Results tagged ‘ Rafael Soriano ’
Finally, there’s action in the bullpen!…
I Know What It Must Feel Like To Be An Angels Fan…
As it stands today, and I realize that it is still early
January, the Boston Red Sox are clearly the class of the AL. The Yankees inability to snag a frontline
pitcher will haunt the team, and the missed opportunities to upgrade in other
areas will cost the team valuable victories in the highly competitive AL East.
Jim Davis/Boston Globe
At the moment, Ivan Nova represents the #4 starter behind
CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett.
I’d argue that Burnett should be considered no more than a #4 if he can’t
turn it around. Meanwhile, other teams
are getting stronger. The latest AL team
to improve was the Texas Rangers with the addition of former Boston third
baseman Adrian Beltre. I know that the
Rangers, like the Yankees, still need more starting pitching, but they’ve
clearly improved the offensive and defensive makeup of the team.
It appears that the Chicago Cubs have acquired pitcher
Matt Garza from the Tampa Bay Rays. At
face value, it would appear the move weakens the Rays for the short term,
particularly in light of the previous losses (namely Carl Crawford, Rafael Soriano,
and Carlos Pena). However, the Rays have
a rich farm system and of course they needed a spot in the rotation for high
end prospect Jeremy Hellickson. Everyone
seems to be writing off the Rays, but I fully expect them to be in the thick of
the race. Somehow, they are the New
England Patriots of baseball…they may suffer huge personnel loss but there’s
always someone ready to step up their play as a replacement.
Jim Davis/Boston Globe
The rest of the division has gotten better, while the
Yankees have simply gotten older.
Last year, when the Rays trotted out Joaquin Benoit and
Rafael Soriano, it was game over. As it
stands, the Yankees set up crew consists of David Robertson and Joba
Chamberlain…a combo that was not consistent last year and forced the deadline
trade for Kerry Wood who solidified the position. I would have really liked to have seen the
Yanks pursue Soriano for the set up role, especially after his agent expressed
his willingness to set up for Mariano Rivera.
I was disappointed when GM Brian Cashman came out today to say there was
no chance of a Soriano signing since it would cost a first round pick. I get it.
The farm system is important and it has taken years for the Yankees to
rebuild the system after the cupboards were left bare. But still, it is hard not to think about how
effective a bullpen duo of Soriano-Rivera would be. It would probably be the best one-two punch
since the days of Rivera-Wetteland in the mid 90′s.
AP
It definitely sounds as though Andy Pettitte won’t be
making the trip to Florida next month. I
want Andy to come back but I am okay if he decides to stay home. If he came and his heart wasn’t in it, he
just wouldn’t be the same pitcher we’ve come to rely upon. I wanted Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre to
come back this year and he did after much coaxing by his teammates, but the
results were horrific. Andy either has
to be “all in” or he should go ahead and hang up the glove. I would hate to see Andy leave with a Javier
Vazquez type of season.
The Yankees have made minor moves this off-season that I’ve
liked. The latest is the pick-up of
former Chicago Cubs reliever Brian Schlitter.
While he was not effective in his brief time with the major league club
last season, I have to believe this signing had much input from former Cubs,
and now Yankees, pitching coach Larry Rothschild. If Larry felt the Yanks should move on
Schlitter, then I feel he showed Larry enough to prove that he could be a
valuable and effective arm in the pen.
There’s still time for the Yankees to make the necessary
moves to improve the roster and certainly if an “all in” Andy Pettitte signs up
for a final season, the team will look much better than it does today.
If they maintain the status quo, I can’t help but wonder
how intense the pressure will be on manager Joe Girardi. Can he survive a season where he finishes
third (or worse) in the division? I am
not so sure. His best friend is his new
three year contract. Managing General
Partner Hal Steinbrenner is a numbers guy, and unlike his father, might not be
so willing to “eat” a contract. As much
as I would dislike the move, I can’t help but think that the Yankees failure to
land a quality frontline starter has enhanced the chances that we will see
Bobby Valentine in the Yankees dugout.
