Results tagged ‘ Jason Bay ’
Nova, Bullpen Hold Early Lead As Yanks Tag Mets
GAME 80
YANKEES 5, METS 1
The Yankees rolled into Citi Field on Friday on the heels of a season-high five game winning streak. Their crosstown rival host, the Mets, were feeling pretty cocky after having won six of their last eight games. Someone had to give.
Fortunately for the Yankees, it was Jonathon Niese and the Mets.
The Yankees jumped on Niese for three runs in the first inning on a two-run double by Mark Teixeira and an RBI double by Robinson Cano while Ivan Nova and Yankees’ bullpen made the early lead stand up the rest of the way as the Yankees defeated the Mets for the third time in four games in the Subway Series.
Nick Swisher and Curtis Granderson opened the first on Niese with singles and Teixeira followed with an opposite-field double to right to score both runners. One out later, Cano lashed an opposite field double to left to score Teixeira and Nova had a 3-0 lead before he even threw a pitch.
Nova (8-4) was touched for three straight singles with one out in the second inning, culminating with an RBI single by Ruben Tejada to score Jason Bay. But Nova escaped further trouble and finished by giving up just the one run on seven hits and two walks and he struck out three batters.
The Yankees pulled Nova after five innings because they had Nova due up with the bases loaded and one out in the sixth inning. Manager Joe Girardi chose to use Jorge Posada to pinch-hit and rely on his bullpen the rest of the way. Posada struck out and Swisher grounded out to end the threat.
Niese (7-7) gave up three runs on nine hits and two walks and he fanned seven batters over six innings.
The Yankees tacked on an unearned run in the eighth inning after Daniel Murphy dropped a throw to first on a Russell Martin grounder to shortstop Jose Reyes. Pinch-hitter Brett Gardner bunted Martin to second and Eduardo Nunez, who recorded his first major-league four-hit game, singled in Martin off reliever Bobby Parnell.
The Yankees also added a run in the ninth after a leadoff walk to Curtis Granderson by reliever D.J. Carrasco. One-out later, Alex Rodriguez hit a 450-foot double off the wall in left-center to score Granderson.
Two innings earlier, Rodriguez was involved in a defensive play that may have changed the course of the game.
Reyes opened the seventh by singling off reliever Cory Wade. Justin Turner then lofted a fly to deep center-field and Reyes chose to tag up and advance to second. When Granderson’s throw short-hopped Nunez in shallow center, Reyes decided to head for third. Nunez picked up the ball and fired to Rodriguez at third. As Reyes slid, Rodriguez brushed him on the left sleeve with the tag and home-plate umpire Jerry Layne called Reyes out.
Reyes and third-base coach Chip Hale immediately protested that Rodriguez had missed the tag. Mets manager Terry Collins came out to argue the call and Layne ejected him from the game.
The Yankees’ bullpen consisting of Luis Ayala, Wade, Boone Logan, David Robertson, Hector Noesi and Mariano Rivera combined to give up three hits and a walk and fanned three over the final four innings to preserve the Yankees’ 16th victory in their last 20 games.
With the victory the Yankees improved their season record to 49-31 and they maintained their 2 1/2-game lead in the American League East on the second-place Boston Red Sox, who had to rally late to beat the Astros, the team with the worst record in the National League. The Mets, meanwhile, fell back to an even 41-41 on the season.
PINSTRIPE POSITIVES
- With his two RBIs in Friday’s game, Teixeira now has 10 RBIs over his last six games and his 65 RBIs are second in the American League and fourth in the majors. He also drew two walks and scored a run in the game. Though Tex hit nine home runs and drove in 25 runs in June, he ended up with a .213 batting average for the month. He is hitting .244 on the season.
- Cano was 2-for-4 with a double, a single and an RBI. He now has five-game hitting streak in which he is 6-for-19 (.316) with four RBIs. Cano has raised his average to .292.
- Nunez is aware that Derek Jeter will be returning to the starting lineup on Monday in Cleveland. But he is not letting it bother him. He had an infield bunt single in the second, an opposite-field double in the fourth, a blop single to shallow left-center in which Cano should have scored on from third and an RBI single in the eighth. Nunez’s 4-for-4 night raised his batting average to .261. In his 16 starts at shortstop in place of Jeter, Nunez is 17-for-55 (.309) with one home run and six RBIs. Of course, he made his share of errors, too. But he has filled in nicely for “The Captain” and shows he has a future as a starter someday.
- Nova was tough when he needed to be on Friday. In the first inning, he gave up two hits but induced Daniel Murphy to hit into a inning-ending double play. After Tejeda stroked the Mets’ third straight hit off him in the second inning, he struck out Niese looking and got Reyes to ground out. In the fifth, the Mets loaded the bases after two were out but Nova fanned Angel Pagan swinging on a curve in the dirt.
NAGGING NEGATIVES
- The Yankees kept the Mets in the game needlessly by failing to get big hits when Niese was on the ropes. In the first, Martin and Andruw Jones failed to get a ball out of the infield with Cano at second. Swisher and Granderson left Nunez on second in the second inning when they both struck out looking. Cano hit into a double play with two on and nobody out in the third. Posada struck out with one out and the bases loaded and Swisher ended in the threat by grounding out in the sixth. The Yankees left seven runners on base in the first six innings.
