MLB And NPB Officially Announce New Posting Rules

The details have slowly been coming out on the new posting system over the past few weeks, but Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball made it official today with the announcement that an agreement has been reached and the new posting system will go into effect today and for the next 3 years.  The major details of the new posting system are:

• $20 million maximum bid limit, paid only if a team submitting it agrees to a deal with the player being posted.
• Negotiating rights for any MLB team who pays the maximum $20 million posting fee.
• 30-day window after the player is posted for all MLB teams to agree to submit the posting fee set by the NPB team and negotiate a new contract with the posted player.
• Fee payment for the winning MLB team to come in installments set by the NPB team.  NPB team has the right to set the posting fee for any player at any level they want up to the $20 million cap.

There's good and bad in this system for the Yankees, which doesn't detract from the fact that it was a complete screwjob to the Yankees by the have-nots in MLB.  It also won't mean much for them this offseason if the Rakuten Golden Eagles decide not to post Masahiro Tanaka.  He's their only real target for the rotation in this year's free agent class, and I highly doubt the team would be happy using a Phelps or a Warren in the rotation in place of Tanaka.  His club has all the power right now, and the last I read they were leaning towards not posting him and trying to convince him to stay for 1 more year.  If that happens, this new system won't mean much to the Yankees until the 2014 offseason.

Report: Yanks Prefer Internal Rotation Options Over Garza And Jimenez

The Yankees have been slow to act on the free agent market when it's come to their rotation so far this offseason.  They were able to bring Hiroki Kuroda back for another year, but he's just one piece to a puzzle that's still far from complete.  A new report earlier today makes it seem like one of those pieces might already be on the roster.

According to Bob Klapisch, the Yankees are not big fans of either Matt Garza or Ubaldo Jimenez and would lean towards filling one of their open rotation spots internally before signing either of those 2 top free agents.  This comes as a bit of a surprise after Brian Cashman's earlier "we need 400 innings" comment, which made it sound pretty clear that the Yankees were pursuing multiple starters.

Klapisch did add that the Yankees would still be quick to pounce on Masahiro Tanaka if and when he is posted.  But with no clear time table for that in place, they don't seem to be fond of stepping down to that next level of FA starters should Tanaka not be posted.  We already knew there was going to be a fatal 4-way for the final rotation spot, but if one of those competitors gets slotted into the 4th spot in the rotation, that leaves the back end incredibly weak.  While Garza and  Jimenez are no sure things themselves, I have to think they would be better full-time rotation options than David Phelps or Adam Warren.  We'll see how real this plan is if the Yanks don't end up with Tanaka.

Baseball Prospectus Releases Its 2013 Top 10 Yankee Prospects List

Last week it was Baseball America unveiling its top 10 Yankee prospects for 2013.  This week it's Baseball Prospectus.  They took the cover off their 2013 top 10 earlier today and there are some surprises at the top.  The entire write-up is for subscribers only, but here's how the list shakes out:

1) Gary Sanchez
2) Jose Ramirez
3) J.R. Murphy
4) Slade Heathcott
5) Tyler Austin
6) Mason Williams
7) Greg Bird
8) Eric Jagielo
9) Ian Clarkin
10) Aaron Judge

No surprise with Sanchez at the top again, and the love for J.R. Murphy after his strong 2013 season continues.  What really shocks me here is Jose Ramirez making it all the way to #2.  He showed flashes of brilliance again this season, starting with an impressive Major League Spring Training.  Once again, though, they were just flashes and he struggled to maintain consistency and his health.  I don't see how you can take a guy who pitched just 73.2 innings this season and has pitched fewer innings every year since becoming a pro in 2010 and rank him higher than guys like Murphy, Austin, and Williams, but that's just me.

P.S.- The AB4AR Top 30 is coming...

Darwin Barney: Do Not Want

Yankees interest in Cubs Darwin Barney may pick up . (Royals sign Omar Infante) teams talked earlier.
— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) December 14, 2013

I know the options are starting to dwindle with Omar Infante off the market now, but is it really time to start slogging through the bottom of the barrel to find a second baseman for next year?  Because that's what trading for Darwin Barney would be.

