While the Yankees have spent big to bring Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran into the fold, the club continues to carry major holes in its infield and rotation, Fox Sports' Jon Paul Morosi writes. That the Yankees will need to acquire an impact free-agent starter to contend is a consequence of their failure to develop their own superstars, he says. Morosi ranks the Bombers' rotation as the AL East's third-best as things currently stand. Here's more out of the division:
- Alex Rodriguez says he's confident he'll be manning third base for the Yankees next season, ESPN reports. "I'm preparing as always, working hard," Rodriguez told reporters in Spanish. The Bombers would be off the hook for A-Rod's $25MM salary in 2014 if his suspension is upheld, but the 37-year-old still has impact potential. If he's allowed to play, Rodriguez will relieve GM Brian Cashman of the need to find a third baseman in a free agent market that just saw the Dodgers give two years and $15MM to Juan Uribe.
- The Yankees' interest in Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney could pick up following the Royals' four-year, $30.25MM deal with Omar Infante, Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com tweets. Levine says the two teams have previously discussed Barney, who's considered a strong defender but hit just .208/.266/.303 in 2013.
- Red Sox catcher Ryan Lavarnway is aware of talks to eliminate home-plate collisions, but he'd prefer the rule to remain as it is, Tim Healey writes for MLB.com. "I've talked to a few of the other catchers, and I think that in general we all want to see [the rule] the way it is," Lavarnway said. "We think that [home-plate collisions are] a part of the game."
- The A.J. Pierzynski signing appears to call Lavarnway's role with the 2014 Red Sox into question, Healey says. Pierzynski and David Ross are expected to handle Boston's catching duties next season.
- The Orioles will struggle to keep Rule 5 draft selection Michael Almanzar on the 25-man roster for the entirety of 2014, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports. Like fellow Oriole Danny Valencia, Almanzar is limited to the infield corners and hits right handed. Almanzar has a .250/.302/.373 line in six minor-league seasons.
I guess that means A-rod is taking PEDs as usual?
Third-best rotation in the division, sure. But the drop-off between the Rays and Sox and the rest of the division is VAST. And the Yankees have the weakest present farm system of the division….congrats on making the big splashes this offseason, Yanks, but you’ve got to make about 2-5 more big moves to be favored. By my current count, 5 pitchers have now left the team owing to retirement or FA, and no signings are in place yet, save for resigning Kuroda.
“But the drop-off between the Rays and Sox and the rest of the division is VAST” Not according to last years stats…. and the Yankees have the weakest present farm system of the division chances are this is also wrong, not that it really matters but the rays best prospect is jake odorizzi.
That was before Pettitte retired. And before Hughes, who at least had an arm that could give innings, was gone. And at the moment, zero replacements. The Rays and Sox, at present, are returning everyone. So stats are only part of the present story. The dropoff IS vast. And anyone who watched an exhausted Yankee bullpen throw gas on fires down the stretch in 2013 knows that stats didn’t even tell the whole story when you did have Pettitte and Hughes.
So a guy who was barely above average and a guy who was well below average leaving would make the difference “vast”. For one thing phelps is projected to have as many innings as hughes did and pitch better than hughes in them. So no it isn’t vast and quite frankly it won’t be too difficult to replicate boston’s mediocre staff even without signing anyone else.
Really. With an ace that finished 35th amongst the 37 qualifiers for the ERA title, and a #2 guy that’s 39, and a third guy who still needs to prove he can be consistent, and after that, not a single guy who’s ever pitched enough innings to qualify for the ERA title? Good luck with that. And congrats on your “projection” for Phelps. A 4.98 ERA isn’t making me shiver.
Yes really we aren’t talking about the rays were talking about boston’s rotation. Also that isn’t phelps projection, he had a 3.81 fip.
Well, how about this. I got grave doubts you wouldn’t give up CC and Kuroda tomorrow for Lester and Lackey.
Depends if their contracts were included.
You’re kidding, right? This is getting pretty funny…
We’re all kidding, we of course believe that they should give 5 cya a yr to compensate for the sox staff being so close.Make it easier on the voters.
What vote? And if you think it was close, you didn’t watch enough games.
CYA stands for cy yound award. I was saying to make it easier for the voters they should give 5 of these awards. Because boston have 5 aces, I’m probably snubbing britton.
Also i saw the stats i already know it the two teams were close to each other.
