Yankees Release Ronnier Mustelier

End of an era. The Yankees have released Ronnier Mustelier from his minor league contract.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) May 6, 2014

The New York Yankees have released organization utility player Ronnier Mustelier according to Bryan Hoch on Twitter. Wow. The Yankees seemingly need his major league ready bat and he is hitting well this season so this is a real head scratcher to me. Mustelier is only 29 years old and was hitting .314 in the minor leagues this season. I don't get it and I can't say that I like it either.

Yankees Winter Ball Playoffs Update

Last month we gave you all an update from the various Winter Leagues that Yankees prospects were taking part in and now those same players are playing in the playoffs, time for another update.

Zoilo Almonte:

.262/.295/.333 and six RBI's in 10 playoff games

Jose Pirela:

.269/.321/.269 in six games, all in the outfield. Pirela is normally a middle infielder

Adonis Garcia:

.313/.371/.438 through seven playoff games all that third base. Garcia is normally an outfielder

Ronnier Mustelier:

.286/.375/.286 in only four games with zero power

Zelous Wheeler:

The new guy on the block posted a .318/.400/.500 through seven games

Quick Yankees Winter League Wrap Up

The winter leagues are wrapping up or wrapped up with the end of the year looming and I wanted to take this time to give a quick wrap up on the winter leagues. Here are a few quick blurbs from the bigger named and closer to the majors Yankees prospects that participated in various winter leagues this offseason:

Zoilo Almonte: .316/.343/.454 w/ 4 HR and 20 RBI in 43 Dominican League games

Gary Sanchez: .267/.330/.367 w/ 1 2B and 2 RBI in 12 Domincan League games

Ronnier Mustelier: .270/.386/.360 w/ 2 HR, 27 RBI, and 28 BB in 53 Mexican Pacific League games

Adonis Garcia: .325/.347/.502 w/ 15 2B, 8 HR, and 39 RBI in 53 Venezuelan League games

Jose Pirela: .335/.419/.510 w/ 25 XBH, 41 RBI, and 33 BB in 61 Venezuelan League games

Great winter numbers for Zoilo who could be the Yankees 5th outfielder if New York can move Ichiro Suzuki to the San Francisco Giants. Garcia and Pirela are considered to be fringe prospects at this point but after this Venezuelan League showing the Yankees may be looking at adding them to the 40 man roster as soon as next offseason if this is a sign of what's to come. Mustelier had a disappointing showing overall in my opinion, especially in the power department, as well as Sanchez but at the end of the day you cannot put too much stock into these numbers, for better or worse.

Yankees Minor League Winter League Notes

Being posted as a part of Syndicated Sunday... on a Saturday... from Lohud

Chad Jennings does a great job in absolutely everything that he does and he did not disappoint when he covered the Yankees players playing in the various winter leagues. HERE is the original post but I will hit the high spots here. Enjoy.

• The weird Fall League of Peter O’Brien ended appropriately. He had two hits in his last 12 at-bats, but he also had four RBI in his final two games. O’Brien hit just .190 in Arizona, but he led the Scottsdale team with 19 RBI and four home runs. None of his teammates had more than two homers, and only four Fall Leaguers went deep more times than O’Brien did. He struck out 26 times and walked only twice, but he did slug .413.

• Vidal Nuno made his final Fall League appearance more than a week ago on November 6. He finished his Fall assignment with one earned run in his final 13 innings. He got off to a brutal start — an 8.10 ERA through two starts against much lower-level competition — but he finished strong, and got a total of 19.2 innings after having missed a good chunk of the season with that groin injury.

• Three straight multi-hit games for Zoilo Almonte down in the Dominican this week. He got a turn in center field on Wednesday — he’s done that occasionally in the minors as well — and he’s hitting .305/.352/.427 through 82 at-bats. Remember that Almonte missed a lot of time in the second half of the season, so he needs this playing time.

• Two straight multi-hit games for Cuban outfielder Adonis Garcia, who continues to bounce around the three outfield positions (and even got another late-inning assignment at third base on Tuesday). Garcia is in Venezuela hitting .287/.333/.448. He’s been significantly better against righties than against lefties.

• Borderline prospect Jose Pirela continues to rake in Venezuela. The guy has 16 hits in his past seven games, and he has 14 extra-base hits in a total of 31 games. He putting up a .347/.432/.525 slash line while playing second base and left field. This is not the first time Pirela has put up big numbers, yet the Yankees have never shown any indication that they think of him as an organizational stand out. Even in Venezuelan winter ball, though, this sort of offensive production really stands out.

• You know who continues to struggle offensively this winter? Musty! Playing in Mexico, Ronnier Mustelier is hitting just .224/.333/.271. He’s taking a bunch of walks, but he’s had only three extra-base hits, none of them homers.

