Looking Ahead To 2014: The Starting Rotation

The 2014 Yankees Free Agents In The Starting Rotation

Hiroki Kuroda

Andy Pettitte

Phil Hughes

The Yankees went into the 2013 season with a less than stellar offense but a pitching staff that was set up to carry the team all the way to the promised land. That plan obviously did not work out the way that any of us expected or hoped it would and the Yankees look primed to try and do so again in 2014. The Yankees are losing their ace in Hiroki Kuroda, their savvy veteran and long time Yankees pitcher in Andy Pettitte, and former #1 prospect that never quite panned out Phil Hughes to free agency this year and will surely be looking to add at least one veteran arm to go with CC Sabathia at the top of the rotation. Here is the complete list of 2014 free agents but I will hit the high spots and realistic options for the Yankees in this years free agency period.

AJ Burnett (37 years old)

Dan Haren (33 years old)

Matt Garza (30 years old)

Phil Hughes (28 years old)

Josh Johnson (30 years old)

Hiroki Kuroda (39 years old)

Tim Lincecum (30 years old)

Ervin Santana (31 years old)

Edison Volquez (30 years old)

As many of you probably do not know I am the biggest AJ Burnett fan you will find this side of his wife and kids, shout out to Karen Burnett, and admittedly that is the only reason he is on this list. I hated when they traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates and I hated even more having to pay around $8,000,000 for him to pitch for the said Pirates so I would personally welcome him back into pinstripes if I were a fan running the team. Obviously I know that will not happen and should not happen but I had a little fun with it, sue me. Dan Haren is an intriguing option but thoroughly struggled with the Washington Nationals this season and may not be a good fit for the Yankees in 2013. Phil Hughes is a fly ball and home run prone pitcher and that just does not translate well into the new Yankees Stadium, which was made painfully obvious in the 2012 season. Josh Johnson is a power arm but struggled in his first season in the AL East with the Toronto Blue Jays and has a injury history that would keep me away, far far away. As intriguing as Tim Lincecum and Mr. 150-ish pitch no hitter would be I think the Yankees would be more interested in "The Freak" as a relief pitcher and not so much as a starter so I think we ultimately pass on the two time Cy Young Award winner. 

The two guys I want on the pinstripes in 2014 are Hiroki Kuroda and/or Matt Garza. Hiroki has basically said that he will finish his career with his old team in Japan and will only sign with us or his former team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, before doing so. No one knows when he will finally return to Japan but it may or may not be for the 2014 season and the Yankees need to plan for that. Obviously the Yankees will offer Kuroda another qalifying offer which would snag us a draft pick if he does decide to leave for the west coast Yankees to play for the Dodgers. If he decided to go to Japan then obviously we get nothing but a huge hole in the starting rotation that I do not think we have anybody currently on the roster that can fill. That is where Matt Garza comes in entering his first free agency in his age 30 season. Matt Garza is not only American League tested but also AL East tested pitching for the Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers while also spending a couple seasons with the Chicago Cubs. Garza has killed the Yankees over the years and the Yankees seem to always find a way to get the "Yankees killers" on their team before their playing careers are over. 

If I am the GM of the Yankees I hand Kuroda another one year deal with the dollar amount left blank with a note attached saying something along the lines of "fill in the blanks and take your time." If anyone on this team deserves a one year blank contract it is definitely Kuroda who has been our ace for two seasons now. I would not expect Kuroda to sign for more than $16,000,000 and he would be worth every single penny of it. If we had to go to "Plan B" with Matt Garza then we may have to reach a little deeper into our pockets. Garza is finishing up a $10,250,000 deal and could easily reach the $16,000,000 that I mentioned earlier for Kuroda. The years would worry me with Garza as he would probably want around a five or six year deal and I am not entirely sold on that kind of long term deal but I think I would ultimately fold to the pressure, even at a six year deal. Adding Hiroki Kuroda as a "Plan A" and/or Matt Garza as a "Plan B"  would give the Yankees a pretty impressive, although question mark filled, rotation that looks something like this in no particular order.

