The minors today.

The big club was off today.

AAA: SWB lost 8-5. I will be heading there on June 8th for a game. Brett Marshall 8 R in 4 IP. 2 RBI for 1B Josh Bell (http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/belljo01.shtml) who was signed as a free agent by the Yanks five days ago. Brennan Boesch 3 h, rbi. 2 h for Thomas Neal, double, rbi (did I mention he should be up and DFA Francisco? Oh yeah, a lot. Listening Cashman?)

AA: Trenton lost 9-4. Nik Turley 2 R in 3 IP, but 3 H, 5 walks to go with his 5 K. 2B Jose Pirela solo HR. C J.R. Murphy 2 hits. (.295) DH Slade Heathcott 2 RBI.

High A: Tampa lost 12-4. Bryan Mitchell 10 R, 5 ER in 4 2/3. CF Mason Williams 3 hits. C Gary Sanchez 2 Hits, rbi. 3 hits RF Jose Toussen. 2 H LF Ben Gamel.

Low A: 12-7 win for Charleston. Jose Campos 4 R, 2 ER in 4 IP. CF Jake Cave (.315) 3 H, 4 RBI. DH Kelvin De Leon 3 H, solo HR. LF Taylor Dugas 2 h, rbi.

Meanwhile ex-Yankee Jesus Montero was sent down to AAA by Seattle.

More names

Francisco Cervelli and Jesus Montero’s names came up in that Biogenesis PED situation down in Miami. You hope they are clean, but where there’s smoke, well, you know….

Meanwhile Ryan Braun’s name came up too and you really have to wonder. After all, the 2011 NL MVP & 2012 runnerup basically avoided a 50-game suspension due to a technicality. This now certainly won’t sway those who still think he’s guilty but instead reinforce their belief.

You wonder how deep this investigation gets, how sordid it is and who all is involved.

A-Rod surgery Ok, but Yanks lose out on Morse

A-Rod’s surgery went ok, but a big bat the Yanks could have used—Michael Morse—went to Seattle.

Morse had no place in Washington after their recent moves. Morse could DH (which the Yanks are looking for) as well as play 1B and corner OF vs. lefties (which is also a Yanks’ need—a righty bat in the OF vs. lefties and a backup for Teix).

Morse hit .291-18-62 last year, OPS+ 112 and he went .303-31-95, OPS+ 147 in 2011 for the Nats.

Instead he goes to Seattle in a 3-team deal, the A’s and Nats also involved.

Morse is a free agent after 2013. So you had to watch what you gave up. The M’s now have added Jason Bay (hoping for a comeback), Kendrys Morales and Jason Bay to go with the developing Montero as they look to improve their offense. Apparently Justin Smoak (who they got for Cliff Lee) is out of their plans (as he should be after posting a .217-19-51 OPS+ 87 mark last year). … and to think that Seattle took Smoak instead of a package deal for Montero (who they got for Pineda a year later) for Lee. They might still have Pineda today. Of course, the Yanks don’t expect Pineda until mid-summer and hope he’s the same after his shoulder surgery. It’s funny how the dominoes fell.

Speaking of surgery, A-Rod had his hip surgery today and all reports are that it went as expected. If everything goes well, he may rejoin the Yanks shortly after the All-Star break.

Game 107. Ibanez, Stewart help lead Yanks, 6-2.

Raul Ibanez had a HR and drove in 3 runs, and backup C Chris Stewart had 2 hits, walked, stole a base, and scored 3 runs as the Yanks beat Seattle 6-2 today.

It was a day of “fives” for starter Freddy Garcia, who pitched five innings, evened his record at 5-5, and lowered his ERA to 5.00.

5 IP, 2 R, 5 h, 4 walks and 2 K for Freddy.

Garcia gave up a run in the first on a single by Jesus Montero, but Montero, trying to score on a single later in the inning,  was thrown out at home by Swisher for the last out of the inning. The Yanks got the run right back when Granderson singled, Jeter forced him and Cano singled. Jeter went to third and Cano went to second on the throw. Teixeira then tapped one toward second, and because of the shift and the second baseman playing in short right field, he was able to beat it out for a hit while Jeter scored.

