Yadier Molina in pinstripes?

I'm sure you've all read about the possible contract extension for Yadier Molina (if you haven't click here). It seems as though whenever even a decent player looks to be available, whether now or in the future, there will be some Yankee fans jumping up and down while repeatedly yelling "SIGN HIM". Well allow me to speak my peace before that inevitably happens and say "no thanks".

First of all, Yadier will turn 30 this July, and as I've said before I tend not to trust the health of a catcher at that age. Not that there haven't been catchers that age that could play for a full season, but it's hard for me to feel good about their health. For example, before this past season, Buster Posey was being looked at as the catcher of the future for the Giants (Baseball America posted the Giants Top 10 Prospect list on December 13th, and had Posey listed as the catcher for them in 2014). However, a week before BA posted that, ESPN reported that the Giants planned to give Posey some time at 1B. Anyway, this age issue would be exacerbated by the fact that the deal would probably go for 3+ years.

By the way, I'm well aware of the fact that Russell Martin is not much younger than Molina (about 7 months). But, as I pointed out not long ago, I'm not keen on signing Martin for 3 or so years either. So that last part was basically a vote against both men, more than a "one or the other" thing. But, better the devil you know, right?

Secondly, I'm not sold that Molina would be a better offensive weapon than Martin. Yadier had a great 2011 season, in which he posted a line of .305/.349/.465 with 14 HR, but every one of those numbers is well above Molina's career averages (.274/.331/.377 with 9 HR). On the other hand, Russell Martin put up a line of .237/.324/.408 with 18 HR. The BA and OBP were well below Russell's career averages, while the SLG and HR are right in line with them (.267/.359/.398 with 15 HR). You can take that to mean that Molina would be due for a drop in numbers thanks to moving to the AL from the NL (like Martin did), or that Molina will come down to Earth while Martin will come up (?) to Earth.

Lastly... defense. Man, I'm not a fan of comparing players' defense. I'm a numbers guy, and there is no statistic/metric that's good for such a thing. So I'll simply leave it at this... both men are excellent behind the dish. Hell, Molina might be better, but Russell has done a damn good job back there. So all this leads back to the "devil you know" saying.

There. Now when I hear a Yankee fan talk about going after Yadier, I can either link them to or quote this post. Feel free to do the same.

Spring Training Day 4

Mariano Rivera, which is an oddity, will travel with the team on the road this Spring Training according to Joe Girardi. Mariano Rivera also shared with us today that Derek Jeter was the only non family members that knows whether Mariano was going to retire after this year or not but Derek was not telling when asked by reporters today. I wonder when Mariano is going to let us know his decision instead of teasing us and leading us on like a school boy in high school.

Joba Chamberlain was scheduled to throw off of a full mound today but instead threw off of a 5 inch mound. All signs and reports are that Joba looks ready to go, does not look tentative, etc in his rehab from tommy john surgery. Speaking of tommy john surgery the Yankees signed closer David Aardsma today to a potential steal of a major league deal worth 500K with an option for the 2013 season. David is also coming back from tommy john surgery and is penciled in as "a month" behind Joba in his progression. The Yankees would like to see him for themselves before making such distinctions and time tables for Aardsma but , as my friend Bryan mentioned in his article about the signing, this could be a steal for the Yankees for not only this season but next season as well.

George Kontos says his oblique is not that sore this morning so that is a good sign. Rafael Soriano threw his first bullpen session today and it was described as "routine". Mariano Rivera is still not scheduled to throw a bullpen yet but that is nothing new for MO in spring training.  No new injuries were added so that is always a good sign. So far so good from Yankees camp.

Ninja Cashman strikes again

Earlier today we found out that the Yankees signed David Aardsma to a MLB deal for one year, with an option for a second in 2013. Aardsma had Tommy John surgery back in July, so he wouldn't even be able to help the Yankees until about midway through the season. Therefore the option for 2013 is the key part here, especially since Mariano Rivera could retire... leaving a big hole to fill in the bullpen.

No, I'm not saying Aardsma is the heir to Mo as the team's closer. As of right now I think that will be David Robertson. But even if you move Robertson to closer, and Soriano to set-up man, that still leaves key innings for somebody in the bullpen. That's true even if Joba Chamberlain were to take over the 7th inning role that Soriano currently holds.

