Yankee Options

"How does this 'player option' thing work?"

I don't know about you, but figuring out who has an option remaining, and/or how many of them, has always puzzled me. Like today, when so many thought that Francisco Cervelli was out of options, meaning he couldn't be sent down to AAA without passing through waiver first. Turns out that, according to Mr. Brian Cashman himself, Frankie does have one option remaining. Which is big since the Yankee catching spot is wide open (albeit not good), meaning it would be great to keep around as many different players as possible that could fill that spot.

On top of Cervelli, Cody Eppley, Eduardo Nunez, and Ivan Nova also have one option remaining. Although they are expected to make the team anyway, Chris Stewart and Clay Rapada do not have any options left.

The team will likely lose one of their right-handed hitting players, as both Juan Rivera and Matt Diaz can opt-out of their contracts should they not get a spot on the Active Roster. Both players could probably find a big league job somewhere else in MLB, so I can't imagine they'd take a AAA assignment.

Yankees Announce 2013 Tampa Yankees Roster

The Yankees have announced their 2013 Tampa Yankees roster and in honor of "Prospects Month" here on The Greedy Pinstripes we wanted to bring it to you first. For the official Tampa Yankees website and news please go HERE. Here is the Tampa Yankees roster:

Pitchers:

Manuel Barreda
Kramer Sneed
Caleb Cotham
Shane Greene
Sean Black
Jeremy Bleich
Rich Macheri
Kenedy Agramonte
Nick Goody
Aaron Dott
Edison Mejia

Catchers:

Kyle Higashioka
Gary Sanchez
David Remedios

Infielders:

Kyle Roller
Zach Wilson
Slade Heathcott
Jose Toussen
Hector Rabago
Francisco Rosario
Jose Mojica
Carmen Angelini
Anderson Feliz

Outfielders:

Kelvin De Leon
Eladio Moronta
Mason Williams

Hal Looking Into Extending Cano

"What's the first thing I'm going to do with all that money?"

Currently, the biggest issue facing the Yankees after this coming season revolves around Robinson Cano, who is set to become a free agent.

Robbie hit .313/.379/.550 in 2012, with 33 home runs, and finished 4th in AL MVP voting. He also earned his 4th trip to the All Star game, his 4th Silver Slugger award, and a 2nd Gold Glove award. Cano will turn 30 on October 22nd, and about 10 days after that he will become an unrestricted free agent (in the past players had to file for free agency, but the new CBA automatically makes them a free agent the day after the World Series ends).

\

Although Cano's career OPS+ is a bit lower than Joey Votto's (123 to 155), who signed a 10 year extension last season, not to mention that Robinson will be a couple of years older when he signs his next contract, playing a premium position assures that it's going to cost the Yankees or any other team quite a bit for Mr. Cano's services. Personally, I think it's going to take at least an 8 year deal, and possibly up to 10 years, with an Average Annual Value of $22 to $24 million. And as I've written many times in the past, it would behoove the Yankees to get an extension done before Opening Day, so that Robbie's current contract will affect the AAV of his new deal. That may only save a few million dollars a year against the Luxury Tax, but after looking at a number of scenarios, that $2 to $3 million could mean the difference between getting under the threshold and not getting under it.

"My first purchase after signing my new contract was buying this sweet tuxedo."

I believe Cano is a guy that a team should build around for the future, much like the way the Reds are doing with Votto. But unlike Votto, who plays a position that has a ton of talent, second base doesn't offer a whole lot on the offensive side of things (last season only seven 2B in all of Major League Baseball had an OPS at or above .750, while there were 19 such players at 1B). That means that the Yankees could have a huge bat at 2B, giving them the ability to have a not-so-good bat in the corner outfield... a position normally reserved for somebody that can hit better than .283/.307/.390 (Ichiro's overall triple-slash in 2012). So when I read the following quote from Hal Steinbrenner, I was really happy...

“There’s been a conversation or two [about a contract extension with Robinson Cano]. We’ll get into that and we’ll talk about that at a later date. But he’s been a great Yankee and [we] hope he’s here his entire career.”

Now, there was no talk about trying to get that done before the 2013 season starts, but knowing that the team has at least got the ball rolling makes me smile. The #1 thing that I want to happen is for the team to bring Cano back, and this news makes me really believe that that's going to happen. It would be nice if this could go down before a team like the Dodgers is able to drive up the price, though.

Meet A Prospect : Matt Diaz

Matthew Edward Diaz was born March 3rd, 1978 in Portland, OR but spent most of his childhood growing up in Lakeland, FL.  While in Lakeland Matt attended Sante Fe Catholic High School until his college days where he attended Florida State University. A right handed outfielder standing at 6'0" and weighing in at 215 lbs I'd like to introduce you to one of the newest New York Yankees.

