Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 12/20/13

Can't talk now, gotta keep a close watch on the weather forecast for the next 20 hours to make sure my flight home for Christmas is still able to leave on time.  Suffice it to say I'll be quite Grinch-y if I'm stuck at the airport all day tomorrow.  Now onto the links!

- On Monday, William Juliano of The Captain's Blog took a very detailed look back at some classic Yankee hot stove deals that weren't.  This was a fantastic read.  Seriously, stop reading this and click the link and read that instead.

- SJK of NoMaas lamented the potential scrap heap strategy the Yankees might use to fill out their roster if they try to keep the luxury tax avoidance goal in play.

- On Tuesday, SG of RLYW compared Matt Thornton and Boone Logan's previous stats and next year projections to show how the Yankees made 2 good decisions in signing one and letting the other walk.

- On Wednesday, Chad Jennings of LoHud compared next year's projected Opening Day starting lineup to the starting lineup from 2013.  It actually is a lot better.  Some people might have forgotten that.

- Craig Edwards of Pinstripe Alley discussed Brett Gardner's value in terms of this offseason's trade market to show why the Yankees have been smart to not move him.  Yet.

- Michael Eder of IIATMS/TYA took a closer look at Dean Anna to see if he could be of service as part of the infield rotation next season.

- On Thursday, Mike Axisa of RAB commented on the high injury risk to the 3 for sure returning members of the rotation and how that could impact the team's chances of going after more rotation help this offseason.

- Derek Albin of Pinstripe Pundits examined the pre- and post-injury performances of players who suffered similar wrist injuries to Mark Teixeira to see if they could tell us anything about what to expect from Teix.

- Jason Evans of Yanks Go Yard pondered the idea of trading for Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks.  As someone who's had the displeasure of watching Weeks play for the last few years, my vote would be no.

This Friday's jam is a song about jams.  About kicking out the jams actually.  I got another week of no work in front of me and I'm ready to get loose so let's kick 'em out.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

Some Cheaper Tanaka Alternatives

(Meh... Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

Yesterday the news broke that the Rakuten Golden Eagles were not going to post Masahiro Tanaka this offseason.  Then some reports came out that they still hadn't decided if they were going to post him this offseason.  Then there was a report that they still would post him this offseason.  So as of right now they're not planning on posting him and they're going to offer him a record NPB contract to stay, but they might post him because they haven't decided if they want to post him even though they don't have to post him and eventually they will post him but maybe not.

As far as the Yankees are concerned, they almost have no choice but to move on assuming that Tanaka isn't going to be posted.  The process has already dragged out longer than they anticipated or wanted it to and their rotation isn't getting any better while they wait around for Rakuten to make up its mind.  The Yanks are reportedly not interested in the next tier of MLB free agent starters like Jimenez, Garza, and Santana, but I still can't see them not bringing in another pitcher and instead filling the back end of the rotation out with their internal cadre of young arms.  If they want a short-term placeholder for the rotation until next offseason, when they can hopefully try for Tanaka again, here are the most likely candidates for an offer.

Why Brett Marshall Got DFA'd

I have to say I was more than a little surprised when I saw that Brett Marshall was the 40-man roster casualty for Carlos Beltran yesterday.  He wasn't very good in Triple-A last year as a starter or in his handful of Major League relief appearances, but he's still just 23 years old with a good fastball and a plus changeup.  That seems like a commodity much more worthy of being held onto than a washed up 35-year-old outfielder who can't hit anymore.  But in looking at the projected starting rotations for the Yankees and the SWB RailRiders, it starts to make a little more sense.

Yankee Rotation: CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova, Free Agent Pitcher X, Winner of the Pineda/Phelps/Warren/Nuno ST competition (probably Pineda or Phelps)

RailRider Rotation: Manny Banuelos, Vidal Nuno, Jose Ramirez, Nik Turley, Shane Greene

With guys below him in Double-A having better years and moving up and ManBan being healthy again, Marshall's Triple-A rotation spot wasn't the sure thing it was last year.  And with Phelps and Warren already more established as Major League swingmen, Marshall wasn't going to beat them out for a spot on the 25-man roster.  His poor 2013 made him expendable and the Yankees probably felt they had enough MiL depth in Triple-A to cover for injuries.

It sucks for him and hopefully Marshall clears waivers and stays in the organization, because I do think he can develop into a decent pitcher, but that's life for a low-ceiling prospect on a team with constant 40-man roster issues.