The simplest way to describe his offense is to say it sucks.  In 1,799 career Major League PA, he has a .246/.293/.336 slash line (.278 wOBA).  He doesn't hit for average, he doesn't hit for power, he doesn't draw walks, and he doesn't do anything on the bases on the rare occasion that he gets there.  He is a plus-plus defensive player at second, but his offense was so bad in 2013 that even registering 11 defensive runs saved only made him worth 0.4 fWAR.

He's heading into his first year of arbitration eligibility, so he does have a few years of team control remaining at what should be a reasonable cost.  But with as much service time as he has, he's probably going to cost the Yankees a few million if they trade for him.  They're already paying a few million for a middle infielder who can't hit a lick in Brendan Ryan.  Adding another at second wouldn't make a whole lot of sense when the team still needs to replace lost offensive production.

Saturday Afternoon Food For Thought

Total IP by Mariano Rivera, Boone Logan, and Joba Chamberlain in 2013: 145.0 IP

Total IP added this offseason to replace them: 0

The bullpen was an area of need this offseason before yesterday.  The Yankees were going to be without the greatest closer in baseball history for the first time in almost 20 years and they still hadn't committed to his internal heir apparent as the actual heir to his throne.  After yesterday, it's become a much bigger area of need.  With Logan going to Colorado and Joba to Detroit, the Yankees are missing almost a third of their total bullpen work from this season, 30.36% to be exact, and they haven't made any progress on replacing any of it.

They have internal options, but the plan was always to sign at least 1 veteran arm to pick up some of that 145-inning slack.  With some big names already off the board and a few more in serious talks with other teams, it might be time to start ramping up efforts to replace those innings.

Ellsbury Introductory Presser Wrap-Up

(Courtesy of the AP)

The Yankee formally introduced their second big free agent acquisition yesterday, holding a press conference for new center fielder to be Jacoby Ellsbury.  As always, there were a few moments of note.  If you were stuck at work like I was and unable to watch, here are the highlights:

- Ellsbury will wear #22, the same as some pretty significant Yankees before him wore.  He said he decided on 22 because all his other previous numbers he wore in Boston and in college - 2, 46, 23 - were either taken, off limits, or retired. Yeah, that'll happen when you come to this team.

- As with Brian McCann, Ellsbury said he spoke to a few current players before making the decision to sign.  Specifically, he said Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira reached out to him to sell him on playing in New York.

- He played through a compression fracture in his foot in the postseason, but Ellsbury said he's fully healthy and able to have a normal offseason workout program.  When asked about his past injuries, Ellsbury said, "“I play the game hard.  I play the game, I feel like, the right way. That’s what I take pride in, going out there each and every day and giving everything I have. It was just two unfortunate things."

- Cash on the idea of Ellsbury's power playing up in YS3: “I’m not looking for that.  I certainly don’t want him to change his approach because of the ballpark."

- Joe's big comment to Ellsbury: "You're no longer a thorn in our side, you're a flower in our clubhouse."  Aaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwww!

There's 2 officially in the fold for next year.  Time to get that Beltran physical over with and get him introduced too.

Shut Up, Randy

Levine said he called Angels president John Carpino and MLB, apologizing for the Trout comment. "My understanding is the matter is over."
— Mark Feinsand (@FeinsandNYDN) December 13, 2013

The comment in question, in case you missed it, came earlier today when Levine was asked about the Cano contract and Robbie's comments about no respect:

“If Mike Trout was here, I would recommend a 10-year contract. But for people over 30, I don’t think it makes sense.”

Sounds harmless, but it was enough to get Levine a call from MLB to investigate whether or not the comment constituted tampering.  Such a Levine thing to do/say.  Seriously, what is this guy's deal?  He's like Donny from "The Big Lebowski".  Completely out of his element, no frame of reference on anything, yet constantly opening his yap to say stuff that nobody wanted or needed him to say.  How this man is employed in an incredibly high-ranking position anywhere, let alone for the most prestigious franchise in professional sports history is beyond me.