• Back to the Fall League, late-addition Addison Maruszak had a nice but short stint. Getting time at all four infield position, Maruszak got just 32 at-bats and hit .281/.452/.344 with twice as many walks (10) as strikeouts (5). Maruszak can play absolutely anywhere — he’s even spent some time at catcher — and has occasionally shown some ability to hit. I’ve always liked him as one of these you-just-never-know utility types.

• None of the Yankees relievers sent to the Fall League did much to really stand out. Upper-level lefty Fred Lewis probably had the best stint. He went 11 innings without an earned run, and his 1.18 WHIP is rock solid. Lefties hit .214/.313/.214 against him. He was good, but maybe not the overwhelming results that might land him a 40-man spot. … I’ve said it before, but it seems like every year some Yankees pitcher leaves Arizona with brutally bad numbers. This year it’s Brett Gerritse with a 9.26 ERA and 1.97 WHIP through 11.2 innings. … James Pazos had a much better ERA than Gerritse with a 1.74, but that stat kind of masks the other numbers. Pazos allowed 13 hits and 7 walks through 10.1 innings. The bright side is that he’s a lefty, and he held lefties to a .200 average.

Winter League Assignments Are In

Just a quick blurb here announcing where the Yankees minor league players will be playing their winter ball this season. Obviously just because they are assigned there and on the team does not mean that they will necessarily play there as the Yankees still have full control over these players but the lists are what they are, and here they are:

Mexican Pacific League: 
OF Jose Figueroa
 IF Walt Ibarra
UTIL Ronnie Mustelier

Venezuelan Winter League:

 C Francisco Arcia

 IF Ali Castillo

 C Francisco Cervelli 

 C Jose Gil

UTIL Jose Pirela

Ronnier Mustelier International League Player Of Week

Ronnier Mustelier of the AAA Scranton Wilkes Barre RailRiders has been named the International League Player of the Week for the week ending August 25th. In six games Musty put up a .556 batting average and has extended his hitting streak to 13 games. During his hitting streak Musty has hit an incredible .458 with six doubles, five runs batted in, and has played good defense at the hot corner. Not sure if this will translate into a September call up with a healthy Alex Rodriguez, Mark Reynolds, Lyle Overbay, and probably one too many outfielders on the roster already but you never know.

New York Yankees Injury Updates 7/17

We already heard that Alex Rodriguez is set to join the Yankees on Monday if all goes well this week in Scranton so let's hear about the guys that we haven't heard about 1,000,000 times.

Derek Jeter will be evaluated Friday before the game with the Boston Red Sox and the team will make the decision then whether he will play, continue to rest, be integrated slowly as a bench player, or head to the disabled list. Hopefully it's not the later but at this point this season I would not be surprised by anything.

Curtis Granderson is taking batting practice in the underground batting cage at the Yankees minor league complex in Tampa. There is no timetable as to when he will start a rehab assignment or think about joining the Yankees but progress is progress.

David Phelps is throwing bullpen sessions and working out at the Yankees minor league complex. David said everything feels fine and is only expecting to miss one start for the Yankees with this forearm tightness.

The Yankees shut down Francisco Cervelli for two weeks after they discovered a stress reaction in his right elbow and he apparently is still shut down. We have not heard anything out of Cervelli on his Facebook fan page, his Twitter account, or God himself Brian Cashman but I figured that no news is not always good news when it comes to injury updates.

Jayson Nix is also down in the minor league complex rehabbing his hamstring injury that has sidelined him for nearly a month. No word yet on when a rehab assignment could start but he does not seem to be anywhere close to that kind of discussion yet.

Corban Joseph was told that he will miss the remainder of the 2013 season with a shoulder surgery. That's a shame since he is on the 40 man roster but he seems like the obvious transfer to the 60 day DL to make room for Alex Rodriguez on the 40 man roster.

Vidal Nuno and Brennan Boesch are both on the AAA disabled list with a groin injury and a shoulder injury respectably and neither are anywhere close to being on the call up radar. Neither are working out or doing any kind of rehab so the Yankees should not count on them any time soon, if at all this season.

Mark Montgomery has made two rehab appearances for the Gulf Coast Yankees while making a comeback from a throwing shoulder injury. His MRI has come back clean and he is back in live game action so I expect him back with the Railriders soon.

Ronnier Mustelier is also playing in rehab games for the Gulf Coast Yankees after spending a month or more on the AAA disabled list. He has been playing all over the field, something that the Yankees need, and seems to be the closest of any of our rehabbing guys not named Alex Rodriguez to be in line for a promotion to the Yankees.

