Jeter Could Be Future Part-Owner of Miami Marlins?

From Hardball Talk and NBC Sports:




Just a tour, right? Dude lives in Florida and wanted to check the place out. Buster, however, speculates more:

Jeter, whose home is in Florida, has never made a secret of his desire to buy into a team someday, and perhaps he’s looking into the possibility of owning a share. Additionally, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has always been enamored of the Yankees.

Could you imagine Derek Jeter aligning his baseball interests with Jeff Loria? His business interests, perhaps. His art interests, maybe. But if Derek Jeter knows anything he knows about image and branding and the idea that a huge, huge part of his legacy is owed to the association with the Yankees, which is in turn associated with class and winning and all of that.


Which isn’t to say that Jeter would never become involved with another team. To the contrary, there are a lot of teams which have winning legacies and class and and all of that. But I have a really, really hard time seeing him associate himself with a Jeff Loria-owned Marlins team. Because that’s about as anti-Jeter as it comes.

The Case For/Against Everth Cabrera

Tuesday night was the deadline for teams to offer or non-tender players and the San Diego Padres made an interesting move by not offering a contract to shortstop Everth Cabrera. Cabrera is a 28 year old switch hitting shortstop with three years of team control left and a whole lot of baggage. Just like any free agent, and non-tender candidate, Cabrera would come with pros and cons and we plan to try and list those here.

Pros:

• ·         Switch hitter
• ·         28 years old, youthful
• ·         Three years of team control
• ·         Doesn’t gut the farm system to acquire
• ·         Made less than $2.5 million in 2014
• ·         Above average league rating per 9 and per game defensively
• ·         Has 40 stolen base speed

Cons:

• ·         Coming off a down 2014 season and a Biogenesis suspension
• ·         Had a DUI charge last season questioning his character
• ·         Walked only 20 times in 2014
• ·         Low BA, OBP, and OPS

As you can see Cabrera is not the complete package and would not bring the dynamic to the infield and the lineup that say a Troy Tulowitzki would but in the same breath is more than a simple band aid or stop gap. The farm system does not have a shortstop closer than three years away and the free agency market looks bleak for the foreseeable future at the position and Cabrera could fill the position until a more attractive player becomes available via free agency, in a trade or through the farm system (here’s looking at you Jorge Mateo). Cabrera is not Plan A but he is better than Stephen Drew or Brendan Ryan so if the team doesn’t have plans on acquiring Tulowitzki or a Starlin Castro type they may want to take a long and serious look at Cabrera in 2015. 

Expect Heathcott and Campos Back, Maybe Huff

I was shocked a bit when I heard the news that the Yankees had non-tendered outfielder Slade Heathcott and pitchers Jose Campos and David Huff but history got me thinking that we may see Heathcott and Campos back in Yankees camp soon. In recent years the Yankees have done the same to third baseman David Adams and to some extent Nik Turley, Francisco Rondon and Corban Joseph to get them off the 40 man roster but still with the organization.

New York quickly brought these players back on minor league deals without the 40 man roster obligation presumably on some kind of verbal agreement. I can only speculate here that a similar issue is going on with Heathcott and Campos this season. Both players have often been injured and run very little risk of being claimed on waivers by other teams or picked up by other teams. Huff on the other hand could be doing the same but after a strong second half with the Yankees may be looking to latch on elsewhere.

Don’t panic Yankees fans all this means is the team has three more open 40 man roster spots and could have all three back in Spring Training or back with the team in some capacity in 2015. 

TGP Daily Poll: Yankees Will Sign Evereth Cabrera

The New York Yankees need a shortstop and a decent one just became available on the free agency market after the San Diego Padres non-tendered the 28 year old. The Yankees will pounce and sign him.

Vote in our poll!

This Day in New York Yankees History 12/4: Free Agent Draft

On this day in 1964, in an effort to prevent teams like the New York Yankees from locking up all the talent in Major League Baseball, the owners voted to start a free agent draft. The team with the worst record would pick first and the team with the best record from the previous year would pick last obviously and this draft would happen every four months.

Robertson Just Using Astros For Leverage, People Familiar With Team Claim

It's been known for weeks the Astros have been talking to Free Agent closer David Robertson, but now it appears Robertson wasn't really listening to them.

Instead, it seems, Robertson was just using them for leverage against the Yankees, who have stated numerous times this offseason they're not interested in giving him the four-year deal he wants. The Astros were first said to have contacted Robertson back on November 22, and have been pursuing him ever since.

Houston may have even gone as far as to offer Roberton a three-year/$39 million deal earlier this week, something an anomyous team reportedly did Sunday.

“They think he is using the [Astros] for leverage,’’ a person familiar with the Astros told The New York Post's George King Tuesday, in a potential confirming of the rumor.

And that person wasn't the only one to say so.

Indeed, it's not looking great right now for those who are hoping to see Robertson head to Space City this winter. The Astros are currently attempting to stock up on relievers after recording baseball's highest bullpen ERA in 2014, so being out on Robertson this soon certainly can't help them.

“It sure sounds like it was for leverage,’’ another source said. “He doesn’t fit with the Astros."