I've said this before and I'm going to keep saying it until it starts happening.  Shut up, Randy.  Shut the fuck up.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 12/13/13

Those Winter Meetings were a bit of a letdown, eh?  I don't know why I didn't see this coming, but I really expected the Yankees to keep their momentum rolling through this week and come out with a few more new faces.  Instead they mostly spun their tires and turned down what I'm sure were a bunch of crummy trade offers for Brett Gardner.  Oh well, they were doing alright for themselves before they had to act and interact with every other team around.  Maybe things will pick back up now that the brain trust can return to home base.  Now onto the links!

- On Monday, Daniel Burch of The Greedy Pinstripes checked Chase Headley's spray charts to see how his offensive game would play in Yankee Stadium.

- Chad Jennings of LoHud had a compilation of Yankee-centric reactions to Joe Torre's HOF election.

- Vizzini of NoMaas became the latest to bring up the idea of extending D-Rob now.  Makes sense, but sadly it probably won't happen.

-  On Tuesday, Fernando Alejandro of Respect Jeter's Gangster pondered the idea of the Yankees becoming a franchise without a face after Derek Jeter retires.

- SG of RLYW ran his CAIRO projections again to see how much the recent Yankee moves have helped their cause.  The projected win total went up, but still not enough to get them back to the postseason.

- On Wednesday, Mike Axisa of RAB profiled Mark Ellis as an off-the-board second base option.  He doesn't hit much, but I'd rather have him than Phillips.

- William Tasker of IIATMS/TYA looked back at Joe Torre's time as Yankee manager to put some simple, sound statistical perspective on his tenure and show how Torre should have been more appreciated than he was/is.

- On Thursday, Chris Mitchell of Pinstripe Pundits looked for some reasons why the Yankees could have chosen Ellsbury over Cano.

- Scott Alfano of Yanks Go Yard put together a current version of next year's starting lineup.  Even without Robbie there, that's still not bad.  Could be better, but it's not bad.

- Michael Brown of Pinstripe Alley argued the reasons why the Yankees should keep Brett Gardner rather than use him as trade bait.  I'm picking up what you're putting down, Mike.  And I think a lot of other Yankee fans are too.

- On Friday, el duque of It Is High... commented on David Adams leaving the Yankees for Cleveland and how the decision to let Adams walk might come back to bite the Yanks next year.

Mastodon released their new live album this week and it absolutely owns.  I wanted to find "Ghost Of Karelia" from that show but it's not up anywhere online yet, so instead we'll go with the live version from their previous live album.  Song rocks the shit either way.

A Quick Look At The Current 25-Man Roster

There was no shortage of needs for the Yankees heading into the offseason, and there's been no shortage of activity on their part to address those needs.  In less than 3 weeks, they've spent $307 million to upgrade at catcher (Brian McCann), the outfield (Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran), the infield (Kelly Johnson, Brendan Ryan), and the rotation (Hiroki Kuroda).  Losing Robinson Cano to Seattle was a big blow to their rebuild plan, but they continue to move forward without him and try to find a way to replace his lost production.

With the Winter Meetings coming and passing without any new developments this week, it's as good a time as any to stop for a minute and evaluate what the Yankee 25-man roster would look like if the regular season started today.

Do You Want This Man As Your Closer Next Year?

(Courtesy of Ashley Papelbon's Twitter)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

That's a difficult question to answer for many Yankee fans for a variety of reasons.  Jonathan Papelbon isn't and has never been very well-liked in Yankeeland.  That will happen when you're wearing a Boston Red Sox uniform and have a brashness and arrogance about you that borders on obnoxious sometimes.  One thing he has been over the course of his career is a very good closer, and like his left-handed starter teammates in Philly he may be available via trade for the right price.  Part of that price may include outfielder Domonic Brown as part of a package deal, which raises more questions about just what the hell the Phillies are doing this offseason.  But with the Yankees looking for veteran bullpen help and with their progress slowed on other fronts, they may want to consider putting a call in to Ruben Amaro about their former nemesis.

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.