Sam Demel, Ronnier Mustelier, & Melky Mesa To DL

A trio of Scranton Wilkes Barre Railriders have been added to the AA DL. Melky Mesa has been added retroactive to June 13th after his right shoulder was injured after a collision in the outfield with the wall. Ronnier Mustelier was added retroactive to June 15th after experiencing some tightness in his groin muscle. Sam Demel was added retroactive to June 16th but the reason has not yet been released to the media and the fans. Adam Warren was activated finally to take Demel's spot while Randy Ruiz will rake Mustelier's spot and Caleb Cotham will take Melky Mesa's spot on the roster. The roster shake up continues for the New York Yankees on all levels huh?

Yankees Walk Off The Rays 7-6

Kevin Youkilis continued his torrid pace of smashing baseballs today after hitting four balls hard yesterday by hitting a no doubter home run in his first plate appearance against Jeremy Hellickson.

Eduardo Nunez hit an RBI triple in the third inning scoring Brett Gardner and losing his helmet around the bases in what could be a sneak preview of the Yankees offense in 2013. Speed could kill a lot of teams this season by the hands of the Yankees.

Francisco Cervelli threw out another base runner this spring, this time throwing out Yunel Escobar in the 4th inning by a mile. It is too bad the next batter Jose Molina would reach on a Kevin Youkilis error allowing the Rays second run of the ball game. The error would prove costly as two more runners would score in the inning on a Desmond Jennings double. With this offense the Yankees cannot give away too many runs like this, even if they are unearned. Cervelli would throw out another in the 4th accounting for two of the three outs in the inning with his arm.

The Yankees put together a nice inning in the bottom of the 8th while being down 5-4 as Eduardo Nunez reached base and stole second base. Ichiro moved him over with a ground out and Kevin Youkilis hit his second two run home run of the day to put the Yankees up 6-5.

David Aardsma blew a meaningless save in the 9th inning allowing the tying run to score with two outs and two strikes. Preston Claiborne had an impressive 2/3 of an inning in the top of the 10th to preserve the tie. Ronnier Mustelier would hit a walk off game winning home run in the bottom of the 10th to give the Yankees the victory 7-6.

Yankees are off tomorrow so enjoy the rest.

Yankees Prospects Battling The Injury Bug As Well

The New York Band-aids Yankees are nursing big injury after big injury already this early in spring and their prospects are not fairing any better.

Tyler Austin was hit in the hand with a pitch while playing in a minor league game for the Trenton Thunder. The X rays were negative and he seems to be okay. Thank goodness Tyler is fine after that especially after seeing how an innocent hit by pitch derailed Curtis Granderson's season.

The Yankees first round pick in the 2012 MLB First Year Player's Draft Ty Hensley has pulled an abdominal muscle and will miss a few weeks of minor league games and work outs. The probably Charleston Riverdog will undoubtedly start the season on the disabled list due to this.

Ravel Santana has stiffness in his right ankle much like Derek Jeter has stiffness in his left ankle and will miss some time. This is the same ankle that he injured when he took a spike to it while sliding into second base just two seasons ago. No word on when he will be back into game action but let's hope that it is just "normal" like Jeter's inflammation is.

Ronnier Mustelier returned to action with the big league spring training camp after getting multiple leg contusions, aka bruises, after crashing into a camera well. He did not get a hit or get on base but he played the field so he must be okay.

Injury Updates On Slade Heathcott & Ronnier Mustelier

Ronnier Mustelier had to leave today's 7-3 win over the Miami Marlins today after crashing into the rail of a camera well while trying to catch a foul ball. Mustelier has bruises on both of his legs but has no X rays scheduled and will ice them down to try and cut down on the inflammation. Ronnier feels like he is healthy enough to play again tomorrow but Joe Girardi thinks he will not play again until Tuesday at the earliest.

Slade Heathcott has patellar tendinitis and does not know when he will be back on the field for the Yankees. Apparently that is some kind of knee injury that I am unfamiliar with but when a guy with his injury history has anything wrong with him you tend to worry.

Yankees Talking With Derrek Lee

According to a story by The Sports XChange at Yahoo Sports, the Yankees have spoken with Derrek Lee about coming out of retirement. Lee hasn't played since 2011, when he hit .267 with 19 home runs in 113 games.

The Yankees have been using Juan Rivera at 1B, and are looking at others such as Dan Johnson and even Travis Hafner. There is a chance the team could use Ronnier Mustelier at third base, where he's playing again in today's exhibition game, and move Kevin Youkilis to first base. 

I'm leaning towards endorsing the move of Mustelier to 3B and Youk to 1B, but I'm not sure due to the fact that the defense on the left side of the infield would be pretty sketchy. It would be nice if I heard more reports on Ronnier's defense, as I guess it's gotten better since he came from Cuba.

Is Mustelier A Good 3B Option?

