Yanks Acquire Chad Gaudin

GREAT THE MISSING PIECE FINALLY FOUND.

sigh

Not sure what you would expect teams to find at this point. I think this is better than throwing Mitre every 5th day. Gaudin was better in the AL than in the NL. He is striking out more people this year, but he's walking more too. I like my chances better with high K pitchers, so we'll see.

After watching him last night against Atlanta I have absolutely no idea what the Yankees are thinking here. He looked like he'd never seen a major league batter before

He's better than Mitre.
Also, I'll say this name. Joe Blanton. Look how terrible he was. Now, I know he went AL to NL, but seriously, he went from being like Kei Igawa bad to Cliff Lee good. You just don't become that kind of pitcher through a simple league switch. Especially last year where there were very good hitting teams in the NL, specifically in that division.

I'm not saying this will happen for Gaudin. What I'm saying is, anything can happen.

Kei Igawa is having a good year at AAA. Some NL team should trade for him. It's become the cool thing to hate on Kei Igawa.

Gaudin did a really solid job as a reliever in '06 with Oakland (3.09 ERA in 64 innings, and yes I know ERA isn't necessarily the best measure of a pitcher). Perhaps this move is to prepare to move Aceves back into the rotation and allow Gaudin to take over that role.

Also that 3.68 FIP with Gaudin's K rate is pretty encouraging - even if he is going to the AL East.

Not to mention BOS TOR BAL and TB all hit much better than, say, SF.

Any Yankees fans have any idea who would be dealt , the PTBNL?

Marfons, you are making a general statement that isn't supported by facts. The facts say he was a better pitcher in the AL. The facts also say his ERA would be lower if he had the Yankees defense behind him. This is a pointless argument right now. But atleast bring something to the table better than "omg new yankee stadiumz iz a joke!!11!"

Analysis from real Yankees fans on this blockbuster trade!

www.fatemokid.com/baseball

Kinsm - Is right Gaudin has pitched better away from Petco this year. He would have at least 4-5 more wins if the Padres could sometimes hit the ball.

didn't hear that about Hughes yet. Good news. Keep gaudin in the bullpen now.

I would imagine he may get a few starts, but will ultimately end up in a relief role, especially since Cashman said today on the Mike Francesa show(I hate him. I cant stand Francesa. But I heard this from River Ave Blues.) that Hughes will be transitioned back to the rotation before years end.

Posted by: yanks26ngoin | August 06, 2009 at 09:34 PM
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Cashman actually said Hughes would NOT be moved back into the rotation this season and that it was more realistic that Aceves could be transitioned since hes thrown higher pitch counts throughout the season although it was also unlikely.

What the hell they didnt want to pay Bannister $650,000. They would rather pay that to gaudin. WOW

Gaudin's a pretty damn solid pickup for the Yanks, (depending on the PTBNL, of course). Who knows how he'll adjust to the AL East though, although he was pretty decent in Oakland.

Now, my question is, how did this guy get through waivers (he's got another year till FA) to the Yankees, especially when NL teams like the Brewers and Cardinals could use cheap SP/RP, along with quite a few AL teams.

it sucks that yanks26ngoin was misinformed on Hughes. That would have been nice to look forward to. As far as the person that asked what FIP is, the internet and google are your friends.

The Yankees weren't trading Austin Jackson straight up for Brian Bannister. Jackson and Mcallister easy? C'mon

You never know what they are gonna ask for you know how the padres are they overrate their players.

Made the comment about the stadium watching multiple routine fly outs just clear the wall in right tonight. But hey, I guess I'm just wrong on that one.

No I didn't check Gaudin's splits, just going on knowledge of park dimensions and common knowledge. I realize he's playing in front of a AAAA squad in SD, but I don't see him as much better than Mitre.

Either way its a depth move, they signed Russ Ortiz for the same reasons b/c they have no other choice.

Made the comment about the stadium watching multiple routine fly outs just clear the wall in right tonight. But hey, I guess I'm just wrong on that one.

