Get Ready For Another Rotation Competition

(The early favorite?  Courtesy of Getty Images)

And this time it's going to be a doozy!  Buried in his post earlier this week about the Yankees making their new contract offer to Hiroki Kuroda, Andrew Marchand reported what we kind of already expected to happen with the 5th spot in next year's rotation.  With CC, Hirok, Nova, and hopefully Masahiro Tanaka manning the top 4 spots, the final spot will be determined by a Spring Training competition between Michael Pineda, David Phelps, Adam Warren, and Vidal Nuno.

So not only do we have 2 guys competing head-to-head for a spot like we used to with the now departed Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, we're going to have us a good old fashioned fatal four-way battle for 1 spot.  What a slobberknocker!  In a perfect world, the Yankees would have enough confidence in Pineda to give him the job, since he was traded for with a top-of-the-rotation spot in mind.  But he was handled with extremely delicate kid gloves in his first year back on the field this season and Phelps has proven himself to be a capable 5th starter in limited work.

We've still got a few months before this battle starts, but if I had to say now I'd say the real competition will come down to Pineda and Phelps.  Nuno could be the dark horse as a lefty who showed some promise in limited innings.  I don't think Warren has a chance.

Who Wants An Outfielder?

The Yankees said they weren't going to trade Brett Gardner after the Ellsbury signing, but with Carlos Beltran now in the mix as well it sounds like that plan is changing.  Andy McCullough reported yesterday that the Yankees are receiving "significant interest" in Brett Gardner and are at least willing to listen to offers for him.  Chad Jennings reported the same on Gardner and also reported that the Yankees are actively shopping Ichiro Suzuki, who's basically become the 5th outfielder at this point.

It's unclear what the Yankees would be looking to get back or could get back for either of these guys.  I have to think it wouldn't be much for Ichiro and less than it could be for Gardner because he's a year away from free agency.  Still, with as much outfield depth as they've accumulated this week it makes sense that the Yankees would go this route.  They have a ton of roster holes to fill and if one of these players can be used to help that effort that's probably the best way to get value out of them.  Personally, I'd trade Ichiro for a bag of balls and a souvenir soda cup if I could get that back and I'd hold onto Gardner.  With the 40-man roster completely full again, maybe one of them becomes part of a package deal for some starting pitching.  Just a thought...

Robinson Cano Leaving Thoughts & Afterthoughts

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

It still doesn't feel completely real to me.  After 9 years, over 1,300 regular season games, 1,649 hits, 204 home runs, 5 All Star Game selections, 5 Silver Slugger Awards, 4 straight top 6 MVP finishes, 2 Gold Gloves, and 1 World Series ring, Robinson Cano's Yankee career is over.  The last great homegrown prospect, and the first Yankee since Andy Pettitte to come up through the organization and leave for another team via free agency, Cano agreed to a 10-year/$240 million deal with the Seattle Mariners yesterday.  His physical, which he will undoubtedly pass, is scheduled for some time this weekend and the Mariners are set to introduce him at a press conference on Monday.

The one player I thought the Yankees absolutely had to sign, regardless of what else they did this offseason, and the one player I thought they absolutely would sign is gone.  The Yankees have lost their best player and they now have a helluva lot more work to do this offseason to replace him.  My thoughts on the deal, Cano's decision, the Yankees' strategy, and where they go from here after the jump.

Yankees And Carlos Beltran Agree To 3-Year Deal

I can't even take one night off from this without some major news breaking.  The Yankees wasted no time in getting started on their Plan B without Robinson Cano, tonight reportedly agreeing to a deal with free agent outfielder Carlos Beltran.  Via Mark Feinsand, the deal is for 3 years.  Via Tim Brown, it's for $45 million.

