Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 12/14

The lead-in to this week's Linkapalooza was supposed to be me talking about my company's upcoming holiday party tomorrow and all the shenanigans I was planning on getting into before, during, and after said party, but that hardly seems appropriate given the events that have taken place in Newtown, CT this morning.  As a Connecticut boy, this tragedy really hits home even if I don't know anybody directly affected, which is something I can't even say with 100% certainty right now.  It just sickens me that human beings as a species have devolved from building this planet up to what it is today, with all the technology and all the advancements we've created, to the point where a person can willingly decide to stroll into an elementary school and mass murder a bunch of harmless, defenseless children.

This next statement is a knee-jerk reaction, I'll admit that, but part of me thinks that maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if the world actually did end next Friday.  At least then we wouldn't have to continue to have things like this happen.  And with that, onto the links.

- On Monday, Jimmy Kraft of Yanks Go Yard wondered if a contact-oriented outfield would really be that bad for the Yankees.  A pertinent question to ask given their connection to Ichiro.

- On Tuesday, Steve Lombardi of Was Watching weighed in with his thoughts on the secondary ticket market issue after the Yankees ended their relationship with StubHub.

- SJK of NoMaas was right on top of his Photoshop game, as usual, when it came to the Kevin Youkilis signing and "traitor" cries coming from Fraud Sawx Nation.

- On Wednesday, Mike Axisa of RAB, on the heels of the Kevin Youkilis signing being announced, looked at how Youkilis' offensive game might translate to Yankee Stadium.

- Jesse Schindler of Bleeding Yankee Blue asked if it was to the Yankees' benefit to re-up with Phil Hughes now.  Personally, I'd like to see how he starts 2013 before entertaining that idea, but I also wouldn't hate it if they did.

- Jane Heller of Confessions of a She-Fan had a great idea for a new buddy comedy now that Youkilis is on his way to becoming a Yankee.  I'd pay to see that flick.

- Chad Jennings of LoHud broke down the currently full 40-man roster to determine who's going to be kicked off to make room for Youkilis and Ichiro.

- Jimmytoucan of Yankees Fans Unite mused on the need to stay grounded when evaluating and talking about prospects.  Very simile to the "Dangers of Prospect Hugging" post I wrote this time last year, and a lesson that's always good to bring back up.

- William Juliano of The Captain's Blog investigated the possible decrease in power, the biggest staple of the Yankee lineup, in 2013 based on this offseason's moves.

- On Thursday, el duque of It Is High... predicted bad things for this time next offseason based on the way this offseason has gone and how this team is presently constructed.

- Mike Eder of TYA looked back at Ichiro's recent performance in an attempt to project him moving forward.

- Brien Jackson of IIATMS responded to the growing complaint that the Yankees aren't getting better this offseason by asking if they're actually getting worse.

- On Friday, Marc Normandin of Pinstriped Bible looked at the comparison of Kevin Youkilis to Yankee fan favorite Paul O'Neill.

I don't feel right picking a song to play based on what happened today, so no Friday Jam.  I just hope everybody back home is safe and sound and has gotten their children to safety if they have kids, and my deepest condolences go out to all the victims of this despicable crime and their families.

Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

Lack Of Logic In The Ichiro Situation

(Hank and Hal just looking to cash in... Courtesy of Getty Images)

While most of the baseball world was buzzing about the Josh Hamilton signing yesterday afternoon, there was a significant development in the Ichiro Suzuki case, one that doesn't make a whole lot of sense for the Yankees in terms of how they've approached and executed their offseason plan to date.  After multiple reports of Ichiro receiving 2-year offers from other teams came out, Joel Sherman reported that the Yankees were "resigned" to the fact that they now HAD to make a guaranteed 2-year offer as well in order to bring Ichiro back.  I know this isn't going to sit well with my man James on the AB4AR Page, but that line of thinking and decision making by the Yankee brass is questionable at best, and borderline ludicrous at worst.