No I didn't check Gaudin's splits, just going on knowledge of park dimensions and common knowledge. I realize he's playing in front of a AAAA squad in SD, but I don't see him as much better than Mitre.

Either way its a depth move, they signed Russ Ortiz for the same reasons b/c they have no other choice.

Posted by: marfons | August 06, 2009 at 10:28 PM
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This is a very different move then the Ortiz signing. the AAA rotation is short handed and theres really no one to come up if a few injuries happen to the big club. It would take a ton of misfortune for Ortiz to come out with the big club.

Gaudan however is a complete different situation as he will most likely be activated directly to the big club and help the pen out right away.

Ortiz is AAA filler Gaudan isnt.

I have ZERO problem with this trade. As long as we are not giving up anything of value in terms of the PTBNL then what's the harm? AIn any trade you weigh what you're giving up vs what you're getting in return. At this point, until someone of the Harang/Arroyo/Davis/Garland ilk clears waivers then this is how we go. Hope that CC/AJ/Pettite/Joba can pitch at a high level and you keep revolving 5th starters in and out until someone sticks.

Gaudin is young, misses bats and of his 11 starts on the road (since people make a issue of him pitching in PETCO) 7 of them he pitched what I call a "keep us in the game" #5 pitcher game (5+ IP w/ less than 3 runs allowed). And in those 11 starts on the road he's only allowed 5 hrs in 67 IP. The only REAL knock against him is his control as he serves up a lot of walks. Hopefully, he can figure that out.

YFS78 I think skipping Joba every now and then would actually benefit him a little more than people think. He did come out strong after the all star break after getting 9 days rest. If it was honestly the extra rest that made him perform at that level than I am ok with skipping him every now and then. I will trust the Yanks brass is doing the best for him and the team for both this season and the future.

I agree with you about Melancon and Robertson though. Robertson looks ready to take on a much bigger role in the Yanks bullpen. Melancon stuff looks great but he still seems a little uneasy being up in the big leagues with the Yanks so I would ease him into it slowly and see what we got there. It definitely took some balls and confidence to throw at Pedroia twice tonight though. I actually liked it. Pedroia was diving over the plate all night, about time he got backed off.

In fact that entire 2006 draft for the Yanks was a pretty decent haul that can become even better if a couple of highly touted guys pan out:

1st rnd: Joba and IPK
3rd rnd: Zach McAllister @ AA
5th rnd: George Kontos @ AAA
8th rnd: Delin Betances @ A+ (DL)
9th rnd: Mark Melancon
10th rnd: Casey Erickson (traded to Pittsburgh for Hinske)
13th: Danie; McCutchen(traded to Pittsburgh in Nady deal).
17th rnd: Dave Robertson

I dunno if he was trying to hit him, but he was definitely backing him the hell off the plate.

Entire Yanks bullpen are products of the farm outside of Bruney which is great.

I'm not advocating throwing at people for stupid reasons (see Padilla) but if I were a pitcher who could throw in the mid 90's I guarantee you opposing hitters would hate facing me. Regardless of the repercussions you MUST pitch inside. Even with all the hoopla towards Joba, he thrown well over the opponents head. With his velocity and his control there's no way he would miss a guy if he really wanted to hit them. Clearly he's throwing over their heads. Even though I'm 90% sure Melancon's pitch to Pedroia simply got away from him, THAT PITCH, if done intentionally is dangerous because it runs up and in at a guy. Even with him moving back it still ran up on him. There's a big difference between throwing a rising up and in 95 mph pitch versus a 95 mph pitch clearly over the hitters head. Evan would've had to jump up for that pitch to hit him. BUT it served it's purpose as it rattled him and got him to hit a frustrated pop up.

All that being said, expect a Yanks hitter to get hit. Take it, run to 1st base and keep it moving. let the sleeping dogs lay IMO.

The Yanks are on the hook for about 100k, thats it. As Tim noted above.

Guadin isnt a great pitcher, but he did eat innings. He would be a lot better if his command didnt fail him so often. The defense behind him wasnt the problem, the major problem is that the Padres have no offense.