- Not to belabor the point about not getting key hits in key situations but the Yankees ended the game 4-for-19 with runners in scoring position. That is a .211 average and was the only reason the game was not a blowout.
- Andruw Jones was inserted into the lineup in left-field to replace the left-hand-hitting Gardner against Niese. Jones was 0-for-3 against Niese including a strikeout looking and he did not get a ball out of the infield. Jones is hitting an abysmal .213 on the season. If the Yankees get a chance to make a deal for a right-hand power-hitting outfielder by the July 31 trade deadline, I suggest they make it and release the useless Jones.
BOMBER BANTER
Jeter left Florida on Friday to join the Double-A Trenton Thunder for a pair of rehab games on Saturday and Sunday. If there are no setbacks, the Yankees will activate Jeter on Monday in Cleveland, where the Yankees will face the Indians. Jeter has been sidelined since June 14 with a mild right calf strain. Jeter is six hits shy of the 3,000 mark for his career. . . . The Yankees said it is unlikely Eric Chavez will be activated on July 5 when he is eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list. Chavez is on the disabled list with a right foot injury but he is being bothered by a strained back.
ON DECK
The Yankees continue the road portion of their Subway Series with the Mets on Saturday.
The Yankees will activate and start 38-year-old right-hander Bartolo Colon (5-3, 3.10 ERA). Colon has been on the disabled list since June 11 with a left hamstring strain. Colon had won his last three starts prior to the injury. He is 3-1 with a 3.46 ERA against the Mets over the past 10 years.
The Mets will counter with 25-year-old right-hander Dillon Gee (8-1, 3.32 ERA). Gee is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA over his last three starts. He has never faced the Yankees before.
Game-time will be 4:10 p.m. EDT and the game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports.
Red Sox Seem Ready To Fall Into The Abyss – And I Love It
COMMENTARY
Woe is Red Sox Nation.
There it was in black in white: RAYS 8, RED SOX 2. The Rays completed a rare four-game sweep at Fenway Park on Monday and all of Beantown is abuzz with the same question: What is wrong with our Sawx?
Well, I think I have an answer or two or three. Having watch the Red Sox grow from nothing but a slight annoyance to Yankee fans to Curse-killing “idiots” in 2004 to legitimate foes through 2007, I know just a bit about this team I love to hate.
For one thing they built a team on a pair of fearsome hitters. ManRam and Papi were a pretty fearsome duo but now one is gone and one is showing signs that he can’t do it without steroids anymore.
They also built their team on pitchers like Pedro and Schilling. Those guys are long gone and the new generation may have the credentials to be good. But are they good?
There was a big lineup once there. Now there is not. They can defend perhaps a bit better. But what difference does it make when your center fielder makes a fabulous diving grab when you losing by six runs?
Such is the state of Red Sox Nation.
Radio talk shows are buzzing, the sports writers are speculating and the fans are ready for Theo, David Ortiz, Terry Francona, J.D. Drew and Mr. Henry himself to walk a plank into the Charles River.
Jerry Remy said it today. He said that player-for-player the Tampa Bay Rays are better at every facet of the game than the Red Sox. Blasphemy? Nope, just a does of reality.
The seeds of the demise of the Red Sox were sown when Manny went off the deep end and forced the team to dump him. Jason Bay was a nicer fellow. He made a nice Band-Aid to patch the wound. But his departure this winter was the clarion call that this team was not going to overpay to keep him.
It is a nice stand to take but, at the same time, the Red Sox were signing free agents like crazy: John Lackey costs $80 million, Marco Scutaro, Mike Cameron and Adrian Beltre. The payroll leaped to $160 million but they could not afford Bay. Huh?
Once you decide to pay a player a princely sum it is hard to tell another you won’t. That is a little like being a “little” pregnant.
Then there was the Mike Lowell debacle. Lowell was a loyal foot soldier for the Red Sox and worked his bones to dust, literally, helping this team win. But the Red Sox wanted Kevin Youkilis at third and San Diego’s Adrian Gonzalez at first. It was no secret.
But Lowell’s deal to Texas went sour because of a thumb ligament and now the Red Sox are stuck with him and his bloated contract on the bench. Theo Epstein is probably cursing the Texas Rangers’ physician for gumming up his master plan. Now Theo is likely sucking his thumb and trying to think where he put that darn gorilla suit.
Then there is that ridiculous mistake of paying a Japanese pitcher way too much money for way to little in return on the mound. Dice-K? It should be DL-K because he has spent so much time on it and collecting hefty checks that Carl Pavano is impressed.
Finally we come to David Ortiz, the 800-pound gorilla in the park. He struggled mightily for two months last season and then sort of got better in June. So the Red Sox front office chose to ignore the signs their star slugger was losing it (like his .249 average) and stuck with him this off-season.
