Kuzul

This year’s American League East is going to be a very hotly contested division. With all five teams easily capable of putting together .500 or above seasons, the order of finish could be dictated by just a few games.

For the Tampa Bay Rays, the new look of the franchise gives them a new set of advantages and disadvantages over their division rivals. While the other teams within the division spent big bucks this offseason, the Rays were able to cut their payroll from over $70 million to approximately $42 million without sacrificing a tremendous amount of production.

While this is a great feat in terms of business, the results on the field will determine how smart the Rays really are. Here are some of the big matchup advantages and disadvantages the Rays have going into the 2011 season.

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Quick, check your calender. OK it’s still 2011. Yes, that was the theme of this offseason for your usual big spending, aggressive New York Yankees. I’m not sure if Hank and Hal Steinbrenner know what year it is, because they sure as hell don’t know how to construct a team. If I didn’t know any better I would of thought Tommy Boy was running this organization.

After being shunned by Cliff Lee, the Yankees looked elsewhere for help. They would take the time machine back to the early 2000s to reload for this up coming season

Acquisitions such as, Bartolo Colon, Mark Prior (still pitches apparently,) Eric Chavez, Rafael Soriano, Russell Martin, Andruw Jones, and David Cone (OK, kidding)  would headline the key signings of this year’s offseason class for a team that is generally noted for signing the best free agents that become available.

Against Brian Cashman’s wishes, Hal Steinbrenner signed Rafael Soriano to a three-year, $35 million contract, while surrendering the teams first-round pick in this June’s amateur draft. Mixed feelings on this because even though the Yankees signed one of the best closers in the game, and presumably will be the heir apparent to the great Mariano Rivera, he’s going to be their set-up man for at least the next two years.

First-round pick vs set-up man? I’m not so sure I’m sold on this. The Yanks will undoubtedly have the best bullpen in the league. I also like the move in the form of weakening your divisional opponent that has an abundance of youth and talent, to go along with successful seasons the last few years including a World Series trip in 2008.

It’s hard not to think that a couple of 22-year-old basement dwellers playing MLB “The Show” 2011, couldn’t do a better job then Hank and Hal putting together a team. I’m not sure if it’s good for baseball having a couple of knuckleheads in charge of arguably the most popular organization in all of sports.

In fact George Steinbrenner choose his son-in-law to run the organization over Hank and Hal. I can’t help but picture Hank and Hal being thrust into the role of Commodus in the movie Gladiator when George told them the news about how they will not be taking over as owners of the New York Yankees:

George: Hank and Hal,are you ready for your duty of the Yankees?

Hank/Hal: Yes, father.

George: You will not be owners of the New York Yankees.

Hank/Hal: Who will take our place?

George: Stephen Swindal (Son-in-law)

Hank/Hal: You wrote to me once, listing the four chief virtues: wisdom, justice, fortitude and temperance. As I read the list, I knew I had none of them.

I’m not ruling out some kind of botched divorce case between Hank and Hal’s sister Jennifer and Stephen Swindal, so they could take over the reigns! In all seriousness though, what state are the Yankees in moving forward with this duo at the helm?

I’d like to think the Yankees will be in the thick of things come the trade deadline and nab a pitcher another team is willing to dump for prospects, but I have a feeling that that pitcher will be in the mold of a Kevin Millwood type. Point is this, don’t rule out anything.

The Yankees will be in the wild card race due to their offensive prowess, but unless they can trade for a legit pitcher come the trade deadline their ceiling isn’t that high. The loss of Andy Pettitte will sting as well. Best case scenario is Pettitte comes back later in the season, and the Yanks trade for a legit number two starting pitcher.

Yankee fans, get ready for an interesting year. Hank and Hal haven’t had to push the panic button yet and it may be scary when they are pushed into the situation. Somewhere George is turning in his grave.

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New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano has replaced his agent, Bobby Barad, with high-powered sports agent Scott Boras.

Cano finished third in AL MVP voting in 2010 and was awarded the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.

Scott Boras is the founder, owner and president of the Boras Corporation, which represents about 175 professional baseball clients. Boras represents fellow Yankees Mark Teixeira and Rafael Soriano, and other big names around the majors such as Matt Holliday, Adrian Beltre, Carlos Beltran and Jered Weaver.

He is also the former agent of Alex Rodriguez and negotiated both of A-Rod’s record-breaking contracts, as well as some other massive contracts around the league.

So what does this mean for the Yankees now that Boras will be representing Cano?

The Yankees will look forward to a painful and frustrating negotiation over Cano’s next contract. The 2011 season is the final year on Cano’s previous contract, but the Yankees have options for $10 million and $14 million in 2012 and 2013. Should the Yankees choose to exercise these options, and they will, then the negotiations will begin soon after the deal is over.

