The Official New York Yankees Thread

[Total Head]

Manny applies for reinstatement; still faces ban
Slugger retired in 2011 rather than serve 100-game suspension

Tom Singer ~ MLB.com

The first news out of Dallas -- site of the Winter Meetings that formally open Monday morning -- wasn't about a player moving on, but one who wants to move back in.

Manny Ramirez, who went on Major League Baseball's voluntary retired list in April rather than face discipline for a second violation of MLB's drug policy, has applied for reinstatement.

The league released a statement on Sunday night reading: "Free-agent Manny Ramirez has applied to the Commissioner to be reinstated from the voluntary retired list. As a condition of his reinstatement, Ramirez will be required to resolve his outstanding violation of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, which was announced on April 8, 2011."The Office of the Commissioner and the Players Association have agreed that Ramirez will receive a 50-game suspension under the Joint Drug Program upon his reinstatement from the voluntary retired list. Such suspension shall begin with the first game that Ramirez is eligible to play after a Club signs him to a contract."

According to FOXSports.com, which cited a Major League source for the original report, Ramirez has already hired a pair of agents -- Barry Praver and Scott Shapiro -- to oversee his application process.

Ramirez served a 50-game suspension mandated by a first violation in 2009 while a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He signed as a free agent prior to the 2011 season with Tampa Bay, but served as the team's designated hitter in only five games -- with one single in 17 at-bats -- prior to news of his second violation and his immediate retirement.

LOL

 

[maineyankee]

December 8, 2011

Yankees make little noise at Winter Meetings
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com
DALLAS -- Unlike in years past, there was really no rush for the Yankees to get to these Winter Meetings, and that contrast of urgency set the stage for the week to be exactly what general manager Brian Cashman anticipated.

As he did last year, Cashman opened the week dangling off a Stamford, Conn., office tower, taking part in a holiday celebration. But with no clear target to pursue, the Yankees' GM finished his rappelling adventure and opted to spend Sunday evening at home.

That wasn't the case in 2010, as Cashman needed to hightail it to Florida in hot pursuit of left-hander Cliff Lee. But this time, Cashman had already declared the free-agent market out of range and didn't expect to pull off any trades before leaving Texas."I expected to come down here and make a lot of calls, have some meetings, but I wasn't overly optimistic," Cashman said on Thursday.By check-out time, the Yankees had accomplished some smaller items, including winning the rights to negotiate with 29-year-old Japanese infielder Hiroyuki Nakajima and acquiring two players in the Rule 5 Draft.

Their larger, more loudly stated goal of upgrading the starting pitching remains unchanged. Cashman said that he is thankful the Yankees locked up ace CC Sabathia by the close of business on Halloween, which has allowed for a much less urgent winter.

The way the Yanks see it, the core of this team won 97 games and the American League East in 2011, and it didn't do so by accident. The Bombers lacked some timely postseason hits against the Tigers, that much is apparent, but that alone isn't forcing wholesale changes.

"If we didn't get CC Sabathia, our winter would be a little bit different," Cashman said. "I've got to keep taking a step back and recognizing that we've got guys from our system that are producing, can produce or we have expectations will produce."

With only contract language holding up an official announcement of Freddy Garcia's one-year, $5 million deal, the Yankees' rotation figures to include Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova and A.J. Burnett heading into the spring.

Rumors surfaced during the Winter Meetings that the Yankees were shopping Burnett, even willing to assume some of the $33 million remaining on his contract over the next two years, but there were no takers.Cashman also balked at the offers he heard from clubs on the trade market. The Yankees checked in on Gio Gonzalez of the A's, John Danks of the White Sox, Matt Garza of the Cubs and Jonathon Niese of the Mets.

But teams keep asking for the Yankees' top-level talent, and Cashman isn't about to cough up Jesus Montero, Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances or rising outfield prospect Mason Williams.

"I'm willing to rock and roll, but we've got a lot of money committed already," Cashman said. "Trying to find matches [is] hard. Hey, listen, the Yankees are open for business.

"There's things I could do, but I think everybody here would look at it and say, 'Wow, if I did that, I should be a pinata.' I could do them, but I shouldn't do them. It's hard to improve on what we already have."

So they look at Burnett and figure he'll continue to provide innings, while both Cashman and manager Joe Girardi have high hopes for Nova -- a 16-game winner last year -- as well as Hughes, who won 18 games in 2010 and has been working out hard in California.

