10/15: Here's the Plan
Posted by: Patrick
There are lots of offseason plans for the Yankees floating around. So, let's take a crack at one. I'm going to keep it reasonable - no trades for players we'll be using. Only guys we have or guys that will or will likely hit the free agent market. There are two trades I'd like to see in the realm of addition by subtraction, however.
This offseason, I want us to trade Jason Giambi and Kyle Farnsworth. Yes, I know "I want to trade Jason Giambi" and "I want to buy a Bentley" are similar. They both sound nice - but how's that gonna happen? Cashman was able to deal Sheffield, Randy and Wright and net us good deals (yes, it'll be even harder to trade Giambi), so I'll leave this to him. We owe Giambi $26 million dollars - $22 in 2008 and a $5 million dollar buy out on a $22 million dollar club option in 2009. So, yeah, we'd have to include a good amount of money. But, I'm sick of him taking up a roster spot.
He's terrible in the field, he's always a moment away from an injury and, this year, he couldn't even hit when he was actually available. He didn't even hit against righties - .239 against lefties, .246 against righties. .295 OBA against lefties, .389 OBA against righties. Overall, .236 AVG and .356 OBA. Yeah, he gives us some homers and some walks, but at what cost? When he walks, you pinch run for him or you get one of the slowest baserunners in the game. I don't want him taking any more time at first or really any more spots on the roster.
Kyle Farnsworth has some talent, but it's probably pretty plain to see that he'd be better somewhere that is not New York. He's had his moments, but he can't be relied upon to take a lead. He has some value, even though he'll make $5.5 million. Yeah, he cleared waivers this year, but I think he's definitely dealable if we eat a little of his salary (note: less than half). I don't want him taking a spot away from someone else. It's not worth it.
Lineup
Talking about the lineup, it can pretty much be summed up like this : everyone we had last year. Let's bring back Posada, Mientkiewicz, A-Rod and Abreu. I struggle a bit with Abreu as I don't think that, at the $14 million extra ($16 million salary with a $2 million buyout if we drop him), he's a slam dunk option pick up. That said, what's out there for right fielders? A whole lot of nothing great. Bobby would only be signed for one year and that probably makes it worth it. Let's keep him around, keep developing whoever we have in the minors and not make any stupid deals with free agents who just aren't worth it.
At first base, I'd like a platoon of Minky and Shelley Duncan. Minky hit .286/.351/.471 against righties in 140 ABs this year. Shelley hit .303/.378/.606 against lefties in 33. Solid defense, solid hitting (and hopefully more great power from Shelley). If Shelley starts to be able to hit right handed pitching and can produce from both sides, he could emerge. Of course, he could go the other way entirely. So, platoon it to play it safe
Melky is the center fielder, of course, and then you have the 3 headed monster of Godzilla, Damon and Bobby. Without Giambi to suck up ABs at the DH spot, you can rotate the 3 outfielders between left, right and DH. This will help to keep them fresh. This would create this lineup:
C - Jorge Posada
1B - Doug Mientkiewicz/Shelley Duncan
2B - Robinson Cano
3B - Alex Rodriguez
SS - Derek Jeter
LF - Hideki Matsui/Johnny Damon
CF - Melky Cabrera
RF - Bobby Abreu/Johnny Damon
DH - Johnny Damon/Hideki Matsui/Bobby Abreu
Bench
Bring back Jose Molina as the back up catcher. He said he'd like to be back, so let's get that done. Shouldn't take much and he's a solid back up. Wilson Betemit will be back. You've got either Minky or Duncan and then, I guess, Andy Phillips. I've gone back and forth on Andy Phillips. If we can do better, we should. One reason to keep him is because, even though he has no power, he did put the ball in play last year against both lefties (.280/.315/.340) and righties (.296/.347/.385). He's also a very competent defender. If he can keep that going, when facing a particularly tough left hander, you could play both Duncan and Phillips and take out one of those left handed hitting outfielders - probably Abreu. Though I do hesitate to carry 3 first baseman, it's not like Duncan and Phillips only play first. Duncan has seen time in both the corner OF spots and Phillips saw a decent amount of time at 3B as well as a game at 2B.
The last spot should go to an outfielder who has a decent glove and good speed. I don't know who, exactly, but it shouldn't be too difficult to find someone who can fit the mold of a solid pitch fielder and good pinch runner.
