Kuzul

Finally, the New York Yankees got their man by signing closer Rafael Soriano.
 
This recent good news came from a tweet by Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated just minutes ago, of the reported three-year, $35 million dollar deal.
 
Well, Yankee fans will sleep well tonight, because Soriano to Mariano is without question the best one to punch to shut down opponents in the eighth and ninth innings. Soriano was a Tampa Bay Ray in 2009, so he is already familiar with the competitive AL East.
 
Strength in a team’s bullpen and closer are absolutely vital in winning games.
 
A solid bullpen takes pressure off the starting rotation to have to go more than five to six innings.
 
In tight game circumstances, if your relievers have the ability to shut down hitters, it closes the opponent’s capability to score, inevitably giving a team a better shot at winning more games.
 
Soriano was hands-down the best closer in the American League and most would say in all of baseball in 2010. Soriano posted 45 saves in 64 attempts, giving up just four home-runs, two walks and striking out 57 in 62.1 innings of work.
 
It puts the Yankees back in contention, considering what the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies have accomplished this off-season.
 
Something BIG had to be done in the Bronx to send a message that the Yankees still want to win.
 
Now that message has been sent, and in my opinion, this move makes the Bombers lethal for 2011.
 
Get ready for a little….pinstriped R&R in 2011.
 
 
 

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The off-season keeps getting worse for the New York Yankees, as ace Andy Pettitte finally gave word that he was not physically ready for the 2011 season.
 
What does this mean exactly?
 
It construes that Pettitte has not been preparing this off-season for an on-time return to the Bronx, but he is could come back later on.
 
This is starting to sound a little to ‘Brett Favre’ for my likes, but it is also shocking that Pettitte would be so inconsiderate to his teammates.
 
Why not tell this to the Yankees in December?
 
The selfless thing and what Pettitte should have done, was inform the Yankees the moment he decided not to train. That would have been over a month ago.
 
People retire all the time that held their jobs for decades longer than Pettitte, and it is a hard adjustment for anyone to get used too. Still, there is a line of respect that an individual owes their employer and fellow co-workers by not making about personal apprehension.
 
This flip-flopping by Pettitte is unwarranted, considering the team needs his talents more than ever this coming season.
 
Pettitte’s uncertainty is natural, but it doesn’t make his actions right.
 
The Yankees, like any other sports franchise deserves players to give there all for the entire time required. That is part of the deal.
 
To play or not to play is a cowardly stance to take. It casts Pettitte in a very unflattering light.
 
Baseball is a team sport, and Pettitte’s doubtfulness does answer one question.
 
Sadly, Andy Pettitte is not a team player anymore. Please stay retired and thanks for the memories.

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Another day of no good news out of New York Yankees front office regarding signing a player who can help the team win in 2011. 

GM Brian Cashman’s latest rumored pursuant is pitcher Justin Duchscherer.

Once again, Cashman continues confusing Yankee fans, as Duchscherer is a nightmare version of ace Zach Greinke.

Greinke was just on the auction block, but the Yankees didn’t feel Greinke could mentally handle the bright lights in the Bronx.

Greinke had suffered from depression and social anxiety disorder, which sidelined him in 2006 for the season. Returning to the majors in May of 2007, Greinke was demoted to the bullpen but made it back to the rotation in 2008. He won the Cy Young in 2009 and has been an ace with no real injury history to date.

So, for what feels like the billionth time this offseason, the Yankees passed on a player. Instead, the Milwaukee Brewers traded for Greinke and bettered themselves for 2011.

At the time, Cashman’s excuse for not going after Greinke seemed to make sense.

That is why this Duchscherer rumor is so off-putting, here is why:

Now 33 years old, Duchscherer’s first full season in the majors didn’t come until 2004 as a reliever for the Oakland A’s.

This happened the same year 25-year-old Greinke debuted as a starter for the Kansas City Royals.

Unlike Greinke, Duchscherer has had brief periods of major league success, both out of the bullpen and as a starter.

Duchscherer’s career year-by-year is a mess, and he was on the same team each season except for a 2001 stint with the Rangers. To make life easier, below is a timeline from his first full season to present; all with the Oakland A’s:

2004-2006: Pitched in relief all three-seasons, appeared in 171 games for a total of 236.5 innings and 195 strikeouts. Named to the 2005 All-Star Team.

2007: Placed on DL on May 14th with season-ending hip surgery.

2008: Moved to starting rotation, named to the All-Star Team, placed on DL August 18th for the season due to hip and back injuries.