** UPDATE 10:36 AM- Jon Heyman reporting this morning that the deal is done, 2 years/"likely" $13 million. **

Hamilton Signing Ends Any Chance Of A Big Yankee Splash

Unless you either live under a rock or are more dedicated to your day job than I am and didn't spend time surfing the interwebs today, you already know that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim swooped in and signed big free agent fish Josh Hamilton to a 5-year/$125 million deal earlier today.  The move was a bit surprising, as the Angels hadn't been connected to Hamilton nearly as much as other clubs and there hadn't been much talk of Hamilton getting an offer for more than 3-4 years.  But kudos to the Angels for adding the  best FA hitter available on the market to an already dangerous lineup and for effectively ending any chance of there being fireworks for the Yankees this offseason.

Those chances were already slim to none.  The Yankees have executed what they said their offseason plan of attack was going to be to a tee, securing their own internal free agent pitchers to re-bolster the staff and focusing on 1-year deals and cheap platoon players to keep payroll flexibility intact heading into 2014.  I had my dream scenario, as we all did (probably including Cash), but with Zack Greinke and Hamilton coming off the market, Arizona making a trade that likely ended any chance of them moving Justin Upton, and San Diego holding firm to their commitment to not trading Chase Headley, the big move well has pretty much dried up for New York.

They've got their replacement third baseman, and they are reportedly getting closer and closer to finalizing a deal with one half of a possible right field platoon.  After that, I think we can all shut off the lights on the major portion of the Yankee 2012-2013 offseason.

Mo Says He'll Be Ready For Opening Day

It's pretty much a top 5 sports cliche for an injured athlete to say he's going to make it back in time for insert important sport milestone here.  And most of the time I'm inclined to call bullshit.  Derek Jeter has been saying it since his surgery, and I can't get on board with it because the expected recovery time and the calendar don't 100% support his claims.  I had aboslutely ZERO faith in Adrian Peterson's ability to come back in time for the start of the NFL season, which is why I passed on the chance to take him with the 10th pick in my fantasy draft and now my team full of crummy running backs is 5-8 and all but finished for the year.

But when Mariano Rivera says he's coming back, wait, scratch that.  When Mariano Rivera says anything, I take it as the word of God and accept it as fact.  That's why it was awesome to see this quote from him in the Daily News yesterday when asked about his chances of being ready for Opening Day 2013:

“Oh, yeah, I don’t see why not.  We have at least three months, four months until that point. I’ll be ready.”

He still hasn't started throwing a ball this offseason, so it will be worth watching how his velocity and cutter command look when he does start pitching in game situations again, but based on that comment I'm taking it to the bank that Mo will be jogging out to "Enter Sandman" if there's a save situation on Opening Day.  Now somebody hit the music!

A Quick Word On The StubHub Thing

It didn't seem like nearly as juicy a story as the Kevin Youkilis signing, but it's something that will actually have a lot bigger impact on us as fans than any free agent signing this offseason.  I'm sure many of you heard or read the news earlier in the week about the Yankees opting out of MLB's new deal with StubHub and deciding to go with Ticketmaster as their official re-sell outlet for tickets.  If you haven't, well you just did.

The Yankees called this move one that was more "fan friendly" to folks looking to pick up cheap or cheaper tickets, which, as Brien Jackson of IIATMS pointed out, is complete BS.  This was a move designed to put more money into the Steinbrenner's pockets, much like the YES deal with News Corp., and that's the bottom line.  And truth be told, I'm fine with that.  At the end of the day, they are still running a business and they've made it very clear that their goal in running the Yankees is to make more money for themselves.  At least they're being consistent, right?

As someone who lives too far away to attend Yankee games regularly, this isn't going to have much of an impact on how much I get to see the Yankees.  As it is I can only catch them when they're on TV, and I go out of my way to make sure I can watch them when I know they're going to be on.  As a diehard fan who promised himself he was going to make it to The Stadium for a series next season A) because I still haven't been there, and B) because I want/need to see Mariano Rivera pitch one more time, this is going to be an inconvenience and hurt me some in the wallet.  I've used StubHub before, I know what kind of good deals you can get on there, and I can totally see why a lot of fans would be upset about this.  Going to a Yankee game at The Stadium these days is hardly cheap, and now one of the options available to help people save a little money has been taken away from them.

