Yankees Named As One of Five Potential Landing Spots for Ryan Howard

I was reading the USA Today yesterday morning and I clicked on a link titled “five potential landing spots for Ryan Howard” simply because I had a feeling the Yankees were going to be on the list. Low and behold New York was on the list along with the Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, and the Toronto Blue Jays.

Here is the write up from the article concerning the Yankees:

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/11/philadelphia-phillies-ryan-howard-mlb

3. New York Yankees

It sounds ridiculous, but the Yankees have: A) Plenty of bad contracts they could deal, B) A park that seems perfectly catered to Howard’s strengths, C) No clear limit on how much they’re willing to spend to stay competitive and D) An apparent fondness for aging former stars. First baseman Mark Teixeira’s signed through the end of 2016, but he, like Howard, has been injured and ineffective in recent seasons. The Yanks could get creative with a mix of Howard, Teixeira and Carlos Beltran in the DH spot, and hope time away from first base helps Howard stay healthy enough to mash again.

Howard is owed roughly $60 million in salary for the remainder of his contract that runs through 2016 including a $10 million buyout for the 2017 season. If the Phillies want to move him they are going to have to eat a huge chunk of that salary after lower body injuries has diminished his power, speed, and defense in recent years. Philadelphia is also venturing out into a market flooded with DH type players in Mike Morse, Victor Martinez, Billy Butler, Kendrys Morales, Nelson Cruz, Delmon Young, Corey Hart, and Evan Gattis.

I would take a free Ryan Howard but that’s about the extent of it. Pass. 

IBWAA SELECTS SHOWALTER, WILLIAMS IN MANAGER OF THE YEAR VOTE

Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced the winners in its Manager of the Year category Tuesday, with Buck Showalter, of the Baltimore Orioles winning the American League award, and Matt Williams, of the Washington Nationals, being selected in the National League.

 

Election results are as follows:

 

AL Manager of the Year

 

1^st Place:                  Buck Showalter, Baltimore Orioles
2^nd Place:                 Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

3^rd Place:                  Ned Yost, Kansas City Royals

 

NL Manager of the Year

 

1^st Place:                  Matt Williams, Washington Nationals
2^nd Place:                 Clint Hurdle, Pittsburgh Pirates
3^rd Place:                  Bruce Bochy, San Francisco Giants

 

Showalter received 98 first-place votes and 605 points. Scioscia managed 17 first-place votes and 281 points, while being named on 103 ballots. Yost received 30 first-place votes, 261 points, and was named on 81 ballots.

 

Williams received 61 first-place votes and 414 points. Hurdle garnered 40 first-place votes and 330 points. Bochy received 23 first-place votes and 226 points.

 

Ballot tabulations by Brian Wittig & Associates, using the Borda Method.

 

Below is the remaining IBWAA Awards announcement schedule:

 

Cy Young, Wednesday, November 12, 2014, 11:00 a.m. PST.

MVP, Thursday, November 13, 2014, 11:00 a.m. PST.

 

The IBWAA was established July 4, 2009 to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as a digital alternative to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Voting for full season awards takes place in September of each year, with selections being announced in November. The IBWAA also holds a Hall of Fame election in December of each year, with results being announced the following January.

 

In 2010, the IBWAA began voting in its own relief pitcher category, establishing the Rollie Fingers American League Relief Pitcher of the Year and the Hoyt Wilhelm National League Relief Pitcher of the Year Awards.

 

Among others, IBWAA members include Jim Bowden, Jim Caple, Mike Petriello, David Schoenfield, Mark A. Simon andDan Szymborski, ESPN.com; Kevin Baxter Los Angeles Times; Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports; Craig Calcaterra, NBC Sports Hardball Talk; Bill Chuck, GammonsDaily.com; Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; King Kaufman, Bleacher Report; Kevin Kennedy, Kostya Kennedy, Sports Illustrated; Jonah Keri, Grantland; Vlae Kershner, SFGate.com; Chuck Culpepper and Will Leitch, Sports on Earth; Jill Painter Lopez, FoxSportsWest.com, Bruce Markusen, Hardball Times; Ross Newhan; Dayn Perry and Matt Snyder, CBSSports.com; Mark Purdy, San Jose Mercury News; Eno Sarris and Wendy Thurm, FanGraphs; Tom Hoffarth and J.P. Hoornstra Los Angeles Daily News; Pedro Moura, Orange County Register; Neil Payne, FiveThirtyEight.com, Tracy Ringolsby, MLB.com, Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports.com, Dan Schlossberg, USA Today and Jesse Spector, Sporting News.

