Not Javy Vazquez Again. Please

(No, no, a billion times no)

I wanted to let this one sit as a post on the Facebook Page, but after all the pain he's caused me I just can't.  Nick Cafardo reported yesterday that the Yankees were among a group of teams who have been following Javy Vazquez's work in a Puerto Rican winter league.  That's right, the same Javy Vazquez who posted these 2 lines in his previous 2 tours with the Yanks:

2004- 198.0 IP, 4.91/4.58/4.71, 17.7% K rate, 33 HR
2010- 157.1 IP, 5.32/5.56/4.69, 17.7% K rate, 32 HR

There's that old saying, "Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me."  Well the Yankees have already been fooled twice by Vazquez, and that was back during times when he was still considered a good pitcher in most Major League circles.  Now he's been out of the league for a year, he's 36 years old, and I'd rather not see who the blame falls on if he fools the Yankees a third time.  I know they're bottom feeding for pitching depth this offseason, but there's no logical reason for even entertaining the idea of bringing Vazquez back.  I don't care if he's healthy, if his velocity is up, or if he's had a cybernetic third arm added to his body.  I've seen everything I need to see to know that Javy Vazquez sucks in a Yankee uniform.

Extensions For Joe & Cano Should Be A Priority

When he wasn't busy trying to pull non-existent wool over the eyes of us Yankee fans or slapping us in the face with his bulging money clip, Hal Steinbrenner did take some time the other day to comment on the upcoming contract situations for Joe Girardi and Robinson Cano.  Both of them enter 2013 in the final year of their current deals, and in typical Yankee fashion Hal played the "we don't do extensions" card.  That's not surprising knowing how the Yankees do business when it comes to new contracts, but considering they're already changing the way they do business by trying to scale back payroll, it would be wise to loosen up the standards on the extension front as well.

Why Not Travis Hafner For DH?

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

The Yankees are still in the market for a designated hitter for this season, and it's one of the few positions where they can actually afford to look for a lefty since they have A-Rod and Kevin Youkilis to handle the right-handed DH duties.  Mark Hale reported earlier this week that the Yankees have "no interest" in 42-year-old Jim Thome, which doesn't come as a huge surprise, but there is another name out there that I think could be a better fit than people realize.  That name is Travis Hafner, former Cleveland Indian who had his team option declined and hasn't generated a whole lot of buzz this offseason because of his annual injury problems.  This is going to sound crazy, but I think those injury problems are EXACTLY why the Yankees should be interested in Hafner.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 1/11/13

Major victory for me in my day job this week, people.  Truly life-altering stuff.  In my position, I'm constantly being shipped cases of sample containers for projects I run, usually bottles and cans.  When you do a lot of business with the big soda and beer companies of the world, there always exists the opportunity to get some free product, but I've never been lucky enough to experience that perk in the hundreds, probably thousands, of container samples I've received since I started working for my company.  Until this week.  I got me a fresh 24-case of 16oz aluminum Bud heavies sent to my attention for machine testing.  The King.  I damn near pissed my pants in excitement when I realized the bottles were full.  I saved about 5 to use for the project and the other 19 are going right back to the crib to take their rightful place in my fridge.  Is it shitty beer?  Absolutely.  Am I going to do my duty as an American and enjoy the hell out of every last drop?  You betcha.  Who needs profit sharing when you've got free beer?  Now onto the links!

- On Monday, Derek Albin of Pinstripe Pundits analyzed the history of Yankee draft picks to find where their strengths and weaknesses have been, both past and present.

- On Tuesday, William Juliano of The Captain's Blog looked back at past instances of HOF voters letting their moral compasses get in the way of logic.  Timely considering all the anti-steroid stuff going around this week from current BBWAA members.

- Chad Jennings of LoHud had some more nitty gritty details on A-Rod's injured left hip thanks to a Tuesday afternoon conference call with the suddenly famous Dr. Kelly.

- Erica Morales of Bleeding Yankee Blue wondered about Joba Chamberlain's future with the Yankees as he heads into a contract year this season.

- On Wednesday, Steven Goldman of Pinstriped Bible made his 3-point pitch for why the Yankees should trade Phil Hughes.

- Mark Simon of ESPN looked at Mike Mussina's career and made a strong HOF case for Mussina when he becomes eligible next year, a case that might also be strengthened by his not being connected to PEDs.