The Yankees were in on Beltran from the start, but things seemed like they had cooled off after the McCann and Ellsbury signings.  With Cano now gone, the need for more offense was obvious and the return to Beltran doesn't come as a huge surprise.  The Yankees were reluctant to give him the 3rd year initially but apparently willing to do it now that Cano leaving gave them the extra money.  Again, I would have preferred Shin-Soo Choo, but Beltran is an upgrade over their current right fielder and should provide above-average production from that spot and as a part-time DH next season.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 12/6/13

So ummm ... yeah.  How about this week, huh?  Everybody's head is probably still spinning from all the Cano news and just like I did with Ellsbury I'm in the process of formulating all my thoughts on it so I can try to write them all out coherently tomorrow.  I really hope the Yankees have something real up their sleeve for a Plan B.  Bringing Cano back next year would have made a lot more sense after the McCann and Ellsbury signings, but I don't blame them for not wanting to match 10 years.  Have fun in Seattle, Robbie.  Send us a postcard from last place.  Now onto the links!

- On Monday, SJK of NoMaas offered up his take on the idea of Eduardo Nunez being a utility player in 2014.

- On Tuesday, Joe Pawlikowski of RAB took a look at Brett Anderson as a potential trade target for the rotation.  The way Oakland is wheelin' and dealin' right now, he's worth a look.

- On Wednesday, Derek Albin of Pinstripe Pundits used WAR projections to comment on the Yankees overpaying Jacoby Ellsbury and how he won't live up to the contract.

- El duque of It Is High... issued an open letter to Hal Steinbrenner urging him to keep the spending momentum going.  I'm fully on board with that plan.

- On Thursday, William Juliano of The Captain's Blog mused on how the new NPB posting rules could actually help the Yankees and other big budget teams.

- Chad Jennings of LoHud had all the news, notes, and quotes from the Brian McCann press conference.

- Jason Cohen of Pinstripe Alley wondered what number Jacoby Ellsbury will wear as a Yankee.  Obviously the 2 he wore in Boston are way off the table.  I bet he goes 22 and Vernon Wells gets something else until he's released.

- On Friday, Jason Evans of Yanks Go Yard profiled a few lower-tier free agent relievers the Yankees could go after.

- EJ Fagan of IIATMS/TYA commented on the improved depth and depth of talent in the Yankee farm system, something that needs to start coming into play more in the next few years.

- Daniel Burch of The Greedy Pinstripes broke down Grant Balfour's BIP results from 2013 to show how he might not be an ideal bullpen candidate for the Yanks.

- Roberto E. Alejandro of Respect Jeter's Gangster riffed on what the Yankees plan is and how it doesn't add up in his head right now.  Hard to argue with those points.  Given the money they gave to Jacoby, it was strange to see them hold their hard line on Cano.

- SG of RLYW compared WAR values and salaries to show how any kind of Plan B to replace Cano could put the Yankees in a worse position going forward after 2014.

This week's jam comes to us from Lil Dicky, the premiere white, Jewish rapper in the game right now.  Seriously, listen to "The Cypher" and tell me this guy isn't the shit.  You can't do it.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

Yanks And Kuroda Agree To 1-Year Deal

Under the tidal wave of Robinson Cano coverage this morning was a small bit of good news.  Joel Sherman reported that the Yankees and Hiroki Kuroda agreed to a new 1-year deal for 2014, worth $16 million.  According to Sherman's report, the deal comes with the same bonus package as this year's deal: $250,000 for reaching 190 and 210 IP and an interpreter.

The Yankee rotation needed serious help next year regardless of where Cano ended up.  Cash stated weeks ago that he was looking to add 400 innings this offseason and Kuroda should represent a significant chunk of that.  He wasn't great in the second half of this season, but he's still been very, very good in his 2 years in pinstripes and there's no reason to expect him to suddenly become less than good next year.  I have to think addressing the rest of the rotation becomes a bigger priority with Cano gone now.  Kuroda is a good first piece to get into place.

Cano Agrees To 10-Year Deal With Mariners (UPDATED)

deal for cano and mariners is $240M, 10 years according to @Enrique_Rojas1. can confirm it's agreed to.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 6, 2013

Well there you have it.  After the broken down talks made it look like he was going to come crawling back to the Yankees, Robinson Cano has agreed to a 10-year/$240 million deal with the Seattle Mariners.  Jay-Z's negotiating ploy worked and it was the Mariners who came crawling back with a deal closer to what Cano's side was asking for.