Yanks Actually Get Something Useful Back In The Chris Stewart Trade

(Courtesy of Sam Santilli/Stafford County Sun)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

The final punctuation mark was put on Chris Stewart's Yankee career yesterday when the Pirates completed their PTBNL part of the trade.  There's been no announcement yet from YES on when Stewart's "Yankeeography" will air next year, but when it does it'll be sure to include a brief mention of Kyle Haynes, the A-ball relief pitcher who was sent to the Yankees for Stewart.  Normally players to be named later are nothing more than organizational filler, guys destined to float around aimlessly on MiL rosters or make phantom DL trips when roster moves need to be made to accommodate higher value prospects.  That doesn't seem like that's the case with Haynes, at least not according to his early career numbers.

Quick Hit: Double-A Trenton Gets Raided In The Rule 5 Draft

The Yankees weren't expected to make any selections in this morning's Rule 5 draft.  With a full 40-man roster and Carlos Beltran still waiting to be added, there was no wiggle room to snag anybody.  They were expecting to lose a few of their unprotected players, however, and the rest of MLB did not disappoint there.

In all, 5 Yankee MiLers were selected this morning, 4 of them from the Double-A Trenton Thunder.  Right-handed relief pitchers Tommy Kahnle and Felipe Gonzalez, righty starter Mike O'Brien, and outfielder Ravel Santana were the Double-A casualties, along with righty reliever Kelvin Castro from High-A Tampa.

Kahnle and Santana are the biggest losses.  Both have previously been on a few top prospects list and Kahnle was the type of high-velocity bullpen arm the Yanks have become adept at drafting and developing.  Santana was a toolsy OF prospect with a potentially high ceiling a few years ago, but has had his development severely compromised by a David Adams-esque ankle injury.  It's doubtful he sticks on the Houston roster all season, but props to them for taking a low-risk shot.

The good news?  Guys like Chase Whitley, Dan Burawa, Fred Lewis, and Zach Nuding escaped and will remain with the organization.

Brandon Phillips: Do Not Want

#yankees turned down a brandon phillips for brett gardner offer. #reds
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 12, 2013

And apparently the Yankees don't either based on last night's reports.  The Reds offered up Phillips in a straight 1-for-1 trade proposal for Brett Gardner last night and were rejected.  While Phillips would fill an obvious need at second base, there's too much to not like about him to make the trade worthwhile.

For starters, he's owed $50 million over the next 4 years, a steep price to pay for a 32-year-old who's already showing serious signs of decline.  Phillips' greatest strengths are his plus defense and his right-handed power, both of which have been trending downward for the last few seasons.  His ISO has been in a pretty steady decline going back to 2007 (.197 then to .135 in 2013).  He doesn't take walks, he doesn't get on base, his speed on the basepaths isn't what it used to be, and he has a reputation for being an asshole.

That's a lot of baggage to take on for a guy who was below-average offensively this past season.  And don't talk to me about the 103 RBI because I'm not going to listen.  Acquiring Phillips based on his name recognition and past performance (like Michael Young) would have been a classic Yankee move, and probably something they would have done a few offseasons ago.  It's good to see they aren't interested in heading down that path again, even if the no-trade clause helped make that decision easier.  The Yankees need a starting second baseman badly, but Phillips isn't the answer.

Rotation Upgrades: Sign 'Em, Trade For 'Em, Or Wait For 'Em

("Gosh. This free agent pitching market is sooooo boring." Courtesy of John O'Boyle/The Star-Ledger)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

It's been a somewhat quiet first 2 days at the Winter Meetings for the Yankees, at least compared to last week.  Many of Cash's comments to the media yesterday were indicative of a team still trying to figure out its strategy for this week, trying to identify the best opportunity to upgrade the roster.  The bulk of the early buzz has been around next year's outfield: who's playing where, who's not playing where, who's on the trade block, and who's not.  There's also been a little talk about the open infield spots and the players currently on the radar as free agent targets, most notably Omar Infante and Mark Reynolds.

What there hasn't been is much activity on the rotation front.  The Yankees locked up what they hope will be half of the 400 innings they're looking for when they re-signed Hiroki Kuroda last Friday, and one of the major goals of this week was thought to be securing that other half.  Cash said yesterday that signing another pitcher would be easier than trading for one and he's right.  The Yanks have much more to offer by way of dollars than they do prospects.  But they don't seem to be all that interested in any of the top free agent starters, and even if they did have pieces to trade there are red flags attached to almost every conceivable trade target.  So where do the Yankees go for the rotation help they need?  Because right now they're sort of stuck in no man's land.

