They made a dumb move is more accurate. The logic in this trade is absent. I just don’t understand why you send your best 22 year old center field prospect (best major league ready prospect in the Yankee farm system period), your best left handed reliever, and what you hope to be a starter this coming year and into the future for a .272 lifetime hitter who hit .187 against lefties last season. Granted he has a powerful bat and is an extreme upgrade defensively in center field but the Yankees didn’t even need help in the outfield. The platoon of Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner was good enough to win a championship. If Johnny Damon comes back and Nick Swisher stays put the Yankees were just fine in the outfield. Also all signs pointed to Joe Girardi making Gardner an outfield staple for the Yankees.
Author Archive for genevosey
Yankees Make a Move!
A Penny for the Cardinals
Brad Penny has reached a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals. According to the AP it’s a one year deal worth 7.5 million. Penny is a better National League pitcher. Last year he struggled with the Red Sox. However, Penny made 6 starts for the Giants after clearing waivers last year. In the National League he started 6 games and went 4-1. He also had a complete game for the Giants as well. Penny belongs in the National League and this could prove to be a huge pick up for the Giants.
ESPN is reporting that Chone Figgins may be close to signing with the Seattle Mariners. How he would fit in Seattle is a little unclear. Seattle already has a leadoff hitter that is pretty good. You may have heard of him he is that Japanese guy. Either way the deal appears to be all but done. How does this impact the World Champs among other teams who had an interest in Figgins remains to be seen. Most importantly the Hot Stove is really starting to heat up. Placido Polanco, Marco Scutaro, and now Chone Figgins have all signed with new teams.
After next weeks winter meetings in Indianapolis things should really catch fire. Just because there is no baseball doesn’t mean things aren’t exciting. Stay tuned!
It’s Official
Marc Scutaro is a Boston Red Sox. You can read about the two year deal at the attached link. Mike Rook had just posted that it was possible but now It’s official. This means Pedroia is staying put.
Reports are coming out now that the Boston Red Sox’s want Roy Halladay and they want him bad. You can read about it here The New York Daily News reports that Boston is putting on the “full court press” in getting the ace. Boston needs to sure up that shaky rotation which was their downfall at the end of last season.
AL Cy Young Goes To…
The Al Cy Young was awarded this afternoon to Zack Greinke. Greinke is nasty without a doubt. He has lights out stuff and was basically unhittable all year. He only mustered up 16 wins and dropped 8 games but that is really not his fault. Wins and loses really depend on how well your team can hit and well, Greinke unfortunately plays for the Royals. Greinke posted a 2.16 ERA. In the American League that is just down right filthy. He also fanned 242 batters while pitching 229 innings through the course of the season. I believe that Zack Greinke deserved the Cy Young.
The real question is how long will Zack Greinke be in Kansas City? I doubt very long. He is currently under a 4 year 38M dollar contract. However, eventually they will have to pay him like a Cy Young award winner and they will claim that they can’t. Of course they can if they want, their powers that be will say they can’t afford him and ship him away but in reality they just want to make more money. That’s the case with most small market teams. If they broke the bank once in a while, put money into players, and put a better product out on the field in the long run they would fill more seats, sell more shirts, and make more money. It’s a shame that they cry poverty and decide to put inferior products out on the field. It’s a shame for fans that root for these mediocre teams that have no interest in competing. Fans put their heart and soul into their favorite clubs regardless of where their team resides. The truth is that owners in small markets would rather pocket all that revenue sharing money then put a good product out on the field. It’s a shame and the real reason that baseball has no parody. The Rockies, Rays, and Marlins seem to make revenue sharing work for them. Yet the Pirates and the Royals just refuse to do so. Last time I checked all the owners in Major League Baseball are disgustingly rich not just George Steinbrenner and Frank McCourt.
By Michael “Genevosey” Genovese
The kids get their hardware
The American League and National League handed out their Rookie of the Year awards today. The awards were given to Andrew Bailey of the Oakland Athletics and left fielder Chris Coghlan in the National League. You can read all about it by clicking on the above link. I however am going to take a look at the people who I thought should have gotten the award.
Coghlan batted .321 with nine home runs and thirty one doubles in 128 games. That is worth a Rookie of the Year award if you ask me. However, JA Happ, who placed second had an outstanding season. He anchored a shaky Phillies lineup and helped propel his team into the playoffs. Happ was 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA. He also fanned 119 during the course of the year. Both guys are deserving but if I had a vote which I don’t I would have voted for Happ. Being on a winning team is a big deal for me as well.
Let’s switch gears to the American League, Andrew Bailey took home the trophy but who else was worthy? Elvis Andrus (Mike Rook’s personal fav) was a defensive giant and if not for Derek Jeter could have easily taken home the Gold Glove. In 145 games Andrus batted .267 with six dingers and 40 RBI. He also pitched in and scored 72 runs. Oh yeah he swiped 33 bags. He came in second in the ROY running. I like Gordan Beckham myself. Beckham was a stand out third baseman for the White Sox. He also pitched in at the plate may I add. He batted .270 with 14 homeruns and 63 RBI. He also slugged .460. Impressive to say the least. Ozzie Guillen says that Beckham is their third baseman of the future and I agree. I also think he should have gotten more consideration for ROY.
More awards will be handed out in the following week including AL and NL MVP’s next week. Stay tuned!