Now, if you were to believe Brian Cashman, then this move has nothing to do with Rivera's possible retirement. But I call "bull****" on that. While it may be true that Cash and Aardsma have been speaking to each other all winter, I don't think Cashman was serious about bringing David aboard until it looked like Mariano was indeed on his way out. I believe this is a case where Cashman liked Aardsma, but until recently didn't see a spot or reason to sign him. As soon as he saw a spot possibly open up, Brian jumped on Aardsma.

Seeing that Aardsma can be added right to the 60-day DL, and therefore won't take up a spot on the 40-man roster, then this signing isn't much different than a minor league deal. And at only half a million dollars, which is only slightly more than the league minimum of $480,000, the risk is minuscule (at least for a team with the financial might of the Yankees).

Not really an "out of nowhere" type deal, but it looks like Ninja Cashman has struck again.

Meet A Prospect : Zoilo Almonte

Zoilo Almonte was invited to Yankees Spring Training camp, mainly due to the fact that he is on the 40 man roster, and part of the Yankees AA affiliate the Trenton Thunder. Let's meet a prospect, let's meet Zoilo Almonte.

Zoilo has been in the Yankees system since 2007, being signed as a an international free agent (IFA) at age 16. He has consistently flown under the radar in the Yankees system being overshadowed by Slade Heatchott, Ravel Santana, Melky Mesa, etc. Zoilo had his coming out party in 2011, at age 22, putting up a triple slash of  .298/.373/.522 and instantly putting himself in the discussion of possible replacements for Nick Swisher after the 2013 season. Almonte put himself on the radar with a plus arm, an athletic build, and a will to be a great defender. As a switch hitter Almonte has shown plate discipline ahead of his time and showing maturity which can be seen in his BB% and his power numbers despite a small frame.

Zoilo does not project to be a 30 home run guy, he might not even be a 20 home run guy, but he hits the ball to all fields with extra base hit power. His speed will make him fun to watch on the base paths, in the field, and when at the plate. I fully expect him to reach AAA Scranton Wilkes Barre by the end of 2012.

Yankees And Chavez Make It Official

From our friends over at MLBTR, the Yankees have signed Eric Chavez to another 1 year deal worth 900K plus incentives. Offseason complete!! here is the write up

Yankees, Eric Chavez Agree To One-Year Deal

By Dan Mennella [February 21, 2012 at 7:16pm CST]

The Yankees have agreed to terms with third baseman Eric Chavez on a one-year, Major League contract, pending a physical, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (Twitterlinks). The deal is worth $900K and also includes incentives, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.

Right Field Options for 2013

Being borrowed from our friends over at Yankees Fans Unite who want to look at our options for RF in 2013. It really is a great read from a great site so I suggest that you check out both. Anyway, here is the write up.

New York Should Be Saluting You Back Nick

On November 13, 2008 Brian Cashman made one of his finer trades as the Yankees GM. He traded Wilson Betemit and minor league pitchers Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez to the White Sox in exchange for Nick Swisher. Swisher had the worst season of his career in Chicago batting .219, with 24 HR’s 69 RBI, and a .743 OPS. Swisher clashed with White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen who played Swisher out of position by playing him in center field. He also had him out of position in the lineup by having him lead off in 29 games. Swisher has revitalized his career with the Yankees, but some are questioning whether his postseason struggles will leave him looking for a new team in 2013.

Swisher has been a really solid player for the Yankees for the last 3 years. He has provided the team with great energy, has hit for good power, and has gotten on base a lot. He is a fan favorite among many and I think upper management has a real affinity for him as well.  I have sat in right field for some games and he is quite entertaining out there. It is hard not to love him. However, the big issue with him has pretty much been an automatic out in the postseason. He has hit .169 in his career in the postseason with 4 HR’s, 6 RBI, and .617 OPS.  Whether to give up on a guy who produces in the regular season but not in the post season is always a hot button issue with fans and is a really tough issue. 

