Odds and Ends: Lowry, Kawakami, Lowe, Young

Peter Abraham is CORRECT!

Ship Swish or Nady out in a package along with a top prospect and grab a solid innings eater at the #4 starter spot.

Agreed JJ Yanks. I think they will find someone if it is not Pettitte to shore up those innings.

Take comfort that we finally have a better team to overtake the Red Sox again. Our SP is better (CC, Wang, Joba, AJ > DiceK, Lester, Beckett, Smoltz), our lineup is better (Tex+ARod 1-2 punch vs Youkilis+Manny-less-Ortiz), and our bullpen is better (Mo>Papelbon, Marte). Of course all this hinges on injuries (which the Yankees never had much luck with).

"Chris Haft says that if Noah Lowry has a nice spring, perhaps the Giants should trade him rather than Jonathan Sanchez."

A-duh.

So, the Twins, a team known for defense and fundamentals on the field and economics and decorum off the field, don't want a grossly overpaid, lousy glove shortstop who's making a public stink?

I'm going to file that under DUH.

Take comfort that we finally have a better team to overtake the Red Sox again. "Our SP is better (CC, Wang, Joba, AJ > DiceK, Lester, Beckett, Smoltz), our lineup is better (Tex+ARod 1-2 punch vs Youkilis+Manny-less-Ortiz), and our bullpen is better (Mo>Papelbon, Marte). Of course all this hinges on injuries (which the Yankees never had much luck with)."

the sox have a better and more balanced 1-9 lineup, the rotations are pretty comparable, and no way in hell do they yankees have a better bullpen.

to trade andrus, the rangers would want liriano. that doesn't mean they are equal value, but the rangers wouldn't trade him for a potential 2/3. they would want a viable ace. names like liriano & kershaw would come up, and both aren't going anywhere. andrus is staying put, and so is mike young. so everyone should stop with the outrageous trade proposals. he'll be playing third come april, and if the rangers are succeeding, he won't care either way. if anything this move might prolong his career.

"the sox have a better and more balanced 1-9 lineup, the rotations are pretty comparable, and no way in hell do they yankees have a better bullpen."

smoking the ganja lol

The Yanks do have and did last year a better bullpen.

The yanks definetly need to find another starter. Spending that much on a team while leaving a huge gap every fifth day seems pretty wasteful. However, there is a small selection of pitchers that fit what the yankees need, ie an innings eater on a 1 year deal. It'll be interesting to see who they can get to fit the need. I'd either overpay pettite at 13m or look to trade for a Jarrod Washburn type of pitcher.

NYY SP this season (2008 stats):

CC - 2.70
Wang - 4.07 (before injury)
AJ - 4.07
Joba - 2.60
AVERAGE: 3.36

BendovaSox:

Beckett - 4.03
DiceK - 2.90
Lester - 3.21
Wakefield - 4.13
AVERAGE: 3.635

Durrrrrrr

"Funny you should say that. I think the one area where the Yankees are unquestionably better is the bullpen, which was a big strength for them last year. The rest is up for debate."

hmm id say the sox bullpens better this year with saito and ramirez for sure, but idk what that other nerd was talking about cuz no way in hell is Mo>Papelbon (this year) and i think hes a little confused as to what team Marte is on... ppl like him should not speak ever

Ahhh Yankees and Red Sox fans...good for so much entertainment.

I will comment that when it comes to farm systems, I'd take the Red Sox over the Yankees in a heartbeat because the Red Sox have some balance between pitchers and positional players, while the Yankees only have 3 positional guys I'd rank better than a C+ (Jackson, Romine, and Montero).

DominicanYanks ..

If you read his state, you wonldn't consider him as an option..

I am telling you as a Braves fan lives in NY

the red sox bullpen is going to be nasty this year.

2008
pap - 2.34
ramirez - 2.64
masterson - 3.16
oki - 2.61
delcarmen - 3.27
saito - 2.49
lopez - 2.43

that is by far the best bullpen in the majors

No fan can count on previous stats to determine the future ones. Yes you can make predictions, but in baseball nothing is guarantee. Maybe with some special players like A-Rod, Pujols etc, but they can alwyas get injured.

hmm id say the sox bullpens better this year with saito and ramirez for sure, but idk what that other nerd was talking about cuz no way in hell is Mo>Papelbon (this year) and i think hes a little confused as to what team Marte is on... ppl like him should not speak ever
_______________________

YOu honestly believe that Mo wasn't the BEST closer last year?

