Tanaka's First Post-Signing Meeting With The Media

(Courtesy of the AP)

Masahiro Tanaka held a press conference with the Japanese media yesterday to issue his first public comments since signing a 7-year/$155 million deal with the Yankees.  The AP had the details of the presser, but here's the money quote:

“I’m going there to win the World Series.  I can’t wait to get to the pitcher’s mound at Yankees Stadium.”

And we can't wait to see you out there, Tanaka-san.  I think you and I are going to get along just fine.

Oh Really... ?

Via Jon Heyman:

"The Yankees are now considering free-agent shortstop Stephen Drew, which could potentially put another dent in the rival Red Sox's up-the-middle alignment only weeks after the Yankees signed Boston star center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury."

Huh.  That's interesting.  I thought the Yankees were done spending.

Masahiro Tanaka Signing Thoughts & Afterthoughts

(Courtesy of Mike Eder/IIATMS/TYA)

For a while there it didn't look like Masahiro Tanaka was even going to be posted.  The dragging out of the new NPB posting rules put his availability and the Yankees' plan to upgrade their rotation in jeopardy.  When he finally was posted it looked for a time like maybe the Yankees weren't going to win the competition for him.  Every day for the last week or so there has been a new team that was reported to be the favorite for Tanaka.  Last week it was the D'backs, Monday it was the Dodgers, and Tuesday, the night before the reported soft deadline set by Tanaka and his agent to make their decision, it was the Cubs.

Once again though, the reputation, history, and checkbook of the Yankees overcame all and was the deciding factor in Tanaka's choice.  The time and effort the Yankees put into scouting and targeting Tanaka as their true #1 free agent target paid off and in the end the Yankees got their man.  Their rotation has the jolt it needed, the last piece of their offseason puzzle is in place, and the Yanks are once again at the top of the conversation regarding AL contenders.  After the jump, my take on the signing and what it means for Tanaka and the Yanks going forward.

Reconsidering The Yankee Rotation With Tanaka

(Courtesy of MLB's Twitter feed)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

Before the news of the Masahiro Tanaka signing came out yesterday morning, the Yankee rotation was in big trouble.  At least that's the spin that was being put on the majority of the conversations, reports, and blog posts around the Yankosphere.  CC Sabathia was coming off a terrible year and was going to be another year older with no indication that he could ever rebound to become a good pitcher again.  Hiroki Kuroda was also going to be another year older and potentially ready to break down and regress after a poor second half in 2013.  Ivan Nova was a big, inconsistent question mark, Michael Pineda was an even bigger question mark in bold font who might never be a starter again, and the rest of the 5th starter competition contingent was nothing special.  There was no way the Yankees were going to compete for anything with that crew.

Hal Names D-Rob The Closer, Scores Another Point With Me

(From fireman to chief of the house.)

On any other day, this would have been bigger news.  When Masahiro Tanaka signs a 7-year deal worth over $22 mil a year, it gets swallowed up in the wake.  While commenting on the Tanaka signing and the team's plans for the remainder of the offseason, Hal made the first public declaration that David Robertson will indeed be the Yankee closer this season.  Via Joel Sherman:

“I have a lot of confidence in Robertson and so does Joe. Robertson is going to be our closer, and I believe he will do a good job."

Now whether Hal has the final say to make that call or if he discussed it beforehand with Cash and/or Joe, I don't know.  What I do know is that it's the right decision and I support it 100%.  I've been saying for a long time now that D-Rob is the man for the job and the team should commit to him and props to Hal for finally manning up and doing it.  I swear it's like the guy reads this site and is trying to change my opinion of him.  Now somebody hit the music!

What Could A-Rod Have Done For The Yankees This Season?

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

Barring a highly improbable decision by the federal courts, Alex Rodriguez will not play a single Major League game this season for the Yankees or any other team.  His playing career as we know it looks like it could be over and if he does try to come back in 2015 he may be on the receiving end of a beanball targeting that would make what Ryan Dempster did last August look like a walk in the park.