"We’re going to look at him"

That's what Joe Girardi said in response to a question regarding the team trying out Ronnier Mustelier at third base.

I'm not sure if this is a great idea due to Ronnie's defense being a question mark, although I hear that it's gotten better since he first came to the States from Cuba, but it's certainly worth a try. I mean... what harm can it do? Mustelier is batting 6-for-16 so far this spring, with a triple and homer in there, but keep in mind that it's been against AAA-level pitching so far.

More Yankees Injuries Updates

David Robertson was scratched from his appearance in last nights game against the Atlanta Braves because he could not get loose in the bullpen. Robertson said his shoulder was not sore and he is definitely not injured he just felt like he slept on it wrong the night before. He was removed for precautionary reasons but fully expects to pitch today against Team Dominican Republic.

Curtis Granderson had another X-ray yesterday and the doctors were happy with how his forearm was healing. Curtis has been cleared to start doing some core and lower body exercises to keep his body in shape. Curtis expects to need longer than expected because he did not start in any Spring Training games really but still expects it to be in the ten week time frame.

Mariano Rivera could possibly get into today's game against Team DR but Joe Girardi says it is more then likely going to happen on Saturday. The Yankees play the Braves at home on Saturday at 1:05 pm ET on YES Network.

Slade Heathcott has been out of action since spraining his thumb in an outfield collision with Ronnier Mustelier. He began taking batting practice for the first time since the injury yesterday and is expected to play in the game Saturday against the Braves.

Adonis Garcia broke his hamate bone in his left wrist during batting practice on Sunday. As much as I hate to say this because of what Mark Teixeira is currently going through but wrist injuries are usually pretty bad and lingering so I hate to hear this. Adonis is scheduled to have surgery on the wrist tomorrow and will miss six to eight weeks.

2014 Sans ARod

In a post of mine last Friday I looked ahead to 2014, to see what the Yankees roster could look like after that offseason. With the news that the Yankees are trying to find a way to nullify the remaining 5 years and $114 million on Alex Rodriguez's contract, I thought I'd have a little fun and see what the team could do with that much more money to spend. But, before I do that, let me just say this...

ARod is not going anywhere for at least 5 more years. I see no way Major League Baseball will allow the Yankees to void his contract and wash their hands of the most overpaid player in all of professional sports (that may be an exaggeration, but sadly not by much). It would be the type of thing the Player's Union would fight tooth and nail, which could lead to a lengthy legal battle. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm certainly not counting on it.

That doesn't mean I can't play fantasy General Manager, though. Before I start my spending spree, let's take a look at who the Yankees will already have around after the 2013 season...

I won't need Cashman's ninja gear for this exercise.

C - Austin Romine $500,000
1B - Mark Teixeira $22.5 million
2B - Robinson Cano $23 million (for the 1,937th time... I think he's re-signed, and I'm thinking 9 years/$207 million)
3B -                                                
SS - Derek Jeter $14 million (exercises his player option)
LF - Ichiro Suzuki $6.5 million
CF - Brett Gardner $4 million (arbitration 3, after a raise from $2.85m in 2013)
RF -
DH -

BE - Francisco Cervelli $1.5 million (arbitration 1.... this was tough as I had to go by the fact that Jarrod Saltalamacchia got $2.5m in 2012 from Boston)
BE - Eduardo Nunez $500,000
BE - Tyler Austin $500,000
BE -

SP1 - CC Sabathia $22.125 million
SP2 -
SP3 - Michael Pineda $2 million (arbitration 1... Hughes got $2.7m in 1st year of arbitration in 2011)
SP4 -
SP5 - David Phelps $500,000

CL - David Robertson $5 million (arbitration 3... Robertson will receive $3.55m-$2.85m in 2013, and got $1.6m in 2012)
SU -
RP - Mark Montgomery $500,000
RP - Clay Rapada $1.5 million (arbitration 1... Logan got $1.2 million in his 2nd yr of arbitration)
RP - Chase Whitley $500,000
RP - Ivan Nova $2 million (arbitration 1... Hughes got $2.7m in 1st year of arbitration in 2011)
RP -

15 Players not on Active Roster ~$3 million

TOTAL: $110.125 Million

That total doesn't include bonuses and the Yankees’ portion of the league’s player benefits that are added to the team's total payroll. That amount is expected to be in the neighborhood of $12 million for 2014. So that $110.125 total immediately jumps to $122.125.

That leaves us with about $66.875 million to spend in 2014, in order to stay at or under the $189 million Luxury Tax threshold.