Now Ortiz is hitting .158 with two RBIs batting fifth and it is obvious that the fastballs he used to crush into the Boston night sky are ending up in the gloves of opposition catchers. They are also being thrown by some rather pedestrian pitchers. They are the kind of pitchers that Manny and Papi used to eat for breakfast.
Now these same pitchers are stealing Papi’s lunch money and he is walking back to the dugout like he wants his mother to intercede to get it back.
Nope, this Red Sox team appears to missing a lot. Jacoby Ellsbury is hurt, Cameron has a kidney stone, V-Mart is hitting .212, Drew is hitting .146, Lackey’s ERA is 5.63 and Lester is 0-3 with a 8.44 ERA.
It is only April and there is a chance things will improve for the Red Sox. I mean, the Yankees got off to slow starts in the past and they always came back to wrestle the division away for the Red Sox when it counted.
But the problem is not just the Yankees. It is the Rays. They have proven they can throw their weight around in this division and the Red Sox know very well that if the Yankees and the Rays take a big lead on them that it will be much harder to come back.
Kirk Minihane probably put it best this morning: “But something doesn’t quite feel right about the 2010 Red Sox, does it? I’m having trouble putting a finger on exactly what it is.”
I am not sure even Francona and Epstein know what it is yet. I do know that if they do not find out real soon and fix it, the Red Sox will be playing for 2011. For a Yankee fan like me that just feels great.
Life in third place is just the humbling the Red Sox and their insufferable Nation need.
Nady Signing Raises Doubts About Yankees’ Goals
We have heard all winter that the New York Yankees could not re-sign Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui because of their restricted budget.
That also was the reason why the Yankees passed on “Cadillac” free agent outfielders like Matt Holliday and Jason Bay.
Then we heard that the Yankees were looking at low-cost options like Reed Johnson and Rocco Baldelli. General manager Brian Cashman also said that Xavier Nady was out of the Yankees’ price range.
When Matsui signed with the Los Angeles Angels for $6 million Cashman said Matsui never would have accepted $6 million from the Yankees. Do we know that for sure?
The Yankees, Cashman said, now have only about $2 million to spend on a right-handed-hitting outfielder.
Then the news comes Tuesday that the Chicago Cubs had signed Nady to a one-year contract for a guaranteed $3.3 million with about $2 million in incentives for games played. The deal is pending a physical to determine if Nady’s second Tommy John surgery on his right elbow is progressing on schedule.
Hmmm!
Since when do the Yankees pass on an outfielder who hit 25 home runs, drove in 97 runs and batted .305 in his last healthy season over a meager $3.3 million?
Ever since George Steinbrenner bought the Yankees the team has spent lavishly on free agents. For every signing of a Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter there have also been mistakes like Hideki Irabu and Kei Igawa.
But Yankee fans never had a doubt that the front office was trying to put the best team it could on the field — until now.
This haggling all off-season with Damon has really been belittling to one free-agent signing the Yankees did not have to regret.
Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, the self-proclaimed smartest man in baseball, determined Damon was too old and was breaking down at age 32. Rather than satisfy Damon’s demand for a four-year contract, Epstein dealt for Coco Crisp instead.
Four years later Crisp is long gone from the Red Sox roster and Damon is coming off four seasons where he played 141 or more games and averaged 19 home runs, 74 RBIs and batted .285. He also averaged 23 stolen bases.
Oh yeah, Damon has a weak arm in left field and he also has had issues with calf injuries. But he also has been on the disabled just once in 15 major league seasons. Damon also was the man at the plate in the World Series that took Brad Lidge through that long clutch at-bat that led to a single, a steal of second and the grand larceny of third that set the stage for the Yankees comeback victory in Game 4.
But budgets are budgets, I guess. The Yankees can’t afford Johnny.
That still does not explain Nady. Cashman told us he was out of the Yankees price range. Yet he signs for a piddling $3.3 million. What is going on here?
Nady did everything he could to help the Yankees after they traded for him and Damaso Marte in the middle of the 2008 season. In the deal to acquire Nady, Cashman traded the Yankees best outfield prospect in 20-year-old Jose Tabata.
This winter the Yankees traded their best outfield prospect in Austin Jackson to obtain Curtis Granderson.
I find it odd that the Yankees plead poverty on the one hand and on the other hand trade promising outfield prospects away to obtain guys like Nady and Granderson. Then when those veterans get to the end of their contracts we can’t afford to bring them back and the cupboard is bare of prospects to replace them.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to keep the younger prospects in the first place? That way they can be signed for contracts like $2 million until they hit their free-agent years. My point is that I would feel a whole lot better going into the 2010 season with the Yankees trying to adhere to a budget if they had guys like Tabata and Jackson on the roster instead of Brett Gardner, Jamie Hoffman and Greg Golson.
That would at least mean that the Yankees were trying to fill a position of need with some homegrown talent instead of veteran retreads like Reed Johnson and Rocco Baldelli. If the Yankees fail to repeat as world champions in 2010 will Yankee fans exclaim “That is OK. At least they stayed within their 2010 budget”?
I don’t think so. I think Yankee fans will see a young Jackson playing well for the Tigers, a young Tabata progressing to the majors with the Pirates, a veteran Nady pounding home runs at Wrigley Field and a Damon getting clutch hits with whomever he finally signs and ask why aren’t they in Yankee uniforms.
