Yanks Announce Plans To Honor A Bunch Of Guys

I was running around for most of the day yesterday so I didn't get a chance to cover this.  The Yankees announced plans to honor multiple former team members yesterday, most notably former manager Joe Torre.  Torre will have his number 6 retired in a pregame ceremony on August 23rd.  The manager for the most recent Yankee dynasty of the late 90s-early 2000s, Torre and the team have had to work to repair their relationship over the last few years.  It's good to see that that work has been completed.

The team also announced that there will be ceremonies to honor former players Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez, and Goose Gossage with plaques in Monument Park.  Those ceremonies will be held on June 21st (Martinez), 22nd (Gossage), and August 9th (O'Neill).  To be honest, I'm a little surprised that all 3 of these guys are receiving plaques out there.  They were good Yankees but not great Yankees, and I don't think they deserve to be honored before better, homegrown players like Bernie Williams.

Speaking of Bernie, the team did say there are plans to honor him next year, although they did not announce what the plans are or when that will happen.  Hopefully Bernie gets his number 51 retired because he deserves it.  Between him, Paulie, Tino, Torre, and whatever's planned for Derek Jeter at the end of this season, the Yankees are going heavy on honoring that late 90s dynasty.  When Jeter has his number retired, that will be the end of single digit numbers in Yankeeland.  Pretty cool.

A Quick Word On This Mo/Cano Thing

Actually, it's 2 words.

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON'T CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARE!!!!!!  Not at all.  Not even the slightest amount.  If you're later to the party than I am, Mo has a book coming out soon that was written by Wayne Coffee of the Daily News.  In an attempt to stir up interest in the book and snag the always-important headlines and pageviews, the DN posted a story late last night focusing on an excerpt from the book in which Mo questions former teammate Robinson Cano's desire and says he would pick Dustin Pedroia as his second baseman if he had to win one game.  The money quote:

“This guy has so much talent I don’t know where to start... There is no doubt that he is a Hall-of-Fame caliber (player). It’s just a question of whether he finds the drive you need to get there. I don’t think Robby burns to be the best... You don’t see that red-hot passion in him that you see in most elite players.”

Obviously something like this is going to be big news in the NY sports media shark tank and predictably, everybody is running with their EXTRA HOT TAKE on the "issue" today to boost their own pageviews.  It's the stupidest thing ever and a complete waste of time.

Big Al Reintroduces Himself To Yankeeland

(Courtesy of the AP)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

The easy headlines from yesterday afternoon's stinker were CC's horrific performance and the offense's continued non-existence.  About the only positive one, which Kenny wisely covered in the IIATMS/TYA recap of the game, was the successful re-debut of Alfredo Aceves in the Yankee bullpen.  Called up after the bulk of the 'pen got worked hard in Friday night's 14-inning loss, Aceves got the call when CC failed to get out of the 4th.  Although initially brought in to be more of a sacrificial lamb to save the rest of the bullpen for the road trip, Aceves made Joe look doubly smart by tossing 5.1 shutout innings and keeping the Yankees in the game.

Welcoming Back Robbie Cano

(Dude is rocking some sweet facial hair.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

Does it feel like Robinson Cano has been gone for a really long time to anybody else?  In reality, he's been a non-Yankee for less than a month of his career, but it feels like he's been away forever to me.  He'll make his first trip back to The Stadium tonight when the Mariners come to town for a 3-game series, his first appearance back in front of the Yankee faithful since choosing Seattle and their 3 more years of guaranteed money over the Yankees and their 7-year offer.  Most of the beat guys are trying to stir the pot by writing and tweeting about how the fans should react during Cano's first plate appearance tonight, but to me it's a non-issue.  There's really only one acceptable option for how to treat Cano tonight.

The Meat Tray Returneth!

Not really.  I was just looking for an excuse to throw this Photoshop up again because I still laugh like an idiot every time I look at it.  I would much rather have an actual tray of meat than Sergio Mitre on my baseball team any day of the week.

