While much has been made of the Yankees' lack of infield depth in 2014, Joel Sherman of the New York Post points out that the depth beyond this coming season is even more concerning. Of the team's starting infielders, only Mark Teixeira is under contract after 2014, and they have little in the way of MLB-ready replacements within the organization. As such, Sherman reports that when scouting other clubs, the Yankees aren't looking for platoon partners for Kelly Johnson or Brian Roberts; they're looking for a "500 at-bat" type of player who could start in 2015. Rival scouts are focusing on the Yankees' catchers, and a deal centered around Francisco Cervelli and Gordon Beckham "is not impossible," writes Sherman. He adds that Mason Williams could be a trade chip with the Yankees' outfield now locked in for the foreseeable future.
Here are some more links pertaining to the AL East…
- Asked by MLB.com's Paul Hagen about the possibility of being traded, Cervelli replied: "I don't know. I've been here forever. I don't have that answer, because I feel right now like this is my house. But if somebody wants me to go over there, I've got to make the adjustment, you know?" Cervelli added that his dream has always been to be a starting catcher, but he accepts his role as a backup to Brian McCann. Manager Joe Girardi told Hagen that he feels Cervelli could be a starter for another organization, praising Cervelli's development offensively and defensively.
- Hagen also writes that Michael Pineda has made a good impression with the Yankees this spring, but manager Joe Girardi suggested that he'd be on an innings limit if he won the fifth starter's job. "Let's just say, hypothetically, he was a starter at some point," Girardi said to Hagen. "You're going to have to adjust. Because you're not getting 200 innings from him." Pineda shrugged off Girardi's comments when asked about them, stating that he knows it's Girardi's choice to make, and he's simply preparing himself to be ready to pitch every fifth day.
- Stephen Drew tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that doesn't know where he's going to be playing in 2014, but he's confident that a club will sign him and that he can help the team win. Drew is working out with fellow free agent Kendrys Morales at the Scott Boras Training Institute in Miami and says he feels he is coming off his best defensive season in the Majors. He'd love to return to Boston, but acknowledges that he can see why the team wants to give Xander Bogaerts a long look at shortstop. Drew doesn't say it directly, but he hints at his displeasure with the qualifying offer/compensatory draft pick system.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com hears from scouts outside the Orioles organization that Baltimore is on the hunt for a backup catcher. The club has yet to commit to choosing solely betwee Steve Clevenger and Johnny Monell for that distinction. Kubatko writes that manager Buck Showalter feels the decision will ultimately come down to defense.
Drew is the one player from this years FA class I truly feel got unfairly hurt by the QO. Santana (inconsistent), Jimenez (inconsistent), Cruz (PED’s), Morales (DH only) all had other issues limiting their market. Drew had a great season, defensively and offensively for a SS. He definitely should have had an easier time finding a multiyear deal than PED Peralta.
Id say the Cardinals wouldve signed Drew, but that would have caused them to have an all left handed infield. But he is also not worth more than 14.1 million and he should have just accepted the QO. I dont feel bad for him at all.
I don’t think Drew is worth 14+ MM a year, I also don’t think he was expecting to receive an AAV over 14 MM. However, a 4/40 type deal is a totally reasonable expectation for Drew and I can see why he turned down the QO.
Its been reported that he had an offer from the Yankees and turned it down. Who knows what that offer was, but its not like the QO is 100% to blame here.
The rumored contract offer from the Yanks to Drew/Boras was said to be 2 years, $10mil per.
Given that 2010 was the last time he broke 500 plate appearances, and the last time before 2013 he broke 100 OPS+, Drew should have, at a minimum, taken that offer as a very good starting point.
Turning down 14 million, knowing that the team that signs you has to pay MORE, AND give up a pick, is rarely a good idea.
These guys should maybe be a bit less arrogant.
It’s not arrogance. It’s a business decision on trying to maximize your value. It’s actually pretty common practice. Not some heinous act.
I understand that, but it is only arrogance that makes the people think that they are worth that much money.
Almost all of them have found out that they are actually NOT worth that much money, which is my point.
Nelson Cruz could’ve accepted the QO from Texas, instead he signed a one-year deal with Baltimore for about half that much.
When it comes to Boras it sometimes (often) seems to be. it’s mostly his players left sitting high and dry when the music ends and all the chairs have been sat down on ECB. I don’t know what else to call it.
Drew isn’t that good. He was very close to getting benched in the playoffs. If he was as good a SS as people make him out to be, he’d have signed already. He should have accepted the $14.1 QO so I don’t feel bad for him at all.