Brian Cashman said after this year’s bitter postseason exit that decisions are not made based solely on playoff performance.  It is hard to base decisions on a few AB’s when you have over 500 AB’s as a sample size in the regular season. Even some Hall of Fame players have had postseason struggles. I can give you two of the greatest hitters ever as examples in Barry Bonds and Willie Mays. Bonds had a career .200 batting average, hit 1 HR, and 6 RBI until he had a monster postseason in 2002 to help the Giants get to the World Series. Mays is a career .247 hitter in the playoffs with 1 HR, and 10 RBI. Now obviously I am not comparing them with Swisher please do not get me wrong. The point I’m making is you really do not know how a guy will perform in the playoffs compared to the regular season. You have no idea of knowing how Swisher or anybody will perform when they get in the playoffs because it is unpredictable. Sure he has a bad history, but that doesn’t mean he cannot turn it around.

I cannot give you an answer as to why Swisher has struggled in the postseason because like I said it is really tough to know. My best guess is the obvious one and that is that he is putting to much pressure on himself. His personality would strike me as someone who would get to hyped up for postseason games and try to do to much.  Some have said he struggles against elite pitching. However, during the regular season he hit .367 against the Rangers, .273 against the Tigers, and .233 against the Rays last year, which is not bad against last year’s playoff teams.

The big issue with replacing Swisher next year is that there are limited options to replace him. They have no outfielder in the upper minor league levels ready to step in.  Everybody’s dream scenario of Matt Kemp got ruined this offseason. The only corner outfield free agent’s next year who are even in Swisher’s league are Josh Hamilton, who is a notch above, and Andre Ethier, who is probably a notch below.  On the field Hamilton is a great fit. He has a swing fit for Yankee Stadium and he would be good enough defensively, since he would be playing in the shallow part of the park.  He won the MVP in 2010 and has proven he can hit elite pitching. The problem is that he is a recovering alcoholic, which stunted his career in the beginning, and there would probably be to many temptations for him in New York. Hamilton just recently had a slight relapse, which he apologized for.  He has also had injury issues as he has only played in 121 games, 133 games, 89 games, and 156 games in the last 4 years respectively. Ethier has played pretty well the last 2 years, but not like his breakout year in 2009 when he hit .272, hit 31 HR’s, and had 106 RBI.                                                             

It will probably come down to Swisher’s year this year as to whether he will be signed again or not. If he hits at the pace he has for his 3 regular season for the Yankees and performs in October then I believe he stays. However, if he does not perform again in October the Yankees may look for a replacement.

Spring Training Day 3

"Injury" Is The Word

Today Joe Girardi announced that Joba Chamberlain would throw from a full mound for the first time tomorrow and remains on schedule to be back before the all star break, a mere 12 months since Tommy John surgery. For those that do not know 12 months is way ahead of schedule for a guy to be back in the big league after a Tommy John surgery so I think that should show everyone just how much Joba has worked hard to get back to the team. 

George Kontos felt some stiffness in his oblique while throwing a bullpen session which is not good for him since he was in line for the last bullpen slot, which is wide open right now. He is going to sit and rest it for a week and see how it feels after that and hopefully that does not set him behind schedule too much because he is already 27 years old, holds a valuable 40 man roster spot, and not earning it thus far. The clock is ticking for George Kontos and this season is definitely his last hurrah. He knew this also and it shows because he came into camp ahead of about everyone else since he has been throwing for months before camp. 

Bill Hall and Chris Dickerson were the two newest Yankees to arrive at Yankees camp for spring training. While I wrote here that I was not crazy about the signing of Bill Hall I do follow the guy on twitter and he has a great attitude, especially about being a Yankee. According to his twitter he has lost 20 pounds this offseason so he can be better in the field and specifically he wants to steal more bases for the Yankees. He is also a great person to interact with, retweeting his fans and talking to them. He seems to be quickly becoming a fan favorite (on twitter anyway) although I do not really see a position for him on the team when Eric Chavez signs. He does have the ability to go to the minors for a very short time but I do see him exercising that opt out clause if he is not called up by May 1.

The Russell Martin Extension

"Would you extend me? I'd extend me."

Yesterday we saw reports that the Yankees had spoken to Russell Martin about signing an extension (you can read the one from River Ave Blues here). Which got me thinking... should they? Personally, I don't think so.