This is pretty funny arguement going back and forth with little substance on either side, Both sides need to realize bullpen performances tend to vary year to year and posting last seasons ERA's may be the least telling way to ananlyze pitchers, esp. bullpens. If I were the yanks i wouldnt be so comfortable w/ my pen, besides the incomprobable Mariano (who remains better than anyone on the planet) Coke is mentioned like he's a sure thing, 26 year old barely a prospect has good 14 IP in meaningless appearances in Sept and suddenly he is a reason for Yanks pen to be the best, Edwar has a nasty change but little else, tends to give up big innings, Veras high BB and HRs and Marte was terrible w/ yanks last yr....

Tvatos, Marte had a couple of bad game with the Yanks when he came in (which can be expected in any case a player joins a new team), after that he pitch really well. September's ERA was 1.35.

Agree. However, Garland is no longer the 18 wins Garland. Number speaks itself. Plus you are going to throw him to AL East from AL West. Allow me to quote from one of the Braves fellow "He is like the right-hand version of Jame Chuck, if you will"
IMO, O. Perez will be the best choice from the remaining FA pool.

"Funny you should say that. I think the one area where the Yankees are unquestionably better is the bullpen, which was a big strength for them last year. The rest is up for debate"

Their bullpen? Marte has shown he is nothing more than a LOOGY in the AL East.
Veras has had 1 good season in his career. There's no guarantee he duplicates last season.
Edwar Ramirez? Let's see him repeat again, as well.
Dan Giese? He's a minor league retread. His BAbip was .259 which is very lucky. He'll stink.
Brian Bruney? His BAbip was an incredibly lucky .188. Considering his track record of a terribe K/BB ratio, I expect him to be put up a typical 4+ ERA.

Sorry to interject but I love when Red Sox and Yankees fans go at it.

But JJYankeesfan said that the Sawks were known as the loveable losers along with Cubs and Phillies. Sorry it’s just not true. Cubs are the one and only loveable losers. :-)

Oh and last year the Cubs had the best bullpen, and hit worse than A-rod in the playoffs. That is saying something. Sorry not a dig on the Yankees.. just A-Rod.

Sorry to interrupt, please back to the discussion.

"But JJYankeesfan said that the Sawks were known as the loveable losers along with Cubs and Phillies. Sorry it’s just not true. Cubs are the one and only loveable losers. :-)"

The Red Sox haven't been a loveable loser since 2004 then after 2007 they were simply a perennial challenger. Phillies were never loveable outside of philly... and now the city has broken it's slump. As for the Cubs... well, most baseball fans are just tired of the "it's our year." Still though, the youtube video of the cubs fan burning his hat in LA was priceless.

"Tvatos, Marte had a couple of bad game with the Yanks when he came in (which can be expected in any case a player joins a new team), after that he pitch really well. September's ERA was 1.35."

yeah marte really turned it around in 6 2/3 IP including only 2 1/3 in the last 2 weeks of the season, look more like Marte fell outta favor and pitched sporadically in Sept, He has been good in the past but you can prob pick any pitcher in baseball and find 6 innings when he pitched well....again neither side can claim they will def. be betetr next yr, bullpens vary wildly from yr to yr,

I love how people question Burnett's health and when he'll miss his next start, and then they say Beckett will bounce back, as if he doesn't have just as bad of a history record with injuries, and more recent problems to boot.

Or how about when the question CC's performance, citing last year as it was because it was the NL, and he'll never repeat it, ignoring the fact that he won the CY young in the AL the year before.

Only for the fact that Beckett is coming off an injury, while Burnett was healthy last year. But if your just basing it on track record they're about even.

icedrake523- Thats funny when I say lets see if Lester can repeat his year, Sox fans go into a frenzy.

YanksFanSince78- No its not close to as balanced, not to mention Drew and Lowell are not going to be in the line-up everyday for the whole season, and of course there's the question of wether or not Pappi will return to form.