CC Sabathia

Hiroki Kuroda/Matt Garza

Ivan Nova

David Phelps

Michael Pineda

Looking Ahead To 2014: The Hot Corner

The Yankees 2014 Free Agents At Third Base

Kevin Youkilis

*Alex Rodriguez suspended for entire 2014 season.

The Yankees got the worst production at third base last season in the entire major leagues so we need a definite upgrade at the hot corner if we plan to compete in 2014. The good news it we can only go up from here, the bad news is there is not much available in the free agency. Here is the complete list of 2014 free agents but I will hit the high spots and realistic options for the Yankees in this years free agency period.

Michael Young (37 years old)

Kevin Youkilis (35 years old)

Mark Reynolds (30 years old)

Eric Chavez (36 years old)

Corey Hart (32 years old)

Michael Young would add a potent right handed bat to the Yankees lineup and some versatility with his ability to play all over the infield and even in the outfield in a pinch. The Yankees tried to acquire Michael Young at the trading deadline in 2013 but honestly I cannot see them going after a year older version of Michael Young in 2014. Kevin Youkilis and his bad back kept him out of basically all of Spring Training and the 2013 season for the Yankees and I cannot see them making that mistake again. Eric Chavez would be a pretty decent addition if he were willing to come back as a bench player like he was for us in 2011 and 2012 but I cannot see that happening again after tasting the sweet life of a starting gig in Arizona with the Diamondbacks in 2013. That leaves Mark Reynolds and Corey Hart fighting for the Yankees free agency dollars. Mark Reynolds may not be an ideal addition with his high strike out rates, terrible defense at both first base and third base, and his low batting average but the guy can absolutely hit home runs from the right side of the plate and after the part of the 2013 season spent with the Yankees that may be enough for Hank and Hal Steinbrenner. Corey Hart on the other hand is coming off of a knee injury that kept him from playing at all in the 2012 season and that is enough for me to stay away from the guy. As much as I was a fan of Corey's before the 2013 season we had enough problems with injuries and injury prone players in 2013 and Mark Reynolds home runs and durability gives him the starting nod on any team that I am the general manager of.

Mark Reynolds would sign a one year deal if I were the GM for exactly as many strike outs as he will get as dollars, somewhere around $8,000,000. Yes that was an extreme exaggeration.. or was it? Kevin Long did a lot with Reynolds in a month's time so imagine what he could do with an entire off season. 

Looking Ahead To 2014: The Yankees Bullpen

The Yankees 2014 Free Agents In The Bullpen

LHP Boone Logan

RHP Joba Chamberlain

RHP Mariano Rivera

The Yankees bullpen should be set for next season and will probably be built from within but I still see a couple of veteran options that the Yankees should at least take a look at. Here is the complete list of 2014 free agents but I will hit the high spots and realistic options for the Yankees in this years free agency period.

JP Howell (31 years old)

Boone Logan (29 years old)

Eric O'Flaherty (29 years old)

Jesse Crain (32 years old)

Joba Chamberlain (28 years old)

David Aardsma (32 years old)

Grant Balfour (36 years old)

Ryan Madson (33 years old)

Fernando Rodney (37 years old)

Boone Logan has been an integral part of the Yankees bullpen since 2010 after being acquired along with Javier Vazquez from the Atlanta Braves. Boone has seen his relief appearances, innings, and unfortunately his ERA go up in every season with the Yankees and battled an arm injury in spring training this season sending question marks all over Yankees land. Boone is also injured right now and shut down with an MRI heading over to Dr. James Andrews but that is for another post and another discussion. Boone bounced back and healthy for the most part this season but I wonder if it will be enough to bring back Boone and his $3,150,000 salary, assuming he is healthy of course. An obvious choice for his replacement internally is Cesar Cabral who deserves his shot at being the LOOGY he should have been in the 2012 season before a stress fracture in his pitching elbow ended his season.

