The Return of Mo

Ken Rosenthal and Joel Sherman both report that the Yankees are closing in on a deal with Mariano Rivera. The deal is said to be worth at least $10 million, and possibly a bit higher than the $11 million Andy Pettitte is close to signing for.

The Yankees have already re-signed Hiroki Kuroda, so if they are able to solidify the rotation with Pettitte and the bullpen with Rivera, then this would free up Cashman to concentrate on Nick Swisher's replacement during the Winter Meetings.

How About Shane Victorino?

This plane may carry our new outfielder.

Jon Heyman reported last night that the Yankees are interested in Shane Victorino, and went further by saying several teams are willing to go 3 years for the center fielder. In the same article it's noted that Shane is willing to move to a corner outfield spot, as he's played center field in nearly 80% of the innings he's played in his career (Victorino has never been a DH, having played his entire career in the National League).

Before the 2012 season the idea of acquiring the Flyin' Hawaiian was a good one. Shane's batting line up to that point in his career was .278/.334/.438, and he'd averaged 15 home runs and 26 stolen bases a season between 2009 and 2011. On top of the offense he provided, Victorino was considered a good defender in center field, and a very good corner outfielder.

However, 2012 did happen, and Shane had a poor season at the plate hitting .255/.321/.383. He was able to steal a career-high 39 bases, but only hit 11 home runs, and tripled 7 times after doing it 39 times over the previous 3 seasons. So the desire to see the guy in pinstripes went down a bit.

No! That's not what I wanted for Christmas!

I'll repeat... My desire to see the guy in pinstripes went down a bit. At 31 years I believe the guy has plenty left in the tank. Taking Shane's age into account, and the fact his poor 2012 should bring down his price in free agency, I'm cool with the Yankees possibly signing him.

Shane Victorino's walk and strikeout rates in 2012 remained around his career averages of 11.6% and 8.2%, as his rates were 12% and 8%. Nor is he watching more strikes, or swinging at more strikes, than he has throughout his career. Shane also put 34% balls into play, just as he's always done. Finally, Victorino has been pretty healthy in his career, having missed 97 games in 9 years.

The only thing that truly concerns me about Victorino is the fact that his line drive percentage has gone down in each of the last 4 years. It went from 20% in 2009, to 19% in 2010, to 16% in 2011, and finally 15% this past season. Perhaps a BABIP of .278, which is 21 points lower than his career mark of .296, was the problem. Not to mention that he hit a few more balls on the ground this past season than he has in years.
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Like anything else it comes down to just how much the player will cost. Shane will likely command more per year than the $14.7 million Fangraphs figured he was worth in 2012, but as long as it's not much more than that, and only for 3 years, then I'd be happy to invite him into our world.

Ichiro Signs With Yanks 1 Year $5 Million

EDIT: Erik Boland says that there is "no truth" to the report that the Yankees and Ichiro have agreed to a deal. I expect the team to look for a better starter to take over for Swisher before either signing Ichiro as the starter or backup.

Japans news sports outlet Nikkan is reporting that Ichiro Suzuki and the New York Yankees have agreed upon a one year deal worth $5 million plus incentives. I will update this when more information becomes available and when I am not mobile. This is a great depth signing but if this is Swishers replacement I cannot say that I am jumping for joy here honestly.

Andy Pettitte Close To Deal With Yankees

I am posting this mobily if that is even a word but Buster Olney posted to his twitter account this morning that Andy Pettitte and the Yankees are close on a deal to bring Andy back in pinstripes for the 2013 season. One word comes to mind when I hear this and that is hallelujah.

Yankees Playoff Revenue Share Set At $115,065.28

So apparently fielding a team that was only good enough to get swept out of the ALCS can gain a team a whopping $115,065.28 for 58 players and coaches. Just as an FYI the World Series champion San Francisco Giants earned a little over $377 K after they swept the Detroit Tigers which surpassed the previous record of $362 K held by the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals.

Yankees Avoid Arbitration With Eli Whiteside

The Yankees and Eli Whiteside have announced that the two have come to an agreement on a contract for the 2012 season worth $625 K avoiding arbitration. Eli is a great defensive back up catcher but it sure would be nice if we were more worried about who guys like Eli will be backing up and less about saving a few dollars in arbitration. Maybe it is just me...

Russell Martin Wants To Play SS In WBC

Yankees free agent catcher Russell Martin has expressed an interest in playing the shortstop position for Team Canada in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Martin has never played professionally at short stop but he has played both SS and third base in high school, college, and for the Team Canada team before so it will not be out of the realm of possibilities. He has also played fifteen games at third base and one game at second base in the majors although he calls short stop his "natural position" so there is always that.

Russell Martin Prefers Return To New York

The Yankees, much like in the Ichiro Suzuki situation, have not yet reached out to their own free agent in Russell Martin even though he has expressed an interest in a return to the Bronx. The Yankees have said that their main concern is the pitching, namely Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte, before moving on to the rest of the roster. After signing for a one year deal and $7.5 million last season the new deal is expected to be in a two or three year deal worth $20- $25 million. Hopefully the Yankees call Russell soon because it is very obvious that we have nothing in house to replace him and people like Mike Napoli are asking for four year deals. There is always AJ Pierzynski but the contract year and his age at his position just screams red flags to me but what do I know, right?