- SG of RLYW looked back at the last 5 years of projections vs. actual production from Alex Rodriguez to see if there's anything they can tell us about what to expect in 2013 after his upcoming surgery.

- Matt Hunter of Yanks Go Yard investigated the fit between the Yankees and Michael Morse.  Spoiler alert- it's a good one.

- On Thursday, Mike Eder of TYA identified 2 Cuban players that would be great targets for the Yankees, especially because they aren't subject to the new CBA rules on international free agents.

- El duque of It Is High... mused on what Brian Cashman could be up to behind the scenes during this part of January, his usual big surprise time of the offseason.

- Mike Axisa of RAB looked back through the Baseball America archives at some past top Yankee prospects and top 5-10 lists, and how they panned out.

- On Friday, Bryan Van Dusen of The Greedy Pinstripes weighed the option of giving up a big prospect package for Justin Upton in the wake of the failed Seattle trade.

- Stacey Gotsulias of Second Place Is Not An Option continued her daily countdown to Spring Training 2013 with a look back at one of Jason Giambi's better seasons in pinstripes.

- Brien Jackson of IIATMS offered up his take on Hal's offseason commentary from yesterday, and it was far more level-headed than mine.

This week's Friday Jam is a doozy, "Savage Henry" by Lo-Pan.  If you aren't familiar with their work, do yourself a favor and get familiar because these guys rock, plain and simple.  I checked them out a month or so ago in one of Magary's "NFL Jamboroo" posts on Deadspin and I've been hooked ever since.  Lead singer's got some pipes on him.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.  And just a reminder, only 2+ days left until Prospect Week and the 2nd annual AB4AR Top 30.

Hal Steinbrenner Does Not Compute

 ("I have more money than you.")

Hal Steinbrenner is not nearly as active in talking to the media as his old man was, and more and more it's starting to look like that's for the best because it seems like whenever he opens his mouth there's nothing good coming out of it.  I don't know if Hal thinks all the Yankee fans out there are as clueless about baseball as he is or if he thinks we're all just stupid, but the comments he made yesterday at the quarterly owners' meetings didn't make a whole lot of sense.  Some of what he said was downright offensive to me as a Yankee fan and someone who considers himself pretty knowledgeable about the sport of baseball.  Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal had the most comprehensive collection of Hal's quotes and after the jump are my takes on some of the highlights.

Do The Yankees Have Any Idea What They're Doing With Eduardo Nunez?

 (Courtesy of Tim Farrell/The Star-Ledger)

It hasn't been a very long career for Eduardo Nunez, but it also certainly hasn't been one short on headlines.  Once the heir apparent to Derek Jeter as the Yankees' everyday shortstop, Nunez has been shuffled around various positions and roles, experimented with as an outfielder, dangled as trade bait, and shuttled back and forth between the Majors and Triple-A constantly since first breaking in in 2010.  Based on Cash's comments to ESPN NY yesterday, it doesn't look like that trend is going to cease in 2013.  Speaking to Andrew Marchand, Cash stated that Nunez will be shifted back to the utility infielder role if he makes the team this season, the same role that was taken from him in May of last season.  If that doesn't make a lot of sense to you, good.  Because it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me either.

CC Slimming Down Again

 (Gettin' into fighting shape... )

You know the offseason is getting close to turning from hot stove to looking ahead to Spring Training when CC Sabathia's weight and conditioning starts becoming a talking point.  It's an annual tradition in Yankeeland, like Old Timers' Day.  He dropped 25 pounds a few years back before the season and then ended up putting it all back on by season's end, but it didn't negatively affect his performance or trademark durability, so who cares, right?

Well after last season's injury problems, the first he's experienced since 2006, CC appears to be back on the health kick.  He showed up at ESPN's headquarters yesterday to make his media rounds for his campaign to be on the cover of the new "MLB The Show" video game looking trimmer than he did this past season and confirmed that he had lost weight.

"I've lost 20 pounds.  Coming off the elbow surgery, I just wanted to be healthy and stay healthy all year."

CC's ability to handle the workload he does at his size has always been one of, if not his greatest strengths as an ace starting pitcher.  But after last year's brush with mortality, and his transition from late 20s into early 30s, it might be time for CC to start taking a more proactive approach towards keeping his body in the best physical condition possible.  Cleaning the elbow out was a good start, and dropping some weight should help keep his legs fresh.  Of course there's no way to guarantee anything health-wise in baseball, but if CC is able to better maintain his weight in 2013 it should increase his chances of staying healthy through a full season's worth of starts and possibly lessen the need to limit his innings.