Phelps And/Or Warren Becoming Trade Bait?

While we're on the topic of interesting things said by Joe yesterday, how about his comment that David Robertson, Shawn Kelley, and Preston Claiborne will all be part of the bullpen next season?  It may not sound like much, but when you consider the available spots in the 'pen and the number of available bodies, it may shed a little light on what the Yankees plan to do with David Phelps and Adam Warren.

Using my Project 189 team as a hypothetical starting point, I had Claiborne as the odd man out to start the year based on the assumption that the Yankees were going to carry both Phelps and Warren.  If Claiborne is in as far as Joe's concerned, that locks up 3 of the 7 available spots.  Another one is going to be reserved for a LOOGY, another will probably be saved for Dellin Betances since it's put up or shut up time for him, and I still expect the Yankees to sign Veteran Reliever X to take on some of the late-inning work.  That's 6 guys with only 1 open spot remaining for a long man.

What Joe Said/What Joe Meant: Starting Center Fielder Edition

Joe touched on a lot of topics when he met with the media yesterday.  My favorite part might have been his explanation of the center field situation and what he planned to do to address it with the 2 candidates to start there:

“I’ll sit down and talk to Jacoby.  Talk to him, sit down and talk to Gardy, and decide what we’re going to do.”

Good on Joe for staying PC and fair to Gardner, the incumbent starter, but I think we all know how those 2 conversations are going to play out.

- With Ellsbury: "Ellsy, you're going to play center field."

- With Gardner: "Gardy, Ellsy is making $153 million.  You're making about 4 and change.  Who do you think is playing center field?"

And there you have it.  Starting center fielder issue resolved.

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.

Carlos Beltran Signing Thoughts & Afterthoughts

(Courtesy of Troy Taormina/USA Today Sports)

I'm sure many of us were still reeling from/coping with the announcement of the Robinson Cano-Seattle Mariners signing on Friday night when the Carlos Beltran deal was reported.  For me, that meant drinking more beers than I should have at my girlfriend's work holiday party and trying to rationalize the business side of the deal with a co-worker of hers who is a big Yankee fan.  By the time we got home, I didn't have the energy or the mental sharpness to write much more than I did on the signing.  Now that I've had a few days to think about it, I think I'm ready to analyze the deal and what Beltran will bring to the team for the next 3 seasons.

Michael Young: Do Not Want

The search for help at second base and third base is on, and according to Newsday it includes a former top trade target:

"A source with knowledge of the team's thinking said Monday that the Yankees are very much interested in Michael Young."

You might remember Young's name getting thrown around a lot during the most recent trade deadline, when the Yanks needed insurance for A-Rod at third base.  Ultimately a deal never came together between the Yanks and the Phillies and that's probably for the best.  Young has been a negative fWAR player the past 2 seasons, due in tandem to his decrease in power at the plate and massive decline in his defensive value now that he's in his late 30s and only capable of playing below-average defense at the infield corners.

Young made a lot of sense as a cheap rental player this past season.  As a full-season option at a position of need he's a way less than ideal option.  Someone like Mark Reynolds could play just as horrible a defensive third base as Young and do it while offering 30+ HR power.  He could also come at a cheaper price than Young, who still has a long and successful career history to fall back on when looking for contract offers.  Hopefully this reported level of "very much" interest in Young isn't as a Plan A for the hot corner.

Homer Bailey, Eh?

Person involved says Yankees have asked Reds about Homer Bailey. Dont know if Gardner was the return piece, but sure makes sense.
— Daniel Barbarisi (@DanBarbarisi) December 10, 2013

Saw this tweet from Barbarisi last night and it made me stop and think.  Would a trade for Homer Bailey make sense for the Yankees?  I could see it.  He hasn't been a stud out in Cincy, but he's been pretty good the last few years (3.64 FIP, 6.2 fWAR since 2012).  He's only 27, he's arbitration-eligible this season and he probably would cost as much on a new deal after next season as someone like Garza or Jimenez would this offseason.

