Yankees Trade For Casey McGehee

Preliminary reports say the Yankees have shipped Chad Qualls to the Pirates for 3B Casey McGehee. The Pirates or even more surprisingly going to be adding cash in the deal to the Yankees.

From Bryan...

Casey is nothing to get excited about, as he currently has a triple-slash of .230/.297/.377 for the Pirates. If this were at least 2010 I'd be ecstatic, but at this point he'll be depth only.

But there is one thing to be excited about... the Yankees dealt Chad Qualls for McGehee. In Chad's 7.1 innings with the Yankees he's put up an ERA of 6.14 and a WHIP of 1.773. And with Joba returning soon anyway, chances are Qualls would have been released.

Trade Reactions - Wandy Rodriguez

Not too long ago, going from the Astros to the Pirates would be a sideways move.

Wandy Rodriguez to Pirates, Rudy Owens & Robbie Grossman & Colton Cain to Astros

It's great to see the Pirates as buyers, because not only does it show that the team is doing well after years of ineptitude, but it shows that their management believes in them too.

I'm not a big fan of Wandy Rodriguez, as his career WHIP of 1.339 is a tad high, but he's sure to make a nice addition to a rotation that already has James McDonald and AJ Burnett in it. For the record I didn't want to see the Yankees trade for him, as I don't see Wandy fairing as well in the American League. He would probably make a good #4 or #5 starter, but I wouldn't want him to start a pivotal game for my team at all.

Anyway... are the Pirates for real?

So far this season the Pirates own a team wOBA of .302, which is ranked 11th in the National League. Pittsburgh's pitching has a FIP of 3.89, which ranks 6th in the National League. Going by those stats alone I'd say that they are, at least in the National League Central, where the Reds have a team wOBA of .316 (8th) and FIP of  3.68 (13th), while the Cardinals have marks of .336 and 3.69.

This just doesn't look right. I mean... good catch, but... ouch.

Those numbers would make you think that if the Bucs have a chance to win the division, it's on the coat tails of their pitching. But looking at their team BABIP of .289, which is well below the league median of .295, I'd say that this team could start scoring more runs than we've seen so far in 2012. On that note, the Cardinals own the highest team BABIP in the NL at .321, while the Reds BABIP is at .295.

Oh, and the Pirates own the 2nd best wOBA in the NL over the last 30 days... .346.

What does this mean for the Yankees?

I believe the Pirates can take one of the two Wild Card spots in the National League. I see the Nationals taking the NL East, St. Louis coming back and taking the NL Central, and the Dodgers taking the NL West, while the two wild card spots will be taken by two of the Reds, Braves, and Pirates.

"Hey, what about us?" - Stop allowing so many runs against and maybe I'll include you.

The real question to me is not whether Pittsburgh can get to the NL Championship Series, but whether or not they can beat the Washington Nationals. I already showed through stats that the Pirates can hang with the Cardinals and Reds, but neither the Dodgers or Giants are that good either. And so far, in 5 meetings this season against the Nats, the Pirates have won 3 games.

By the way, if the Nats don't have Stephen Strasburg throughout the playoffs (which would be stupid on their part), then we could see them in the World Series.

Which leads back to my belief that Wandy isn't "all that", and would not be that big a help against the Yankees. But while this trade, I don't think, has much of an affect on the Yankees, the Pirates could be around for a while.

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THIS ENDS TODAY AT MIDNIGHT!!!

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Add Mark Teixeira To The Injured List

UPDATE:

Mark Teixeira has some inflammation in his left wrist and will be out until at least Friday. He received a cortisone shot but there is no structural damage. Great news as we dodged a bullet. 

Mark Teixeira apparently injured his wrist while playing against the Red Sox on Sunday night and tried to play through the pain. On Monday, after making a diving play, was noticeably hurt and shaking that same wrist and left the game. X Rays were negative and he will be going for an MRI today. We dodged one bullet with the x rays maybe we can dodge another with the MRI today. Mark Teixeira going on the DL is the last thing that we need right now with half of his teammates already there, including clean up hitter Alex Rodriguez.

Meet A Prospect : Jose Mesa Jr

The New York Yankees used their 24th round pick on Jose Mesa Jr. Jose Mesa is only being mentioned here not because of his 6'4" 220 lb frame or because of his high school career at Flanagan High School but because his father is former major league closer Jose Mesa. Jose Mesa JR signed a deal that is expected to be above slot but the details have not been released. 

Jose Mesa has a fastball that tops out at 94 MPH with a curveball, slider, and a changeup. He relies on the fastball a little too much but that is to be expected out of a young pitcher. Mesa also plays 1B and 3B and has a power swing and power approach with a good glove in the field. 