Yankees 11th In Preliminary Baseball America Farm System Rankings

The official Baseball America organizational farm system rankings don't come out until March, but BA writer Jim Callis released his personal top 10 earlier in the week.  The Yankees weren't included in that top 10, but Callis did confirm via Twitter that he and his fellow BA contributors all had the Yankees ranked 11th in their preliminary rankings.

This comes as a bit of a surprise after such a down year for the Yankee MiL organization.  A lot of their top prospects were hindered by injuries or poor performance, many of them at the higher levels of the system, and the trading away of former top prospect Jesus Montero left the upper levels very light on impact talent.  But there is a lot of low-level strength in the organization, both on the mound and on the field, and those players, guys like Gary Sanchez, Tyler Austin, Slade Heathcott, and Mason Williams, all had very good years.  They're starting to rise, and that crew plus the high amount of mid-tier prospect depth in the system probably worked to get the Yankees that 11th-place ranking.

If the new crop of top prospects continues to progress on the pace they're presently on, if Jose Campos stays healthy in 2013, if Rafael DePaula turns out to be the real deal, and if the Yankees make a big splash with their multiple 1st-round picks in this year's draft, we could be looking at a top 5 farm system this time in 2014.

This would probably be a good time to mention that we're just 4 days away from the start of 2013 Prospect Week at AB4AR, highlighted by the unveiling of the 2012-2013 edition of the AB4AR Top 30.  Mark your calendars, set your watches, and double check your alarms, people, because it's going to be a good time.

Wallace Matthews Should Probably Stop Talking Part II: HOF Edition

It's been a while since I've had the pleasure (displeasure?) of ripping the ESPN NY crew for their blatant stupidity and shameless trolling for pageviews, and even longer since I've done it to Wallace Matthews.  Luckily for me he was generous enough to throw his hat in the moral ivory tower ring that everybody is clamoring to get into in regards to this year's Baseball HOF voting.

By the time you get a chance to read this post, this year's HOF class will have been announced, and it's almost certain that nobody will be inducted, certainly not anybody from the large group of first-time eligible players from the "Steroids Era."  Everybody knows who the names are, and anybody with half a brain knows that guys like Bonds and Clemens should be in regardless of their PED connections.  Not old Wally, though.  He's using this year's vote as a way to teach a lesson to those players and pretty much all of us about morality and how that's the most important criterion for determining HOF worth.  The whole steaming pile of garbage can be found here, and after the jump are the lowlights.

Bring Me Michael Morse

 (Dude can even hit without a bat.  Courtesy of the AP)

Justin Upton he ain't, but with the news coming yesterday that the Nationals had re-signed Adam LaRoche to a 2-year deal, Michael Morse suddenly became very available and the trade winds are already blowing strong connecting the Yankees to him.  Cash is still on the hunt for more right-handed power, with Matt Diaz not fitting the description and Russ Canzler's ability yet to be determined, and Morse would be a serious upgrade over both of them.  He would cost the Yankees more in return than just money, but it's not like the Yankees are short on trade chips this offseason.  Morse would be a great piece to add to the middle-to-bottom third of the lineup and would give Joe more flexibility to move guys around if he wanted to play the L/R matchup game.  This is a trade that needs to happen.

Details & Updates On A-Rod's Hip Injury

When he wants to do some real reporting, Joel Sherman's stuff can be very good.  That was the case with his exclusive interview in The Post today with the doctor scheduled to perform Alex Rodriguez's upcoming left hip surgery.  You can find the entire interview here, and you should definitely read the whole thing, but here are the highlights:

- According to the doctor, Dr. Bryan Kelly, the hip injury was not caused by steroid use but there was "no doubt" that the injury was cause for A-Rod's poor postseason performance.

- Dr. Kelly on the severity of the injury: “I was more surprised that he was able to play at all with a hip that looked like that.  Most people would not be able to play with a hip function like this and the imaging that looked like his.”

- The surgery is expected to be performed within the next 2-4 weeks.  There is still lingering joint inflammation in the injured hip, which Dr. Kelly wants gone before the surgery.