Jesse Crain is coming off of a strong season for the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays which probably prices him out of our range as nice to have as he would be. Fernando Rodney and his arrow shooting may not go over well in New York especially the first time he blows a lead or a save plus the Yankees need to get younger anyway and they don't do that with a 37 year old former closer. Joba Chamberlain, even only as a 28 year old, has worn out his welcome in New York not only on the field but off the field after "sshh'ing" the greatest closer of all time among other idiotic maneuvers. Grant Balfour is not going to want to come to New York either to set up when he could easily get a closer's job after his successful career in Oakland with the Athletics.

That leaves David Aardsma and Eric O'Flaherty and I want both of them in my bullpen. Aardsma is healthy finally and has come all the way back from Tommy John surgery after bouncing around from team to team in 2012. Aardsma has closing experience and got his feet wet in New York and the media with the Yankees and the Mets last season so the transition should not be a huge deal either. Aardsma would essentially replace Joba Chamberlain in a 7th inning role or so for me and I would offer him a one year deal worth $1,500,000. Eric O'Flaherty has been magnificent for the Atlanta Braves from the left side of the pitching rubber since coming up to the majors and would be a welcomed addition to the Yankees bullpen replacing Boone Logan. O'Flaherty would get a three year deal on my team worth $18,000,000. With these additions our bullpen would look like some kind of combination of this roster.

CL: David Robertson

SU: Shawn Kelley

SU: Preston Claiborne

RP: Eric O'Flaherty

RP: David Aardsma

RP: Dellin Betances

LR: Adam Warren

Looking Ahead To 2014: The Designated Hitter

The Travis Hafner Era In New York Is Over

The Yankees have fallen in love with giving guys with no position but a ton of power the designated hitter position since signing Raul Ibanez for the 2012 season. The Yankees tried to catch lightning in a bottle again in 2013 when they signed Travis Hafner which was obviously a failure after multiple shoulder issues had him missing time as well as a power outage at the plate. The Yankees will surely let Travis Hafner walk after this season but will the Yankees give another aging power hitting veteran without a position the shot at the DH spot hoping for a third times the charm effect? Here is the complete list of 2014 free agents but I will hit the high spots and realistic options for the Yankees in this years free agency period.

Kendrys Morales (30 years old)

Delmon Young (28 years old)

Michael Young (37 years old)

Travis Hafner (37 years old)

Lance Berkman (37 years old)

Luke Scott (36 years old)

Mike Morse (32 years old)

Delmon Young is the youngest player on the list here and I am advocating for an all out effort to not only get better but get younger too but that does not start with Young. While he is younger, no pun intended, he is basically a DH only type. Sure he can play in the outfield, a place where we have plenty of options if you include Melky Mesa and Zoilo Almonte, but nobody would want him to unless they were really desperate. Travis Hafner is another that fits the "DH only" mold that the Yankees really need to start getting away from and so does Lance Berkman who has not had a healthy season in what feels like forever. Kendrys Morales is probably the most intriguing option here because he can play the infield, he has played the outfield, and is a switch hitter which the Yankees love. He can hit for power, for a good average, and has proven that he can stay healthy in the past two seasons which was the biggest concern for him. Kendrys Morales adds added flexibility, versatility, and power to the team and adds a switch hitter to the lineup that balances it out and brings us closer to the glory years of giving opposing managers late innings match up nightmares and #TooManyDamnHomeRuns.

If I am the GM I give Kendrys Morales a two year deal worth $12,000,000 that gives him a slight raise over 2013 and gives him the security of a two year deal.

Looking Ahead To The 2014 New York Yankees

Looking Ahead To The 2014 New York Yankees

Obviously a lot can change between now and the end of the season, let alone before free agency really begins for the 2014 season, so keep in mind that these views are my own and subject to change. The Yankees have a lot of holes to fill in the free agency period before the 2014 season and I expect the Yankees to go back to being a free agency predator with Alex Rodriguez and his, using AAV, $27,500,000 off the books this season and available to spend. The Yankees, again in my opinion, will fill one spot in the rotation with a veteran presence, a veteran presence in the bullpen to help the transition of the Yankees pen post Mariano Rivera, a replacement for David Adams because he has not cut it at third base, and probably a veteran designated hitter that we have fallen in love with recently. Let's take a look at the Yankees roster as it stands now before we get into what should be a fun free agency for the fans, hopefully. 

