The Padres have plenty of pitching, writes Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. However, new GM A.J. Preller must figure out a way to import some offense to San Diego. With a scarcity of affordable talent in free agency, the Padres may need to convert their pitching depth into hitters. Per Preller,”I’m getting the sense already that we have pitchers that are attractive to clubs.” The club could opt to deal established veterans like Ian Kennedy or a prospect like Matt Wisler.
- Also from Sanders, it’s thought that the Padres could increase payroll beyond 2014’s record $90MM opening day figure. Currently, just $41MM is on the books for 2015. While the club is interested in Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas, Sanders wonders if a possible nine-figure price tag could scare away the club.
- The Red Sox have bracketed their 2013 World Series championship with two fifth place finishes in the AL East. GM Ben Cherington is looking to improve the year-to-year stability of the franchise, according to Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. Recent seasons have seen more parity in baseball, but some clubs are maintaining year-after-year success. Cherington pins some of the blame on working in young players, saying “we just have to figure out a better way to build teams that allow for young players to integrate successfully.”
- The Yankees aren’t necessarily doomed to fail in the AL East next season, says Bill Madden of the New York Daily News. Madden writes the Yankees “remain an aging team with too many designated hitters, boxed in with too many with immovable contracts and badly in need of young energy.” Despite those issues a potentially strong rotation could help them to recapture the division. After all, the other AL East clubs also have roster issues to solve.
Tomas is available right when NY, who could REALLY use him isn’t a fit because of a clogged roster. :/
There is room on the Yankees roster for Tomas.
Beltran is best used as the DH at this point:
LF Gardner
CF Ellsbury
RF Tomas
DH Beltran
What’s the issue? They’ll upgrade their Offense.
Where are you planning to play ARod if not DH?
Third Base. And if he struggles, bench him.
Can’t bench a guy being paid 20 million. Can’t really play him in the field after hip surgery either. Not many guys that old play the field.
I hope that I am not alone in thinking that A-Rod will have to play well to play. He isn’t Jeter, people aren’t going to want to see him play if he can’t do the job.
It’s not so much about want as need. The Yanks really don’t have much to fill in at 3B. A-Rod is still a better hitter then anyone they could call up to replace him right now and $90 million or so is a lot to ask any team to throw away, even the Yankees.
Not that I think they are “condemned” next year as a couple good moves could have them back in contention, but based on Hal’s comments (yesterday?) it doesn’t sound like they are going to do much outside of SS and a starting pitcher.
Prado can play 3rd, although I suppose he can’t play both 2nd and 3rd at the same time can he 😉 But, I am still hoping the Yankees sign Headley.
Very true, but as you said, they need him to be able to move around the diamond to compensate for all the should be DH’s. I don’t think he will play just 2B. Also, let’s not forget this Prado is not the same Prado we saw for years in Atlanta and even Arizona. This version is more like a Kelly Johnson who hits for more average and less power.
Edit: Also, let’s not forget, they do need some pop in the lineup. LF normally a power position is Gardner. 1B normally a power position is a guy that’s had trouble staying on the field the last 2 years. 3B they kind of need a power bat… They get a little above average power at Catcher at least to compensate, but I don’t think Yanks can get away with all the power positions being guys without power. It’s very “un-Yankee-like”.
If the Royals continue to be successful in the postseason, maybe we will all learn to live with less pop and more manufactured runs.
Also Headley and Prado have a little power. So, maybe everyone’s little bit of power will add up to enough power to satisfy the demands made by the moniker “Bronx bombers.”
I think all teams have learned to do that, including the Yankees. But the 2012 Red Sox (and 2014 for that matter) are an example of what happens when you get complacent “manufacturing” runs. It’s tough to get that big run when you need it.
I think Tampa has already proved that the formula without power at the primary power positions, is imperfect.
The Royals are the exception, as most teams in the playoffs this year are your best power hitting teams.
And even the Royals offense isn’t exactly lighting it up so far in the playoffs.
How is this not the same Prado as in Arizona?
2013- .282/.333/.417, 104 wRC+
2014- .282/.321/.412, 103 wRC+
Looks the same to me.
Also for fun let’s look at Kelly Johnson’s numbers.
2012- .225/.313/.365, 84 wRC+
2013- .235/.305/.410, 100 wRC
2014- .215/.296/.362, 85 wRC+
So no “this” Prado isn’t very much like Kelly Johnson at all other than they are 2B who can play multiple positions. That however is a very superficial comparison.