Ugh, I hope it doesn’t come to that…
AP
Sadly, today brought the loss of another former Yankee
(Ryne Duren). Duren was a reliever for
the Yanks in the late 50′s and early 60′s, and was known for his coke bottle
glasses and 100 mph fastball. I liked
Yogi Berra’s quote about Duren: “Ryne could throw the heck out of the ball. He threw
fear in some hitters. I remember he had several pair of glasses but it didn’t
seem like he saw good in any of them.” Duren
passed away in Florida on Thursday at the age of 81.
Diamond Images/Getty Images
Congratulations to Jim Harbaugh, the new head coach of
the San Francisco 49ers. My favorite
Harbaugh moment still has to be in 1992 when the Chicago Bears were leading the
Minnesota Vikings 20-0 in the fourth quarter and the Vikings came back to win,
21-20. I can still remember the
frustrated Harbaugh wondering what hit him.
Nevertheless, I do wish him much success as he attempts to revitalize
the 49ers. It should be fun next season
when the Niners play the Baltimore Ravens, coached by Harbaugh’s brother
John.
Well, I guess I’ll go back to waiting for the Yankees to
make a move…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…
–Scott
A Reason To Be Grateful…
I have been a Yankees fan for exactly 36 years!
How do I know? I
became a Yankees fan the day that free agent pitcher Jim “Catfish” Hunter,
formerly of the Oakland A’s, signed with the New York Yankees. The date was December 31, 1974. Prior to the signing, like many other people,
I had been a fan of the Athletics.
Sport/Getty Images
I was fairly young so my deep interest in baseball didn’t
really materialize until after I had become a Yankees fan. Each year, from the 1975 season until about 1982,
I kept a scrapbook on the season. I’d
record box scores and transactions, and would collect news clippings and
photographs.
I think it was during the 1981 season that I showed my
scrapbook to then Yankee Oscar Gamble and he autographed it for me. I still carry these scrapbooks around with me
although they’ve been packed in storage for years. One of those days, I will pull them and
re-live those great seasons of Catfish, Thurman Munson, Ron Guidry, Sparky
Lyle, Rich Gossage, Graig Nettles, Willie Randolph, Chris Chambliss, Bucky
Dent, Reggie Jackson, Billy Martin, and others.
Becoming a Yankees
fan was easy. One of the very first
books I recall reading as a child was a biography about Lou Gehrig. I was probably only 7 or 8 at the time and I
was so in awe of Gehrig and the history of the Yankees. I am not sure why I didn’t become a Yankees
fan then, but at that point, Fran Tarkenton and the Minnesota Vikings were my
main spectator sports passion. Baseball
did not really capture my attention until the personalities of the championship
Oakland teams of the early 70′s hit the scene.
AP
It is hard to believe that it’s been over 10 years since
Catfish passed away. He was a great
Yankee and one of the best pitchers of his era.
I will forever be grateful to him for bringing me with him to the
Yankees.
Sports Illustrated/Getty Images
As for the current Yankees, not much has been happening
but that’s to be expected this time of year.
Once we get past the holidays, I am sure that we will see movement on
the Andy Pettitte front (will he retire as currently expected by many?). While no frontline starting pitcher looms on
the horizon, the Yankees can help minimize the deficiencies of the starting
staff by building a superior bullpen. I
remain hopeful the team finds a way to bring reliever Rafael Soriano on board
to set up Mariano Rivera. That would
allow David Robertson and Joba Chamberlain to focus on the seventh inning and
prior to really shorten up the games for the starters.
Getty Images
I really cringed when I heard that Bartolo Colon was
saying that several teams were interested in him, including the Yankees. That is definitely one signing that I do NOT
want to see!
Patience, patience, patience…I know, that’s what Brian
Cashman keeps saying. So, we’ll see what
the new year brings us!