His HR rates could be a problem in The Stadium but his GB rate has improved over the last 3 years so there is something to work with to try to cut down on the long balls.  And Gardner does make sense as a return piece for the Reds.  They could use an outfielder with Choo gone and could use a real center fielder like Gardner, unless they're sold on Billy Hamilton as an everyday player.

The trade talks relative to the starting pitching market are just starting to pick up in Yankeeland.  I'd say this Bailey thing is worth keeping an eye on if it starts to get legs later this week.

Baseball America Releases Its 2013 Top 10 Yankee Prospects List

You know it's getting close to prospect season when the end-of-year top prospect lists come out.  Today marked the first significant step in the beginning of that process as Baseball America unveiled its top 10 Yankee prospects for 2013.Without further ado, here it is:

1) Gary Sanchez
2) Slade Heathcott
3) Mason Williams
4) J.R. Murphy
5) Eric Jagielo
6) Aaron Judge
7) Ian Clarkin
8) Greg Bird
9) Luis Severino
10) Gosuke Katoh

My thoughts after the jump.

The Winter Meetings Are Here, What Will The Yankees Do Next?

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

What the Yankees have done over the last 2 weeks would be an otherworldly haul to pull from the Winter Meetings.  By spending a shade over $300 million, they've added an elite starting catcher, an elite center fielder, a well above-average right fielder, a solid #2 starting pitcher, and an above-average utility player with pop.  They also lost their previous starting second baseman and former best player, but that was something they were apparently willing to live with and it most likely had a lot of influence on the rest of this early spending spree.

Here's the thing.  This all happened before the Winter Meetings even started.  What the Yankees started by signing Brian McCann 2 Saturdays ago has picked up in a big way across the rest of MLB and we enter the meetings right smack in the middle of a flurry of trade and signing activity usually reserved for this week.  Once the unofficial "real" starting point of the offseason, this year's Winter Meetings are nothing more than the continuation of a hectic 2 weeks of hot stove action with the Yankees once again leading the charge.  With a bunch of balls still up in the air and a roster still very much in flux, here's what to expect from the Yanks this week.

Monday Mid-Morning Food For Thought: Something To Like About Beltran

As with Ellsbury, I'm not fully on board with the Carlos Beltran signing yet.  I was against him at the start of the offseason when there were better, younger options available, less against him once the offseason started, and OK with signing him once Robinson Cano left for Seattle.  I hate the 3rd year of the deal, but I understand it as doing what it took to get a player who could help replace Cano's lost left-handed power.

And when it comes to replacing that lost power, Beltran should do just fine.  The spray chart below shows his BIP distribution from the left side of the plate last year.  You'll notice that the bulk of his power production comes from the left side of the plate and there are a fair amount of balls on the warning track that would have made it out of the short porch in Yankee Stadium.

(Courtesy of Texas Leaguers.  Click to embiggen)

Beltran hit .315/.362/.509 as a lefty in 2013 (.377 wOBA).  That slash jumps to .417/.408/.813 when he pulled the ball from the left side of the plate, including 15 of his 24 home runs.  He may be a wild card in terms of his health and age-related regression, but when it comes to producing from the left side, Beltran should be a more than adequate replacement for Cano in the 3rd spot of the batting order.

Yanks Looking To Build Bullpen Depth With MiL Signings

They're not at all sexy, certainly not sexy enough to make major headlines during Winter Meetings week, but the Yankees are working on fortifying their bullpen depth with a few small Minor League deals.

It started early last week when Ken Davidoff reported that the team had signed righty Brian Gordon to a MiL deal, one that presumably includes an invitation to Spring Training.  If that name sounds familiar it's because Gordon was the man from nowhere who came up and pitched a few spot starts for the team in 2011.  He spent last year in the bullpen for Oakland's Triple-A affiliate and did a pretty good job.

There are also reports that the team is trying to re-sign Matt Daley, one of the recent 40-man casualties, to a MiL deal for next season.  Daley pitched well in limited September work for the big league club and was very good in 53+ MiL innings pitched in 2013.  Like Gordon, he would probably get an invite to ST to compete for a spot in next year's 'pen, although I imagine the Yanks look at both of these guys as Triple-A insurance depth more than realistic Major League options.