The first hole I'm going to look at is the DH one. While it's unlikely the Yankees have a guy currently in the organization that could fill that role, I'm going to go out on a limb and say otherwise. I'm going to pencil in the name Ronnier Mustelier. Although I included Ronnier on the roster in my last article, I didn't say much about him beyond the fact he could play a little third base to give ARod some rest. With ARod out of the picture, then Ronnier could fill in in the outfield... where he's play the vast majority of his Minor League games. I can also see him hitting .280 and cracking 15-20 home runs a season.

"Yeah, I can be that guy."

Like in that article last Friday, I see the Yankees trading for Corey Hart mid-season, and then signing him to a 3 year/$36 million contract at the end of the season. Corey has a good amount of right-handed power, can hit for a decent batting average, and would be available at a non-premium price unlike a player such as Jacoby Ellsbury (assuming he bounces back from his freak shoulder injury, and hits like he did in 2011). And that non-premium price includes a contract short enough that we'd miss out on his big decline years.

I also see the Yankees re-signing Joba Chamberlain. With Mariano Rivera on his way to retirement after this season (I haven't seen it reported, but I'm assuming this is it for the G.O.A.T.), the bullpen is going to need some work. David Robertson, I believe, could be the next closer for the team. Mark Montgomery could be that guy, but I'm not sure he'll be ready to step right into that position in 2014. The same could be said about Mark for the set-up role, which is where I see Joba after returning to the Bronx on a 3 year/$12 million contract.

One of the holes I see on the team is at starting pitcher, in this case the #4 spot. It would be great if Manny Banuelos or Dellin Betances could bounce back this season and be ready to step into the Yankees rotation, but I'm not feeling too good about that. And I'm not the biggest fan of prospects anyway, so I'm going to say the Yankees should look into re-signing Phil Hughes on a contract of about 5 years and $45 million. I'm not saying Hughes is going to start blowing people away, and winning 18 games a season like he did in 2010, but I can see him being a solid starter in the bottom part of the rotation. And with my plans for the second starting pitcher, I think the rotation could be in really good shape.

That second pitcher I just alluded to is the same guy I talked about in my previous post about the 2014 roster. That man is Tim Lincecum. If you want to read my thoughts about the current Giants pitcher then here again is the link to that article, in which I say plenty about The Freak.

The last big free agent signing I'm going to sign on for is for Martin Prado for 5 years and $80 million (this might need to go 6 years, which could be an option). Prado will be 30 years old when he's a free agent after the 2013 season, and would likely command a 5 year deal, which would mean the team that signs him could avoid the bigger decline players tend to see after their age 35 seasons. I can also see Prado hitting for a .290 batting average and on-base percentage of .350. It would be nice if Martin continues to run like he did in 2012, when he swiped 17 bags, too. Add in some versatility to his defense, as he's played a significant amount of time at second base and in the outfield, and I think he'd make a really good signing to fill the hole left by Alex Rodriguez.

Raise your hand if you want to be a Yankee.

After the team uses some younger players already in the organization to fill a couple of remaining holes, like in the bullpen, this is the team I would put on the field in 2014...

C - Austin Romine $500,000
1B - Mark Teixeira $22.5 million
2B - Robinson Cano $23 million
3B - Martin Prado $16 million
SS - Derek Jeter $14 million
LF - Ichiro Suzuki $6.5 million
CF - Brett Gardner $4 million
RF - Corey Hart $11 million
DH - Ronnier Mustelier $500,000

BE - Francisco Cervelli $1.5 million
BE - Eduardo Nunez $500,000
BE - Tyler Austin $500,000
BE - Pre-Arbitration Player $500,000

SP1 - CC Sabathia $22.125 million
SP2 - Tim Lincecum $23 million
SP3 - Michael Pineda $2 million
SP4 - Phil Hughes $9 million
SP5 - David Phelps $500,000

CL - David Robertson $5 million
SU - Joba Chamberlain $4 million
RP - Mark Montgomery $500,000
RP - Clay Rapada $1.5 million
RP - Chase Whitley $500,000
RP - Pre-Arbitration Player $500,000
RP - Pre-Arbitration Player $500,000

With the remaining 15 players filling out the 40-man roster, who will make about $3 million combined, along with the $12 million that includes bonuses and the Yankees’ portion of the league’s player benefits, the total payroll for 2014 would be $185.125 million.

Looking Ahead To 2014

No, you will not win Homecoming King in 2014.

Since this offseason hasn't been very exciting at all, regardless of the fact that the team has signed quite a few players for a decent chunk of money, I decided to jump ahead a year and see where the team would be, and if any free agents jumped out at me.

I'm going to start by reminding everybody that Curtis Granderson, Kevin Youkilis, Hiroki Kuroda, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Phil Hughes, Boone Logan, and David Aardsma will all be through with the Yankees after this upcoming season. You may be thinking, "hey, he forgot that Joba Chamberlain will also be a free agent". You'd be half correct, as he would be a free agent, but I haven't forgot about him. You see, I think the Yankees will bring him back, unlike the other players mentioned as free agents.