“People” don’t get a say. You simply cannot pay someone 20 million to ride the pine.
I know what you mean, but the Yankees, for a team that has a reputation for being all about money, actually seems to care quite a bit about “people” when those people mean ticket sales. They have a history of signing players that will draw fans and play guys past their prime (as we just saw with Jeter and a couple of years ago with Bernie Williams) in order to sell tickets.
I’m going to disagree with you. A-Rod is dead money right now. He will play third if he can play the position adequately, and if he can stay on the field. If he can’t, he’s going to be a part-timer on a rotation basis. There’s no sentiment here, no one cares in the least about him, and he plays only if he plays decently. I think he might actually have a modest amount of productivity left.
Girardi must know he’d be on the hot seat if he went a 3rd straight year with no play-offs. So if his best starting 9 doesn’t include A-Rod, I think he’d bench him, in the interest of saving his job.
It wouldn’t be strictly up to him. He’s not paying ARod, ownership is. And if he’s hitting, but unable to play the field, he’s your DH. No one assumed he wouldn’t have some value. He can most likely still hit at an average or above average level. At this point, after all the surgery, and his age, you would have to figure he’s be better suited as a DH at least half the time.
After breaking his ankle in 2012 and missing almost all of 2013, Jeter came back to play at SS at age 40.
We won’t get the A-Rod of 2007 but he maybe the best hitter on the team in 2015. Gardner led the team in Slg% and OB% in 2014.
Please tell me you’re not saying that Jeter was adequate defensively. Jeter has been very bad defensively for the past 4 seasons. The only reason he still played shortstop was he was Derek Jeter.
For being such a “team” guy its one of the few criticisms I have of Jeter. Yankees asked him if he’d be open to playing another position and he was very adamant that he would only play short. Thought that was kind of strange, considering his normal team first mentality.
“Yankees asked him if he’d be open to playing another position and he was very adamant that he would only play short”
That’s not true at all. The criticism he gets is for not voluntarily doing it. Jeter was never asked once to go to 3B. Cashman and the Yankees immediately knew they’d be putting A-Rod at 3B when they traded for him. I read Yankee stories all the time and Not Once have I read an article saying the Yankees asked him to go to 3B OR Jeter refusing to go there himself.
He was not a gold glover but he made the plays on the balls he could get to.
According to most metrics that wasn’t that many of them.
Sorry I mean’t he not a gold glover.
No he never has been. But in the past four years, he play in the field has been a detriment to the team. The only reason he still played the field is because of who he was. Anyone else would have been moved off of shortstop. There is no compelling reason to keep AROd at third base if he plays the field poorly. He’s not Jeter. You need to leave the DH spot open for him, because he’s going to need it. Signing another outfielder is a bad decision, and will further complicate the problem of having too many older veterans on your team.
Jeter was terrible in 2014. He hit .250 with no power, a .304 OBP, and had a 76 OPS+ with no range at short. He was well below league average at short both offensively and defensively. I love Jeter and think he is a 100% 1st ballot hall of famer, but Jeter got the chance to play every day so the Yankees could sell tickets in what they knew was not going to be a great year.
If Arod comes back and plays as far below his last 2 sort of full seasons before his injury and suspension as Jeter did compared to his last 2 years before his injury then you are looking at about .215-.220 hitter with 10 home runs. Arod hit .270 with less than 20 hrs his last two seasons before the 2013 injury. He has not faced a MLB pitcher since September 2013. To think he can come back and even hit .270 is a stretch, especially at 40 years old.
“Can’t bench a guy being paid 20 million”
Sure you can if he’s not productive. Yankees didnt play Jason Giambi much in the latter years of his contract. Same for Angels with Vernon Wells.
Same reason you don’t have to start a $20 million pitcher if he’s not good enough (see Zito, Barry).
Giambi played 145 games in his final year for the Yankees… In fact his final four years his PA broke down as 454, 579, 303, and 565. With the 303 being an injury shortened 83 game season. Other than that no Giambi very much played a lot in the latter years of his career.
You are right. It was more so of one season (2004 to be exact) where he was left off the postseason roster because of a terrible season
My point still stands. If A-Rod performs poorly and the Yankees can miraculously have a productive DH or backup 3B, A-Rod is likely benched.
Really Giambi gets a lot of unwarranted hate for being one of the first still playing “steroid guys” but his time with the Yankees was very productive. He had a 7 year stint with the Yankees, had a well above average offensive season 5 times, and had a career slash line of .260/.404/.521, with 209 HRs, and an OPS+ of 143 in 3693 PA’s in that time frame. True he was a butcher in the field and never hit well as a DH but it’s hard to say that contract was a nightmare.
