Results tagged ‘ Clayton Kershaw ’
Where’s George Steinbrenner when you need him?…
Missing the point…
Life has been incredibly difficult since the Yankees, expectedly, lost to the Detroit Tigers in the play-offs last October. While the Angels were adding Josh Hamilton to go with Albert Pujols and Mike Trout and the Dodgers were adding Zack Greinke to go with Clayton Kershaw, the Yankees did nothing. Okay, they did fork over the cash to bring back senior citizens Andy Pettitte and Hiroki Kuroda, but there was nothing to excite the fan base.
Excite the fan base…
Why is that so difficult? So, we watch Russell Martin leave for the 2013 version of the 1950’s Kansas City A’s…the Pittsburgh Pirates. No worries, rather than chase a proven catcher like A.J. Pierzynski, the Yankees announced that they’ll go with an in-house candidate. So, that leaves a career back-up, a AAA catcher last year, and a minor leaguer who missed most of last season due to injury. Nick Swisher leaves, but no worry, we have an aging 39-year-old former great player in Ichiro Suzuki who is now sporting more gray hair than Bill Clinton and was clearly a player on decline until a brief renaissance after his trade to the Yankees.
Last year’s closer, Rafael Soriano, departs so what is the response? We have ace set up man David Robertson returning and a rehabilitating former closer in David Aardsma on the roster. If memory serves, Robertson was not effective during his brief stint as closer following Mariano Rivera’s season-ending injury. Plus, Rivera is a not-so-young 43 years old. He is a first ballot Hall of Famer and my favorite Yankee for a number of years, but time is destined to catch up with even the greatest.
The bench strength (Andruw Jones and Eric Chavez) depart, and the Yankees answer by signing former rival Kevin Youkilis and role player Matt Diaz. I sent a picture of a clean shaven Youkilis to a Red Sox friend asking if this was really THE Kevin Youkilis (as he looks so less intimidating than those goatee’d Red Sox years). The response was, “I hear he’s hurt (oblique)…yes, that’s him”. The only thing I know about Diaz is that he pronounces his name DYE-az rather than DEE-az. All I ever saw him as was a part-timer for the Atlanta Braves.
We go to camp and the calendar doesn’t even turn to March before we hear that Curtis Granderson is lost for 10 weeks due to a broken forearm. Immediately, the response from the Yankees is that they’ll cover the loss in-house. Believe me, I get the reasons for why you wouldn’t chase down Alfonso Soriano or Vernon Wells for 10 measly weeks but Granderson represented a major part of the team’s offense. You KNOW that Mark Teixera’s bat won’t show up until at least June. Derek Jeter is another year older and coming off injury. The outfield is full of those Dave Collins type players…speed first, light hitting outfielders. It’s too bad that Billy Martin isn’t around to consult with Joe Girardi on the fine art of small ball.
My trust in the Yankees farm system to produce a quality major league starter is weak at best. We hear how great Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances are, yet now we sit with Banuelos recovering from Tommy John surgery and Betances proving himself to be Prince Overrated. I look at guys like Al Leiter and Doug Drabek. They struggled when called up to the Yankees but prospered as quality major leaguers elsewhere. It has been awhile since a Jeter or Robinson Cano burst onto the scene. So, my faith in the minor league system producing a surprise that immediately helps the Yankees this year is weak.
Today, the news comes out through GM Brian Cashman that the Yankees did make a significant offer to free agent to be Robinson Cano. Given that the news didn’t say the Yankees actually signed Cano, I see this as a negative move. If there is resistance on the player’s front, this is most likely going to lead to Cano’s free agency in the fall. With Hal Steinbrenner’s “financially responsible” approach, that most likely means that some other team makes an incredibly ridiculous offer to snatch Cano from the Bronx.
As I write this, the Yankes are 1-6 in spring training.
Excite the fan base. Why is that so difficult Mr. Steinbrenner?…
–Scott
In Red Sox We Trust?…
Once you’ve failed Boston, come to New York…
Okay, I admit it. I am not overjoyed to see the Red Sox reunion on the Yankees roster. First, there was former Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima, then reliever Manny Delcarmen, and now utility infielder Bill Hall. Of the three, Okajima is actually the only who’s last team was the Red Sox but still, the three have served their time in Beantown and are now “enemies” in a friendly camp.
If Okajima can win a job, that’s fine but I don’t really see him beating out Cesar Cabral unless the latter is a complete washout in camp. Delcarmen, in my mind, is simply fodder for the spring with no hope of seeing the major league roster come Opening Day. Hall is an interesting pickup. I am concerned because I want to see the return of backup third baseman Eric Chavez, who is the perfect as a substitute for Alex Rodriguez when A-Rod takes his usual spot on the DL. Indications are that the Yankees are still interested in Chavez despite the Hall signing and I hope so. Reports have also indicated that the Yankees are in deep conversation with Raul Ibanez. If both Hall and Ibanez are signed, is there room for Chavez? I really hope that Chavez is independent of the other decisions.
Nevertheless, even if the Yankees break camp with Okajima, Delcarmen and Hall, they are still inferior to what the Yankees could have had with long reliever/spot starter Alfredo Aceves. At the time the Yankees cut bait with Aceves, I thought it was a mistake. I realize that he had been hurt and subsequently suffered a setback that cost more time. But never once did I consider him to be the second coming of Carl Pavano. I thought that once he was healthy, he’d return to being the effective reliever he was prior to the injuries. Of course, that’s exactly what he did…only in a Red Sox uniform. That’s why I always hate to see ex-Yankees go to Boston. Sure, it would be fun to see Okajima, Delcarmen or Hall thrive in the Bronx, but I just don’t see it happening. I’d have to score this one as ‘Advantage, Red Sox’.