- While Dr. Kelly said he believed A-Rod would be able to return from surgery and "perform at a level commensurate to his past production," he did have 3 major concerns that could negatively affect the final results:

1) Unknown level of joint damage that can only be ID'd during the surgery
2) Unknown impact of left hip surgery and rehab on the previously-injured right hip
3) A-Rod's age

Those concerns are the biggest news I'm taking from Sherman's piece, and the fact that there is still lingering damage in the hip that's pushing the surgery timetable back is not a good thing.  But it's also not like any of this comes as a major surprise given A-Rod's recent injury history and his age.  Anybody with half a brain anticipates he's going to come back from this a shell of his former self, and these details from his doctor just reinforce that belief in me.

P.S.- The Center for Hip Pain and Preservation at the Hospital for Special Surgery sounds like a fun place, huh?

On Taking Back Rafael Soriano

 (I wonder if he untucks after every failed contract pitch by Boras.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

As reader Ruben wisely put it on the AB4AR Facebook Page last night, we probably shouldn't feel this good about Scott Boras making a mistake.  But it certainly appears that he has according to this tweet from Bob Klapisch yesterday afternoon.  Klapisch reported that Boras reached out to the Yankees to ask if they'd be interested in bringing Rafael Soriano back on a 1-year deal and that the request was "flatly denied" by the Yankees, keeping a long and painfully slow offseason for Soriano going.

You'll remember that Soriano (and Boras) turned down a $14 million option for this season to test the FA waters after Soriano's great 2012 filling in for Mo, then turned down the $13.3 million qualifying offer the Yankees made.  Now, 2+ months into the offseason with no potential suitors and next to no chatter about him, Soriano and Boras appear to have retraced their steps back to the beginning of their screw-up.  Cash stated before this story came out that he is not looking for more bullpen help, nor should he be, but Boras' request raises an interesting question.  If the market continues to be quiet for Soriano, and his asking price continues to come down, at what point would you make a 1-year offer to him and bring him back for 2013?

Don't Count On Heathcott In The Bronx This Year

 (No need to rush the kid.  Courtesy of MiLB.com)

Prospect huggers everywhere were rejoicing last Friday when they got wind of scouting director Damon Oppenheimer's latest comments on 2 of the Yankees' hottest prospects.  Speaking to Jack Curry of YES, Oppenheimer had very high praise for both Mark Montgomery and Slade Heathcott, calling Montgomery's slider "sick," describing Heathcott as an "impact player," and leaving the door open for both of them to be on the Yankee roster sometime in 2013.

This comes as no surprise to anybody who's familiar with Montgomery's body of work.  I've advocated for his call up to the show on multiple occasions, once before last year's roster expansion date (which may have been a little hasty) and recently as part of the MiL group I think we will see in a Yankee uniform in 2013.  But Heathcott is a different story.  He's 22 years old, but not nearly as polished as Montgomery, and with less high-level experience under his belt.  Heathcott is as toolsy as they come, but he's got more working against him than for him on the path to the Majors in 2013 and to look past that would be wrong.

Who Is Russ Canzler And Why Should We Care About Him?

 (Courtesy of the AP)

The Yankees continued their efforts to scrape the bottom of the barrel for right-handed hitting options late last week, plucking utility man Russ Canzler off waivers from the Indians on Friday.  While not quite a fair return for losing Nick Swisher to Cleveland, Canzler does give them another option to check out in ST along with the recently-signed Matt Diaz.  But it seemed like some spots around the blogopshere were higher on Canzler than I expected for a guy who's been a career Minor Leaguer to date, penciling him into early depth charts and discussing him as a legit right-handed DH option.  I admittedly am not all that familiar with Canzler, so I figured I owed it to myself to see if this guy can actually bring some value to the table.

Mo Reportedly At 95% Physically, To Start Throwing In A Week

Bryan Hoch has all the details, but the big news is that Mariano Rivera is continuing to progress positively in his comeback from ACL surgery.  According to Mo he is at about 95% right now and should be ready to  start his preseason throwing program in "about a week."  Speaking from a pitching clinic in my hometown of Danbury, CT, Mo sounded very confident he'd be ready for the 2013 season:

“By the time Spring Training starts, it’ll feel 100 percent … It needs more strengthening. The five percent will come quick.”

Mo also said he expected to have a "normal" Spring Training, which for him means showing up a little later, working at his own pace, and pitching just a few in-game innings over the course of the ST game schedule.  For a normal 43-year-old pitcher coming off ACL surgery, this might not sound like the best plan of action.  But Mo didn't get to where he is in his career by not being in great shape and not knowing his own body, and said, "“I’ll make sure when I get there, I’ll be ready,” so that's enough for me to trust he knows his own body in this case.