This winter’s events also puts an awful lot of pressure on Gardner too. Though I like him a lot, if he hits .250 or ends up on the disabled list for three months than this whole winter dance of the dollar by Cashman will be wasted without another championship banner to display.
I sure hope Cashman knows what he is doing because it sure is looking gloomy to me.
Reed Johnson Could Be Platooned With Granderson
Can the New York Yankees repeat as world champions with a left-field platoon of Brett Gardner and free agent Reed Johnson?
I decided to look at the numbers and see if it would be a workable platoon by looking at the splits of Gardner and Johnson during the 2009 season. What I found was interesting.
Gardner, 26, missed about five weeks with a thumb injury and lost his center-field job to Melky Cabrera in late April. As a result he played in only 108 games and started just 63. Overall, he hit .270 with three home runs, 23 RBIs and 26 stolen bases.
Johnson, 33, was primarily a reserve outfielder with the Cubs last season. He played in 65 games and started just 36. Overall, Johnson hit .255 with four home runs, 22 RBIs and two stolen bases.
But if Gardner were to play in a platoon with Johnson, he primarily would just face right-handed pitchers. In 193 at-bats against right-handers, Gardner hit .264 with three home and 16 RBIs. He had a .335 on-base percentage, which is somewhat low.
Against left-handers, Gardner had only 55 at-bats but surprisingly he hit .291 with no homers and seven RBIs. His OBP was a very good .381. So as odd as it may seem, Gardner actually hit left-handers pretty well. It was right-handers that gave him some trouble.
Johnson gave left-handers fits. He hit .324 with a home run and 11 RBIs in 68 at-bats. Right-handers love to face him because he hit a miserable .206 against them with three home runs and 11 RBIs in 97 at-bats.
By just looking at these numbers I would be reluctant to make this a strict platoon. I would look to start Gardner in every game with the exception of games against what could be tougher left-handers such as Cliff Lee.
I would keep Johnson as a reserve outfielder and only start him against occasional left-handers because he would have more value as a late-inning pinch-hitter against left-handers and a potential defensive outfield replacement for Nick Swisher.
The Yankees’ interest in Johnson may have more to do with Curtis Granderson and his inability to hit left-hand pitching. In 180 at-bats against left-handers last season, Granderson hit a miserable .183 with two home runs and nine RBIs. His OBP was a pathetic .245.
So it would seem rather than a platoon of Gardner and Johnson in left, Gardner looks to be given the everyday job in center field and Granderson and Johnson would platoon in left. This would make sense because Granderson’s fielding came into question last year with some of the poor routes he took to balls in center field.
The Yankee front office believes Gardner is the better defensive center fielder and that Granderson is better suited for left field. Johnson would give the Yankees an excellent defensive outfielder in left who can hit left-handers.
But, of course, the Yankees best option may be re-sign Johnny Damon instead of Johnson. In 171 at-bats against left-handers in 2009 Damon hit a respectable .269 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs. In 379 at-bats against right-handers he batted .288 with 17 home runs and 56 RBIs.
By starting Damon in left the Yankees could leave Granderson in center and Gardner could be a defensive replacement, late-inning pinch-hitter or pinch-runner and occasional starter. This was his same role in 2009.
The Yankees could also use Rule 5 draft pick Jamie Hofffman as a occasional starter against left-handers if he shows well this spring. Hoffman, 25, has some power and could be used in left field or right field.
That could mean an outfield of Nick Swisher in right, Curtis Granderson in center and Johnny Damon in left against right handers and left-handers with Gardner and Hoffman on the bench.
THE DAMON MARKET
Because Jason Bay has signed with the Mets, I thought it would be interesting to see what possibilities exist for Damon aside from the Yankees. I looked at all the other teams in baseball and tried to assess the likelihood of signing Damon.
One thing that works to Damon’s detriment is his age (36). Another is the number of years and amount of money he is seeking. He has demanded four years at $13 million per season. Another huge negative is his agent is the ruthless Scott Boras, who many teams just avoid dealing with by not choosing his clients in drafts.
One other Damon problem is the fact Damon hit 17 home runs and drove in 42 runs at home and hit only seven home runs and drove in 40 runs on the road. His power is simply a function of Yankee Stadium and teams view him as more of a legitimate 15 home run hitter on another team.
Let’s see what Damon’s market may be:
AL EAST
Boston Red Sox - They have a vacancy in left with Jason Bay gone but they signed free agent Mike Cameron and the plan is now to play Cameron in left and Jacoby Ellsbury in center and J.D. Drew will man right. The Red Sox also have Jeremy Hermida. It does not look that Johnny will have a triumphant return to Fenway.
Tampa Bay Rays - Carl Crawford is entrenched here for one last season. He is expected to leave via free agency next winter but the Rays seem determined to make a run at keeping him rather than trading him in 2009. No market for Damon here.
Baltimore Orioles - The Orioles have a burgeoning star outfield of Nick Markakis in right, Adam Jones and center and young Nolan Reimold in left. They would seem to zero interest in adding Damon to the mix.