Swisher deserves compensation!…
I enjoyed seeing pitcher Jeremy Guthrie’s quote after being traded from the Baltimore Orioles to the Colorado Rockies. He said the loser in the trade was Nick Swisher’s batting average. Hopefully, Swish can find a replacement pitcher to pick on!
$19 Million? Put it on the tab…
Good move by the Los Angeles Dodgers to lock up arbitration-eligible starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw for two years. It helps buy some time for the new ownership group to take control and do what’s right by ensuring Kershaw is a long-term fixture in Chavez Ravine. I am sure these are tenuous times for Donnie Baseball given the uncertainty regarding the ownership picture and the current financial constraints. But the Dodgers have done well in securing Matt Kemp and now setting up Kershaw for discussions on a longer-term deal under a time frame that will suit the new owners.
RBI, or IBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR….
It’s hard to believe that we are just a few weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting to camp. The temps in Minnesota have dipped back into the 20’s with some sub-zero temperatures looming on the horizon. Target Field is looking a bit frigid to think the lights will once again be illuminated in two short months. Nevertheless, I am glad to see the return of the America’s Favorite Pastime. No offense to Eli Manning, but I’ll be glad when the “star of New York” is someone like CC Sabathia, Robinson Cano, or Curtis Granderson rather than Peyton’s little bro.
–Scott
If Hot Stove League has opened, when do the Yankees play?…
With the Boss, we OWNED November…
Life under Hal Steinbrenner is certainly different than it was under the Boss. In the old days, the Yankees would already be dominating the news in November. At the very least, their name would be attached as a strong possibility for every elite free agent. These days, the Miami Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers and even the Houston Astros have garnered more press time.
As for the obvious options, I do think the Yankees would be foolish to join the chase for free agent pitcher C.J. Wilson. I like Wilson as a starter, but he’s not worth the cost. I still prefer Mark Buehrle because it wouldn’t take as much money and even if he’s not flashy, Buehrle gives you innings and is very consistent. After life on the A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes Roller Coasters, I’d gladly accept some consistency in the middle of the rotation. As for trade targets, I’d love to get Matt Cain but I don’t think the San Francisco Giants will trade him.
Now that Eric Chavez has indicated he wants to play in 2012, I hope the Yankees can find a way to bring him back for a second year in pinstripes. It’s interesting that the team has acknowledged they may have been better off playing Chavez at third in the play-offs instead of the less-than-100% Alex Rodriguez. A healthy A-Rod is critical for next season and someone like Chavez, assuming he can also stay healthy, is the perfect backup because he can be a very effective starter in spots. At some point, A-Rod will probably see more time at DH than third, but that’s not going to happen next year. Chavez is a good bridge to the point the Yanks need a new full-time third baseman.
Sleep deprived Houstonians…
I think the announced move of the Houston Astros to the American League in 2013 makes sense. I understand the negatives….they’ll lose the Central Time Zone rivalries with the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs and will play more games on the West Coast…but I think they’ll develop good rivalries with the AL CST teams. As for the time zone differences, they still have it better than the three hour time zone differences the AL East teams face on their West Coast trips. I realize that those are not in-division games, but all things considered, having balanced leagues for scheduling purposes is important. Plus, it didn’t seem fair that the AL West had only four teams while the other divisions had five. I never fully understood why Milwaukee was moved from the AL to NL and I did think they probably should have been the team to move back to the AL, but clearly the MLB team owners used the sale of the Astros as leverage to force the move.
New meaning to ‘one and done’…
Of the other changes, I am not sure what I think about the addition of a second wild card team, and moving to a one game wild card play-off. I didn’t like the current system that did not differentiate between winning the division or getting into the play-offs as the Wild Card (except for home field advantage). But a one game play-off? That doesn’t really seem fair either. I know that the argument is to win the division and not put yourself in the wild card, but it doesn’t seem fair that one wild card team could finish 5 or 6 games ahead of the second team, but then lose out by virtue of a single off night. I know, ‘don’t put yourself in that position’ but still… Nevertheless, I am sure that this change will motivate teams to continue striving for the division championship and not mail it in once the wild card is secured.
I thought they put their pants on just like I do…
I think the right choices were made for the AL and NL Cy Young Awards…Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw, respectively. How scary is it that Kershaw’s only 23? Donnie Baseball has to be very happy with the top of his rotation. I am looking forward to the announcement of the MVP Awards, and I am in the category of those who believe that pitchers should not be considered for the award. Obviously, I am pulling for Curtis Granderson in the AL, but even if a Yankee wasn’t up for consideration, I’d feel the same way about no pitchers for the award. The Cy Young is a pitcher’s MVP award.
Trading Beer for Wind…
I was surprised to see Dale Sveum get the managing job with the Chicago Cubs. It’s not that I don’t think he’ll make a good manager, but rather I thought he’d be a good fit for the Boston Red Sox. I had been hoping that Terry Francona would get the Cubs job, and when he withdrew his name, I thought that Mike Maddux would be the next call. I know that name withdrawals are usually prompted by behind-the-scenes conversations (Francona probably realizing that he wouldn’t get the job), but I think it’s a travesty that Tito won’t be managing in the big leagues in 2012…unless that was truly his choice. If I owned a major league team, Tito would be at the top of my short list for managers. He may have been the manager of my team’s most bitter rival but I have a great deal of respect for him. It would have been great to see him manage the Cubs to a World Series Championship after ending Boston’s drought.
Joe Mauer, come back!…
I am still missing the lights of Target Field from my condo. I can see the lighted field name sign, but there is just something about those stadium lights that give a magical feeling to the skyline of downtown Minneapolis. I am looking forward to April when Jamey Carroll and the Minnesota Twins turn on the lights. As for how the Twins do, they can lose 99 games again…
–Scott
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