Yankees Offseason Outlook

With CC Sabathia getting inked for the near future, the Yankees' offseason started on a high note. However, the team still needs to make a few moves before the 2012 New York Yankees are a whole. Like last offseason, the majority of the offense is set with superstars such as Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez all manning the infield. The big question marks remain in the rotation, as well as a few questions about who will be the designated hitter, how the catching situation will pan out, and who will be the fourth outfielder. Each of these questions will have to be addressed before Opening Day of 2012 and these are those answers.

Sign free agent OF Yoenis Cespedes. The first move that needs to be made, which will set the stage for the remainder of the offseason as you will later read, is the signing of the recent internet phenom and Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes. Despite what many may believe, Cespedes didn't appear out of no where. He was actually on the Cuban national team for the most recent World Baseball Classic, where he did essentially the same thing that has given him all of the hype surrounding him right now. However, his recently publicized 20-minute Youtube video has Cespedes the talk of the baseball world right now, and rightfully so. In the video, Cespedes shows his freakish athleticism by leg pressing 1300 lbs, running a 6.3 60, mashing home runs to various parts of the ball park and catching multiple a pop flies behind his back. Cespedes is a natural centerfielder who can easily shift to right field to give the Yankees one of the quickest outfields in the game. He won't come too cheap though, with a contract likely to be around Aroldis Chapman's 6 year/$30.25 million. At 26 years old, a 6 year/$35 million contract would make Cespedes 32 by the time he hit free agency, putting him in pinstripes during the prime of his career. This signing would make current right fielder Nick Swisher expendable, setting up New York's next move.

Trade OF Nick Swisher, SS Eduardo Nunez and C Austin Romine to the Tampa Bay Rays for SP Jeremy Hellickson. With Tampa Bay's vast wealth in the rotation, the Rays are likely to be looking to upgrade on the offensive side of the ball this offseason. After claiming that "Big Game" James Shields isn't going anywhere, and young studs David Price and Matt Moore being all but untouchable, that leaves Jeff Niemann, Alex Cobb, Wade Davis, Chris Archer and Hellickson. Of those five, Archer isn't quite MLB-ready, while the remainder of the list won't likely bring in the return that Hellickson could. Nick Swisher could easily take over the Rays' every day right field position, allowing Matt Joyce to play as the every day DH. Eduardo Nunez, although still a bit raw, could likely come out of Spring Training ahead of Reid Brignac, Sean Rodriguez and Elliot Johnson on the depth chart at shortstop and only has room to grow from here. While Austin Romine, one of the Yankees' many great catching prospects, could slowly start to take over for the iffy John Jaso. Meanwhile, Hellickson, a possible future ace himself, would slide into the Yankees' rotation for many years to come, starting out with next year as possibly the number three or four starter following the Yankees' next offseason move.

Sign free agent SP Mark Buehrle. Buehrle has been the workhorse of the Chicago White Sox pitching staff for many years now and has finally become available as a free agent this offseason. An 11-year veteran, Buehrle likely has a few good years left in the tank. The good thing about Buehrle is that, not only can the Yankees nearly guarantee 200+ innings, but they can do it at a fraction of the cost of other starting pitching options, such as C.J. Wilson, Roy Oswalt, and especially possible free agent Yu Darvish. Plus with Buehrle, the Yankees know what they're getting: 200+ innings, 100 strikeouts and a 3.75 ERA. Meanwhile, C.J. Wilson's postseason raises questions, as does Roy Oswalt's back. And with the disastrous Japanese signings of Hideki Irabu and Kei Igawa already leaving a sour taste on the Yankees' tongues, Yu Darvish can never be enough of a sure thing. With Wilson demanding an ace-style contract, Oswalt being near the end of his road and Darvish needing at least a Dice-K style posting fee, signing Mark Buehrle at something much like his previous 4 year/$56 million contract would seem like a bargain.

Resign OF Andruw Jones and let the youth finish off the bench. Jones didn't really surprise anyone in 2011, finishing the year to the tune of a .247 batting average and a .356 on base percentage in 222 plate appearances. However, those numbers were solid coming off of the bench for the Yankees. With another one-year deal like the one he signed last year, Jones could be the fourth outfielder in New York come 2012 as well. Meanwhile, the remainder of the Yankees' bench could be filled from within. With Brandon Laird backing up Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, Ramiro Pena coming off the bench for the middle infield and Jesus Montero moving from DH to play catcher on the days that Russell Martin needs a breather with Francisco Cervelli on the active roster as well.

