We've Lost Another Great Man

First and foremost, The Greedy Pinstripes is a Yankees blog. A place to share information and thoughts regarding our favorite baseball team. Actually, they are my favorite team... period.

But things happen in our lives that transcend the Yankees, and even the game of baseball.

Back in June I lost my father. He had been fighting illness for years, but his body finally gave out. My father was tough, and I know that many others would have succumbed to that illness long before him. But the thing about that situation, even though it was the toughest thing I've ever had to deal with, is that I was able to prepare for it.

That's not the case for one of my best friends, who lost his father yesterday morning. His father was a great man, who will be missed by many... many... people. I'll never forget how he treated me like one of his own children, and did so with a smile on his face at all times.

Leslie Noble will never be forgotten, and will live on in our hearts forever.

Yankees Have Not Made An Offer To Stephen Drew

Buster Olney (sorry, I don't have a link) is reporting that while the Yankees have made offers to free agents Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Shin-Soo Choo, one guy they haven't made an offer to is Stephen Drew.

This news saddens me a bit, as I was hoping the Yankees were looking to replace Jeter at shortstop. But I suppose Drew doesn't fit a need, which is somebody that could spend time at third base as well. Drew has spent every inning in the field as short. Unlike Jhonny Peralta, who has spent quite a bit of time at both positions on the left side of the infield. Unfortunately, Peralta just signed with the Cardinals.

I suppose this doesn't mean Drew is off the Yankees radar, but it does tell me that he's low on the list of priorities. Which is understandable.

What I Am Thankful For: The Return of Brendan Ryan

Thanksgiving is this week and obviously all the talk is what we are thankful for, well that and turkey, gorging ourselves, and Black Friday deals, and The Greedy Pinstripes is no different. This week we will cover what we are thankful for when it comes to the New York Yankees, and we may throw a personal touch in there as well. Today I wanted to start small and start slow with the little things that don't get enough attention, things like having a capable back up for a 39 year old short stop that is coming off of basically a missed season due to injury. Enter Brendan Ryan.

I fully expect Derek Jeter to come back healthy and ready for the 2014 season, I even expect him to play 140 games or so at short stop, but it never hurts to have depth. Last year we saw the Yankees throw guys out in a baptism of fire like Jayson Nix, Brent Lillibridge, Luis Cruz, Eduardo Nunez, and Alberto Gonzalez to name a few as every day players at short. None of these guys outside of Nunez has any business playing every day or even more than once or twice a week but with Ryan the Yankees finally had a legit backup in 2013 and will once again in 2014. Ryan is widely considered to be the best defensive short stop in the game right now and has range for days, as we all saw in 2013, and made plays last year that no infielder on the Yankees roster would have gotten to.

Ryan is not going to win us a lot of games, he probably wont have a positive WAR, he probably wont hit above .230, he probably wont hit for power or hit at the top of the order either but he will save a lot of games, he will probably save a lot of miles on Derek Jeter's legs, and will save a lot of runs.

To put in a Thanksgiving kind of perspective Brendan Ryan is not the turkey, he's not the stuffing, and he's not the pumpkin pie. Ryan is more like the rolls or the bread that no one keeps coming back for plate after plate for the weeks to come but is always have to wipe up the gravy and all the good stuff on the plate.

The Psychology of a $300 Million Contract

So Jay-Z wants $300 million over 10 years for his new client, the one and only Robinson Cano.

What is the reasoning behind such an outlandish offer?  The richest contract ever signed was for a player in the same clubhouse by the name of Alex Rodriguez valued at $275 million over 10 years.  Prior to that signing (in which the Yankees were bidding against themselves the whole time), A-Rod...performance-enhancing drugs or not...was putting up monster numbers and MVP seasons.  Is Robinson Cano even close to the baseball player A-Rod was in his prime?  The second richest contract was for $252 million over 10 years, also to A-Rod...and that was when he was REALLY mashing it (and really taking PEDs according to him).