But former Yankee and 5th Starter Competitor Sergio Mitre was back in the news today for becoming the latest former Yankee to sign with the Rakuten Golden Eagles.  I'm not sure if it was part of some under-the-table deal worked out by the 2 teams as part of the Tanaka signing, but the Eagles are loaded with former Yankees now.  Darrell Rasner, Casey McGehee, Andruw Jones, and now the Meat Tray.  That's a haul.  No other way to describe it.  Even without Tanaka, that's a ballclub that's going to contend for a long time with that core.

Maybe these new posting rules aren't the worst thing in the world after all.  Yankees still get to flex their financial muscle to bring in the top Japanese talent when they've scouted the player enough to make it worthwhile, and the NPB gets a major influx of former MLB talent by creating a pipeline to washed up former Yankee greats   goods  OKs   spare parts warm bodies.  Everybody wins.

The Jesus Returneth?

(Still so majestic)

Could it be?  Could our once and former lineup savior possibly be a candidate to return to his homeland?  Probably not, but it might not be a bad idea for the Yankees to look into.  Via Bob Nightengale, the Mariners have let it be known that former top prospects Jesus Montero and Justin Smoak are available.  With their recent spending spree on new hitters, it appears as though they're giving up on some of their past attempts to bolster their lineup through prospect acquisitions.

Montero has been absolutely horrible since going to Seattle.  He's registered -0.8 total fWAR in 164 Major League games as a Mariner, mainly because his offensive production has fallen off the face of the earth.  He's no longer a catcher, he's not going to play first base with Corey Hart in the mix, and there's really no other opportunity for him to stick on that roster.

Before being traded for Michael Pineda, Montero was very impressive in his short Yankee debut in 2011.  He has the type of swing and opposite field power that was and still is tailor-made for Yankee Stadium, which is why he might still have some value to the Yankees.  They could certainly use some right-handed pop, although I'm not sure how or where they'd be able to work Montero into the lineup.

The original Montero-Pineda trade has gone down as a complete disaster for both sides.  The Yankees bringing Jesus back and trying to reignite his former prospect spark could be a way for them to recoup something from it.

Revisiting The Curtis Granderson Trade 4 Years Later

(Remember this?  Courtesy of the AP)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

The Mets finalized their 4-year/$60 million deal with Curtis Granderson yesterday, making his move across town official and ending a 4-year run in pinstripes that was interesting to say the least.  Granderson went from underperforming trade bust who had to be benched to rebuild his swing in his first season to one of the premiere power hitters in baseball from 2011-2012 to an unlucky injury case in a contract year this past season.  He finished his short Yankee career with a .245/.335/.495 slash line, 115 HR, 345 R scored, 307 RBI, 2 All Star Game selections, and 1 Silver Slugger award in '11.  He also leaves with no rings, joining the Yankees the year after their last title and being a part of 4 teams that failed to return to the World Series.

Yesterday marked the actual 4-year anniversary of the 3-team trade that brought C-Grand to the Yankees.  It was a trade that brought up the always pertinent "playing for the present or the future" question with respect to the Yankees' plans.  To acquire Granderson, at the time a 28-year-old All Star centerfielder, the Yankees traded away one of their top prospects in center fielder Austin Jackson, 24-year-old starting pitcher and former top prospect Ian Kennedy, and lefty bullpen arm Phil Coke.  The move was clearly made with the present in mind and now 4 years later, with no more WS trophies to show for it, it bears going back and taking a look at how things could have played out different had the trade not been made.

Cue The Robbie Cano Smear Campaign

Via George King's report on the new Cano deal:

"According to three people who know Cano, he didn’t enjoy playing for manager Joe Girardi and that may have factored into the decision, though the Mariners giving him $60 million more than the Yankees offered ($175 million) likely had more to do with him leaving. ...

'He told me he didn’t want to play for [Girardi],' a friend of Cano’s said."