Cashman didn't blink as other teams stole the show, with names like Jose Reyes, Albert Pujols, Mark Buehrle and C.J. Wilson coming off the board. The Yankees were never seriously in on any of them. It remains to be seen if they will feel differently about Japan's Yu Darvish.

"We've got a lot of depth; can we add to it?" Cashman said. "We'd like to, but is it realistic? It's not, necessarily. For me to push through something, I'm probably going to have to overpay. That's where it's a tough thing to do."Deals done: The Yankees' reported $2 million bid was enough to win negotiating rights with Nakajima from the Seibu Lions. New York envisions Nakajima as a backup at second base, shortstop and third base. The Bombers have until Jan. 6 to reach agreement with Nakajima; if they're unable, no posting fee is charged.

Rule 5 Draft activity: New York obtained left-hander Cesar Cabral (Red Sox) and right-hander Brad Meyers (Nationals), trading cash considerations to the Royals, who took Cabral with the fifth pick of the Major League phase. The Yankees want to try Cabral as a second lefty reliever behind Boone Logan, and they will give Meyers a chance to be their long man since Hector Noesi will either be starting in the Majors or at Triple-A. The Bombers lost no players in the Rule 5 Draft, but released outfielder Greg Golson to create a space on the 40-man roster.

Goals accomplished: Cashman opened the week saying that a second lefty would be a luxury, and the Yankees may have found one in Cabral for just a relatively small sum of cash. Otherwise, not much was crossed off the to-do list.

Unfinished business: There's work to be done, even if the Yankees leave their starting pitching as is. Nakajima may present an alternative to re-signing veteran infielder Eric Chavez, but the club is still very much interested in getting outfielder Andruw Jones back to offer power against left-handed pitching. Raises will be given to the team's six arbitration-eligible players: Brett Gardner, David Robertson, Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, Logan and Russell Martin. Oh, and they'll almost certainly bid on Darvish, though they're being coy with their interest level.

GMs bottom line: "I'm OK with the balancing act, I'm OK with our decision making. I didn't expect much. It's hard to improve on what we already have." -- Cashman

 

[maineyankee]

Winners and losers from a wild week at the Winter Meetings
Tom Verducci ~ SI.com

The funniest moment of the baseball Winter Meetings happened when a minor league executive absentmindedly walked into a reflecting pool of the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas. Of course, given the blanket coverage of sports these days, a reflection itself of the game's health, the happenstance was captured by multiple cameras.
Taking the plunge was as good a metaphor as anything for the week of baseball business, though as we saw last year (Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth, Adam Dunn), such plunges come with the risk of embarrassment. The money flowed, albeit from unusual places. Here is a quick scorecard of the winners and losers of the week.
Winners
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Owner Arte Moreno spent $183 million when he bought the team in 2003. He spent $331.5 million during breakfast Thursday. Talk about your expensive room service bills. The negotiations of Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson concluded with shocking speed. Overnight -- or over eggs -- the Angels became a baseball superpower with a payroll nearing $170 million. That's $50 million more than just two years ago and creeping close to the luxury tax threshold of $178 million.

Regional sports networks. Twelve months ago Moreno was complaining about Carl Crawford money (seven years, $142 million.) What changed? He lined up a new local TV deal that could pay him almost twice the current annual rate of $50 million -- even with the second-worst ratings in baseball. Sports programming is hot. It provides loads of content and, most importantly, content that is DVR-proof. Most sports programming is consumed live, not time-shifted, and that's increasingly valuable to advertisers who prefer their ads actually be seen and not zapped. There is a reason the Rangers, who were in bankruptcy a year ago, and the Angels, who kept coming up short on free agents, are now superpowers -- they lined up state-of-the-art massive TV deals. Once it was new ballparks that created the hierarchy of spending power in baseball. Now RSNs are the new oil wells. Next up at the TV windfall game: the Dodgers.

Miami Marlins. Owner Jeffery Loria was so eager to spend cash that he looked at Wilson at one point and said, "Tell me what it will take to make you a Marlin." The Marlins were prepared to give Wilson more than $100 million over six years and reportedly dangled $275 million at Pujols. One baseball source said this is a franchise with such uncertainty that it asked free agents to be paid in two pay periods (some players prefer getting their money in only one period, the regular season) so that they could use the late-year revenue-sharing payments from baseball. It's credit card baseball, and with no no-trade clauses allowed. It could work out great if the fans keep coming beyond this year, or it could all fall apart in about three years. Still, a team that lost 90 games last year added three quality players in Jose Reyes, Heath Bell and Mark Buehrle. Loria set out to make the Marlins interesting and contenders. They are at least interesting. Give them credit for being bold in this rare opportunity of opening a new baseball-only ballpark.