2009: Out for the season due to elbow injury in Spring Training, missed entire season as he suffered from major depression.

2010: Came back as a starter, won four of his first five starts in April but never started again due to hip injury, out for the season.

Wow, this looks like another Cashman gem.

Duchscherer has had an injury-plagued career and is about to turn 34 years old, well passed his prime.

Duchscherer’s depression has been a life-long issue, but it got so severe it impacted his ability to pitch.

Isn’t this the reason the Yankees were concerned about Greinke being able to handle playing in New York?

Depression is a serious condition for many people, so I understand the need for both players to take personal time.

What I don’t get is why Greinke, who since his LOA has won a CY Young and is a certified ace, was such a concern, but Duchscherer is not?

Duchscherer has spent the majority of his pro career on the DL than on the mound with recurring hip, back and elbow issues.

Greinke is healthy, is seven years younger and hasn’t even hit his prime playing years yet.

Trading for Greinke now looks like another HUGE miss for Cashman.

This offseason is looking more disastrous for the Yankees than originally thought, even after losing out on Lee.

If any of the latest rumors pan out, the Yankees will have acquired Colon, Duchscherer, Prior and Jones this offseason. 

Just re-reading that last sentence is enough to make any Yankee fan want to vomit.

Cashman and crew should know better, as Yankee fans will boo the hell out these guys the minute they step foot in the Bronx.

That is if all four aren’t on the DL already when Spring Training starts.

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First off, I don’t think it takes expert analysis to realize the Mariners probably won’t be competing in 2011.

However, baseball is a funny game. The same Mariners that lost more games than anyone expected in 2010 could make a quick turnaround as soon as 2012—possibly sooner.

When I talk about competing, I mean exactly that: competing. I don’t think the Mariners have a great chance to win the division this next season, but there’s reason to believe that the core they have and a mediocre AL West could have them hang around in the hunt for a while if the ball bounces their way more often than not.

We saw it in 2007 and 2009. A team expected to be bad hung in there late into the season. That doesn’t mean we should view those results and be optimistic that it can happen again, but perhaps with a few moves they can increase the probability just a little.

If those moves don’t, well, at least it sets them up for their real run at contention coming in the next few years.

Here are 10 moves the Mariners could make during the course of this season to improve the club now and in the future.

Begin Slideshow

The Mariners continued their expected bargain shopping today by signing infielder Adam Kennedy to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training.

Kennedy, who turned 35 today, is coming off a poor season with the Nationals where he hit .249/.327/.327 with only three home runs. Although, he’s only one season removed from his last productive season, where in 2009 he hit .289/.348/.48 with 11 homers.

He does provide above-average defense at second base, so even when the stick isn’t working, he’s not a complete black hole on the roster.

It’s difficult to gauge how a player will progress as his career reaches the mid 30’s. Many players start to regress, as Kennedy did in 2010, but there’s also a chance that last season was an off year.

This is a no-risk move with some upside, of course.

If Kennedy doesn’t show anything in spring training, the Mariners can dump him for nothing. If Dustin Ackley doesn’t break camp with the team, though, and Jack Wilson gets hurt again, Kennedy is a nice low-cost veteran to plug the second base hole allowing Brendan Ryan slides over to shortstop.

This also means there is no situation that would see either Chone Figgins playing second base, or Josh Wilson playing every day. Both of those things are a net plus for the team.

It’s never a bad thing to have a log jam when it costs you nothing.

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New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman claimed 25-year-old Brian Schlitter, a relief pitcher, off waivers this week from the Chicago Cubs.
 
Schlitter made seven appearances out of the bullpen in 2010 for the Cubs. Over his eight innings of work, Schlitter posted a terrible 12.37 ERA, giving up 18 hits, 11 earned runs, allowed two home runs and walked five of the 48 batters he faced.
 
Schlitter also hit one batter, the Brewers’ Carlos Gomez, in the head in the eighth inning of the 18-1 Cubs loss. Gomez went on the DL and Schlitter was sent back down to Triple-A.
 
The Cubs lost all seven games that the 6’5″, 240-pound Schlitter appeared in, which is not a comforting stat to read.
 
Schlitter throws right and survives on a mid-90s fastball that he adds a slight sink too. His mediocre slider and changeup are not effective on the major league level, but some minor altering regarding Schlitter’s execution could fix both.

Schlitter has done well in the minors, where he has a 3.32 ERA in 154 relief appearances; but it is still the big show that counts.

Look, the Yankee bullpen does need more arms, but adding another chancy player when Rafael Soriano is still a free agent just seems desperate.
 
Cashman has made both horrid and genius signings in his career, but as long as it doesn’t cost the Yankees players or a money-ball contract then who really cares?
 
Whether Cashman will be hailed as a genius for making a mountain out of an anthill is yet to be seen.
 
Cashman is definitely sticking to the quantity over quality motto since losing out on ace Cliff Lee, who is bringing his talents to Philadelphia instead of New York. That theme is becoming all too common lately too.
 
The question that is lingering is whether southpaw Andy Pettitte will come back for another season. Pettitte’s family is supposedly on board with another season, but a source said personally, Pettitte’s return was contingent on the Yankees landing Lee.
 
Why doesn’t Cashman jump on the plane with the Baby Steins, skipper Joe Girardi and maybe throw Mo, Posada or Jeter on board for a quick trip down to Texas?
 
It boggles my mind that Jeter and Lee got paid a visit, but Cashman and crew are fine with one or two phone calls from Pettitte, who is the guy they need the most before the start of 2011 season.
 
My advice is to stop all the picking and praying, haul your butts down to Texas and bring us back our most successful postseason starter, please.
 
If anything, Pettitte keeps the Phillies from stealing the nickname, “the Core Four,” which just can’t happen!

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As the 2010 season unfolded, the Red Sox front office declared it was interested in re-signing soon-to-be-free-agents Adrian Beltre and Victor Martinez. And as the offseason began, General Manager Theo Epstein insisted retaining both players was one of the organization’s top priorities.

But actions speak louder than words. The Red Sox failed to make a substantive offer to either player and watched as both players departed for other destinations.

Back in November, I wrote that it was unlikely the Red Sox would make an earnest effort to re-sign either player (or infielder Felipe Lopez, a Type B free agent who remains unsigned) because they “will want the draft picks in what is expected to be a VERY deep 2011 draft.”

Not only will 2011 be a deep draft, but with anticipated changes to future drafts, it’s also expected to be the last draft in which teams like the Red Sox and Yankees will be able to load up on talent (by signing players for above-slot signing bonuses).

In retrospect, the Red Sox approach to Beltre and Martinez seemed an obvious strategy for Epstein and the Sox ownership. The Red Sox organization will receive two picks apiece for the loss of Beltre and Martinez, and another pick if (when) Lopez signs, in the June draft. [NOTE: Lopez was signed in September for the expressed purpose of obtaining an extra draft pick when he signs as a free agent).

Depending on what ultimately happens with free agent closer Rafael Soriano, they’ll likely get the first-round pick for the Tigers (#19 overall) and the Rangers (#26), plus two picks in the supplemental round that follows. They will receive a compensation-round pick for losing Lopez, when he signs elsewhere.

They traded three of their Top Ten prospects in exchange for former San Diego 1B Adrian Gonzalez, and surrendered their own first-round pick for signing LF Carl Crawford.

It is an interesting approach to building a team…

Would you rather have Beltre and Martinez and Kelly/Rizzo/Fuentes and a first-round pick in June, or Crawford and Gonzalez and six picks in the first two rounds of one of the deepest drafts in recent memory?

With the switch of Youkilis across the diamond, Gonzalez effectively replaces Beltre. He is younger and has proven to be a far more consistent run-producer than Beltre (who has had only a couple of decent years, both times in the final year of his contract). Texas gave Beltre five (or six) years at $80 MM (or $96 MM). I’ll take Gonzo…every day.

Crawford essentially replaces Martinez on the roster. He’ll bat third in the lineup and provide the club with outstanding defense. He is not a long-term answer to the team’s dilemma behind home plate, but he is an impact player both at the plate and in the field. Again, I’ll take the new guy.

Would you rather have the three traded prospects and the Sox’ first and second round picks in the upcoming draft, or a total of six picks in the first two rounds of the upcoming draft?

That question is much harder to answer and calls for a great deal of conjecture. The analysis is dependent on whether the Sox ultimately sign Gonzalez to a long-term contract extension (the supposition here is that they will). With that said, we know the following:

Casey Kelly was the Red Sox No. 1 prospect. He now calls the San Diego organization home. He has a tremendous amount of potential, but he is still young and he struggled mightily in Double-A ball last season.

He has been replaced as the team’s top pitching prospect by former LSU standout Anthony Ranaudo, a 6’7″ right-hander who has top-of-the-rotation potential and who was impressive in the Cape Cod League this past summer.

