Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Current Projected Lineup for 2014

Nothing is official yet but the signing of Jacoby Ellsbury most likely means the end of Curtis Granderson's tenure in the Bronx.  Here is the projected lineup by yours truly for next season and yes I still believe Cano will resign.  The powers that be are mad about missing the playoffs and there will be hell to pay!

1. Jacoby Ellsbury - CF
2. Derek Jeter - SS
3. Robinson Cano - 2B
4. Mark Teixeira - 1B
5. Brian McCann - C
6. Alfonso Soriano - DH
7. Eduardo Nunez - 3B (tbd)
8. Ichiro Suzuki - RF
9. Brett Gardner - LF

Obviously, there will be some DH days for Jeter and Soriano will move to the outfield on those days and on days Ichiro needs a rest.  I feel much better about this offense already.  This may be the fastest lineup the Yanks have ever had.  Furthermore, I made it all the way through without mentioning a certain someone.

Now to solve the rotation issue.

Jacoby Ellsbury Is A New York Yankee


Yankees Sign Jacoby Ellsbury For Seven Year Deal


UPDATE: The deal includes an eight year option year that could boost the deal to a staggering $169 million.

The New York Yankees have broken the bank and signed outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury to a monster deal. Ellsbury signed a deal for seven years and $153 million and will undoubtedly get a no trade clause with the deal. The Yankees are making me truly happy this offseason as we are truly Getting Greedy and signing the best free agents out there. There is absolutely no way, in my opinion, that we now get under the $189 million luxury tax threshold or bring back Cano now but one is really dependent on the other. Either way it looks like a done deal.

A Goodbye To Chris Stewart From The Greedy Pinstripes

I wrote this back in September of this season and I figured this would be a good article revisit to say our farewells to Chris Stewart and wish him luck in his time in Pittsburgh with the Pirates.

The 12 Days Of September Baseball W/ Chris Stewart


On the first day of September Chris Stewart gave to the Yankees, a victory for the other team.


On the second day of September Chris Stewart gave to the Yankees, two better catchers a day off, and a victory for the other team.

On the third day of September Chris Stewart gave to the Yankees, three passed balls, two better catchers a day off, and a victory for the other team.


On the fourth day of September Chris Stewart gave to the Yankees, four easy outs, three passed balls, two better catchers a day off, and a victory for the other team.

On the fifth day of September Chris Stewart gave to the Yankees, five unearned runs, four easy outs, three passed balls, two better catchers a day off, and a victory for the other team.


On the sixth day of September Chris Stewart gave to the Yankees, six throwing errors, five unearned runs, four easy outs, three passed balls, two better catchers a day off, and a victory for the other team.

On the seventh day of September Chris Stewart gave to the Yankees, seven wasted months, six throwing errors, five unearned runs, four easy outs, three passed balls, two better catchers a day off, and a victory for the other team.

"Put Me In The Lineup Or Else Joe!"
On the eight day of September Chris Stewart gave to the Yankees, eight naked pictures of Joe Girardi's wife which keep him in the lineup, seven wasted months, six throwing errors, five unearned runs, four easy outs, three passed balls, two better catchers a day off, and a victory for the other team.

On the ninth day of September Chris Stewart gave to the Yankees, nine innings of disaster, eight naked pictures of Joe Girardi's wife which keep him in the lineup, seven wasted months, six throwing errors, five unearned runs, four easy outs, three passed balls, two better catchers a day off, and a victory for the other team.


On the tenth day of September Chris Stewart gave to the Yankees, ten rallies killed, nine innings of disaster, eight naked pictures of Joe Girardi's wife which keep him in the lineup, seven wasted months, six throwing errors, five unearned runs, four easy outs, three passed balls, two better catchers a day off, and a victory for the other team.

On the eleventh day of September Chris Stewart gave to the Yankees, eleven National League pitchers that can hit better than him, ten rallies killed, nine innings of disaster, eight naked pictures of Joe Girardi's wife which keep him in the lineup, seven wasted months, six throwing errors, five unearned runs, four easy outs, three passed balls, two better catchers a day off, and a victory for the other team.


On the twelfth day of September Chris Stewart gave to the Yankees, twelve aneurysms, eleven National League pitchers that can hit better than him, ten rallies killed, nine innings of disaster, eight naked pictures of Joe Girardi's wife which keep him in the lineup, seven wasted months, six throwing errors, five unearned runs, four easy outs, three passed balls, two better catchers a day off, and a victory for the other team.

