Heating The Stove

Now that the Yankees have been crowned World Series champs, the hot stove season can begin. The 2009 General Manager meetings are currently taking place in Chicago, and the rumor mill has been ripe with information on what the Yankees plan on doing this winter:

Pitcher John Lackey is supposedly on the Yankees radar, although GM Brian Cashman has already denied any interest. Analysts are speculating that the Yankees will try to offer the right-hander a contract similar to the one they offered A.J. Burnett last year. The 30 year-old Lackey went 11-8 with a 3.83 ERA last season, but missed the first month of the season with an injury. If the Yankees could bring in Lackey on a three or four year deal, he'd certainly make the rotation even stronger.

The Yankees will try to retain Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Andy Pettitte, although Pettitte is their primary target and Damon's agent has stated that the outfielder will not accept a hometown discount to return to New York. There have not been many rumors connecting Matt Holliday to the Yankees yet, but one has to assume he'll be the priciest player on the market. If Damon and Matsui don't return, I expect the Yankees to go after Type B players like Mike Cameron or Marcus Thames, Rick Ankiel, but Damon is really the best fit for the Yankees right now.

Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre will also be top priorities for the Yankees, who like the versatility both pitchers have to offer. They may not exercise the $1.25 MM option on Mitre, but they intend to bring him back. The same goes for Gaudin, and also Chien-Ming Wang. The team appears to be stockpiling pitchers, which is always a solid plan.

World Champs!

The Yankees captured their 27th World Series title in a 7-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. It's been a long time since the last championship season, but after a nine year wait, the Yankees are again the best team in baseball. It took a mixture of seasoned veterans, pricey guns-for-hire and a talented group of rising stars to secure the title, but the Yankees finally did it. Congratulations to the 2009 World Series Champs and congratulations to Hideki Matsui, World Series MVP.

Aroldis Chapman present at Game 6 victory

According to Jon Heyman, the Yankees invited highly touted Cuban pitching prospect Aroldis Chapman to watch Game 6 of the ALCS at Yankee stadium, and the 21* year-old lefty was in attendance to watch the Yankees clinch the American League Pennant. Seems like a pretty good negotiation tactic to me.

The invitation is a not-do-subtle way of gaining an advantage in talks for the talented left-handed pitcher. Word is that Chapman is seeking a deal worth $40-60 million, and the Yankees and Red Sox could be gearing up for a battle. (source)

Heyman went on to list the Cubs, Blue Jays, Rangers, Mets, Orioles and White Sox as teams interested in Chapman. The Tigers are also supposedly interested. $40 million is quite a bit of money for an unproven player, but the pitching market is quite thin this winter and the Yankees may decide to use Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen going forward. If they do, they may want to get their hands more young pitching talent. This should be one of the more exciting stories of the winter.

2009 World Series Preview: Yankees vs. Phillies

The New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies will kick off game one of the 2009 World Series tomorrow night in the Bronx. Except for Jimmy Rollins, many are predicting a long series, mainly because both teams are pretty evenly matched. In the end, I'll give the edge to the Yankees because of their superior bullpen and slightly better offense - but the 2003 Yankees were supposed to trounce the Marlins, and look what happened. Anyone can win this series, and its sure to be a good one.

Offense:
The Yankee and Philly offenses are pretty evenly matched, but the Yanks are a bit more threatening with the bats. The team hit for a better average and notched 20 more home runs than the Phils, but some of the Bronx bats have been cold lately; while the Phillies have hit extremely well in the postseason. Playoff performances aside, I'd still give the edge to the Yankees thanks to Alex Rodriguez and the fact that the New York will likely have a better DH than Philadelphia. If the Yankee bats don't heat up, the Phils will win the series.
Edge: Yankees
Difference Makers: Hideki Matsui, Ben Francisco.

Defense:
Mark Teixeira has saved many runs with his superb glove work at first base, but the entire Philly infield is much better defensively than what the Yankees have to offer. Jimmy Rollins, Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz are all better defenders than their Yankee counterparts, but the Yanks have a better defensive outfield than the Phils. Melky Cabrera surprisingly posted a better UZR than Shane Victorino, but Johnny Damon is a much weaker defender than Raul Ibanez.
Edge: Phillies
Difference Makers: Chase Utley, Robinson Cano

Bench:
The Phillies have elected to carry pitcher Brett Myers over infielder Miguel Cairo, so their bench will likely consist of catcher Paul Bako, infielders Eric Bruntlett and Greg Dobbs and outfielders Ben Francisco and Matt Stairs. Francisco will likely serve as the designated hitter while playing at Yankee stadium, so that gives the Phils a four-man bench for now. The Yankees announced that they will carry Eric Hinske, and Jerry Hairston, Brett Gardner and Jose Molina will likely join him on the bench. That's a much better bench than what the Phillies have to offer.
Edge: Yankees
Difference Makers: Eric Hinske, Matt Stairs

