Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Trades Around The League 7/25/12



Late in the morning today the Dodgers acquired Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate in a "blockbuster" trade that sent Nathan Eovaldi and Scott McGough to the Marlins. I called it yesterday, well I said Hanley was going to the Red Sox but still, that the "we're not having a fire sale we're only making trades to make our team better" line was complete crap.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, who already have a scary pitching rotation, acquire Houston Astro's ace Wandy Rodriguez yesterday for three minor leaguers who I have never heard of (and I tend to pay attention to the minors a ton).

The Tampa Bay Rays, for reasons I still cannot understand, acquired Ryan Roberts from the Arizona Diamondbacks. "Tat Man" was designated for assignment sometime yesterday. Roberts will be under Tampa team control through the 2015 season.

Yankees @ Mariners 7/25/12

Yankees win 5-2



The Yankees look to win the series and end their West Coast road trip on a high tonight against the Seattle Mariners in Safeco Field. Ivan Nova will be on the mound for the Yankees and will be facing off against Hisashi Iwakuma. The Yankees won the first game of the series, the night they traded for Ichiro, but lost the game last night, and Alex Rodriguez for two months, so this is the decisive game.  The game will be televised at 3:45 pm ET on YES.

Lineups

Ichiro Suzuki RF
Derek Jeter SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Curtis Granderson CF
Raul Ibanez DH
Eric Chavez 3B
Andruw Jones LF
Russell Martin C


Go Yanks!!

Joba Chamberlain Perfect In Latest Rehab

Joba Chamberlain is THIS close to coming back and pitching in this rehab assignment, something he did against last night for the Tampa Yankees. He had a perfect inning  with two fly balls and a ground out. No news on pitch count or velocity but during this rehab assignment he has hit 100 mph and has sat around 96-98 mph consistently. Joba will pitch again tonight, first time pitching in back to back games, and could join the Yankees as soon as the weekend. 

Yankees Call Up Ramiro Pena.... For Now


The Yankees announced today that they have called up Ramiro Pena to replace Alex Rodriguez on the 25 man roster. Ramiro has been down in the minors becoming a super utility player learning the outfield while perfecting his in-fielding skills. This is just a  temporary fix though , in my opinion, with the trade deadline less then 6 days away.

The Yankees, right away, were linked to guys like Chase Headley, Ty Wiggington, Placido Polanco, and a slew of other available third basemen. Chase Headley makes the most sense with him being cheap, fiscally, and under team control for a while but then you run into the problem of what to do with the guy when Alex Rodriguez gets back. Also for that cheapness and that team control you also tend to have to pay more.... I do not want to have to pay more for a guy for two months then to ride the bench.

The Yankees, who looked to have a quiet trade deadline, look to be buyers now. This should be an interesting July 31st trade deadline to say the least. 

New York Yankees : Where Injuries Happen

I was just looking at the Yankees disabled list, and thought of all the guys that have been on the DL, and I thought "how in the hell are we even in the discussion for a playoff spot"? I do not even know how we have the best record in baseball let alone being in the discussion. Let us look at the current DL and players for the Yankees that have been on the DL:

David Aardsma - Tommy John Surgery
Cesar Cabral - Stress Fracture In Elbow
Joba Chamberlain - Tommy John Surgery & Ankle Dislocation
Pedro Feliciano - Shoulder Surgery
Brett Gardner - Elbow Surgery
Brad Meyers - Shoulder Strain
Andy Pettitte - Ankle Fracture
Michael Pineda - Labrum Tear
Mariano Rivera - Torn ACL
Alex Rodriguez - Broken Hand
Austin Romine - Back
Nick Swisher - Left Hip Flexor
CC Sabathia - Groin Strain
David Robertson - Oblique
Eduardo Nunez - Thumb

That is the makings of a pretty impressive team right there. I may even be forgetting someone as I am doing this off the top of my head. Then when you consider that our two top pitching prospects, Jose Campos and Manny Banuelos, have been hurt.... Good Grief Charlie Brown.

Meet A Prospect : Robert Refsnyder


The New York Yankees used their fifth round pick, 187th overall, on college 2B Robert Refsnyder. Robert has spent his college years at the University of Arizona. Robert Refsnyder signed for $205,900 K. 

All Robert Refsnyder seems to do is hit. He has great bat speed and just has a knack for making contact and hitting it where they aint. He is also a great athlete which should help him in the Yankees infield. I do not think he is on the same level as a Cito Culver or an Angelo Gumbs but he is considered a safe pick as he is close to major league ready already. 

Robert is actually already at second base for Low A affiliate the Charlesto Riverdogs. Obviously the Yankees think a ton of him if he is in Charleston just a few weeks after being drafted. In five games he is only hitting .188 at the time of this writing but his OBP is almost .100 points higher, which is always a good sign when you are a young guy.

Alex Rodriguez To DL With Broken Left Hand

Alex Rodriguez, who took a Felix Hernandez fastball off of his left hand, has been placed on the 15 day DL by the New York Yankees last night. We will be without A Rod for at least 6-8 weeks, which gives us a mid to late September return time. At least he will not miss any playoff time I guess if you want to look at it on the bright side.