AL CENTRAL
Chicago White Sox - The White Sox are moving Carlos Quentin lo right and they seem committed to rehabilitating Alex Rios in center. They have signed Juan Pierre to play left and bat leadoff and I doubt they would want Damon at all.
Minnesota Twins - The Twins may have made a mistake with acquiring Delmon Young but they are stuck with him in left. Denard Span is in center and Michael Cuddyer is in right and Jason Kubel is the DH. No path for Johnny here.
Detroit Tigers - Carlos Guillen is the front-runner in left with former Yankees prospect Austin Jackson in center and the Tigers are saddled with Magglio Ordonez and his expensive contract in right. In addition, the Tigers have young outfielders Ryan Raburn and Clete Thomas. Considering the Tigers were shedding payroll all winter it would seem signing Damon is not in the cards,
Cleveland Indians - The Indians have Grady Sizemore in center and Shin-Soo Choo in right. They are looking to add youngster Michael Brantley in left. The Indians also have Trevor Crowe and they are still hoping Travis Hafner recovers to be
the DH. There would seem to be some possibility for Johnny here. But the Indians may be leery because of Damon’s asking price.
the DH. There would seem to be some possibility for Johnny here. But the Indians may be leery because of Damon’s asking price.
Kansas City Royals - David DeJesus is planted in left and Jose Guillen is the right fielder. Career minor-leaguer Mitch Maier is in center. With Mark Teahen a free agent it would seem Johnny could end up back home in Kansas City. However, he would have to take a major haircut on that $13 million salary demand. The Royals won’t pay it.
AL WEST
Los Angeles Angels - The Angels are loaded with outfielders. They have Bobby Abreu in right and Gold Glover Torii Hunter in center. They also have former Yankee Juan Rivera in left and Gary Matthews and Reggie Willits on the bench. Considering former Yankee Hideki Matsui is signed to DH it would seem Damon’s demand in Anaheim is nil unless he can play third base to replace Chone Figgins. That is not happening, of course.
Oakland Athletics - The A’s signed Coco Crisp to play center and they have Ryan Sweeney to play right. That leaves Scott Hairston to play left with Rajai Davis as a backup. They could potentially bring back Damon as a DH and part-time outfielder. But they won’t pay the $13 million asking price. I doubt they would even pay $10 million.
Seattle Mariners - Ichiro owns right field and Franklin Guttierrez won the center field job with his solid play in 2009. The Mariners added Milton Bradley to play left and Ken Griffey Jr. is back for likely his final season as the team’s DH. No vacancy for Johnny here.
Texas Rangers - The Rangers have Nelson Cruz to play right and Josh Hamilton likely will play center again. Even with the loss of free-agent Marlon Byrd to the Cubs, it would seem that David Murphy and rookie Julio Borbon will compete in left field. The Rangers’ deal to bring in third baseman Mike Lowell to DH fell through. But the Rangers are in the process of being sold so they are not likely to be actively looking to sign free agents like Damon.
NL EAST
Atlanta Braves - The Braves acquired Melky Cabrera from the Yankees in the Javier Vazquez trade and he could settle in as the right fielder with Nate McLouth in center and a platoon including Matt Diaz in left. It is doubtful that the Braves, who are so determined to shed salary this winter would add Damon to the mix.
Florida Marlins - The Marlins seem happy with their young outfield of Cody Ross (29), Cameron Maybin (22) and Chris Coghlan (24). They also do not seem too keen on adding to their payroll with free agents. Johnny would have to look elsewhere.
New York Mets - The signing of Jason Bay completes their outfield. Bay will play left, Carlos Beltran is in center and Jeff Francoeur is in right. Johnny need not apply here. After shelling out $66 million to Bay the Mets won’t be in the market for Damon.
Philadelphia Phillies - With Raul Ibanez in left, Shane Victorino in center and Jayson Werth in right, the Phillies outfield is set in stone. Damon won’t be receiving an offer to play here.
Washington Nationals - If the Nationals were closer to contention and needed a reliable veteran presence, Damon might be their man. But they have Josh Willingham in left, Nyjer Morgan in center and Elijah Dukes in right with veteran utility man Willie Harris available to play behind them. No chance they would make an offer.
NL CENTRAL
Houston Astros - The Astros are paying big money to Carlos Lee to play left. Michael Bourn finally showed signs he could actually get on base in 2009 and he is set in center. They Astros are also happy with Hunter Pence in right field. The Astros also are for sale and they not likely to offer Johnny a contract.
Milwaukee Brewers - With Ryan Braun in left, Carlos Gomez in center and Corey Hart in right the Brewers seem to be set with their outfield for 2010. Even if Gomez flops in center as he did in Minnesota, the Brewers have veteran Jody Gerut and some young outfielders they may try to advance before looking to add a veteran like Damon.
St. Louis Cardinals - The Cardinals are trying to bring back Matt Holliday to play left. They have Colby Rasmus in center and Ryan Ludwick in right. They could make an offer to Damon as backup plan if they don’t sign Holliday. But they may prefer a better home run bat such as Jermaine Dye instead. Damon’s arm would be a big liability in spacious Busch Stadium.