A physical is scheduled for this weekend and a press conference Monday, so this things sounds legit.  I'm really surprised.  I thought the extra demand would scare the Mariners away.  The Yankees lose a big piece of their plans for next year and the loss of Cano's production will be almost impossible to replace.  The value of adding McCann and Ellsbury takes a hit, at least for now, and the Yankees will have to move forward with whatever backup plans they had in the works.  We already know Kelly Johnson was a part of it.

More on this as it becomes available.

** UPDATE 10:45 AM- Via Joel Sherman, the Yankees let Cano know they would be willing to go 7/175, but that still wasn't anywhere near the total dollars of the Mariners' offer. **

Report: Cano-Mariners Talks Break Off (UPDATED)

You know that desperation I mentioned a few hours ago?  Yeah, looks like that's all it was.  As first reported by Mark Feinsand, talks between the Seattle Mariners and Robinson Cano fell apart last night after Jay-Z changed the contract demands.  The Mariners were under the impression that Cano and his team were coming out to agree to the 9-year/$225 million offer only to be surprised and apparently angered when Jay-Z countered with a request for 10 years/$252 million.

There's no word on whether or not talks are expected to pick back up over the weekend or if the original Seattle offer is still on the table, but I can't imagine this will do anything to help Cano's case on the market.  Right now this looks like another attempt by his people to drudge up some competition and gain leverage in their talks with the Yankees and right now it looks like it's failed.  If other teams think Cano isn't willing to take 9/$225 mil to leave New York, why would they even bother making an offer that beats that?  The impression being given off is that Cano truly wants to stay with the Yankees, and now he might end up having to take their latest deal (7/170) to do it.

** UPDATE 9:56 AM- Talks are "still alive" according to Ken Rosenthal, and a deal for more than $225 million is "close" according to Jon Heyman.  It's gonna be a fun afternoon ... **

Friday Morning Food For Thought

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

- Robinson Cano's career batting line at Safeco Field: .309/.350/.487 in 163 PA

- Cano's career line at YS3: .312/.368/.537 in 1,681 PA

- Cano hit 27 home runs last year.  According to ESPN's HR tracker, only 1 of them wouldn't have made it out of Safeco Field.

This whole "Robbie to Seattle" thing reeks of desperation to me, from both sides.  Cano and his agents are desperate to get another team involved so they can try to put some counter pressure on the Yankees to budge from their offer.  Seattle is desperate to add some offense and become relevant in the baseball world again, and they are because it's their GM's final year and he needs to make a splash to save his job.

Cano's offense would take a hit playing half of every season in Safeco, but maybe not quite the hit you'd expect.  He'd instantly become "the man" on the Mariners next year and could easily become the face of that franchise.  How much is that really worth though?  And is it worth it to be the face of a franchise that nobody cares about if the Mariners don't get any better?  I'm still holding my stance that I need to know that the Mariners have made an offer before I start getting concerned about Cano leaving.  If they really are going to make this 9-year/$225 million one, Robbie will have a real tough choice to make.

McCann Introductory Presser Wrap-Up

Brian McCann's introductory press conference was held earlier today.  It was the typical Yankee affair, with all the head front office honchos out there, a million cameras, and the unveiling of the number a new player will wear when he's coming to a team with precious few good ones available.  If you weren't able to watch live, here's what you missed:

- McCann will wear #34 as a Yankee.  He said it was because his former teammate and good friend Eric O'Flaherty wears that number for the Braves.  Shouldn't be too hard to exceed what Freddy Garcia did in that number.

- Cash hooked his wife up with a bouquet of flowers and a pair of #34 onesies for his kids.  Gotta keep the wives happy.

- Joe said of McCann, "We think we've got the next great Yankee catcher right here."  He would know.  He played with the last one.

- McCann said he called Mark Teixeira before making the decision to sign to "pick his brain" about what it was like to play in New York.  Because nobody has their finger on the pulse of what it's like in NYC than painfully white, robotic humanoid Mark Teixeira.