The Yanks went ahead in the third on a double by Stewart, who then scored on an error made when Granderson batted.

In the fourth, Stewart singled, stole second and scored on hit #3227 by Jeter to make it 3-1. (He got 3228 later).

Montero drove in another run in the fifth to cut it to 3-2.

Ibanez hit a solo HR in the bottom of the fifth to make it 4-2. It was Raul’s 15th HR of the season.

Ibanez then drove in two more runs in the bottom of the sixth with a bases-loaded single to make it 6-2.

Boone Logan pitched two perfect innings.

2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 0 K. ERA 3.62.

David Robertson pitched the eighth. 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 walk and 0 K. ERA 2.02.

Even though it was not a save situation, Soriano pitched the ninth to get some work in. He pitched a 1-2-3.

1 IP,  0 R, 0 H, 0 walks, 1 K. ERA 1.88.

The Yanks go to 63-44. They now head to Detroit for four games, and my friends, members of the Lehigh Valley Yankee Fan Club, will be there (I won’t be… work, $$$, etc.).

 

Off day happenings. A lot of Boston from here in.

News from Twitter and various sources.

Talk about never emptying your suitcase! In the past 5 weeks or so, Chris Schwinden has been released, picked up, DFA’d, … he’s been with the Mets, Blue Jays, Indians, Yankees and now back to the Mets.

No word yet on who pitches in what game on Saturday. Kuroda tomorrow night, Hughes/Garcia Saturday in a day/night DH, and Nova on Sunday.

It’s unbearably hot in the Northeast. Where I am, in the Lehigh Valley of PA, there are heat warnings through Saturday, and it could be extended into Sunday.

Still bitching about the trade that sent Montero and Noesi to Seattle and landed the Yanks Campos (minor league DL after a good start) and Pineda (nothing at all this year, shoulder surgery)?

Well, Noesi was sent to the minors today by Seattle. 2-11, 5.77. Meanwhile, Montero has just 1 RBI in his last 99 at bats.

The second half of the Yankees season begins tomorrow in Boston, and 17 of their second half games are against the Red Sox. That’s 21%, or slightly better than once every five games.

Baseball is strange. As Buster Olney points out, the A’s are four games better than the Phils, and who’d have thunk that the Phils right now would be the second-best team in PA behind the FIRST PLACE PIRATES? (and they are 9 1/2 games WORSE than Pittsburgh to boot!)

Plans can go awry

With the Pineda trade giving the major league Yankees nothing for 2012 (and who knows for how much longer), some places and people are bashing Brian Cashman. Which I think is unfair. As they say, the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.

I hated giving up Montero. But I saw what Cashman was trying to do in the deal. Use Montero—whose bat may be great but whose defense may necessitate him being used primarily at DH—for a young, hard-throwing possible future ace. The DH spot needs to be freed up for the aging Jeter and A-Rod. We’ve seen Girardi use both as DHs against lefties, thus resting them while getting Nunez some playing time. Montero’s development wouldn’t be enhanced by being a part-time DH, and if you are going to have A-rod or Jeter DH against the lefty pitchers, then all you need is a lefty DH (like Ibanez) against the righties. Which Montero is not. In theory, the trade made sense.

Let’s look past what Montero (.281, 2 HR, OPS+ 94) and Noesi (1-2, 9.49) are doing for Seattle so far. One is so-so so far (although young, just 22, with the ability to improve), the other awful. Pineda has given (and will, for quite some time) the Yankees absolutely nothing, while Jose Campos is still just 19 and at Low A. Campos is doing well (3-0, 1.23) but is years away—if he makes it at all. Maybe, if say Campos is the 2017 Rookie of the Year, the trade will be looked at differently and people may be praising Cashman. But with the win-now mentality of the Yankees and many of their fans, patience in Yankees Universe is rare.