Happy New Year to everyone! May 2011 be your best year yet! J
–Scott
Looking Up at the Red Sox is not Fun!…
So far, it feels like the Yankees are on the outside
looking in for the Hot Stove League.
Missing out on Cliff Lee, they’ve made some under the
radar moves, but that’s it. The Boston
Red Sox, who potentially had a much stronger team than the Yankees LAST season
if not for the injuries, have significantly improved this off-season with the
additions of Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, Bobby Jenks, Matt Albers and Dan Wheeler.
At this point, I’d have to say that the
Red Sox are the favorites to win the American League Eastern Division.
Getty Images
Today, the Milwaukee Brewers stunned everyone by
acquiring Kansas City Royals ace Zack Greinke.
After their earlier acquisition of former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher
Shaun Marcum, the Brewers now feature a very formidable trio of Yovani
Gallardo, Greinke, and Marcum. Randy
Wolf is not a slouch at #4 so the Brewers certainly have a play-off contending
rotation.
The Star-Ledger
There was no attempt by the Yankees to acquire Greinke,
and I have mixed feelings. On one hand,
there is the doubt about whether or not he could have handled the pressure that
goes with playing in the Bronx given his prior anxiety problems. Greinke didn’t shy away from New York when
the Yankees were rumored as a potential destination but family members
apparently echoed a different sentiment.
I would certainly hate to give away the likes of Jesus Montero, Dellin
Betances, Eduardo Nunez, Manny Banuelos, and others for what could have been Ed
Whitson II or worse, A.J. Burnett II.
If the Yankees get Andy Pettitte for one more season (and
it’s still a big IF), there are still so many questions about the rotation.
Andy is not getting any younger and his potential for injury is increased as
each year passes. Ivan Nova was solid
during his brief audition, but he does not have a high ceiling as a
starter. So, the only sure bets in the
rotation would be CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes.
I expect Hughes to be stronger in 2011 than last year when he faded at
the end. But I recognize that you have
to wonder what if he isn’t able to take it to another level like Sox starters
Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz have. The
mention of Sergio Mitre in the starting rotation gives me reason for worry
before the first pitch of 2011 is even thrown.
There have been a number of reports that the Yankees
should pursue Felix Hernandez, but those are simply pipe dreams. There is absolutely no way that the Seattle
Mariners are going to trade King Felix.
What’s left? I am
not sure. There is not really anything
out there that excites me. But if the
Yankees do nothing, their best hope is a Wild Card slot and the worst case
scenario is potentially a 4th place finish. I know, that’s a very pessimistic view, but
the Red Sox, at this point, are that much better and the other teams in the AL
East, except maybe the Tampa Bay Rays, have improved. The Rays cannot be underestimated because
they’ve been able to replace veterans with youth, so there’s always the chance
they will be every bit as good in 2011 as they were last year when they won the
AL East.
I fully expect improved performances by the Buck
Showalter-led Baltimore Orioles and the Toronto Blue Jays, so 2011 may be the
toughest year yet in baseball’s toughest division.
Mark Goldman/Icon SMI
Of the moves the Yankees have made, I do like the
acquisitions of catcher Russell Martin and reliever Pedro Feliciano. I also think the Yankees should pony up and
pay closer dollars to free agent reliever Rafael Soriano unless they can entice
the Royals to continue their rebuilding by unloading Joakim Soria. I know that Mariano Rivera had a great 2010,
but let’s face it, he will be 41 years old next season. At some point, even Hall of Famers begin to
fade. The Yankees need to be prepared by
having a closer-in-waiting. Given the
shortcomings in the starting rotation, a superior bullpen is a must.
Tampa Tribune
I can only hope that GM Brian Cashman is actively working
this holiday season and will be at work tomorrow morning dialing his fellow GM’s
for his Christmas wish list. If he’s
home enjoying his family, that’s sweet, but it spells doom for the Yankees in
2011. Just sayin’….
–Scott
Fid
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