- When the topic of clubhouse leadership came up, McCann said "this is Derek Jeter's team" and added that he's looking forward to meeting the rest of the team and "falling in line."

So there you go.  Pretty standard stuff, although McCann most likely will become more of a clubhouse leader than he let on.  Welcome aboard, Brian.  Looking forward to doing this for Ellsbury next week.

P.S. Check out this picture that Feinsand got of the front office heads sitting down.  Levine, such a fucking tool.

Goodbye Operation 189

(I'd like to imagine Hal is doing this in his office, maybe even in Joker facepaint)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

It's been a fun last couple of weeks, huh?  The Yankees have plucked the second and third best free agents off the market, the top 2 players available at premium up-the-middle positions, and they've done in relatively sneaky fashion.  While everybody else was assuming their primary focus was on Robinson Cano and Carlos Beltran, they pushed harder than many of us realized to get Brian McCann and then called an audible for Jacoby Ellsbury.  McCann will finally be formally introduced this afternoon at a 2 PM press conference, and once he passes his physical Ellsbury won't be far behind.

After the slow, stagnant, predictable, and painful offseason of last year, this year's has already been full of fireworks and we aren't even to the Winter Meetings yet.  With wheels still turning on the Cano front and the signing of Ellsbury reportedly not stopping the Yanks from pursuing Shin-Soo Choo, I guess the most important question right now is who's next?

A Quick Word On The Latest NPB Posting Developments

(Or gets struck back against ... )

I don't want to make a huge deal out of this, because the Yankees are still winning the offseason right now by a wide margin and still have to be considered a favorite to sign Masahiro Tanaka whenever he's posted.  But the new changes being made to the NPB posting system are possibly the most blatant anti-Yankee screwjob I've ever seen in my time as an educated baseball fan and as a diehard Yankee fan I simply can't let it go by without saying something.

Report: Kelly Johnson Signing A Done Deal

There was little reason to expect otherwise after the news first came out, but the deal between the Yankees and Kelly Johnson was agreed to yesterday and Johnson will be donning the pinstripes next year.  Jon Heyman had the confirmation, reporting that it is a 1-year deal for $3 million and is still pending a physical.

I touched on Johnson a little bit yesterday and I'll get into more detail on him soon.  The bottom line is he can play all over the field, hold his own defensively in all those spots, and he offers some legit pop and plus offensive value from the left side of the plate.  I'm sure there's some thought of using this signing to put more pressure on Robbie going on in the front office, but Johnson is the type of versatile player the Yankees need on the roster next year regardless of whether Robbie comes back or not.  Another good signing for sure.

Jacoby Ellsbury Signing Thoughts & Afterthoughts

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

I was shocked when the Yankees came out and signed Brian McCann.  Shocked.  I thought that was the one spot they'd be willing to take a hit and stick with their internal crew as they worked through their roster revamp plan this offseason.  Well they didn't and they surprisingly got him at basically market value.

I was absolutely blown away (BLOOOWHOA-WHOA-WHOA-OOOOOWN!!!!!!!) when the story of the Jacoby Ellsbury signing first broke last night.  I knew the Yanks had been in contact with him but I really thought he was their 3rd option behind Beltran and Choo.  With a speedy, low-power outfielder already on their roster, I didn't expect them to seriously go after another one and I definitely didn't expect them to give out the kind of deal they did to get Ellsbury.

My initial reaction to the deal was one of dislike.  I didn't like the years, I didn't like the money, I didn't like the lack of power, and I didn't like the spotty injury history tacked onto the length of the deal.  Now that I've had some time to think, consider, talk to people, read some other takes, and think some more, I think this is a move I can actually get on board with.

The Ellsbury-Cano-Boras Connection

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

A little over 7 months ago, Robinson Cano decided that Scott Boras wasn't the right fit for him heading into free agency.  He ditched Boras and signed on with the then newly created Roc Nation Sports firm headed up by Jay-Z.  Last night, Boras got a 7-year/$153 million contract for one of his other clients, Jacoby Ellsbury, and he got it from the Yankees.  It's the 3rd highest contract ever given to a free agent outfielder and it comes with an option for an 8th year that could bring the total value to $169 million.

