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Yankees Issues

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The Yankees' 7-6 record puts them 2.5 games behind the Blue Jays.  With only 8% of the season finished, here are the issues currently facing the Yanks.

  • Chien-Ming Wang has allowed 23 hits and 23 earned runs in six innings spanning three starts.  He'd need to pitch four shutouts to get his ERA under 5.00…that has to affect a guy's confidence.  Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Yankees will skip Wang's next start.  He believes the team attributes the poor start to a lack of arm strength.  Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News says the Yankees found mechanical issues, though Wang says everything's the same as last year.  Tyler Kepner of the New York Times notes that Wang is out of options, so the Yankees won't end up sending him to the minors.  Benjamin Kabak at River Avenue Blues suggests the Yankees saw this coming, given their reluctance to lock Wang up long-term.  Kabak believes a DL stint would make sense. 
  • Is the new stadium a launching pad?  It's early, but many say the ball is flying out to right field.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports looks at the stadium and other issues, including the bullpen.  ESPN's Buster Olney calls the park "a veritable wind tunnel that is rocketing balls over fences."  He notes that the team cannot structurally alter the park this season.
  • Regarding Xavier Nady's elbow injury, Sherman says "the Yanks were privately a lot more optimistic by Sunday that Nady could avoid Tommy John surgery and that he might be able to return in June and form a righty-lefty DH platoon with Hideki Matsui."  Nady had a second MRI on Saturday, and the team doctor will speak with Dr. Lewis Yocum.

Yankees Outfield Options

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According to George A. King III of the New York Post Austin Kearns or Jason Repko could become options for the Yankees if they decide to look outside the organization for outfield depth. Now that Xavier Nady could be out for a while the Yankees have moved Nick Swisher into right, but their bench isn't as deep as before.

King writes that the Dodgers "might be willing to trade" Repko and the Nationals "are said to be entertaining offers" for Kearns.

This King update is from a couple days ago. As MLB.com's Anthony DiComo writes we don't know much more about Nady's health now than we did Thursday. I'd expect the Yankees to get a full report on Nady before dealing for additional depth.

Odds & Ends: Bonifacio, Jimenez, Darvish

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Links for Friday…

Geoff Jenkins Wants To Play

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According to ESPN's Buster Olney:

Geoff Jenkins remains unsigned and continues to work out in Arizona, preparing for his next opportunity, says Damon Lapa, his agent. "He definitely wants to play," said Lapa. "I just [think] he's being constructively selective." Jenkins, 34, was released by the Phillies near the end of spring training. He batted .246 last season, with nine homers, doing most of his damage against right-handed pitchers. With the Yankees having just lost Xavier Nady—possibly for the year—he might possibly be a fit for New York, although General Manager Brian Cashman might prefer a right-handed hitting outfielder to replace the right-handed hitting Nady; Jenkins bats left-handed.

Jenkins will probably cost around $400K to employ, with the Phillies on the hook for the rest of his $8MM salary this year.  The Marlins and Reds were linked to him a few weeks ago, but it's been quiet lately.  Jenkins hit .256/.313/.415 against right-handed pitching last year.

Nady Injury Depletes Depth

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The hot topic this morning: the injury to Xavier Nady.  The Yankees' right-fielder may need season-ending elbow surgery, with an exam scheduled for today.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Yankees will be in trouble if an additional injury is to occur.  This just shows how quickly a surplus can turn into a deficit in baseball.  Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes about the situation as well.  He feels the Yankees will have to bring in a right-handed hitting outfielder from outside the organization.  Fortunately, he believes this type of player is in abundance.  Sherman also wonders if Andruw Jones regrets his decision not to sign with the Yankees.

Nady May Be Out For The Season

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According to Peter Abraham of The Journal News:

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE, 12:55 p.m.: Nothing official yet, but the word is that Xavier Nady will need surgery and miss the season.

UPDATE, 1:47 p.m.: We just spoke to Nady. He didn’t want to say too much until he sees the team doctor in NYC tomorrow. But he indicated that the MRI showed a tear and surgery will be needed.