While the Yankees know that A-Rod will not be their starting third baseman this season, they've still yet to figure out who will be.  We know that they're bringing a small army of replacement level competitors to Spring Training.  The most likely scenario is that 2 of those players split time at the hot corner as part of a replacement platoon, at least until one of them gets hurt or sucks so badly that someone else needs to replace him.  It's a risky strategic decision given how much money the Yankees have spent to upgrade the rest of their lineup this offseason, and one that could backfire if they're unable to get consistent production and value out of the position.

Yanks Officially Announce Tanaka Signing

Yokoso Masahiro! Tanaka officially signed a seven-year contract with the Yankees today.
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) January 22, 2014

There you have it.  The Yankees have officially announced the deal so any last doubts that may have lingered about it can be put to rest.  Multiple beat guys have confirmed that lefty David Huff has been DFA'd to clear a roster spot, and since we already know that the Yanks aren't going to conduct a second physical on Tanaka all that's left to speculate on is his jersey number.

Kudos to the Yankees for coming out on top of this and making all the effort they put in on scouting Tanaka worthwhile.  I know there were some doubts out there about whether or not he'd sign with them, but the allure of the playing in pinstripes is clearly still alive and well.  I'll have more thoughts on the deal and what it means for Tanaka and the Yanks moving forward tomorrow.

BREAKING NEWS: Yanks Sign Masahiro Tanaka To A 7-Year Deal (UPDATED)

(Courtesy of the AP)

Reports were that we'd find out by the end of today who Masahiro Tanaka would choose to sign with, and per Ken Rosenthal that team is the Yankees.

According to Rosenthal, the Yankees and Tanaka have agreed to a 7-year/$155 million contract.  The deal includes an opt-out clause after the 4th year.

This was the big move the Yankees wanted and needed to make to upgrade their starting rotation for this season and the future.  They paid a hefty ransom for Tanaka, including the $20 million posting fee they'll now have to send to the Rakuten Golden Eagles, but that's what it was going to take once the new posting rules were put into effect.  More on this story as it comes out.

** UPDATE 8:50 AM- Joel Sherman has confirmed Rosenthal's report.  Sounds like this is legit. **

** UPDATE 8:58 AM- Deal has been confirmed by a slew of other Yankee beat guys.  For the sake of conversation, the $155 mil is the 5th highest contract for a pitcher in MLB history in terms of total dollars.  Yanks weren't kidding when they said they were going all in to get him. **

Wednesday Morning Food For Thought: Brian Roberts' Playing Time

Joe announced recently that he sees newest Yankee Brian Roberts as the everyday second baseman this season.  Those were bold words when talking about a guy who hasn't played in triple digit games since 2009 and has played in fewer than 200 total in the last 4 seasons.  Roberts' career has been completely derailed by injury problems and players who start getting hurt all the time in their early 30s generally don't stop getting hurt when they turn 36.  Roberts was a guest on "Yankees Hot Stove" last night and he commented on his expectations relative to playing time for the upcoming season:

“I’m excited for the opportunity.  My goal is just to come in and try and play as many games as they want me to be able play, and obviously help us get to where we want as an organization.”

Roberts said he was healthy and felt good and was ready to go, but the phrasing of "try and play as many games as they want me to be able play" leaves me feeling a little skittish.  I'm all for seeing what Roberts is capable of now that he's healthy, even though I don't expect it to be much.  I'm not too keen on the idea of running him out there every day until he breaks down and leaving the team with another roster hole to fill.  It's OK to want Roberts to play every day and hope that he can.  It's not OK to expect him to or anticipate that he will.

Report: Teix Still Feeling Stiffness In His Wrist

The Yankees needing a healthy and productive Mark Teixeira in 2014 is a point that no longer needs to be made.  We know how important he is and how valuable he can be when he's healthy, and we don't know how healthy or productive he'll be this season at age 34.  The uncertainty surrounding the last part of that sentence is going to remain until we see him on the field again playing every day, and the latest news on his rehab from wrist surgery doesn't read as encouraging.