If Cano can keep up his outstanding production from the first six years of his career, he will be in line for a hefty raise, and Boras will make sure he gets it. Of course, the Steinbrenners will have the money to make this deal, and of course, they need to sign Cano when his contract is up, but this is part of the reason the Yankees will be digging into their farm system over the next few seasons.

When Cano is up for a new deal, the Yankees will still be paying the enormous contracts of Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia and Derek Jeter. Many teams in the MLB have payrolls for their entire team that come out to less money than the Yankees will be paying these guys in each of the next few seasons. Adding whatever deal Cano will be asking for to the pile will be overkill for the Yankees.

The fans will suffer from Boras taking over as Cano’s agent as well. Like I mentioned before, Boras has negotiated some of the largest contracts in Major League Baseball’s history. Some of these contracts are the reasons why ticket prices have skyrocketed around the league, especially at Yankee Stadium.

A higher payroll leads to a higher need for income, therefore ticket prices, as well as concession and souvenir prices, will continue to increase as long as contracts keep breaking new barriers.

I am not here to argue for a salary cap. There will never be one in baseball. But the way things are going, the middle class will be struggling to attend baseball games and fans will only be able to express themselves in the streets and in front of televisions.

One can only imagine what prices will be like at Yankee Stadium by 2014; a reality that many fans will be dreading.

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Now that the Cliff and Andy questions have both been answered and put to rest, the biggest immediate concern across Yankee Universe going into spring training appears to be the two big question marks in the back end of our starting rotation.

How crucial is the back end of the rotation to a successful season for us?

Not as much as some might think. Certainly not as crucial as a kevlar bullpen, which we now have.

Hard as it may be for some to recollect it, the 2009 world champion Yankees wound up running their back end rotation by committee to a great extent, much as this year’s team appears about to do.

And it worked beautifully.

Just compare the contributions of the team’s pitching staffs over the last two seasons to see exactly where our wins came from—throwing out the games pitched by the rosters’ No. 4 and 5 starters—and you may take  greater comfort from the moves our Bombers made and didn’t make this offseason.

In 2009, a championship season, the Yankees’ top three starters—Sabathia, Pettitte and Burnett—combined for 46 wins while our bullpen accounted for 40 wins, the most in MLB.

In 2010, a year the team fell a little short of their objective, the team’s top three starters—Sabathia, Hughes and Pettitte—combined for 50 wins while our bullpen, though improving its ERA by nearly a half run, produced just 23 wins.

Since the Yankees led all MLB teams in scoring both years, run support can be safely ruled out as a variable.

So, to summarize, our 2009 front-end arms and bullpen combined for 86 wins without the help of our No. 4 and 5 starters. 

Our 2010 front-end arms—with four more victories to their credit—combined with our bullpen to produce just 73.

That’s a 13-loss differential year over year right there.

The impact of those 2009 bullpen wins becomes even more pronounced when you consider 2009’s championship-winning rotation back-enders Joba Chamberlain and Sergio Mitre combined for a mere 12 wins while last season’s backenders  AJ Burnett and Javier Vazquez combined for 20.

Those eight additional victories by 2010’s No. 4 and 5 starters still didn’t make up for the sharp reduction in our bullpen wins.

Put another way, bullpen wins could have easily been the difference between the Yankees winning the AL East or losing it last season—and, consequently, home field advantage in the playoffs.

The point?

Cliff Lee and his maybe 12 to 15 wins would’ve been helpful, no question. And Andy’s return would maybe have provided 11 to 14 wins. 

Maybe, that is, if both managed to stay healthy; hardly a lock for either of them.

No, what we truly needed a whole lot more than either of them this winter was to bulk up our bullpen into a bona fide scary no-man’s land for opposing hitters.

Mission accomplished.

Consider the Yankees’ penchant for long early inning at-bats and late scoring outbreaks, so much so they led MLB  in comeback wins last season with 48.

How many more of those late rallies came up just short due to that shaky bridge from the sixth inning to the ninth?

Now, that’s a bridge to nowhere for our opponents.

Am I saying back-end starters are a nonfactor? Of course not.

I am saying, however, that they’re just not as big a factor as a nasty shutdown door-slamming pen; especially in the case of the Yankees and their present configuration.

By the numbers, at least over the past two seasons, the Yankee bullpen has proved to be a more significant  force in putting up W’s—and not just saving or holding leads—than our back end starters.

Certainly in 2009 it was the difference between winning a championship and just coming close, and possibly the difference between just coming close and no championship this past season.

Of course, I’d love to see Brian Cashman and the Boss’s boys pull off a blockbuster trade for a Type-A starter in the coming weeks and months. And there’s no reason to believe they won’t.

When they do, it’ll be Christmas in July.

In the meantime, though, there are plenty of young and old committee members coming to camp to fill the back end rotation picture out, and plenty to celebrate and anticipate come Opening Day.