"Eff You Guys, I'm Going Home"

Brian McCann Will Get Zero Help From Yankee Stadium


Yesterday we took a look at Phil Hughes and whether his home run balls would decrease with his switch from Yankee Stadium to Target Field and it was proven that it would not change a bit. Today I wanted to take a look at how recently acquired Brian McCann's stats would look in the new Yankee Stadium and I am afraid to say I see very little to no difference.

Using Katron.org for the information

Using the color coded picture above we see that very little difference would have been made had McCann been hitting in Yankee Stadium in 2013. The dark blue icons are his home runs that were hit in Turner Field last season for the Braves and only one of them would not have gone out of Yankee Stadium. The light blue dots are his doubles and as you can see maybe, since this does not take into account wind, fans, elevations, etc, that two of his doubles may have left Yankee Stadium that did not leave in Atlanta. The orange dots are his fly outs and none of which would have left Yankee Stadium. In conclusion Brian McCann in Yankee Stadium is Brian McCann in Turner Field. The talk of his left handed swing being made for Yankee Stadium may be a little bit overblown huh?

Yankees Sign Brian Gordon To A Minor League Deal

The New York Yankees continue to search for depth signings and have found one with a former Yankees pitcher in Brian Gordon. Gordon was with us for about five or ten minutes back in 20011 after converting to pitching from the outfield in 2005 before heading to Korea to pitch. Gordon was with the Oakland Athletics organization and pitched quite well in AAA in 2013 and will now likely head down to Scranton to pitch for the RailRiders. No word on whether he got an invite to spring training or not but I would say it is very likely that he will get one.

Yankees Interested In Trading For A's Brett Anderson


The Oakland Athletics have announced that they are likely to trade left handed starting pitcher Brett Anderson next week during the GM Winter Meetings. This is coming off of the A's acquiring $10 million + closer Jim Johnson and starter Scott Kazmir earlier in the week and late last week making Anderson expendable.

Let's start with the bad for Anderson, he is not durable. Brett has only pitched in 163 innings over the last three seasons combined and is three seasons removed from a Tommy John surgery. The Tommy John surgery in 2011 made him miss most of the 2012 season but he was great in his return. Another injury had him miss a good chunk of the 2013 season, this time a stress fracture in his foot.

The good news is he is still a young guy, 25 years old but will turn 26 in February, and his stuff is great when healthy. Also the A's are said to be looking for bullpen depth and prospects in return for Anderson which is something we can provide. A deal of Dellin Betances/Preston Claiborne/ Shawn Kelley could be a good start for Anderson.

The Yankees are not without competition as the Mariners, Indians, Twins, and Blue Jays are also said to be interested in the left hander. The Yankees need to replace three of their starting pitchers with at least two reliable arms and this could be one of them. Anderson is affordable with an $8 million base salary for 2014 and a $12 million club option for the 2015 season. Don't ask me the AAV of the deal because this season and next are both options years from Anderson's original extension of four years and $12.5 million and this is way too confusing for me to figure out but just know that he is affordable, makes us better, makes sense for us, and helps us stay under the $189 million goal.

Mariners Willing To Go Eight Years, $200 Mill For Cano


Today the Seattle Mariners became serious contenders for Robinson Cano as they announced they would be willing to go eight years and $200 million for the free agent second basemen. The market for Robbie has finally showed itself just in time for the Winter GM Meetings next week and this could be trouble for the Yankees. We all knew a serious bidder would come out of hiding eventually and now the Yankees have about a 50-50 shot at bringing back Cano.

I have said all along that I would be willing to go eight years and $200 million as a max for Cano and I think the Yankees should and will at least match this offer. If he wants anymore then I look forward to seeing Cano's Yankee Stadium home runs turning into fly balls in SafeCo Field in 2014. Adios.

Jim Johnson, Joe Nathan, & Brian Wilson Off The Board


If the Yankees were interested in a closer this season three of the bigger names on the market came off the board in the last 24 hours. Jim Johnson was traded to the Oakland Athletics to replace Grant Balfour at the back end of their games. Joe Nathan is reportedly going to the Detroit Tigers, that's all that team needed, to replace Joaquin Benoit. Brian Wilson is close to a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers where he rebuilt his market value last season. The reliever market is slowly starting to take shape and the Yankees are missing out on the big names, although I am more then comfortable handing the ball to David Robertson in the 9th inning.

Cano to the Mariners?

I can't imagine it happening, but Wally Matthews of ESPN New York is saying that the Seattle Mariners are pushing hard for Cano, and they are willing to give the Robbie a contract worth $200 million.

Seattle is desperate for offense, which is understandable, so I don't doubt that they would be players for Cano. But I can't see Robbie, who wants to win, going to a team that's rarely a competitor.