Except, the Sox have all those guys coming back, and added a past CYA winner mid-season. Losing Pettitte weakened the Yankee staff, and signing a Matt Garza would only make the Yankees status quo. There is a LOT of work to do.
Peavey was exactly average last season. It’s almost like his body didn’t know about his cy young award in 2007.
And he was still a lot better than CC. And he’s our #4 guy.
Right but he has the same number of rings as CC so the numbers don’t matter.
Somehow, you seem to think that’s all I’m considering. I guess you missed the stats and the reality of your present postseason. Ah, well, when you start to lag behind the team to the northeast, there has to be something to cling to.
No i saw the stats and again the two teams were essentially the same. You just can’t grasp that fact
And you seem oblivious to the FACT that you’ve lost a key starter from last year with no replacement to date.
I already addressed that like 4 or 5 times.
Phelps, right? Sure. If you say so.
The stats say so, but i forgot stats are for losers. And no phelps was only part of the argument…
There isn’t an argument. You’ve lost 5 pitchers from last year’s staff. No replacements. And there’s no indication any will take a step forward
No you just refuse to accept the stats. Then again the second you mentioned the rays in the same breath as the sox staff i should have know this would be pointless.
Stats!
Yankees SP 3.88 fip 3,90 xfip, 4.08 era, 1.31 whip.
Sox whip 1.29. 3.96 fip, 3.97 xfip, 3.84 era.
“CYA” At least I taught you that abbreviation. Accomplished one thing in this conversation.
“signing a Matt Garza would only make the Yankees status quo.” I’m not sure what this means.
Garza isn’t an improvement over Pettitte, and unless (a) tanaka gets posted and (b) the Yankees get him, the Yankee staff won’t be any better than 2013.
It doesn’t have to be any better to be on par with boston’s. They don’t need to improve over pettitte. They need to improve over hughes and pettitte which isn’t difficult.
According to FIP from last year or Steamer for next year, the Yankees 1-2 are better than the Red Sox 1-2…. Yes, it is rather close but the stats say it’s the truth. I’m not seeing how you think it’s so open and shut the Red Sox are better… Perhaps you’re letting your homerness clout your judgement? Forget how awful those 2 were for the few years prior to last season?
How about this one. Lackey and Lester have four rings between them. CC and Kuroda have one. I think my judgment is quite clear.
That’s why i want yogi berra pitching on opening day. No homerism at all.
He could probably be the #4 guy in the rotation ATM.
I don’t know i think clay, and doubie are both better than yogi.
Oh I’m so jelly man. I’m so glad those 2 pitched 162 games last year each and threw complete game shut outs and also batted and hit HR’s every at bat. Clearly they were both the reason they won it all. It doesn’t even matter if it doesn’t make sense that they both pitched every game with a CG Shut out, because they did it and they won that WS for Boston.
Giggles.
The 1-2 of the Rs is better because they have more rings.
By that methodology Jackie Bradley JR is better than mike trout. And Nava is better than Braun.
Don’t laugh we live in a world where sox fans are counting rings. Though it does mean jeter is better than boegarts.
You’re right not to laugh. Your new CF has more rings than anybody on the Yankee roster except for your almost 40-year old SS. Welcome to the new math…now you get to start counting OUR rings.
Thank he has that many rings though. I would be really worried if he didn’t. Ells better than trout!!
My my…for a Yankee fan, you certainly have abandoned the “count the rings” mentality rather easily.
Or I never had it to start with…
Cervalli also has one i think. I;m not sure why we even got mccann in that case.
Ellsbury has 2. Lol that’s the point he was trying to make. Sure, he didn’t help much in 07… But he did still get one.
He did help. He took over centerfield in the post season.
None of those players have two rings. Ells does.
Soriano has 2.
Regardless, # of rings is a absolutely meaningless stat when you are talking about the value of a player.
No, he doesn’t. He wasn’t postseason eligible in 1999 and didn’t get a ring. In fact, he’s never played a single postseason inning for a team that won a WS championship because he also missed the 2000 postseason.
doesn’t mean he doesn’t have rings. play for the team during that season and you get a ring. iglasias has a ring.
It’s the choice of the team. I’ve seen no evidence that Soriano received a ring for 1999, having less than 10 PAs in that year, and not being eligible for the postseason. The ring itself is less important than the contribution to the championship. The two of you are playing silly semantics and dismissing the obvious to suit your need. Until the last decade or so, Yankee fans didn’t need to grasp at so many straws.
