Results tagged ‘ Brett Gardner ’

The Buzz: ‘Zero’ chance for Holliday

Johnson 12:29.pngA Yankee official told the NY Daily News that there is “Zero” chance of them signing Matt Holliday or Jason Bay.

“No chance on Matt Holliday, no chance on Jason Bay,” the official said. “Zero. None. Underline it.”

The newspaper also said that the Yankees are looking to guys like Jerry Hairston Jr. or Reed Johnson to fill the void in left field, while still considering the idea of Gardner as the full time left fielder.

The Yankees are clearly not inspired by this years free agents and are likely to make a splash in next years market, maybe by pursuing Carl Crawford, says the Daily News.

To me this is a big mistake. Holliday is a great, great player and there is no reason to wait out for a worse player in Crawford who is also likely to seek a long term deal. Holliday has said he wants to play in New York, so there is a good chance they can get him cheaper than what he seems to want.

As for Hairston and Reed, do they really think these guys can make a difference? Are the Yankees really considering defending their 27th title by putting Hairston, Johnson, or Gardner as their everyday left fielder? Big mistake.

I still don’t know about this. It surprises me that the Yankees are prepared to have that weak of a left fielder. I would still be very surprised if the Yankees don’t target some kind of big time left fielder. I don’t care what the official said, I’m still not convinced.

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Poll of the Day:
Are the Yankees making a mistake by not getting Holliday?(online surveys)

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Chat or Chuck: Reed Johnson

The NY Post is reporting that the Yankees are in serious talks with the agents of free agent outfielder Reed Johnson. The Yankees have been in search for an outfielder, as it seems Johnny Damon will not be returning. With Granderson in center and Nick Swisher in right, left field is weak with just Gardner. Would Johnson be a good choice?

Chat:

  • He has hit over .300 twice in his career.
  • He hits .313 against lefties in his career and could fill in for Granderson who is weak against lefties.
  • Gardner may not be consistent enough to start everyday in left.
  • He can play all three outfield positions.
  • He most likely won’t require a long term deal.

Chuck:

  • He hit just .255 last year.
  • He really isn’t a strong enough player to start in left, at least not any stronger than Gardner.
  • The Yankees have some other options for left within their system.

Chat or Chuck?:
Chuck. If anything, I would like to see the Yankees go after another pitcher. The Yankees were lucky enough to make it through the playoffs with just three starters, and you have to think that won’t work again. Last year, everything went right, you have to expect some adversity. And right now, the Yankees pitching depth can not deal with that as easily as the outfield can. Bottom line, a pitcher will help this team more than an outfielder right now.

POLL UPDATE: 100% (7 votes) of you think that the Vazquez trade was a good idea. 

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Poll of the Day:
Should the Yankees sign Reed Johnson?(polling)

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Smart or Smack: Javier Vazquez

The NY Post reported a couple of days ago that Cashman wanted to get a starter by the New Year. Today, that goal was accomplished. It has been confirmed by MLB.com that the Yankees have traded Melky Cabrera to the Braves for SP Javier Vazquez. I’ve said it before, the Yankees needed a starting pitcher. But, was the price too high? Let’s take a look:

Smart:

  • He had a 2.87 ERA last year in 32 starts.
  • He had a 5.41 SO/BB ratio last year.
  • He strikes out 8.1 batters per nine innings in his career.
  • He has a career 3.48 SO/BB ratio.
  • He gave up just 0.8 HR’s per nine innings last year.
  • He has 200+ strikeouts in his last three seasons.
  • Melky has never hit over .280 or had an OBP over .360 in five career seasons.
  • Melky only hits an average of 10 homers per year.
  • The Yankees needed a starter more than anything else.
  • He could have said no to this trade, so you know he wants to pitch in New York.

Smack:

  • Melky is a good outfielder.
  • The Yankees now need an outfielder, unless they trust Gardner everyday.
  • Vazquez had a 4.91 ERA in his one year with the Yankees.
  • Vazquez will cost more than Melky over the next couple of years.

