Tuesday, April 30, 2013
New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros 4/30
The Yankees and the Houston Astros will play the middle game of their three game set at Yankees Stadium tonight. The Yankees need to win these games if they expect to stay competitive in the American League East so they need to get the offense going early. The Yankees will send Hiroki Kuroda to the mound to face off against Philip Humber. The game will be televised at 7:05 pm ET on YES and MLB TV.
Youkilis On DL, Corban Joseph Called Up
It is interesting how Corban has only played in 43 games at 3rd base, and the last time was back in 2010. The vast majority of his time in the minors has been spent at 2B, and for the first time he's started getting some work at 1B.
EDIT: I've learned that David Adams can not be called up to MLB until May 15th (30 days from the time he signed a minor league contract), due to a rule that states a player that is released and re-signed to a minor league deal must wait 30 days before retuning to the majors.
Adams would fit better with the team, as he's a right-handed hitter, and the team is very weak against left-handed pitching. Not to mention that Adams has quite a bit of experience at 3B, as well as 2B. David is currently hitting .327/.417/.462 for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Cano Contract Talks Not Yet Discussed
Andrew Marchand sent word, via Twitter, that Robinson Cano's agents have yet to start contract negotiations with the Yankees.
The only news regarding a contract extension for Cano, that we've heard, had to do with the team's starting point of David Wright's 8 year $138 million contract. $17.25 million a year is a pretty nice salary, but it's nowhere near the amount that a player like Cano will get. The "8 year" part my come true, but I believe Robbie (who has averaged just above $28 million between 2010 and 2012) will get at least $25 million a season. So put me down for 8 years and $200 million.
I just hope it's the Yankees that give him that contract.
Game 28 Lineup: Astros vs. Yankees
Brett Gardner CF
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Travis Hafner DH
Brennan Boesch RF
Jayson Nix 3B
Lyle Overbay 1B
Eduardo Nunez SS
Chris Stewart C
Hiroki Kuroda RHP
Notes:
-- The Yankees placed Kevin Youkilis on the 15-Day Disabled list with a lumbar spine sprain (retroactive to April 28.) The Yankees called up Corban Joseph to take his place on the roster. Why not David Adams? Well, David Adams was released, then re-signed and he's not on the 40-man roster. He also wouldn't have been eligible to come to the Majors until May 15, hence making Joseph the obvious choice at this point.
Youkilis MRI Negative, Still Headed to DL
It's nearly impossible to tell when his back will be good to go, as there is so much that can go wrong in that part of the body. However I can't help but think that somebody with the team made a big mistake putting Kevin into the lineup last Saturday against Toronto. I mean... sure, Youkilis may need the whole 15 days to get better anyway. But if he's ready before that everybody will look back at last Saturday and say "why the hell did they play Youk, when they could have backdated his DL stint a week or so?"
Youkilis did receive a epidural shot to help with any stiffness and/or pain. The Yankees will likely call-up another infielder such as David Adams.
This Day In Yankees History 4/30
On this day in 1939 Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played streak and ultimately his career would come to an end. Lou would go 0-4 in his final game of his career ending his 2,130 consecutive game streak and 17 season career.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Game Thread: NYY vs. HOU 4/29
The New York Yankees and Houston Astros start a three game set tonight at Yankees Stadium, buy your Yankees tickets here, when Andy Pettitte goes to the mound. Feel free to use this post to chat with us or tweet with us on Twitter by following @GreedyStripes.
Here is the Yankees lineup
1. Gardner CF
2. Cano 2B
3. Wells LF
4. Hafner DH
5. Boesch RF
6. Nix 3B
7. Overbay 1B
8. Nunez SS
9. Romine C
LHP Pettitte
New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros 4/29
The New York Yankees will welcome the Houston Astros to Yankees Stadium for the first time since joining the American League West in 2013. These are games that the Yankees absolutely have to win if they expect to keep their heads above water before the injury reinforcements come. The Yankees will send the veteran Andy Pettitte to the mound to face off with Lucas Harrell. The game will be televised at 7:05 pm ET on YES and MLB TV.
Hideki Matsui To Retire A Yankee
After signing with the New York Yankees in late 2002, Hideki Matsui played seven of his ten Major League Baseball seasons with the Bronx Bombers. Before retiring on December 28th, 2012, Matsui spent the 2010 season with the Los Angeles Angels, 2011 with the Oakland Athletics, and finally played 34 games for the Tampa Bay Rays.
But it's the .292/.370/.482 batting line, with 140 home runs, he hit with the Yankees that people will remember when they look back at Godzilla's career. Which is why I love the news that came from George King earlier today, in which we learned that Matsui would be signed by New York to a one-day contract, so the two-time all star could retire as a Yankee.