But the need to win now can cause overreactions. We saw plenty of that from the Boss with various win-now moves that he made. Buhner for Phelps, for instance.

We have to remember that there is a future, and that future—without Jeter, Pettitte, A-Rod and Rivera—will be here sooner than one may like. The trade for Pineda was a trade made for that future. The hope was for a good, young rotation that would be inexpensive and help to keep the Yankees payroll under the luxury tax limit.

Cashman can only rely on scouting reports and get a healthy young player with potential. It’s not like he traded for a proven bum. This wasn’t say, trading Montero for Sidney Ponson or something like that. This was about dealing for a youngster with considerable upside.

But Cashman can only swing the deal. He isn’t the player. Cashman isn’t the person who came into camp twenty pounds overweight. He isn’t the person who takes the mound or plays a position. Eventually, it’s the player who has to produce.

Has Cashman made mistakes? Sure. (Igawa) Who hasn’t?

But he had the right idea. Players do get hurt. Would Cashman receive the same criticism for the deal if, say, Pineda had injured himself in a car accident and been lost for the year by that method? People may have criticized him for a bad deal, but there isn’t anything Cashman could have done had that scenario occurred.

There was nothing to indicate that this injury would occur when Cashman made the deal.

Just as there was nothing to indicate that the AAA rotation, which was thought to be a strength just two months ago, would be as bad as it is right now.

Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos were, and are, two of the top prospects in the Yankees system. One, or both, would have been desired in any major trade. They, along with Pineda, were considered cornerstones for the future rotation. Instead, Pineda will be out a long time, while the currently DL’d Banuelos (0-1, 10.13) and the active Betances (0-2, 8.83) have been extreme disappointments thus far. Even B-level prospect Adam Warren as a 6.10 ERA.

The goal and intent (to have a surplus of good young pitching) of Cashman’s was noble.

In the end, the players themselves have to accept responsibility and perform.

Cashman says he’d do the deal 10 times out of 10 with the information he had at the time. I don’t blame him.

After all, he isn’t Nostradamus.

Young pitching?

Ok. So the Yanks gave up Montero for Pineda. They also gave up Noesi for Campos. What does this mean?

First, the catchers. Apparently the Yanks built up Montero (22) knowing he never could catch. They also recognize that with A-Rod and Jeter aging, that they couldn’t have a 22 yr. old DH. Alex and Jete both need to DH… and often.

Montero. 61 AB. .328-4-12. OPS+ 159.

So… they still have at catcher:

Russell Martin. Just 29 in Feb. Yanks Starter in 2011; .237-18-65 in 2011. OPS+ 92.

Francisco Cervelli. 26 in March. .266-4-22 as a backup in 2011. OPS+ 89.

Notice the ages.

Austin Romine remains.  The 23 yr. old probably starts the year at AAA. He had a brief (3 for 19) stay with the Yanks in 2011. In 89 games, mostly AA in 2011, .286-6-47.

Now for after Romine…. Gary Sanchez. 19. Low A in 2011. .256-17-52. 82 games.

20 year old J.R. Murphy spent 2011 at low A and High A. .287-7-46, 86 games.

Meaning that if the Yanks felt that Montero could not catch, he was gone.

You can see the depth that the Yanks had in C in the minors, esp. if they believed that all were better defensively than Montero. In return for Montero, they got not one, but TWO pitching studs in Pineda and Campos.

So pitching-wise, what did Cashman bring us?

Ok . Kuroda, 37 next month, is a stop-gap. 13-16, 3.07 in 2011.

Pineda. 23 next week. 9-10, 3.74 for Seattle in 2011.
Campos. 5-5, 2.32 at age 19, low A, 81 1/3 IP, 85 K, 13 walks.

So who is left?

Betances. 24 in March. 2.2 IP Yanks 2011. Minors 2011 4-9, 3.70. 142 K/126.1 IP.

Banuelos. 21 in March. 6-7, 3.75 in minors 2011. 125 K in 129 2/3 IP.