The Red Sox have Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett and John Lackey in the rotation for years to come, and Daisuke Matsuzaka in the rotation for the next couple of years (barring a trade). They also have Tim Wakefield waiting in the wings in case of injuries or struggles. To an extent, Kelly and Ranaudo were redundant commodities. Ranaudo made Kelly expendable.

Gonzalez made Rizzo (and Lars Anderson?) expendable… again, assuming they sign him to a long-term extension.

Fuentes is a decent prospect, but raw. They have a similar outfielder in Jacoby Ellsbury…and now they have added Carl Crawford. Because he was raw and his future could not be assured, he was expendable.

The ballclub will likely have two picks in the first round and two more in the supplemental round, meaning they should have four of the first 50 picks (+/-). It will have at least one more pick in the second round (and another compensation-round pick if and when Lopez signs elsewhere). Therefore, the club will have as many as five of the first 50 picks (+/-) and six of the first 75 picks (+/-) in the draft.

The first six players the Red Sox selected in last year’s draft are all numbered among the organization’s top 21 prospects: Ranaudo (#3), Kolbrin Vitek (#8), Brandon Workman (#15), Sean Coyle (#17), Garin Cecchini (#18) and Bryce Brentz (#21). If the organization is able to repeat those results in the upcoming draft, the strategy the front office employed this off-season will have been a resounding success.

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The Texas Rangers and Adrian Beltre have agreed to a five-year deal that will pay the former Sox 3B a guaranteed $80 million…the contract has a sixth year at $16 million (that will vest depending on the number of plate appearances Beltre makes in 2014/15). Well, it looks like agent Scott Boras did it again!

Beltre hit .321, with 28 HR and 102 RBI in his one season with the Red Sox last year. He led the American League in doubles (49) and posted a plus-10 in defensive runs saved. He also made the AL All-Star team.

But in spite of those numbers, the Beltre market was cool this off-season. Teams seemed to discount his performance in Boston due to the fact he has only put up monster numbers in his contract years, and he won’t have another contract year for five seasons.

He expected heated competition for his services this off-season, but a bidding war never materialized. He was (understandably) cool to an overture from Oakland…and it seemed he may have shot himself in the foot when the holidays came and went without a deal in place.

But Boras managed to pit the Los Angeles Angels and Rangers against one another… and in spite of the fact the Angels were reportedly only willing to go to $70 million, the agent managed to get the Angels to put $80 million in guaranteed money on the table (with another $16 million tied to the third baseman’s ABs).

It seems Texas may have been bidding against itself… and it says here the Rangers will live to regret this contract.

At least it’s not the Red Sox. Theo Epstein got a remarkable season out of Beltre for short money, and will now benefit from two top selections in the ’11 First-Year Player Draft as he heads off into the sunset.

Additionally, when the Beltre deal goes south on Texas, the competition in the A L West will have less money to work with. The rich get richer…

Of his deal with Texas, Beltre said: “We all know that the Rangers have a really good team. I want to win. The team is willing to do whatever it takes to get to the next step. That’s one of the factors in making my decision to come here easier.” Yeah, okay Adrian, it was reason #80,000,001.

He will receive $14 million in 2011, $15 million in 2012, $16 million in 2013, $17 million in 2014 and $18 million in 2015.

The sixth year of the deal is for $16 million in 2016, and can be voided by the Rangers if Beltre fails to have either 1,200 plate appearances in 2014 and 2015 combined, or 600 in 2015.

The deal means Beltre will be the club’s starting third baseman, with incumbent Michael Young shifting to DH and a super-utility role.

It will be the second time in three seasons Young has been asked to shift positions.

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Heading into the winter after their worst season in eight years, the Angels looked like they planned on being among the offseason’s biggest buyers.  Arte Moreno and Tony Reagins both asserted that they would do everything they could to shore up the team’s obvious weaknesses.  They targeted All-Star left fielder Carl Crawford, and were thought to be the favorites to sign him from day one.  If there was a big free-agent name available this winter, the Angels were going to inquire on him.  They were linked to all the big names, from Crawford, Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko, to Adrian Beltre and closer Rafael Soriano.

We’re nearly three months into the offseason, most of the big names are gone and big news is already made.  The Angels, with glaring issues in the bullpen, at third base and left field, would surely make a big-money splash or two in the free-agent pool.  It seemed like everyone was conceding Crawford to sign on to play with his pal Torii Hunter, but the Angels’ hard-line negotiating left no room for paying Crawford a dollar more than what they thought he is worth.  One by one, the big contracts were signed by the impact free agents.  It seemed like every team got a piece of the pie except for the Angels.