In comparison Teixeira’s Yankee slash line is .253/.348/.485, with 160 HRs, and an OPS+ of 121 in 3198 PA’s. Now obviously Teixeira is a real value in the field and as I said Giambi was a sink hole but still the offensive value is shockingly in favor of Giambi.
Can’t bench him but can pay him while he spends all of 2013 (which I believe was $28 million) on the DL? What’s the difference?
Glad you asked. When a player is on the DL insurance pays his salary, not the team.
I think the only real problem for them is that the entire outfield will be locked up for many years to come. Not much power in a
Gardner/Ellsbury/Tomas outfield if Tomas’ power doesn’t come around at the major league level.
“That power hitter won’t provide a lot of power if his power doesn’t come around at the major league level”
Yeah.
Arod will be 40 before the end of next season, has had 2 hip surgeries that typically end an athletes career and has played in about 30 games at 3B in 2 years. Are you sure he can even play and if he can do you think he will be able to play 150 games in the field? I’m not so sure he can and from the sound of his interviews, Cashman doesnt think he will spend any time in the field.
There’s no way even the Yanees bench a guy making over 10% of their entire payroll. Especially not someone of A-rod’s (self proclaimed) stature, could you imagine the mess that would turn into in New York? I’m not a big believer in team chemistry, but that would be a massive drag on any team.
Teixeira, A-Rod, and Beltran are all best used as the DH at this point, but there is only one DH slot.
Teixeira has a good glove. He’s not the problem at 1st Base, defensively.
He’s not, but his health is highly questionable and he’ll likely need time in the DH slot.
Why not just give him a day off here and there? I hate the “rotating DH” thing. It’s a proven failure.
I don’t know who made this Texiera DH thing up. I think people need to start checking numbers more.
2014 – 121 games, 4 at DH
2013 – 14 games, 1 at DH
2012 – 119 games, 4 at DH
2011 – 147 games, 9 at DH
2010 – 149 games, 9 at DH
2009 – 152 games, 5 at DH
Simply put…..Tex plays DH as much as David Ortiz plays 1B.
Also, don’t forget, it’s not over after 2015. A-Rod, Tex, and Beltran are all back for 2016, and they’ll all be another year older.
I agree that Tex is still good in the field, and I want to believe the hype about Beltran and Teixeira being healthier next season. And is is just me or did Beltran seem heavier this season than in past years? So, maybe he was one of those “out of shape guys” Girardi was talking about.
I was nervous from day 1 with that Beltran deal. Not going to lie, I gave an evil snicker the day it was signed and said, “Cash… Didn’t you learn anything from the Mets?”
Man the Yankees will have so much money off the books after 2016 (TeX/Beltran) and 2017 (A-Rod/CC)
Problem is, he’s not good enough anymore in the field to compensate for the lost power and average. He was a +0.5 UZR in 2013 and a 5.6 UZR in 2014 and posted a -0.2 WAR in 2013 and a +0.8 UZR in 2014. Not that these numbers mean everything, but that’s not a pretty picture. Most guys with those numbers would be benched. It’s really his contract that keeps him on the field.
He’s going to have to get back to form or it will go down as one of the worst contracts they’ve given out.
A-rod, tex, mccann all will need DH time.
Edit: The rest of the conversations seem to cover everything at this point.
See what I posted above. TeX plays DH about as much as Big Papi plays 1B.
That’s true, when he plays, he plays in the field and does it well. I suppose if you think about it like “If Tex plays, he’s at 1st, if he doesn’t play 1st he’s on the DL and McCann plays first, thus vacating DH, provided A-Rod is playing 3rd” Which would theoretically make room for Tomas.
did you guys forget about Aaron judge?
He’s at least two years away, and he has yet to play above A ball. You don’t make future plans around a player like that, you figure it out when (if) they make it to the big leagues.
and what about Aaron judge?
Aaron Judge had a good year in the low minors this year.
Tomas is the young youth of energy they need. Gardner Ellsbury and Tomas is the OF they need. DH Beltran. Arod at 3rd. Bench Beltran when Arod needs a DH day or play him on the field when one of the OFs need a day.
Can the Yankees count on a 39 year old Arod playing more than a handful of games in the field with his hip problems? Does Cashman think Arod can still hit at all after most of the past 2 years being injured or suspended?