I also believe that Chris Stewart, who will be going into his first year of arbitration, will be designated for assignment. That means he'll either be with another team in 2014, or he'll be in AAA. But I don't see the team keeping a 2nd arbitration eligible catcher along with Francisco Cervelli, when they have a pre-arbitration catcher like Austin Romine able to fill in as the starter or backup.

Everybody wave goodbye to Chris!

Before I show you the 2014 team so far, I wanted to add that I see the Yankees trading for somebody mid-season. For one, I don't believe Ichiro Suzuki is going to have that productive a season. Secondly, I think the Yankees are going to find their offense lacking a bit in the power department, and will want to bring in a fairly big bat. Mike Axisa of River Avenue Blues took an early look at some possible mid-season trade targets, and the one that stuck out to me was Corey Hart. Mind you, that .270 batting average of his last season wasn't fantastic, nor was his .334 on-base percentage, but those 30 home runs sure were pretty impressive. And since the team will have a hole in the outfield when Granderson leaves after this season, and the other free agent outfielders don't exactly get my motor running (keeping in mind the team is not going to shell out the money to bring Grandy back, or sign a guy like Ellsbury), I can see the Yankees bringing Hart back to the team.

Oh, and I'm also assuming the Yankees re-sign Robinson Cano. The idea of an extension, which could save a bit of money towards the Luxury Tax, apparently won't happen. But I can't see Mr. Cano wearing a different uniform after 2013... that's for sure.

So without any further adieu, here is how the 2014 Yankees roster currently looks, including each player's contract's average annual value...

C - Austin Romine $500,000
1B - Mark Teixeira $22.5 million
2B - Robinson Cano $23 million
3B - Alex Rodriguez $27.5 million
SS - Derek Jeter $14 million
LF - Ichiro Suzuki $6.5 million
CF - Brett Gardner $4 million (arbitration 3... $2.85m in 2013)
RF - Corey Hart $11 million (traded for mid-season 2013, re-signed for 3 years/$36m)
DH -

BE - Francisco Cervelli $1.5 million (arbitration 1.... this was tough as I had to go by the fact that Jarrod Saltalamacchia got $2.5m in 2012 from Boston)
BE - Eduardo Nunez $500,000
BE - Tyler Austin $500,000
BE -

SP1 - CC Sabathia $22.125 million
SP2 -
SP3 - Michael Pineda $2 million (arbitration 1... Hughes got $2.7m in 1st year of arbitration in 2011)
SP4 - Ivan Nova $2 million (arbitration 1... Hughes got $2.7m in 1st year of arbitration in 2011)
SP5 - David Phelps $500,000

CL - David Robertson $5 million (arbitration 3... Robertson will receive $3.55m-$2.85m in 2013, and got $1.6m in 2012)
SU - Joba Chamberlain $4 million (re-signed for 3 years/$12 million)
RP - Mark Montgomery $500,000
RP - Clay Rapada $1.5 million (arbitration 1... Logan got $1.2 million in his 2nd yr of arbitration)
RP - Chase Whitley $500,000
RP -
RP -

15 Players not on Active Roster ~$3 million

TOTAL: $149.625 Million

That total doesn't include bonuses and the Yankees’ portion of the league’s player benefits that are added into the $189 million Luxury Tax threshold. That amount is expected to be in the neighborhood of $12 million for 2014. So that $149.625 total immediately jumps to $161.625.

Yes, even this guy got a bonus, and he plays for the freakin' Mets.

I can see the two bullpen, and the offensive bench, spots being filled with players from within the organization, who would all make around the league minimum as pre-arbitration players. So that would raise the payroll another $1.5 to $163.125 million.

The DH spot could be trickier, as I'm not sure the team has somebody in the minors that could step into that slot in 2014. It would be great if I was wrong about that, and somebody like Ronnier Mustelier could step in there. That would be nice as Ronnier has also played some 3B in the minors, meaning he'd be able to give ARod a half day off (meaning ARod would be the DH that day, while Mustelier started at 3B). Just because it helps me with the rest of this thought, I'm going with Mustelier filling in at DH/3B. Since Ronnier would be in his pre-arbitration years, that means he'd make around the league minimum. So add another $500,000, making the new total $163.625 million.

So at this point, in order to stay at or under the $189 million Luxury Tax threshold, the team has $25.375 million left to spend. This is where I'm going to look at that last remaining hole on the team... the 2nd starting pitcher.

Now, let me ask you this... do you trust that Michael Pineda could line-up behind CC in 2014? What about Ivan Nova or David Phelps? Hey, I could see those guys rounding out the bottom 3 of the rotation, but no chance one of those three could fill that #2 spot. That spot I'd like to see get filled by 2014 free agent to be Tim Lincecum.