The bottom line is that the G.O.A.T. is stepping back into his office soon, and getting back to work.  Now somebody cue the cologne ad!

4 Reasons To Not Be Interested In Lance Berkman

(No thanks. Courtesy of The Daily News)

The big news of the day today is Ken Davidoff's report that the Yankees are interested in and "have been in contact with" free agent and short-time former Yankee Lance Berkman.  Berkman, as you may recall, was acquired at the 2010 trade deadline to shore up the bench, then went back to the NL with the Cardinals in 2011 and absolutely tore it up to the tune of a .408 wOBA and 163RC+.  He missed most of last season with more knee problems, and beyond just that there are a multitude of reasons to NOT be interested in Lance Berkman, not the least of which is the fact that he hasn't even officially decided if he wants to play in 2013 or the fact that he would prefer to stay in Texas to be closer to his family.  But there's actually on-field reasons too.  Check them out after the jump.

A-Rod's Surgery Not Scheduled. Cause For Concern?

A piece of potentially unsettling news came from this short story by Dan Martin in The Post yesterday.  He reported that the Yankees still hadn't set a date for Alex Rodriguez's hip surgery, which is supposed to be taking place sometime this month.  It could be nothing, or it could be a sign that A-Rod's hip isn't in good enough condition for the doctors to want to schedule the surgery.

Like they did with Mo when he tore his ACL last year, the Yankees penciled A-Rod in for 4-6 weeks of pre-surgery exercises to strengthen and better condition the hip, possibly to help shorten recovery time.  One has to think they've been doing follow-ups on that condition, and to be only a week or so away from the proposed surgery timeline and not have a date set could signify that A-Rod isn't responding to the conditioning as well as the doctors would have hoped.  That wouldn't be the most surprising thing in the world given Alex's advanced baseball age, but if that is the case it probably signifies that he's not coming back on the early side of the 4-6 month post-surgery recovery time.

The surgery is going to happen.  That much we know.  With all the injury problems Rodriguez has had in the last handful of seasons, though, it'd be nice to have a little more certainty as to when.

** UPDATE 2:17PM- Via Anthony Rieber, Cash has stated that there has been no setback in A-Rod's surgery plans and that a "tentative date" has been decided, which he would not reveal.  Sounds like everything is OK. **

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 1/4/13

The Linkapalooza returns for Round 1 of 2013!  Hope everybody's New Year's celebration was as enjoyable as mine.  For as much as I was dreading coming back to the office this week, I've actually been really productive.  It's almost like the parts of my brain that function as an adult subconsciously drove me to work hard and smile at people to get the new year off to the right start, or some crap like that.  Not sure how I feel about it.  Now onto the links!

- On Monday, Brien Jackson of IIATMS wrapped up 2012 with his Top 10 Worst and Top 10 Best moments of the past season.  Hard to argue with a lot of his picks.

- On Tuesday, Derek Albin of Pinstripe Pundits made a case for the Yankees trying to snag Mike Napoli out from under Bahhston.  I'd be really wary of it given the now increased health concerns, but Derek's idea of 1-year offer to minimize risk is a good one.

- Vizzino of NoMaas started comparing the Yankees and Blue Jays by seeing how their planned 2013 rotations stack up.

- Delia E. of Yankees Fans Unite had a list of ideal Yankee New Year's resolutions for 2013.  I can't argue with the list, but I'm predicting that they'll all be broken by August 1st.

- On Wednesday, Jimmy Kraft of Yanks Go Yard asked if the Yanks should go after FA pitcher Shaun Marcum.  It'd be nice, but I think Cash will have to stay away because of the dollars.

- Daniel Burch of The Greedy Pinstripes mused on the possibility of the Yanks trading for Giancarlo Stanton, a possibility that seems extremely remote because of their lack of high-level prospects.

- On Thursday, Steve Skinner of Bleeding Yankee Blue expressed his optimism that Derek Jeter will return better than ever from his ankle injury next season.  Wish I shared the vibe, dude, but props for being an optimist.

- Mike Axisa of RAB had a very interesting take on the idea that the Yankees have a competitive advantage when it comes to signing veterans for less money, something that could help them get to the $189 million goal.

- El duque of It Is High... had an absolutely hilarious rant on how Mark Teixeira chooses to use his Twitter account.

- Andrew Mearns of Pinstriped Bible discussed the possibility of Mark Montgomery and Slade Heathcott making the show in 2013.  It's aggressive, but it'd be fun to watch.