 

Association membership is open to any and all Internet baseball writers, with a yearly fee of $20, or $35 lifetime. Discounts for groups and scholarships are available. Members must be 18 years of age to apply.

For more information please visit www.ibwaa.com.

Contact:

 

Howard Cole
Founding Director, IBWAAbaseballsavvy@aol.com

And the Yankees Still Don’t Have a Hitting Coach

"My bad..." - Brian Cashman

News broke shortly after the New York Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs that the team was firing Kevin Long as the team’s hitting coach. Multiple reports on multiple news sites stated that New York would likely have a replacement in house by the time the World Series started. When the World Series ended the team announced that they had interest in Kansas City Royals DH Raul Ibanez for the job and then Ibanez expressed a mutual interest for the position. Then the Tampa Bay Rays announced their pool of potential managers for 2015 and Ibanez was on the list and is now presumably holding up the entire operation. I said all that to say this, the Yankees still don’t have a hitting coach.

I understand and admit that a hitting coach is not going to make or break anything on this team full of veterans and stars. Free agents will not stay away from New York due to the unknown on who will coach the hitters in 2015. Players won’t be disgruntled and demand or ask for trades simply because the team doesn’t have a hitting coach. It’s just a hitting coach but don’t the Yankees kind of need one or two?

What’s the hold up here?

P.S. this was written yesterday afternoon and scheduled for this morning so if news breaks late that the team signed a hitting coach, you're welcome. That usually happens when I schedule and write posts in advance. 

TGP Daily Poll: Predicting the MVP Awards

Tomorrow the BBWAA reveal the winner of the American League and National League MVP Award. I predict that Mike Trout of the Angels will win it for the AL and Giancarlo Stanton will win it in the NL.

Vote in our poll!

The Day I Met Yankees Great Bob Turley

On this day in 1958 Yankees reigning World Series MVP Bob Turley wins the American League Cy Young award. Warren Spahn would take second place by one vote with Milwaukee this season. Turley posted a 2.97 ERA with a 21-7 record with the Yankees while winning two games in the World Series.

 In an interesting side note I actually met Turley one time in Blue Ridge, Georgia when I was working for a construction/residential cleaning crew. We went in and did a clean at his house after he remodeled his basement. I did not originally know who he was, all his memorabilia and such was not up since the basement was being remodeled, until I went to pick up a check from him after the fact. I only spent five minutes tops with him and honestly I did not know who he was when he told me, all I knew was that he played for the Yankees. I shook his hand and never got the chance to speak with him again before he died in March of 2013. 

It pays to know your history and that is why this blog posts so much of it. Learn from the past ladies and gents.

This Day in New York Yankees History 11/12: Andy Finishes Second

On this day in 1996 Mariano Rivera probably cost Andy Pettitte a Cy Young Award after the Blue Jays Pat Hentgen wins the award. Hentgen would get a total of 110 points while Pettitte garnered 104 points in the vote. Mariano Rivera finished in third place including one first place vote that, if it had gone to Pettitte, would have made the difference in the award coming home to the Bronx. We'll take the World Series ring and settle I guess.

Cashman Not Panicking After Robertson Rejects Qualifying Offer

While this week's news that David Robertson rejected the Yankees' qualifying offer may have some people distressed, team GM Brian Cashman isn't all that worried.

Instead, it appears, he's advocating patience. He said Monday while in Phoenix for MLB's GM meetings that he's going to let things play out before he begins to worry about the Yankees' 2015 closer situation, which would likely include Dellin Betances taking over the ninth inning if Robertson signs elsewhere.

"Right now, we don’t have to name a closer for 2015 yet," Cashman told ESPN New York's Wallace Matthews. "Let’s wait and see how the negotiations take with David before I start trying to worry about who that is going to have to be. We’ll have somebody closing games out in 2015."

However, that somebody might not be the most experienced. The aforementioned Betances is coming off an All-Star rookie year, but could still be too young for the responsibility. As for the other options, none look too appealing. 

"We hope whoever it is is the best candidate possible," Cashman said. "We have some people you can give that opportunity to if we’re forced to internally, but let’s wait and see where the conversations take with David first and go from there.” 