Nobody forced Drew to turn down $14mil. Public opinion seems pretty balanced opinion on this issue: many people (like Scott Boras) blame Drew’s unemployment on the presence of the QO system, many people (like me) blame nobody. Adults are able to make their own financial decisions and Drew and Morales made bad ones…no need to demonize them for those bad decisions, and likewise there’s no need to blame their bad decision making on the collectively bargained rules.
I wouldn’t worry too much about Drew. The Sherman article gave multiple reasons why there is a good bet he’ll be in pin stripes before the summer is out if he doesn’t sign else where during ST.
The flip side of waiting, especially into June to kill the QO still being in place is that you’re only going to draw half a year’s salary AND you’re going to be rusty at the start. And, if the Yankees are already way out of the hunt by then, their offer goes even lower, especially if Drew wants just that half season, then hitting the market again.
The Yankees would only have to sacrifice a second round pick at this point. If they haven’t signed him by now, I think they must know something about his health that we don’t.
That would only add on to the issue, yes. You take someone who’s been a minus defensive player the last few years, and add in that, based on the last three years, he’s unlikely to get 500 ABs and only half likely to be league average as a batter, and that reported 2/$20 isn’t going to get any better if the Yankees have other concerns.
Or you consider that the Yankees have a capable DH in Beltran/Soriano and they will use Jeter, Texiera and McCann there frequently to get them off the field so that they are still healthy in August and September for the playoff hunt. I don’t think it’s money or health, there is just no place for an all DH on a roster of a team trying to contend right now.
Maybe he overvalued his market. He was only able to get $9.5MM for 1 year last year, and now he is a year older.
He and Boras definitely over valued his market this past off season, though coming off of the 2012 season? He was still shaking off the ankle issue season (where he played fairly poorly) and was only on the field for half of the season.
With Boras logic? It probably added up to a LT deal this past off season.
I thought he would get a few year deal, wonder what Boras is selling him as. I like him better than Cruz or Morales, because Drew at least is a respectable player at his position.
100% agree with you there Lazer and better bet than either Jimenez and especially Santana to repeat last year’s performance.
Not a big Drew fan, but thought he was still one of the better FA available on a thin market.
We may not be hearing all Boras is seeking with regards to his demands.. Yes.. We have heard about an opt out after 1y, but could he be having fantasies of matching what Peralta got this late in the off season? We know Boras has an ego of at least matching the best deal given. It wouldn’t be not like him.
Yeah, but last off season he was coming off a horrific ankle injury and a very down year because of it. This past season, he had 500 PA and was a 3 WAR player. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think he could have gotten 10-12 million over 3-4 season.
Yeah, but the O’s could be in the market for a 2nd baseman.
Drew or Boras originally said he’d be willing to play a different position.
So what happened?
Plus, the Orioles could sign him because they would only have to give up their 3rd round pick.
As far as I am concerned if Drew was flexible, he would be on a team now.
PS I bet he’s asking for too much still and if he wants to change positions, how is he going to do that now (Pie Day – 3/14). It’s late in the game now.
Would you rather have Schoop or Drew?
I know, I know Schoop’s been tearing the cover off this spring.
Not only that Alex Gonzalez has been seeing the ball real well too. He’s played 3rd, SS, and I think 2nd this Spring.
It looks like he still has something in the tank.
Question is would Drew’s glove help the O’s.
I would like to see Schoop in the field, I only know stats really this Spring.
Yes and no. They were hurt by the QO system, but only because they turned the offers down. Their advisors/agents did not read the market well. Back in the fall when offers were made, I can remember comments coming out from national writers saying things to the effect of Morales and Drew making mistakes based on how it looked the market would shape up. Drew, Morales, and Cruz were foolish to turn down the QOs because they were market value for what they brought to the table. Jimenez ended up getting something around what he was worth and Santana is the lone player out of the group who I still don’t understand not getting a multi-year deal. When Garza (injuries), Hughes (inconsistent), and Nolasco (inconsistencies) get multi-year deals, Santana should have been able to get at least a 3-year deal.
Santana did get a 3 year deal at market value from the Twins. He chose to reject it.
The Twins offered Santana a 3 year deal with an AAV lower than Hudson and Arroyo received. They essentially offed Santana the same deal Scott Feldman signed with the Astros, Santana is a better starter than Feldman.
The Twins low-balled Santana. He should have been able to sign for something in the $13-15 million AAV range and the Twins were offering roughly $10 million AAV. I’m not a big fan of Santana but that was insulting. They were hoping he’d be desperate and they’d get him on the cheap.
What about the rumored 1 year, at the QO amount, from Toronto? Was it ever solid? If so, why did he kill it?