- On Friday, Mike Eder of TYA poked fun at the stupidity of the BBWAA, a well-timed joke now that news is trickling out about there possibly not being a single player voted into the HOF this year.

For the first Friday Jam of the year, HOLY TITS YOU GUYS THERE'S NEW ALICE IN CHAINS!!!!!!!!  I know this has been out for a few weeks, and I'm woefully behind the times for what is supposed to be one of my favorite bands, but I stumbled across this last night and it rules.  Seriously, Alice In Chains is the fucking balls, even with DuVall instead of Layne.  Alice In Chains is always going to be awesome and if you disagree you're wrong.



Yeah.  You kids like that?  I know you did.  Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

Are The D-backs Gearing Up To Trade Justin Upton?

 (Still want.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

At the beginning of this offseason, Justin Upton was easily the hottest trade target on the market.  He was and still is practically a picture-perfect match for what the Yankees need, and after some waffling earlier in 2012 when rumors first started coming up about him I am fully on board with the idea of the Yankees going after him, even if they aren't.  The problem is that talks relating to Upton started quieting down as teams started signing other OF options, to the point that I had just assumed everything was off and Upton was staying in Arizona.

Now things seem like they are heating up with Upton again, especially after this tweet from Buster Olney yesterday.  With the rumor mill surrounding Upton ramping back up and the recent moves made by the D-backs, it's time once again to talk about the Yankees getting involved.

Saying Goodbye To Swish

 (He wasn't a Yankee lifer, but that still doesn't look right.  Courtesy of the AP)

After 4 very good years in New York, any last chance the Yankees had of freak dumb lucking their way into Nick Swisher ended yesterday when he was formally introduced as the newest member of the 2013 Cleveland Indians.  Swish was the first real casualty of the 2014 payroll crunch, with it basically being understood long before last season ended that the Yankees would let him walk in free agency.  They did that without making Swish a real contract offer, and find themselves with another possible platoon outfield situation now that he's gone.

I said "very good" to describe Swish's time in New York, and truthfully that's what it was.  He didn't win many awards (any, really), and only achieved 1 All Star Game nod in his time in the Bronx, but Swish was constantly one of the most productive and flexible bats in the Yankee lineup and gloves in the field.  He could be plugged in wherever Joe felt like he most needed him on a given day with confidence that he could get the job done.  In his 4 years as a Yankee, Swish hit .268/.367/.483, good for a 124 OPS+ and a .370 wOBA, with 105 HR, 349 RBI, 331 R scored, and above-average defense in right field.  And even though his postseason numbers are rough, he was a part of a World Series-winning club.

Sadly, it is that postseason failure that will be freshest in people's minds now that Swish has moved on and not the 4 straight years of 3.0+ WAR output he produced or the refreshing dose of fun and humanity he brought to the Yankee clubhouse.  I've heard behind-the-scenes stories of "shut up, Swish" being a common phrase in that clubhouse, but his teammates all always seemed to like him and Swish always looked like he was having a blast out on the field.  He wasn't around for very long, but that's what Swish's Yankee legacy should be- an underappreciated, productive player who loved being in New York and was fun to watch play.  I haven't checked the schedule to see when Cleveland is coming to town in 2013, but Swish is more than deserving of a big standing O from the Yankee Stadium crowd before that first game.

2012 Statistical Trends: Curtis Granderson's Strikeouts

(An all too common occurrence.  Courtesy of Ron Antonelli/Daily News)

It's been a bit of a roller coaster experience for Curtis Granderson since joining the Yankees before the 2010 season.  What started off as high levels of excitement and anticipation about acquiring an All Star-caliber player in his prime quickly turned to disappointment based on underwhelming performance, then right back to excitement after a big rebound year in 2011.  C-Grand set the bar high for himself in 2012, and made plenty of comments prior to the season about wanting to exceed that bar and taking the necessary steps to do so.

Unfortunately the season didn't play out that way, as Granderson's numbers across the board took a big hit from their 2011 levels and dropped down to, and in some cases below, the levels from his disappointing 2010.  At the forefront of this regression was a jump in C-Grand's strikeouts, which reached a career worst and Yankee all-time record in 2012, and hastened his transition from a well-rounded offensive threat to an extreme Three True Outcomes hitter.