So, let's say I'm stuck with Giambi. Very well. No Andy Phillips. Giambi gets time as a pinch hitter and as a DH against right handed pitchers. 2008 ends and we pay him his $5 million and say good bye. No offense to him, nothing personal... he's just getting paid a lot of money and hasn't produced worth it for more than half of his deal. So, the bench works out to be:
C - Jose Molina
1B - Doug Mientkiewicz or 1B/RF/LF - Shelley Duncan
1B/3B - Andy Phillips (also played 2B last year)
3B/1B/SS/2B - Wilson Betemit (also played RF/LF)
OF - Speedy McDecentGloverson
Rotation
Just like this year, you have Wang and Pettitte (I think he'll pick up his option) to lead it off. But, instead of Mussina, Pavano and Igawa, you have Hughes, Joba and Kennedy. AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Though, Hughes and Joba will have some innings limits. And that's why you keep Moose around to make some starts. Here's the official five man rotation, though:
1. Chien-Ming Wang
2. Andy Pettitte
3. Phil Hughes
4. Joba Chamberlain
5. Ian Kennedy
Bullpen
The thing about a lot of relievers is you never know what you are going to get. One year, you might get a 5 ERA, the next year, an ERA in the 2s. We could very well have all the guys we need right now. Edwar could go into the 2s. Who knows? But, let's not stand pat. Bring back Mo. He's a Yankee for life. I'd like to see Ross Ohlendorf and Chris Britton get a shot to be part of the solution. Moose is a costly long reliever/spot starter at $11 million, but like I said above, he'll be making some starts during the season, so I don't think he's a bad guy to have around for one more year. Plus, I want to get him a title.
So, that leaves 2 spots, with Farnsworth being dealt. What do we do? Francisco Cordero is out there. I'd love to convince him to sign with us to be Mo's set up man plus. When I say plus, I mean that he'll be getting some saves. Let's say 5-10. He'll get 2-4 save opportunities a month. Maybe after any time where Mo has pitched in back to back games. Something like that. This will help Mo to stay fresh (without hurting us by forcing us to pitch someone vastly inferior) and will, hopefully, make Cordero want to sign and try to get a ring. Plus, you never know what's gonna happen with Mo - he could get more opportunities. We may need to pay him closer money to get him to do this (not elite closer money, but decent closer money), but I'd be on board for that. Let's get a dominant set up man in here.
Failing that, how about Scott Linebrink? Relievers can be volatile, but he has had a very solid career. Since becoming a regular player in 2003, he has finished with ERAs of 3.31, 2.14, 1.83, 3.57 and 3.71. He'll be 31 on opening day. He's never pitched in the American League and that could definitely work in our benefit. Plus, with him coming off his "high" ERA (read: better than most guys we had) year, we may be able to get him at a cheaper 3 year deal or something along those lines. David Riske is also worth consideration, as he's had a similarly good career and will also be 31 on opening day. He's coming off a very good (2.45 ERA) year, however, so he will command the corresponding digits. I actually wouldn't mind signing 2 of these guys, though I would like to give Ross and Britton the shot, as I said. If we strike out on all of them, I might take Vizcaino back on a 1 year (nothing longer) deal. But, really, I'd prefer getting one of the other 3, at least.
So, that leaves 1 bullpen spot. It's always nice to have a lefty. How about J.C. Romero? He'll also be 31 on opening day (did the world get together and decide that everyone born in 1976 would be a relief pitcher?) and he has an excellent track record against lefties (.208 BAA this year, .226 career). This season, he was even better against righties (.198), but that was most likely a fluke as his career number is .271. Still, not too bad. He's coming off a great year, so he'll probably command some money. But, after a quick glance, he appears to be the best lefty reliever available. So, I say we go after him, instead of having to settle for someone like Ron Villone.
With all of this said, here's our bullpen:
CL - Mariano Rivera
RP - Francisco Cordero (/CL)/Scott Linebrink/David Riske
RP - Chris Britton
RP - J.C. Romero
RP - Ross Ohlendorf
RP/SP - Mike Mussina
To make this happen, we'd need to pick up Abreu's option, have Andy pick up his option, re-sign Posada, Minky, Molina and A-Rod, sign a right handed RP, J.C. Romero and maybe an OF and trade Giambi and Farnsworth. I think that this would be a good way to go.