One reason is that Martin just turned 29, and would be 30 years old when the extension starts. I'm sure you've heard many people talk about a player's prime, which usually comes between the ages of 27-29. That would mean that the Yankees would have signed Russell to an extension starting the year after his prime. That doesn't seem like a great idea. What could make it worse is that Martin has started 735 games behind the plate, and it's no secret the the game is harder on catchers than any other position. It may not be as bad as signing somebody at that age to a contract of 5+ years, but that reason does make me think it's something the Yankees should not jump at.

Also, keep in mind that Russell Martin did only hit .237/.324/.408 last season (although the 18 HR were pretty sweet). I'm expecting a boost in those numbers to occur in 2012 (Bill James predicts a line of .256/.355/.400 with 14 HR), but it's not as if he's blowing people away with his bat, and therefore should be locked up for 2-3 more years. I may eat those words if Martin is able to replicate his 2007 season (.293/.374/.469, with 19 HR), but again... I see no reason for the Yankees to jump the gun here.

As for an option, Austin Romine could at least turn into a serviceable catcher. He's pretty much on the same level as Martin defensively, as Austin was ranked by Baseball America as the team's best defensive catching prospect. And remember that Joe Girardi values defense in his catchers above offense. However, due to Romine's offense (he's struggled above AA), I don't expect him to be a long-term solution. But I believe Austin could be a stop-gap to Gary Sanchez.

And of course there's the austerity budget looming. I don't believe the Yankees would sacrifice their on-field product to get there, but it's something for the team to keep in mind. And every little bit counts when it comes to the team's payroll, and getting to $189 million for 2014. Especially if the team wants to sign a Cole Hamels after this season.

So my hope is the team has put off an extension for good, and will wait to see how 2012 plays out. If Austin Romine improves with the bat, and keeps up his defense, then I'd like to see them let Russell Martin walk. But if Romine takes a step back, while Martin improves or at least maintains solid numbers, then bring Russell back. But no need to jump on anything right now.

The 2012 Payroll and Roster Page

We've been working hard to create a great payroll and roster page. I want it to be a page that fans bookmark in order quickly get information regarding player contracts, team payroll, roster updates, as well as links to each players' Baseball Reference page (I believe B-R is the best resource for player and team statistics). However, I don't expect that page to replace Cot's Baseball Contracts when it comes to detailed information on player contracts.

I like where the page is at, but I wanted to ask our readers if there was anything you believe would be a good addition to the page. On the right side, below our Twitter feed and the picture of Joe Girardi looking at the Steinbrenner plaque, you can contact us four different ways.

Thanks

Spring Training Day 2

A Day Owned By Pineda

Today was the first day that Russell Martin caught Michael Pineda down in Yankees spring training camp and he was pleasantly surprised at what he saw. Larry Rothschild has been working with Pineda and specifically on his changeup and the results seem to be "so far so good". The movement on the pitch seems to be ridiculous, in a good way, and everyone at Yankees camp is excited about it. Even Joe Girardi was "blown away" by a couple of his sliders that he threw in his bullpen session. 

Mariano Rivera has arrived at Yankees camp and has made his decision about next season whether he is going to play or not... but he is not telling. Every sign though points to this is going to be the last season for the Sandman. When you hear quotes directly from Rivera like this  

 “Even if I save 90 games. Even if they want to pay as much money as they want to, any team, (it won’t change the decision).” 

you do not expect Rivera to come back next season.It seems like the Yankees have a contingency plan or two in place with Joba, David Robertson, and maybe Rafael Soriano, but still no one is replacing Mariano Rivera. 

Raul Ibanez, fresh off of his incentive laden 1 year pact with the Yankees, expects to be in camp tomorrow. I cannot say that I am either ecstatic or upset with the signing. He was the best of the available players that fit into the specific role that we needed so we're gonna play the cards we are dealt and go with it. Here's to hoping that he could be the next in line of veterans having a resurgent season in pinstripes a la Colon and Garcia in 2011 in recent memory.

Everything has been described as "routine" so far in drills so I guess that is a good sign. Girardi also stated that everyone looks like they came to camp ready and in shape in his press conference so again, another good sign. We're less then 45 days to opening day.