Last season didn't go so well for The Freak. His ERA jumped up to 5.18 in 2012, from 2.74 the prior year. His WHIP went from 1.207 in 2011 up to 1.468 in 2012. I was trying to see just what the issue was for Timmy last season, and found that it wasn't lack of movement on his pitchers. You can see here from his Brooks Baseball Pitch F/X info that his vertical and horizontal movement didn't change at all. As for his velocity, that didn't drop much either. Mind you, it did seem to go down a bit, but that honestly seemed to be due to having just lost 30 pounds in the offseason. See, Timmy was having some knee soreness, and he felt he needed to lose weight. Turns out he may have lost too much, as pitching coach Dave Righetti (RAGS!) said he'd "showed up too little".

In all, Lincecum's ERA did go from 6.42 in the 1st half of last season to 3.83 in the 2nd half. So I think Lincecum's issue are far overblown. Besides, he did play quite a big part in the San Francisco Giants' World Series victory.

"That's not the Yankees celebrating, so I don't care."

What it comes down to is this... How much for Big Time Timmy Jim? Well, Zack Greinke just got a 6 year deal worth $147 million from the Dodgers. A deal with an average annual value of $24.5 million. I actually see Lincecum getting a little bit less per season, having come off a bad year, along with pitching in the National League his entire career. I don't mean to say they can't hit in the NL, so his stats are inflated, it's just that many pitchers have had trouble with going from the NL to the AL. Therefore, I'm seeing Tim's AAV being in the $23 million range.

As for the length of his deal, it wouldn't surprise me to see the Yankees offer Lincecum an extra guaranteed year, or at least an option for a 7th year. So I'm going to say the Yankees could sign Tim Lincecum for 7 years and $161 million. That would give them a total payroll of $186.625 million, giving them a little wriggle room for things like Hart's contract, arbitration cases, and other miscellaneous costs throughout the season.

Let's take one last look at what the 2014 Yankees could look like...

C - Austin Romine
1B - Mark Teixeira
2B - Robinson Cano
3B - Alex Rodriguez
SS - Derek Jeter
LF - Ichiro Suzuki
CF - Brett Gardner
RF - Corey Hart
DH - Ronnier Mustelier

BE - Francisco Cervelli
BE - Eduardo Nunez
BE - Tyler Austin
BE - Pre-Arbitration Player

SP1 - CC Sabathia
SP2 - Tim Lincecum
SP3 - Michael Pineda
SP4 - Ivan Nova
SP5 - David Phelps

CL - David Robertson
SU - Joba Chamberlain
RP - Mark Montgomery
RP - Clay Rapada
RP - Chase Whitley
RP - Pre-Arbitration Player
RP - Pre-Arbitration Player

Not bad.

Prospects : Top 10 Yankees Outfield Prospects

Our friends over at Bronx Baseball Daily employee a good friend of mine, Greg Corcoran, who does some of the best stuff on prospects that I have ever seen. That should really resonate with people who know me because I have been following prospects like a religion since about 2005 and did the whole forum thing up until this past season. I actually tried to get Greg over on TGP in it's infancy before BBD offered him a position but I am getting off topic. He wrote up his Top 10 Yankees outfield prospects list, which is suddenly stacked with talent, so go over HERE and check it out. With his permission I am also posting it here for your reading enjoyment but I encourage you to head over to BBD and give them some views too, thanks and enjoy! For the full write up head over to BBD!!

BBDP: Yankees Top 10 Outfield Prospects

Outfield prospects have not been a strong suit for the Yankees organization since Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera were coming up. Now there is a new batch of prospects knocking on the door and the organizational depth at the position is actually pretty extraordinary. Hopefully, somewhere in there lies a replacement for Nick Swisher and Curtis Granderson. Hopefully that replacement arrives soon. There is an expectation both within the organization and with scouts that at least one or two of these outfielders will work out, and the Yankees will save a ton of money.

10. Adonis Garcia 

9. Ronnier “Musketeer” Mustelier 

8. “Honest Abe” Abraham Almonte

7. “It’s Gam-Time” Ben Gamel

6. Melky Mesa ”Melkman 2.0″

5. Zoilo “Zee” Almonte

4. “Ray-Flo” Ramon Flores

3. Slade Heathcott

2. “Stone Cold” Tyler Austin

1. “Mad Mase” Mason Williams

As you can see with this system outfield depth is one of the major strengths. The Yankees have an excellent blend of major league close talent, extremely high upside talent, and long term projects. It will be interesting to see how these guys pan out, but all of them show significant promise and could help the major league team in one way or another soon.