What do you think? What would you like to see the Yankees do? Post your rosters in the comments, if you'd like.
This offseason, I want us to trade Jason Giambi and Kyle Farnsworth. Yes, I know "I want to trade Jason Giambi" and "I want to buy a Bentley" are similar. They both sound nice - but how's that gonna happen? Cashman was able to deal Sheffield, Randy and Wright and net us good deals (yes, it'll be even harder to trade Giambi), so I'll leave this to him. We owe Giambi $26 million dollars - $22 in 2008 and a $5 million dollar buy out on a $22 million dollar club option in 2009. So, yeah, we'd have to include a good amount of money. But, I'm sick of him taking up a roster spot.
He's terrible in the field, he's always a moment away from an injury and, this year, he couldn't even hit when he was actually available. He didn't even hit against righties - .239 against lefties, .246 against righties. .295 OBA against lefties, .389 OBA against righties. Overall, .236 AVG and .356 OBA. Yeah, he gives us some homers and some walks, but at what cost? When he walks, you pinch run for him or you get one of the slowest baserunners in the game. I don't want him taking any more time at first or really any more spots on the roster.
Kyle Farnsworth has some talent, but it's probably pretty plain to see that he'd be better somewhere that is not New York. He's had his moments, but he can't be relied upon to take a lead. He has some value, even though he'll make $5.5 million. Yeah, he cleared waivers this year, but I think he's definitely dealable if we eat a little of his salary (note: less than half). I don't want him taking a spot away from someone else. It's not worth it.
Lineup
Talking about the lineup, it can pretty much be summed up like this : everyone we had last year. Let's bring back Posada, Mientkiewicz, A-Rod and Abreu. I struggle a bit with Abreu as I don't think that, at the $14 million extra ($16 million salary with a $2 million buyout if we drop him), he's a slam dunk option pick up. That said, what's out there for right fielders? A whole lot of nothing great. Bobby would only be signed for one year and that probably makes it worth it. Let's keep him around, keep developing whoever we have in the minors and not make any stupid deals with free agents who just aren't worth it.
At first base, I'd like a platoon of Minky and Shelley Duncan. Minky hit .286/.351/.471 against righties in 140 ABs this year. Shelley hit .303/.378/.606 against lefties in 33. Solid defense, solid hitting (and hopefully more great power from Shelley). If Shelley starts to be able to hit right handed pitching and can produce from both sides, he could emerge. Of course, he could go the other way entirely. So, platoon it to play it safe
Melky is the center fielder, of course, and then you have the 3 headed monster of Godzilla, Damon and Bobby. Without Giambi to suck up ABs at the DH spot, you can rotate the 3 outfielders between left, right and DH. This will help to keep them fresh. This would create this lineup:
C - Jorge Posada
1B - Doug Mientkiewicz/Shelley Duncan
2B - Robinson Cano
3B - Alex Rodriguez
SS - Derek Jeter
LF - Hideki Matsui/Johnny Damon
CF - Melky Cabrera
RF - Bobby Abreu/Johnny Damon
DH - Johnny Damon/Hideki Matsui/Bobby Abreu
Bench
Bring back Jose Molina as the back up catcher. He said he'd like to be back, so let's get that done. Shouldn't take much and he's a solid back up. Wilson Betemit will be back. You've got either Minky or Duncan and then, I guess, Andy Phillips. I've gone back and forth on Andy Phillips. If we can do better, we should. One reason to keep him is because, even though he has no power, he did put the ball in play last year against both lefties (.280/.315/.340) and righties (.296/.347/.385). He's also a very competent defender. If he can keep that going, when facing a particularly tough left hander, you could play both Duncan and Phillips and take out one of those left handed hitting outfielders - probably Abreu. Though I do hesitate to carry 3 first baseman, it's not like Duncan and Phillips only play first. Duncan has seen time in both the corner OF spots and Phillips saw a decent amount of time at 3B as well as a game at 2B.
The last spot should go to an outfielder who has a decent glove and good speed. I don't know who, exactly, but it shouldn't be too difficult to find someone who can fit the mold of a solid pitch fielder and good pinch runner.
