Recap: Yankees 6, Rangers 2

Didi Gregorius had a career-high four RBI and the Yankees cruised past the Rangers, 6-2, in the series opener tonight at Globe Life Park.

Yes InDidi: The Yankees' shortstop tied the game with a two-run shot in the third before adding an insurance two-run single in the seventh -- part of a 3-for-4 evening for him in which he also made a nice defensive play. With Shin-Soo Choo at the dish and one out in the fifth, Gregorius stopped a liner up the middle with a smooth slide and spin -- likely saving a run after the next two men reached base.

Somewhat Super Nova: Ivan Nova's performance tonight wasn't exactly amazing, but nonetheless, it deserved a passing grade. The right-hander limited the Rangers to just two earned runs over five solid innings, yielding a tolerable five hits while walking two and striking out three.

He's Unstoppable: Alex Rodriguez continued his incredible road trip with a solo blast in the sixth, a wall-scraper to right off Matt Harrison for his 24th big fly of the year. Rodriguez, who turned 40 today, is now tied with Mark Teixeira for the team lead in homers -- fifth in the league overrall. 

Chasen Recognition: He might not be well known outside of the Yankees' fanbase, but left-hander Chasen Shreve is truly a dominant reliever. The youngster threw two more scoreless frames and fanned four in this one, allowing just one baserunner when the aforementioned Choo walked.

Don't Judge the Mustache: Brendan Ryan again contributed offensively with a triple in the third, a fly ball off the left-field wall Josh Hamilton had a tough time fielding. The knock set up Chris Young for a go-ahead sac fly two batters later, giving the Yankees an advantage they'd never lose.

Next Up: The Yankees and Rangers resume this set tomorrow with a nationally-televised contest in Arlington -- beginning at 8:05 p.m. ET and airing live on Fox Sports 1. Chris Capuano (0-4, 5.64 ERA) will start for the Yanks hoping for his first victory, opposing recently-activated Rangers lefty Martin Perez (0-1, 4.91 ERA).

Greene, Thornton Collapse in Sixth; Rangers Beat Yankees in Opener 4-2

Going into tonight's opener against the Rangers, there was no reason to believe that the Yankees would lose.

The then 50-47 team, coming off yesterday's walk-off, had just swept the Reds to begin the homestand, making 39-59 Texas look like an easy club to beat.

Still, due to one bad inning, the Yanks did fall in tough-to-watch fashion, with Shane Greene and Matt Thornton collapsing in the top of the sixth as the Rangers won easily 4-2.

During this one's first five frames, Greene committed three errors (yes, three), but thanks to five strikeouts and a few big plays from the offense he and the Bombers did have a 2-1 lead.

However, with two outs and nobody on in the aforementioned sixth, the Rangers began a ridiculous rally, causing a sac fly from Carlos Beltran and a solo home run from Jacoby Ellsbury to become worthless. 

Facing the red-hot Jake Smolinski with a 3-2 count, Greene allowed a routine single up the middle, followed immediately by a walk of Jim Adduci and a game tying knock just over the glove of Zealous Wheeler from the struggling Geovany Soto. 

After that disaster, and considering that he was at 113 pitches, Bombers Manager Joe Girardi finally decided to take the rookie out, replacing him with the rarely-reliable Matt Thornton.

Big mistake.

Entering the contest with two on, Thornton surrendered two more RBI hits to Rougner Odor and Shin-Soo Choo, putting Greene in line for the loss and eventually handing Miles Mikolas (7 1/3 IP, 2 ER) the W.

Subsequently, as expected, Thornton was removed without retiring anyone, capping off the action of one of the Pinstripes' most frustrating losses of the year, as Texas came into this one 4-24 in their last 28 and New York 4-1 in their last 5.

News & Notes From This Past Week

Like most people, I've been pretty busy recently (I think there's some holiday coming up), so my weekly recap was pushed back a couple of days. I'm actually driving 450 miles later today to be with my family, and then I have to drive 450 miles back to central Ohio since I work on Thursday. By this time next week I'm going to be so happy.

So let's see what's happened lately...

• The Yankees signed two players without spending $100+ million! First, the team acquired Brian Roberts on a one-year deal worth $2 million plus incentives. Roberts has missed a ton of time over the past four years due to a really bad concussion suffered in May of 2011, along with having surgeries on his right hip labrum and right hamstring in 2012 and 2013. I think he'd make a fine player when healthy, but the last time that happened was the same year the Yankees last won the World Series, which for us Bombers fans seems like decades ago. While Roberts is unlikely to be the everyday second baseman, his experience along with switch-hitting ability will be nice.
• Matt Thornton will also be joining the Yankees for 2014 and 2015, after signing a two-year contract worth $7 million. I thought the Yankees would be okay when it came to lefty relievers, thanks to having a choice between David Huff, Cesar Cabral, and Vidal Nuno, but Cashman and company thought otherwise (again.... UGH!). From 2008 to 2010, Matt was an awesome reliever, striking out 11 batters per nine innings. Unfortunately that strikeout rate has fallen each season since 2010, all the way to 6.2 batters per nine innings last year. But Thornton is still very effective against left-handed batters, as they could only muster a batting line of .235/.267/.370 against him in 2013. I think the team could still use somebody like Grant Balfour to pair with David Robertson in the last couple of innings, but bringing Thornton on board definitely makes up for the loss of Boone Logan.
• The new posting system between Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball, which we've known about for a while now, was made official last week. The posting team can request any amount up to $20 million, and any team that agrees to that price can negotiate with the player. Soon after that various reports saying Tanaka would be posted, Tanaka would not be posted, and Tanaka might be posted popped up. That means somebody will be right, somebody will be wrong, and many others wasted our time.
• The Yankees offered Shin-Soo Choo $140 million for seven years, only $13 million less than they gave Jacoby Ellsbury, but Choo and his agent Scott Boras turned it down. I'm a fan of Choo, as I love the fact that he gets on base around 40% of the time, but I think that's a bit much for a guy that can't hit left-handers. Sure, you're going to face a righty more often, but if you're making $20 million a year you should be able to hit anybody. This non-signing led to the Yankees signing Carlos "The Mets Can Suck It" Beltran.
• Speaking of Carlos Beltran, his signing was finally made official on Friday. At the press conference on Friday, Carlos had plenty of negative things to say about the Mets, who clearly soured on Beltran towards the end of his time playing for New York's red-headed stepchild of a baseball team. The Mets openly criticized Carlos for missing a visit to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (Beltran was busy building a high school in Puerto Rico), and for the knee surgery he had in 2011. But when Carlos said "when they say all of that, of course I was hurt because you can’t believe the organization that signed you for seven years is trying to put you down" I had to laugh. I mean, the Yankees signed Alex Rodriguez for ten years and they seem to be doing all they can to get out of that deal.
• Kevin Youkilis, who just missed out on winning the American League MVP award in 2013, signed with the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan. The Yankees and every other MLB team didn't want Youk, so he figured this was the only way he could possibly play on the same team as Masahiro Tanaka.
• The Yankees were hit with a $28.1 million Luxury Tax bill for last season. They weren't alone, unlike just about every other year, as the Dodgers had to cough up $11.4 million themselves. After a quick search through their couch cushions at home, Hal and Hank Steinbrenner gave Bud Selig a bunch of bags with the money symbol on them, while apparently smirking and saying "whatever" under their breath.

I'm not expecting the Yankees to pull a "Teixeira" and sign somebody right before Christmas, so we can all relax for the next couple of days. But before I head out for my 900 mile round trip I want to thank each and every one of you for sharing our passion for the Yankees, and wish you a safe and happy holiday.

Shin-Soo Choo Signs With The Rangers

If you were among the minority of Yankees fans that thought the team should trade Brett Gardner, and then sign Shin-Soo Choo, it's too late.

"Move over, Chuck Norris. There's a new Texas Ranger in town."

This morning Choo and the Texas Rangers agreed to a seven year contract, worth $130 million. Of course, that is lower than the offer the Yankees reportedly made to Choo before signing Jacoby Ellsbury. Then again, Texas... like Washington... is one of those states with no income tax, so the deal with the Rangers may turn out to be more lucrative.

$3 Million Kept Us From Having Shin-Soo Choo

Heard NYY/Choo agreed at 7/140. Then Boras asked to make it $143, $1M over Carl Crawford. Angered NYY, agreed with Beltran instead.
— CJ Nitkowski (@CJNitkowski) December 20, 2013

The Yankees have to be kidding me right now. The Yankees were willing to go seven years and $140 million on OBP King Shin Soo Choo and let him walk over $3 million? I can see ending a deal over years, see Robinson Cano and Omar Infante for great examples of letting guys go elsewhere for too many years, but not $3 million. The YES Network probably makes $3 million between the hours of midnight and 2:00 pm ET, obviously sarcasm but you get my point. The Yankees were angered because Scott Boras asked for $3 million more and instead turned their attention to Carlos Beltran and again this is after they had signed Jacoby Ellsbury. I don't get it, oh well. There is still time.

Is This The Biggest Offseason Ever?

As much as Yankee fans can be impatient when it comes to having a true contender year in and year out, the Yankees can't go "all in" for 2014. While they should absolutely try and compete in 2014, they can't make any moves to hurt the future.

With that in mind, seven things came to mind...

1. Do not give Carlos Beltran 3+ years. It's not just that he'll be 37 in April, which on the surface raises red flags. You also have to consider the fact that he's had a number of health problems. Between 2009 and this past season he's had issues with his abdomen, shoulders, lower back, knees, lower back, hamstrings, wrist, and neck.

Beltran's injury list looks sort of like this, but with one big difference.... Mick Foley did most of this stuff to himself.

Earlier in the offseason I was all about Beltran, but like many others I may have just been caught up in his postseason heroics. Which is very hypocritical of me, as I've been against Raul Ibanez while accusing others of being too caught up in Raul's late and postseason heroics. After thinking about what Corey Hart could do for the team, along with only costing two years... max, i'm really starting to think that the Yankees should pass on Carlos.

2. Don't even think about getting Shin-Soo Choo because of what he can do marketing-wise. The money that could be made off the field with Choo is great, but putting the best product on the field is much better for the organization.

I'm a bit on the fence regarding getting Choo. You see... I like him. His on-base percentage is awesome, and he could hit over 20 home runs a season. But a five year commitment is tough for somebody who'll turn 32 in July. And that doesn't cover the fact that his defense is suspect. But Shin-Soo has been healthy in his career outside of a fracture due to being hit by a pitch, and an abdominal strain in 2011. So again... I'm not sure.

3. As much as I hate to say it, because I'd love to see him with the Yankees, passing on Brian McCann would probably be for the best. He'll be 30 years-old soon, and has already caught 8820.1 innings (that's over 980 games). You can't tell me he's 100% healthy, and I'm talking about a lot more than his shoulder (he had surgery on it in October of last year). His bat would be good for the DH spot if necessary, but I don't like having a DH-only as that can really hurt the versatility of the team.

4. I still want to see the Yankees re-sign Robinson Cano, but I can't disagree with those that question the move. A lot can happen over the course of seven years, from injuries to simply not being the same player, so it's a big risk. Especially when Robbie could be getting around $25 million a season. The team is run by people a hell of a lot smarter than me, so they have to make sure they're not setting themselves up for another ARod-type situation in a few years. By that, I mean they don't want to look at paying a guy twice as much as he's worth for years to come.

Alex actually just struck out, but he's still smiling because he remembered how big his back account is.

5. Jhonny Peralta has been looked at, but we can't ignore his ties to Biogenesis. It's nice to think his issues are behind him, but you can't be sure of that. The last place you want to have a guy with off-field issues is on the Yankees, as the media and fans will eat him alive. Just look at how they've treated Alex Rodriguez in all but two seasons (2007 and 2009). There are plenty of Yankee fans that are still on Andy Pettitte's case regarding his use of steroids, and he's not too far below Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera in his "True Yankee" status.

6. I'm all for taking chances on players, a la Corey Hart, but you can't do that with guys like Matt Garza, who will demand a contract around five years. It's not that I don't like Garza, but he's certainly not a "sure thing". While his strikeout rate of 8.6 per nine innings in the National League is good, that drops to 7.2 in the American League. His ERA also jumps from 3.45 in the NL to 4.01 in the AL. He wasn't awesome after being traded to Texas this past season either, as his ERA jumped from 3.17 with the Cubs to 4.38. That's thanks to giving up almost two more hits per nine innings, and giving up more home runs.

But adding just one top of the rotation pitcher is probably not good enough. CC Sabathia is suspect after his worst season in Major League Baseball, Ivan Nova may have been really good but it's still really hard to lean on him, David Phelps and Adam Warren are unproven as starters in MLB, and there is nothing special coming up from the minors anytime soon. I can live with adding Tanaka, slotting Nova in at #3, taking a chance on somebody like Josh Johnson... who may only cost a one-year deal, and putting one of Warren or Phelps at #5.

7. It's time to give David Robertson a real shot at the closer's role. The alternative to doing so is signing somebody like Joe Nathan to a contract worth upwards of $15 million a season. That would be fine if it wasn't for the fact that the Yankees are looking to get payroll down. They would be best served to see what Robertson can do in that role this season, and then lock him up with a contract afterwards. Because while he'd cost the team more after closing for a season, it wouldn't be as much as elite closers go for in free agency. What the team should do this offseason is think about a set-up man for David.

I'm sure there is somebody out there thinking "what about not giving up draft picks?" I covered that last week in an article in which I pointed out that good to great players don't have to come from high draft picks. In fact, draft pick compensation is hardly a deal-breaker to me. Just maximize your other picks in each draft, work on development in the farm system, and build some role players to add to those making big bucks (such as Robinson Cano). If an elite player like Robbie comes from the farm, then that should be considered a plus. Let the Rays of MLB lean on the farm for superstars.

There has to be another Evan Longoria in here somewhere.

This offseason was originally interesting to me as the Yankees have to fill a number of holes while trying to get payroll down, but now I find it even more interesting as it could very well be huge for the future of the organization. It may be hyperbole, but this offseason could very well be the most important offseason for the Yankees ever.

Derek Jeter - DH?

Jon Heyman reported that Hal Steinbrenner and Derek Jeter have discussed his future at shortstop, and the Yankees owner told DJ that the team is looking for a starter at the position. Jeter said he understands the situation, as his injury-riddled season leaves a lot of questions about his ability to play the position regularly.

It's been reported that the team is close to signing Brendan Ryan, however I highly doubt they plan to have Ryan at SS regularly. They've also been connected to Jhonny Peralta and Stephen Drew, leaving Jeter to spend most of his time at DH.

This could also mean that Alfonso Soriano would play most of the time in the outfield, so the Yankees would be looking to bring in only one of Carlos Beltran or Shin-Soo Choo.

Money's A Luxury, But Time Isn't

Angel Pagan signed a four-year contract with the San Francisco Giants on December 3rd.

BJ Upton signed a five-year contract with te Atlanta Braves on November 28th.

Josh Hamilton signed a six-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on December 12th.

Nick Swisher signed a four-year contract with the Cleveland Indians on December 23rd.

Jose Reyes signed a six-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on December 5th.

Albert Pujols signed a ten-year contact with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on December 8th.

Carl Crawford signed a seven-year contract with the Boston Red Sox on December 11th.

Jason Werth signed a seven-year contract with the Washington Nationals on December 6th.

Adrian Beltre signed a five-year contract with the Texas Rangers on January 5th.

Victor Martinez signed a four-year contract with the Detroit Tigers on November 24th.

Those are ten of the largest contracts given to hitters over the last three offseasons.

I'm getting to the point... stay with me.

The reason I bring up those deals is because of what is going on with Alex Rodriguez. His appeal hearing, regarding the 211-game suspension for alleged PED usage along with other violations of the Joint Drug Agreement, is going longer than expected. The hearings themselves are still going on, and personally I don't see any end in sight thanks to Alex asking the MLB Player's Union to step aside. All of this means a decision may not be handed down until this winter.

While I'd like to see a resolution happen as soon as possible, since I'm pretty impatient, there's another bigger problem at hand.

The Yankees may not want to make any big signings until they know for sure what will happen with Alex. If Rodriguez is suspended for the entire season, then that would free up $27.5 million towards the Luxury Tax. Freeing up that much money would not only allow the team to bring back Robinson Cano, but to also sign somebody like Brian McCann or Shin-Soo Choo.

However, history has shown us that big signings tend to happen before Christmas. So by the time the Yankees know if they'll have more money to spend, thanks to ARod being suspended, it may be too late.

If the Yankees want to make a big signing, such as adding Brian McCann to solidy the catcher position, then they are going to have to take a gamble on ARod's suspension happening.

Maybe that's why Brian Cashman has been saying that the $189 million goal is not a certainty, but simply something the team would like to get to.

We need to get some deals done!

2014 Predictions: The Roster

Burch has been predicting what will happen in MLB this season, whether that be with awards or in the standings. I thought about writing my own thoughts on those subjects, but I decided to go another direction when it comes to predictions. Now, a lot of things can and likely will happen before the end of the season, so this may all be for nothing. But who cares? It's fun playing fantasy GM.

For starters, I really don't see a big trade happening with the Yankees this season. And by "big" I mean bringing in Curtis Granderson's replacement. Justin Upton seemed like the guy to do that, as the Diamondbacks were clearly looking to move the guy, but that ship has sailed. Looking around the league at other outfielders, I don't see anybody that could be what the Yankees will need to replace Grandy. There just aren't any players of that magnitude that seem available, as they are already locked up due to being younger and/or on a good contract. Not that Granderson is on the same level as these guys, but the team could really use somebody behind Robinson Cano that scares people. I'm looking at players like Ryan Braun, Mike Trout, Andrew McCutchen, Josh Hamilton, and Matt Holliday. Guys that can not only hit the ball out of the park, but also have a batting average of .290 or higher. You know, the type of hitter Alex Rodriguez was in 2009 and before.

"Have you seen this man?"

Pitching-wise the team seems to be set. In fact, by mid-season the team could be overflowing with starters. CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Andy Pettitte, Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova, David Phelps, and Michael Pineda could all be fighting for only five jobs. Even looking at 2014 the team could be just fine to use CC Sabathia, Michael Pineda, a re-signed Phil Hughes (I think he will be back), Ivan Nova, and David Phelps. There's a chance, albeit a slight one, that Chien-Ming Wang becomes a good rotation option too. Sure, I can see the Yanks adding a veteran pitcher like  Kuroda or Pettitte, but it's the type of move that may be able to be put on the back-burner.

Going back to the hole that will be left by Curtis Granderson, I really want the Yankees to sign Shin-Soo Choo when he hits free agency. The Reds will likely be in the hunt the entire season, so I wouldn't count on them looking to trade Choo. I suppose Cincinnati may be interested in re-signing him, or possibly extending him before he becomes a free agent, but if a bidding war develops for the outfielder I can see the Reds backing off.

As for Shin-Soo's credentials, in eight MLB seasons his triple-slash is .289/.381/.465. Choo is not a stranger to hitting home runs either, as he's currently projected by ZiPS to hit 21 of them. He will be 31 in July, meaning the Yankees should be able to sign him to a contract which will allow them to miss his big decline years. In fact, the only stat I see going down throughout his next contract is his stolen base total.

I think it's highly probably that the team does something about third base. Alex Rodriguez is a huge health concern at this point, and I just don't see him being able to play the field 125+ games a season. And seeing as how he is set to be paid another $86 milion, for four more years, the Yankees have to figure out a way to keep him not just healthy but effective. And being the team's regular DH may be the only way. Let's keep in mind that ARod is not "done", though. Sure, he's unlikely to hit 30+ home runs a season, but seeing that he had a 19% Line Drive percentage last season, which is his career average, I think there's a good possibility that his last 4 seasons will not be a total waste at all. I can totally see him lowering his strikeout rate a bit, while lowering the number of infield fly balls, making him a bit of a threat once again.

"I'm glad somebody thinks I can still get it done, but what I want to know is this... What do you think about the suit? Sexy, isn't it?"

Eduardo Nunez, Jayson Nix, and Ronnier Mustelier are hardly good options to be the regular third baseman for the Yankees in 2014. Nunez and Nix are fine backups, but starters? No thanks. And I believe Mustelier's bat may play well in MLB, but if he breaks into the big leagues it will likely be as an outfielder instead of third baseman, as his defense is already suspect.

Although I don't expect Kevin Youkilis to return in 2014, it wouldn't surprise me if the Yankees brought him back should he have a good 2013 season. Kevin is only 34 years old as well. But there may be something better....

I'm going to say that the Yankees are in the market for a third baseman. Looking at the list of free agents, though, I don't see anything compelling. Wilson Betamit, Eric Chavez, Mark DeRosa, Mike Fontenot, Jerry Hairston Jr, Brandon Inge, Placido Polanco, Mark Reynolds, Juan Uribe, Michael Young... none of them stand out to me. This is an area where I see Cashman looking to make a deal.

Even though the Padres have said they are not looking at trading Chase Headley, I just don't believe it. Headley will make $8.575 million this season, making him the 2nd highest paid player on the Padres, and that salary is likely to go over $10 million in 2014. San Diego will also need to either re-sign or replace 1B Yonder Alonso, as well as starting pitchers Edinson Volquez and Jason Marquis. After finishing the 2012 season 18 games out of first place, I doubt they are thinking about contending again soon, so they would likely want to make moves for a few years down the road. Since I highly doubt they'd give Headley what he'll command as a free agent, they may want to move on now.

"Yeah, sorry Chase, there's nothing in here for you. Guess we'll just trade you to the Yankees."

And as for their future, Jedd Gyorko, the Padres #3 prospect according to Baseball America, is ready for MLB. Jedd is set to start at second base for San Diego this season, however I can see the team wanting to get 2B/3B Logan Forsythe some more playing time. To do that either Gyorko would have to move to 3B, where he played most of the time while in the minors, or Logan would have to play 3B. Forsythe isn't the greatest thing to have ever touched a baseball bat, but his OBP of .445 in AAA in 2011 and .419 in AAA last season, as well as improvements across the board at the MLB level between 2011 to 2012, makes me believe the Pads would like to get him more playing time.

Trade proposals by people on the internet are generally terrible, and mine is probably no different. But what if the Yankees packaged a couple young pitchers like Ivan Nova and Brett Marshall, who could fill the spots left by Edinson Volquez and Jason Marquis, as well as one of the Yankees' young outfielders like Slade Heathcott or Tyler Austin, for Headley? Perhaps Eduardo Nunez could be thrown into the deal. The Yankees seem to really want him to be the heir to Derek Jeter at short, but I just don't see it happening. Eduardo would certainly be an improvement over the Padres current shortstop... Everth Cabrera, who has hit .240/.321/.327 in over 1100 MLB plate appearances.

Anyway, as I said, a lot can happen between now and the end of the season, so this bit of fantasy GM may turn out to be moot. But wouldn't you feel really good about the team rolling out this lineup in 2014?

1. Brett Gardner - CF
2. Shin-Soo Choo - RF
3. Robinson Cano - 2B
4. Chase Headley - 3B
5. Mark Teixeira - 1B
6. Derek Jeter - SS
7. Alex Rodriguez - DH
8. Ichiro Suzuki - LF
9. Francisco Cervelli - C