By Michael “Genevosey” Genovese
The Hot Stove
There are rumors swirling already over what the Yankees might do this offseason. Some of the latest rumors have Curtis Granderson coming to the Yankees in a trade. Others have Chone Figgins and Mike Cameron coming to the Bronx. Yet another has the Yankees parting ways with Chien-Ming Wang and him heading west to Seattle. However, those are just rumors. At this point that is all anyone is going to get. What I can do is examine what I think is best for the Yankees. I am sure once I give my opinions the Yankee brass will be able to sleep at night but either way here are my thoughts.
The Yankees first and foremost have to decide what to do with the three big free agents currently on their roster. Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, and Andy Pettitte are free agents and Brian Cashman has to decide what he wants to do. Cashman wants to go younger and more athletic all the way around and that doesn’t bode well for the World Series MVP. Damon has a loud mouth agent who is claiming Damon is like Pete Rose and Willie Mays late in their careers. Andy Pettitte is coming off one of the best postseasons in recent memory and is a member of the “core four.” Big decisions to say the very least.
If Cashman was smart which remains to be seen he would resign Damon for one year with a possible team option in the second year. My good friend Mike Rook is more excited about this second year option then I am. I would say offer a one year deal first, somewhere in the five to seven million dollar mark. If Damon’s agent Scott Boras Balks then come back with the second year option. Damon still has a really good bat and Yankee Stadium fits him perfectly. He can DH more next year and play left field less and less. As for Matsui, he is World Series MVP with out a doubt but his time in Pinstripes should be over. His legs are shot and next year it will be worse. This is the best opportunity to move him out and ease Posada into the DH role. Posada is going to have to move out from behind the plate as his lack of defense was apparent towards the end of last season. Which on a side note is exactly why Molina needs to be resigned ASAP. As for Pettitte, Cashman would be foolish to not resign him. Pettitte was 4-0 in the postseason winning the clinching game in every series. I think that he will for another one year deal. The only thing that will keep Pettitte from coming back for another season is Andy Pettitte. Pettitte will come back though and will have another solid third starter type of season. His ability in the postseason is invaluable.
Now that we have squared the current free agents away let’s take a look at the Market. I am in the minority but almost everything the Yankees need is already on the team. A ton of people say go get a Matt Holiday or Jason Bay and I disagree. Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner are perfect for this Yankee team. They are young and solid in the field. Melky was arguably the most clutch hitter the Yankees had during the regular season. Leave center field the way it is. What the Yankees need to do is go out and get a serviceable outfielder. A Mike Cameron or Chone Figgins. Figgins could spell Alex Rodriguez at third as well as spell Johnny Damon in left. Mike Cameron would be ideal. He is cheaper and can play center field. This can shift Damon to DH while Posada catches and Left can be played by either Gardner or Cabrera. Perfect fit.
The pitching is another solid aspect of this Yankee team. Phil Hughes has found a home in the bullpen but the Yankees see him as a starter. The same goes for Joba Chamberlain. I think Hughes could be an effective starter for years to come. As for Joba, he should stay in the bullpen. At the end of the postseason including his perfect inning in game 6 of the World Series he got his fast ball back. The fast ball was hitting 97 on the gun at that point. Hopefully the powers to be keep him where he belongs and that is bridging the gap between the starter and Mariano Rivera. If Wang can come back healthy and he has the go from Dr. James Andrews the starting rotation looks like this; CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Andy Pettitte (if resigned) Wang, and Phil Hughes. That my friends could be one of the best rotations in baseball.
Hopefully the Yankees will stick to their guns and continue to bring along young talent and find the answers at home. They can’t break the bank every year and expect that to work. When the Yankees do that most times they end up with Carl Pavano, Kei Igawa and Jaret Wright rather then AJ, CC, and Teixeira. Last year they hit gold with their free agents. This year they need to take care of the free agents they have on the current roster and say goodbye to the ones they no longer need. If they do that they could easily be looking at back to back world championships.
By Michael “Genevosey” Genovese
World Series Champs
The New York Yankees are World Series Champions. I was there for the action and it is single handedly the greatest live sports moment of my life.
Game 5 Lineups and Babble
The Yankees are looking to wrap up this series tonight in Philadelphia. It will not under any circumstances be an easy thing to do. It will be even more difficult under tonight’s circumstances, Cliff Lee is taking the mound. In case you forgot he pitched a complete game last time out. The Yankees hurt themselves even further at the plate tonight by letting Jose Molina catch in place of Jorge Posada. Molina has caught all of Burnett’s postseason starts. This move essentially takes two bats out of the lineup for the Yankees. Matsui is out of lineup tonight because the game is in the National League Citizens Bank Park. If the Yankees bats stall the pundits will once again turn on Girardi and say how awful a manager he is. If that is true I have no idea, I don’t think that it is but that is strictly opinion. The Yankees are still in good shape and have the opportunity to end the Classic in five games. One important note Melky Cabrera is off of the roster with a hamstring injury and has been replaced by Ramiro Pena.
Here are tonight’s lineups:
YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Brett Gardner CF
Jose Molina C
A.J. Burnett P
Pitching: RHP A.J. Burnett (1-0, 3.55 ERA in postseason)
PHILLIES
Jimmy Rollins SS
Shane Victorino CF
Chase Utley 2B
Ryan Howard 1B
Jayson Werth RF
Raul Ibanez LF
Pedro Feliz 3B
Carlos Ruiz C
Cliff Lee P
Pitching: LHP Cliff Lee (3-0, 0.54 ERA in postseason)
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