Remember when the Sox fans were lovable pessimists? Now they’ve finally reached their goal of dethroning the Yankees as the most annoying fans in baseball. At least until the Phillies are good again.
How about this – the two of them went 7-2 with an ERA just over 2 while CC and Hideki were golfing. That works for me.
Really.
A grand total of 5 games for a pitcher is a terrible way to judge them. Season stats tend to show what they are way more than what a few games said.
Ahh they spoke rather loud.
Yeah just like Pablo Sandoval turn that awesome WS into a fantastic season.. oh wait…
Keep telling yourself. The lack of titles are accumulating in the Bronx. A certain manager often said “statistics are for losers”.
A coach isn’t a manager.
Also you can’t really accumulate a lack of something.
Sure you can. 11 of the last 12 years – no title. Sounds like an accumulation to me.
I think you should look the word up.
Lackey and his 3.86 would be welcomed on my team even though, that’s the first thing he’s done since 2010. But for kuroda? Not a chance. Lester on the other hand is younger than CC so it is tempting, then again lester’s 2012 season was just as bad as cc’s 2013 season. I mean 2012 lester 4.11 fip 2013 CC 4.10. Era CC 4.78 Lester 4.82. That’s as close as it gets. But I’d still take CC because lester wasn’t so great in 2011 either.
Oh, okay. I guess the postseason wasn’t convincing enough for you. Well, we’ll see you in October, I guess.
Lackey is #3 starter on the Sox.
Depends if Clay is healthy or not.
Okay, so? i didn’t ask for lackey to be mentioned. Also he probably is the number 2.
No he is probably #3
I guess you guys are illustrating that the Sox have the depth that the Yankees do not have.
I doubt it but it really doesn’t matter anyway. Both kind of injury prone. Clay also had his first good season since 2010. Pretty flukish 2011 4.34 fip.
Lester over CC: CC’s numbers have been declining for 3 years. CC’s ’13 numbers are more relevant than Lester’s ’12. Lester’s coming up on contract year (motivation). Lester is much more stable with Farrell his long-time pitching coach and away from the “muddy chicken” daze.
The past five years, It would be CC hands down, but CC is a big guy who’s aging. Thats not a good combination. The pendulum has swung, Lester will be the better pitcher in ’14.
Farrell was only gone for one yr lester’s struggles were his own. And they just as relevant.
Even with all that the Yankees pitching only allowed 15 more runs over the course of 162 games compared to the RS.
And before the loss of Pettitte and Rivera. Encouraging.
You guys aren’t doing so hot at this whole debating thing.
The Red Sox have a better rotation as things stand, but I could easily see the Yankees rotation performing better depending on who they sign. CC, Kuroda, Nova, Phelps, (Tanaka, Garza, Jimenez, JSantana? a risk-reward signing?). They have enough talent to step in if need be and one of their starters struggles too much or is injured: Adam Warren, Vidal Nuno, Michael Pineda, Manny Banuelos, Jose Ramirez. Pineda and Banuelos are definitely question marks, but their talent is undeniable.
If Tanaka is posted, I give the edge to the Yankees.
You’re dealing in “ifs” and “maybes”. This time last year, of course, the Yankees had an edge based on the recent performances of Lester, Buchholz, and unknown status of Lackey. Obviously, it changed for the Sox for the better, and I respect that situations can turn around. But the Yankees aren’t in the same circumstance at all. Kuroda’s 39 and it’s difficult to expect any more than what he’s already doing. CC is 33 and his weight and size is already a concern. Pettitte’s retired. Nova looked good in the second half last year, but is needed to do what he did for a full season. Everyone else you mentioned is a question mark, at best. Could things turn around? Sure. But it’s a lot to ask of a staff in which the returnees are older, and the fresh blood presently in place has never pitched enough to qualify for an ERA title. As for FAs – there’s nothing certain or even likely in any of the guys you mentioned. What was funny this year was that even in May, numerous Yankee fans were still claiming perseverance owing to their pitching depth. It wasn’t there. It isn’t there. And Cashman better move fast, or .500 is going to be an accomplishment. You may have signed some guys, but the absence of pitching still has you in the category of the Orioles and Blue Jays as of this moment.
Remember last off season when everyone ranked the Red Sox as the best team in baseball?
Wasn’t that also the offseason that the Blue Jays were favored after “winning the offseason”? We’ll be fine with hoisting a trophy at the end of October. Like we did about 6 weeks ago.