Besides those 2 contracts you will have to visit the ones signed in the last few seasons for Albert Pujols (10 years, $240 million), Joey Votto (10 years, $225 million) and Prince Fielder (9 years, $214 million).  Robinson Cano is clearly the best second basemen in the game, but is he Pujols, Votto, or Fielder? The short answer is no.  The best comparison for Robinson Cano would be his counterpart from the Red Sox, Dustin Pedroia, who signed a very rich contract for a 2nd basemen at $110 million over 8 years.  Do I think Cano is better than Pedroia...obviously.

So who in their right mind would give Robbie that $300 million over 10 years.  In 10 years my oldest son will be in college...and there might not be a United States by then either.

The answer is...no one in their right mind will give Cano $300 million dollars.  He knows it and Jay-Z knows it.  So why ask for that much??  Simple, it is all a ploy to set up Cano as the hero.  The hero that takes a huge cut in his demands to take the "hometown" discount.

"I can be your hero baby..." (compliments of Enrique Iglesias)

Every blog I've read about Cano states something to this effect..."I wouldn't pay more than $180 million over 7 years for Cano..." and so on and so forth.  So the expectation is that Cano will be somewhere between $180 and $300 million.  Does anyone for a second think that he would be unhappy with a 8 year, say $190 million dollar contract to re-sign with the New York Yankees...or $200 million to go across town to don the Orange and Blue?  That's between $23.75 million and $25 million a year.

THAT'S BETWEEN $23.75 MILLION AND $25 MILLION A YEAR...which would almost double the average value of Pedroia's $13.75 million per year.  Is Cano twice as good as Pedroia...me thinks not.

The Yankees currently have 3 players making that kind of money a year, which amounts to higher than 8 major league baseball teams' entire payroll for 2013.  If Cano was signed for that money as well, the Yankees would be paying 4 players (pending A-Rod's suspension) more than 17 major league baseball teams' entire payroll.

Cano is going to get a big contract, no question about it.  Whether he stays with the Yankees or not depends on whether he wants to play the part of the villain or the hero...a villain making a ton of money as a Dodger or Met or Blue Jay, or a hero making a ton of money (albeit it less) and looking good while doing it.

However...if he won't accept anything less than that $300 million...let him walk.  The Yankees have a former 2nd basemen playing left field that has more rings with the Yankees than Cano anyways...

dm23HOF

The Evolution Of MLB Baseball Video Games

The evolution of MLB Baseball games. This is an awesome video and I have had most of these games myself and still play them on various emulators, etc. Very cool video to pass the time on this Monday morning. Enjoy!

This Day In New York Yankees History 11/25

On this day in 1970 the Yankees catcher Thurman Munson was named the American League Rookie of the Year. Munson received 23 of the 24 first place votes in an absolute landslide over the Indians Roy Foster.

On this day in 1980 the Yankees and George Steinbrenner hired Gene Michael to be their manager. Michael would be the 25th manager in Yankees history and would replace Dick Howser after he led the Yankees to a first place finish in the AL East and a 103-59 record. "Stick" did what Howser couldn't though when he won two American League pennants in his first two seasons as the manager.

On this day in 2009 the long time New York Yankees public address announcer Bob Sheppard announced that he would not be back to do any more games. The 99 year old Sheppard cited age and lack of stamina, imagine that, for the reason for his retirement. Bob was the voice of the Yankees, and the "Voice of God," for over 50 seasons and saw the likes of Joe DiMaggio, Derek Jetah, and Mickey Mantle in his time with the team.

Yankees Have Inquired About A Matt Kemp Trade

The New York Yankees have inquired about a potential Matt Kemp trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kemp would be an absolute beast in Yankee Stadium if healthy and would represent the biggest potential upgrade we could have over the Ichiro Suzuki and Vernon Wells duo.