Yankees Check In On Stanton

According to Nick Cafardo the Yankees have inquired about the availability of Giancarlo Stanton. This news is hardly a surprise due to the Marlins fire sale/trade with the Blue Jays about a week ago, and the Yankees were not the only team to check the waters regarding Stanton. The Phillies, Red Sox, Orioles, and Cubs have also called Miami regarding the 23 year old phenom.

Stanton has hit .270/.350/.533 with 93 homers in 373 MLB games, hit .290/.361/.608 with 37 bombs in 2012, and has played all but 1 of his MLB innings in right field, making him a great player to fill the hole left by Nick Swisher's departure. I'm not sure the Yankees have what the Marlins would want in return, but if a deal is possible the Yankees should do whatever they can to get it done.

The Yankees May Be Old, But So What?

"Hurry up and get your uniform on, you're starting for the Yankees tonight!"

A lot of people, from both inside and outside the organization, have criticized the Yankees for being old. I can't say that's not true, but the only problems I see with having an old team would be if the team wasn't winning, or that multiple positions were filled for a while... thus blocking prospects from being called up to Major League Baseball.

Even though the Yankees haven't won the World Series in a few years, nobody can say that the team hasn't been successful. They've won a total of 287 games over the last three seasons, with two division championships, and two trips to the American League Championship Series thrown in. So even though the Yankee motto each year is "World Series title or bust", it's ridiculous to say the team has not been a success.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox feel like the guy in the white shirt, having missed the playoffs in each of the past 3 years.

So what about blocking prospects? We saw Jesus Montero traded during the last offseason, and a big reason it happened was because neither the catching or first base slot was open for him in 2012. The Yankees felt the need for a possible front-line starter that was still young and under team control for a while, so they pulled the trigger on the deal that sent Montero to Seattle for Michael Pineda (not to mention that Hector Noesi was also sent to the Mariners for Jose Campos). So the "prospects being blocked" thing is a problem for the Yankees, right?

Wrong.

Here are the top 10 Yankee prospects at the end of the 2012 season, according to Baseball America. The player's estimated time of arrive in MLB is listed next to their name.


Mason Williams, of - 2015

The Yankees current outfield consists of Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson, and... who knows? Brett will be eligible for free agency after the 2014 season, while Granderson is going into the final year of his contract next year. So currently all three outfield spots could be open for Williams when he arrives in MLB in or around 2015.

Slade Heathcott, of - 2014

Although Heathcott is 21 years old, and therefore is as old as some guys when they make the jump to the Majors, he is likely to spend at least one more season in the minors due to having just finished the 2012 season in high-A ball. Depending on what happens with right field this offseason, two of the outfield positions could be available to Slade in 2014.

Gary Sanchez, c - 2015

Even if the Yankees were to sign Russell Martin to a three year deal, as has been rumored, that would mean the starting catcher spot would be open for Sanchez in the 2016 season. Some believe Gary could be MLB-ready by 2015, meaning he could spend a season as Martin's backup, which is a pretty good idea to me. Russ has a good rapport with the pitchers, and does a great job defensively, so having Sanchez learn from him for a season could be a really good thing.

Tyler Austin, of - 2014

Yet another outfielder in the Yankees top 10 prospects. Theoretically, since I pointed out that two of the three outfield spots could be available by 2014, both Heathcott and Austin could fill those holes. Although I highly doubt that, by 2015, the Yankee outfield would have a rookie (Williams) and two second-year players (Heathcott and Austin), so I fully expect at least one of them to be used in a trade.

Jose Campos, rhp, Brett Marshall, rhp, Manny Banuelos, lhp, Ty Hensley, rhp, Rafael De Paula, rhp - 2014

It's almost pointless for me to talk about the pitching situation in the future, as things can chance so much in just one season (see Ivan Nova, who went from sure-thing starter to somebody I'd like to see bumped from the rotation), but let me point out that CC Sabathia is the only Yankee starter under contract after 2013, while Michael Pineda, Ivan Nova, and David Phelps are the only other current Yankees with true starting experience that will be under team control by 2014.

Angelo Gumbs, 2b - 2015

Gumbs is the only top 10 prospect that will likely be blocked from being able to move into a starter's role in MLB, as I fully expect the Yankees to eventually work out an extension with Robinson Cano. The idea crossed my mind that he could move to SS, as he has some experience playing there in the minors, but it turns out that it's only 7 games worth... and 6 of those were a couple years ago in rookie ball. Perhaps 3B would be a viable alternative, although I think being trade fodder is more likely for Angelo.

By the time 9 of those 10 players are MLB-ready, there could be starting spots waiting for them. Which tells me that the Yankees being "too old" right now is nothing to worry about.

Just like Hef, the Yankees may be old but they're still having plenty of fun.