Come on, guys.  Do we really have to take the Boston route on this one and trash the guy now that he's on his way out of town?  Have a little class.  He was a great player while he was here, he did a lot of great things for the Yankees while he was in pinstripes, and he did exactly what any of us would have done if we had that kind of money on the table.  Like I said yesterday, it was strictly a business decision for both sides and there's nothing wrong with that.  Don't make it personal when it doesn't need to be.

Moose On The HOF Ballot

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

The jam-packed 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot was released yesterday, and in the middle of the surefire yeses (Maddux, Glavine), litany of holdover maybes (Biggio, Piazza) and almost definite nos (Bonds, Clemens) there is Mike Mussina.  Mussina's HOF case has been a topic of conversation going back to the days when he was still active, and now that he's eligible and on the ballot we'll get our first chance to see how the voters really feel about his qualifications.

"But Brad, what about you?  What's your hot take on Moose's HOF worthiness?"  Glad you asked, nobody.  Glad you asked.

Ya Gotta Love Old Timer's Day

(Courtesy of the AP)

Say what you want about him as a broadcaster, but old Pauly still looks like he could handle the stick up there.  I guarantee the water coolers in the dugouts were a little nervous with him back out there today.  Little surprised the Yankees didn't talk to him in the offseason before making the Wells trade.

P.S.- Totally kidding but not really.

How Big Of An Ovation Does Mattingly Get Tonight?

Probably not as big as CM Punk in Chicago - kinda hard to beat that in an open-air baseball stadium that's only a third full when the game starts - but I bet it'll be pretty close tonight when Donnie Baseball returns to Yankee Stadium.  Personally I was a little young to really be a big Don Mattingly fan.  I caught him at the end of his career, when his health had started to betray him and the transition was being made to the Core Four dynasty.  But if you know anything about Yankee history, you know that Mattingly was and is one of the most beloved players in team history.  He was Derek Jeter before Derek Jeter was Derek Jeter.

I could care less about any of the talk about him returning as future manager or coach.  His track record on the coaching side of Major League baseball isn't all that stellar and I think Joe is still the better man for the job.  For nostalgia and fan history's sake though, it will be cool to see Mattingly back in Yankee Stadium tonight.  He'll get a huge reaction from the crowd and he deserves it.

Why A Wang Return Would Be Helpful

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

The biggest non-Jeter's ankle story of yesterday was the return of Chien-Ming Wang to the Yankees.  It wasn't as an official team member, as Wang is still searching for a job offer after a brutal 2012 with the Nationals, but he was there to pitch for team scouts and coaches and hopefully do enough to get himself a contract offer.  The Yankees were connected to Wang recently and scouted him at the WBC, where he was reportedly throwing his sinker high 80s-low 90s and didn't allow a run in 12 IP.  After the dreaded baserunning foot injury of '08 and the awful follow-up performance in '09, a return to the Yankee organization would be a nice little deal for Wang.

It also wouldn't be bad for the Yankees, who are always in the market for pitching depth.  While Wang is certainly not a contender for a Major League rotation spot at this point in his career, or even a 40-man roster spot for that matter, he does represent the type of veteran arm the Yankees have liked to keep stashed in their Triple-A rotation for the last few years.  They find themselves without that arm right now and adding Wang to the mix could be the final piece needed to solidify the top levels of their organizational rotation depth.

Johnny Damon? No Thanks

As part of the MLB-wide reaction to the Curtis Granderson injury, Johnny Damon's name popped up yesterday as a possible cheap stopgap option.  Damon himself spoke at length about his desire to return to the Yankees and his willingness to work around their needs as a temporary player:

“You guys know that I would have tons of interest to go to New York.  But I just don’t think they would be interested.  They have had plenty of opportunities and I kept raising my hand, wanting to go back and, you know, hopefully it would be a perfect fit. It always had been. Have me for six weeks and then send me off on my merry way. That’s fine.”