If Gordon Beckham is a solution for the Yankees then they’re in big trouble.
It’s a suggestion by a reporter. No where did it say the Yankees are interested in Beckham
Is bad suggestion anyways. Beckham is no better than what they have in Kelly Johnson, Roberts, Sizemore, etc.
Trades should have value for both teams. Beckham doesn’t solve anything, he isn’t someone you want to start regardless.
Nor did I say the Yankees are interested. I am suggesting that if he is a solution, they’re in trouble.
Honestly I believe it will be better to have Pineda start in Triple A for a couple of weeks to further shake off the rust. The Yankees need to really be patient with him and I wouldn’t mind seeing Phelps in the rotation for the time being. While Pineda was very good yesterday he still struggled with his control (which isn’t a bad thing seeing as he hasn’t pitched regularly in 2 seasons) so a few starts in Scranton shouldn’t hurt.
“Drew doesn’t say it directly, but he hints at his displeasure with the qualifying offer/compensatory draft pick system.”
And Scott Boras hopes, by keeping Drew and Morales sequestered in his workout hideaway in Florida, that the displeasure of these two Free Agents doesn’t land on his head for giving pisspoor agent advise. $14.1M ain’t chump change for marginal Free Agents. QO-codile Tears!!
The QO system was in place before they turned down the $14.1M. How can they blame the QO system? They should blame themselves. Imagine, being handed a $14.1M deal after putting on a strikeout clinic for all to see in the post season? And then turning it down? It was a miracle Drew didn’t rupture and internal organ from whiffing so many times. Poor Stephen, poor Scott. That darn QO system – never saw it coming.
I wonder if Boras is still telling Morales and Drew they made the right decision to turn down the QO.
I wonder if Boras can still talk face to face with Drew and Morales.
Ha! Texting is a wonderful new tool for the likes of boras nowadays isn’t it?
I’m kind of surprised a team like the Brewers or Pirates haven’t targeted Morales. They really don’t have a full time 1B and Morales can play capable enough defense at the position. He would be a major upgrade for either team, especially the Pirates who are coming off a playoff season.
Morales can play capable defense at 1B but I don’t think he can do it for a whole season, since injuring his leg and ankle in 2010 he has only played 515 inning on defense.
Pirates don’t have money to shell out nearly what he wants, and especially not to platoon.
Pirates don’t have money to shell out nearly what he wants, and especially not to platoon.
my heart pumps purple peanut butter for stephen drew. many of these free agents will/would be further a head if they would accept the QO’s they get from their former teams. in drew’s case i feel it more scott boras than drew holding out for a big pay day.scott boras is famous for making teams over pay for a player. the yankees will need a short stop after this season,i kinda smell them signing drew to take jeeter’s place in 2015. drew might have to ride the pine some in 2014,but the yankess will have their short stop for the next few years. the orioles want a back up catcher why not go after cerveli. he might not want to be back up catcher.
We go on and on with Drew, but this was Cherrington’s plan from last year, he signed him to 1 year contract, knowing either Iggy or Bogaerts, was taking over, the following year. The QO, was part of the plan, because of Boras. He was going to decline, and go get the pick. Very Smart. Glad Drew helped us, hope he ranks in FA, but he is no longer in their plans. Which was part of the plan.
I thought this was funny: “…the signing of Jacoby Ellsbury and the extension for Brett Gardner blocks Williams, who perhaps more than any other Yankees prospect has
helped his status this spring, playing with energy and looking as if he
belongs with major leaguers.” Mason Williams has a .500 OPS this spring. Way to spin it, NY Post.
It hasn’t blocked him. He has barely touched AA, so he is probably still 2 years away.
It’s only spring training, but yes he hasn’t shown anything to be a major leaguer let alone a trade chip. Another massively overrated Yankees prospect.
Why would the Yankees trade for Gordon Beckham, that doesn’t even make sense. They need quality infielders, not more bench players. I hope they keep Cervelli until they get a good offer sometime during the year, they have pretty solid catching depth and if McCann were to get injured, *knock on wood* its good to have another guy who is capable of starting to take his place. If they are going to trade a catcher it should be a younger, more valuable one.
Steve, uh, did you and Joel Sherman forget that a certain Señor Alex Rodriguez will be coming back to the Pinstripes in 2015?
Why would you have the Orioles looking for a catcher as backup for the orioles when the two back ups have hit home runs and the starter (Matt Wieters) has not? Both Clevenger and Monell have hit .400 and have hit well so far.
If the Phillies want to an aging infielder for Ichiro, the Yanks could be open to Chase Utley (rather than Jimmy Rollins). Utley would hit a ton in Yankee Stadium.