Chicago Cubs - The signing of Marlon Byrd for three years to play center field pretty much dries up Damon’s Windy City hopes. Alphonso Soriano is in left and Kosuke Fukedome is now in right and they are being paid top dollar. No chance Johnny signs here.
Pittsburgh Pirates - They have Lastings Milledge ticketed to play left, burgeoning star Andrew McCutchen in center and longtime minor-leaguer Garrett Jones gave them some offense in right field. Because the Pirates always seem to be in “dump payroll” mode, Johnny is not getting a big dollar offer here.
Cincinnati Reds - This is a possibility for Damon. Jay Bruce is set in right field and the Reds do have either Willie Taveras or youngster Drew Stubbs in center. Chris Dickerson was a major disappointment in left, hitting a weak .275 in 2009. Damon could help them as a leadoff or No. 2 hitter and a veteran presence in left. The question is dollars. The Reds will not offer Damon $10 million.
NL WEST
Arizona Diamondbacks - There is a possibility for Damon here because with Justin Upton in right and Chris Young in center, the D-backs could put Damon in left with Conor Jackson moved back to first base. The problem is that Eric Byrnes is still on the roster and because of that it is unlikely the D-backs will be ringing up Boras.
Los Angeles Dodgers - No chance here. The Dodgers have emerging stars Matt Kemp in center and Andre Ethier in right and they have Manny Ramirez playing for top dollar in left. If Johnny is play here it would be as a low-salaried backup and Damon will not accept the same role Juan Pierre played last season.
San Francisco Giants - There is a possibility here. The Giants did sign utility man Mark De Rosa and he could play left field. But he also could play the infield and only Aaron Rowand in center field is guaranteed a job. Because the Giants have a very good pitching staff, they need offense badly and a veteran like Damon could provide it. But will the Giants pay $10 million for Damon?
San Diego Padres - This team also could use Damon and his bat. One problem is that third baseman Chase Headley was moved to left field to accommodate Kevin Kouzmanoff. So it is doubtful that Damon would be made an offer to play center in this spacious park. The Padres also do not have the money to play Damon what he wants.
Colorado Rockies - It is doubtful the Rockies would add Damon. They have Brad Hawpe in right and youngsters Derrick Fowler to play left and Carlos Gonzalez to play center. They also have Ryan Spilboughs, Eric Young Jr., and Seth Smith around to compete for playing time. There is virtually no chance Damon would be wanted here.
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So judging by this analysis, Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman appears to be taking the correct tact with Damon and Boras in basically not budging from the one year, $7 million offer he left out there. The Yankees could possibly add another year making it two years at $14 million.
But Damon and Boras are rejecting this offer, hoping to get a two-year, $20 million to $23 million offer elsewhere. But the teams most in need of outfield help and offense are also the teams in smaller markets with limited payrolls.
So it would seem that until Damon seriously lines up another suitor, he will not get Cashman to budge off his offer. It would seem that Damon is being treated very similarly to Andy Pettitte.
Last winter, Pettitte declined a $10 million offer by the Yankees but when he did not receive offers from other clubs he had to settle for a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the Yankees with incentives that brought the deal close to $10 million. Pettitte hated the offer but signed anyway and he received a $10.75 million contract this season.
Perhaps Cashman is low-balling Damon in order to make a stand on the 2010 payroll. But my question to him is why make stands on payroll on the good guys like Pettitte and Damon, who hustle, are great in the clubhouse and are veterans who contribute?
I would much rather the Yankees take hard lines on guys like Kyle Farnsworth, Jose Veras and Gary Sheffield, players who underperform or create problems in the clubhouse.
It would seem to me that the Yankees need Damon back far more than they realize. Hopefully it is not too late for sanity to return to the negotiations and Cashman can get it done.
I don’t believe for a minute Damon is gone until another team signs him. I refuse to think that way. Other Yankee fans should feel the same way.
Stay tuned . . .
Bad Dream: In Left Field For The Yankees, Ryan Church
The signing of Mark DeRosa by the San Francisco Giants to a two-year contract must have made Brett Gardner smile. He has dodged another bullet.
If the 2010 season started tomorrow, Gardner would be the Yankees’ starting left fielder. Though Gardner’s speed and defense are greatly valued the Yankee blogosphere is getting nervous because Johnny Damon remains out on the free-agent market.
General Manager Brian Cashman made it pretty clear that the last piece of the Yankees’ puzzle, left field, would not be filled by a “big-ticket” item. That ruled out Jason Bay and Matt Holliday. It also appears that because Scott Boras is representing Damon, even the 36-year-old outfielder looks to be too costly.
DeRosa was mentioned as a lower cost alternative. But the Giants signed him for two years and $12 million. Since when can the Yankees not afford $6 million a season for an outfielder? This troubles me because they offered Damon $7 million a season.
Now it appears that even our old friend Xavier Nady is out of the Yankees price range.