According to a report by Bryan Hoch yesterday, Teix is still feeling some stiffness in the surgically-repaired wrist.  He's been continuing his strengthening exercises and has graduated to hitting off a tee recently, but he's still looking at February for live batting practice and an early March date for returning to game action.

That Teix is going to miss the first week of ST games hardly comes as a concern if you remember back to his "Yankees Hot Stove" appearance in November.  That his wrist is still feeling stiffness and discomfort does come as a concern considering how early in his "baseball activity" rehab schedule he is.  If the wrist is stiffening up on him during tee time, how's it going to respond when he starts taking real BP?  How's it going to feel when he starts playing in games and hitting and throwing regularly every day?

Teix himself could only offer an "I hope so" when asked if he'll be 100% physically by Opening Day.  Having seen what happened with The Captain last year when he tried to push for an unrealistic Opening Day return date, the Yankees need to closely monitor Teix and how his wrist is feeling when spring camp starts.  No sense in pushing it if he's not ready.

Not A Prospect Yet (But Worth Watching): Thairo Estrada

(Courtesy of Baseball America)

We're now less than a calendar week from Prospect Week 2014.  To continue to whet your appetite and build anticipation towards what I'm sure will be the highlight of your 2014 (or at least your January 2014), it's time to take another look at a young player in the Yankee system who's just starting to scratch the surface of his prospect potential.

Changing it up a bit from the recent MLB draftees and going international today, back to the 2012 international free agent class when the Yankees flexed their monetary muscle for the final time before the new international spending pool limits were put into place.  Hidden beneath the higher-profile signings of that summer was a 16-year-old Venezuelan shortstop named Thairo Estrada.  He signed for relative chump and didn't draw a lot of interest or positive commentary from scouts, but his 2013 performance definitely turned a few heads.

Thinking About The Potential DH Carousel

(Not pictured: the Yankees DHs.  Courtesy of Richard Walker)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

We're less than 4 weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting, so baseball is officially out there on the horizon.  When that Friday comes, baseball will officially be back and a few days later when the rest of the team arrives at the Tampa complex Spring Training 2014 will be fully underway.  As usual, there will be a handful of roster battles that will dominate the ST headlines, highlighted by the annual 5th starter competition.  A bench job or 2 will be up for grabs, as will some bullpen roles, possibly the closer role if the Yanks do end up signing another veteran late-inning reliever, and the third base platoon jobs.

One spot that won't be up for competition this year is designated hitter.  The older and injury risky Yankees have more candidates for the DH spot than ever this season and will most likely be rotating a large cast of veteran characters through it in an attempt to keep everybody as well-rested and healthy as possible.  How that rotation is going to work and what players get the most time in the DH spot remains to be seen, and managing that rotation will be among the most daunting tasks on Joe's plate this season.

Yanks To Get Aggressive With 2013 1st Rounders?

(Courtesy of somebody)

This almost slipped through the cracks last week, but with AB4AR Prospect Week right around the corner I figured I had to swing back and address it.  VP of player ops Mark Newman spoke to the media last week on a wide range of prospect-related topics.  Most of it was updates on players' health and confirming whether or not guys would be ready to start the season, standard stuff.  The one interesting bit of news was related to the plan for 2013 1st rounders Eric Jagielo and Aaron Judge this season.  According to Newman, the Yankees could start both of them at High-A Tampa this year, and if not, there's a very good chance both at least start in Low-A Charleston.

I'm Back, Doesn't Look Like I Missed Much

I'm back from my extended Chicago weekend.  If you're wondering, yes, the Blackhawks game was outstanding.  The United Center is a great place to watch any sporting event, Hawks crowds are always good, and watching Patrick Kane play hockey live is a real treat.

I'd like to thank the Yankees and the rest of MLB for not doing anything major while I was gone the last 2 days.  We still don't have a resolution in the Masahiro Tanaka sweepstakes with just a handful of days remaining for him to sign.  Far as I can tell, this is all I missed:

- The Yanks are unsurprisingly still looking for another late-inning reliever, according to Joel Sherman.  They continue to show little to no interest in Grant Balfour or anybody else available on the FA market.