I've called out the Yankee Stadium crowd for being weak before, and it was painfully obvious that The Stadium was not full and not loud in the postseason this year.  But I'll say this, if the Steinbrenners think that this switch to Ticketmaster is going to help bring people back to fill the seats next year, I think they're going to be sorely disappointed.

(For more reading on the StubHub situation, check out William Juliano's take over at Pinstriped Bible and Brien Jackson's follow-up post from yesterday.)

Thoughts On The Kevin Youkilis Signing

(Ahh the good old days.  Let 'em go, people)

I made it pretty clear last week which side of the fence I was on when reports of the Yankees offering Kevin Youkilis the 1-year/$12 mil deal first came out.  I had my reasons and I don't think any of them were misguided, even if my way of expressing them (which was meant to be humorous, by the way) did get me an attempted morality lesson and possible challenge to a fight in the TYA comments section.  But barring something major coming up in his physical that would negate the agreement, Kevin Youkilis is going to be a Yankee next season and he's going to be the Opening Day third baseman.

That's the reality, snd there's nothing that I or anybody else who was anti-Youkilis can do about it.  So rather than bitch and moan about how much better of an option Mark Reynolds would have been, or complain about how I can't/won't root for him because of who his former team is, I'd like to break this move down logically and calmly now that I've had a night and a day to digest it.

2012 Statistical Trends: Joba's Comeback

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

2012 was a rough year for Joba Chamberlain.  After being shut down in 2011 and undergoing Tommy John Surgery, he was in the process of working himself back to full strength to make a summer 2012 return when he suffered his now infamous trampoline accident that resulted in a dislocated ankle.  When reports first came out on that injury, it sounded potentially career-threatening, but follow-up examinations and surgery made it much less so and Joba was able to return to a Major League mound in August.  Joba pitched to a 4.35/4.01/3.55 slash line in 20.2 innings pitched this past season, a small sample size to be sure.  But within that small sample size there are some interesting splits and trends that could point to a very strong 2013 campaign for Joba.

BREAKING NEWS: Yankees Agree To Sign Kevin Youkilis

Not a lot of details yet, but according to Ken Rosenthal, Kevin Youkilis has agreed to sign with the Yankees for the 1 year and $12 million they offered him.

Youkilis will have to pass a physical, and details are still coming in, but if this is true it gives the Yankees their temporary solution at third base while Alex Rodriguez recovers from his hip surgery, and gives Joe options on how he wants to rotate both of them through third and DH when A-Rod gets back to keep them both healthy.  The Yankees have needed to make a move to address the lineup holes, and now they have.  More details to come...

** UPDATE 5:25PM- Joel Sherman has confirmed Rosenthal's report, and also started talking about the Yankees moving to get a deal done with Ichiro by week's end. **

The Young Guys Most Likely To Contribute In 2013

(Opening Day catcher?  Don't rule it out.  Courtesy of the AP)

There's still the possibility of a blockbuster trade, something I think almost all of us are secretly hoping for after the excitement-less Winter Meetings.  But with the Yankees holding firm on their free agent signing plans for this offseason, and with that plan assuredly continuing into the next offseason when the payroll goal will loom largest, the likelihood of the Yankees having to use their top-level Minor Leaguers as more than just emergency filler or roster expansion fodder is very high.

We all know the Yankees don't have much high-impact, high-level talent in their system, but that's not to say they don't have players capable of contributing as useful bench or bullpen pieces or even winning a starting job if it comes to that.  The only "top" prospect with a shot at making the show in 2013 is Tyler Austin, and even that is a longshot, but here are some other guys who could see some significant PT at the Major League level next season.

The Truth Finally Comes Out

Say it ain't so, Alex!

Because nobody in the MSM can think of anything worthwhile to ask or write about now that the Winter Meetings are over, Alex Rodriguez was stuck answering questions about his rumored centaur paintings of himself in house.  After years of speculation, and quite frankly hope on my part that it was true, A-Rod finally shed some light on the subject.

“No, I do not have a painting of my upper body on a Minotaur.  I don’t know where they get that stuff.”

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!  I can't believe that it's not true!  What a crushing blow to my ego, my hopes and dreams of what the world could be, and the very foundation that this blog was built upon.  I mean come on, Al!  I've been down with the A-Taur since the word go.  Do you think I would have gone through all the trouble of making multiple Photoshops, rattling off hundreds of A-Horse jokes, and always trying to remember to refer to your feet as hooves if I thought you didn't actually have these paintings??  What kind of an idiot do you think I am???  Wait, don't answer that.

Needless to say, this day is already off to a horrible start. I could slip a joke in here about how the hip injury and required surgery is even more severe when you're dealing with a 4-legged centaur, but it just wouldn't be the same now knowing what I know.  I don't normally drink at the office, but I might have to find something to put in my coffee to get me through the morning.

(Never forget)

P.S.- Yes, I wrote this post assuming that A-Rod is actually too dumb to know the difference between a centaur and a minotaur.  There's no way he's that slick.

Some Positives To Signing Ichiro

(I'll admit it.  He looks pretty good right there.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

By now I don't really need to remind everybody that I'm firmly against re-signing Ichiro Suzuki for next season (even though I just kinda did right there).  But with the available free agent cupboard left pretty bare after last week's Winter Meetings, and the Yankees appearing unlikely to get seriously involved in the Josh Hamilton sweepstakes unless his price goes WAAAAAAAYYYY down, talks about the Yankees and Ichiro started heating up again over the weekend.  Yesterday Ken Rosenthal reported that there was "strong interest" on both sides in bringing Ichiro back for 2013, and this morning Jon Heyman reported that the Yanks and Ichiro were hoping to have a deal done "within the next few days."

I'm not going to be happy if/when this deal becomes official, and everybody knows my reasons.  But there's been a lot of support for Ichiro in both the comments section of this blog and on the AB4AR Facebook Page anytime I bring him up in a negative context.  So in an attempt to shelf the negativity until the deal gets done, and to appease the AB4AR masses who are so pro-Ichiro, here are some positive things I can say about him and what he'll be able to offer the Yankees should they re-sign him this week.

A-Rod's Relieved After His Latest Injury. Me? Not So Much

(Not a sign of relief.  Courtesy of the AP)

After his latest hip injury and required surgery was announced a week ago today, Alex Rodriguez made his first public comments on the situation this past weekend.  Speaking to reporters at a charity function he attended, A-Rod had this to say about the new injury to his left hip:

“I’m not concerned. I’m actually, in many ways, relieved that there’s something tangible that we can go fix.”

He went on to drop lines about being committed to coming back, confident that he can return to form, and ready to take on the challenge of rehab and recovery, all the usual talking points for a great athlete coming back from a serious injury.  The problem with all of it is that it rings incredibly hollow at this stage in A-Rod's career.  I know he can't come out and say, "yeah, you know, the last one sapped a lot of my power, and now that I've got to have surgery on the other hip I don't expect to be a great everyday player anymore," but I'd also like to think that he he's self-aware enough to know that this is probably it for him and that he knows we all know this is it for him too.  Because if there's anything about his career path since the first hip surgery that Alex finds relief in, he needs to look up the definition of the word.

Opening Day Lineup Still Needs Some Work

(Let's see Joe whip up a winning lineup with these ingredients.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

So it's almost 2 weeks before Christmas.  The GM Meetings are over, the Winter Meetings are over, and it's getting close to hibernation time for most teams during the down period of the MLB offseason.  The Yankees have made a few moves, all of them re-signing the key missing parts of their pitching staff, but the position player portion of the roster is still in shambles.  I know this is a theme I've been slowly beating to death since the offseason really kicked into gear, and things have gotten better since the first time I did something like this, but with the events that took place this week it's a theme that is still very prevalent and a situation that's actually gotten worse.

The Yankees will be without Alex Rodriguez until at least mid-summer, they've officially lost Russell Martin as their starting catcher, they still don't have a starting right fielder, and the bench is really nothing more than a collection of backup catchers.  If the regular season started tomorrow, and the Yankees had to field a lineup with what they've got right now, it would be an ugly scene.