If you're a big fan of Hideki, then you'll probably want to circle July 28th on your calender. Because not only is that the day the team will be giving away Matsui bobbleheads, but it seems as good a time as any for all of this to go down.
Game 27 Lineup: Astros vs. Yankees
Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells LF
Travis Hafner DH
Brennan Boesch RF
Jayson Nix 3B
Lyle Overbay 1B
Eduardo Nunez SS
Austin Romine C
Andy Pettitte HLP
This Day In Yankees History 4/29
On this day in 1939 Lou Gehrig would single in the fourth inning, his 2,721st hit of his career, for his last base hit of his career. The final hit would come off of Washington Senators pitcher Ken Chase. Lou would hold the franchise record for hits until Derek Jeter passed him in 2009.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Yanks Have Injuries But Not Slowing Down Veterans
Mariano Rivera Teaches The Kids
Saw this on Twitter from @MLBMemes and just had to share this. Awesome and probably closer to the truth then we all would like to admit.
Game Thread: NYY vs TOR 4/28
The Yankees look to go for the four game sweep this afternoon on TBS with Phil Hughes on the mound to ace off against RA Dickey and the Toronto Blue Jays. If the Yankees can pull off the sweep it would be the first one since 1995 at the old Yankees Stadium. Feel free to use this thread to comment on the game during the game or follow us on twitter, @greedystripes, and chat with us there.
Here is the Yankees lineup
1. Ichiro (CF)
2. Cano (2B)
3. Wells (LF)
4. Hafner (DH)
5. Boesch (RF)
6. Nix (3B)
7. Overbay (1B)
8. Nunez (SS)
9. Stewart (C)
How Did Cashman & Co. "Drop The Ball"?
It doesn't drive me crazy when people complain about the Yankee front office, or Brian Cashman in particular, not doing a good job in building a better team this offseason. Being a Yankee fan and whining that they aren't perfect pretty much goes hand in hand. I don't mean to say there aren't exceptions to that, but spend a little bit of time on Twitter during a Bombers' game and you'll see it quite clearly.
What drives me crazy is when you ask a person how the team could have improved, and that person can't provide a good answer. Hell, you're lucky if they can provide any answer. Don't get me wrong, a lot of people you ask will admit to just getting caught up in the moment, and don't really mean to bad-mouth the team, or a particular person on or with the team.
Oh, and that craziness goes up even further when it's a "respected" writer. Particularly when that criticism occurs in an article of theirs, in which they should have provided a good alternative to what the team did or didn't do.
By this point I probably don't have to remind you about the number of injuries to key players the Yankees are dealing with, but here's the lineup if healthy...
Gardner - CF
Jeter - SS
Cano - 2B
Granderson - LF
Teixeira - 1B
Rodriguez - 3B
Hafner - DH
Cervelli - C
Suzuki - RF
*feel free to mess with the order
The only true improvement on that lineup I can see was bringing back Nick Swisher instead of Ichiro. I suppose you can make an argument for BJ Upton, however his career triple-slash of .253/.333/.419 never impressed me. Oh, and paying Josh Hamilton $25 million a year is asinine.
Back to Nick Swisher... Nick is a good player, and is without a doubt an improvement over Suzuki. However, I don't think guaranteeing him $56 million over the next four years would have been the best decision.
Let me get it out of the way... Swish-a-licious is a good player. During his time in pinstripes, Nick hit .268/.367/.483 while averaging 26 home runs a season. Not only was he worth $15.7 million a season during his time with New York (per Fangraph's Dollar Values), in only one season was he worth less... and that was back in 2009 ($13.3m).
It may only be 20 games, but Swisher's wOBA so far in 2013 is an impressive .374. Which is much better than what any Yankee outfielder is doing besides Vernon Wells... who probably wouldn't be a Yankee if it weren't for Granderson's injury (despite the fact the Yankees had interest in him well before that).
Although I'm a fan of Nick Swisher, I can't say he's been a very consistent hitter. That may confuse a lot of people, seeing as how Nick's OPS+ was between 120 and 129 in six of his previous seven seasons (the outlier being his horrendous 2008 season with the White Sox). So allow me to explain...
Between 2009 and today Swish's strikeout and walk percentages have gone up and down so much my stomach is queasy just thinking about it. His strikeout percentage in 2009 was 20.8%, went up to 21.9% in 2010, then down to 19.7% in 2011, back up to 22.6% in 2012, and is at 18.4% so far in 2013. Swish's walk rate was at 16% in 2009, fell to 9.1% in 2010, increased to 15% in 2011, dropped again to 12.3% in 2012, and currently sits at 14.9% in 2013.