Yankees Thankfully Not Interested In Delmon Young

The Yankees are still very much in the market for some right-handed pop to balance out their lineup and strengthen their bench, but according to Joel Sherman that interest does not include former Tiger, recent Yankee killer, and all-around dick Delmon Young.  Young is just 27 years old, has put his power on display against the Yankees many a time before, and in the "beggars can't be choosers" mode the Yanks are in this offseason according to Cash seems like an ideal matchup at first glance.  A quick look just a level or 2 deeper, however, shows a match that isn't made anywhere near heaven.

A Lot On The Line For Phil Hughes In 2013

(How much can Hughes make for himself in 2013?  Courtesy of Getty Images)

After a 2011 season that could only be called a complete disaster, Phil Hughes rebounded nicely in 2012.  He came into camp healthy and stayed that way for the entirety of the season on his way to a career high in starts (34) and innings pitched (201.0) between the regular and postseasons.  With other key members of the rotation either getting hurt (CC, Andy, Pineda) or flaming out (Nova), Hughes' mere presence in the lineup helped provide consistency and an extra innings eater, and after a rough April he actually pitched pretty well.

Earlier today, Chad Jennings, expanding on an idea originally included in a post by Joel Sherman last week, discussed the strange position Hughes finds himself in heading into 2013.  He's made himself a much more important part of the current and possibly future rotations after years of inconsistency and uncertainty, and at age 26 at season's start would be primed to earn himself a big payday in free agency next offseason.  He's also done/doing it during a time where the Yankees are tight with their money, and could very well price himself out of their range with a good year.  Complicating the matter even more are Hughes' spotty career totals and recent positive trends, the Yankees' own internal starting pitching questions, and the free agent market to be.

Updating The AB4AR Sh*t List For The Offseason

(Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate!)

Holy crap!  Have I really not updated the Shit List since before the playoffs started??  That's just simply unacceptable on my part and I apologize, but today seems like the perfect day to right that wrong.  The first day back at work after Christmas/New Year's is the worst.  Just the absolute pits.  From opening presents, laying around the house watching college bowl games, and partying it up every or every other night with your friends right back to the cubicle, an inbox full of moronic emails and (worse) follow-up emails from people who are too dumb to read your out-of-office reply, and pointless meetings to "get up to speed."  Guh.

You'll notice that this latest list is a far cry from the last version on September 26th.  For starters, Pedro Feliciano and Andruw Jones are both gone thanks to their contracts being up and them moving on to free agent life.  Congratulations, boys.  We'll miss you.  But there's still plenty of hate to go around, so as a small bit of catharsis on this the worst day of the still very new year, here's the first 2012-2013 offseason Shit List.

Looking Ahead To The 2013 Season

2012 is officially in the record books, and all things considered it was another successful year for the New York Yankees.  Despite experiencing a seemingly never-ending string of injuries to major contributors, and despite watching the bulk of their aging core continue to age like milk rather than win, they still managed to win 95 games (the most in the American League) and secure another AL East championship.  The postseason exit was a tough one, but in the end every team except 1 is a loser every year and with what they had to deal with the Yankees still had a lot to be proud of in 2012.

Now that we've moved to 2013, what's in store for the Bombers?  We already know that this year and at least the next are going to be defined by a steadfast commitment to cutting payroll and getting under the luxury tax threshold, a change in organizational strategy that already has plenty of fans upset.  That strategy has been played out to a tee in the part of the offseason that has already passed and it certainly looks like it's going to continue for the remainder of the offseason as the Yankees fill out their roster and get ready to head to Tampa for spring camp.

The overwhelming majority of last year's team remains intact and is going to be looked at to carry the team again.  There are concerns about how the lineup is going to look and perform, but the starting rotation is deep and talented, with the potential to be one of the league's best if some things go right, and the bullpen is no different.  There are still some elite-level hitters in terms of average and power, more speed sprinkled in, and still plenty of guys who can take walks and hit home runs.  The competitive gap may have been closed by the offseason actions of their AL East rivals, but if they add a few more pieces here and there to shore up their bench depth the Yankees should be right up there again with the best of the AL.

"Interesting" is a word that gets thrown around a lot in the blogopshere, and I'm as guilty as anybody of using it a bit too often.  But the 2013 season should be interesting to say the least.  The Yankees are on the edge of a possibly major organizational shift, and will try to balance that shift with maintaining their standing as an MLB powerhouse.  It might not be easy to watch all the time, but it's going to be entertaining and I can't wait for it to get started.