Kemp is entering his age 29 season and is owed a ton of money going forward, $128 million through 2019 and an AAV hit of $20 million per season, but a deal would be really tough to get done. First the Dodgers would presumably want the Yankees to take on all of the remaining salary where we would want the Dodgers to eat somewhere up to $5 million per season AAV wise if possible. Also the Dodgers are a very win now team so unless we can fill their third base void with David Adams, their pitching void with Adam Warren or David Phelps, then the deal is going to get hairy.

The Dodgers have four outfielders in Kemp, Yasiel Puig, Andre Ethier, and  Carl Crawford and the Dodgers are looking to trade one of the four to make full time room for Puig. Kemp is not without his questions marks with his health as evident by his ankle surgery this offseason, his shoulder surgery last offseason, and various other injuries including some lost time due to a hamstring this season but the upside, if proven to finally be healthy, is insane.

Imagine a Yankees lineup with Kemp's bat in the middle of it, Robinson Cano, and the recently acquired Brian McCann:

Gardner

Jeter

Cano

Kemp

Teixeira

Soriano

McCann

Nunez

Ichiro(DH)

Jhonny Peralta Comes Off The Yankees Board

If Jhonny Peralta was on the New York Yankees board, I know he was on my board, he is now officially off of it after signing a free agent deal with the St. Louis Cardinals. Peralta received a four year deal worth $52 million which is pretty steep for a guy coming off a 50 game steroid suspension. $13 million AAV only fits in with us if Alex Rodriguez is suspended.

A Look At Brian McCann In New York Yankees Pinstripes

Just for fun here is a photoshopped picture of our new catcher in Yankees pinstripes courtesy of Rob Abruzzese from Bronx Baseball Daily. Glad to see him back and posting again and glad to have a sneak peak of our new toy in Yankees Stadium. Just pretend like he doesn't have a beard.

Robinson Cano - Someone Else’s $300 Million Dollar Man

The more and more I read about this debacle that is going to be the New York Yankees and Robinson Cano negotiating thing the more I am thinking that we should just let Cano get his way and get his $300 million 10 year contract, with someone else.

Think of it this way is Robbie ever going to be able to live up to that kind of contract, probably not, and he is going to be vilified for holding out and being greedy, something we can appreciate here. Cano thought he was doing good putting Jay Z on the map as a sports agent but in reality, if this remains on the same path that it has been on, Mr. Shawn Carter is simply going to bring Cano down with him. I already hear the clamoring from Yankees fans on Twitter to simply let Cano go and spend that money elsewhere and it got me thinking that the Yankees would probably be better off if Cano left anyway to be honest. Let’s put this is dollar terms because most people understand those the best, Robinson Cano wants 10 years and $300 million to be a lifetime Yankees player. What could the Yankees do with $300 million to improve the team if they did not have Cano in the fold for 2014 and beyond you ask? Let’s look…

Obviously the first question is who would replace Cano on the roster at second base, take your pick. We have been interested in Stephen Drew, Jhonny Peralta, Omar Infante, Kelly Johnson, we could trade for Dan Uggla on the cheap, the options are plenty. None of them will be as good as Cano but none of them, outside of probably Drew, will cost more than $20-$25 million on a short term deal in my opinion. The Braves are willing to eat a ton of salary off of Uggla’s contract to get him moved and would require very little in terms of prospects to acquire him. Uggla seems like the type of trade that the Yankees and Brian Cashman specialize in and usually win taking on salary for prospects that I, a self-professed “prospect humper,” have never even heard of or know about. Omar Infante would be nice because he hit’s for a great average and has a nice glove to go with it but as a Plan B if the Yankees are willing to look at a Raul Ibanez return simply for some pop in the lineup then Dan Uggla would suit us just fine in Yankee Stadium.