Nix Gives Yanks Bare Minimum Insurance

The Yankees took a risk re-signing Jayson Nix the way they did and then DFA'ing him to clear a roster spot for Mo.  That risk became even bigger when Alex Rodriguez's injury was announced on Monday, and bigger still when the Yankees failed to lock down a replacement this week at the Winter Meetings.  But the risk paid off yesterday when Nix cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A.  At least now the Yankees have one viable, albeit nowhere near ideal, in-house option to play the hot corner if need be.

Nix was the definition of replacement level in 2012, but he did prove useful to the Yankees with his ability to play multiple positions.  They were lucky to have him on the roster when A-Rod went out with the broken hand, and Nix did get the majority of his work in at third this past season.  He's certainly not enough as an everyday option to make Cash call off the search for a full-time replacement, but Nix can handle a bat, has just enough pop to be taken seriously, and can handle his business in the field.

I don't expect that Nix will be the Opening Day third baseman, and the Yanks could certainly do a lot better than him.  But they could also do worse, and were doing worse with what they had readily available before he cleared waivers yesterday.  Nix is at least something, and something is better than nothing.

Looking Forward To Brett Gardner's Return

(You might need that helmet, dude.  Courtesy of Jim McIsaac/Newsday)

Brett Gardner became the first of the Yankees' 5 remaining arbitration eligible players to avoid it yesterday and sign a new deal for 2013, guaranteeing that no matter what warm body the Yankees stick in right field next season, they'll at least have their 2 returning starters in center and left.  As it was with Michael Pineda and Mariano Rivera, 2012 was basically a lost season for Gardner.  He had just 37 plate appearances in 16 games before suffering the elbow injury that eventually ended his season.  But Gardner swung the bat well in those 37 PA, hitting .323/.417/.387 and scoring 7 runs.  The figures of Gardner's new deal have yet to be disclosed, but with him playing so few games last year I can't imagine he'll get much of a raise from the $2.8 mil he made, if he even gets a raise at all.  With what he did in 2010 and 2011, the possibility of Gardner coming back and playing a full season at that price tag is exciting and could end up being very beneficial to the Yankees.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 12/7

I don't have much to offer in the form of personal stories today.  I bought some of my shop guys pizza for lunch today as a way to thank them for pulling some overtime recently to keep a few projects of mine on schedule.  It dawned on me that a lot of my good deeds come in the form of spending money.  Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's my thing.  I don't walk around a lot, so opportunities to help old ladies cross the street or throw my jacket over a puddle are few.  Probably still not enough to get me on the "Nice" list for Christmas, but whatever.  Now onto the links!

- On Monday, Chris Carelli of Yanks Go Yard advocated for bringing back Eric Chavez as the backup at third base again.  Guess the Steinbrenners should have read this too.

- William Juliano of The Captain's Blog discussed the "rock and a hard place" situation the Yankees are slipping into after the A-Rod injury was announced.

- On Tuesday, Chad Jenningsof LoHud captured the best bits from Joe Girardi's Winter Meetings press conference.  He said about what you'd expect him to.

- Greg Corcoran, Bronx Baseball Daily's resident prospect guru, laid out his list of Top 10 Yankee relief pitching prospects.  No surprise at who's #1, but a couple of the others might surprise you.

- On Wednesday, SJK of NoMaas wondered what the Yankees' plan to address third base was after Chavez signed a cheap 1-year deal.

- On Thursday, Eric Morales of Bleeding Yankee Blue weighed in with her take on the Curtis Granderson trade rumors and the need for the Yankees to get a deal done quick if they are trying to move him.

- Mike Axisa of RAB examined the options for replacing A-Rod at third from every conceivable angle, and suggested an interesting internal move that could be worth trying.

- Bryan Van Dusen of The Greedy Pinstripes expressed his frustration with the Yankees' strategy and slow-moving execution so far this offseason.

- EJ Fagan of TYA kicked around the idea of the Yankees doing a modified rebuild this offseason and ways to do it without impacting the 2014 payroll goals.

- SG of Replacement Level Yankees Weblog came through with the updated version of his CAIRO projections for 2013.  Take a look at where the AL East stands right now.

- On Friday, el duque of It Is High... shared his sentiments on the possibility of Kevin Youkilis at third, and interestingly enough they mirror mine.

