I don't think they should trade Curtis. He started 2010 in the toilet and ended 2012 back in the same spot. But inbetween, from mid-2010 to mid-2012 he was the second best player on the team and a legit MVP candidate. I look at him as 2/3 all-star and 1/3 dave kingman so far.
If they trade Curtis for salary relief and flexibility, I don't get what they are next year. They're in no-man's land with a solid but unspectacular rotation and, minus curtis & swisher plus less than half a year of arod & a down grade at catcher, a very weak lineup.
Catcher - unknown.
First - OPS in steady decline since 2006. Good glove.
Second - Stud
Short - Coming off ankle surgery.
Third - Half the season lost to hip surgery.
Left - Coming off thumb injury. Good glove. Hitting suspect.
Center - Stud
Right - unknown
Seems to me this is another great opportunity to move Jeter to third to finish out his career. That is, if you're not going to get a legit (non-existent) free agent to replace ARod. And then NunE5 can get his last shot at short.
Youk is an old 33 and Scutaro is 39. The Yanks need a youth movement.
I don't know how they can be expected to field the oldest team in the majors again with 3 guys (Mo, Jeter and ARod) coming back from major injuries.
Are they going to sign Ibanez (41), Ichiro (39) and Chavez (35 and brittle)to help them out for another year too?
We need some young/hungry guys, but it is hard to find them on the trade market, and the Yanks haven't let a position player come up through the system in a while. (Exception Nunez and maybe this year Romine?)
I think the Youk option is the most intriguing.
Moving Curtis? I like him a lot, but if the plan is to replace his production with Hamilton's, I'm down with that.
[1][3] Isn't this Granderson's MO since back in Detroit: he had some studly seasons and some more dudley seasons. He's a flake. Only now he's on the wrong side of 30 and he doesn't play a very pretty CF, either.
If they could trade him for a legit corner OF, I would do it (assuming they can slot Gardner in at CF).
I think a guy like the Cardinals' Matt Carpenter could be available to a team with a 3b need; he's a 3b by trade but had starts last year at 1b, 3b, 2b, lf and rf, and he's currently blocked as a full-time starter on the Cardinals by David Freese (3b), Allan Craig (1b), Matt Holliday (lf) and Carlos Beltran (rf).
He has just over one year of major-league service time, and in 2012 he hit .294/.365/.463 in 340 plate appearances. His career minor-league (three seasons) line of .299/.408/.450 suggests that he knows what he's doing at home plate.
He's a great guy to have on a team with a lot of creaky parts (like the Cardinals), but I imagine the Cardinals would listen to any compelling offers.
[7] I don't think Jeter's moving, either, but...I thought he had a pretty good arm. Wasn't the conventional wisdom that he's maintained his defense by playing deeper, which he can do because he has a strong arm? And does a third baseman really need a stronger arm than a SS?
[13] Am I wrong that going to his left was a weak aspect of his defense? Too much pastadiving the last few years? If that were true, wouldn't he be exposed at 3B?
We've all been clamoring for the Yanks to get younger, but the sad truth is that they've not only had bad draft positioning because of their consistent postseason entry, but they've been motivated to focus on pitching in the early rounds, passing on some potential gimmes position players or (especially in the case of Mike Trout) just missing out. Now they don't even have the option of using their megabucks in signing the best international free agents exclusively (ala Robbie) and to say the least their scouting acumen has not drawn raves of late.
A lot of things have to change in order for the Yanks to actually get younger and stay competitive, not the least of which is to stop giving older players legacy contracts and perhaps even accept that being ultra-competitive year in and year out may not be the best strategy when the dynamics of team building and baseball economy are changing without you.
[14] Interesting point about his going to his left. I guess that could be an issue.
Yep, Jete is obviously not moving. I just feel it would be some poetic justice - extend the career a few years and use ARod as his back-up and most-time DH.
Does this thing they're saying about ARod being insured mean that they get paid whenever he misses games? And there's nothing to stop them from using such a payment on payroll, right?
[16] The exact terms aren't known, but usually the insurance pays only when the player misses an entire season.
Of course, they could use any money at all on payroll. The interesting question is whether they will be able to remove A-Rod's salary from their luxury tax basis. If they take him off the 40-man, then they can.
[14] The Yankees have done a terrible job of getting younger. Remember when Eric Duncan was untouchable? But he never learned to hit in AAA. The homegrown pitchers we were so enamored of a few years back have been underwhelming. Hughes and Joba have not been the aces we thought they'd be. IPK was traded. So were top position player prospects Ajax and Montero. Melky sucked until he was traded. The Yankee Clippard had to be traded before he found success, too. Neither of the Killer B's looks to be ready to contribute anytime soon, if ever.
Part of it is bad luck. But I wonder if part of it is that the Bronx is a very tough place for a young player to learn to be a big leaguer. There's not a lot of patience, what with the constant pressure to win now. And with the big egos and big salaries in the clubhouse, it can be tough to bring a younger player in until the starter is so decrepit he can't play any more. That's what happened with Bernie, with Posada, and it looks like that's how it's going down with A-Rod and Jeter.