@Myk13: I would think a low level arm or MI prospect, with marginal upside. Or a long shot with high upside, still at the lower levels. More then likely not someone that will be with the big club anytime soon.

The AL East will love Chad. This is not going to be good because he is not good. His command is bad more times than not. That gets him in trouble, as it would most anyone. The thought that Petco would help him was false. Granted, the Pads are rebuilding.

I still do not understand why Hendry signed him over the winter for a couple million and then released him during spring training. What a bad move and waste of money by the Cubs. Gaudin was/is not anything special. Just a filler pitcher to eat some innings.

you guys really don't understand, he is much better than MITRE and his 32 hits in 18 innings.

gaudin has OKAY stuff, but he has control problems.

he pitched good against some good teams this year.

It's a depth move for 100K, typical Cashman move to pick crap off the heap and throw it at the wall and hope it sticks.

Isn't it amazing how biased some posters here are becoming..
When a team like the Red Sox pick up a guy like say a Brian Anderson(wish i could bold his name) or Paul McAnulty many say ... This move by Theo Epstein was one of gold!!!! High risk low reward move of beauty.... DEPTH!!!!!!!!!!!!(I recall one of the thread writers giving that Brian Anderson acquisition so much recognition in a live chat ... what has he or ever will he do thats significant or an improvement over Kotsay... nothing) ....
Now what gets to me with this site is when a team like the Yankees does this type of move .... Its either, they have no minor league pitching to call up therefore a move like this was needed because that system is in disarray or just a typical Cashman move picking up crap off the scrap heap... Gimme a break look at how low this site is becoming just by this comment alone....

"The Yankees dont need to spend any money on pitchers. They are spending them on steroids to keep the group going. Gaudin is going to fit well with all this steroid filled group. In my humble opinion."

What is this an ESPN msg board?

Free side,
Its an independent board with people posting their opinions.

Posted by: terry180 | August 07, 2009 at 07:55 AM
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Not so much an opinion as a moronic attempt at humor but hey if you want to waste your time posting this drivel, no ones gonna stop you. They just wont take you seriously.

The Yankees dont need to spend any money on pitchers. They are spending them on steroids to keep the group going. Gaudin is going to fit well with all this steroid filled group. In my humble opinion.

Posted by: terry180 | August 07, 2009 at 07:20 AM
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I enjoy this site for it's knowlegeable baseball fans and intelligent debate...this unfortunately is not, in my humble opinion.

im surprised no one has said this yet but

terry180- regardless of what team you like, at least one major player has taken steroids. just saying.

daily testing in october? huh?

One of the Ray players said last year in one of the interviews that they had to pee several times every week in the WS. He said that they had to be tested on the first round in the postseason then skip the second round then again tested during WS.

One of the Ray players said last year in one of the interviews that they had to pee several times every week in the WS. He said that they had to be tested on the first round in the postseason then skip the second round then again tested during WS.

Posted by: terry180 | August 07, 2009 at 08:41 AM

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Steroids don't leave your system that quickly dude. Steroids, or a lack of, has ZERO to do with Arod under performing in the playoffs.

If you look at Arod's numbers they are trending down at the end of the season. That to me indicates that he knows the testing is done in September and he stops taking them and that is the reason why he has a drop off performance. I'm going to look at his numbers from 2007 and 2008. I bet he will have a pattern of drop off.

I wonder when was the last time Pete Abe was able to see his shoes.

I know I'm an idiot for doing this and am going against my own advice of ignoring you but...what the hell?

2008:
August (.243/.352 w/ 6 hrs)
September (.278/.383 w/ 8 hrs)

2007:
August (.330/.434 w/ 9 hrs)
September (.362/.470 w/ 10 hrs)

2006:
August (.277/.364 w/ 5 hrs)
September (.358/.465 w/ 8 hrs)

2005:
August (.277/.364 w/ 5 hrs)
September (.358/.465 w/ 8 hrs)

I didn't trust that you would bother to back up anything you said with numbers so I figured I'd help you out.