So, let's say I'm stuck with Giambi. Very well. No Andy Phillips. Giambi gets time as a pinch hitter and as a DH against right handed pitchers. 2008 ends and we pay him his $5 million and say good bye. No offense to him, nothing personal... he's just getting paid a lot of money and hasn't produced worth it for more than half of his deal. So, the bench works out to be:
C - Jose Molina
1B - Doug Mientkiewicz or 1B/RF/LF - Shelley Duncan
1B/3B - Andy Phillips (also played 2B last year)
3B/1B/SS/2B - Wilson Betemit (also played RF/LF)
OF - Speedy McDecentGloverson
Rotation
Just like this year, you have Wang and Pettitte (I think he'll pick up his option) to lead it off. But, instead of Mussina, Pavano and Igawa, you have Hughes, Joba and Kennedy. AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Though, Hughes and Joba will have some innings limits. And that's why you keep Moose around to make some starts. Here's the official five man rotation, though:
1. Chien-Ming Wang
2. Andy Pettitte
3. Phil Hughes
4. Joba Chamberlain
5. Ian Kennedy
Bullpen
The thing about a lot of relievers is you never know what you are going to get. One year, you might get a 5 ERA, the next year, an ERA in the 2s. We could very well have all the guys we need right now. Edwar could go into the 2s. Who knows? But, let's not stand pat. Bring back Mo. He's a Yankee for life. I'd like to see Ross Ohlendorf and Chris Britton get a shot to be part of the solution. Moose is a costly long reliever/spot starter at $11 million, but like I said above, he'll be making some starts during the season, so I don't think he's a bad guy to have around for one more year. Plus, I want to get him a title.
So, that leaves 2 spots, with Farnsworth being dealt. What do we do? Francisco Cordero is out there. I'd love to convince him to sign with us to be Mo's set up man plus. When I say plus, I mean that he'll be getting some saves. Let's say 5-10. He'll get 2-4 save opportunities a month. Maybe after any time where Mo has pitched in back to back games. Something like that. This will help Mo to stay fresh (without hurting us by forcing us to pitch someone vastly inferior) and will, hopefully, make Cordero want to sign and try to get a ring. Plus, you never know what's gonna happen with Mo - he could get more opportunities. We may need to pay him closer money to get him to do this (not elite closer money, but decent closer money), but I'd be on board for that. Let's get a dominant set up man in here.
Failing that, how about Scott Linebrink? Relievers can be volatile, but he has had a very solid career. Since becoming a regular player in 2003, he has finished with ERAs of 3.31, 2.14, 1.83, 3.57 and 3.71. He'll be 31 on opening day. He's never pitched in the American League and that could definitely work in our benefit. Plus, with him coming off his "high" ERA (read: better than most guys we had) year, we may be able to get him at a cheaper 3 year deal or something along those lines. David Riske is also worth consideration, as he's had a similarly good career and will also be 31 on opening day. He's coming off a very good (2.45 ERA) year, however, so he will command the corresponding digits. I actually wouldn't mind signing 2 of these guys, though I would like to give Ross and Britton the shot, as I said. If we strike out on all of them, I might take Vizcaino back on a 1 year (nothing longer) deal. But, really, I'd prefer getting one of the other 3, at least.
So, that leaves 1 bullpen spot. It's always nice to have a lefty. How about J.C. Romero? He'll also be 31 on opening day (did the world get together and decide that everyone born in 1976 would be a relief pitcher?) and he has an excellent track record against lefties (.208 BAA this year, .226 career). This season, he was even better against righties (.198), but that was most likely a fluke as his career number is .271. Still, not too bad. He's coming off a great year, so he'll probably command some money. But, after a quick glance, he appears to be the best lefty reliever available. So, I say we go after him, instead of having to settle for someone like Ron Villone.
With all of this said, here's our bullpen:
CL - Mariano Rivera
RP - Francisco Cordero (/CL)/Scott Linebrink/David Riske
RP - Chris Britton
RP - J.C. Romero
RP - Ross Ohlendorf
RP/SP - Mike Mussina
To make this happen, we'd need to pick up Abreu's option, have Andy pick up his option, re-sign Posada, Minky, Molina and A-Rod, sign a right handed RP, J.C. Romero and maybe an OF and trade Giambi and Farnsworth. I think that this would be a good way to go.
What do you think? What would you like to see the Yankees do? Post your rosters in the comments, if you'd like.
Rob wrote: