Thursday, November 7, 2013
New York Yankees Interested In Ubaldo Jimenez
The latest big name free agent for the New York Yankees to be interested in is Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez. The Indians made Ubaldo a qualifying offer which means we would have to give up a draft pick to acquire the 29 year old right hander. Jimenez is coming off of a strong second half and a 3.30 ERA overall in 2013 in 182.2 IP.
Jimenez's season was definitely a tale of two halves of a season as Ubaldo had a 4.56 ERA and 4.50 FIP in the first half but followed it with a 1.82 ERA and a 2.17 FIP. Jimenez misses a lot of bats, 9.56 K/9 ratio and a 25.0K %, which helps in New York but he is very Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde from start to start. We had enough of that with Phil Hughes this season do we really want that kind of inconsistency again?
Also I know that this is a weird request but my very good friend, and one of the writers here at The Greedy Pinstripes, Matt Bove is conducting a survey about the distribution of wealth in the United States and he needs your help. This takes less than a minute to fill out this short survey, SEEN HERE, and would really help Matt pass his class so he can get back to writing for us more often. Thank you all in advance for doing this for Matt and as a personal favor for us at TGP.
Derek Jeter Has Begun Offseason Workouts
I bet you did not think you would be reading about offseason workouts at this point in the month of November did you? When we should be reading about qualifying offers, free agency, etc we are reading about Derek Jeter's offseason workouts that began today. Jeter is working towards and expecting to be the Yankees every day short stop in 2014 in what could be his final season of his storied career. Baseball drills do not start until January so there is no word on what kind of activities Jeter did today but I expect it to be nothing more than running and stuff like that. Either way he wouldn't be working out, or allowed to, if he wasn't healthy enough and ready to and I think Jeter and the Yankees can benefit big time from a healthy and normal offseason from Jeter.
Rivera, Robertson, & Pettitte Honored By Local BBWAA
The New York chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America are honoring Yankees player Mariano Rivera, David Robertson, and Andy Pettitte this January at the BBWAA dinner. This is the same dinner where the AL & NL MVP awards are handed out as well as both Cy Young Awards and all the other major awards given out over the winter.
Here are the chapter awards that the Yankees are being honored with:
Toast of the Town Award: Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera
Good Guy Award: David Robertson
All Time New York Yankees Team - The Bench
Jorge Posada
Willie Randolph
Don Mattingly
Phil Rizzuto
Bill Dickey
Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto was easily the best Yankees short stop of all time before Derek Jeter came along so I decided that he had to be on the list.
Don Mattingly won the 1985 MVP Award and was the Yankees captain. While Don never won a World Series and only had one post season appearance in this career in 1995, a wild card series loss to the Seattle Mariners, Don made watching Yankees baseball bearable in the 80's and is one of the greatest Yankees of all time, mustache and all.
Willie Randolph? Really? Over Robinson Cano, Joe Gordon, and other Yankees second basemen? Yes, absolutely. Randolph did not have the best numbers but he did spend 13 of his 18 years with the Yankees including three co-captain years with Ron Guidry from 1986-1988. Randolph also owns the Yankees record for games played as a second basemen with 1,688 games and finished his career with 271 stolen bases, 1,239 runs scored, 2,210 hits, and was a six time All Star. Randolph drew over 80 walks a whopping seven times in his career, something Robinson Cano will probably never do, and never committed in an error in 46 post season games for his career. Randolph also won four World Series titles with the Yankees as a coach that many people do not remember. He may not have the stats as some of the others but he certainly deserved to be on this list.
The catching position was obviously a toss up so between the starting catcher and the bench I decided to include three catchers and I still feel like I am omitting someone. Yogi Berra starts for me, his 10 World Series rings says so. Jorge Posada I felt compelled to include because I watched him growing up and saw him win four World Series rings, although was a major contributor in three of them. Even with Bill Dickey being added as a bench option I still could have included Elston Howard and Thurmon Munson making this possibly the hardest position to choose from.
Why Granderson Should Take Qualifying Offer
There has been a ton of talk about the qualifying offer given to Curtis Granderson. And for good reason, most of that talk has been about why he should turn it down. Well I wanted to look at it from the viewpoint that he should take it.
If Grandy had a history of injuries, and not of the "freak" kind, then I would completely understand him turning down the qualifying offer to get a multi-year contract now. Curtis did miss 24 games due to a strained groin in 2010, but that has never flared up again. So there's no reason for a team to look at him next year and be concerned that he's an injury risk. Unlike Jacoby Ellsbury, who is in line for the largest free agent contract this offseason, outside of Robinson Cano.
As long as Granderson's production doesn't drop significantly, then he'd easily be in line for a 3+ year contract worth around $15 million a season. And that's a low-ball guess. Torii Hunter got a 2 year contract worth $26 million going into his age 37 season, while Granderson will be three years younger next offseason. Not to mention that Curtis was more valuable, in terms of bWAR, than Hunter was in their previous three seasons (ignoring Granderson's 2013, as he missed too much time to take it seriously).