- Brien Jackson of IIATMS took down a negative piece about Marvin Miller in The Economist, and tore apart all the wrongness the author of the piece used as the basis for his argument.

For this week's Friday Jam I'm going with some good old American southern heavy metal, "Pillars Of Eternity" by Down.  I don't know how Phil Anselmo manages to scream like that so often in so many different bands but it's good stuff.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

Another Way To Look At Things...

I've sensed a growing frustration and even some anger towards the Yankees this week as each day of the Winter Meetings passed without them making any moves to address their open roster spots.  It's unfamiliar territory for us as Yankee fans and writers to see them miss out or flat out not get involved with players who could help them, and it can be hard to cope with.  But consider who the Yankees have signed already and the former Yankees who have signed with other teams:

Players Added: Hiroki Kuroda, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte.  Combined career fWAR: 123.7

Players Lost: Russell Martin, Eric Chavez, Eli Whiteside, Mickey Storey.  Combined career fWAR: 58.8

I know there are other former Yankee free agents out there who are going to eventually sign with other teams, which will up that lost WAR count a decent chunk, and that has to be considered.  But it hasn't happened yet.  And I know that, eventually, the Yankees are going to make moves to replace that lost production and up their added WAR count in the process as well.

The important thing to remember here is that the Yankees haven't lost anything that's going to make or break them in 2013.  A-Rod is still on the team, he's going to be back on the field next season, and he may even be healthy and productive when he does.  It's been a slow offseason, but the moves will come and the roster holes will be filled.

Winter Meetings News & Notes: Day 4

Well that's it, ladies and germs.  The 2012 Winter Meetings are over and they were an especially quiet 4 days for the Yankees.  After rumors that today could be a big wheeling and dealing day for Cash, it ended up being about the same as the 3 before it.  Now we move into the offseason doldrums with plenty for the Yanks still to do.

- The Rule 5 Draft kicked the day off, with the Yankees neither gaining nor losing a player.  They were already filled to the brim on the 40-man, so no additions wasn't surprising, but it was nice to be able to hold onto pitchers like Graham Stoneburner and Vidal Nuno.

- Joel Sherman reported early in the day that Brian Cashman was "frustrated" with the way the meetings were going, a report later confirmed by Dan Barbarisi and his story about Cash not having the authority to make any FA deals this week.

- Not surprisingly, Cash said he spent the majority of his time this week discussing trades rather than FA signings, as reported by Chad Jennings.

- Danny Knobler had Curtis Granderson on the list of 5 outfielders the Phillies were targeting.  C-Grand trade talks picked up as the week went on, and I expect that to continue moving forward.

- One of the few third base candidates the Yankees did not get involved in was Michael Young.  Sherman reported that the Yanks didn't ask Texas about him because they didn't believe he could play third full-time.

- Jennings also reported that the Yankees did NOT talk to San Diego about Chase Headley.  It couldn't have hurt to try, but I guess Cash knew he didn't have the pieces to make it happen.

- Andy Martino connected the Yankees to the R.A. Dickey trade talks today, even though they didn't have the trade chips to meet the Mets' demands.  That would have been interesting.

- The biggest news of the day was the Yanks making their 1-year/$12 million offer to Kevin Youkilis.  Even though Ken Rosenthal later reported that he had gotten 2 year offers in the $16-18 mil range, I still think the Yanks' offer to Youkilis is a pretty good one for him.

2012 Statistical Trends: Ivan Nova's XBH Allowed

(This year he really was Ivan The Terrible)

Last week I looked at Robinson Cano's disconcerting decline in production against left-handed pitching this past season, and what might have been the cause for the change.  This week I'd like to do the same thing with another negative 2012 trend, that being Ivan Nova's insanely high number of extra base hits allowed.

Hopes were high for Nova in 2012 after his strong finish to 2011.  And in plain English he just flat out sucked this season.  There's no other way to say it.  Despite setting new career bests in starts (28), IP (170.1), K rate (20.5%, 8.08/9), and BB rate (7.5%, 2.96/9), Nova's season was defined by his 5.02/4.60 ERA/FIP split and the never-ending barrage of XBH flying off of opposing bats that led to those high values.  Nova's 87 XBH allowed were head and shoulders above his closest competition, not the type of league-leading black ink you want on your stats ledger, but the changes in his K and BB numbers suggests this shouldn't have been the case.  So what the hell happened to Ivan this year that he became a glorified BP pitcher while seemingly improving his stuff and command?