Yanks have question marks too,(Matsui, and Cano), but are not close to as big as the sox.

"Yanks have question marks too,(Matsui, and Cano), but are not close to as big as the sox."

Posada isn't a question mark coming back from injury? Damon's age isn't a question mark? Cabrera? Good luck with that one.

"icedrake523- Thats funny when I say lets see if Lester can repeat his year, Sox fans go into a frenzy."

Lester finished up 2007 strong with a 3.34 ERA in 29.3 IP. His BAbip last year was 300 which is unlucky for a pitcher. His K/9 was a solid 6.50. His BB/9 was a solid 2.82. His K/BB was 2.30 which is good. The only thing he needs to work on is his H/9 which was still a good 8.64. That said, the odds are VERY good that he can have another productive season.

You Yankees and Red Sox fans can bicker all you want between yourselves-- the Rays still have the better all-around team, with a farm system overstocked with talent ready to hit the bigs.

Judge, the reason i see beckett as much more likely to stay healthy and be much better statistically is because he has proven he can do this in the past and even outside of contract years. Beckett is not leaps and bounds better when healthy but there is a clearly visible difference in the two based upon stats. And if you honestly expect Sabathia to replicate his second half numbers from last year you're insane. Even if he pitches in 2007 Cy Young form, that still represents a slight drop off, though he'd be the best pitcher in the al east most likely. still burnett is a major question, how much can joba pitch, does hughes rebound. i think the yanks have more significant questions to answer than the sox at this point in time. thats why i give a slight edge to the red sox in the starting staffs. that said, if kazmir returns to 2007 form the rays have the best pitching staff in that division hands down

actually Judge, as far as tampa i think a lot of key guys underperformed. BJ Upton was much better in 2007, carl crawford big time, jason bartlett was better in both 06 and 07, and carlos pena for hitters. Navarro had a career year but he's the only one. Plus they improved with Joyce and Burrell. That offense could actually be the best in the division, the only question mark really being Navarro. All other 8 guys are very solid, they can run, and they can hit for power i like that offense. If Price is as good as advertised they will once again have the best pitching staff as well, its gonna be hard to beat the Rays

bravesfan22193 - Price is the next in a long line that includeds Philp Hughes, Homer Bailey, and Clay Buchholz, all were can't miss pitching prospects, but the truth is it takes time not just talent to become a major league pitcher. They still have no closer, or a good bullpen. You might be right about some of the line-up (crawford, Upton), however Pena and Bartlett are not going to be any better, and there was a reason Philly didn't even try to resign Burell. Also the staff was totally over acheiving last year, I really think they are set up for a huge let down, especially if things break right for Boston.

Judge, you make a decent point in saying that hughes, bucholz, and bailey were all picked for success but i think price stacks up much closer to another yankee: joba. both showed their skills in a bullpen role and had postseason success. price is further along than those three and i think he puts up good numbers for a guy that will only be required to be most likely the #4 man in their rotation. price is the top prospect in all of baseball at this point not just the top pitcher in his organization's minor league system. There will be an adjustment period but not as much of one as the three you list. I never commented on the bullpen, in fact i think it could be a pitfall for them. Pena had a very down year compared to 07, i think somewhere in between is reasonable. Philly didn't re-sign Burrell because he is a terrible defender and they felt his price was too high. Obviously they ended up wrong about the second part but just because they weren't willing to throw 30+ million at burrell doesn't make him bad. He no longer has to play the field and he crushes lefties, a weakness of last year's Rays. Actaully the only person that overachieved to the point that he may not be able to replicate his success is sonnanstine. kazmir underachieved big time, garza and shields season numbers fall in line with expectations. If Kazmir and Sonnanstine even out and Price pitches above average for the 4 spot (a realistic expectation) the rotation actually gets better

Great comment walkoffblast. Yankees fans are worthless and baseball has changed the past 10 years where you can't buy a championship anymore regardless of how hard you try. In every sport its all about chemistry that wins championships. And with all the egos the Yankees have, its impossible for them to win it any time soon. Hell yeah small market teams :) Go Royals :) Brian Cashman is not that good of a GM, he just has deep pockets.