Yanks Make Carlos Beltran Signing Official

Yankees announce signing of eight-time All-Star Carlos Beltran to a three-year contract.
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) December 19, 2013

It took a little longer than it did for McCann and Jacoby, but the Yankees finally made the Carlos Beltran signing official today.  The team formally announced the deal, which was for 3 years and $45 million in case you'd forgotten, and he will be introduced at a press conference tomorrow at 11 AM EST.

To clear a spot for Beltran on the 40-man roster, the Yankees designated Brett Marshall for assignment.  He was mostly bad as a starter in Triple-A and mop-up reliever in the Majors last year, but still has some prospect value as a young, hard-throwing pitcher.  I'm not sure why the team would elect to expose him to waivers when they could have dumped someone more expendable like Vernon Wells or David Huff, but hopefully he clears through and makes it back to Triple-A.

With Beltran in the fold, the Yanks now have a projected starting outfield of he, Ellsbury, and Gardner for 2014.  It still remains to be seen if Gardner will be traded or if the team will move forward with Soriano as the primary DH and de facto 4th outfielder, but there's plenty of time to figure that out.

Report: Rakuten Won't Post Tanaka

(Maybe next year, guy.  Courtesy of the AP/Kyodo News)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

It seemed like things were starting to move in a positive direction on the Masahiro Tanaka front.  The new posting system between MLB and NPB was agreed upon and officially announced, and earlier this week Tanaka told his team that he wanted to pitch in MLB in 2014.  Despite their waffling on the decision to post him and their clear desire not to, it was reasonable to expect that the Rakuten Golden Eagles would eventually give in and honor Tanaka's wishes, not wanting to set a bad precedent for future players who would want to make the jump to the top level of competition.

2014 Yankee ZiPS Projections Released

(Depth chart graphic courtesy of Eephus League.  Click to enlarge)

If you haven't already checked them out, Dan Szymborski released his 2014 ZiPS projections for the Yankees over at FanGraphs yesterday.  Projections, in any system, always have to be taken with a big grain of salt, but the ZiPS method has been the most accurate the last few years and is at least a decent way to gauge the team's current talent level.

Definitely click the link and peruse through in greater detail when you get the chance.  If you don't have that chance right now, here's what you need to know.  ZiPS isn't a fan of the current infield, projecting just 1.7 WAR from Mark Teixeira (in 356 PA), 0.4 from Derek Jeter (in 325 PA), and 0.2 from the newly acquired Brian Roberts (in 215 PA).  It does project Jacoby Ellsbury and Brian McCann to be the 2 best players on the team in terms of WAR (no surprise there), and also expects somewhat of a bounce back from CC Sabathia and another solid season from Ivan Nova.

There's a lot to sort through there, but it basically tells us what we already know.  The Yankees still need help everywhere.

Cause For Concern With Matt Thornton

(Courtesy of FanGraphs.  Click to enlarge)

That graph shows Matt Thornton's career K/9 trends.  As you can see, it's broken down by K/9 against right-handed and left-handed hitters and as you can see, both of those lines have been trending in the wrong direction for the last 3 seasons.

Part of what makes Thornton a bit of a risky signing is that major decrease in K rate he's experienced since 2010.  The loss of swing-and-miss stuff has made him much more susceptible to getting tuned up by right-handed hitters and since 2010 that's exactly what's happened.  In 2010 righties posted a .254 wOBA against him.  In 2011 that increased to .291, in 2012 it was .302, and this past season it was .370.

Thornton is no longer the dynamic reliever he was against hitters from both sides of the plate.  He's devolved into a lefty specialist only and there's reason to be concerned that his effectiveness against lefty hitters could start to deteriorate as well based on his downtrend in strikeouts.  It hasn't happened yet (.280 wOBA vs. lefties in 2013), but it could.  Righties have figured Thornton out now that he's not throwing the same smoke he used to.  It's not out of the realm of possibility for lefties to start doing the same.

Let's Talk About Some Prospects

(Courtesy of the AP)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

I have a confession.  I'm bored.  I'm bored talking about mediocre second and third basemen and I'm bored waiting around for the Rakuten Golden Eagles president to just embrace the inevitable and agree to post Masahiro Tanaka.  I'm bored pondering which righty reliever the Yankees will overpay to "compete" with D-Rob for the closer role next year and I'm bored wondering how or if they are going to be able to move Ichiro.

Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus have both recently released their annual top 10 Yankee prospects lists, and both have their strengths and weaknesses.  That means prospect ranking season is right around the corner, if it isn't here all ready, so I'm saying the hell with the Major League issues this morning and going with the prospects.  I still have to put the finishing touches on my top 30 ranking for this season, but for the sake of conversation and debate here's a peek into my mindset.