Maybe the plan is to play him every day and pray he breaks down and they can DL him, maybe even end his career and recoup some money from their insurance.
So let’s potentially say the Yankees sign Scherzer (top arm on the market imo).
Scherzer, Tanaka, Pineida is a solid 1,2,3 if Pineida is healthy and can hide his pine tar better. But the back end of that rotation is still weak no matter how you slice it. Maybe they go after Scherzer and Liriano or something? Otherwise I don’t see even that 1-5 as a “potentially strong” rotation. Potentially good 1-3 playoff rotation, sure. But they need to get there first!
Even if they don’t sign Scherzer and Tanaka and Pineda are healthy: Tanaka, Pineda 1-2 and a resigning of McCarthy and Greene 4-5 is very solid. CC is dead weight.
That’s pending they resign both McCarthy and Greene. I’m a big McCarthy fan, but he’s another guy that’s had health and consistency issues throughout his career. Greene, I’m ok with as a 5 if they sign a front-end starter. Tanaka’s innings are going to be limited next year, I’m sure. Yankees have too much money invested in him. So keep that in mind. He’s not going to be allowed 110-120 pitches. 80 early in the season and 100 later on, he’s getting the hook every time. Pineda’s not bad, but he’s certainly no “sure thing #2”. There’s not 1 single sure thing to stay healthy either (which Hal blamed for 2014’s problems).
I see what you mean by “potential,” but by that standard, the Red Sox could “potentially” have the best rotation in the East also. Buchholz gets back to form, Webster or De La Rosa comes around, resign Lester, Joe Kelly in the mix. But there’s a lot of “ifs” that worry me with both rotations. Basically, I’m way more comfortable with my rotation if I’m Baltimore, or even Tampa.
Greene is a rookie they don’t have to re-sign him, he’s under team control for 5 more years.
CC should still be able to make a very good 4/5 starter, the HRs are out of control but his ability to command the strikezone and get swings and misses still seem very good. He’s done being a top of the rotation workhorse but if you can build a good 1-3 I think he’d make other teams envy that production as a 4th starter.
Also some mighty fine opinion as fact stating with the whole Tanaka thing. At this point he looks to be going into ST as a normal pitcher, sure there’s a chance he tears his UCL, that’s true of every pitcher in the game. And considering he only threw over 110 pitcher 4 times this season I’m sure he’ll be fine.
CC will be back and at $23 million he will be part of the rotation. The Yanks cant afford to just sit him.
That’s part of the point I was making. $23 million of dead weight at the back of the rotation if he doesn’t get some of that old magic back, but I think the innings have worn on him.
Could you imagine how they felt this year? A-Rod and CC, a combined $53 million on the bench. That hurts. The Yankees have insurance on both, I’m sure. But still…
I think the Yankees only had to pay A-Rod around 4 million this year because of the suspension.
The AL East is not what it was.
The AL West has passed it, and the AL Central will as the Twins and Sox rebuilds accelerate – lots of very good young impact players coming up and on those 2 teams.
I don’t know how much it has progressed but going into this season the White Sox had one of the worst farm systems in baseball.
When they started their rebuild in mid-2013, they did not have Abreu, Garcia or Eaton. They added them to Sale and Quintana. Next year Rodon will be in the starting rotation. These are impact players that teams are built around.
Rich Hahn will make more moves this offseason.
Didn’t the AL East have the best winning % in baseball this year?
The AL East had one team in the playoffs. The Orioles. Their 2nd place team not only finished behind the Royals and A’s for a playoff spot. The Yankees finished behind the 3rd place teams in the West and Central for a Wild Card spot – the Mariners and Indians.
Didn’t the AL East have the best winning % in baseball this year?
The Padres look like they will have about $40mm to spend this offseason and 3 people in their FO went to see his first workout before bringing him in for a private workout, so they could be real players for Tomas. The Yankees will not be serious players in the bidding, but may drive up his price. I see them going after Scherzer, not another OF.
I’d love to see San Diego get serious about baseball again… I was out there recently on a trip to visit family, and all I can say is people in SD care about the Chargers and that’s about it. It was during the NHL postseason and I struggled to find a bar with the LA Kings on. It was early baseball season and there were maybe 12,000-15,000 Padres fans at the field… I think Tomas would help ignite the community, especially the very large Hispanic community. It would be a great business decision.
San Diego is an Duck town when it comes to hockey. Kings way better but FOX Sports San Diego hosts the Ducks.