[18] I think it speaks poorly of the coaching and development, honestly. How is it that capable players; not just rookies or younger players, but big gamers have almost all regressed almost every single year after being on the team past year two? You have an outlier or two like Cano or Jeter among a few others, but considering their unique qualities, I would label their ups and downs as average of superstar players or inconsistent at the very worst. Being in the Bronx is probably the least of their issues since no player actually lives in or near the Bronx; just look at their most recent dynasty years. I believe it's been mainly questionable decision-making and perhaps questionable development that has undermined their young players and perhaps less-than reliable scouting (ore even coaching in some instances?) on the big league level.
Kills me to say this but..I miss Big Stein. The Boss wanted to win, that's it. The Stein Bros want profit..really sad to watch. Absurd that an ATM entity like the NEW YORK YANKEES need a budget.
Big Stein was the only owner I can think of who wasn't thinking about profit all the time. It's kind of amazing.
Fans think owners are trying to increase revenues so they can buy good players so they can win more games. Because that's how we budget: we try to get more money so we can buy more stuff and have more fun. But owners are actually trying to buy good players so they can win more games so they can increase revenues. All of them do that. Except George.
[21] When Rupert Murdoch owned the Dodgers, he came out and publicly said exactly that. I'm paraphrasing, but the statement was something to the effect of why would I want to spend $10M more and finish first when I can save it, finish second, and have the same amount of revenue. It's ruining the game.
I also follow the Mariners closely, since I have lived in the NW for over 10 years now. It's super-depressing to be an Ms fan because the executives at Nintendo don't give a damn about winning and as a result the team is almost never competitive. They had a great shot at winning it all the season they won 116 games, but ownership refused to get the additional bat they needed because they were raking in the cash anyway. Now they do the minimum amount to keep enough of the naive, die-hard Seattle fans coming to the ballpark to remain profitable.
I spend $100/year to stream MLB on the net, but I refuse to spend any more (e.g., go to games) because it's so unfair to have players making so much money and average joe paying so much to watch Collusion III. Add to that the astute observations in [19] et al re the Yankees' poor management and developmental coaching -- who does that ARod deal? Ridiculous. I may not even buy MLB TV this year.
I don't think they should trade Curtis. He started 2010 in the toilet and ended 2012 back in the same spot. But inbetween, from mid-2010 to mid-2012 he was the second best player on the team and a legit MVP candidate. I look at him as 2/3 all-star and 1/3 dave kingman so far.
If they trade Curtis for salary relief and flexibility, I don't get what they are next year. They're in no-man's land with a solid but unspectacular rotation and, minus curtis & swisher plus less than half a year of arod & a down grade at catcher, a very weak lineup.
Yeah, the lineup as of today, ain't too impressive.
Let's go around the horn.
Catcher - unknown.
First - OPS in steady decline since 2006. Good glove.
Second - Stud
Short - Coming off ankle surgery.
Third - Half the season lost to hip surgery.
Left - Coming off thumb injury. Good glove. Hitting suspect.
Center - Stud
Right - unknown
DH - unknown
Yikes.
3) Yeah, what you said.
On Alex:
http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/rodriguez-to-have-surgery-on-his-left-hip/
Seems to me this is another great opportunity to move Jeter to third to finish out his career. That is, if you're not going to get a legit (non-existent) free agent to replace ARod. And then NunE5 can get his last shot at short.
Jeter's not moving. Plus, he doesn't have a third baseman's arm.
So...Scutaro or a Youk? Which one of these?
Youk is an old 33 and Scutaro is 39. The Yanks need a youth movement.
I don't know how they can be expected to field the oldest team in the majors again with 3 guys (Mo, Jeter and ARod) coming back from major injuries.
Are they going to sign Ibanez (41), Ichiro (39) and Chavez (35 and brittle)to help them out for another year too?
We need some young/hungry guys, but it is hard to find them on the trade market, and the Yanks haven't let a position player come up through the system in a while. (Exception Nunez and maybe this year Romine?)
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/04/yankees-could-receive-insurance-funds-if-alex-rodriguez-cant-play/
I think the Youk option is the most intriguing.
Moving Curtis? I like him a lot, but if the plan is to replace his production with Hamilton's, I'm down with that.
[1][3] Isn't this Granderson's MO since back in Detroit: he had some studly seasons and some more dudley seasons. He's a flake. Only now he's on the wrong side of 30 and he doesn't play a very pretty CF, either.
If they could trade him for a legit corner OF, I would do it (assuming they can slot Gardner in at CF).
I think a guy like the Cardinals' Matt Carpenter could be available to a team with a 3b need; he's a 3b by trade but had starts last year at 1b, 3b, 2b, lf and rf, and he's currently blocked as a full-time starter on the Cardinals by David Freese (3b), Allan Craig (1b), Matt Holliday (lf) and Carlos Beltran (rf).
He has just over one year of major-league service time, and in 2012 he hit .294/.365/.463 in 340 plate appearances. His career minor-league (three seasons) line of .299/.408/.450 suggests that he knows what he's doing at home plate.