Don't Be So Sure About Youkilis

(I'm just not that into you, Kev)

The Winter Meetings will basically be over this afternoon after the Rule 5 Draft is complete, and it's becoming more and more likely that the Yankees will leave the meetings without addressing any of their open lineup holes.  They've been connected to a ton of players, and lost out on most of the ones in which they had interest just as quickly as they were connected.  Third base continues to be the biggest area of activity for the Yankees, and after the events that took place yesterday, the Yanks are down to 2 real "good" option as a temporary starter in Alex Rodriguez's absence: Kevin Youkilis and Mark Reynolds.

I get the sense that Youkilis is not only the bigger target for the Yankees right now, but also more of the fan and writer favorite, mainly due to his peak being higher than Reynolds' and his overall offensive production being better and more well-rounded.  While I won't disagree with either of those facts, I also won't come right out and say I think Youkilis is the better option.  If you look closer, there are reasons to be wary about him.

Winter Meetings News & Notes: Day 3

(Didn't think to put Cash's face on that.  My bad)

- The Yanks were high on Jeff Keppinger, and reportedly offered him the most money, but Keppinger signed with White Sox, 3 years/$12 million.

- They also made "good progress" with outfielder Nate Schierholtz.  Buster Olney called the Yanks the front runner to sign him, which is a good sign for a player who would be a good fit.

- A deal with Kevin Youkilis is" unlikely," according to Mark Feinsand, despite the Yankees checking his medicals yesterday.  They are also reported to be far apart on money, but don't count Youkilis out just yet.

- Mark Reynolds is one of the few third base options still unsigned, and the Yankees were talking to his people today, according to Joel Sherman.  Bryan Hoch has Reynolds looking for a $7.5 million deal, which I would be more than willing to pay on a 1-year.

- Sherman also said there are "strong indications" that the Yanks won't pursue A.J. Pierzynski as a catching option.  Whew.

- Eric Chavez signed a 1 year/$3 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Somewhat surprising to see him go elsewhere so quickly after deciding he wanted to come back.

- Howie Kussoy of The Post reported that Mo is planning to announce his 2014 plans during Spring Training 2013.  So he's coming back again, right?

Third Basemen! Getcha Third Basemen Here!

I think the Yankees pretty much covered the board on connections to available third basemen yesterday.  I read one unconfirmed report that they were in talks with Charlie Hayes' people about a comeback.  Now the questions becomes, which guy gets the golden ticket?

Kevin Youkilis- .283/.384/.482, .377 wOBA, 128 wRC+, RHH, 33 years old

Jeff Keppinger- .288/.337/.396, .323 wOBA, 97 wRC+, RHH, 32 years old

Mark Reynolds- .235/.332/.475, .349 wOBA, 109 wRC+, RHH, 29 years old

Eric Chavez- .267/..343/.476, .349 wOBA, 112 wRC+, LHH, 34 years old

What's your poison, people?  There's good and bad that comes with all of them.

** UPDATE 1:04PM- Sorry to all you Jeff Keppinger fans out there.  Ken Rosenthal and Jon Heyman are reporting that he has signed with the White Sox for 3 years and $12 million. **

** UPDATE 2:05PM- And now Chavez comes off the board, signing a 1-year/$3 million deal with the D-backs according to Jack Magruder. **

Winter Meetings News & Notes: Day 2

- As I touched on in my C-Grand post below, the Yankees are open to trade talks involving both Curtis Granderson and Phil Hughes, according to multiple reports.  Would have to be a part of a deal to bring back a big-name player to come close to matching value.

- Jack Curry reported that the Yankees talked to Kevin Youkilis' agent and that Youkilis is willing to take a 1-year deal if the money was right.  He was the first of many third basemen the Yankees were connected to today.  I wonder why...