The St. Louis Cardinals. That's right, signing Pujols at about $22 million per year through age 40 without the use of the DH position was risky for the small-market Cardinals if you take out the legacy factor. Other GMs thought the Cardinals privately let out a sigh of relief not to be saddled with a contract like that. Now they need to repurpose those resources assigned to Pujols to upgrade the team.

Yu Darvish. After rumors he might not be posted until January, Darvish posted on the final day of the meetings, just as teams started throwing around big money. Clubs are in shopping mode now, not January. The posting fee might threaten the $51 million Boston bid for Daisuke Matsuzaka, and teams such as the Nationals, Blue Jays, Mariners and Rangers may give a strong run at Darvish. The winner of the posting process will be known Wednesday.

Ron Santo and Tim McCarver. Born a year apart, they competed against one another in the NL from 1963-72. Now, with Santo elected by the Golden Era committee and McCarver voted the Ford Frick Award for his broadcasting excellence, both are well-deserved Hall of Famers -- finally.

Sandy Alderson. The Mets GM had the two best lines of the meetings, first, in response to Reyes whining about not being wooed by the Mets, said, "Maybe I should have sent him a box of chocolates," and then later, noting two of the three biggest contracts in baseball history (Alex Rodriguez and Pujols) were handed out at the same Dallas hotel, said, "There must be a strain of Legionnaire's disease here."

Losers
Oakland A's, Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros. The Angels and Rangers are so far out in front of the Athletics, Mariners and Astros (their AL West rivals beginning in 2013) that those clubs can't delude themselves into pretending to be contenders. The Athletics need the San Jose money more than ever, the Mariners may have to re-assess keeping Felix Hernandez out of any trade talks and the Astros will long for the good old days of the friendly NL Central.

St. Louis fans. They don't get to watch Pujols chase records and burnish his legacy as a Cardinals icon. But don't blame the ballclub or even Pujols. Pujols essentially became too good and too expensive for the size of the market -- particularly one that hasn't cashed in yet on the new RSN boom like the Angels and Rangers. St. Louis still has six years left on its local TV deal. They could also start their own RSN, paralleling what the Yankees and Red Sox have done, but St. Louis ranks 24th out of the 30 media markets measured by Neilsen. The Cardinals might not have enough eyeballs for the TV calculus to work.
Hanley Ramirez. He was a problem when he was playing the position he wanted, shortstop. Do the Marlins really believe he will go peacefully to third base? Don't rule out the possibility of a trade.

Chicago White Sox. The trading of a young closer, Sergio Santos, under six years of control surprised many baseball people. GM Kenny Williams indicated it was the start of a rebuilding process -- a process that may well be needed but figures to carry some short-term pain.

Big market spending. The Yankees, Mets, White Sox, Cubs and Dodgers played it conservatively when it came to money. The spending habits of the Dodgers were particularly interesting because of the expected sale of the team. Los Angeles this winter has signed Matt Kemp, Chris Capuano, Aaron Harang, Mark Ellis and Jerry Hairston to creatively structured multi-year deals. They will be paid just $20.75 million combined next season but $42 million in 2013, when owner Frank McCourt hands the bill over to someone else.

And remember this: With a new TV deal and new owner, the Dodgers just might be the Angels of the winter meetings next year, when the potential free agents include Josh Hamilton, Matt Cain, Zack Greinke and Cole Hamels.

 

[maineyankee]

The big news yesterday in the Winter Meetings of course was "Prince Albert". 25 Million a year for 10 years? A quarter of a billion dollars? To play Baseball? There goes the ticket prices.

Quick math using (2) of his stats from 2011 ... Played in 147 games out of 162 ... Translates into 2012 $17,006.80 per game. AB's in 2011... 579 ...2012 ... $4,317.79.

Bottom Line for me .... Gonna see some great AA-Ball in Portland Maine this year
The MaineYankee

 

[maineyankee]

Yankees haven't offered contract to Kuroda
Bryan Hoch ~ MLB.Com

NEW YORK -- The Yankees have not made an offer to free-agent right-hander Hiroki Kuroda, according to a person with knowledge of the club's thinking.