I got the numbers.In 2007 Arod had 14 HR in April, 5 in May,9 in June, 8 in July, 9 in August and 10 in September. That was the year he opted out and Suri his cousin was following him around on the trips. This is the same guy who Arod admitted that supplied him with steroids. I have no doubt that he took steroids and opted out to get the big contract.
In 2008 he had 4 HR in April, 3in May, 9 in June(almost identical with last year) 7 in July, 6 in August and 5 in September.
This year no homeruns in April because of his injury, 7 homeruns in May, 5 in June and 7 in July.
Every year since 2007 up to now he has 9 HR homeruns in the month of June and 7 in the month of July which leads me to believe that he is certainly takes something in the month of June and it last until July then stops and his numbers go down in August.IMO

Haha...ok so you're conclusion that a massive dip in 2 hrs from June to July is a result of Arod cycling off of the juice?

Ok, I'm back to ignoring you again.

Terry wins wins the idiot of the day award!

[Brian Cashman walks into a Bronx Duane Reade store]

Pharmacist: "Brian! Great to see you, its been a while."

Cashman: "I know. How have you been?"

Pharmacist: "Can't complain. And the Yankees are looking good. You must be happy."

Cashman: "I am, but you can never be satisfied. You know, playing in such a tough division ..."

[An awkward pause ensues, both Cashman and the pharmacist know what comes next.]

Cashman: "Can I get some steroids?"

[The pharmacist looks around to make sure no law enforcement officials or baseball reporters are nearby. Or Terry180. That dude is pretty smart.]

Pharmacist: "Sure, Brian. What kind?"

Cashman: "The baseball kind, please."

[The pharmacist walks to the secret professional sports team steroids drawer.]

Pharmacist: "Here they are. How many do you need?"

Cashman: "Hmmm ... give me 24 doses."

Pharmacist: "Only 24?"

Cashman: "Yeah, that should do it. Why waste one on Tomko, right?"*

Pharmacist: "LOL."

Cashman: "LOL."

[The pharmacist counts out 24 doses of baseball steroids and puts them in a pill container.]

Pharmacist: "Alright. That will be $1,000."

Cashman: "I'm going to pay with cash. You know, to be safe."

Pharmacist: "I understand. That's smart."

[Cashman pulls out a one thousand dollar bill and hands it to the pharmacist.]

Cashman: "Ok. Thanks. Take care."

Pharmacist: "You too. And go Yanks. Beat those cheaters up in Boston."

Cashman: "F yeah."

[Cashman pumps his fist and exits the drug store.]

THE END

* Astute baseball fans will note that Tomko is no longer a member of the Yankees yet was mentioned by name here This transcript is from 3 weeks ago. But nice catch.

and terry u are comparing his stats soley on home runs look at YFS78 stats at least he knows what hes talking about

Cashman doesnt need to go to the pharmacy to buy them. Steinbrenner's step grandchild was a steroid supplier who served prison time. I do think Arod, Tex, Melky, Cano, Posada, Matsui are taking something.IMO

Posted by: terry180 | August 07, 2009 at 10:40 AM
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Terry what team do you root for?

More troubling to me than his ERA, or the fact that he's going to the AL East from the NL West (you know, those Dodgers and Rockies do hit pretty well) is the fact that he's only made it through the seventh inning 4 times this season. He's thrown to more than 27 batters 4 times, as well. I realize he's a K/BB guy, but I'd sure like to see him pitch more efficiently.

I'm thinking that's just org talk since there's nothing to be gained by saying "yeah, this guy is replacing Mitre immediately". If both are pitching well, you'd rather have Mitre in the rotation and Gaudin working out of the pen (just based on repetoire) but Mitre just hasn't been effective. I imagine Gaudin will throw once or twice out of the pen so Eiland/Contreras/catchers can get a feel for him then, barring a Mitre turnaround, he'll be the #5.

http://insidecorner.dmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/gaudin.jpg