To further add to the idea of Swisher being an inconsistent hitter, take a look at his Isolated Power numbers. In 2009 Nick's ISO was .249, dropped to .223 in 2010, fell even lower to .188 in 2011, increased to .201 in 2012, and at this moment is a career low of .167 (tied with his rookie season in Oakland).
Being a Swisher fan I can't help but repeat that I don't mean he's not a good player. I just don't think it was a no-brainer to bring him back. And consider a few other things...
One, three of the top four prospects in the Yankees' system are outfielders (Williams, Heatchcott, and Austin). Two, although Brett Gardner looks less and less like a guy that should be a regular in the lineup, he is around through 2014. And finally, corner outfielders are not that hard to come by, as seen by the fact that even in a thin free agent class this coming offseason the Yankees may still be able to choose between Shin-Soo Choo, Mike Morse, Hunter Pence, Jacoby Ellsbury, Curtis Granderson, Nelson Cruz, and David Murphy.
So, you see, Cashman and Co. did not drop the ball on the offensive side of things this offseason.
But what about pitching?
This one won't take nearly as long. I mean, was anybody complaining about the Yankees re-signing Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettite? Even those that had reservations about Phil Hughes and/or Ivan Nova couldn't have been that up-in-arms. The team already had options for the bottom of the rotation, such as David Phelps, Adam Warren, and Brett Marshall. And it's not like free agency had a ton of promise after Zack Greinke. I mean, were there really that many people clamoring for the signing of Kyle Lohse, Jake Peavy, Edwin Jackson, and Anibal Sanchez (NOTE: I like Sanchez, but I didn't shed a tear when he re-signed with the Tigers).
As for the bullpen it would have been nice to see the team try and take a chance on a few different guys, but after re-signing Mariano Rivera they were just fine. David Robertson was already there to lock down the 8th inning, Joba Chamberlain hasn't given up a run in his last 7.2 innings, not only has Boone Logan done a fine job but his strikeout rate has gone up in each of the last four seasons, and the team added Shawn Kelley after he had a good 2012 season in Seattle (116 ERA+).
So until somebody explains how Cashman and Co. dropped the ball then I'm going to continue to smirk at those that cry and moan about the lineup Joe Girardi has had to run out there so far in 2013.
Kevin Youkilis Back Keeps Him Out Again
Kevin Youkilis is out of the Yankees lineup again today with that nagging back injury. This will be Youkilis' seventh missed game out of the last eight Yankees games after he got into the game yesterday in a Yankees victory. Nothing has been confirmed yet but I cannot see a way where he does not go to the disabled list after this. David Adams will likely get the call which would require a 40 man roster move. This is all speculation at this point and I expect we will hear more after the game this afternoon.
New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays 4/28
The Yankees are heading into this afternoons game looking for a sweep of a four game series in Yankees Stadium. The Yankees will send Phil Hughes to the mound to face off against the National League reigning Cy Young Award winning RA Dickey. The game will be televised at 1:05 pm ET on YES, TBS, and MLB TV.
Game 26 Lineup: Blue Jays vs. Yankees
Ichiro Suzuki CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells F
Travis Hafner DH
Brennan Boesch RF
Jayson Nix 2B
Lyle Overbay 1B
Eduardo Nunez SS
Chris Stewart C
Phil Hughes RHP
This Day In Yankees History 4/28
On this day in 1985 George Steinbrenner fired Yogi Berra and hired Billy Martin for the fourth time as the Yankees manager. Yogi Berra vowed to never return to Yankees Stadium as long as George Steinbrenner owned the team and would not return to the Stadium for 14 years.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Ivan Nova Diagnosed With Triceps Inflammation
Iva Nova's MRI results are in and they are better than expected as he was diagnosed with triceps inflammation and not a more serious elbow injury like originally thought. Nova will require a 15 day disabled list trip but I think a lot of us were fearing Tommy John surgery after he left the game suddenly in the 3rd inning of yesterdays game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Vidal Nuno has been called up to take his spot on the roster and Derek Jeter has been moved to the 60 day DL to make room on the 40 man roster. David Phelps will make Nova's next start and Nuno will take Phelps slot in the bullpen. This is about the best case scenario for Nova so let's hope he misses three starts and can come back healthy.
Game Thread NYY vs. TOR 4/27
The walking wounded Yankees continue their series with the Toronto Blue Jays looking to clinch a series win this afternoon at Yankees Stadium. The Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound to face off against JA Happ. Feel free to use this thread to talk during the game or follow us on twitter @GreedyStripes to tweet with us there.
