The Yankees are considering a defensive change for next season, shifting Curtis Granderson to left field and Brett Gardner to center, reports Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. Granderson's defense has declined in recent years, as he has posted negative UZR/150 ratings in four of the last five years, including a -18.2 UZR/150 in 2012. Gardner, on the other hand, has a career 30.6 UZR/150, ranking him amongst the best defensive outfielders in the game.
Here's the latest from both the Yankees and Mets…
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman doesn't plan to offer Rafael Soriano a deal similar to the one he signed after the 2010 season that established Soriano as Mariano Rivera's set-up man and understudy at closer, reports ESPN New York's Wallace Matthews. "I don't think Soriano would sign here if he's not going to be the closer," Cashman said. "And I don't think we would do again what we did before. He's going to want closer money and I doubt he would want to come back here as a set-up man." Soriano is a free agent after opting out of the last year of his deal, and agent Scott Boras said Soriano is looking for a four-year contract to close. Soriano could still return to the Bronx, of course, if Rivera retires and the Bombers suddenly have a hole at the back of their bullpen.
- Also from Matthews, he reports that the Yankees will make qualifying offers to Nick Swisher and Hiroki Kuroda. Swisher will almost surely turn this offer down but Kuroda "might accept it." The Yankees have interest in bringing back Ichiro Suzuki and Raul Ibanez on short-term contracts, while the club also would like to re-sign Andy Pettitte and Russell Martin.
- The Yankees haven't received any calls from teams interested in Alex Rodriguez, reports USA Today's Bob Nightengale. It could be a moot point, as Nightengale hears that Rodriguez isn't willing to waive his no-trade clause for any team.
- The Mets are continuing to talk to David Wright about a multiyear extension but talks are "stuck in neutral" and there is "nothing imminent" between the two sides, reports Mike Puma of the New York Post and Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger (both links to Twitter).
- ESPN's Jim Bowden believes Wright and the Mets will agree to a new long-term contract, but if they can't, Bowden suggests five teams who could become trade destinations for Wright.
“The Yankees are considering a defensive change for next season, shifting Curtis Granderson to left field and Brett Gardner to center”
Please do it!!
Granderson in Left and Gardner in Center makes all the sense in the world. This would actually make the Yankees a better ballclub because defense would improve. Ichiro/Hunter in Right and you have great outfield defense for sure.
Great outfield defense, absolutely. Gardner I think at this point has more speed and takes better routes to the ball. I hope we can finally get him for a full season. I’d like to see Gardner as a full-time leadoff hitter with Jeter batting 2nd. Granderson’s offensive game suggests he bat way lower in the order.
Same. Gardner is really the only speed threat in that lineup now, and he has shown the ability to get on base at a very high rate. Doesn’t have a ton of power, but he would have some big bats behind him.
At this point and at every other point for the past three+ years. This move is overdue.
Maybe those who follow sabermetrics more than me can give a good answer to this question – Why do they do UZR/150? Wouldn’t it make a little more sense to do UZR/162?
150 games is a rough estimate of the number of games an everyday player will play during a full season.
Why pick a number that’s based on a rough estimate (150 games a year for an everyday player) and instead do a number that is no estimate at all (162 games per team per year). Kind of like how Baseball Reference gives 162 game averages.
I would assume it’s because they figure most players aren’t playing every game. Also don’t think it really is that important. It is most important that it is a standardized measure and that we have something to compare it to rather than how many games a player could have ideally have played.
I think his point is that if you are making it a rate stat, what is gained by changing 162 to 150? The answer to that question is “nothing”.
The fact that 150 games is closer than 162 to the average number played by a starter is irrelevant. You could make the number of games 1 or 1000 and it literally wouldn’t change the information conveyed by the stat at all. 150 is arbitrary.
I would guess so that it makes comparisons easier. A lot more players play in 150 games or close to it than 162.
That doesn’t make the comparison any easier at all.
“stuck in neutral” means the Mets don’t want to offer Wright what he wants or Wright can’t wait to get away from the mess that is NY Mets
Yanks should get Jacoby Ellsbury and put him in center, Gardner in right and Granderson in left. They need to get younger and Ellsbury can steal bases!
Ellsbury is not a free agent, and I certainly do not expect a Red Sox/Yankee trade now or anytime soon. Then again, crazy things do happen.
Yea, RS still want a lot for Ellsbury, and I don’t see the Yankees wanting to unload their farm to the sox.
Elllsbury has 1 year left before he is a free agent. With that, and along with some recent injuries, no team will have to unload their farm to get him. Of course I am not saying he will cost nothing. He’s certainly going to cost something, and something big. But they won’t have to unload the farm.
Depends on how they view him. They might still view him as the 30 hr hitting CF with great obp and speed. Whereas his 2012 was disappointing, he was injured part of the year, but still over 300 AB, he was bad. Do they think he can return to 2011 form, or 2010/2012 form. I think if they are trading him they will probably wait till late may-late july, just because his value is not terribly high right now.
Any trade between Boston and NYY the selling team is going to be asking for much more than player is really worth.
I wouldn’t want to trade for him anyway. How could anyone have any confidence In what his true talent level is?
The Yankees dont have the right pieces in their farm system (in my opinion) to get Ellsbury.