The Only Thing That Matters About This "Tell-All" A-Rod Book

If you were busy following the important stories about the new player signings or actually doing something constructive with your time yesterday, you might have missed this juicy nugget of gossip about A-Rod.  Apparently he's close to locking up multimillion dollar deal to publish a book that he says will dish all the “full dirt of Major League Baseball’s tactics” against him as part of his suspension.

Al.  Can I call you Al?  If you read this, I need you to know something.  I need you to know that no matter what kind of details you put in this book, the one thing that needs to be confirmed is the story of the centaur painting.  I need to know if that thing exists or not, more than I need to know how big of a scumbag Bud Selig truly is.  I've named this blog after you.  The image of you as a centaur is basically the logo of this site.  I've been one of your biggest supporters since I started AB4AR in '09 and I will continue to be for as long as there's still a chance that you can play.  After all that, I think I deserve to know the truth about the centaur painting.

And if you don't want to do it for me, that's fine.  Then do it for the kids.  And their kids.  And their kids' kids.  Do it so that future generations of Yankee fans don't have to live with the same uncertainty the rest of us live with now.  We all pretty much know the story of how your battle with MLB went down.  What we don't know, and what we need to know, is whether or not you commissioned a painting of yourself as a centaur.  It's the one chapter of the A-Rod Saga that really needs closure.

Mark Reynolds vs. Jeff Baker- Who Ya Got?

Joel Sherman threw another name into the free agent hat yesterday when he reported that the Yankees had "expressed interest" in utility man Jeff Baker.  They've been linked to him before but never made any serious moves and he actually makes a ton of sense for them right now.  They're also still linked to Mark Reynolds but it's highly unlikely they have room for both on next year's roster.  So who would you rather have?

Reynolds Career Averages: .233/.329/.464, .344 wOBA, 28.86 HR*
Baker Career Averages: .267/.321/.440, .330 wOBA, 5.33 HR*

Reynolds Career vs. LHP: .238/.359/.475, .361 wOBA
Baker Career vs. LHP: .298/.353/.522, .375 wOBA

Reynolds Career BB/K Rates: 11.6% BB/32.3% K
Baker Career BB/K Rates: 7.1% BB/24.0% K

Reynolds Defensively: Well below-average at the infield corners; hasn't played the outfield since '07
Baker Defensively: Below-average at the infield corners, well below-average at second, below-average in the outfield but capable of playing it.

Closer than you thought, right?  Reynolds provides the power and patience that fits well with the Yankee offensive model, but he's a big time hacker and a butcher in the field.  Baker is a more balanced hitter with tremendous power potential against lefties and he can play more positions, although none of them particularly well.  Take your pick, Cash.  Just don't lose out on both of them.

*- Baker has never played more than 104 games in a season.  Reynolds has never played less than 111.

Brian Roberts Not A Very Good Plan D At Second

(Courtesy of Derick Hingle/USA Today Sports)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

When Omar Infante signed with the Royals and the Cardinals swallowed up Mark Ellis last week, many of us went back to our mental drawing boards regarding the second base position for the Yankees next year.  The team had said from the minute it signed Kelly Johnson that he was not looked at as a full-time replacement for Robinson Cano, and the expectation was that the team would ramp up efforts to secure Infante or another more reliable Plan B/Plan C option quickly to at least provide some stability there.  They didn't, other team swooped in, and the new Plan D option, according to Ken Rosenthal's reports last night, is 36-year-old Brian Roberts.

Who's Next On The 40-Man Roster Hit List?

The Yankees appear to be making up for a slow Winter Meetings week with another flurry of signings early this week.  They've agreed to sign Brian Roberts to a 1-year deal as part of what looks more and more like a patchwork solution at second base.  And a few hours ago the Matt Thornton signing broke, giving them an MLB-proven option for the LOOGY role in next year's bullpen.  Add to that the still-not-official Carlos Beltran signing and the Yankees are looking at 43 players for 40 spots on the active roster right now.

So who gets the axe next?  Based on the positions of the players added, it only makes sense that Vernon Wells be the one to go for Beltran.  He serves little purpose as a 5th or 6th outfielder and the team can get better production out of the DH spot by rotating players through than they would have from Wells.  Lefty pitcher David Huff will probably also get future endeavored now that Thornton is in the 'pen.  No need to carry 3 lefty relief options when there's only 1 available spot.