But let's say a 3 year deal worth $45 million was coming Curtis' way next offseason. Combine that with the qualifying offer, and you're talking about 4 years and $59 million.
When it comes to the kind of payday Grandy should expect, a lot of people have compared it to Nick Swisher's deal he signed last year with Cleveland. The value of that contract? Four years and $56 million.
"This should be good."
If Grandy had a history of injuries, and not of the "freak" kind, then I would completely understand him turning down the qualifying offer to get a multi-year contract now. Curtis did miss 24 games due to a strained groin in 2010, but that has never flared up again. So there's no reason for a team to look at him next year and be concerned that he's an injury risk. Unlike Jacoby Ellsbury, who is in line for the largest free agent contract this offseason, outside of Robinson Cano.
As long as Granderson's production doesn't drop significantly, then he'd easily be in line for a 3+ year contract worth around $15 million a season. And that's a low-ball guess. Torii Hunter got a 2 year contract worth $26 million going into his age 37 season, while Granderson will be three years younger next offseason. Not to mention that Curtis was more valuable, in terms of bWAR, than Hunter was in their previous three seasons (ignoring Granderson's 2013, as he missed too much time to take it seriously).
But let's say a 3 year deal worth $45 million was coming Curtis' way next offseason. Combine that with the qualifying offer, and you're talking about 4 years and $59 million.
When it comes to the kind of payday Grandy should expect, a lot of people have compared it to Nick Swisher's deal he signed last year with Cleveland. The value of that contract? Four years and $56 million.
"Very interesting."
Scorpions win third straight game over Rafters, 7-4
Thanks to a five run second inning, and seven runs overall in just their first three frames, the Scorpions were able to beat the Salt River Rafters last night, 7-4, improving their record to 10-14. This victory is the Scorps third consecutive after they dropped 8 straight.
The only Yankee prospect who played in this one, Vidal Nuno, had a long, solid relief appearance, pitching 4 innings and giving up just 1 earned run. That 1 ER did raise Nuno's ERA to 3.20, but that's still solid. He got off to a bad start earlier in the season, and now he's pitching great.
Trenton Thunder Announce 2014 Promotions
(TRENTON, NJ) - Replica championship trophies, helmet toothbrush holders, five bobblehead giveaways and seventeen fireworks shows highlight the first batch of 2014 promotions announced by the Trenton Thunder on Wednesday afternoon.
The 2014 promotional slate includes three giveaway items themed around the team's 2013 Eastern League Championship starting with Replica Mini EL Championship Trophies (1st 2,000 ages 6+) thanks to ARM & HAMMER on Opening Night, April 3. Fans will receive Championship Banners (1st 1,000 ages 6+) on April 17 and Championship Pennants (1st 1,000 ages 5-15) on May 11.
The 2014 promo schedule includes five unique items that have never been distributed at the Thunder before. These include Thunder Cooler Bags (1st 1,000 ages 18+) on April 5, OYO Sportstoys Minifigure (Thunder Player TBD, 1st 1,000 ages 5-15) on June 1, Boomer Dress Up Magnets (1st 1,000 ages 5-15) on June 8, Catcher's Helmet Coin Banks thanks to TD Bank (1st 1,000 ages 6+) on June 11 and Thunder Helmet Toothbrush Holders thanks to ARM & HAMMER (1st 1,000 ages 6+) on July 1.
The 2014 promotional slate includes three giveaway items themed around the team's 2013 Eastern League Championship starting with Replica Mini EL Championship Trophies (1st 2,000 ages 6+) thanks to ARM & HAMMER on Opening Night, April 3. Fans will receive Championship Banners (1st 1,000 ages 6+) on April 17 and Championship Pennants (1st 1,000 ages 5-15) on May 11.
The 2014 promo schedule includes five unique items that have never been distributed at the Thunder before. These include Thunder Cooler Bags (1st 1,000 ages 18+) on April 5, OYO Sportstoys Minifigure (Thunder Player TBD, 1st 1,000 ages 5-15) on June 1, Boomer Dress Up Magnets (1st 1,000 ages 5-15) on June 8, Catcher's Helmet Coin Banks thanks to TD Bank (1st 1,000 ages 6+) on June 11 and Thunder Helmet Toothbrush Holders thanks to ARM & HAMMER (1st 1,000 ages 6+) on July 1.
Bobblehead Dolls remain popular with Thunder fans as collectibles that honor outstanding players. Trenton will host five bobblehead giveaways including Mark Teixeira on the one year anniversary of his rehab in Trenton (May 30), Hideki Matsui (July 11), David Robertson thanks to TD Bank (July 25) and Boomer thanks to ARM & HAMMER (August 8). The Thunder will distribute "mini" bobbleheads featuring a player TBD on May 9. All bobblehead giveaways are for the first 2,000 fans ages 14 and over.Fireworks will once again entertain fans throughout the summer and the Thunder have 17 shows lined up after games. The shows will begin on Saturday, May 3 and continue after each Thursday and Saturday night game through August. The annual Independence Day Fireworks show will take place on Thursday, July 3 as Trenton hosts Portland and a rare Sunday night fireworks display will take place over Labor Day weekend as Reading visits on August 31.