Starting position players set in stone for 2014 in my opinion:

C: Francisco Cervelli

1B: Mark Teixeira

LF: Alfonso Soriano

CF: Brett Gardner

RF: Ichiro Suzuki

BN: Vernon Wells

BN: Eduardo Nunez

BN: Chris Stewart/Austin Romine

BN: Jayson Nix

SP: CC Sabathia

SP: Ivan Nova

SP: Michael Pineda

SP: David Phelps

CL: David Robertson

RP: Shawn Kelley

RP: Preston Claiborne

RP: Dellin Betances

P: Adam Warren

* Derek Jeter has a player option worth $9,500,000 in 2014 that I expect him to exercise but it is still not set in stone. 

** Alex Rodriguez is under contract for the 2014 season but is suspended due to his links to Biogenesis and will miss the entire 2014 season. 

*** I also expect Robinson Cano to be back with the Yankees before it is all said and done but again at this time that is not set in stone so therefore he is left off the roster for now. 

**** I also expect Curtis Granderson to take a one year qualifying offer to try and rebuild his free agent stock and value before trying free agency again after a healthy 2014 season. 

The Alex Rodriguez Suspension & The 2014 Payroll

With reports coming down that Major League Baseball expects to hand out all suspensions that have to do with Biogenesis it got me thinking about the 2014 season. I know a lot of people are thinking of the ramifications to the 2013 season if we are without Alex Rodriguez and Francisco Cervelli but I am always thinking ahead and this is no different. If Alex Rodriguez gets suspended for the 2013 and 2014 seasons this week as expected the Yankees will have right around $25,000,000 to spend this off season to improve the team. How should the Yankees spend this money if the suspension does in fact come down and we are out from under the A Rod contract, at least temporarily, you ask? I am glad you asked...

Brian McCann will probably be a top five free agent this coming off season and fills a ton of needs for the New York Yankees. The Yankees have an anemic offensive attack coming out of the catcher position this season and have severely lacked in the power department overall in 2013. Brian McCann and that sweet left handed swing  knocking balls out to the short porch in right field would solve both of those issues in one player in 2014. McCann does not give up all that much defensively or in the run game either so the only downfall to acquiring McCann would be that the Atlanta Braves, his current team, are surely to offer him a qualifying offer.

McCann entering his age 30 season would get a 4 year deal worth $64,000,000 (AAV $16,000,000)

Mark Reynolds may not be the most ideal pick up for the New York Yankees to replace Alex Rodriguez at third base next season but he may very well be the best option. Mark is a right handed power bat that can play third base and also fill in at first base giving Mark Teixeira some time off. Also I would think that Reynolds would be willing to sign a one year deal or two year deal tops after somewhat of a down season in Cleveland in 2012. Also Reynolds would be entering his age 30 season so it is not exactly like he is out of his prime or over the hill either.

I would give Mark Reynolds a one year deal with a mutual option for 2015 and a base salary of $8,000,000.

David Aardsma was released this past season because of his inability to go multiple innings and I really think that was a huge mistake for the New York Yankees. With us losing Mariano Rivera and possibly Joba Chamberlain and Boone Logan I can see a guy like Aardsma with closing experience and veteran leadership welcomed back to the Bronx. We can build from within all we want to but you still need a "Plan B" to go to just in case and that plan should be a fully healthy and recovered David Aardsma. Aardsma will surely sign a one year deal which makes him extra attractive for the New York Yankees.

Aardsma gets a one year deal worth $1,000,000 and gets his second shot at the pinstripes. 

That is exactly the $25,000,000 that Alex is set to make in 2014 spent in three players that could help our team win next season. We rebuild the pen, get a replacement for Alex, and improve our biggest holes all in one fell swoop. With these moves, in my very humble but bias opinion, we get younger, more versatile, and overall much better and all because Alex Rodriguez skipped the classes while in school that said "Say No To Drugs," Thanks Alex!