The Mets should trade Wright, they need more pieces and not just one player.
agree, but depends on what they can get for him, should be able to get quite a bit, I would think. I don’t see the point of them extending him when they have so many other spots. Sometimes it is too enticing to be stuck in this middle ground, where you don’t completely trade your valuable pieces, but you don’t have enough to compete. Wright can probably bring back several good prospects, which will be more beneficial to the team in the long run if they aren’t competing in the next 2 years, and it’s hard to see them surpassing the braves or the Nats right now.
If they keep Wright, they will compete… but only to stay around .500. There are too many other needs and I think, and I hope they already are entertaining trade proposals for him.
That would annoy me as a fan. Would rather see some very bad years, and team being rebuilt than a .500 team that never bottoms out, but doesn’t have a real shot at division.
Well I’m also in the minority of Mets fans who think they should have traded Reyes and Wright a year or two ago, to actually get something in return. And any Met fan that thinks they are one of two free agents away from competing, when they are clearly still rebuilding is just out of their mind.
It’s time to stop ridding this team of another valued player in his prime on a team that has not one homegrown star who played his entire career with this franchise.
David Wright has a chance at 3,000 hits and Hall of Fame career. Let’s not blow that on short term impulsivity for younger players at the expense of a valued homegrown, 29 y.o. vet that is irreplaceable as face of the franchise, and role model for younger players to emulate and fans to love. David Wright is a valued treasure one should keep, not discard.
It’s alright to be stuck in the past, but if you want to win, then more pieces are needed, and since those aren’t coming from the minors and there’s no money to sign new impact players then a trade or two is needed.
Kuroda it makes sense to give the qualifying offer. Sure it would be a substantial pay increase, but don’t think it is all that important to the yankees for 2013. He has proven he can handle it and $13.3M would still be a value based off of what they got out of him this year, and I think they would be thrilled just to not have to worry about losing him. If he turns them down then they can still get a draft pick. I think kuroda could get more than $13.3M on the market if he opens his choice of teams up to everyone.
So, correct me if I’m wrong, assuming all got qualified offers and all left, the Yankees have a chance to get 4 first round picks? (Kuroda, Swisher, Soriano and their normal pick)
The way i understand the new rule is the signing team loses their first round pick but the yankees would not receive it. They would get picks after the first round though.
I left out the word late, I meant 4 late first round picks. But thank you for clarifying it though. And with teh Yankees being a late first round pick, there’s a chance they would get 4 picks in about a 7 pick span.
First things first, let’s see what happens the rest of the offseason! lol
What i don’t know is how do they determine the order in which teams receive these picks? Is it the order of who signs the quickest? Say player A signs Saturday and player B signs Sunday. Player A’s team receives the first pick and Player B’s team gets the second?
I just looked it up, it’s reverse order of winning percentage, so the worst team from the previous year starts the supplemental round picks. So I’m way off on that 4 out of 7 pick span, however there is of course a chance the Yankees get 3 straight picks.
They would get their normal pick in the late 20’s, and then they would get 3 “sandwich” picks. between round 1 and 2.
Nice…Yankees wanting to bring same old, slow team from last year. Keep up the great work Mr. Cashman.
You mean that old slow team that last year that finished with the best record in the AL?
Record doesn’t matter, over the past 17 seasons the team with the best record has only won the world series three times (Yankees in 98′ 09′ and the 07′ Red Sox). The only thing it really ensures is that the team makes the playoffs and in the playoffs everyone has an equal chance to win it all.
This makes No sense. It seems by his original post that he’s saying the Yankees are too old and slow to compete. They finished with the best record in the AL last year, so obviously despite being old and slow, they remain one of baseballs best teams.
Who said anything about the World Series?
Just saying that best record doesnt really mean anything other than a guaranteed playoff spot. Obviously slow, old and overpaid can still get a team to the playoffs.
So the Yankees have a chance to be in the position to have a 33% chance to win the WS is what you’re saying? If they, of course, take their slow team and get the best record in the AL again. Hmm, usually, with 30 teams, they have about a 3.33% chance.
I think I take your offer.
To clarify, two of the last six champions have had the best record…
6 is a small sample size. 17 is how far back I could find and only 3 out of 17 is not good.
The Yankees remain a playoff team, which is more than the (say) Angels can boast.
That’s a lot of movement. If I were Cashman, I’d be looking for opportunities to get younger, but even that can be a multi-year process. I’m not sure that bringing back Ichiro and Ibanez makes all that much sense. As for Soriano, other teams have shown that you can a bullpen for a lot less. But if Cashman is looking to be competitive, there are worse things than making the qualifying offers to several players, even if they are overpriced, because one year deals don’t clutter things up for 2014, when presumably they want to get under the luxury tax threshold, and pick up draft picks. Offer Swisher, the worst you get is either one year of Swisher (when he’s not yet old) or a draft pick. The same for Soriano and Kuroda.
Non-Yankee fan here so sorry if this is a silly question, but o.k. i’ll take it as a given that A-Rod is now not pulling his weight, especially compared to his salary, but what other options do they have to fill third should they get a taker for A-Rod? Are they counting on getting a third base prospect in return that might just win the third base job by default? Do they just sit A-Rod down and tell him he’s now a part time player in their eyes and will get reduced at bats to get him to reconsider invoking his no-trade clause? I don’t get how this would work. A-Rod seems to have too much leverage until the yanks have his replacement (someone better) on their roster. Is this just the media brewing this storyline or is this something the organization wants to do and has a plan in mind?