Here is the Yankees lineup:
Jayson Nix 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells LF
Kevin Youkilis 1B
Travis Hafner DH
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Chris Stewart C
New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays 4/27
The team formerly known as the Yankees are playing their third game in a four game weekend series with the Toronto Blue Jays. What's left of the Yankees roster will send their ace and workhorse CC Sabathia to the mound to face off with the man that broke Curtis Granderson's right forearm in Aaron Laffey. The game will be televised on YES and MLB.TV at 4:05 pm ET.
Vidal Nuno Called Up From AAA
The MRI results must be in and they must not be good for Ivan Nova because the Yankees called up left handed starter Vidal Nuno from AAA. A 40 man roster move will need to be made but the Yankees can add Derek Jeter to the 60 day DL easily so no worries there. I just hope its not Tommy John surgery for Ivan Nova and just some triceps stiffness or tendinitis or something. Nuno is pitching to a 1.54 ERA in 23 IP while striking out 26 batters down in Scranton. Nuno is stretched out and was scheduled to make his next start today conveniently so he is ready to eat a ton of innings if necessary.
Game 25 Lineup: Blue Jays vs. Yankees
Brett Gardner CF
Jayson Nix 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells LF
Kevin Youkilis 1B
Travis Hafner DH
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Chris Stewart C
LHP CC Sabathia
Yanks have injuries but not slowing down veterans
The Yankees have lost a lot of familiar names: Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, Alex Rodriguez, Francisco Cervelli, Ivan Nova and possibly Kevin Youkilis. With a lineup that won't feature most of these names for a while, you would think the Yankees would lie down and take the beating, not fight at all and prove every non-believer right. The Yankees have done the opposite. Going into today's game, the Yankees are 13-9, 12-5 since April 7. In a team that's bruised and beat up, there's a shining light, where veterans stepped up and are producing for the Yanks.
No one expected Travis Hafner to be such a big catalyst in the Yankees lineup vs. right handed pitching. And no one would have thought that Vernon Wells would come out of the gate swinging. Well, that's the case for the Yankees. The veterans are taking over the lineup for the Yanks, and they intend on milking out every opportunity possible to prove their worth to the ball-club. Here are some Yankees that surprised us so far in the season, making their cause known to the team.
Brett Gardner: If you told me on April 1st that Brett Gardner was going to have 3 HR's and have the second most RBI's (12) on the team behind Robinson Cano, I'd say you were a dreamer. I'd call you crazy as well, but mostly a dreamer. Well, Brett Gardner has been opening some eyes, proving that he deserves to be in the lineup vs. left handed pitching as well as right handed pitching. Out of Gardner's 3 HR's this season, two are of significant importance: Gardner hit them vs. left handed pitching. Before his first HR, the last time Gardner hit a HR vs. left handed pitching was on July 3, 2010 vs. Ricky Romero of the Blue Jays. Gardner has been showing strength, and although he's paid to run and steal bases, we'll excuse him for not stealing bases as of yet since he's doing a great job in bringing runners in scoring position to the plate.
Robinson Cano: Robinson Cano had an odd start to his 2013 campaign. He was struggling just like Brett Gardner and just like Ichiro Suzuki. However like Gardner, Cano quickly turned it around and started providing offense for the team. With no Curtis Granderson, no Mark Teixeira and no Derek Jeter, there is a loss in home runs for the Yankees meaning that Cano has to carry the team on his back every single game. After a putrid first week, Cano has done just that. He's carried the team on his back. Does 7 HR's and 17 RBI's prove my point? It should.
Travis Hafner: Pronk has become a pleasant surprise to the Yankees, showing his power and is dubbed the "2013 version of Raul Ibanez". Pronk is easily one of my favorite acquisitions, since he comes up in the clutch in the playing time he's had. He has 5 HR's, (one of them was so dramatic, it won the game). He also made Cleveland Indians fans remember why they loved him so much...although he hit home runs AGAINST his former team, leaving the fans unhappy. Anyway, Pronk is a player that I wish could hit vs. left handed pitching...but I'll take him as he is. He's been a great player so far and we hope he stays healthy.
Vernon Wells: Who would have thought that out of all people, Vernon Wells would be the player he was before he signed the gigantic contract that caused him to get traded to two different teams? Vernon Wells is second for team batting average, home runs and is third in RBI's. It might have helped that the Yankees faced the Blue Jays twice, once on their recent road-trip and on their current home-stand. Vernon Wells has no trouble showing the Blue Jays fans what they were missing, and the Yankees love it.
This Day In Yankees History 4/27
On this day in 1947 the Yankees held Babe Ruth day to honor the ailing legend one last time at Yankees Stadium. The Washington Senators would win the game 1-0 in a pitchers duel.