The majority of hockey fans in SD are kings fans, the only problem is there are very few hockey fans in SD.
What I find really interesting is that San Diego outdrew playoff teams like KC and Oakland and teams that were in the hunt until the last week like Seattle with an average attendance of 27,000 and change.
I think you are right that they would be a great fit for a hispanic player and they already have two Cuban players on the team in Yasmani Grandal who was born in Cuba and Odrisamer Despaigne who recently came to the US.
The bonding we’re seeing in the playoffs this year from teams whose players have stayed together for years and/or come up through the organizations farm systems are outplaying the teams being put together primarily through free agency.
I was remarking to a friend last night that Shields is the leader and heart of an exciting Royals team that has pretty much grown up together and is extremely tight. That is his team. He can get a contract from the Royals that will assure that his great grandchildren are taken care of. I would hate to see him take the additional money and get on one of the money teams such as the Dodgers, Yankees or Red Sox; where within 2 years more then half the roster will be gone, and they’ll bring in some hot pitchers in free agency that year to move ahead of him in the rotation.
James has made his name as a leader in KC. He has had so much to do with the development of Duffy, Ventura, Holland and Herrara, Hosmer, and otehrs. He should stay there.
Should does not equal will. Pujols should have stayed in St Louis. Cliff Lee should have stayed in Texas. Grienke should have stayed in Milwaukee. Cano should have re-upped with the Yankees. Money talks, and smetimes players also just want to play on a certain team for any number of reasons.
Why should those players have done that? Players should go wherever they want for any reason they want. The whole don’t leave the Royal/Rangers/Yankees/whoever for money or any other reason argument is way too old fashion. Teams don’t care about players so players should get everything they possibly can/want when they have the chance.
There are many reasons that those players “should have” that are similar to the OP’s argument for Shields. Cano and Pujols had the potential to become all-time greats made greater by playing their entire careers for one team, Cliff Lee would have solidified a powerful, young rotation in Texas, Sabathia (sorry, I meant CC not Grienke, got my imported Brewer aces mixed up)– like the OP is saying about Shields– helped an up-and-coming underdog team in Milwauke and lead a roster of homegrown talent– and could have continued and maybe gotten them further than in 2008. The point to the argument is that the original supposition, that Shields “should stay” in KC simply because he’s helped lead a young team to the playoffs is not likely. It can happen, but only if the Royal’s pony up a competitive offer.
Actually Shields made his name in the AL East as a home grown member of the Rays.
Shields was their #3 starter when he left.
He is the leader of the most exciting team in baseball in 2014.
He was an All-Star who came in 3rd in the Cy Young race 2011, that and when he threw 200 innings for the firsts Rays playoff team and started game 1 of the ALCS and game 2 of the WS is when he made his name.
Arod is your full time DH and if he hits .250 with 20 homers and 80 rbi it will be considered a GREAT season, and to expect more is foolish. Prado plays 2nd and occasional outfield. Cashman tried for 2 years to get Headley, once working all night long on a 4 team trade (Moving Nova, Nunez, and DL’ed Cervelli as a PTBNL and a ml prospect) on deadline day in 2012 before the Cubs dropped out and just sent Dempster to Texas. I believe Headley is made for Yankee Stadium and he is MAJOR upgrade over anyone else at 3rd base. I would be very surprised if they let him sign elsewhere. If they were to sign any Cuban or FA outfielder you could end up seeing Gardner go with a pitcher for Tulowitski (a guy the Steinbrenners covet and see as Derek Jeter 2.0) I expect this or some other shock trade over the winter
I count 2 DHs on the current Yankee roster (A-Rod and Beltran) which is a vast improvement over the first decade of this new millennia where they had 3 or 4 and a lot of these “unmovable contracts” (Teix, Beltran, CC) expire in two years. So even if the Yankees have to lay low for the next 2 seasons, it’s not the end of the world. Plus, by then, hopefully we’ll see Aaron Judge, Jagielo, Greg Bird, Luis Severino, Gary Sanchez ready to move into every day spots. I’d be okay with a 2 year pseudo rebuilding process.
I’ll take alternating 90 loss seasons and World Series Championship seasons. That would be okay with me.
Look I agree we need to be younger but to say that’s the reason why were not wining is ridiculous. If you want go do research on the oldest teams in the MLB. You will find out that at least 5 teams that were in the playoffs or almost the playoffs are one of the oldest including the best team I feel is out there right now in the Orioles.