Follow Jose on Twitter @JoeTable

Would You Give Cano 10 Yrs 200 Million?

All signs point to the Yankees having to really over pay to keep Robinson Cano a Yankee, especially if they do not wait until he is a free agent like they normally do. Scott Boras even went as far as to hint towards a 10 year $200 million contract to keep the slugger. My question to you is should the Yankees be willing to give him this contract in order to keep him?'

I personally have to say yes. Robinson Cano's do not come around very often, his defense is great, his bat is great and consistent, he has been very durable and has a great club house attitude. The ONLY problem is that Robinson Cano will be 30 years old this August so he would be 40 by the time the contract expires. My thing is though how can we give Alex Rodriguez a contract through his age 42 season and NOT give Cano his big pay day?

Ty Hensley Debuts With The Yankees

Ty Hensley made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Yankees and it was probably one to remember. He allowed three runs in 2 IP with 2 walks and a strike out. His velocity sat at 92-93 mph but touched as high as 95 mph. He looked very rusty and uncomfortable but you try not pitching for two months and see how well you do.

Orioles @ Yankees 7/30/12

Yankees lose their third straight 5-4 to the Orioles

On the eve of the July 31st trading deadline the Yankees will take on the Baltimore Orioles at Yankees Stadium. On the mound for the Yankees will be Freddy Garcia and will be facing the Orioles Miguel Gonzalez. We can really put the nail in the coffin for the division with a sweep here but it has to start tonight. The game will be televised at 7:05 pm ET on YES.

Lineups

Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher DH
Raul Ibanez LF
Eric Chavez 3B
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Chris Stewart C

Go Yankees!

Trade Reactions - Hanley Ramirez

"#1"? I don't know, Hanley.

Hanley Ramirez & Randy Choate to Los Angeles Dodgers, Nathan Eovaldi & Scott McGough to Miami Marlins

Can the Dodgers overtake the San Francisco Giants for the National League West title? 

I think they can, and that they will. Both teams have been close when it comes to their pitching, as the Giants team FIP so far is at 3.84 while the Dodgers team FIP sits at 3.62. Seeing as how the Dodger pitching has been much better than the Giants pitching over the last month, I think that gives LA the nod on the run prevention side of things. 

Neither team has been blowing anybody away with their bats, as San Francisco's team wRC+ has been 92, compared to Los Angeles' wRC+ of 86. But with Hanley Ramirez taking over at SS for the team, where they've gotten a wRC+ of 69 so far in 2012, I can see the Dodgers having a better offense as well.

I don't care how far away from New York you move, Melky, I'm still going to pick on you. Or at least the team you play for.

What does this mean for the Yankees?

Nothing.

Even if I assume the Dodgers win the NL West I don't see them getting past Washington, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, or St. Louis. And looking beyond this year I don't think it matters either. 

Personally, I don't want the Yankees to pay any big money for a starter. Unlike some people, I believe Michael Pineda will return and give the team quite a bit out of the rotation. Along with CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova, and Phil Hughes, the rotation looks fine to me. It's the catcher and right field slots that I believe the Yanks will have to address this off-season. 

Don't be sad, Michael. I still believe in you.

I mention all of that for those people that believe signing Greinke as a free agent will be tougher now, as the Dodgers already have their claws sunk into Zack's meaty white flesh.

I'm just glad the Rangers weren't able to sign Greinke, because if there's a team that... as of right now... I think can beat the Yankees, it's the one out of Arlington, TX.

Meet A Prospect : Matthew Snyder

The New York Yankees used their 10th round pick, 347th overall, on college first basemen Matthew Snyder. Matthew has spent his collegiate career at Ole Miss University. Matthew signed for, like his teammates two rounds previous to him, a well below slot deal at 10K.

Matt is a big guy, sitting at 6'6", and has major league blood running through his veins. His father, Brian Snyder, played 12 years in the minor leagues and two years in the show. He also has a brother, Brandon Snyder, who plays for the Texas Rangers. All these traits helped him his .363 with 7 HRs and 29 RBIs as a Senior at Ole Miss. His left handed swing has plenty of time to develop while we work through the Mark Teixeira contract. The only thing that concerns me about Snyder is whether he will be a hitter only type player of if he will round out as a complete player. 

Matt Snyder is already playing 1B for the Staten Island Yankees in the New York Penn League. In 25 games and 87 at bats at the time of this writing Matt has a .322 average, 2 HRs, 22 RBIs, 12 BB's, 9 K's, and an insane .918 OPS. He looks way too good and way too mature to be playing at Staten Island for much longer.