He's a great guy to have on a team with a lot of creaky parts (like the Cardinals), but I imagine the Cardinals would listen to any compelling offers.
[7] I don't think Jeter's moving, either, but...I thought he had a pretty good arm. Wasn't the conventional wisdom that he's maintained his defense by playing deeper, which he can do because he has a strong arm? And does a third baseman really need a stronger arm than a SS?
[13] Am I wrong that going to his left was a weak aspect of his defense? Too much pastadiving the last few years? If that were true, wouldn't he be exposed at 3B?
We've all been clamoring for the Yanks to get younger, but the sad truth is that they've not only had bad draft positioning because of their consistent postseason entry, but they've been motivated to focus on pitching in the early rounds, passing on some potential gimmes position players or (especially in the case of Mike Trout) just missing out. Now they don't even have the option of using their megabucks in signing the best international free agents exclusively (ala Robbie) and to say the least their scouting acumen has not drawn raves of late.
A lot of things have to change in order for the Yanks to actually get younger and stay competitive, not the least of which is to stop giving older players legacy contracts and perhaps even accept that being ultra-competitive year in and year out may not be the best strategy when the dynamics of team building and baseball economy are changing without you.
[14] That...and they traded their last two best position prospects (AJax and Montero).
[14] Interesting point about his going to his left. I guess that could be an issue.
Yep, Jete is obviously not moving. I just feel it would be some poetic justice - extend the career a few years and use ARod as his back-up and most-time DH.
Does this thing they're saying about ARod being insured mean that they get paid whenever he misses games? And there's nothing to stop them from using such a payment on payroll, right?
[16] The exact terms aren't known, but usually the insurance pays only when the player misses an entire season.
Of course, they could use any money at all on payroll. The interesting question is whether they will be able to remove A-Rod's salary from their luxury tax basis. If they take him off the 40-man, then they can.
[14] The Yankees have done a terrible job of getting younger. Remember when Eric Duncan was untouchable? But he never learned to hit in AAA. The homegrown pitchers we were so enamored of a few years back have been underwhelming. Hughes and Joba have not been the aces we thought they'd be. IPK was traded. So were top position player prospects Ajax and Montero. Melky sucked until he was traded. The Yankee Clippard had to be traded before he found success, too. Neither of the Killer B's looks to be ready to contribute anytime soon, if ever.
Part of it is bad luck. But I wonder if part of it is that the Bronx is a very tough place for a young player to learn to be a big leaguer. There's not a lot of patience, what with the constant pressure to win now. And with the big egos and big salaries in the clubhouse, it can be tough to bring a younger player in until the starter is so decrepit he can't play any more. That's what happened with Bernie, with Posada, and it looks like that's how it's going down with A-Rod and Jeter.
[15] True, true...
[18] I think it speaks poorly of the coaching and development, honestly. How is it that capable players; not just rookies or younger players, but big gamers have almost all regressed almost every single year after being on the team past year two? You have an outlier or two like Cano or Jeter among a few others, but considering their unique qualities, I would label their ups and downs as average of superstar players or inconsistent at the very worst. Being in the Bronx is probably the least of their issues since no player actually lives in or near the Bronx; just look at their most recent dynasty years. I believe it's been mainly questionable decision-making and perhaps questionable development that has undermined their young players and perhaps less-than reliable scouting (ore even coaching in some instances?) on the big league level.
Kills me to say this but..I miss Big Stein. The Boss wanted to win, that's it. The Stein Bros want profit..really sad to watch. Absurd that an ATM entity like the NEW YORK YANKEES need a budget.
Oh, no Youkilis either please.
Big Stein was the only owner I can think of who wasn't thinking about profit all the time. It's kind of amazing.
Fans think owners are trying to increase revenues so they can buy good players so they can win more games. Because that's how we budget: we try to get more money so we can buy more stuff and have more fun. But owners are actually trying to buy good players so they can win more games so they can increase revenues. All of them do that. Except George.
[21] When Rupert Murdoch owned the Dodgers, he came out and publicly said exactly that. I'm paraphrasing, but the statement was something to the effect of why would I want to spend $10M more and finish first when I can save it, finish second, and have the same amount of revenue. It's ruining the game.
I also follow the Mariners closely, since I have lived in the NW for over 10 years now. It's super-depressing to be an Ms fan because the executives at Nintendo don't give a damn about winning and as a result the team is almost never competitive. They had a great shot at winning it all the season they won 116 games, but ownership refused to get the additional bat they needed because they were raking in the cash anyway. Now they do the minimum amount to keep enough of the naive, die-hard Seattle fans coming to the ballpark to remain profitable.
I spend $100/year to stream MLB on the net, but I refuse to spend any more (e.g., go to games) because it's so unfair to have players making so much money and average joe paying so much to watch Collusion III. Add to that the astute observations in [19] et al re the Yankees' poor management and developmental coaching -- who does that ARod deal? Ridiculous. I may not even buy MLB TV this year.
Gonna go slit my wrists now. ;)