After these moves the Yankees roster comes out looking like this:

C- Russell Martin
1B- Mark Teixeira
2B- Robinson Cano
SS- Derek Jeter
3B- Alex Rodriguez
LF- Brett Gardner
CF- Curtis Granderson
RF- Yoenis Cespedes
DH- Jesus Montero

SP- CC Sabathia
SP- Mark Buehrle
SP- Ivan Nova
SP- Jeremy Hellickson
SP- A.J. Burnett

CP- Mariano Rivera
RP- David Robertson
RP- Rafael Soriano
RP- Joba Chamberlain
RP- Boone Logan
RP- Phil Hughes
RP- Cory Wade

Bench:
C- Francisco Cervelli
OF- Andruw Jones
IF- Ramiro Pena
IF- Brandon Laird

Looks like a World Series Championship roster to me. Does anyone else have any suggested moves for Yankees during the offseason?

Trying to get back into this

For those who may still check the site, I'm going to try to get back into the hang of writing on the blog. I had been extremely busy and it made it tough to do so, but we'll see how it goes this time around.

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I want to thank all of mu supporters. You guys have been great.

Hughes strong on Jackie Robinson Day

In his first start of the season, Phil Hughes went five innings allowing two earned runs on three hits and five walks, while striking out six for the Yankees' sixth win of this young season.

Although the five walks may be a bit of a concern, one must remember that this is his first start of 2010, as apposed to the other Yankees' starters who each have two starts. So, it would be wise to give Hughes another chance to show his control before judging the young starter just yet.

In the second inning, Hughes gave up a solo home run to former Yankees Hideki Matsui, who received a standing ovation following the shot. However, the RBI by Matsui was one of only two for the Angels. In the bottom half of the inning, Robinson Cano hit a solo home run of his own and added a two run shot in the fifth. Derek Jeter also hit a home run in the game. The long ball came in the third inning and was his second home run in as many days. While two Yankees were showing off their power, new center fielder Curtis Granderson was flashing his speed. Granderson had two triples in the game, the first coming off of Angels' starter Scott Kazmir while the other came off of reliever Brian Stokes.

In what has a great chance to be the look of the future, Joba Chamberlain had the chance for the save when he came into the game with a four run lead. Chamberlain made it through 1.1 innings before being pulled in the ninth after allowing two runners on base, forcing the Yankees to bring in Mariano Rivera. Rivera forced the final out of the game, giving him his third straight save on Jackie Robinson Day.

Rivera, of course, is the last player in the league allowed to wear Jackie Robinson's number 42 on an every day basis. Cano (2 HR in the game) was named after the first African American athlete to play in the MLB.

The win gives the Yankees a 6-3 record on the year.

Poll results are in

After about a month, voting for our most recent poll is finished. 452 voters expressed their opinions on the question "Which move will affect the 2010 Yankees the most?" Of these 452 voters, 400 chose the addition of either Curtis Granderson (228 votes) or Javier Vazquez (172 votes). I can't really say I disagree with the top two here, my vote would have to go to the addition of Granderson, just as 50% of our other voters said. Granderson's above average defense, speed and power are things that the Yankees haven't reliably seen from the center field position in a while and this addition will really help the team's outfield.

Meanwhile, the presence of Javier Vazquez will give the Yankees an even better rotation than last year. Depending on where the team puts him, Vazquez will either be the team's number two or three starter. If Vazquez is placed in the second slot, A.J. Burnett will slide down to the third spot. Whether Vazquez is the two or the three, Andy Pettitte will more than likely be the team's forth starter. Rounding out the rotation will likely be either Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain, who are expected to battle for the spot come Spring Training.

Following in a distant third was the loss of Melky Cabrera (35 votes). Although Cabrera didn't put up great numbers for the Yankees, he did seem to put them up when they mattered the most in 2009. Cabrera had three walk off hits, the first of which was a home run, in the first couple months of the season and won May's Major League Baseball Clutch Performer of the Month award. Another impact that Cabrera had was in his good friendship with Yankees' second baseman Robinson Cano. Although chemistry is not a major league statistic, the friendship of these two did seem to help both of them on the field, as well as resonate through the rest of the clubhouse.

Finally, the addition of Nick Johnson finished up the pack with 17 votes. I personally did not like this addition, as I was excited to see Juan Miranda possibly get nearly a full season's worth of at bats at the DH position. However, last year's on base leader may help the team more than fans think he will. That is, if he can stay healthy.

Thanks for your votes everyone.