Smart or Smack?:
Smart. To me, the question with any trade is: Is you team better equipped to win? The answer here is yes. The Yankees really needed a starter. Vazquez is a verteran who has proved that he can be dominating. Yes he has had medioker years, but as a number three or four starter, that would be okay. As for Melky, he never really made a difference. The only reason people don’t like this deal is because they think Melky has great potential. Well, he hasn’t shown that in five seasons. You can’t fall in love with these guys who you are wating to see production from. In the end, the Yankees are now a stronger team.

UPDATE 6:14 p.m. Just remember that this deal is taken out of context. The Yankees are now players for an outfielder such as Jermaine Dye (Jon Heyman) and still Johnny Damon (Yankees.com). Better off talking about this trade in a month.

UPDATE 6:59 p.m. You can add Mark DeRosa to that list of possibilities (WFAN.com).

UPDATE 7:03 p.m. Also remember that the Yankees are unlikely to make a big deal for a Matt Holliday or Jason Bay, considering what the free agent market plays out for next year. Maybe Carl Crawford is a possibility?

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Poll of the Day:
Are you happy with the deal for Vazquez?(polls)

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The Buzz: Melky/Gardner to the Cubs?

Melky:Gardner 12:20.pngI was surprised to see a report in the Daily News today that the Cubs might make a move to send Melky Cabrera or Brett Gardner to Chicago in exchange for a pitcher. According to FoxSports.com, the move would be initiated by the Cubs GM.

With the recent loss of the Cubs OF Milton Bradley and the Yankees shortage of pitchers, coupled with the fact that the Yankees have extra outfielders and the Cubs have extra pitching, the deal would make sense.

As the Yankee outfield looks right now, its Granderson in center, Swisher in right and Melky in left. Gardner and recent Rule 5 draft pick-up, Jamie Hoffman, would be the fourth and fifth outfielders respectively.

Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lily, Ryan Dempster and Randy Wells are the Cubs top pitchers. Zambrano is a head case that I don’t need to watch everyday, freaking out in the clubhouse. Dempster had a great year in 2008, but is iffy otherwise. Lily is a solid, veteran starter. Wells is an extremely young starter who seems to have a lot of potential.

So, in the rumor stages of this deal, you can pick which pitcher you would like to see. Either way, the Yankees need pitching. As it looks right now, these options on the Cubs look a lot better than what’s left on the market. Neither Gardner or Cabrera is going to be a huge difference maker, but will the Yankees be willing to give one of them up?

UPDATE 8:58 p.m. Ken Davidoff of Newsday tweets that the Yankees talked to the Cubs about a trade for Zambrano. No talks are active as of now. Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated also tweets that if this trade were to happen, the Yankees could go after Jermaine Dye to fill in for Melky/Gardner.

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Poll of the Day:
Should the Yankees trade Melky/Gardner for a pitcher?(online surveys)

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The Buzz: Granderson an option

Granderson 11:12.jpgThe Yankees are reportedly targeting Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson (NY Post). Granderson has a contract through 2012 with an option for 2013. The Tigers will surely be hesitant to trade Granderson, but in a city that has been hit hard by the economic downturn, it may not be up to the executives. The Tigers still have players with big contacts such as Guillen, Ordoñez, Willis and others.

Graderson would be a big upgrade from the Yankees current center fielders in Gardner and Cabrera. Both were thought to have huge potential, but neither put up all-star numbers in 2009. Granderson would likely come to New York as a part of a package that includes Yankees top prospect Austin Jackson. Granderson’s stats all fell from the 2008 season to the 2009 season.

Granderson by the Numbers:

29 The age that Granderson will be at the beginning of next season.

30 The amount of home runs Curtis hit last year. It was a career high for him. It was fourth in the league for all AL lefties.

141 The amount of times Granderson struck out in 2009. That was the 9th most in the Majors.

More of Granderson’s stats

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8/13 Yankees vs. Mariners Preview

Yanks try to keep rolling as they hit the road, take on Seattle.