Dave Phelps. 25. 7-7, 2.99. Minors.

Adam Warren 24. 6-8, 3.60.

D. J. Mitchell. 24. 13-9, 3.18 in AAA 2011.

Phil Hughes 25. 5-5, 5.79. Majors.

Joba. 26. 2-0, 2.83 before arm injury in 2011.

D-Rob. 27 in April. 4-0, 1.08 in MLB last year.

Noesi dealt. Wade brought back. 28. 6-1, 2.04 in 2011.

Lastly, Nova. 16-4 with the big club in 2011. 3.70 ERA.
He was 25 yesterday.

There is young talent here, be it in relief (Hughes/Joba/D-Rob or a prospect.) Much as I hate losing Montero, you can see there are catching prospects. (Bat not as good, but better D, handling of pitchers?)

Give Ca$h some credit. He is stocking up on some top-quality arms.

Yanks trade Montero, get Seattle’s Pineda; sign Kuroda

The Yanks and Mariners made a major deal involving two young, hot prospects tonight when the Yanks sent 22 year old Jesus Montero (.328-4-12 in 61 AB last year) for Michael Pineda (23 next week). Pineda was 9-10, 3.74 for Seattle in 2011, was an All-Star, and finished 5th in the ROY voting.

Pineda was 8-5, 2.58 after games of July 4th last year, but faded badly, going 1-5, 5.71 after that. Still, he could team with Banuelos and Betances to give the Yanks a young and hopefully good core (and inexpensive to start) behind CC. Let’s not forget Nova (just turned 25 yesterday) and Hughes (still 25). Joba is 26. David Robertson turns 27 in April. Then there’s Phelps, Warren, Mitchell.

The Yanks also gave up Hector Noesi (2-2, 4.47 in 2011, 25 at the end of this month) in the deal but got a 19 year old RHP in Jose Campos who is getting good reviews. Campos was 5-5, 2.32 in Low A for the Mariners in 2011, 85 K, just 13 walks in 81 1/3 IP.

After making that deal, the Yanks pulled off another stunner. They signed Hiroki Kuroda to a one-year deal worth $10 million. Kuroda was 13-16, 3.07 for the Dodgers in 2011. He will be 37 next month and despite his 41-46 record, has an ERA of 3.45 in his career. Granted it’s the NL. But he can be a one-year stopgap to let Betances, Banuelos and the others develop.

Cashman is stockpiling young pitching. Robertson, 27, then Joba, Hughes, Pineda, Nova, Banuelos, Betances, Warren, Mitchell, Phelps…

Per Jack Curry (YES Network) Yanks rotation now CC, Pineda, Kuroda, Nova, with Hughes, AJ and Garcia battling for the 5 spot.

So who will DH? Well, for one thing, A-Rod and Jeter may need to DH more, meaning more playing time for Nunez. For another thing, Damon and Carlos Pena are still out there.

As for Pena, his average over the last four years is like this: .224. Ugh. 32 HR and 92 RBI (good). 93 walks (good). 162 strikeouts (not good). OPS+ 122 (good).

That’s all for now… stay tuned!

The Price You Pay…

Cue Bruce.

The Price You Pay.

For Garza, the Cubs supposedly would want Montero and either Banuelos or Betances from the Yanks.

Edwin Jackson’s price is $15-17m for 5 years? No way do I give that for a career 60-60, 4.46 ERA (ERA+ 97) pitcher. The Yanks, supposedly, would rather go for Kuroda for one year, and they think HIS price is too high.

Not only that, remember that with the luxury tax, take the salary and multiply by 1.4 to get the real cost to the Yankees.

It also appears (via Twitter accounts) that Nakajima and the Yanks would have to agree on a one-year deal (by Friday) or no deal.

Prince Fielder and the Nats rumors still strong.

Ryan Clark of the Steelers won’t play Sunday due to sickle problems which in 2007 forced removal of his gall bladder and spleen after a game in Denver.

Bears fire their GM.

Cereal Boy (CoCo Crisp) back to the A’s.