“Wasn’t that also the offseason that the Blue Jays were favored after “winning the offseason”?” Whoosh.. ya that was his general point…
The Sox also had (and have) a high quality farm system. And signed what it NEEDED. So far, I’m far more concerned about what the A’s have done in building a monstrous bullpen. Thus far, you guys aren’t even on the radar.
The sox farm system gave them what in terms of winning the WS last yr?
Lester Bucholtz xander ells Pedroia
He was referring to players that came up in 13.ANd xander had almost no role in that WS win.
When talking about a farm team why only talk about a certain year???? No role???? Wasn’t he starting over Middlebrooks
He was referring to why people were wrong about the 2013 redsox in their preseason projection. So ya only that year would count i guess. Xander only got real playing time in the WS and struggled. Not to mention he didn’t help them get there nor was he a reason people were wrong about boston.
You’re wasting your time. He seems to think that I only value rings in terms of player value. Ten years ago, he would have been parroting the standard “count the rings” chant that Yankees fans had done for 80 years. Now, they haven’t got a clue how to respond to a better franchise. So let him rant. It’s actually a lot of fun.
I always laugh at these allusions that the sox are a homegrown team. $170M payroll teams that have the majority of their starters from other teams are not homegrown.
More than half the team is home grown.
Pedro, middlebrooks, bogarts, Iglesias, nava, ellsbury, Lester, bucholz, dubront, and a number of arms from the pen is a good amount of home grown talent.
Lavarnway wants other competent catchers to get destroyed so he can get a call up. What a joke.
The game is better off this way. As it was before, a player can only purposefully physically harm a 2B or C – those positions are the exception, not the rule.
The 4 second excitement of a play at the plate never makes up for the missed time of good catchers and especially stars like Posey.
Starters available out there are have a number of concerns…Garza’s injured most of the time, Ervin Santana’s way too inconsistent…I’d just as soon that they go after bullpen help: Benoit, Balfour,etc., and let the kids take the 4 & 5 spots
Maybe lavarnway would have a different opinion if he were an ACTUAL catcher.
I’ve watched Alamanzar multiple times. He stays tall and has nice raw power, but has a long swing and bad defense. Even at DH he won’t stick, but I have to say Id rather keep him for a year and cut Valencia. Valencia, Pierce, Alamanzar…Angelos is such a cheap skate
Alamanzar will end up on the phantom DL. The player loves it because it gives him a big league paycheck, but its the worst thing for career.
Why would the Yankees need to trade for Barney when they already have a guy that can play good d at 2b and not hit in Ryan?
The Yankees currently have Johnson, Jeter, A-Rod, Ryan for 2b, SS, 3b. With Jeter’s health issues and A-Rod’s suspension they’re probably going to want at least one more (and a second when/if A-Rod gets suspended).
Barney platoons with Johnson at second.
Ryan spells Jeter at SS.
They also have Nunez.
They could also just easily sign Mark Ellis for one year.
It’s is Yankees fashion to sign a big name and get less than expected production
Generally speaking, everyone who signs a big name gets less than expected.
Nunez is terrible and below replacement level. Ellis and Barney are above.
Ellis is interesting but I think Barney will have a slighlty better season in WAR terms once his BABIP returns to career norms (.270 career, .222 last season). Either way though, both work.
I know most are down on Nunez but I think he could be ok if he got to play every day. But that would require a leap of faith the Yankees likely won’t make.
Not at ss. I might give it a chance at second. I’d prefer to add Roberts and hope to get a full season of play between him and jeter.
Sure Yankees aren’t complete, but really can’t judge them when you are still in December.
With the Orioles holes in LF at DH and the injury to Machado, don’t be surprised if Almanzar sticks. His power and on base capabilities have increased the last couple years and he did pretty well in Portland last year as a 22 year old. I would not be surprised at all if he opens the season with the Orioles as their DH. I’d like to see the Sox get him back but he is likely better then Urrita or Valencia.
I’d only see Almanzar sticking if Machado is out for an extended period. They signed Peguero to a major league contract, presumably to compete with Reimold in left. They have Flaherty, who isn’t much of a hitter but can play all over the infield, so he’s the preferable depth option. I think the only reason they grabbed Almanzar is if Machado is going to be out until the All-Star break or so – and even then, it’s hard to see him being able to stay on the roster all year, having only had experience at AA.