To be honest, I still don't know how I feel about the Ellsbury signing.  At first glance I'm not a fan of the years or the dollars but I'm smart enough to recognize how great he's been when he's been healthy.  I need a few more hours awake today to really put all my thoughts together on how this fits from a baseball perspective.  The one thing that does keep rattling around in my head right now is what the Ellsbury signing means for Cano.  It certainly doesn't him off the table for the Yanks.  They still have plenty of money to spend right now, as shown by Mike E. last night, and I still firmly believe Cano will re-sign with them.  If you'll allow me to put on my Jim Garrison hat for a few minutes, here's my quick little theory on how this move to sign Ellsbury could actually be a part of the Yankees' strategy with Cano.

Wednesday Morning Food For Thought

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

Jacoby Ellsbury is a passed physical away from becoming the starting center fielder for the Yankees.  The team has stated they have no intention of trading Brett Gardner and the assumption if they don't is that he'll shift back to left field in 2014.  With Ichiro Suzuki in right, that would give the Yankees arguably the best defensive starting outfield in baseball.

But what if they don't keep Ichiro in right?  What if the addition of Ellsbury signals that Ichiro is now expendable and possibly tradeable?  The Yankees have 2 left-handed speed OFers now in Ellsbury and Gardner, they have 2 righties in Soriano and Wells, and they have switch-hitting Zoilo around for further bench depth.  If there's any kind of market out there for Ichiro, which is not to say there is or should be based on his last 2 years of production, the Yankees could try to move him and at least some of his salary and go with Soriano as the right fielder/part time DH.

There are still moves that can be made before that to help manage 40-man roster issues as the Yankees continue to add pieces, but it wouldn't surprise me at all to see Ichiro get shopped around, if for no other reason than to see if there's any interest out there.

Report: Yanks Close To Signing Kelly Johnson

They didn't stop after signing McCann and it doesn't appear as though they're even slowing down after signing Jacoby Ellsbury last night.  Via Joel Sherman, the Yankees are "close" to signing free agent utility man Kelly Johnson to a 1-year deal worth about $3 million.

Johnson, 31 and turning 32 before the start of next season, is a lefty bat with a .253/.335/.427 career slash line (.335 wOBA).  While his offensive numbers have been down the last 3 years from their early peak, he still offers pretty good on-base skills for a guy who hits for low average and has some pop (.174 career ISO).  His primary position is second base but he has experience on the infield and outfield corners and he handled himself well at third for the Rays this past season.

According to Sherman's report, the Yankees plan to use Johnson in multiple positions and as a potential starting second base option if they don't re-sign Robinson Cano.  As a lefty bench guy with pop, I like this move a lot, especially if it means Johnson gets most of his time at third.  As a replacement for Robbie, I wouldn't be a fan.  I still think the team's primary goal is bringing him back and using Johnson in that utility role.

Yanks Agree to 7-Year Deal With Jacoby Ellsbury (UPDATED)

This has all come out in the last 20 minutesor so, but apparently the Yankees and free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury have agreed to a 7-year deal.

Jon Heyman first reported that the 2 sides were close, and it has since been confirmed by Mark Feinsand that it's a done deal pending a physical.  No specifics on the dollar amount but Feinsand says it will be bigger than Carl Crawford's 7/$142 million deal with Boston a few years back.

I honestly don't know what to say here.  I didn't see this coming and I don't think anybody did.  More on the story as it comes out.