Some fans are already assuming Cano will sign elsewhere, and go on to say the Yankees should have traded him. Sure, they could have gotten a very nice package of players for Robbie, but they still had a good shot at the postseason. Therefore, I wouldn't like seeing them give up 

I'm not as confident as I once was that Cano will finish his career in pinstripes, but him going to another team would still surprise me.

How interesting would things be if Cano did sign elsewhere? That's a lot of money they could spend on other areas.

Brian McCann Signing Made Official


The New York Yankees have officially signed Brian McCann to be their catcher for the next five or six seasons. This must mean that McCann and his surgically repaired shoulder passed his physical and everything looks good health wise. McCann will be a Yankee for the next five seasons through the 2018 season for $85 million with a vesting option for the 2019 season which would bring the total up to a whopping $100 million. McCann is 29 now but will turn 30 before the season ends and will be in his age 35 season in his final year of the current deal assuming the options vests.

The vesting options vests if Brian reaches 1,000 plate appearances in 2017 and 2018 combined which is easily obtainable with a healthy couple of seasons, especially with the DH. Also Brian has to spend at least 90 games at catcher in 2018 and cannot finish the 2018 season on the disabled list to guarantee his 20-19 season with the Yankees. All of these must happen for the option to trigger and if it does trigger McCann still has the ability to void the contract and become a free agent. I love this deal because if McCann is not an every day catcher type by 2018 then the Yankees will not have to suffer through it for one more year.

The Yankees will introduce McCann at Yankee Stadium on Thursday for all those interested.

Meet A Prospect : Russ Canzler


Russell Michael Canzler was born on April 11th, 1986 in Berwick, PA where he went to High School at Hazelton High School in Hazelton, PA. Coming in at 6'2" and 220 lbs Russ made an immediate impression with his coaches while on the Hazelton High baseball team. He made enough of an impression on the Major League scouts as well because the Chicago Cubs drafted him straight out of High School in the 30th round in the 2004 MLB First Year Players Draft.


Russ would stay in the Chicago Cubs minor league system from the 2004 season all the way up to the 2010 season before leaving for the Tampa Bay Rays via free agency before the 2011 season. He was named International League MVP in 2011 for the Rays after hitting .314/.401/.530 with 18 home runs and 83 RBIs in 131 games played. Canzler was called up to the majors on a day he, or anybody else, will ever forget on September 11th, 2011. Russ would stay with the Rays until he was traded to the Cleveland Indians before the 2012 season for cash considerations. He would spend the 2012 season in the Indians minor league system before being designated for assignment to make room for the recently acquired Mark Reynolds. The Toronto Blue Jays claimed him off waivers only to put Russ back on waivers a mere twelve days later. The Indians would reacquire Canzler from the Toronto Blue Jays off waivers only to designate him for assignment again to make room for newly acquired Nick Swisher. This time the Yankees scooped him up off waivers a day later and will give him an opportunity to make the team out of Spring Training this year.

Brian & Ashley McCann Added To Wives & Girlfriends


Brian McCann and his lovely wife Ashley McCann have been added to the Yankees Wives & Girlfriends section of the site. Go check them out as this is the best way to officially welcome Brian and his family to the Yankees family.

#WhereAreTheyNow: Jesse Barfield NY Yankees

 
 Where are they now with former New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays player Jesse Barfield. Enjoy our latest share from our new friend Eddie Matta from Where Are They Now on Youtube.

Changes To Posting System Could Include Max Bids


Officials from Major League Baseball and the Nippon Profession Baseball league are still meeting trying to hammer out a deal to make changes to the posting system for Japanese players to come over to the United States. The latest proposal includes a maximum bid scenario to try and cap the spending. If multiple teams post the maximum bid for a player then the player will choose who to negotiate with. Other reports state that the player would go to the team with the worst record from the previous season which is a terrible idea if you ask me, but that is only if you ask me. Conflicting reports, got to love them.


Yankees Non Tender Nix, David Adams, & Matt Daley


The New York Yankees have announced that they will not tender a contract to utility player Jayson Nix, infielder David Adams, and pitcher Matt Daley. Nix was in line to make $1.4 million through arbitration as the others were going to make right around the league minimum so the money was not the issue as much as the roster spots were. I would expect the Yankees to try and work out minor league deals with all three of these guys before long to have them back in the fold for 2014. This drops the 40 man roster to 36 players and one of those open spots is for Brian McCann so is this a sign of whats to come? I hope so.

This Day In New York Yankees History 12/3


On this day in 2013 the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inducted three more members by the pre-integration panel. The list includes former Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert, longtime umpire Hank O'Day, and Deacon White who made his debut as a barehanded catcher in 1871. These three would bring the total of players in the hall to an even 300 members.