Marlins still making waves

So the Marlins are out on Pujols, despite a ten-yr. offer.

Is Pujols really 31? Even if that, ten years is too much. If he’s really 34 or so, then a ten-yr. offer is insane.

But apparently Miami is also out on Fielder. Fielder, younger, may make more sense but it appears the Marlins, after being spurned by Albert, seek more pitching. There are rumors of a six-yr. deal being tossed at Wilson by both Miami AND the Angels.

They did land LHP Mark Buehrle today (I’ll admit, I wanted Buehrle on the Yanks, but apparently the Yanks didn’t want to go more than two years. Buehrle got $58M/4 yr.). This reunites Buehrle with his old mgr., Ozzie Guillen. Buehrle, who has thrown two no-no’s (one a perfecto) was 13-9, 3.59 this past season, ERA+ 117. For his career, he’s 161-119, 3.83, ERA+ 120, 162 g. ave. 15-11, 3.83. Solid. He’ll be 33, and if I were Cashman, I’d have offered him 2 yr., $30mm. Nothing more. Of course, I don’t know what $$$$ Cash has to deal with. Buehrle got 4 yr., $58MM. I don’t think Cashman wants to go into that 2014 CBA . Meaning nothing (outside of present contracts) into 2014.

The Yankees did win a posting fee on a Japanese SS, Hiroyuki Nakajima. Twitter has reports of him being a good bat, but poor glove despite a recent GG in Japan. The Yanks posting fee of $2mm was enough. They are looking at him and Nunez for the utility inf. spot. Nakajima’s last four years in Japan were: .331-21-81, .309-22-92, .314-20-93 and this past year’s .297-16-100 (21 SB). We don’t know if the pop will translate, but it’s nice pop if it does. The Yanks now have 30 days to sign him.

Huston Street was dealt by the Rox to SD. Street was 1-4, 3.86, 29 saves for Colorado in 2011. He is just 28 but has 178 career saves, 30-21, 3.11, ERA+ 143. He was the 2005 ROY with the A’s.

SD meanwhile, DFA’d Jeremy Hermida.

Could Jimmy Rollins be going back to the Phils? It appears so. As does K-Rod to Milwaukee, where he would be one very expensive setup man.

So now Miami is looking to deal Hanley Ramirez because he had a snit fit about being moved from SS to 3B. He is coming off a bad year, and has had a history of showing up his mgr. Great talent, great asshole.
Grow up, Hanley.

For the record, I saw Hanley Ramirez play for AA when he was a Boston farmhand. I saw great talent. Too bad he progressed into a jackass.

Erik Bedard to the Pirates. Bedard was 5-9, 3.62 combined for Sea/Bos. ERA+ 110. Bedard has never given 200 IP in his career, only once has he given 30 starts in a season. Pass.

Guillermo Mota back to SF. He was 2-2, 3.81 for them in 2011, ERA + 94. Career 39-44, 3.91, ERA+ 106. He is 38.

David Ortiz accepts arbitration from Boston. He did hit .309-29-96 in 2011, OPS+ 154, but he is 36.

Rumors are that the Phils would deal prospect Domonic Brown for Gio Gonzalez of the A’s. Gio would make that rotation … ugh.

For Gonzalez, the A’s wanted Montero as a start…

The Angels are about to sign LaTroy Hawkins. Hawkins, soon to be 39, was 3-1, 2.42, ERA+ 162 in 2011. For his career, he is 63-85, 4.48, ERA+ 104 w/87 saves.

UPDATE: K/ROD accepts Milw. arb. offer. Meaning he’ll be the most expensive setup guy ever.

Tim McCarver, who had a long playing career (and was 2nd in MVP voting to teammate Orlando Cepeda in 1967), was elected to the HOF as a broadcaster. (The Ford C. Frick Award).

DeWayne Wise, who saved Buehrle’s perfecto with a great catch, is about to sign a minor league deal w/the yanks. .219 B.A., OPS+ 62. Better glove than bat.