** UPDATE 7:44 PM- Multiple Yankee beat guys confirming Heyman's report that the deal is close but still not done.  Feinsand now saying it's 7 years/$153 million.  This is shocking to say the least. **

** UPDATE 7:54 PM- Via Joel Sherman, the Yankees have stated that they have no intention of trading Brett Gardner.  If that's true, they'll have a hell of a defensive outfield. **

** UPDATE 8:04 PM- Via Bryan Hoch, there is an option for an 8th year that could bring the total value of the deal to $169 mil.  I imagine that's for AAV/payroll purposes but I still don't like it. **

** UPDATE 11/4 7:41 AM- Via Heyman, the deal includes a full no-trade clause.  That's 2 of those now for the 2 big signings. **

Yanks Make McCann Signing Official (UPDATED)

The Yankees have issued the formal statement, so I guess that means everything checked out with the physical and Brian McCann is now officially the 37th current member of the roster and the starting catcher for the 2014 season.  As part of the team's official statement, Hal Steinbrenner had this to say:

“The singular and unwavering desire of this organization is to construct a team each and every season designed to play meaningful baseball deep into October.  In Brian McCann, we feel we have made a significant improvement to a key position, while adding a high-character presence to our clubhouse. Our work this offseason has just begun, but we feel this is an important step towards what will be an exciting and rewarding 2014 season for our fans.”

Big, bold words that match up with what the team has been saying for a while and doing since the green flag dropped on this offseason.  I said after the deal was signed that I thought this was a great move for the Yankees for multiple reasons.  They've added an elite catcher for a reasonable amount of years at market value and will have the added benefit of extending his career thanks to the DH spot in the American League.  Looking forward to McCann's introductory presser on Thursday and finding out what number he'll wear.

** UPDATE 4:10 PM- Via Joel Sherman, here are the details on the vesting option: 1,000 PA in 2017-2018, 90 games at catcher in 2018, and not on DL at the end of 2018.  All 3 must be met for the 2019 option to vest.  That's pretty good for the Yankees. **

Non-Tender Deadline Moves Won't Be The End Of The 40-Man Shuffle

(Listen to the bell, Vernon.  It tolls for thee.  Courtesy of Kim Klement/USA Today Sports)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

The non-tender deadline was yesterday and the Yankees continued their onslaught of offseason activity with a flurry of moves.  They traded Chris Stewart to the Pirates for a PTBNL in the morning, reuniting him with his 2012 catching partner and clearing some of their new logjam at the catcher spot caused by the Brian McCann signing.  In the afternoon, they officially non-tendered Jayson Nix, Matt Daley, and David Adams, freeing up 3 40-man roster spots in the process.

Stewart's spot makes 4 but that will go to McCann when his signing is made official later this week.  With so many free agent feelers out right now and the Rule 5 Draft coming up next week, those 3 remaining spots will really come in handy.  You have to think the Yankees are unofficially reserving 1 for Robinson Cano, or whoever they sign to replace him in the unlikely event he signs elsewhere.  Another will be held for Hiroki Kuroda, to whom the Yankees have reportedly made another 1-year contract offer.  And based on the Yankees' recent history, it's high likely they will select a player - another unheralded bullpen arm is my guess - in the Rule 5, bringing them back to a full 40-man roster.

Non-Tender Deadline Wrap-Up

So a lot of stuff happened yesterday afternoon and last night that I didn't get to.  If you were busy like I was, here's what you missed.

- The Yankees non-tendered Jayson Nix, Matt Daley, and David Adams to free up 3 more spots on the 40-man roster.  I bet they'll try to re-sign all of them to MiL deals, but Adams is the only one I'd care about getting back.

- They did sign Russ Canzler to a MiL deal, giving him a second go-round after cutting him in February.  I did a piece on Canzler way back when they first signed him in January and he still profiles as that same type of player.  Has always hit lefties in the Minors and can play some corner IF/OF.

- Brendan Ryan's new deal was formally announced by the team.  Via Joel Sherman, the deal is actually worth $2 million this year and next year with a team option for 2016.  If the Yankees decline, it becomes a $1 million player option, bringing the AAV of the deal to $1.67 mil.  Every little bit helps.

Yanks Have Reportedly Made An Offer To Hirok

We found out last week that the Yankees were feeling "more upbeat" about Hiroki Kuroda returning to pitch for them next season than they were earlier in the offseason.  Those upbeat feelings have now reportedly translated to a new contract offer.  According to Andrew Marchand, the exact details of the offer aren't known but an unnamed source has it as another 1-year deal between $15-16 million.  That would represent a slight upgrade from the 1-year deal that Kuroda pitched on this past season.

