 168 wRC+ in each league respectively. 21 year old OF Jake Cave continues his comeback from a knee injury that cost him his 2012 season and has hit .304/.354/.395 with a 117 wRC+ in 416 A+ PA's this year and at the moment has a 120 wRC+ in 135 PA's in AA. C Gary Sanchez has done ok in AA this year but is very young for the league and remains a solid trade chip. Last year's 1st round pick 3B Eric Jagielo has hit an impressive .253/.348/.465 with a .212 ISO and 131 wRC+ in A+ this year and should be a fast mover through the system. Fellow 2013 pick OF Aaron Judge has also been impressive with a 142 wRC+ in A+. I'm not saying all these guys will make it, far from it, but at least for the first time in years, there are some encouraging signs in the farm system in terms of position players.

[Daniel]

I've probably complained about the new stadium on here in the past so I apologize for doing it again but I completely agree that it sucks. I loved going to the old stadium and sitting in the RF bleachers next to the black seats. The passion of the crowd, the intimacy has been completely lost. In fact I can't even sit in the bleachers in the new stadium due to the obstructed view because they had to put in some fancy club/bar in CF. I usually sit in the upper deck now which is a great view but the things you pass going to it are comical. The fancy NYY Steak restaurant, the lounges for people who don't even watch the game, and when you look down at the elite Legend Seats they are half full. It's like more like a country club than ballpark.

On the announcing side, I think Sterling/Waldman may be the worst combo in the history of sports. I really can't wait for the day that the Yankees get a somewhat decent pair of radio announcers. I watch almost all the games on TV (live or DVR) and I agree that Kay can be bad. I don't like him, I'm more indifferent to him at this point, but I can see why people can't stand him. The only good thing is YES has some solid color guys like Singleton, Cone, and O'Neill that all bring something different to the table.

I agree that the Yankees aren't exciting. The offense has been non-existant for the most part over the past 2 years with aging veterans. Over the past 2 years the Yankees offense has hit .245/.309/.378 with a .133 ISO and 88 wRC+ - essentially 12% below league average. With Cano gone, Gardner is the only homegrown player over the past few years that has come up and been a solid contributer. Then of course this year they sign McCann who seems a shell of his former self and an aging, declining Beltran.

The only good thing is that the farm system is finally having a rebound year after years of disappointment. 2B Robert Refsnyder is 23 and having a fantastic year setting himself up to be the Yankees 2015 2B. He's hitting .310/.394/.482 with a .395 wOBA and 144 wRC+ in 283 AAA PA's after having a 158 wRC+ in 244 AA PA's. 21 year old 1B Greg Bird has shown impressive power in A+ and AA this year and has a 133 wRC+ and 168 wRC+ in each league respectively. 21 year old OF Jake Cave continues his comeback from a knee injury that cost him his 2012 season and has hit .304/.354/.395 with a 117 wRC+ in 416 A+ PA's this year and at the moment has a 120 wRC+ in 135 PA's in AA. C Gary Sanchez has done ok in AA this year but is very young for the league and remains a solid trade chip. Last year's 1st round pick 3B Eric Jagielo has hit an impressive .253/.348/.465 with a .212 ISO and 131 wRC+ in A+ this year and should be a fast mover through the system. Fellow 2013 pick OF Aaron Judge has also been impressive with a 142 wRC+ in A+. I'm not saying all these guys will make it, far from it, but at least for the first time in years, there are some encouraging signs in the farm system in terms of position players.

Lol, maybe it's the crazy stats that kind of turned me off. We'll see if any of them turn into something other than solid major leagers. I realize it's always waiting for Godot with the Mets, but they at least appear to have some exciting young players.

The other thing I should have mentioned is how much more difficult the Yankees have made it to get tickets on the secondary market.

And with the announcers, the only thing I really ask is for them not to be irritating. My standards are actually pretty low, relatively speaking. Sterling is the absolute worst to the point that I would switch the station when a Yankee hits a homerun just so I don't have to listen to his nonsense. It's quite possible that he is the worst play by play guy that has ever existed in the entire universe. And the worst part is that evidently he'll have a job as long as he wants since, at least according to Francessa, the Yankees brass loves him, which kind of tells you how in touch they are with things.

While it probably would violate some law of physics to be worse than Sterling, Kay is pretty awful too with the see'ya, his repeating the same stories over and over again (yes, we all know that Yukilis was dubbed the Greek god of walks) and that he doesn't understand the concept of irony (one day I expect him to say ARod hitting a homerun is somehow "ironic"). You're right though about the other guys on YES being pretty good though.

Waldman, I could actually kind of live with if there were a decent play by play person with her. She can kind of just tell the story when she has to without acting like a 12 year old like Sterling does.

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[Onddeck]

to me, the biggest factor in the decline of my interest in baseball is really two things.

 

1. baseball in general has slowed down (or maybe its just my active involvement in hockey and football just makes baseball so much more boring)

 

2. my guess is that this is the main factor.  the "Yankees buy their championships" is the most overused knock on them (especially living in philly and hearing their fans say it makes it so unbelievable outrageous and hypocrital).  you go back to the dynasty days in the 90s and early 2000s and those teams were almost all homegrown.  they all played with heart and was so wildly entertaining to watch.  now, we consistently see Cashman paying HUGE CASH for a player that was good at one time, or a player who will never live up to the contract, only to see that player again and again not produce.

 

I understand that you gotta over pay sometimes in todays world of sports, but for Christ's sake please stop feeding into the sterotype.  this is not the Yankees team I grew up watching.  the sad part is that we see Cashman do the same thing every year.  its so frustrating for me.