The names we are hearing are guys like Reed Johnson or bringing back Jerry Hairston Jr. Those Melky Cabrera fans upset over the Javier Vazquez trade may have a good point if the discussion on replacing him have come down to Reed Johnson.
Johnson was a backup outfielder for the Cubs last season and hit .255 with four home runs and 22 RBIs and a breathtaking two stolen bases in 165 at-bats. He is an excellent outfielder with the glove but has not been a full-time starter since 2006.
Hairston’s value would seem to be more as a bench player because he is able to play so many positions. If the Yankees are considering him as an everyday left fielder they would wear the 33-year-old down.
The Yankees’ front office is telling us there are plenty of free-agent outfielders out there. But if DeRosa is not in our price range, who the hell is? Endy Chavez? So Taguchi? Emil Brown?
I think it is admirable that the Cashman and the Yankees have a budget and are sticking to it. But when you see the alternatives out there it is scary to think one of these guys may be a starting left fielder for a world championship club.
Garret Anderson is out there. So is Rick Ankiel (There would be no worries about his arm in left). There also is Jack Cust and Marlon Byrd. How about Austin Kearns? Randy Winn is looking for work and he would fit in with his age at 35.
I hate to say this but it looks like Boras might have the upper hand here if the Yankees really want Damon back. I would look at these other possibilities and the fact Gardner is the starter and just laugh. I would hold the line on a two-year deal for $20 million.
The question is can Boras find another team interested enough to pay it?
Cashman seems to be banking that he won’t and is waiting Damon out. However, I will not concede Damon is gone until I see he has signed elsewhere. Damon will just have to swallow his pride a bit and accept less money to play with a team with which he is a perfect fit.
His swing is suited for the park, he is perfect No. 2 hitter and he fits in well in the clubhouse. Hey, Rasheed Wallace took less money to play for the Celtics so he could have a chance to win another championship. Why can’t Johnny?
Oh, I know what the reason is now: Scott Boras. Maybe Damon should follow A-Rod’s lead and park his pitbull and negotiate with the Yankees himself. It couldn’t hurt.
I am just trying to get over the nightmare I had last night. I was dreaming about opening day and Paul Olden said: “Playing left field for the Yankees, Ryan Church.”
Yankees Pick Up Another Gem Starter In Vazquez
The Boston Red Sox must feel like the executives at Pepsi every time they read the sales figures of Coke.
The New York Yankees trumped the Red Sox’ signing of free-agent right-hander John Lackey by acquiring Javier Vazquez from the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday.
The Yankees also acquired left-handed reliever Boone Logan and in return the Braves received outfielder Melky Cabrera, left-handed reliever Michael Dunn and minor-leaue right-hander Arodys Vizcaino.
That means in the past week the Yankees have reacquired firstbaseman/designated hitter Nick Johnson and Vazquez. Could Alphonso Soriano be the next former Yankee to return?
In Vazquez, the Yankees get a pitcher who is coming off one of his best seasons in the major leagues. Vazquez, 33, was 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA in 32 starts for Atlanta. In 219 1/3 innings Vazquez gave up only 181 hits and struck out 238 while walking only 44 batters.
Vazquez was second in the National League in strikeouts and he finished fourth in the balloting for the NL Cy Young Award.
Vazquez has also thrown more than 198 innings in the past 10 seasons and was an American League All-Star selection in 2004, his only season with the Yankees. He finished the 2004 season with a 14-10 record with a 4.91 ERA. He then was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the deal that brought Randy Johnson to the Yankees.
Since 2000, Vazquez has recorded at least 10 wins and 150 strikeouts each season, making him the 10th pitcher in major-league history to accomplish the feat. According to the Elias Sports Bureau eight of the other nine pitchers are in the Hall of Fame.
Vazquez joins a rotation that includes CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte. Speculation now begins on whether the Yankees will shift Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes to the bullpen.
Common sense would dictate it would be Chamberlain, 24, because he was a disappointing 9-6 with a 4.75 ERA as a starter and 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in the postseason in the bullpen. Chamberlain spent the final two months of 2007 season as the setup man for Mariano Rivera and was 2-0 with a 0.38 ERA in 19 games.
He started the 2008 season in the bullpen but was converted to a starter at midseason. His statistics as a reliever were again better but he finished the season with 4-3 with a 2.60 ERA and the Yankees stated he would be a full-time starter in 2009, albeit with a limit of about 150 innings.
Hughes, 23, pitched 42 games out of the bullpen and was 4-1 with a 1.40 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 51 1/3 innings. However, he was 0-1 with a 8.53 ERA in the postseason. As a starter last season, Hughes was 2-2 with a 6.59 ERA in six starts.
If Hughes is chosen as the No. 5 starter, he will be under the same innings limits Chamberlain was under the past two seasons. Because Hughes pitched only 86 innings in 2009 he would be limited to about 140 innings in 2010.
That could mean the Yankees might allow Hughes to begin the season as a starter and skip his turn whenever they can. The Yankees then could shift Hughes to the bullpen at midseason in favor of swingman Chad Gaudin, who pitched well for the Yankees as a starter down the stretch in 2009.
The loss of Cabrera in the trade, means that this blog was correct in its assessment last week that the Yankees have not completely shut the door on Johnny Damon.