- Ken Rosenthal loosely connected the Yanks to Marco Scutaro, who will surely be outside their spending limit if Buster Olney's report of a 3-year/$8 mil per price range for Scutaro are accurate.

- Jeff Passan had the Yankees at the "very strong" interest level for Jeff Keppinger.  His reported price range is 2 years/$4 mil per according to Ken Rosenthal, and more than that according to Heyman, which isn't super expensive but also more than the Yanks probably want to pay for a fill-in.

- Ken Davidoff reported that the Yankees have met with the agent for Eric Chavez and expressed their interest in bringing him back for another year.  Return of the third base platoon!

- He wasn't a necessity after the Kuroda/Pettitte re-signings, but the Yankees lost out on Dan Haren today when he signed a 1-year/$13 million deal with the Nationals.  Nice little offseason the Nats are having.

- They were only loosely connected to him, but the Yanks also lost Shane Victorino as a potential RF option when he signed a 3-year/$39 million deal with the Fraud Sawx.  That seems like an overpay to me.

- Dan Barbarisi reported Cash's confirmation that the Yanks have "had talks" with A.J. Pierzynski.  Guh.

- A little bit of good news on the A-Rod injury front- According to Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees have insurance on most of Rodriguez's contract, possibly north of 70% of it, that they could collect if this latest injury results in A-Rod being unable to continue playing.  That scenario is unlikely, but at least the Yankees would get a little kickback to reinvest if that contract ends up being that much more of a stinker.

Trade Curtis Granderson, Do It

It's mostly just speculation and loose connections to various players this morning in Yankeeland.  But there was some dust stirred up earlier when Buster Olney tweeted that the Yankees were "open to talks" about trading Curtis Granderson.  I already made my pitch for what I would do with Granderson if the situation was different this offseason, but even with the payroll constraints on this is a move I would support if there's some body to the rumor.

Yes, trading Granderson away would open up another hole in the everyday lineup next season, one that would not be easily filled.  If the Yankees still want to contend next season, as Joel Sherman said they did when discussing the C-Grand rumors, ridding themselves of the best power hitter in their lineup doesn't help that cause.  But let's look objectively at Granderson.  He's 31 years old, he'll be 32 before the start of next season, and despite his high HR totals he appears to be in the early stages of decline.  His contact skills have steadily eroded since joining the Yankees, he set new career highs in total strikeouts and K rate in 2012, and most defensive metrics paint him as a below-average defensive center fielder at best.

His price tag is already $15 million for 2013, and that value will more than likely increase when he becomes a free agent on the strength of his HR numbers.  That will be too rich for the Yankees' blood if this offseason is any indication of how serious they are about getting below the luxury tax threshold.  If Granderson really is starting to decline and isn't a candidate to be brought back anyway, why not move him while you can still get something of value back for him?  It won't be value that will replace his production, but it's better than nothing.  I was a little more on-the-fence about this when I wrote about it months back, but now I'm going to say it more definitively.  The Yankees should trade Curtis Granderson.

My Non-Austerity Offseason Plan

(I could do this guy's job.  With no budget over my head.  Courtesy of Jim McPeak/USA Today Sports)

It was said on one of our daily TYA chains yesterday that, despite the open holes in the lineup and the A-Rod injury, you really couldn't say anything negative about the way the Yankees have approached this offseason so far.  And that's true.  There are still plenty of players available in the free agent pool for the positions at which the Yankees need help (except catcher), plenty of cost-friendly platoon bats available for the bench, and the team has already come damn close to replicating the starting pitching depth it took until mid-January of this year to assemble.

So yeah, it's not like the Yankees have done a terrible job this offseason by any means.  They have a plan and they're sticking to it.  It's that plan that I think frustrates people the most, though, and I know it frustrates me.  To see the Yankees willingly staying away from the best possible players that fit their needs because of money is still strange, and still not something I want to see happening.  And to be quite honest, if I have to hear the words "interested," "connected," or "preliminary discussions" to describe the Yankees' connection to some older position player, I'm going to scream.  So to change things up a bit, I'd like to come up with an offseason plan that's a little more exciting, the plan that I would be following right now if I were calling the shots and didn't have to worry about cutting payroll.  It basically boils down to 3 steps.