I'd be willing to go so far as to say the Yankees will have nothing at all to do with the Crawford negotiations. It's supposedly going to be a bidding war between Boston and Anaheim. I'm pretty sure he will be.
yeah, yankees aren't expected to get involved at all with the crawford negotiations they have other targets and lf isn't a need
Exactly it. Cliff Lee is the brass ring this year. They'll pour everything they've got into courting him. After that, it's going to be interesting. I think the next position they'll look to "upgrade" is third base. I would have said catcher, but there's a solid shot the future at the position is somewhere in the system already. The outfield is set at least for the next couple of years. I don't see anyone moving Swisher out of right, and after Granderson's resurgence he's not leaving center and Gardner deserves a spot. ---------- Back on topic though, the Yankees have decided their roster. AJ is out of the rotation for this series. It'll be CC, Pettitte, Hughes. It seems Golson throwing out Crawford earned him a spot. He's in, so are Pena and Kearns, but Nunez is out. And in the move that absolutely shocked me, Mitre and Moseley have made the roster over Chad Gaudin! Out are Gaudin, Ring, Vagy and Nova.
The catching available the next few years seems extremly bare, especially if the BoSox extend VMart. Not that I think VMart is going to be catching next year, I think he'll move to 1st, Youk to 3rd, Salty to C. But regardless, FA looks kind of lackluster regardless. Lee is probly already APT hunting in NYC. Crawford seems like he's out of your plans(like that has ever stopped you before). Not alot available. Dunn? Chris Young? Damon?
Those are the catchers available outside the system. There's a good chance that one of Montero, Romine, or Sanchez will be able to fill the position for the Yanks in the near future. And if one does, then you'll have a couple of probably blue chip prospects to trade for any other need. None of those guys are a likely fit. Sign Lee, re-sign Jeter for 2/$30M (please), and be done with it.
I'm no fan of Vasquez, but how do you leave him off the roster and keep Sergio Mitre for the ALDS? I don't know why Girardi sticks with Mitre all the time. He's a disaster waiting to happen.
Mitre has actually been pretty good for the Yanks this year in short relief roles. As a reliever, Mitre has a 2.45 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. And this is always a fun game; look at the lines of opposing batters against four different Yankee relievers in 2010... see if you can guess who is who: Pitcher A - .210/.337/.317/.654 Pitcher B - .196/.265/.333/.598 Pitcher C - .253/.308/.384/.693 Pitcher D - .257/.336/.354/.690 Pitcher E - .183/.239/.254/.493 Scroll down for answer... A - Kerry Wood B - Sergio Mitre (relief appearances only) C - Joba Chamberlain D - David Robertson E - Mariano Rivera
I think the better question is: how could you even consider Javier Vazquez in your postseason plans when you have Sergio Mitre? Mitre has pitched pretty well this year and really, his whole time going back to last year. If he could stay healthy he'd have a legit shot at a rotation spot. Vazquez has been at best inconsistent, and has been downright terrible at times. As for AJ, while he was left out of the rotation, he said some pretty impressive things yesterday. He flat out said Phil pitched great and deserves to be in the rotation and that he (AJ) doesn't. He also said that all he cares about is winning, and whatever decisions are made to do that he's fine with. He's willing to do whatever he's asked to do, including coming in to pitch just one out if needed. He's overpaid, but for a guy whose game is mostly mental that's pretty impressive and very nice to hear.
nomaas.org on the Pavano/Pettite game 2 pitching matchup: "It's Pettitte's consistency, track record, and presence of male genitalia that gives the Yanks the edge here."
YANKEES Derek Jeter SS Nick Swisher RF Mark Teixeira 1B Alex Rodriguez 3B Robinson Cano 2B Marcus Thames DH Jorge Posada C Curtis Granderson CF Brett Gardner LF TWINS Denard Span CF Orlando Hudson 2B Joe Mauer C Delmon Young RF Jim Thome DH Michael Cuddyer 1B Jason Kubel RF Danny Valencia 3B J.J. Hardy SS
Checking in. I was M.I.A. all summer long, but I had family issues that needed my attention starting in July, so it was hard to post during the games and whatnot, but I'm here now, ready for the road to #28!
I'll be honest...If the Twinkies beat the Yankees this year I will not be really mad. Joe Mauer is like right there with Derek Jeter as my favorite player in baseball and Gardenhire is my favorite manager in baseball. I really like how he manages and the Twinkies have a model franchise and great fanbase. However, we must beat the crap out of Pavano the next game.