In my last post I wrote the following:
(Jorge) Posada made it known this week that he would like the Yankees to obtain another starting pitcher to counter the Red Sox’ signing of John Lackey. But if the Yankees do not like the slim pickings on the free-agent market of Ben Sheets, Justin Duchscherer, Jason Marquis, Joel Pineiro and Jon Garland they possibly could swing a trade of Cabrera and some prospects to land a better starter.
The speculation on Yankees’ interest in Vazquez began when the veteran right-hander turned down a deal last week that would have sent him to the Los Angeles Angels. Vazquez declined the trade because he did not want to pitch on the West Coast.
That alerted Cashman that Vazquez was available and he quickly contacted the Braves to see what their asking price for Vazquez might be. By dealing Cabrera, the Yankees have obviously opened up left field with only Brett Gardner left to fill it.
That likely means Cashman feels he is close to bringing Damon back to the Bronx.
Damon’s agent Scott Boras was looking for a four-year, $52 million deal for his free-agent outfiielder client. But the Yankees balked at any contract over two years and were looking to bring Damon back for two years at $7 million per season.
But because no other major-league team is offering Damon a contract of three or four years, Boras later dropped his demands to two years at $26 million and then later down to two years for $20 million. So it appears likely that Damon could be getting close to a deal the Yankees for two years at somewhere between $7 million and $10 million the two sides are haggling over.
Don’t be surprised if that deal is locked up pretty soon.
If Boras stands firm and Cashman decides to let Damon walk, the Yankees do have a fallback position in free-agent utility man Mark De Rosa, who could play left field. De Rosa, a New Jersey native, also can play second base, shortstop and third base as well as the outfield.
It still remains doubtful that with the Yankees looking to cut at least $15 million in payroll for 2010 that they would get into the bidding for slugging outfielders Jason Bay and Matt Holliday. The Yankees did go over their budget plans in 2009 when Mark Teixeira expressed and interest in signing.
But if the Yankees feel they have no other choice they could get into the bidding easily.
But the Red Sox are now in a much weaker position in improving their club for 2010. The torn ligament in Mike Lowell’s thumb voided the Red Sox deal to send the veteran third baseman to the Texas Rangers.
The Lowell trade was Step 1 in their shift of Kevin Youkilis to third base and their trade of right-hand pitcher Clay Buchholz and center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury and some prospects to the San Diego Padres in return for power-hitting first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.
With Lowell still on the roster, Youkilis must remain at first and the deal for Gonzalez is likely on hold.
The Red Sox say they would like to keep Bay as the team’s left fielder. But their four-year, $60 million offer to him was rejected and the New York Mets have made it clear that he is the No. 1 target this winter.
The Red Sox are also having difficulty in their talks with Holliday because the Cardinals are aggresively bidding to retain him as protection for Albert Pujols. Holliday has also been a more productive hitter in the National League and could be looking sign with a team that keeps him in the NL.
Meanwhile the Red Sox are overloaded with outfielders in Ellsbury, Mike Cameron, J.D. Drew and Jeremy Hermida, who they obtained from the Marlins.
It looks like Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman has put Red Sox GM Theo Epstein in a difficult position of having to raise the Red Sox payroll just to keep up with the moves Cashman has made this offseason.
Even with the Marco Scutaro signing as the team’s shortstop, the R
ed Sox have a lot of holes to fill in their offense and their bullpen that will end up costing them a lot of money. The inability to get Lowell’s contract off the books has really complicated things beyond what Epstein could have imagined.
ed Sox have a lot of holes to fill in their offense and their bullpen that will end up costing them a lot of money. The inability to get Lowell’s contract off the books has really complicated things beyond what Epstein could have imagined.
To be sure, the Yankees loss of Cabrera is significant. Just 25, Cabrera is coming off a bounce-back season in which he had 13 homers, 68 RBIs and hit .274. He also was the Yankees’ best defensive outfielder with a very good arm.
Dunn, 24, was originally slated to become the replacement for left-hander Phil Coke, who was traded to the Detroit Tigers in the Curtis Granderson deal. The converted outfielder, Dunn had a 6.75 ERA in four September appearances after splitting most of the season between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton.
Vizcaino, 19, had a 2.13 ERA in 10 starts for Class A Staten Island last year. The Dominican Republic product was rated the Yankees’ third-best prospect by Baseball America.
It would appear that Logan will now replace Coke as the team’s second left-hander in the bullpen, joining veteran Damaso Marte. Logan was 1-1 with a 5.19 ERA in 20 relief appearances for the Braves. He also was a teammate of Vazquez when they both pitched for the White Sox in 2008.
Cashman has already tried to head off speculation the Yankees are looking to sign Bay or Holliday.
“I will continue to look at any remaining piece, but it won’t be a big piece,” Cashman said. “So any speculation about some high-end player, with big ability and dollars attached on a large scale, would be inappropriate.”
Cashman, however, did not rule out the possibility of re-signing Damon. That may be a clue that the Yankees want the 36-year-old outfielder back — but only at their price.
Stay tuned . . .
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