On this day in 1982 the Yankees Stadium crowd welcomed back Reggie Jackson who was playing for the California Angels. The Yankees crowd was not happy about losing Mr October to free agency and even chanted "Steinbrenner sucks" during the game. The Yankees would lose a rain shortened game 3-1 and Reggie Jackson hit a home run.
Friday, April 26, 2013
No New Talks Between Yanks & Cano
Robinson Cano and his new agents, CAA and Jay-Z, have not had discussions with the Yankees and their management yet for a new contract. The Yankees have a policy where they refuse to discuss a contract extension before a player hit free agency but the Yankees seem willing to suspend this policy to keep Robbie before he hits free agency. The Yankees let big time stars like Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, and Mariano Rivera to name a few hit the free agent market due to this policy but it seems like times are changing in Yankeesland. Cano, if he hits free agency, will easily be the best free agent in the entire market and with big money teams like the Dodgers and the Angels lurking it scares the hell out of me to think that Robbie may test the waters. Robinson Cano will turn 31 years old in October and will likely command a $200 million contract this off season so I really hope the Yankees can get this done before the season is over.
Ivan Nova Has Pain In Pitching Elbow
Ivan Nova left tonight's game with the Toronto Blue Jays with pain in his pitching elbow and is heading to get an MRI as soon as tonight or tomorrow. Nova could not get out of the third inning tonight and did not seem to be hit by a ball or anything so this is not a good sign at all. Chien Ming Wang or Adam Warren will probably be called upon to make his next start if he cannot go which I cannot see him making it. This kind of screams Tommy John surgery to me but I am hoping for the best here. The year of the injury continues...
Eduardo Nunez Will Not Be A Super Two
The 2014 Super Two status for arbitration eligible players is being set, tentatively, at two years and 119 days of service in the big leagues. The projected date, which is subject to change, is going to leave Nunez a mere two days short of being a Super Two. The difference between arbitration and Super Two eligibility is a few hundred thousand in salary generally so the Yankees aren't exactly upset about this news I am sure.
Francisco Cervelli Out Six Weeks W/ Fractured Hand
And the year of the injury continues...
Francisco Cervelli is out at least six weeks with a fractured right after taking a ball to the back of his fingers. Francisco is going to require surgery and the Yankees will call up Austin Romine to take his spot on the roster. Romine has a .341/.400/.415 triple slash this season for the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Railriders so hopefully he will be the every day catcher for the Yankees and not weak hitting Chris Stewart. This is a shame because Cervelli was having a hell of a season and was one of the few bright spots from the right side of the plate and against left handed pitching. This is a damn shame.
Injury Update: Cervelli, Nova, Youkilis
Despite having a 6-4 win, the Yankees had multiple injury issues. Let's address them one by one as if it's one big sandwich.
-- Let's start with Francisco Cervelli. Cervelli was hit in the knuckles by a pitch from Ivan Nova in the first inning. Cervelli was taken for x-rays and the results weren't good. Cervelli has a broken hand that requires surgery, and he's expected to be sidelined for a minimum of 6 weeks. Having surgery means that the fracture wasn't a clean fracture and the doctors would have to open him up to see how bad the damage in his hand is. The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. A huge blow for the Yankees and bad luck for Cervelli who was playing so well for the first couple of weeks.
-- Let's continue onto Ivan Nova. Two innings later, Ivan Nova was pulled out of the game by Joe Girardi and fans initially thought that he pulled a hamstring. It was revealed that he had pain in his elbow and was sent for an MRI. The results of the MRI weren't back by the time the Yankees finished the game, so we'd have to wait until tomorrow to see the results.
-- And Finally, we shall end it with Kevin Youkilis. Kevin Youkilis has been out of the lineup for almost a week (tomorrow makes seven days) and the Yankees were attempting to avoid the DL with him. However, if his back isn't well by tomorrow then the Yankees could possibly place him on the 15-day DL. Now, he wouldn't have to spend an extra fifteen days sidelined. The Yankees could retroactive his DL from the day he stopped playing.
The Yankees have been the walking wounded since the season began...and now they're going to have to walk wounded some more.
New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays 4/26
The New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays will have another rematch from last weekend when they face off tonight in the second game of their four game weekend series. The Yankees will send Ivan Nova to the mound to face off against Josh Johnson for the Blue Jays. The game will be televised at 7:05 pm ET on YES, MLB Network, and MLB.TV.
Buy all of your Yankees tickets here for tonight's game or any game this weekend.
Game 24 Lineup: Blue Jays vs. Yankees
Brett Gardner CF
Jayson Nix 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells LF
Francisco Cervelli C
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Lyle Overbay 1B
Ben Francisco DH
Ivan Nova RHP
The Yankees May Scrap The Austerity Budget
Sources: The Yankees are almost certainly abandoning the plan to get their 2014 salary under $189M. yhoo.it/ZxmNFc
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 26, 2013
It turns out that Mr. Passan wasn't trying to simply gain website hits, as had some evidence...