Mark Feinsand just tweeted that the offer was made "a long time ago," so maybe there's some differing information going on here.  My expectation was always that the Yankees would strongly entertain the idea of bringing Kuroda back next season if they felt he was open to returning.  I also expected them to wait a little longer than they did last year to explore other, younger options first.  Regardless of when the offer was extended, this is a sign that the Yankees aren't content to wait around for the Masahiro Tanaka posting situation to get resolved.  If they do end up with both Kuroda and Tanaka next year, that wouldn't be a bad first 4 to have in the rotation.

Aggressive Yankee Offseason Approach Being Thwarted On Multiple Fronts

("Psssst.  Do you think it's time offer Robbie a bonus package based on running hard to first base?"/Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

The Yankees entered this offseason knowing they had a lot of work to do.  Luxury tax avoidance goal or not, they were and still are an old team with a ton of roster holes to fill.  Years of focusing their efforts on older free agents, overpaying to retain some of their own, and sticking to their outdated and foolish team policy of not negotiating new deals while they still had team control over guys has caught up to them, and the Yankees find themselves very much in need of a makeover this offseason to avoid slipping into another down era.

To their credit, the Yankees prepared themselves well for this offseason and have been among the most, if not the most active team since the offseason officially began.  They've been engaged with nearly every big name MLB free agent, they've done extensive research and scouting of the top international free agents, and they've been proactive in trying to re-sign their own free agents that they're interested in keeping.  Yet despite their best efforts, and despite multiple assurances by the highest-ranking front office members that they would not, the Yankees find themselves being slowed down and even delayed in executing many of their big offseason plans.  It's been frustrating to say the least and potentially problematic if the team is still trying to build their next championship contender on a luxury-tax avoiding budget.

Quick Hit: Chris Stewart Traded

Well I guess that interest in Chris Stewart that was reported over the weekend turned out to be true after all.  As first reported by Buster Olney, the Yankees agreed to trade Stewart to the Pirates earlier this morning.  Jon Heyman confirmed the details of the trade, which will include a player to be named later coming back to the Yankees, and the team has already issued a press release formally announcing the trade.

This move was a pretty obvious one given the current 40-man depth the Yankees have at catcher.  The writing was on the wall for Stewart the minute the team signed Brian McCann.  If the Yanks didn't move him in a trade today he would have been non-tendered.  The PTBNL most likely won't even be a fringe prospect, the real goal here from New York's side was to open up another spot on the 40-man.  That's what was done and kudos to the Yankees for at least getting something back for Stewart.

So Long, Old Friend

* (Disclaimer- I may or may not have written this post last night with a half dozen beers in me) *

If there was 1 more nail that had to be driven into the coffin of Phil Hughes' tumultuous Yankee career, it happened over the weekend.  Hughes signed a 3-year/$24 million deal to join the Minnesota Twins rotation next year, in a deal that was a little more than I thought he'd get after the horrible finish to his 2013 but much less than a 27-year-old righty should be getting in this day and age of baseball spending.

I know I said the last post about Phil was the last one I'd write about him, but I just can't let it end like that.  Phil was an important part of my Yankee fandom, my transition to a more educated baseball fan in general, and my evolution as a blogger, and I'll always remember him for that.

You came into my life as a promising young stud, Phil.  I had high hopes for us.  You winning games and leading future Yankee rotations.  Me blushing at home and fanning myself while you struck out the side.  It was a match made in heaven.  Until things started to fall apart.  To be honest, I can't really pinpoint where things started to go wrong, but I knew that you weren't the pitcher I thought you were and I still don't think I'm fully over that.  You were my first prospect love, Phil.  And we'll always have that first spring 5th starter competition.  But now you're really gone and I think we're both better for it.  I wish you all the best in Minnesota.  Maybe I'll come out to visit sometime.  Probably not though.