A report by the Japanese news outlet Sponichi suggested that the Yankees had already presented a one-year, $12 million offer to the hurler, who turns 37 in February.

The Yankees continue to look for ways to add starting pitching that could slide behind ace CC Sabathia, and they did show a level of trade interest in Kuroda last summer when he was with the Dodgers. But the person said that the report of an offer is not true.Kuroda finished 2011 with a 13-16 record and a 3.07 ERA in 32 starts, striking out 161 and walking 49 in 202 innings.

In four Major League seasons, Kuroda is 41-46 with a 3.45 ERA in 115 games (114 starts). His catcher for the first three seasons with the Dodgers was Russell Martin, who is entering his second season in New York.

The Yankees' rotation projects to include Sabathia, Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes, A.J. Burnett and Freddy Garcia, with Hector Noesi also being mentioned as a rotation contender.

"We've got a lot of depth, and can we add to it?" general manager Brian Cashman said on Thursday, before leaving the Winter Meetings in Dallas. "We'd like to, but is it realistic? It's not, necessarily. For me to push through something, I'm probably going to have to overpay.

"That's where it's a tough thing to do, especially when you're sitting with a lot of talent, people you actually can slide in to do this job."

 

[socalkushgenetics]

"Hi may i help you?" "Uhhh, yea, i'd like to buy a World Series title, how much is that?" " the going price for the title is $300mil, not to many interested cuz they cant afford it, are you a serious inquiry?" "Yea, im serious, ill buy 27 of them!" Fuck the Yankees! Think you have a ton of fans but in all reality, the whole world hates yall and know that its not that impressive to "BUY" titles. The world is stoked for the Rays and Rangers of the world, and teams who make baseball interesting. Baseball is in a sad state of affairs. Im a Padres fan and our whole teams payroll is 43mil. Pujols and CjWilson will make as much as the whole team? GARBAGE!

 

[socalkushgenetics]

Go Royals, Go Padres, Go Pirates, Go Orioles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[maineyankee]

"Hi may i help you?" "Uhhh, yea, i'd like to buy a World Series title, how much is that?" " the going price for the title is $300mil, not to many interested cuz they cant afford it, are you a serious inquiry?" "Yea, im serious, ill buy 27 of them!" Fuck the Yankees! Think you have a ton of fans but in all reality, the whole world hates yall and know that its not that impressive to "BUY" titles. The world is stoked for the Rays and Rangers of the world, and teams who make baseball interesting. Baseball is in a sad state of affairs. Im a Padres fan and our whole teams payroll is 43mil. Pujols and CjWilson will make as much as the whole team? GARBAGE!

I respect and value your opinion .... However, you must be fairly young. Most of the New York Yankees Titles were done without money that we are spewing out in today's games. Yes, the paid better than most, but far in unreality as to today's market. A big key is the percentage that goes to the agent.

I too cheer for the little guy when the Yanks are out of contention. If you knew me, you would believe.

MaineYankee

 

[maineyankee]

Pair of moves land Pineda, Kuroda with Yanks

Bombers to send Montero to Seattle, near deal with veteran righty

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com | 01/14/12 1

NEW YORK -- The Yankees solved the lingering questions of their starting rotation and shattered their quiet winter in just one night, nearing completion on deals that will fit right-handers Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda for pinstripes in 2012.

In Pineda's case, the price proved to be a steep one, as New York agreed to ship power-hitting catcher Jesus Montero to the Mariners in a four-player trade.
Though the teams have not made an official announcement, sources confirmed that Seattle is set to send Pineda and Minor League pitcher Jose Campos to the Yankees for Montero and 24-year-old right-hander Hector Noesi.

Shortly after news of the Seattle trade leaked, the YES Network reported that the Yankees also completed a one-year, $10 million deal with Kuroda. The deals are pending the completion of physicals.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman had shown steady interest in Kuroda as a free agent for weeks and had, in fact, gauged the Yankees' chances of trading for him last summer when the veteran was with the Dodgers.

Kuroda, who turns 37 in February, was 13-16 with a 3.07 ERA in 32 starts for Los Angeles last season. He has a career record of 41-46 and a 3.45 ERA in 115 big league games since 2008 and had also drawn some level of interest from the Red Sox this winter.