"They're going to be over 189," one source familiar with the Yankees' plans said. "They know it. Everyone knows it. You can't run a $3 billion team with the intentions of saving a few million dollars."Apparently the money that could be saved by getting payroll down to $189 million wasn't as much as anticipated. It was originally thought that the team could save upwards of $50 million by doing so, however that's not the case.
The rules on revenue sharing are changing. In the past, as long as a team was considered "low revenue", they would receive a portion of the revenue sharing money. That means that teams like Washington, Toronto, and Atlanta would get some of the revenue sharing money, even though those teams are actually in large markets. As opposed to low revenue teams like the Oakland As, who are not only low revenue but also in a small market. All of which would lead to a larger pool of revenue sharing money.
That's changing this season, as those teams in large markets (Washington, Toronto, Atlanta) will actually have to start giving that money back to the large market/large revenue teams that have been giving them money through revenue sharing for years.
However, for a team to get that revenue sharing money back they'd have to have a payroll at or under the threshold ($189 million in 2014). And that is the money that makes up the majority of the $50 million the Yankees were looking to save through the austerity budget.
Due to their success, the Washington Nationals are moving from being a payee to a payor, which will lower the amount of money to be given back to the Yankees and other large market/large revenue teams. The same goes for the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays. Meaning the amount of money to be given back to large market/large revenue teams isn't as much, so the savings won't be as high.
So, it turns out that the majority of the money to be saved by getting to that magical payroll of $189 million would come from the Luxury Tax, which has been talked about quite a bit. As Jeff Passan pointed out in his article, if the Yankees had a payroll of $205 million from 2014-2016, the team would pay $24 million to the tax. However, if the payroll were $189 million in 2014, then went back up to $205 million in 2015 and 2016, the team would only pay $8.4 million. That means the team would save only $15.6 million over those 3 years. There's just no way saving $15.6 million over 3 years makes up for putting a lower quality product on the field.
Hell, the money the team could make from selling Robinson Cano jerseys over three years could make up that $15.6 million.
Perhaps if the Yankees didn't already have over $89 million wrapped up in only six players for 2014 (Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, Derek Jeter, Ichiro Suzuki, and Vernon Wells are all contracted through next season) things would be different. Oh, and that doesn't include up to nine possible arbitration cases, as well as ten regulars set to hit free agency (Robbie Cano key among those).
So not only would the savings for getting down to $189 million not be as much as first though, but getting there will be next to impossible. As a Yankee official said, "It was a good idea to try, but deep down, we all pretty much knew it wasn't going to happen."
Minor League Week In Review
SWB RailRiders 4-3 on the week
Corban Joseph kicks it off for Scranton this week, as he went 9-26 with four doubles and a pair of home runs driving in three. He did get away from his usual patient approach as he struck out eight times while only walking three. For some that might be a good K/BB but for Joseph it's a little off pace. 3B David Adams continued to put the ball in play collecting 5 hits in 17 AB's. He hit a double, struck out five times and walked twice. With Mustelier still making his way back to SWB, Adams is the odds on fan favorite for a callup in the hopes that Francisco gets his walking papers. Catcher Austin romine fell off pace a bit this past week, chipping in only four hits in his 17 AB's, but he did take one out of the park for his first of the year. Zoilo Almonte had a rough go of it, going 3-22. He did however manage to hit a pair of doubles and drive in three, as well as work four walks against six strikeouts.
On the pitching side, Vidal Nuno keeps on rolling. He threw another 5.2 innings of one run ball on three hits. He issued just one free pass while striking out six. Like Adams, he's my pick for first guy called up here. This isn't anything new for Nuno, and even the doubters are starting to come around on the soft tossing lefty. Chien-Ming Wang made his debut this past week throwing 12 solid innings. He gave up just one run and scattered ten hits, walking a pair and striking out five. On the downside he was sitting in the mid to high 80's, so he may have some building up of his arm strength to do yet. Dellin Betances turned in his first dominant outing of the year, tossing seven innings of one run ball on three hits. He walked a pair and struck out seven. As much as we can hope that this is him turning a corner, he's teased us like this before so i'll be waiting with baited breath. On the down side of the starting pitching, Brett Marshall got tuned up again, allowing four earned on eight hits over 5 innings. He walked only one and struck out five but wow.... he's looked dreadful since his promotion to Scranton. Lefty Juan Cedeno threw 3.1 innings in relief, allowing an unearned run on two hits. He walked three and struck out one. Mark Montgomery kept up his excellent work this week; he threw three no hit innings, walking four and striking out four. He can't be far away from a major league assignment at this point.