While Matt was at college for FSU as a two year starter he helped lead his team to two College World Series appearances including the title game against the University of Miami in 1999. He was named the Sporting News Man of the Year in 1998 and a First Team All American in 1999. The then Tampa Bay Devil Rays drafted Matt in the 17th round of the 1999 MLB First Year Players Draft and spent parts of the next seven seasons in the Rays minor league system. After struggling for parts of two years in the Majors with the Rays Matt found him released by Tampa and signing a one year deal as back up for the Kansas City Royals.

Matt would finally find a stable and consistent home when the Atlanta Braves scooped him up in a trade before the 2006 season. Matt would spend the next four seasons with Atlanta including his ten consecutive hit explosion in 2006, tying a National League record. Diaz signed a two year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates before the 2011 season but was ultimately traded back to Atlanta in August of the same season for a player to be named later. Diaz would stay in Atlanta until his thumb surgery in August of 2012 would cause him to miss the rest of the season. Now Matt has signed a one year minor league deal with the Yankees with an invite to Spring Training this season and has a great opportunity to make the big league club.

Matt Diaz has a lovely wife and three kids, Nathan, Anna, and Matthew Jr keeping him motivated. He also has a great organization that I fully support in the Diaz Family Foundation which was set up to help orphans and disadvantaged children in Polk County, Florida and around the world. Follow Matt on twitter and keep up with his foundation @diazfoundation. Welcome to the club Matt!!

Travis Hafner & Wife Added To Wives & Girlfriends

Newly acquired Yankees designated hitter Travis Hafner has a smoking wife named Amy Hafner and they have been added to the Yankees Wives & Girlfriends section of the site. Head over there and check her out HERE and you will not be disappointed. I wonder if she gave him the nickname "Pronk"... actually on second thought I do not want to know I do not want to ruin this mental image I have right now. Enjoy!

2013 Minor League Options & The Yankees

Chad Jennings over at Lohud had an interesting article earlier discussing who has options left for the 2013 season, who is out of options, and who has certain clauses in their contracts allowing them to opt out of minor league deals. I will direct everybody over THERE for the full write up but I wanted to touch on a few things that I thought were interesting.

Eduardo Nunez, Francisco Cervelli, Cody Eppley, and Ivan Nova all have one minor league option remaining and guys like Clay Rapada and Chris Stewart do not have any options left. David Phelps obviously still has options left and is a no brainer along with the rest of the guys on the 40 man that have not seen major league time outside a September call up. Theoretically the Yankees could start Nunez in the minors to work on being an every day short stop again, the Yankees could start Cervelli in the minors one more time if they decide to trade for a serviceable catcher, Cody Eppley could be sent down to make room for a guy like Mark Montgomery, and if Ivan Nova continues to forget how to pitch he can be sent down to Scranton as well. If the Yankees decide to upgrade either of Rapada's or Stewarts positions those two would have to clear waivers, and they probably wouldn't, before accepting a minor league assignment.

Matt Diaz and Juan Rivera, due to a clause in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement based on their MLB service time, can both opt out of their minor league deals at the end of Spring Training if they are not put on the 40 man roster. Obviously as it stands right now one of these two guys are going to make the club and the other will probably opt out so the competition should be interesting to watch this spring. Dan Johnson has a set opt out date that Brian Cashman would not recollect but if I had to guess I would say it is in late May as they usually are in that time frame. Dan Johnson is all but going to Scranton to start next season due to the Yankees 40 man roster crunch and the delay in the opt out. Thomas Neal, Bobby Wilson, and Gil Velazquez signed your run of the mill minor league deals and can and probably will be assigned to Scranton after Spring Training. Jayson Nix, Jim Miller, and Josh Spence were all designated for assignment and either outrighted to AAA or signed a split contract and can be sent down to the minors after Spring Training as well without having to clear waivers.

Cesar Cabral was the Yankees Rule 5 draft pick last season and a stress fracture kept him from making the big league club out of Spring Training last year so the same Rule 5 draft pick rules apply for 2013. If Cabral does not get added to the 40 man roster when he is activated off the 60 day DL then he will have to go back to the Boston Red Sox. The good news is he can be assigned to the minor leagues under a 30 day rehab assignment barring any set backs or new injuries. This will complicate things because unless a Boone Logan is traded or we decide to carry three left handed pitchers we will lose Clay Rapada or Cesar Cabral once the calendar turns to May 2013.

Yankees Ranked 13th in SI.com Power Rankings

Late last night Joe Lemire of SI.com posted his MLB Power Rankings. The Washington Nationals took the top spot, which isn't all that surprising. The Nats had a great 2012 season, and their top pitcher Stephen Strasburg, along with a couple of other key players, missed a significant chunk of time. The additions of Denard Span, Dan Haren, and Rafael Soriano should make the team even stronger too.

Unfortunately Lemire didn't rank the Yankees #2, #3, or anywhere in the top 10. The Yankees were actually ranked 13th in these Power Rankings. Here is the write-up on the Bombers...