Starting Pitching:
These two teams are very evenly matched in terms of starting pitchers. Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia are almost even in terms of numbers, and the Yankees and Phillies both have a starter with questionable consistency in A.J. Burnett and Cole Hamels. Pedro Martinez and Andy Pettitte are evenly matched. Some analysts have said that the Yankees offer a deeper rotation, but as of now both teams are even, even with Sabathia being slightly better than Cliff Lee.
Edge: Even
Difference Makers: A.J. Burnett, Cole Hamels

Relief Pitching:
The Yankees have a clear advantage over the Phils in this department. Mariano Rivera, albeit overused in the playoffs, is a much better closer than Brad Lidge. If Phil Hughes can perform better in tight situations and Joe Girardi learns to manage a bullpen, the Yankees will have a serious edge over the Phils in the later innings.
Edge: Yankees
Difference Makers: Chad Durbin, Scott Eyre, Phil Hughes

Prediction: Yankees in six
Series MVP: Alex Rodriguez

Yankee News and Notes: 8-20-09

Another solid win for CC Sabathia and the Yankees last night. The Big Ace has been excellent this month, going 4-0 with a 2.35 ERA and 6.2 K/BB ratio in 30.2 innings. With the pitching staff throwing as well as it has, the Yankees have a great shot to dominate in the post season. Let's hope they keep up the good play and Gaudin throws a good game.

Anyway, there is lots going on in Yankeeland:

The Yankees signed their top two draft picks this week, giving outfielder Zach "Slade" Heathcott a $2.2 million contract and catcher JR Murphy a $1.25 million deal. The Yankees signed 27 of their 50 draft picks, and nine of their first 10. I don't know much about Heathcott, other than the fact that he is a very competitive and toolsy outfielder. I did get a chance to speak with Murphy after the draft, and it sounds like he's a professional hitter who needs time to adjust to catching duties. Either way, the Yankees added some talented players to the farm system this year. Both Murphy and Heathcott will likely play in the Florida GCL.

Ian Kennedy will likely pitch in the Instructional League next month, which will mark the pitcher's first appearance since his surgery on May 12. Kennedy is doubtful that he'll return for a minor-league outing this year, but he has been throwing fastballs and changeups during bullpen sessions.

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees asked the Reds about the availability of pitchers Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo. The Reds refused to include money in a deal, so the Yankees backed off. Rosenthal does not think the club will trade for a pitcher prior to the Sept. 1 roster expansion deadline. I think Harang would be a great addition to the bottom of the rotation. Especially with Joba likely heading to the pen in September.

The Yankees won't be able to count on Russ Ortiz for September innings anymore. The right-hander exercised his right to become a free agent after going 2-1 with a 1.59 ERA for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. The Yankees had asked him to stay, but because they were unable to find a spot for him on the major league roster, Ortiz opted out of his contract.

Designated Hitter Hideki Matsui appears to have made a full recovery after getting fluid drained from his left knee on Sundday. Matsui made his first appearance in the lineup last night, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Brett Gardner will wear a splint on his broken thumb for another week, according to the Newark Star-Ledger. He probably won't be cleared to play until after Sept. 1, but he'll return to the major league roster in time to make a difference down the stretch. I wonder how much playing time he'll get now that Melky has blossomed into a productive player.

Damaso Marte has missed the majority of the 2009 season, and has helped make the Xavier Nady/Jose Tabata trade look quite foolish on the Yankees part. He may be ready to rejoin the team on Friday, but I would not trust him against the Bosox. I'd be much more comfortable with Zach Kroenke, who has completely dominated the International League.

Yankees promote Pena

Peter Abraham is reporting that the Yankees have recalled infielder Ramiro Pena and sent pitcher Anthony Claggett to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Pena was demoted in early July in order to gain some outfield experience in Scranton. He hit .250 with two home runs and seven RBI in 33 games for the Triple-A Yankees. He'll join infielder Jerry Hairston, outfielder Eric Hinske and catcher Jose Molina on one of the better benches in recent Yankee history. That will definitely come in handy against the Bosox tonight.

A's cut Giambi, Twins acquire Pavano

A couple of minor moves resulted in former Yankees buying plane tickets today. The Oakland A's released Jason Giambi, who has yet to be activated from the disabled list after his latest injury. Due to the injuries, the 38 year-old slugger has struggled at the plate. I'm sure he'll find a job somewhere, but it might not be at the major league level.

In other news, the Indians traded Carl Pavano to the Twins. I still can't believe that the Rajah of Rehab has recorded more than 100 innings this season.

Yanks acquire Chad Gaudin

Michael Kay first reported during tonight's game that the Yankees acquired pitcher Chad Gaudin from the Padres, but Bryan Hoch confirmed it via Twitter, noting that PTBNL will be sent to the Padres to complete the deal. Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger is reporting that the right-hander will work out of the bullpen before getting a shot at the rotation, but you can figure that Sergio Mitre will have a pretty short leash going forward. Gaudin went 4-10 for the Padres, notching a 5.13 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 105 innings.