Kuzul

Christmas is around the corner, but don’t expect an impact outfielder under the tree from your favorite baseball team. 

Unless Nelson Cruz is the apple of your eye, the outfield market is close to bone-dry before 2014 begins due to a flurry of activity at the top of the market.

With Shin-Soo Choo‘s arrival in Texas, the top outfielders, including New York Yankees imports Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran, are off the board. 

According to Yahoo! Sports’ free-agent tracker, Choo, Ellsbury and Beltran, respectively, were the third-, fifth- and sixth-best free agents available this winter. When factoring in Marlon Byrd’s signing in Philadelphia, Curtis Granderson with the New York Mets and Corey Hart’s relocation to Seattle, the outfield market has taken shape quickly.

The following is a look at what is left for needy teams, an outfielder with potential to once again profile as an impact player and the best of the rest.

*All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference, unless otherwise noted.

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The Boston Red Sox entered the offseason by embarking on a World Series parade through the city of Boston. When the floats came to a stop, business picked back up for the 2013 champions. 

Since the start of business this winter, the Red Sox have been active. Yet due to their aversion to handing out long-term contracts, the team hasn’t held a huge media gathering at Fenway Park to introduce the newest star to Red Sox faithful.

Instead, led by general manager Ben Cherington, they have used a calculated approach to building a consistent winner, eschewing sentimentality and the need to bring back the entire 2013 team for one more run at the AL East crown.

Thus far, contributors like Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jacoby Ellsbury have been allowed to walk to the highest bidder. In those cases, the Marlins and Yankees, respectively, stepped up to offer more than Boston was willing to pay.

Led by the great Koji Uehara, Boston’s bullpen has an anchor. That made the decisions to non-tender Andrew Bailey and decline a $6 million option on Matt Thornton easier to swallow. Within weeks, Edward Mujica was signed and Burke Badenhop acquired to fill setup roles in front of Uehara in 2014. 

Although the team will miss the extra-base power of Jarrod Saltalamacchia, signing A.J. Pierzynski made sense for both the short and long-term plans in Boston. The new Red Sox catcher will thrive in the competitive environment of the AL East.

Of course, the most vital move thus far in Boston was re-signing Mike Napoli to a two-year, $32 million contract, per MLB.com. According to FanGraphs, Napoli was worth $19.5 million in 2013, making $16 million per year a very reasonable rate for his production.

Over the next few months, Cherington and the front office in Boston will have to continue to tweak a roster that is very capable of competing for a postseason berth next season. By following the plan laid out here, the Red Sox can ensure annual success at Fenway Park.

Here’s what should be next for the Boston Red Sox.

*All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference, unless otherwise noted.

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For a team looking to reduce payroll commitments in 2014, the New York Yankees are not spending the offseason in the bargain-hunting section of the free-agent market. 

At this rate, it’s hard to imagine the 2014 Yankees taking the field with a total payroll of less than $200 million. 

With the formal introduction of Jacoby Ellsbury at Yankee Stadium on Friday morning, the team, entering the offseason with a self-imposed mandate to fall under the $189 million luxury-tax threshold, has committed more than $300 million to free agents in the span of one month.

The five newest Yankees (Brian McCann, Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran, Hiroki Kuroda and Kelly Johnson) will account for a major portion of the 2014 payroll. If they help the team qualify for the postseason, the expenditures will be justified. If not, the team will be questioned about a strategy that had been taking shape for years.

During recent winters, the Yankees made a point to save dollars for the 2014 payroll.

Nick Swisher, a versatile performer on excellent Yankee offense, was allowed to depart for Cleveland. Russell Martin, one of the most valuable catchers in baseball, was lost when the Pittsburgh Pirates outbid New York for his services. Vernon Wells, acquired in a deal last spring, was brought aboard only when Los Angeles agreed to pay every dollar of his 2014 salary.

These moves, although head-scratching and a major reason why the team missed the postseason in 2013, were justified through the prism of resetting the luxury tax after 2014. The benefits of one year under $189 million would reverberate throughout the sport for years. By lowering their tax bracket, the Yankees can spend freely—without hesitation of paying dollar-for-dollar taxes—on the best players on the open market. That strategy, despite allowing Robinson Cano to flee to Seattle for $240 million, is dissipating by the week.

A change in direction is fine, but don’t expect the Yankees to come out and say it now. By keeping their short- and long-term payroll cap to themselves, the team can use it as leverage in contract negotiations with free agents. 