- 6 teams have officially submitted offers to Tanaka, and all 6 of them were for at least 6 years/$100 million.  I expect the Yankees were on the higher end of the spectrum and I still think they end up getting Tanaka sometime in the next 2 days.

- Biggest on-field news was Derek Jeter getting back onto the field today as planned.  According to the AP, he took swings off a tee in the batting cage and took 108 grounders on the inner infield grass at the team's Tampa complex.

Jeter Says He's Been Working Out For 2 Months, Confirms What I Most Feared About Last Offseason & Already Knew About His Medical Skills

 

(Courtesy of the AP)

Saw the highlights of Derek Jeter's MLB Network interview over on LoHud this morning and his comments on his offseason workout status stood out the most to me, for obvious reasons:

“I feel good. It’s been a good offseason. Last year at this point, literally I’d just come out of the boot. I’ve been working hard since the beginning of November. … I don’t know if I learned anything (from last season), I just had more time. It’s my fault. Look, I rushed to get back. I wanted to be back. I set the goal for Opening Day. I don’t know how real that goal was, but set it, and it’s my fault. I really didn’t have enough time, or I didn’t take enough time. I wasn’t careful like I should have been.”

Couple of things here, one good and the other not so good.

Arbitration Avoidance Wrap-Up

Yesterday was the deadline to submit contract figures or accept a deal to avoid contract arbitration, and as expected all 5 of the Yankees' arbitration-eligible players agreed to new deals before the deadline.  Joel Sherman was the first to report most of the signings, and if you missed any of them yesterday here's how the new deals broke down.

• David Robertson- 1 year/$5.125 million
• Brett Gardner- 1 year/$5.6 million
• Shawn Kelley- 1 year/$1.7625 million
• Ivan Nova- 1 year/$3.3 million
• Francisco Cervelli- 1 year/$700,000

The higher values than what was projected for guys like Gardner and Nova puts the Yankees right up against the $189 million LT threshold.  With the starting rotation still needing an arm or 2 added to it, I think it's safe to say that the Yankees won't get under the threshold this year.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 1/17/14

Big sports weekend for me this weekend.  HYYUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE sports weekend.  Got a real nice lineup of college basketball games tomorrow, the NFL conference championships Sunday, and before that I'll be down in Chicago checking out the Blackhawks-Bruins game live.  It's almost enough to make me forget that we're 4 weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting.  Almost.  Now onto the links!

- On Monday, SJK of NoMaas commented on the hypocrisy of MLB in how they handled the A-Rod suspension and subsequent appeal.  Preach, brother.  Preach.

- On Tuesday, Derek Albin of Pinstripe Pundits explained why the Yankees are not interested in signing Stephen Drew.  He makes a very strong case, but I'd still rather have Drew than Sizemore and Anna.

- On Wednesday, Michael Eder of IIATMS/TYA ran the numbers again to see how much room the Yankees have under the budget ceiling with Tanaka still to sign.  No chance they get under 189 now.

- Also from IIATMS/TYA, the second of our new podcast series "It's About The Yankees, Stupid."  Still a work in progress but you should definitely check it out.

- Mike Axisa of RAB broke down Adam Warren's 2013 pitch type splits and results to see if he could be an effective short reliever.  I still like him as a long man.  Just my opinion.

- On Thursday, Tanya Bondurant weighed the pros and cons of releasing Alex Rodriguez.

- Chad Jennings of LoHud had all the details on the new replay system going into effect this season.  Still don't understand why the neighborhood play at second isn't reviewable.  If the guy isn't on the base, it shouldn't be an out.

- El duque of It Is High... imagined what Bud Selig's farewell visit to Yankee Stadium might look like later this season.

- Jason Evans of Yanks Go Yard examined how the Clayton Kershaw deal will impact the Yankees' pursuit of starting pitcher in this and future offseasons.