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Yankees @ Mariners
10:10 pm ET
Yankees Probable Pitcher:

CC Sabathia.jpg
C.C. Sabathia
#52 LHP
(12-7) 3.76 ERA 162.2 IP 123 SO 1.168 WHIP
CC was absolutely lights out in his last start. And boy was it a big one, against the Boston Red Sox. He went 7.2 innings, gave up just two hits and no runs, while walking two and striking out nine, a season high. He retired the first 13 batters he faced. In his last two starts, CC has struck out 14 batters in 14.2 innings and has a WHIP of 0.954. Since 2005, CC is 17-2 in the month of August, thats the most wins for any pitcher in that span. In seven career starts at Safeco Field, Sabathia is 4-1 with a 2.83 ERA and a WHIP of 1.091. 
Tidbits:
Ichiro is a career .415 hitter against Sabathia. The Mariners as a team are .297 hitters against CC. The Yankees are just 13-11 in games that Sabathia starts, but in his last nine starts, their 6-3. The Yankees average over 5 runs per game when CC is on the mound. 
*****

Mariners Probable Pitcher:

Ian Snell.jpg
Ian Snell
#48 RHP
(2-8) 5.42 ERA 88.0 IP 57 SO 1.648 WHIP
This will be Snells third start as a Mariner, his last one didn’t go so well. He went just 1.1 innings, giving up three runs on two hits and six walks against the Rays. This is Snells first career start against the Yankees. In his last three starts, Ian has an ERA of 8.10 and a WHIP of 2.100. 
Tidbits:
The Pirates and Mariners are 4-13 in games that Snell starts. Jerry Hairston and Nick Swisher are the only players on the Yankees with a hit. Mark Teixeira is the only other Yankee to have faced S
nell, he is 0 for 5. 
*****
Keys to the Game: 
  1. Strike One: In 2009, when Snell throws strike one, opposing hitters are batting .227, when he doesn’t, they are hitting .361.
  2. Patience: This year, Snell averages 5.4 walks per nine innings.
  3. Get to the ‘pen: In the month of August, Pirates relievers have a combined 7.02 ERA.

Cano Caps Another Walk-Off, Big Home Stand

Walk off single in the 11th makes it nine out of ten for Bombers.


Blue Jays Primary Logo.png  VSYankees Primary Logo
8:12 Box.png

It was just five days ago that the Yankees took 15 innings to beat the Red Sox. Today, it took the Yankees 11 innings to beat the Blue Jays 4-3 to cap off a 6-1 home stand. 
The day began, though, with a little bit of a scare. In the first inning Derek Jeter was hit with a pitch on the right foot, and left the game a little later. Luckily, X-Rays taken at the Stadium were negative. 
In the first, Jeter moved to third on a Damon double, then scored on an RBI ground-out by Posada. Ruiz homered in his second straight game to tie the game at one. 
The scoring was on hold until the third inning, when Damon drilled a solo shot to right field to give the Yanks a 2-1 lead. In the next inning, Cano went deep to make the Yankee lead 3-1.
Then in the sixth, an RBI single by Chavez and a wild pitch, tied the game at 3. 
Burnett went six innings and gave up three runs on ten hits while walking two and striking out seven. Romero also went six innings and gave up three runs. He struck out five and walked three. 
Coke, Robertson, Hughes and Gaudin — in his Yankee debut — all combined for five scorless innings, giving up just four hits a
nd striking out six batters.
For the Jays, League pitched three great scorless innings, giving up just one hit.
The great efforts by both bullpens were all put to rest in the 11th inning. A-Rod was hit by a pitch and was shaken up for a minute before taking first. Then a single by Posada moved A-Rod to second. Robbie Cano was next and delivered a walk-off single that hit off the top of the right center field wall to seal the win, the series and the home stand. 

Player of the Game: Robinson Cano: 2 for 5, HR, 2 RBI, R

The Wrap-Up:
The Yankees are now nine for their last ten, and have capped off a great 6-1 home stand. The Yankees have pretty much proved two things: in this ballpark, they can win close games, and if it gets to extras, its over. The Yanks are now 28 games over .500, a new season high. The Red Sox play tonight, so the Yankees are currently six games ahead of Boston.

Coming Up Next:
The Yankees fly out west tonight to open up a set against the Mariners. Tomorrow night at 10:10 ET, it will be Sabthia (12-7, 3.76) vs. Snell (2-8,5.42). The Red Sox have to deal with Verlander tomorrow afternoon. They send Clay Buchholz to the mound. 

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