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, that could have been part of the strategy with Cano. By floating the necessity of $189 million as a team cap, New York could have hoped to keep Cano’s asking price in a reasonable range. When that failed, costing the team their best and most durable player, the strategy may have changed.

With the offseason progressing, it’s important to note the change in Yankee owner Hal Steinbrenner‘s tune when asked about the $189 million mandate last month, per CBS New York. Instead of harping on the importance, Steinbrenner talked about championship baseball superseding the payroll limit.

“That is the goal, but in no way, shape or form will we sacrifice our commitment to field a championship-caliber team,” Steinbrenner told Sherman. “That’s not going to happen.”

For Yankees fans, that’s good. For the free agents who can fill New York’s remaining needs, it’s great. Despite loading up on a star-studded group of contributors, the Yankees still need to fill major holes in order to compete for a championship in 2014.  

The Yankees are probably better now than they were in 2013, but the net gain isn’t what you might imagine. 

By signing Ellsbury, McCann and Beltran, New York added a total of 10.4 WAR, per Baseball-Reference, to their team. Allowing Cano to walk, though, will cost the Yankees a player that averaged 7.5 WAR per year over the last four seasons. 

According to Brian Costa of The Wall Street Journal, the total offseason layout in New York could come close to $400 million if holes are properly filled at second base, third base, starting rotation and in the bullpen.

Omar Infante, the most accomplished second baseman left on the open market, has a three-year, $24 million deal on the table from the Yankees, per CBS Sports. If—or when—Japanese pitching star Masahiro Tanaka is posted, expect the Yankees to make a major effort to sign him to a lucrative, long-term contract.  

As shown above, the Yankees payroll currently sits at slightly more than $172 million. That number, however, comes with a major caveat: Alex Rodriguez‘s $27.5 million salary for 2014. 

Until arbitrator Fred Horowitz rules on Rodriguez’s 211-game suspension appeal, his salary remains on the books. Over the next few weeks, the final ruling on A-Rod will become the tipping point for the 2014 Yankees’ payroll.

Considering all the money spent so far and on the work that still has to be done in order to field a 90-plus win team and the roughly $16 million each team allocates toward insurance, pension and in-season minor league call-ups, it’s hard to imagine the Yankees coming in at less than $189 million even if Rodriguez’s 2014 is wiped from the books.

If it’s not, Rodriguez won’t just be the Yankees’ opening-day third baseman; he’ll also be one member of a payroll receiving more than $200 million. 

For a franchise with the revenue and resources of the New York Yankees, the specter of a payroll less than $189 million seemed bizarre from the start. In a perfect world, any business would love to succeed while cutting costs. Unfortunately for the Yankees, the cost of winning on a yearly basis is very, very expensive. 

Do you believe the Yankees will stay at less than a $189 million payroll?

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Undervalued assets, in dollars or production, are the key to fielding a successful team.

Thus far, the offseason has been highlighted by contracts in excess of $150 million to Jacoby Ellsbury and $240 million to Robinson Cano, but it’s the smaller, less talked about moves that could pay major dividends in 2014. 

With revenue rising around the sport, free-agent players are receiving eye-opening offers and signing them without hesitation. Due to the cost of those free agents, general managers are holding onto their prospects, hoping for cheap labor to impact the club within a few seasons.

As the sport takes center stage in Disney World, we await the next major signing or trade, but often, it’s the smaller pacts or less publicized trades that go without the coverage they deserve.

Here are the six biggest steals of the offseason thus far. From one-year contracts to trades, the six players changing addresses all can provide more value than their most recent transaction suggests.

*All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference, unless otherwise noted.

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If the Philadelphia Phillies, led by general manager Ruben Amaro, have a legitimate plan of attack this offseason, it’s time to explain it to a puzzled group of baseball insiders.

According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Phillies are willing to chat about their aces, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, in trade talks. On Monday, Domonic Brown, the franchise’s only young building block, was floated in rumors at the winter meetings. Jonathan Papelbon, an overpaid closer on a 73-win team, is also rumored to be available, per CSN Philly.

On the surface, this all makes sense. In reality, the Phillies should be in full-scale rebuilding mode. After winning 102 games in 2011, the franchise has fallen on hard times. Over the past two seasons, the Phillies have lost 81 and 89 games, respectively, while becoming one of the least watchable products in baseball.

If Amaro, with the blessing of ownership, scaled back the payroll, traded stars like Hamels and Lee for a group of future impact players and scoured the market for ways to upgrade from Brown, few intelligent fans would be upset.

Instead, the team has sent dangerously mixed signals.  

Philadelphia’s offseason began with additions, not subtractions. By setting the outfield market with a two-year, $16 million deal for 36-year-old Marlon Byrd, the Phillies signaled a need for power in their lineup and protection for Ryan Howard. By re-signing veteran catcher Carlos Ruiz, the team refused to part with a leader, despite a poor 2013, because of a lack of major league-ready catching in the farm system.

On the surface, both deals were debatable, but made sense through the prism of trying to compete for a postseason spot in 2014. With a rotation led by Lee and Hamels, the Phillies, assuming healthy seasons from the core of Chase Utley, Brown and Howard, had a chance to compete on the outskirts of the National League wild-card picture.

As the winter meetings progress, the Phillies need to commit to a direction. If they don’t, the franchise will be left among competing, rebuilding and looking for both short- and long-term answers. As of now, the team is wading between both realms, unable to choose a direction.

The best general managers can juggle multiple scenarios, choose the right path and ultimately take their franchise in a direction that leads to long-term success. In July, Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Bob Ford wrote a piece about Amaro‘s trade-deadline plight, but the same words can be reshaped for the present moment. Per Ford’s column:

“Amaro will have to juggle all those considerations two weeks from now, whether the team perks up in the interim or whether it doesn’t.” 

Amazingly, due to a hot streak near the All-Star break, the Philadelphia media was contemplating Amaro‘s buy-or-sell strategy at the trade deadline. After the team limped to a 73-89 finish, including the removal of Charlie Manuel from the dugout, such thinking seems ridiculous in retrospect. Yet, it was there then the way it is now. 

To be fair, there’s a chance, albeit small, that Amaro has a grand plan.

If he can shed payroll by trading Papelbon or Lee, there’s a possibility that the money could be reinvested in a major bat like Shin-Soo Choo and arm like Masahiro Tanaka. 

If the embattled general manager can flip Brown or Hamels for major prospects, the team could finally engage the Miami Marlins in legitimate trade conversation for star slugger Giancarlo Stanton. 

Juggling multiple scenarios in December won’t derail success in May and June, but there has to be a clear, united vision in the front office. Right now, it doesn’t feel that way in Philadelphia. If these same rumors centered around Dave Dombrowski in Detroit or Brian Cashman in New York, the benefit of the doubt would be awarded. 

Amaro, through his own fault, doesn’t garner that respect in the game. During his tenure, he’s made mistake after mistake. From handing Howard a five-year, $125 million deal two years before he hit free agency, to signing a closer to a $52 million deal, to trading Lee for nonimpact prospects, Amaro hasn’t proven worthy of faith.

Right now, with Byrd and Ruiz on board, Papelbon poised to close games, Lee and Hamels at the top of the rotation and Brown ready to build upon a breakout 2013, the Phillies are a few moves from fielding a competitive team. While they’ll likely be closer to .500 than a postseason berth, relevance could return to Citizens Bank Park next summer.

Moving any of their veteran pieces, especially stars like Lee and Hamels, would change that plan, possibly for the better. It would, however, turn 2014 into a rebuilding season and make the contracts handed out to Byrd and Ruiz look ridiculous to everyone in baseball.

In the National League East, every team outside of Philadelphia seems to have a plan. Washington is attempting to win big now, Atlanta has a core of proven youth, New York is inching closer toward contention and Miami is attempting to cultivate a team of inexpensive future stars.

Only one remains a mystery. Until the Phillies show their hand, skepticism will remain. Juggling multiple scenarios and possibilities remains fine for now, but the clock is ticking toward Opening Day and another season with an aging, veteran roster and shallow talent base in the farm system.

Amaro may be poised to fix his past mistakes, but it’s becoming harder and harder to imagine a winning team emerging from his disorganized offseason plan.

Do you have faith in Ruben Amaro?

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In the aftermath of one of the craziest weeks in recent offseason history, it’s natural to wonder if the winter meetings will disappoint baseball fans.

After all, with Robinson Cano, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann, Curtis Granderson and Joe Nathan off the board, five of the 15 best free agents, per Yahoo! Sports, are signed, sealed and delivered before the sport ascends on Disney World. 

Free agency may have accelerated a week too early for winter-meetings buzz, but the trade market has left plenty for baseball fans to look forward to in Orlando, Florida. When the baseball world arrives, expect buzz to generate around the biggest prize available on the trade market: Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher David Price. 

Already, the rumors have begun. According to Dayn Perry of CBS Sports, count the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates among teams pursuing the 28-year-old lefty. Insiders such as Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal and CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman singled out the Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers as possible suitors on MLB Network. 

As budgets are set, depth charts altered and executives prepped on how to best alter their franchises, Price’s name will emerge from the trade block and onto the headlines for three reasons: his status as one of the truly elite pitchers in baseball, below-market value of his contract and the philosophy of his current team.

Since arriving to the big leagues in 2008, and becoming a full-time starter in 2009, David Price has been among the best pitchers in baseball. Any team acquiring him wouldn’t just get an ace, they would receive the potential for back-to-back Cy Young-caliber campaigns before Price’s contract expired after the 2015 season.

Simply looking at Price’s career ERA (3.19), WHIP (1.15), win-loss record (71-39) or K/9 (8.1), paints the picture of a dominant starting pitcher. Yet his case as one of the top 15 arms in baseball is buoyed when comparing him to other top arms in the sport. Since 2009, using criteria of an ERA+ better than 120 and a strikeout-to-walk ratio better than 3.00, very few pitchers make the cut. 

As you probably imagined, Price is one of them. Some pitchers who didn’t meet the standards for consistent excellence over the last five seasons: Cole Hamels, Madison Bumgarner, Max Scherzer, Mat Latos and Jordan Zimmermann. When placing Price in the context of the 10 or 11 best pitchers in baseball, along with his 2012 American League Cy Young award, a true ace emerges on the trade market.

Due to the beauty of Major League Baseball’s arbitration system, Price will be compensated over the final two years of his original contract. According to Matt Swartz of MLB Trade Rumors, Price is estimated to earn $13.1 million in arbitration for the 2014 season. If a contract extension isn’t reached before 2015, Price could cost his next team around $30 million for the next two years.

Yet, considering the $100 million price tag attached to free-agent pitcher Ervin Santana, $32 million deal afforded to Jason Vargas, two-year, $35 million pact San Francisco lavished on Tim Lincecum and uncertainty over Masahiro Tanaka’s posting from Japan, per ESPN, Price is virtually a steal, considering his ability, at $30 million over the next two years.

His deal is palatable to any suitor because it’s not just a one-year contract. If 2014 was set to double as Price’s contract year, his market would be much, much smaller. Outside of the few big-market teams that truly can afford his next contract, it would be foolish to give up significant prospects for one year.

However, two years of greatness is enough to convince general managers to part with the future. 

If any team understands the power of value and leverage, it’s the Tampa Bay Rays. Over the last three years, general manager Andrew Friedman has traded away two top-tier pitchers, Matt Garza and James Shields. Through no coincidence, both were two years away from free agency. This juncture represents the perfect time for a deal.

After giving Tampa Bay five outstanding seasons, Price is about to become much more expensive in arbitration and lose value by the day. If he’s on Tampa’s roster on Opening Day, it’s an upset.

Adding to Tampa’s ability to engage multiple teams in trade negotiations: the lack of desire for a particular return. As Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas/Fort Worth described when profiling a possible match between the Rangers and Rays farm systems, Tampa excels this time of year due to its eagerness to take the best prospect available. Per Durrett‘s column:

Tampa Bay likely won’t be picky about any specific positions of need. They’ll want the best package they can get. If the Rangers put Jurickson Profar in the mix, that would put them on par with just about anything anybody else can offer.

When top prospects, not positions of need, are the cost, almost any team with a sound farm system can enter the sweepstakes. That strategy helped net the Rays two of their young building blocks, Wil Myers and Chris Archer, in the Shields and Garza trades, respectively. 

Free-agent prices are soaring, inferior pitchers are asking for contracts up to $100 million and the Rays are motivated to move on of the the best pitchers on the planet.

All that adds up to rumors and the potential for a blockbuster deal at the winter meetings.

What would you give up in a trade for David Price?

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After five consecutive losing seasons, free-agent disasters like Frank Francisco and payroll slashing into mid-market territory, the New York Mets made a splash on Friday morning. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, ex-Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson is on his way to Queens on a four-year, $60 million deal. 

Just weeks after Mets general manager Sandy Alderson discussed a list of potential outfield targets to WFAN’s Mike Francesa, two have arrived in Citi Field. First, Chris Young came aboard, representing a forward-thinking buy-low move. Now, Granderson creates an even bigger splash for a team desperately needing one.

This was a necessary move for a franchise starved for relevancy, past the slow, methodical payroll purge and close to respectability in the NL East standings. In Granderson, the Mets are adding a legitimate power bat, leader and fourth-place hitter to slot behind David Wright in the everyday lineup.

First, dispel any notion that Granderson’s game was a creation of the friendly dimensions at Yankee Stadium. Throughout his entire career, dating back to his pre-Yankee days in Detroit, Granderson has profiled as a fly-ball hitter. According to FanGraphs, 44.2 percent of the newest Mets outfielder’s batted balls in play are fly balls in his career. 

Unless Granderson’s move was from the Bronx to the Grand Canyon, plenty of those fly balls will find the seats and paying customers in 2014 and beyond. That thought process is buoyed by the noticeable difference in Citi Field’s dimensions and how the park has played since the franchise made the decision to alter the fences after the 2011 season. 

From 2009-11, the first three years of Citi Field’s existence, the stadium was Petco Park east. Over the last two seasons, it’s been in the top half of baseball in home runs hit per game, per ESPN’s Park Factors.

With Granderson in tow, the Mets lineup looks much, much deeper and brighter than it did before Alderson convinced the 32-year-old to join the retooling franchise.  

Of course, there is still work to be done for Alderson and the New York front office. Granderson is an excellent first step, but more will be needed to field a consistent winner at Citi Field. As you can see from that lineup projection, the Mets need to sort their first base logjam, find a capable, everyday shortstop, add a veteran arm and subtract from their excess depth of young, high-end starting pitching to fill a void or two. 

When the winter meetings begin next week in Orlando, the Mets should remain active. 

Granderson’s arrival helps give the Mets relevancy. It doesn’t, however, give the team a pass to pack up shop for the winter.

Soon, the front office will make a decision on the long-term outlook at first base. When assessing the Lucas Duda vs. Ike Davis conundrum, no consensus emerges. Duda possesses better plate discipline, but Davis has a 32-homer campaign under his belt. Alderson shouldn’t truly value one over the other this winter. Neither is a star. Thus, trading the first baseman that brings back the best return is crucial.

At shortstop, the team simply can’t bring back Ruben Tejada to start in 2014. After an injury-plagued and disenchanting 2013, Tejada looks nothing like an everyday shortstop. If Stephen Drew’s market price is within New York’s 2014 budget, he would be a perfect addition. 

Finally, the Mets can’t be afraid to use their young pitching depth in a deal to acquire an everyday offensive player. Despite the loss of Matt Harvey for the 2013 season, Alderson is blessed with rising prospects like Noah Syndergaard and Rafael Montero. If, say, Dillon Gee was coveted in a deal to bring back another everyday outfielder or shortstop, trading from a strength to fill a weakness is a very viable option.

Since debuting as an everyday player in 2006, Curtis Granderson has been a borderline All-Star-caliber player, worth 4.1 WAR per season, per Baseball-Reference. Granderson’s WAR per 650 plate appearances, or, in other words, what he brings to the table when healthy, is 4.5 per season.

The 2013 Mets suffered a fifth straight losing campaign. By inking Granderson, the team took one big step toward breaking that streak. Now, the work left to do will decide if playoff-contending baseball will return to Queens next summer.

Does Granderson make the Mets a contender?

Comment below, follow me on Twitter or “like” my Facebook page to talk all things baseball. 

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While New York Yankees fans await the next impact offensive signing, welcome Brian McCann to the Bronx and hope Jay Z is bluffing when talk of $250 million for Robinson Cano surfaces, the franchise has more work to do in order to field a championship club in 2014.

According to Hal Steinbrenner, the team is focused on doing just that. As part of a statement released to officially announce the signing of catcher Brian McCann, the Yankees owner talked about putting a team on the field capable of winning in October.

“The singular and unwavering desire of this organization is to construct a team each and every season designed to play meaningful baseball deep into October,” Steinbrenner said, per CBS New York.

If Steinbrenner is serious about October baseball, a major task will center around rebuilding a starting rotation that is currently barren.

With Phil Hughes officially gone and Hiroki Kuroda floating somewhere between retirement, Japan and another major league team, the Yankees have major holes to fill in 60 percent of their projected rotation for 2014. As of this moment, only CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova are guaranteed spots in the Yankees rotation next season.

As the hot stove continues to burn, expect the Yankees to amp up their pursuit of starting pitching, specifically arms that have the ability to pitch 200 innings in the American League East. In order to feel confident heading into 2014, the Yankees need to slot two reliable arms into the staff with Sabathia and Nova.

Allowing a young, unproven arm like Michael Pineda or David Phelps the opportunity to earn the fifth spot in spring training is logical only if the team anchors down the top four spots with sturdy and strong starting pitchers.

The following is a blueprint to fix a staff that finished 18th in starters’ earned run average in 2013, per ESPN. If Brian Cashman can follow the plan, along with improving the offense, while staying under the $189 million luxury tax, the organization will be set up for both short- and long-term success.

Build around CC Sabathia

Take a deep breath, Yankees fans. The prospect of building a rotation, in the American League, around the current version of CC Sabathia and enigmatic Ivan Nova is scary. That doesn’t mean it’s not the most logical course of action for Brian Cashman.

As the team looks for upgrades this offseason, innings, production and consistency have to come from the current state of the 40-man roster. Even if the Yankees had the desire to totally remake their rotation from scratch, acquiring five new arms is totally unrealistic.

In Sabathia, the Yankees must bank on track record, their own recent evaluation of the big lefty and peripheral statistics that suggest a much brighter 2014 than 2013 season.

With the franchise in search of durable arms, at least the most durable arm in baseball resides in the current incarnation of the roster. Since 2007, CC Sabathia has thrown at least 200 innings in every single season. Over that span, his 1,610 innings pitched puts him ahead of every pitcher in the sport.

While the Yankees might not be able to count on Sabathia to pitch like an ace any longer, they know he’ll give them innings every turn through the rotation. 

However, if Sabathia does bounce back from an awful 2013 (85 ERA+), the team can cite their very recent faith in his long-term ability. After signing the then-28-year-old to a seven-year, $161 million deal prior to the 2009 season, Sabathia used an opt-out clause to leverage the Yankees into adding an extra year and $25 million to his existing deal after the 2011 season.

Essentially, with the chance to let a heavily taxed pitcher leave after three highly productive seasons, the Yankees guaranteed Sabathia over $100 million after his 30th birthday. If they were right about his long-term ability, building around him again in 2014 is a no-brainer.

That thought process should be enhanced by some of Sabathia’s statistics this past season. While his ERA (4.78), ERA+ (85) and WHIP (1.37) were all career worsts, the 33-year-old lefty posted almost identical numbers in certain categories as he did during a successful 2010 season. 

The days of Sabathia as one of the very best pitchers in baseball are over, but the Yankees need to rely on a return to quality from their hired gun.

Count on consistency from Ivan Nova

From July 5 to September 26, few pitchers in baseball could match these numbers: 15 GS, 104.1 IP, 2.59 ERA.

During the thick of a pennant race, Ivan Nova wasn’t just good; he was the best pitcher on the New York Yankees staff. Every fifth day, the 26-year-old right-handed pitcher took the mound and gave Joe Girardi’s rotation a major boost. 

Of course, that same pitcher started the season by sporting a 6.48 ERA in April, essentially losing his spot in the Yankees rotation and pitching his way almost totally out of the long-term thinking of the organization.

As Michael Barr of FanGraphs wrote in August, Nova evolved. With an excellent, hard fastball and sharp, biting curveball, the young pitcher always had the stuff to succeed but failed to find the right combination of pitch selection, consistency and command on a start-to-start basis.

Entering 2014, Nova will be a 27-year-old with four years of experience under his belt. After emerging as a Rookie of the Year candidate in 2011, he regressed in 2012 before resurfacing as a building block this past season.

For the Yankees to feel comfortable about their 2014 rotation, consistency from Nova is paramount. No longer are we talking about an arm with potential. Instead, this is a pitcher who posted a 130 ERA+ during his age-26 season in the Bronx.

By accomplishing that feat, Nova became the first Yankee since 1992 to pitch that well at this young of an age.

Add 400 innings from outside the organization 

This mandate comes from Brian Cashman himself. With Phil Hughes set to revive his career in Minnesota, Andy Pettitte off enjoying retirement and Hiroki Kuroda in limbo, the Yankees need to find two reliable arms behind the Sabathia-Nova combo.

Unless the team is interested in spending over $75 million in costly free agents like Matt Garza, Ervin Santana or Ubaldo Jimenez, the best place to look for rotation help is Japan. Specifically, one Japanese pitcher headed to American and another contemplating one more year in New York.

First, we’ll start with the incumbent.

Don’t let the poor results of late August and early September fool you when breaking down the excellence of Hiroki Kuroda. Since arriving in Los Angeles for the 2008 season, Kuroda has been one of the most durable and dominant starting pitchers in all of baseball.

Over that span, he’s one of only 13 starters to post an ERA+ of at least 117 while throwing 1,000 or more innings. Some names that didn’t qualify for that distinction: Max Scherzer, James Shields, R.A. Dickey and Matt Garza.

Yes, Kuroda won just one of his last 10 starts and pitched to an ERA over 5.00 during that span, but the Yankees will gladly take another 30 starts and ERA under 3.50 in 2014.

Ideally, Brian Cashman would add another, younger Japanese right-handed pitcher to the rotation by winning the posting fee for Masahiro Tanaka and securing him with a reasonable long-term deal. Right now, that proposition is up in the air due to complications with the posting process.

According to Brendan Kuty of NJ.com, the deal currently on the table would limit the Yankees’ ability to come in with the highest bid and give the power to the player in selecting his next team. Under that scenario, there’s a chance Tanaka could land elsewhere.

Assuming MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball work out a deal in time for Tanaka to enter this free-agent class, the Yankees would be foolish not to bid as much as possible for the 25-year-old ace. In a primer written in September, the comparison was made between Tanaka and Kuroda. When evaluating and scouting the newest Japanese sensation, it’s impossible not to be reminded of a younger version of Kuroda.

When Brian Cashman looks to fill 400 innings from outside the organization, acquiring the older and newer versions of Hiroki Kuroda is the best route possible.

Give Michael Pineda a chance to shine

When the Yankees and Seattle Mariners agreed to swap Jesus Montero for Michael Pineda in the winter of 2012, the baseball world exploded. One of the top young arms in baseball for one of the biggest power-hitting prospects certainly had the potential to reshape the future of both organizations. 

Thus far, it’s done just that.

Unfortunately, the net return has been poor for both sides. Heading into 2014, Pineda, due to lingering shoulder issues, has yet to throw a pitch in pinstripes. Montero, after several call-ups and demotions, has produced a listless 89 OPS+ in 663 plate appearances for the Mariners.

If Pineda can make it through spring training healthy, it’s time for the Yankees to bank on talent and give the 24-year-old a chance in the 2014 rotation. If you don’t agree with this assessment, listen to the words of one of the greatest hitters of all time.

During a rehab assignment last summer, Alex Rodriguez crossed paths with Pineda. After watching him work out and throw, the embattled third baseman had this to say about his potential, per ESPN New York:

“Michael’s a very special kid,” Rodriguez said. “You couldn’t believe how fast this guys is, probably as fast as any [pitcher in the organization]. You’ve got to see him run. In the weight room, he’s like a monster, as strong as you get … and I think that will translate, especially when he gets back from his surgery. It’s going to take time for him, especially a power pitcher, but I see him next year pitching 94-98, getting back to that velocity. And I think this year he’s going to be a factor at some point.”

Believing any A-Rod story is tough to do, but his depth of knowledge about the game of baseball is inarguable.

If the Yankees see the same potential they did in 2012 as A-Rod did last summer, it’s time to give Pineda a chance to round out a new, improved Yankees rotation in 2014.

How would you rebuild the Yankees rotation?

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The 2014 Boston Red Sox will attempt to defend their World Series crown with a new leader behind home plate. According to Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe, the Red Sox have agreed to a one-year, $8.25 million deal to bring catcher A.J. Pierzynski aboard for the 2014 season.

By acquiring the veteran backstop, Boston is signaling the end of the Jarrod Saltalamacchia era in the Red Sox lineup. While the Boston front office will undoubtedly cite Pierzynski’s leadership skills, durability and home run power, it’s impossible to believe the Red Sox are a better team now than the 97-win outfit that dominated the AL East in 2013.

This deal, assuming Saltalamacchia’s free agency leads him to a two- or three-year deal on the open market, wasn’t about improving in the short term or keeping the status quo for a run at a 2014 World Series. Instead, as Alex Speier of WEEI.com points out, it’s about financial flexibility and keeping the catching seat warm for prospects like Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart.

If the objective in Boston were to bring back the best catcher available for 2014, regardless of years or dollars, Saltalamacchia would be donning a Red Sox uniform next season.

In 2013, on the path to leading Major League Baseball in runs scored, Red Sox catchers combined to produce a .787 OPS and 70 extra-base hits. Those figures were good for third and first, respectively, among all major league catching groups, per ESPN.

Most of that production came off the bat of the the switch-hitting Saltalamacchia. After six years of below-average offensive production, the 28-year-old gave Boston a breakout campaign in 2013. Of the 70 extra-base hits to come from Red Sox catching, 54 came off the the bat of Saltalamacchia. Replacing those impact hits will be a difficult task in 2014.

The gap in on-base percentage between the two backstops may be even more of an issue for Boston than the extra-base hits. In 2013, Saltalamacchia posted a .338 OBP, good for sixth among starting catchers, per MLB.com. The ability to generate extra-base hits and walks, buoyed by a 9.1 percent walk rate for Saltalamacchia, helped Boston sit atop the MLB ranks in team on-base percentage.

While Pierzynski has posted a .322 career on-base percentage, including a .360 mark in 2003, the ability to draw walks has never been a major part of his game. In 2013, it became a liability. Due in part to a minuscule 2.1 percent walk rate, Pierzynski’s OBP was a paltry .297 last season. That represented the first season in his career with an on-base percentage under .300.

If we view the Saltalamacchia-for-Pierzynski swap in the landscape of the present, it’s a clear loss for Boston. Yet if we look at what the signing does for Boston’s future, while dissecting the past accolades for the new Red Sox catcher, the swap becomes a bit more palatable.

During the entirety of their respective careers, choosing Pierzynski over Saltalamacchia wouldn’t have been a difficult decision for most general managers in the sport. Due to consistency, longevity, power and leadership, the 36-year-old Pierzynski has been one of the best catchers in baseball for over a decade.

In fact, no catcher comes close to matching the durability of Pierzynski since the 2001 season. Over the last 13 years, the left-handed-hitting catcher has played 1,714 games, leaving every other starting catcher in the dust over that period. The most telling aspect of the names featured behind Pierzynski on that list: Many are retired or are no longer starting catchers.

If Boston wants to delay the big league debuts of their top catching prospects, Pierzynski is the perfect option behind home plate. Barring an unforeseen long-term injury, the combination of Pierzynski and David Ross should give manager John Farrell 150-plus games behind home plate, power at the dish and leadership in the clubhouse.

That, while valuable, isn’t going to help Boston win baseball games in 2014; at the very least, it won’t help them win as many games as they could have with Saltalamacchia in the lineup. Along with the superior offensive numbers, Saltalamacchia’s game produced 2.9 bWAR (Baseball-Reference), compared to 1.6 for Pierzynski.

According to FanGraphs, the gap was even bigger: Saltalamacchia’s 2013 season was worth 3.6 wins above replacement, while Pierzynski’s campaign only added 1.6 wins to the Texas Rangers ledger.

One year after a perfectly executed offseason plan, doubting Ben Cherington and the Red Sox front office shouldn’t be in vogue this winter. If the signing of Pierzynski is presented as an upgrade, eyebrows will be raised. Of course, it’s possible that Boston has information and scouting on Saltalamacchia that will make the difference in 2014 production between the two backstops far less than it was this past season.

Regardless, the Red Sox saved long-term money, gained a durable veteran stopgap behind the plate and didn’t go above and beyond for a player heading into free agency at peak value.

This move doesn’t make the Red Sox better equipped to win a World Series in 2014, but it’s consistent with the organizational approach that made a championship run possible in 2013.

Are the Red Sox a better team with Pierzynski behind the plate?

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Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings are still weeks away, but that hasn’t stopped major free-agent and trade activity from already shaping the landscape of the offseason.

From the blockbuster that saw Prince Fielder and Ian Kinsler switch addresses, to Brian McCann’s arrival in New York, to Jhonny Peralta’s move to St. Louis, to Alex Rodriguez challenging everyone in MLB‘s Park Avenue office, the hot stove has been lit throughout the month of November.

Of course, no roster is complete before Thanksgiving. Over the next few months, the free-agent market will dissipate, franchise-changing trades will commence and the 2014 World Series champion will be formed through the hard work of executives and scouts. 

Here are the teams with the most work left to do during this busy winter season.

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