Trenton Thunder 3-3 on the week
After JR Murphy's 3 HR game last week he's taken a bit of a dive the last few games. He went 1-14 with a double and no RBI's. Slade Heathcott is still stuck in a rut since coming to AA. He went 2-15 with a lone RBI. On the bright side he walked as many times as he struck out (four) which was an issue out of the gate. Ramon Flores has been a bright spot in the Thunder lineup all along. He chipped in seven hits in his last twenty-six AB's, including a triple and four RBI's. He struck out three times while drawing four walks. Tyler Austin has broken out of his early slump, going 6-18 this past week, knocking in a pair of doubles and RBI's while working a season high seven walks while only striking out five times. He noted in an interview that he was a bit too excited and needed to just relax and let it happen.
Zach Nuding led the Trenton pitchers, tossing six innings of one run ball on six hits. He walked just one and struck out four. Nik Turley seems to be getting his adjustments made, after struggling early he managed 5.2 innings of one run ball on four hits. He walked a pair and struck out five. Matt Tracy went down in flames in his only outing; he gave up five earned on ten hits while both walking and striking out a pair. Kelvin Perez came out of the bullpen to throw 1.2 innings of one run ball on two hits, and Tommy Kahnle continued his outstanding work this year tossing a one hit inning in which he struck out the side. Jose Ramirez has been getting his throwing in and i would expect to see him soon. After his spring training performance many of us are looking forward to seeing him prove himself at the AA level, which would go a long way to projecting him as a major league contributor.
Tampa Yankees 5-2 on the week
Kicking off the lineup in Tampa this week is Gary Sanchez. He went deep for his fourth time this year, putting him ahead of his pace last year where he led the organization for HR's from a catcher. He did fall off a bit in the average department, going 3-19 but is still north of .300 on the season. He drew a pair of walks and struck out five times. Since Robert Refsnyder's promotion he hasn't missed a beat. He went 9-23 this week with a pair of doubles and driving in seven. He worked five walks against just two strikeouts. He was expected to move quickly, coming from a major college program so he's right on pace. At this point a move to Ben Gamel chipped in four hits of his own over 15 AB's, hitting a double, driving in four runs and both walking and striking out five times each. Mason Williams also had four hits this week including a double, driving in one, walking four times and striking out on three occasions. Up and coming 2B Angelo Gumbs remains on the DL with a wrist injury.
Bryan Mitchell starts off the review for Tampa pitchers this wee. He went five innings, allowing one run on four hits. He was a bit wild though, allowing four free passes while striking out seven. Shane Greene also turned in a one run performance, this one over six innings. He allowed seven hits and a walk while striking out seven batters of his own. Corey Black got tuned up this past week; allowing seven runs (four earned) on eleven hits, walking none and striking out three. Manny Barreda pitched a pair of innings in relief, allowing a run on two hits. He gave up zero walks and struck out one. Sean Black pitched a pair of innings in relief as well, allowing just a single hit while giving up a walk and striking out none.
Charleston RiverDogs 2-4 on the week
It was an ugly week for the Dogs, as many of the bats are struggling right now. Cito Culver, who had himself a nice little run of XBH's, went 6-22 with an RBI, 5 BB's and 8 K's. Dante Bichette Jr. had one less hit in as many AB's including a double and a pair of RBI's. Not what we were hoping for with their new mechanics that seemingly would allow them to get things going at the plate. Greg Bird has been in a rut since his hot start, going 4-12 this week, although he did drive in four, work four walks and strike out seven times. Jake Cave made his return to the field after missing last year with a knee injury. He opened with four hits in twelve AB's, including two doubles. He both walked and struck out twice.
On the pitching side Rafael DePaula had himself a nice outing, pitching five innings of no hit baseball. He walked three but struck out ten. Gabe Encinas also turned in another solid outing of his own, tossing six innings of two run ball on four hits, He walked just one and struck out five. Jose Campos made another limited appearance, going three innings (he did pitch to a few in the fourth but failed to record an out) and allowing three runs on four hits. Let's hope he kicks the rust off soon. Daniel Camarena had a Jeckyl and Hyde week, throwing a pair of five inning games. He allowed just two runs in the first, but five in the second. Taylor Garrison came in from the pen to pitch 3.1 innings of shutout ball on just one hit. He struck out four and gave up just one free pass.
This Day In Yankees History 4/26
On this day in 1961 Roger Maris would hit his first of his record breaking 61 home runs in that magical season. It took Roger eleven Yankees games before he hit his first home run against the Detroit Tigers in old Tiger Stadium.
On this day in 2005 Alex Rodriguez hit home runs in his first three at bats becoming only the 11th player in Major League history to knock in 10 or more RBI's in a single game. A Rod would come up one RBI short of the American League record of 11 by fellow Yankee Tony Lazzeri in 1936. A Rod would come up two RBI's short of the Major League record of 12 set by Jim Bottomley in 1924 and Mark Whiten in 1993.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Kevin Youkilis Back Continues To Keep Him Out
Kevin Youkilis is out of the Yankees lineup for the fifth straight game tonight with stiffness in his back. Joe Girardi said that Kevin tried to take some batting practice in the cage and he is just not ready yet. The Yankees will probably keep him out again tomorrow and try to get him back for Saturday's game against Toronto. This is not a disabled list situation, not yet anyway, according to Joe Girardi so we are just going to have to go day by day with this and hope for the best. Lord knows we need Youkilis and that power right handed bat against left handed pitching so I hope he comes back healthy soon.
Game Thread : TOR @ NYY 4/25
The Yankees look to put some more distance between them and the preseason World Series winners the Toronto Blue Jays. Tonight we start our first game of the four game series as Hiroki Kuroda goes to the mound to face off with Mark Buehrle for the second time in a week. Feel free to chat with us during the game here in the comment section or give us a follow on twitter, @GreedyStripes, and tweet with us there.
Here is the Yankees lineup:
1. Gardner CF
2. Francisco DH
3. Cano 2B
4. Wells LF
5. Cervelli C
6. Suzuki RF
7. Nunez SS
8. Overbay 1B
9. Nix 3B
RHP Kuroda
Thomas Neal Added To AAA Disabled List
Thomas Neal has been added to the disabled list by the AAA affiliate the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Railriders. Thomas injured his hamstring running out a double in a 5-4 loss in the first inning against Columbus. Trenton Thunder utility man Kevin Mahoney will get the call up to take his place on the roster for the time being. This leaves Scranton in a bit of a mess because they now only have two true outfielders in Zoilo Almonte and Melky Mesa but the Railriders are hoping Addison Maruszak can stopgap for the next two weeks.
Curtis Granderson A Week Or Two From Return
Curtis Granderson could be back with the Yankees as soon as late next week, although probably the week after that is a more realistic target, after taking full swings in the batting cage today. Curtis took approximately 15 swings today in the cage and came through everything okay with no set backs or tweaks which is always a good sign. Granderson has to do that a couple more times and will be ready for on the field batting practice and then we can start the 30 day rehab clock and get him in some games. Reinforcements may be finally on the way for the Yankees and the rest of the league better take notice.
Mason Williams Arrested For DUI
New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays 4/25
The Yankees return home tonight for the first of four games against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankees Stadium. Tonight the Yankees will send Hiroki Kuroda to the mound to face off with Mark Buerhle for the second time in less than a week. The game will be televised on YES, MLB Network, and MLB.TV at 7:05 pm ET.
You can buy your Yankees tickets for the game here and see it live!
Game 23 Lineup: Blue Jays vs. Yankees
Brett Gardner CF
Ben Francisco DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells LF
Francisco Cervelli C
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Eduardo Nunez SS
Lyle Overbay 1B
Jayson Nix 3B
Hiroki Kuroda RHP
This Day In Yankees History 4/25
On this day in 1933 the Yankees pitcher Russ Van Atta made his major league debut with the team. He did well going 4 for 4 at the dish and pitched a complete game shut out in a 16-0 win over the Washington Senators.
On this day in 1999 the Yankees 5th monument was revealed as a tribute to Joe DiMaggio who died in March at the age of 84. DiMaggio joined other Yankees to be enshrined like Miller Huggins in 1931, Lou Gehrig in 1942, Babe Ruth in 1949, and Mickey Mantle in 1996.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Game Thread: NYY @ TB 4/24
The Yankees finish up their series with the Rays tonight as Andy Pettitte takes on Alex Cobb on YES. Feel free to use the comment section of this post to talk about the game with us or give us a follow on twitter, @GreedyStripes, and tweet with us there.
Here is the Yankees lineup:
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Robinson Cano 2B
Travis Hafner DH
Francisco Cervelli C
Lyle Overbay 1B
Eduardo Nunez SS
Brennan Boesch RF
Jayson Nix 3B
All Star Game Voting Has Begun
Voting has already begun for the 2013 All Star Game in Citi Field in New York and Robinson Cano leads the way for the Yankees in voting. You can vote up to 25 times unless you have an active MLB.TV account and you get the extra 10 votes and I encourage everyone reading this to use every one they can. You can vote for your favorite Yankees players HERE for the 2013 All Star Game.