Pineda and Kuroda figure to slot behind ace CC Sabathia, bolstering a rotation that the Yankees had hoped to upgrade before pitchers and catchers report in approximately five weeks.

Managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner approved the expenditure for Kuroda, which the Yankees saw as a reasonable fit, even though New York has been quietly hoping to reduce its payroll below $189 million for the 2014 season.

Pineda, who turns 23 on Wednesday, showcased a bright future by going 9-10 with a 3.74 ERA last year as a rookie starter. The 6-foot-7, 260-pound Dominican made the American League All-Star team after an outstanding first half
.
He then struggled some and did not win a game in his final seven starts over the final two months of the year, as the Mariners cut back on his workload to protect his arm.
The youngster led all AL rookies in strikeouts with 173 in 171 innings last year, walking just 55. He posted the lowest WHIP (1.10) and second-lowest opponents batting average (.211) and quality starts (19) among AL rookies.

During a May series at Safeco Field, Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira called the pairing of Pineda and ace Felix Hernandez "the best one-two punch in baseball."
Subscribing to Cashman's mantra that "pitching is the key to the kingdom," it was the type of tantalizing arm that the Yankees were willing to dig deep for, despite the fact that they think highly of the 22-year-old Montero.

Generally regarded as one of baseball's premier right-handed power prospects, Montero batted .328 with four home runs and 12 RBIs in 61 September at-bats last year. He was set to enter 2012 as New York's starting designated hitter and a backup to catcher Russell Martin.

Seattle is likely to view Montero in the same mold, expecting him to provide middle-of-the-order production for an offense that finished last in the Majors in scoring the past two years.

Indeed, the Mariners also had interest in trading for Montero in July 2010, when talks with the Yankees for left-hander Cliff Lee crumbled and Lee went instead to the Rangers.
While he has earned some comparisons to Mike Piazza, there have been questions about Montero's long-term future at catcher, with some scouts viewing him more as a designated hitter or first baseman.

New York also receives Campos, a 19-year-old right-hander who went 5-5 with a 2.32 ERA for Class A Everett last year and is regarded as a quality prospect.
Cashman had trumpeted Noesi, 24, as a solid rotation contender. Clocked in the high 90s during winter ball, Noesi pitched 30 games for the Yankees last season -- including two starts -- while posting a 2-2 record and a 4.47 ERA.

The Yankees had decided that Noesi would be starting this year to build his endurance. He figures to compete for a starting slot with Seattle behind King Felix, for whom the Mariners have steadfastly refused all offers.

Montero was ninth on MLB.com's Top 50 prospects list for 2011, with Pineda 13th. Montero is now sixth.

New York's rotation now projects as a crowded mix behind Sabathia, Pineda and Kuroda, after the club re-signed Freddy Garcia to a one-year, $4 million contract earlier in the winter.

They also figure to have A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes and 16-game winner Ivan Nova competing for slots when pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training on Feb. 19.

It is possible that one person in that group could be dealt before that time if the Yankees choose to pursue the trade market for a bat to replace Montero in the DH slot.

 

[sync0s]

Yankees can't even buy off free agents any more. Seems like few want to play with them.

 

[maineyankee]

Yankees can't even buy off free agents any more. Seems like few want to play with them.

I agree that the Yanks do spend a lot of money, and they even hardly bring up from the minors. But ... who are you in reference to, and where would he play? They now seem to have depth all the way around with talent. I am sure one does not bench A-Rod or Jeter .... Just sayin ....

 

[bud nugbong]

i was gonna give you a bunch of shit about the yanks, but you seem like a good person (rare for a yankees fan)...i do hate how they spend so much money, but the redsox are starting to do the same so i cant say much.

 

[maineyankee]

i was gonna give you a bunch of shit about the yanks, but you seem like a good person (rare for a yankees fan)...i do hate how they spend so much money, but the redsox are starting to do the same so i cant say much.

Exactly. And I am just a baseball fan who loves the Yanks (Older Baseball Fan). I have a 5 year old grandson whom I would love to take to Fenway (closer for me) and also Yankee Stadium (The older one was just fine), but to do either, I would have to mortgage my apartment, and that is just not gonna happen

<edit> Back in 1983 we had seats that were on the 3rd base side, almost on the field. This was at Fenway. Cost $6.25 per ticket !