Nady left Tuesday's game with elbow pain; he had Tommy John surgery on it back in '01.  The injury doesn't affect the Yankees as much as it affects Nady.  The Yanks fortunately chose not to trade Nick Swisher this winter, so they'll be OK.  But Nady is eligible for free agency after the season.

Odds & Ends: Swisher, La Russa, Twins

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Happy Easter to those celebrating.  Here are your Sunday links…

  • Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette addresses the ever-popular question, "What if the Pirates had drafted Matt Wieters" in 2007?
  • Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star did some number crunching and determined that forking over major cash for a free agent pitcher is often far too risky.  30 pitchers regressed after inking new deals, while only 13 improved.  
  • The Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan believes the Brewers might make a run at Jake Peavy later this season.    
  • Cardinals manager Tony La Russa has abandoned the idea of hitting his pitcher eighth for the last three games, and his club is suddenly on a winning streak. "Hitting the guy ninth we've got a winning record," said La Russa.  "I don't want to mess around with it." (Quote courtesy of Rick Hummel with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). 
  • Tyler Kepner of the New York Times examines the "evolution" of the trade that brought Nick Swisher to the Yankees.  As Kepner notes, it "looks like a steal" at this point. 
  • The Twins are considering a uniform design change for the opening of Target Field in 2010.  Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune wants your suggestions.  
  • You're obviously a baseball buff if you're checking MLBTR daily, so let me direct you to a brand new site chock-full of streaming baseball-related content.  It's NBCSports.com's newest darling, "Circling The Bases," featuring the writing styles of Aaron Gleeman, Matthew Pouliot and Craig Calcaterra.  

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Opening Day Payrolls

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On this date 33 years ago, Andy Messersmith signed a three-year, $1M contract with the Atlanta Braves after being granted free agency by an arbitrator in the Seitz Decision. This move was historic in that the ruling effectively nullified baseball's reserve clause, seven years after Curt Flood first challenged the clause. This led to the inclusion of free agency after six years of service in the next collective bargaining agreement, a rule still in place today. Since then, payrolls have skyrocketed. Let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • The Biz of Baseball takes a closer look at opening day payroll, the highest paid players in baseball and which teams have the highest average player salaries.
  • Astros Country breaks down the Astros' 2009 payroll.
  • Bleed Cubbie Blue has details on the Cubs' payroll.
  • Rays Index breaks down the Rays' opening day payroll.
  • YanksBlog tries resolve different reports of the Yankees opening day payroll.
  • Purple Row takes a look at service time and options remaining on the Rockies' roster, among other things.
  • Baseball Analysts takes a look at payroll efficiency for the last three years.
  • On a side note, The Sports Banter put together a list of the best off-season moves, and the worst.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here and followed on Twitter.

Cashman Convinced Hal On Teixeira

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Kat O'Brien of Newsday writes today about the Yankees' pursuit of Mark Teixeira.  In talking to Brian Cashman, O'Brien learned that the GM's persistence finally led to the go-ahead from Hal Steinbrenner; for much of the offseason, Tex wasn't an option.  At the time of Cashman's December meeting with Teixeira and Scott Boras, the Yankees were not expecting to sign the slugger.  According to Cashman:

"When I met with him, I was doing it more to get leverage on CC.  We weren't playing possum on purpose. We were actually out of it."

Cashman was able to convince Hal with this pitch regarding the Red Sox:

"I know you're not interested, but they're going to get this guy. He's going to fall in their lap, and he's so perfect for us."

Athletics Claim Dan Giese

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Peter Abraham of The Journal News passes along a release from the A's: they've claimed pitcher Dan Giese off waivers from the Yankees.  The A's designated pitcher Chris Schroder for assignment to make room.

Giese, 32 in May, posted a 3.53 ERA in 43.3 innings with the Yanks last year.  He also spent 59 innings at Triple A, tallying a 1.98 ERA.  In his career Giese has also bounced around with the Red Sox, Padres, Phillies, and Giants organizations.

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