 

The most exciting person on the Yankees for me?  Gardner.  Because he brings the speed that I love and he is a homegrown yankee... o yea, and he isn't overpaid

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

As far as the on-field product goes, Brian Cashman is being exposed for the completely mediocre, uncreative GM that he is.  All he really knows how to do is target the high-profile names and offer up a lot of cash to get them to sign.  He's made his mistakes there too of course, but unlike most GMs, he is often given free reign to spend his way out of those mistakes (where most GMs see their flexibility compromised for a few years).  

 

Sadly, it looks like it's going to be a dry spell for baseball here in NY.  I know many think the Mets are about to turn a corner, but I have zero faith in Alderson (who couldn't be less passionate about his job) to do what needs to be done to make the Mets a true contender.  He punted away 2014 after punting away 2013, and though he did have some money to spend last season, he spent it stupidly and with no creativity whatsoever.  I fully expect more of the same in 2015...maybe the young pitching will be enough on its own to vault the Mets into 85-win territory, but I think it will be Sandy being meek and passive and making a bunch of excuses as to why he couldn't get anything significant done, though there were "a lot of discussions".  I may think Cashman isn't a terribly good GM, but at least he gives a damn.  Sandy doesn't, never did...never wanted the job in the first place.  

[Daniel]

As far as the on-field product goes, Brian Cashman is being exposed for the completely mediocre, uncreative GM that he is.  All he really knows how to do is target the high-profile names and offer up a lot of cash to get them to sign.  He's made his mistakes there too of course, but unlike most GMs, he is often given free reign to spend his way out of those mistakes (where most GMs see their flexibility compromised for a few years).  

 

Sadly, it looks like it's going to be a dry spell for baseball here in NY.  I know many think the Mets are about to turn a corner, but I have zero faith in Alderson (who couldn't be less passionate about his job) to do what needs to be done to make the Mets a true contender.  He punted away 2014 after punting away 2013, and though he did have some money to spend last season, he spent it stupidly and with no creativity whatsoever.  I fully expect more of the same in 2015...maybe the young pitching will be enough on its own to vault the Mets into 85-win territory, but I think it will be Sandy being meek and passive and making a bunch of excuses as to why he couldn't get anything significant done, though there were "a lot of discussions".  I may think Cashman isn't a terribly good GM, but at least he gives a damn.  Sandy doesn't, never did...never wanted the job in the first place.  

 

Cashman has been extremely lucky during his tenure to have had players that got there before him when they were winning championships... Jeter, Mariano, Bernie, Tino, Wells, Petitte.  He made a few wise trades with Clemens and on-the-whole with Arod.  And otherwise had a bunch of "well duh" free agent signings with Mussina, Teixera and Sabathia.  So, as Ann Richards said about W, Cashman was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple. 

 

Now that you're starting to see fewer and fewer big time free agents, Cashman's mediocrity is starting to show.  At least Alderson appears to realize that building a team around free agency, which is basically what the Yankees are now, does not work.  I see the Mets' biggest problem though is that their best prospects (I'll include Harvey) appear to be mostly pitchers, whose shelf life these days seems to get shorter and shorter. 

[Hi, I'm VALUE!]

And in the long standing tradition of providing talented ML-ready catchers to a certain steel-city team, Cervelli is now a Pirate for a left-handed reliever with control problems (Justin Wilson).  Here's the River Ave Blues writeup on the trade.

[Onddeck]

I saw today on ESPN.com that Robertson wants Papelbon money

Good luck dude, nobody's giving him that, he's basically unproven. Let him walk, I'd rather Betances anyway

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

I saw today on ESPN.com that Robertson wants Papelbon money

Good luck dude, nobody's giving him that, he's basically unproven. Let him walk, I'd rather Betances anyway

 

He can ask, but that doesn't mean he'll get it.  He's been a full-time closer for exactly one year.

 

Good article (link below) that basically says what most people already know:  spending a fortune on closers is silly anyway.  To me, the ONLY exceptions are if it's a guy who is truly a very special or unique case (like Rivera), or you're a team that is clearly a top team and has just about everything in place and money to spend, but lacks a closer (and simply doesn't have one in their system).  I can actually see the Mets throwing big money at Robertson to say "Hey, look at us, we're spending money again", and it would be incredibly stupid of them to do it.  Like the article says, there's guys out there you can get who aren't looking to be top-paid closers:

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/yankees/post/_/id/81486/robertson-may-get-papelbon-money-but-it-shouldnt-from-the-yankees?ex_cid=espnapi_public

 

And since we're still adjusting to pitchers dominating the game, Robertson's numbers aren't quite as impressive as they seem (the article points this out as well).

Edited November 13, 2014 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Hi, I'm VALUE!]

The article CR posted is right.  We have no need for a $13M+ closer on a team that, barring a miracle trade, miracle health for all players, or A-Rod renaissance, will not be a World Series contender and has too many other pressing needs.

 

We should be pedal down to re-sign Headley and McCarthy (though I suspect he'll wait out the market to see what the big 3 pitchers get) and find a shortstop.  I'd see if Headley will take 3/30 with a vesting option or something in that realm to be our starting 3B for the time being.

 

I will just say that I will lose my sh!t if they trade for Andrus.  Do not want that 8/120 contract for a guy whose hitting is declining in a very hitter-friendly park.  I'd rather have Rollins for the year or even sign someone like a Cabrera for a year or two.

[Onddeck]

in no way would i ever want my team to sign Robertson for 13+, its ridiculous he's even making us talk about it.  not worth it for any reliever, let alone a guy who has been a closer for ONE YEAR.. with AVERAGE stats. I'd rather Betances anyway

 

the only trade i want to see is either for Tulo (we don't have the prospects to land him and he'd probably cost to much) or just any trade that brings in a surplus of young talent.  i want this team to rebuild through youth so badly.  get away from the ARod/ Texiera contracts