The first of those talks with Robertson are set to come within the next few days. Robertson, 29, has pitched for the Yankees since 2008, and successfully converted 39/44 save opportunities for them this season.

Chris Young's Incentives Released

From the AP:

NEW YORK (AP) — Chris Young can earn up to $6,325,000 under his one-year contract with the New York Yankees.

The outfielder is guaranteed a $2.5 million salary under the deal announced Sunday and can make $3,825,000 more in performance bonuses based on plate appearances.

Young would earn $150,000 for 250, $200,000 for 275, $300,000 for 300, $350,000 for 350, $375,000 each for 375 and 400, $475,000 for 450, $500,000 for 500 and $550,000 each for 550, and 600.

The Japan All Star Series Starts Tonight

The Japan All Star Series begins this week in Japan in a seven game series between players from Major League Baseball and the Japanese League. The rosters have been released and the players are ready to go. Here are the rosters for the series and you can CLICK HERE for the schedule, game times, venues, and everything else you may need to know as baseball returns. Enjoy. 

PITCHERS
Jeff Beliveau (TB)
Jerry Blevins (WSH)
Chris Capuano (NYY)
Randy Choate (STL)
Jeremy Guthrie (KC)
Tommy Hunter (BAL)
Hisashi Iwakuma (SEA)
Mark Melancon (PIT)
Franklin Morales (COL)
Hector Santiago (LAA)
Matt Shoemaker (LAA)
Jose Veras (HOU)
Tsuyoshi Wada (CHI)
Rob Wooten (MIL)

CATCHERS
Drew Butera (LAD)
Erik Kratz (KC)
Salvador Perez (KC)

INFIELDERS
Jose Altuve (HOU)
Robinson Cano (SEA)
Alcides Escobar (KC)
Evan Longoria (TB)
Justin Morneau (COL)
Eduardo Nunez (MIN)
Carlos Santana (CLE)

OUTFIELDERS
Chris Carter (HOU)
Lucas Duda (NYM)
Dexter Fowler (HOU)
Yasiel Puig (LAD)
Ben Zobrist (TB)

The Last Time the Yankees Acquired a Texas Rangers Shortstop

News broke yesterday on the blog that the New York Yankees would at least kick the tires on acquiring Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus in a trade this winter. It is no secret that the Yankees are in the market for a shortstop and it’s also no mystery why most of the rumors regarding the position have been via trades. The free agent market is dry at the position and so it the farm system. Do we not remember the last time the Yankees acquired a shortstop from the Texas Rangers after the team had a change of heart after handing out a lofty contract?

The Yankees acquired Alex Rodriguez from the Rangers before the 2004 season for Alfonso Soriano and others while Texas kicked in a ton of cash. Truth be told that was a great deal for the Yankees as Texas was paying a huge chunk of Rodriguez’s salary while New York was getting MVP caliber seasons and awards out of their new third baseman. It wasn’t until A Rod opted out during the World Series and subsequently signed a new 10 year deal that the deal went sour but I digress, should the Yankees really bail out the Texas Rangers once again? In a word, and reluctantly, yes.

Basically Andrus is being paid for the eight eight seasons through the 2022 season at $120 million, or an AAV of $15 million. If the Yankees can pay a 40 year old Derek Jeter $17 million then I see Andrus as an absolute steal at a $2 million savings. This is before Texas presumably eats some salary to help the trade move along. Andrus is 27 years old and while he has his question marks and concerns attached to him honestly, who doesn’t?

Sure you could give Stephen Drew a one year pillow contract but then what? The shortstop free agent market looks worse next season then it does this season. The Yankees best and closest shortstop prospects are in A Ball and won’t be ready by 2016. A fresh team with a new atmosphere can do wonders for a players especially when they are playing for the New York Yankees. I don’t necessarily worry about him coming into camp 15 lbs. overweight last spring and I don’t worry that he is just a .272 career hitter. Andrus would make this team exponentially better and is probably the best shortstop that has been made available this winter, including Troy Tulowitzki, and if New York can snag him for a reasonable prospects deal I would do it in a heartbeat.

Andrus does not change the whole dynamic of the team and the middle of the order like a Hanley Ramirez would but he would inject speed on the base paths, flexibility in the field, and a gritty average at the plate. The Yankees are building a team with all three of those components and Andrus fits all three of those components, add the fact that New York would get his entire prime and can move him to second or third base if need be by the end of the contract this seems like a no-brainer to me. Get it done.