Running tally - $25 million for Infante/Peralta and around $10 million for Uggla

*note - this was written and scheduled before McCann signed for $85-$100 million last night*

If the Yankees take less production at second base then they will have to upgrade elsewhere to make up for it and why not start where we had our worst production in 2013, the catcher position. Enter Brian McCann and ignore the rumors that McCann is getting $100 million because he isn’t. When are people going to learn that free agents ask for the moon at the beginning of free agency, teams low ball, and they generally meet in the middle. NO ONE is going to give McCann $100 million on the wrong side of 30 coming off of multiple years of injuries, NOBODY. The Yankees could get him somewhere in the range of five years and $75-$80 million, not that I want it to go that high and for that many years but I am trying to be realistic, and give guys like Gary Sanchez plenty of time to develop in the minors and gives us the opportunity to DH McCann in years four and five.

Running tally - $105 million

The Yankees got crap for production out of third base last year as well before the return of Alex Rodriguez, and this is assuming that he is suspended for most or all of the 2013 season, so why not make that out next priority? Enter Jhonny Peralta who we learned is seeking a four or five year deal in the $56-$75 million dollar range. Peralta has had up and down numbers over his career, especially recently, but can play both the shortstop position and the third base position which adds depth and versatility. Peralta has the potential to hit 20+ home runs, and did in big stadiums like the one in Detroit, and can hit at the top, in the middle, or at the bottom of a lineup. If the Yankees need a substantial upgrade from their 2013 production then the man from Detroit, Biogenesis ties or not, should be our man.

Running tally – $180 million

The Yankees need a big shot in the arm in right field because the Vernon Wells and Ichiro Suzuki duo is not going to cut it. What we need is a guy like Corey Hart or even Carlos Beltran If he comes off his high horse named “four year deal” at age 37. Hart and Beltran are scary identical when you look at their stats the last three or so years, obviously not counting Hart’s lost 2013 season, and when you look at their games and their baggage they are similar as well. Both have concerns with knee issues and a history of injuries, both play right field although Hart could fill in at first base and give the Yankees the opportunity to rotate their outfield again like they did last year, and both should be signing shorter term deals. The difference between the two is money as Beltran will probably receive a $15 million AAV over the course of his contract where I believe we could get Hart for somewhere around $8 million AAV. I would even be willing to go two years on Hart if that was what kept him from returning to Milwaukee in 2014.

Running tally - $188 million

The pitching is going to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and either makes us or breaks us in 2014.  Enter Masahiro Tanaka who, not counting the posting fee, is going to cost in upwards of $75 – $90 million. There is no way Tanaka is going to go back to Japan for 2014 and it may take a while, much longer then we expected, but he will be posted ultimately at the end of the day. With teams like the Texas Rangers spending big money and posting themselves out of the Tanaka sweepstakes it can only be good news for us the longer we can be patient.

The Yankees are looking for two pitchers and, for the sake of keeping these numbers under the $300 million that Cano is asking for, my thought process is the Yankees will have to sign a Kuroda type one year veteran deal to shore up the rotation. Enter Roy Halladay who not so long ago was the best pitcher in the world. He did not look like himself for much of last year but seemed to get better with every start and stronger with every start which I think is important. I think on a one year deal in the neighborhood of $10 million gets the job done and gets us an absolute steal and upgrade for the rotation.

Running tally with Tanaka- $278 million

Running tally with Roy Halladay- $288 million

So for the low low price of $288 million we could improve our team in five or so different areas as opposed to giving Robinson Cano a mega deal that does not improve us whatsoever over the 85 win team that we all saw in 2013. That also gives you an extra $12 million to throw Joe Nathan's way if you are silly enough to believe that David Robertson is not ready to replace Mariano Rivera as the Yankees closer.

 Take a look at the rotation and the starting lineup we would throw out there as well:

Brett Gardner

Derek Jeter

Mark Teixeira

Alfonso Soriano

Brian McCann

Corey Hart

Jhonny Peralta

Ichiro Suzuki

Omar Infante/Dan Uggla

CC Sabathia

Masahiro Tanaka

Roy Halladay

Ivan Nova

Michael Pineda

The longer this goes on and the longer that this drags out the more I believe that Robby Cano is going to be the next $300 million man, just not for us.