- On Friday, Greg Corcoran profiled rising lefty pitching prospect Dan Camarena.  Wouldn't mind seeing a breakout from him this year.

- Daniel Burch of The Greedy Pinstripes compared some key stats for David Robertson and Grant Balfour to show why D-Rob should just be named the closer.

Going with the new song by A Perfect Circle, "By and Down", for this week's Friday Jam.  Creepy tune.  Very creepy.  Makes me want another APC album and another Tool album this year.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

What Other Number Are The Yankees Going To Retire This Year?

Not everything Hal had to say at the owners' meeting earlier this week was A-Rod-related.  One of the more fun talking points that came up in his media session was the implication that the Yankees could be retiring multiple numbers this season.  With Joe Torre getting elected to the HOF, it's obvious that his #6 will be going out to Monument and that day and ceremony at The Stadium will be awesome.  Hal's statement on the eventual date left the door open for somebody else to join him:

“We’re going to figure out just who.  He may not be the only one.  We haven’t gotten into it yet.”

So who's the other lucky duck?  The players who make the most sense are Andy Pettitte, Paul O'Neill, Bernie Williams, and Jorge Posada.  Pettitte and Jorge haven't been retired long enough to have their numbers retired, although it's obvious the team is going to retire them at some point down the road.  O'Neill, as much as I love him, wasn't a lifelong Yankee and wasn't a homegrown Yankee, so I'd be surprised if he got the honor before the other guys.

That leaves Bernie.  Homegrown, 16-year career, all in pinstripes, 4 WS titles, has been retired for almost 10 years now, and has had his number 51 out of circulation since he retired.  That's basically the perfect resume for Monument Park.  If the Yankees are serious about adding another honoree with Torre this year, I think it'll end up being Bernie.

CC Signs With Roc Nation

(Courtesy of Carsten's Twitter feed)

When you find a way to get your first client a 10-year deal that nobody thought he would get, that's going to draw some interest from other players.  Via the above photo, CC Sabathia became the second current/former Yankee to jump ship to Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports agency yesterday.  Unlike Robinson Cano, he's under contract through at least 2016 and not looking to maximize his earning potential, so there's not nearly as much to this move as there was for Cano and nothing really changes for CC as far as us fans and bloggers are concerned.

I want to like this move, I really do.  But after Cano signed with Jay-Z and turned what should have been an easy re-sign into a new deal in Seattle, I'm not as big a fan of Hova the agent as I should be.  Only a matter of time before somebody else in pinstripes follows suit and joins the new fad.  My money's on Preston Claiborne.



P.S.- I think I might actually be fatter than CC at this point.  That's not good.

Not A Prospect Yet (But Worth Watching): Dietrich Enns

(Courtesy of Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images)

We continue our slow build towards the start of AB4AR Prospect Week with another look at a young player starting to make some waves in the Yankee MiL system but not enough waves to warrant full prospect status in my eyes.  Today's player is Dietrich Enns, left-handed A-ball pitcher.  You might remember Enns from my profile post on him last June, and since that post there have been some developments in his development that make him one of the more intriguing fringe guys in the system.

How About Signing Grant Balfour Now?

Source: The red flags that came up about Grant Balfour's physical state were about his wrist and knee, and not about his shoulder.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 13, 2014

Buster Olney tweeted this out on Monday, finally shedding a little light on just what the hell is up with Grant Balfour.  He's been completely off the map since his 2-year deal with the Orioles fell apart and now it makes sense why.  Dude's just all kinds of banged up.

This raises the questions of would you still want him if you were the Yankees and do you think they're still interested?  On the one hand, wrist and knee problems aren't as bad as the shoulder for pitchers but are still enough to present considerable risk to any team that signs him.  We could be dipping back into 1-year deal territory with Balfour now, at less than the $7.5 mil he was slated to make with the O's.  On a 1-year commitment, it could be worth the risk to add another late-inning arm.