Additions: 3B Kevin Youkilis, DH Travis Hafner, RP David Herndon, RP Jim Miller 

Subtractions: OF Nick Swisher, C Russell Martin, OF Raul Ibañez, OF Andruw Jones, 3B Eric Chavez, RP Rafael Soriano, RP Derek Lowe,* RP Freddy Garcia* 

If it's possible to be miserly with a $200 million payroll, the Yankees have accomplished it. New York handed out only one multi-year contract (a two-year deal to re-sign 39-year-old Ichiro Suzuki) and doesn't have much depth, which is a problem for a team whose starting left-side infielders, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, are recovering from major surgeries and whose lineup was already three years older, on average, than any other AL team. Leftfielder Brett Gardner and closer Mariano Rivera return from injuries, at least.

Like Washington, this isn't a bit surprise. The Yankees big losses were Russell Martin and Nick Swisher, and their replacements (Cervelli/Stewart and Suzuki) don't instill a ton of confidence. I think Kevin Youkilis and Travis Hafner can have big years for the team (if healthy... not a small "if"), but the offense seems to have taken a hit. The pitching shouldn't be much different, either in the starting rotation or bullpen (thanks to Rivera returning to take Soriano's place as the closer), but overall I don't think I'm alone in saying the Yanks are weaker.

Lemire, as well as many others, point out that the team got older, but that argument has never held much water with me. Sure, an aging player can hurt a team if he's under a long-term contract (see "Alex Rodriguez"), but only one of the seven players at or older than 35 have contracts longer than 2 years (take a wild guess at the answer to that one). Yes, as a player ages his value declines, but it all comes down to what they can do... not the date on their birth certificates. So I'm not going to let a team's age alone dictate what they can or can't do.

Are the World Series favorites in my opinion? No, but they aren't a total loss as some may make you think either.

Yankees Announce 2013 Riverdogs Roster

The Yankees have announced their 2013 Charleston Riverdogs roster and in honor of "Prospects Month" here on The Greedy Pinstripes we wanted to bring it to you first. For the official Charleston Riverdogs website and news please go HERE. Here is the Charleston Riverdogs roster:

Pitchers:

Bryan Mitchell
Charlie Short
Rigoberto Arrebato
John Brebbia
Brett Gerritse
Daniel Mahoney
Fred Lewis
Pedro Guerra
Zachary Arneson
Adam Smith
Jose Campos
Zachary Varce
Wilton Rodriguez
Scottie Allen
Matt Bashore
Joe De La Cruz
Ben Paullus
William Oliver
Philip Wetherell

Catchers:

Francisco Arcia
Nick McCoy
Tyson Blaser

Infielders:

Dante Bichette Jr.
Reymond Nunez
Casey Stevenson
Ali Castillo
Saxson Butlet
Cito Culver
Angelo Gumbs

Outfielders:

Ben Gamel
Cody Grice
Robert Refsnyder
Eduardo Sosa

Meet A Prospect : Kevin Youkilis

Kevin Edmund Youkilis was born on March 15th, 1979 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Carolyn and Mike Youkilis where he later attended the University of Cincinnati. As a right handed batter with a 6'1" 220 lb frame and a rather unique stance to boot Kevin Youkilis has taken Boston and Chicago fans by storm and hopes to make the Yankees fans shout "Youk" in 2013.

Kevin was drafted in the 8th round of the 2001 MLB First Year Players Draft by the rival Boston Red Sox as a 1B/3B out of the University of Cincinnati for a meager $12,000 signing bonus. Youkilis spent parts of five different seasons in the Boston Red Sox minor league system compiling a career minor league line of .299/.442/.441 while playing in 401 minor league games. Youkilis was always considered to be an on base machine who could knock the hell out of the ball and even infuriated Athletics GM Billy Beane when the Red Sox drafted him before Beane could. Youkilis was called up in 2004 by the Sox when Bill Mueller went down with an injury and hit a home run off Pat Hentgen and the Toronto Blue Jays in his first game in the Majors. He only appeared once in the 2004 World Series run, in the ALDS against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, but got his World Series ring that reversed the curse. He was on the 2007 Red Sox World Series team as well but this time as a starter at third base. 

Kevin has had more then a few accolades in his career including three All Star game appearances, two World Series rings, a Gold Glove, and the 2008 Hank Aaron Award for being the top hitter in the American League. Now he is a member of the New York Yankees after signing a one year deal worth $12 million this off season and will be looking for his third World Series ring. Welcome to the Yankees Youk, the " Euclis: The Greek God of Walks" I hope that you enjoy your stay. 

Pineda Close To Full Mound

"I have you within my sights, Mr. Pineda."

Erik Boland has provided us with even more Yankee news, this time regarding Michael Pineda.

We reported not long ago that Pineda was throwing from a half-mound, but that he still had a ways to go before he'd return. It turns out that pitching coach Larry Rothchild believes Michael will start throwing from a full mound in a week or so.

Although he still has a ways to go before he's game ready, this is a big step in Pineda's rehab.