When all was said and done, the Angels’ free-agent haul read like this: veteran lefties Scott Downs for three years/$15 million and Hisanori Takahashi for two years/$8 million.  Ugh.  The bullpen is in a little better shape now, but what about the needs in the field?  It seems like the Angel brass forgot what they set out to do just a month before.

There is a lot of speculation and confusion as to what the strategy is for Reagins and Moreno.  Maybe they’re bad negotiators who didn’t have the courage to commit to Crawford or Beltre or Soriano. More likely, I think they are playing their cards close to the vest, which has characterized recent decisions regarding personnel and acquisitions.

Here is what I think is going on: Moreno, always concerned with his balance sheet and happiness of the fanbase, is doing all he can to make good on his promise to not raise ticket and concession prices due to increased payroll.  He’s hoping that he will continue to accrue good will with the fans over the long term, so that they repay him in loyalty and trust in times like this offseason when frustration and confusion reign.

That’s not all.  I think the decision-makers are looking ahead to next winter, when (as of current contract status) names like Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, Robinson Cano, Brandon Phillips, Jose Reyes and Aramis Ramirez will be on the free-agent market.  The current offseason of restraint and savings are just one cog in the wheel to position for a spending spree next year.  Maybe they make a big run at Pujols, and why not?  The Cardinals will be the only other team with the flexibility and room to compete for him.

After his struggles over the last two years, maybe Reagins thinks he can get Aramis Ramirez to fill the void at third base at a discount.  Slogging through another year with a platoon at third would certainly be worth signing Ramirez, right?  I think so, especially given the alternative of overpaying Beltre by $25 million this year, like Texas just did.

The point is I’ve seen Moreno and Reagins do curious and unconventional things before.  They go against the grain. They take gambles. They wait for a big payoff while everyone else chases instant gratification.  Prudence and restraint are vital in any kind of business investment.  The same goes for running a baseball team.

Frustrated?  Confused?  Angry?  Anxious?  I am all of the above regarding the current Angel landscape.  However, I’m glad to have Arte Moreno as my owner, and he has proven himself trustworthy as an acquirer of players over the last eight years.  I trust that he and Reagins are doing something good for the team, even if it isn’t quite visible on the surface or paying immediate dividends.   

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We have reached the late afternoon of Major League Baseball’s offseason drama.

The shadows are getting rather long out on the stage, and many of the main characters of this play have long since finished acting out their scenes and have gone back home to rest up for the remainder of the winter.  Even some of the secondary players have reached their destinations.  Brandon Webb, welcome to Texas.  Derrek Lee, Baltimore has a great ballpark.

But there are still some stories to be found unfolding out there under the cold January sun.  There are probably no more $100 million dollar contracts to be signed (at least among current free agents), but if you look a bit closer, you’ll see that the people still out there hawking their wares shouldn’t be unilaterally dismissed as irrelevant.

There are plenty of diamonds in the rough still to be had for the right price.  Let’s check out some of the ripest fruit still on the market.

(Too many metaphors for one page?  Yeah, too many …)

Begin Slideshow

The Seattle Mariners finalized a two-year contract, with a club option for a third, with catcher Miguel Olivo.

Finally.

Nearly a month after the deal was agreed on, pen went to paper and a press release was sent out. I can’t say I remember a deal ever taking this long to finalize.

To make room for Olivo on the 40-man roster, pitcher Anthony Varvaro was designated for assignment. As these things go, the Mariners now have 10 days to release, trade or outright Varvaro to the Minors.

Varvaro is 26. He throws hard, but doesn’t throw strikes exceptionally well. He’s not a huge loss, but for a team that is soft in both the majors and minors, he’s at least worth keeping around for organizational depth.

In other news, one of the names the Mariners had been tied to isn’t coming to town. Chris Capuano, who is coming off injury problems, signed a one-year deal with the Mets.

Having been with the Brewers there were ties to GM Jack Zduriencik, and Safeco Field would have played well to his skill set.

With David Aardsma now needing surgery, making him untradeadble for now, the Mariners’ limited budget room is now even lot tighter. The options to find a back-end starter are getting pretty slim.

I’d expect to see someone like a David Pauley to break camp with the team unless one of the last remaining options, Jeff Francis, is brought in.

You can follow Alex on Twitter @AlexCarson or email him comments, questions or concerns at alexcarson.br@gmail.com

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