Yankees sign minor leaguer Reid Gorecki

The Yankees have signed former Cardinals' and Braves' outfield prospect Reid Gorecki, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Baseball America once ranked Gorecki as the 11th best prospect in the Cardinals system, but he hit a bump in the road in 2007 when he batted just .259 with no home runs.

He was signed by the Braves in 2008 and batted .304 with 10 home runs between AA and AAA. Last year he batted .286 with nine home runs at AAA Gwinnett, earning a call up to the majors where he received just 27 at bats and hit just .200.

Gorecki is likely to play out the 2010 season at AAA Scranton, but his contract does most likely include an invite to Spring Training.

The market for Johnny Damon

As of late, most of the left fielders of the free agent market have been finding places to call home for 2010. That is, the left fielders not named Johnny Damon.

At the start of free agency, the market was led by names including Damon, Matt Holliday, Jason Bay, and even Mark DeRosa (if one wants to consider him a left fielder). Now Holliday, Bay and DeRosa all know what teams they will be playing for during the 2010 season, as do many other left fielders who were not as relevant as these three in 2009. Johnny Damon, however, has yet to find a home. Many teams have been reportedly interested in Damon, yet each of these teams seems to have found another outfielder to man the position.

The Giants were one team looking to add a left fielder and a nice left-handed bat coming into the offseason and the two sides did have their talks. However, the Giants signed Mark DeRosa earlier in the offseason to most likely play left. If that didn't prove to most people that Damon wasn't bound for the bay, then the Giants' most recent signing of left-handed hitter Aubrey Huff should have done it. Although you can never say never, don't expect Damon in San Francisco come opening day 2010.

Another team that was in need of a left fielder at the beginning of the offseason was the Seattle Mariners, who have been the center of many big moves this offseason. Unfortunately for Damon, one of those moves was a trade that brought Milton Bradley to Seattle in exchange for Carlos Silva. With Ken Griffey Jr. filling the DH role for the M's, there is not likely a starting role for Damon in Seattle.

The Texas Rangers were looking for a DH, but Damon was reportedly to pricey for their interest. Even if that was not the case, the team's recent signing of Vladimir Guerrero has put the likelihood of a Damon signing around zero percent.

Both the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets had some interest once free agency began. However, the few rumors that were coming from those two sources ceased with the signings of Matt Holliday and Jason Bay, respectively.

One of the few teams who are still thought to be interested in Damon is the Atlanta Braves, who apparently have a few extra million dollars to spend following the Javier Vazquez deal. However, that same deal also brought Melky Cabrera to Atlanta. Cabrera is currently listed as the left fielder on the Braves' depth chart and he is most likely hoping to keep it that way. So, the only way that this deal would happen would likely mean a shift in the outfield where Nate McLouth moves to right field, Cabrera moves to center and Damon plays left; however, the Braves seem to want top prospect Jason Heyward to start the season in the majors, making this possibility unlikely. If Damon's price tag drops below $10 million, the Braves may attempt to find somewhere to fit him though.

Finally, there are the New York Yankees. The Yankees and Damon had mutual interest at the beginning of the offseason following Damon's strong 2009 season, but the team then made two huge trades that brought Curtis Granderson and Javier Vazquez to New York. The team also signed Nick Johnson, who took the DH role that many thought Damon would occupy for many games during 2010. Yes, the Yankees traded Melky Cabrera to Atlanta, leaving an opening in left field, but the team has decided to have a budget this offseason and Damon is apparently out of the team's price range as of now. However, much like the Braves, if his price drops to anywhere between $6-8 million, a deal may be much more likely.

So, as of right now it appears that Damon and agent Scott Boras may just have to play the waiting game until his price tag drops considerably.

Yankees, Mitre avoid arbitration

The New York Yankees and pitcher Sergio Mitre agreed to a $850,000 deal to avoid arbitration. According to Jerry Crasnick, the deal also includes some performance incentives.

Mitre signed with the Yankees in 2009 following his release by the Florida Marlins, who decided to move on after Mitre had Tommy John surgery. Mitre served a 50-game suspension at the beginning of the season and then had to work his way through the minors to recover from the Tommy John. In 54.1 minor league innings, Mitre went 4-1 with a 2.32 ERA and 43 strikeouts.

Despite his minor league success, Mitre's numbers fell when he reached the major leagues last year. In 51.2 innings pitched, Mitre went 3-3 with a 6.79 ERA and 32 strikeouts. He hopes to improve those numbers next year, as he and many others will be battling for the Yankees' fifth spot in the rotation.