Honorable Mention: Taylor Dugas, Rob Segedin

2012 Minor League Awards

Mike over at River Avenue Blues released their version of the 2012 Minor League Awards this afternoon and it is definitely worth checking out. For the lazy I will go through a couple of them for you.

Minor League Player of the Year Award, in a shocker (not), went to Tyler Austin who hit and slugged his way from Low A Charleston all the way up to AA Trenton this season. Nik Turley took the pitcher of the year award for his work with the High A Tampa Yankees and the Trenton Thunder. Ronnier Mustelier was the minor league's hitter of the year, albeit at age 28, for the Empire State Yankees team. Most disappointing player went to Dante Bichette Jr for some reason that I will never understand. Yes he struggled, and struggles mightily I might add, but Manny Banuelos was considered major league ready LAST year and was the #1 prospect coming into this season. Injuries or not when he was on the mound, for the most part, he got bombed. Oh well these are not my rankings, enjoy!!

AAA Season Over.. Reinforcements On The Way?

With the AAA season over for the traveling band known as the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Empire State Yankees I wonder if any of those guys are on their way to the majors. Here is a list of the AAA players that are currently on the 40 man roster and eligible to come up without a roster move. All of these players would also be eligible for the post season roster if we got that far.

Melky Mesa OF
Corban Joseph 2B
Austin Romine C
Manny Banuelos - Injured

I would not have a problem calling any of the three up personally. The guy I would like to see called up is Ronnier Mustelier and even though he would require a roster move (see ya Derek Lowe) and would be ineligible for the playoffs if ANYONE deserves a call up right now it is Ronnier.

I Agree With Cashman... No Big Trades

With the trade deadline looming, and people starting to talk about guys like Ryan Dempster, I was thinking about contract situations that are more important to the Yankees.

More like "Dumpster"... am I right?

I really don't think the Yankees should pay a lot for a rental. Especially a rental that is not really necessary. The Yankees can win without acquiring Matt Garza, so why pay for him? But what if they could trade for a guy to help them this year, and then be in a better spot to re-sign or extend for 2013 and beyond? Like... say... Cole Hamels? 

Well, when it comes to paying a guy $20 million, I think the Yankees could spend their money a bit better. Their chances of getting down to a payroll of $189 million are slim already, and signing a guy like Hamels is going to force them to fill other spots from within. More to the point... how can they bring back Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson, if they spend $20 million a season on Hamels? In short... they can't, unless they say "to hell with the austerity budget". 

So how should the Yankees spend their money? 

Well, Robinson Cano comes first.

Number 1 on the field, and number 1 in your pretty little heart.

Why? Angelo Gumbs is the only middle infielder in the organization ranked in the top 20 Yankee prospects (19th by River Avenue Blues), and he's only 19 years old. Cito Culver could take over for Cano even though he's a shortstop (Cano is a former SS), but Cito's only 19 too. Then there's Corban Joseph, who is in AAA now, but he's batting .259 this year, and hasn't quite shown the same power that Cano provides the Yanks. I'm not saying Joseph won't ever be a viable MLB starter, I'm just saying that betting on the guy right now is not smart. I could be singing a different tune after next season, but the decision on Cano should come before Opening Day of 2013, not at the end of the 2013 season, due to how extensions affect team payroll for the Luxury Tax.

Then the Yankees need to figure out what to do with Curtis Granderson.

"I may be a nice guy, but I will hurt you if you don't do the right thing."

Why? Mason Williams is really interesting to the future of the team, but he's probably 3 years away (currently in high A ball). The same for Tyler Austin, another good OF prospect. Zoilo Almonte is a possibility I guess, but he's also only got an OBP of .32o above high A ball. Ravel Santana, Ramon Flores, and Ben Gamel are top 25 prospects for the Yankees, but they are all 3+ years away from being MLB-ready. That leaves Ronnier Mustelier.

I'm not a big prospect guy, as I've said in the past, but I'm intrigued with this guy. In 267 plate appearances with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season Ronnier is hitting .302/.357/.475.  But due to the fact he's not done well in LF (.968 Fielding Percentage), and his experience in CF is extremely limited (6 games), I see him as a possible replacement for Swisher... but not Granderson. 

That leaves the Yankees with an outfield in 2014 consisting of Brett Gardner and... being optimistic... Ronnier Mustelier. Barring a trade, you can see that this situation with Granderson is not so cut and dry. 

I love you, Nick, but you're not irreplaceable.

So, in my oh-so-humble opinion, there is no way the Yankees should pursue Cole Hamels. And seeing as how they don't really need a rental to get them to the "Promised Land" this season, I see no reason for them to make any big moves... unless that move includes an OF that could take over for Granderson (offensively and defensively) in 2014 and beyond.