In recent days, the Yankees have been openly trying to acquire former Orioles set-up man Andrew Miller, who is said to be asking for much less than Robertson. If Robertson walks and Miller winds up in pinstripes, it's likely the latter will keep pitching eighth innings while Dellin Betances throws ninths, giving the Yankees a solid back end.

Then again, if Robertson's strategy here doesn't make the Yankees budge, it's a safe bet he'll end up just lowering his price tag, a happening that'd probably bring New York back into the picture, anyway.

Yankees Offer "Blow Competition Out of the Water" Type Deal to Lester

Yankees in on Lester with a late and large offer...
— Matt Abbatacola (@MattAbbatacola) December 3, 2014

Take it with a grain of salt, especially lately where not well known people and insiders are reporting "deals" on Twitter daily that never come true but here we go again. Thoughts?

@jab_lo_now_ski Not sure what your angle is... Yankees made a "blow the competition away" type offer
— Matt Abbatacola (@MattAbbatacola) December 3, 2014

Nick Markakis Could Lead to Selling High on Brett Gardner

News broke earlier in the week on Twitter from Dave Gershman, former ESPN.com writer and scout, that the New York Yankees were in serious discussions with Nick Markakis on possibly a five year deal. It doesn’t seem very likely that the Yankees would add another left handed lead off type hitter into their outfield or a fifth outfielder all together but it’s the offseason so let’s have some fun and roll with it. Let’s say the reports are true and Markakis will leave the Orioles and become a Yankee, would this lead to the Yankees selling high on Brett Gardner and trading him for some infield help?

As I mentioned earlier the Yankees would have five outfielders if they signed Markakis including Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran and Chris Young. Now while it’s not out of the realm of possibility for New York to carry five outfielders, they did so for most of 2014, Alex Rodriguez being on the books really complicates things for the team. If the Yankees signed Markakis they would have two options, one more likely than the other, they could DH Beltran and make A Rod a $22 million bench player or they could trade Brett Gardner for some infield help, say Troy Tulowitzki for example, and play Markakis in left field.

This is interesting because, without comparing the two or daring to give Yankees GM Brian Cashman that much credit, this seems to be lining up (again, if true) to be a Billy Beane type trade for New York. Beane is known for shocking the world and trading a Josh Donaldson with four years of team control for prospects only to later flip those prospects for a Justin Upton for example. Could Cashman sign Markakis knowing once the ink was dry that he could flip Gardner for Starlin Castro or Tulowitzki or is this all just wishful thinking on my part?

Stay tuned to find out…..

Don't Fret, Alex Rodriguez Isn't THAT Overpaid Anymore

Alex Rodriguez is overpaid that is the understatement of the century, especially when trying to consider the production you will get for your $22 million in 2015, but the good news is the Yankees thought ahead. A Rod's deal was heavily front loaded leaving him getting paid around $10 million less in 2015 then he was at the peak of the contract (with incentives and such). With all the money coming into the game right now 17 players are making more or the same as Rodriguez in 2015 so don't fret Yankees fans, it could be worse.

1. Clayton Kershaw - $32,571,428
2. Justin Verlander - $28 million
3. Josh Hamilton - $25.4 million
4. Cliff Lee - $25 million
5. Ryan Howard - $25 million
6. Zack Greinke - $25 million
7. Felix Hernandez - $24,857,142
8. Albert Pujols - $24 million
9. Prince Fielder - $24 million
10. Robinson Cano - $24 million
11. Cole Hamels - $23.5 million
12. Mark Teixeira - $23.125 million
13. CC Sabathia - $23 million
14. Joe Mauer - $23 million
15. Miguel Cabrera - $22 million
16. Jose Reyes - $22 million
17. Masahiro Tanaka - $22 million
18. Alex Rodriguez  - $22 million

It sucks to be the Philadelphia Phillies right now with Lee, Howard and Hamels eating up that much salary especially with two of them coming off injuries or under performing seasons. The Yankees have four that made the list including Rodriguez so I guess it sucks to be us too. 

Dale Scott is Gay and I Don’t Care

Major League Baseball is still waiting for its first player to admit that they are gay but they have their first umpire to come out openly and his name is Dale Scott. Scott has been a major league umpire for the past 29 years and did an interview with Referee Magazine which showcased a picture of him and his longtime partner and now same-sex domestic partner. Scott married his husband Michael Rausch last November, has him on his insurance policy and has him his own MLB identification.

My question is, and I guess this could quickly turn into a rant, is who the hell cares? Not that I have a problem with him coming out, announcing it and being proud of it because I don’t. I do have a problem with the fact that we as a society have to label everything. Everything has to be “outed” and we have to be separated and segregated even though we’re all people. Me personally I couldn’t care less if you’re black, Hispanic, white, Asian, or purple but maybe it’s just me.

Scott is gay, so what? Let’s not forget the fact that he has been a crew chief for 12 seasons, worked three World Series, worked the National League Division Series and is generally thought of as a great guy and a great umpire around the league. The world needs to stop labeling one another, that’s the only way we are all going to be truly equal. /rant