Fans will take home Thunder apparel at six games next season. Kids will receive Youth Replica Jerseys (Player TBD, 1st 1,000 ages 5-15) at two games - April 6 and June 27. Adults will receive Thunder Scarves (1st 1,000 ages 18+) on April 18 and Adult Replica Jerseys (Player TBD, 1st 1,000 ages 18+) on April 19. Fans ages 12 and over will take home Thunder Bucket Hats (1st 1,500) on May 2 and Thunder Visors will be given to fans ages 6 and over (1st 1,000) on August 19.
The 2013 promotional slate is loaded with traditionally popular giveaways including Magnetic Schedules (1st 2,000 ages 6+) on April 4, Drawstring Bags (1st 1,000 ages 5-15) on May 4, Roll-A-Banners (1st 1,000 ages 6+) on May 14, Reusable Shopping Bags (1st 1,000 ages 6+) on May 20, Team Card Sets thanks to Verizon Wireless (1st 1,500 ages 6+) on June 20, Chase Photo Montages (1st 2,000 ages 6+) on July 2, Lanyards (1st 1,000 ages 5-15) on July 13, Posters (1st 2,000) thanks to White Eagle Printing on August 5 and Player Statues TBD thanks to Verizon Wireless (1st 2,000 ages 14+) on August 29. The season will end on Labor Day, September 1, with a 2015 Magnetic Schedule giveaway (1st 2,000 ages 6+).
The Thunder also announced the dates for two long-running, popular promotions. Free All-You-Can-Eat Night will return for a fifth season on Thursday, April 17. The game includes free hot dogs, hamburgers and cheeseburgers for all fans in attendance. The annual Bark at the Park presented by Dogs & Cats Rule will be held on Sunday, August 10 and includes an invitation for all dog lovers to bring their canines with them to the game.
Super Value Tuesdays are back with every Tuesday night game featuring Kids Eat Free & $1 Hot Dogs thanks to Black Bear Franks. Thirsty Thursdays will return and fans can enjoy a great beer special from Budweiser until the middle of the 5th inning.
Also announced today are theme nights including Super Hero Night (May 3), Summer Kickoff Party (June 21), Faith & Family Nights (June 21 and August 9), Irish Heritage Night (August 7), Pirate & Princess Party (August 9), the Fifth Annual Good Deed Game (August 9) and Football Kickoff Night (August 21).
All fans should note that the distribution of promotional items is for fans in attendance only. Promotion dates, items and distribution quantity is subject to change and/or cancellation. Please visit trentonthunder.com for quantity and age restrictions specific for each giveaway/promotion.
Super Value Tuesdays are back with every Tuesday night game featuring Kids Eat Free & $1 Hot Dogs thanks to Black Bear Franks. Thirsty Thursdays will return and fans can enjoy a great beer special from Budweiser until the middle of the 5th inning.
Also announced today are theme nights including Super Hero Night (May 3), Summer Kickoff Party (June 21), Faith & Family Nights (June 21 and August 9), Irish Heritage Night (August 7), Pirate & Princess Party (August 9), the Fifth Annual Good Deed Game (August 9) and Football Kickoff Night (August 21).
All fans should note that the distribution of promotional items is for fans in attendance only. Promotion dates, items and distribution quantity is subject to change and/or cancellation. Please visit trentonthunder.com for quantity and age restrictions specific for each giveaway/promotion.
Additional promotions are still being finalized and will be announced at a later date.
The Thunder will begin the 2014 season at ARM & HAMMER Park on Thursday, April 3. Season tickets, group outings, Pic-A-Plans, and Mini Plan renewals are on sale now. Single game tickets will go on sale on March 1, 2014. For more information about tickets, fans should call 609-394-3300 or visit trentonthunder.com.
Being posted with permission from the Trenton Thunder organization. The original post can be seen HERE.
Curtis Granderson Hints At Declining His Qualifying Offer
The Yankees offered Curtis Granderson a one year $14.1 million qualifying offer on Monday and Curtis is hinting at declining this offer. Granderson mentioned in a phone interview that he was weighing all options and mentioned that there were 29 other teams out there and everyone has a shot at competing right now. Is it posturing or is he being sincere? Take it all with a grain of salt this early into free agency.
If Curtis declines and gets a deal from a team other than the Yankees then New York will get draft pick compensation. If Granderson accepts he is a Yankees player for 2014 with a $14.1 million salary and AAV. I like Granderson but if he accepts then we have no room for a Carlos Beltran so it comes down to who you like more at this point.
This Day In New York Yankees History 11/7
On this day in 1963 Elston Howard is named the American League's Most Valuable Player becoming the first African American to win the award. Roger Maris won the award in 1960 and 1961, Mickey Mantle won it in 1962, so Elston became the third consecutive Yankee to win the award.
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