Damon's interest in returning to New York has been a yearly offseason topic of discussion for him, but as he said, the feeling hasn't been mutual from the Yankees' side.  A year or two ago he would have made sense as a 4th outfielder, but based on his recent performance I don't think that argument still holds.  Damon hit just .222/.281/.329 (.271 wOBA) in 224 PA for Cleveland last year before being cut, with his lowest BB rate since 1996.  He's been on a rapid decline since leaving the Yankees after the '09 season, and even though he still rates positively as a defensive outfielder, it would be a stretch to say he's a better offensive option than the collection of guys already in-house who have to step up and cover for the loss of C-Grand.

So sorry, John.  You'll always have a place in Yankee history, and I know I'll never forget the double stolen base in Game 4 of the '09 World Series, but you just don't cut the mustard anymore.

Yanks Still In The Market For Pitching Depth, Eyeing An Old Friend

Along with signing cheap veteran players to fill bench results, a Yankee staple the past few seasons has been stashing a cheap veteran starter or two in the Minors for emergency pitching depth.  Last year it was Ramon Ortiz and John Maine who filled that role, and filled it admirably, but so far this offseason there hasn't been a single signing of that type.

Enter this little nugget of intel from The Post's George King about the Yankees monitoring the status of Chien-Ming Wang, who threw for Billy Connors recently in a quasi-audition.  According to King, the Yankees haven't reached out to Wang or his agent, but they will be scouting him when he pitches for Taiwan in the WBC.  Wang has never been the same since injuring his foot in Houston in 2008, and was downright awful last season in Washington (6.68/5.85/5.43 in 32.1 IP).  He wouldn't be in the running for a Major League call up, as those will most likely be given to Adam Warren and Brett Marshall, but he could serve as backup depth in Triple-A should one of those younger arms be needed in the Majors.

Looking Back At Hideki Matsui, Underrated Yankee Great

(One of the great moments in recent Yankee history.  Courtesy of the AP)

Hideki Matsui announced his retirement from baseball yesterday, ending the most successful Japanese-American baseball career this side of Ichiro Suzuki.  After 10 years with the Yomiuri Giants in the Japanese Central League and another 10 in MLB, 7 of them with the Yankees, Matsui decided to hang 'em up at age 38 after various leg injuries and just the natural wear and tear of 20 years of baseball sapped him of much of his power and physical skills.  Matsui doesn't have the career MLB accolades and awards of a Derek Jeter or an Alex Rodriguez, but he is undoubtedly one of the most memorable and popular Yankees of the 21st century.  If he does end up in the Baseball Hall of Fame, something William Juliano made a very strong case for yesterday, it's very likely he would go in with a Yankee cap on his head, a fitting ending to a great baseball career.

Missing The Melkman

(Just Melky bein' Melky...)

Melky Cabrera has been a popular topic around the Yankosphere this week after his performance in the All Star game.  I guess getting punked out by a former player that your team gave up on national TV in a game that was over after the top of the 1st inning has a way of making that happen.  Melky's 2006-2009 Yankee career was one defined by "not enough."  He could hit for a little bit of average, but not enough to be a legit top-of-the-lineup threat; he could hit for some power, but not enough to justify a full-time position in the lineup or make up for his lack of average; he could do some things defensively, but not enough to be called a good defensive outfielder.  All of this took place between the ages of 21-24 for Melky, a time where only the most elite players are playing at or close to the full potential.

What made Melky special was his personality and knack for always being in the middle of memorable moments.  He brought a little bit of fun, youthful, unpredictable energy to an otherwise stale clubhouse and the palling around that he and a young Robinson Cano did was always a topic to be touched on when discussing Melky.  He was essentially Nick Swisher before the Yankees signed Nick Swisher, just not with the level of production, and with the Yankees still somewhat married to the idea that an All Star, current or former, at every position was the way to go, he was shipped off to Atlanta before the 2009 season.  It didn't seem like a tremendous loss at the time; the Yankees were giving up a player who had never hit more than 13 HR in a season, never driven in more than 73, and never posted a wOBA higher than .333.