On the other hand, if the wrist and knee issues were enough to convince Baltimore to cut bait, that could be a sign that Balfour is more damaged goods than he's letting on.  He's already not the best fit for pitching in Yankee Stadium.  Maybe the Yanks turn their attention to someone like Fernando Rodney or a cheaper injury risk like Joel Hanrahan.

Looking Good, Alex...

(Courtesy of @GTMags)

Looks like somebody hasn't been keeping up with his usual offseason workout routine.  I wonder why?  A few more pounds and I might have to upgrade his nickname to The Clydesdale.  Fat A-Rod, so hot right now.  Fat A-Rod.

Report: Yanks Not Making Any More Moves Until Tanaka Signs

Things have slowed to almost a snail's pace as the offseason moves into its final stanza and Spring Training starts to vaguely appear in the distance.  A report from Steven Marcus of Newsday confirms that the Yankees will keep it at that pace until the Masahiro Tanaka sweepstakes conclude.

"The Yankees' pursuit of Japanese righthander Masahiro Tanaka has essentially frozen any other additions to the big league roster.

"We are doing nothing until Tanaka resolves," a club official said Wednesday."

"Duh," the rest of the Yankee fanbase also said Wednesday.  In all seriousness, this makes sense from the Yankees' standpoint and is the right approach to take.  There's not much left out there on the free agent infield and bullpen markets and the team isn't in a rush to go after what is still there.  Tanaka represents their biggest opportunity for improvement in their biggest area of need and they should be focusing all their energy over these next 9 days towards signing him.  As I've been saying all offseason, they've put too much time and effort into Tanaka to risk losing him now.  The Dodgers look like they're focused on getting Kershaw locked up before the arbitration figure deadline on Friday.  Now's the time to strike and land Tanaka.

A Quick Word On The Idea Of Moving Derek Jeter To Third Base

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

The Yankee infield is a hot topic right now and rightfully so.  On Opening Day the Yanks will have a starting infield that's entirely different from the one that opened the 2013 season.  They've got 2 old/older players in Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira returning from serious injuries at first base and shortstop, they've lost Robbie Cano at second base and Alex Rodriguez at third base, and their current plan to replace the 2 of them appears to be the old "throw as much stuff at the wall as we possibly can and see what sticks" method.

An idea that I've seen mentioned multiple times in various blogs across the Yankosphere, and one that's really been gaining steam in the comments section here is moving Jeter to third base and making Brendan Ryan the starting shortstop.  In theory it makes a lot of sense and I totally understand why people are thinking this way.  Jeter's biggest defensive weakness is lateral movement.  It always has been and it's not going to get any better now that he's turning 40 this year and coming off a litany of leg injuries.  By moving him to third base, the Yankees could not only mask his defensive deficiencies and improve their overall infield defense, they could also protect him from re-injuring himself by cutting down on the ground he has to cover.

Again, this is all great in theory.  There are 2 problems with that plan though.  It would never work and it's never going to happen.  If you'll allow me, I'd like to quickly explain why so we can all put this notion behind us and move on with our lives.

Report: Yanks Reach Out To Padres About Infield Depth

When Ken Rosenthal reported over the weekend that the Yankees weren't going to sign any more infielders to Major League free agent deals, he didn't say anything about not trading for Major League talent.  The Yanks have been quiet on the trade front since dumping Chris Stewart, but a report from Jon Morosi earlier in the week may suggest a change there.

According to Morosi, the Yanks have made a "trade inquiry" to the San Diego Padres about infield depth.  The Papas, while not exactly flush with it at the moment, have some pieces they could deal and they're definitely in the market for some pitching help.  This obviously brings the name Chase Headley back to the forefront of most people's minds, but Morosi reports that Logan Forsythe "is the most realistic target", not Headley.

Forsythe, 27, is a natural second baseman who played every position except first base, catcher, and center field in 2013 while putting up a .272 wOBA in 243 PA.  He's only a .241/.310/.349 career Major League hitter but raked at every level of the Minors before breaking in.  He's almost like a right-handed version of Dean Anna, and if San Diego isn't asking for too much in return he's worth taking a chance on.  I'd still rather have Headley though.