The last one could be a little trickier.  Roberts' presence could signal the end for Eduardo Nunez.  But with Nunez and Dellin Betances both reportedly still having MiL options left, perhaps the Yankees will just take the easy way out and bump 1 or both of them down to clear space.  Another spot should open up when the A-Rod suspension decision comes down, for 50 games at least, and it makes sense to hold onto as many potential assets as you can when your projected starting lineup is as old, injury-risky, and platoon-heavy as the Yankees' appears it will be.

They don't have to make any decisions yet, but as physicals get completed and deals become official it will be interesting to see how they go about juggling 40-man spots for all these new players.

BREAKING: Yanks Sign Lefty Reliever Matt Thornton

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

Well there's some unexpected bullpen help.  As first reported by Jack Curry, the Yankees have agreed to a 2-year/$7 million deal with lefty specialist Matt Thornton.  The deal is pending a physical of course, and should he pass it Thornton will replace Boone Logan as the team's primary LOOGY out of the 'pen in 2014.

Thornton, 37, was one of if not THE premiere lefty specialist in baseball as recently as 2011 with the White Sox.  He struggled for them early last year before being dealt to the Red Sox at the trade deadline and performing much better.  Overall he pitched to a 3.74/4.04/4.13 slash line in 43.1 IP in 2013 with a .280 wOBA against from left-handed hitters.  For his career lefties have hit .229/.296/.350 against him in 249.2 IP.

Thornton comes with a pretty fair amount of risk as an older reliever.  His K rate has decreased every year since 2010, from 33.9% then to just 16.0% this past season.  That's partially due to his increased ineffectiveness against righties, but as a LOOGY he should still be above-average and he comes at a much more team-friendly cost than Logan would have.  At the very least, it's an early-season upgrade over Cesar Cabral if Thornton can maintain his effectiveness against same-side hitters.

P.S.- For shits and giggles, here's my anti-Thornton rant from the 2011 offseason.  At that time it didn't make a lot of sense to trade away prospects for a guy with $12 million still owed to him.  Today, for just $7 mil and no prospects, it's a much better deal.

Tuesday Mid-Morning Food For Thought: Bang For The Buck (UPDATED)

Yankee Free Agents Lost This Offseason: Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, Boone Logan, Joba Chamberlain

Total Amount Paid to Those Free Agents: $319 million

Yankee Free Agents Signed This Offseason: Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury, Kelly Johnson, Hiroki Kuroda, Carlos Beltran*, Brian Roberts, Matt Thornton

Total Amount Paid to Those Free Agents: $304 311 million

Say what you want about how the Yankees are approaching this offseason, but don't say they aren't being smarter in general than we're used to seeing.  They would have been crazy to go 10 years for Cano or 3 for Logan and they wisely let them walk, and 4/$60 mil for Granderson is probably more than they wanted to pay.  Despite the holes they still have on the roster, they've managed to sign 6 7 players for $15 8 million less than the dollar value of the 4 they lost and they still have money available to add rotation/bullpen depth before equaling the total amount they didn't spend on the other guys.

If a chunk or all of that $15 8 million goes to Masahiro Tanaka, it'll be hard to say the Yankees didn't make the right moves this offseason.  7 8 useful bodies beats 4 any day of the week.

(*- Still not technically signed, but he will be)

Report: Yanks "Likely" To Sign Brian Roberts (UPDATED)

Sources: #Yankees likely to sign free-agent 2B Brian Roberts.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 17, 2013

Well I guess that's one way to start plugging the hole at second.  This report came out late last night and it hasn't been verified by another of the regular Yankee beat guys, but Ken Rosenthal is a pretty reliable source so I'm taking it as gospel.

Roberts, 36, is a former All Star-caliber second baseman who's had his career completely derailed by injuries over the last 4 seasons.  The most serious one was a concussion and a long bout with post-concussion symptoms in 2011.  He's a .278/.349/.412 career switch hitter (.335 wOBA) but his line has been closer to the .230/.300/.350 range since the injury problems started.

There are no details yet on what type of deal it will be, but I have to imagine it will be for only 1 year regardless of the dollars or if it's even a guaranteed Major League contract.  Roberts' best days are far behind him and the Yankees seem to already know that if they are not taking themselves out of the running for other better options as Rosenthal reported.  At first glance I'm not a fan of this move.  I am willing to wait to see where it goes as more information on it comes out, however.  There isn't much left out there on the FA market for the Yanks, so I guess Roberts is better than nothing.

* UPDATE 7:47 AM- Via Rosenthal's latest tweet, the deal is official.  1 year/$2 million plus incentives and it is obviously pending a physical.  There you go. **

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.