You’ve got to believe the Yankees’ front office was thinking about more than just shortening tough outings for a couple of mystery guests in the rotation when they snapped up Rafael Soriano and lefty Pedro Feliciano this offseason. 

The way the former’s contract is structured with opt-outs, it sure wasn’t designed to lock up Big Mo’s successor.

These guys aren’t consolation prizes. They’re key pieces in a proven strategy to win now.

Their additions leverage virtually every member of our relief corps into specific roles in which they can excel, and provide Joe Girardi with multiple options and a path to a win through any lineup, as long as our own lineup keeps scoring like it has.

We may be shy a couple of name brand back-end starters at the moment.

But no serious evaluation of the coming season should allow those relatively minor vacancies to overshadow the direct and major impact this bullpen is going to make in our win column this year with the rotation and lineup we’ve already got.

The pen is truly mightier.

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After the Toronto Blue Jays acquired power arm Frank Francisco from the Texas Rangers, it became a possibility that the Jays could run well into the season with a 13-man pitching staff.

Even though running eight relievers seems like the perfect insurance to a very young rotation, it begs one question: Even though there’s quantity, do the Jays have quality in their ‘pen?

Well, I thought, what better way to answer that question than to compare the Jays’ relief corps to those of their major competitors in the AL East, and those who are also thought to have solid relievers—the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox?

Answering the question won’t have the best answer due to the fact that injuries, slow starts, etc. will all have an effect on the bullpen’s seasons, but looking deep into the statistics should help us understand who is projected to have the stronger bullpen based on last season’s production from all the pitchers who are part of the three teams.

Boston Red Sox

Projected Bullpen: Bobby Jenks, Dan Wheeler, Matt Albers, Daniel Bard, Jonathan Papelbon, Hideki Okajima, Tim Wakefield

Projected Bullpen Stat Line: 3.94 ERA, .245 BAA, 1.17 WHIP

The Red Sox bullpen can be considered a hit or miss type of relief team. If the team reaches even half its potential, their overall ERA will be much below 3.00, while teams will struggle to hit against them. However, if all their relievers play like last season or close to it, the above stat line is quite realistic.

Jonathan Papelbon will most likely start the season as closer, but if he falters, he will have two other pitchers just as capable in Bobby Jenks and Daniel Bard waiting.

The Sox will also have trouble with left-handed batting, as all their relievers—with the exception of Bard—had ERAs above 4.80 when pitching against lefties last season. They should specialize against righties.

New York Yankees

Projected Bullpen: Mariano Rivera, Rafael Soriano, Joba Chamberlain, Boone Logan, David Robertson, Pedro Feliciano

Projected Bullpen Stat Line: 3.00 ERA, .226 BAA, 1.21 WHIP

The Yankees most likely have the deepest pitching staff in baseball—in terms of the back end of it. Mariano Rivera will surely have yet another stellar season, while Rafael Soriano is another premier closer who will set up for the veteran. David Robertson is a fine complement to that fantastic duo.

However, when you look at the long-relieving options for the Yankees, well, there really aren’t any. Joba Chamberlain can be considered a long reliever, but his stamina has been questionable of late and can’t be fully relied on. Pedro Feliciano and Boone Logan are better suited as middle or late relief than long too.

The question remains, what happens when A.J. Burnett or Phil Hughes has his trademark “off night?” It’s a question the Yankees are hoping to answer with Chamberlain and perhaps some of their younger arms still in the minors, like Ivan Nova.

The Yankees should be fine when batting against lefties, as even though Soriano’s and Rivera’s strong sides are against righties, their BAAs vs. lefties are still quite respectable. Logan and Feliciano should also help shut down left-handed batting.

Toronto Blue Jays

Projected Bullpen: Octavio Dotel, Jason Frasor, Jon Rauch, Frank Francisco, Shawn Camp, Jesse Carlson, Casey Janssen, David Purcey

Projected Bullpen Stat Line: 3.70 ERA, .246 BAA, 1.30 WHIP

The Blue Jays don’t really have an electric-type arm like the Yanks and Sox have, but they do have something the other two don’t—reliability at both ends of the staff and on both sides of the ball. They will rely on Casey Janssen and Shawn Camp for long relief, while the rest will combine to form a solid middle and late relief team.

Toronto will also have some versatility in their relief team. Relievers Camp, Janssen, David Purcey and Jon Rauch will be able to pitch at both ends of the bullpen, while they will also specialize in certain roles.

Rauch may close for the team, while Carlson and Purcey will be relied on to shut down left-handed batting. Camp should be one of John Farrell’s go-to relievers, given his proven reliability.

Something the Jays don’t have is a sure-fire closer. They will have a bevy of relievers competing for the job, most notably Jon Rauch, Octavio Dotel and Frank Francisco. Others who will battle for the position include Jason Frasor and former All-Star Chad Cordero. However, they do have quantity at the position, so if anyone falters, there will always be a fallback option.

Conclusion

If you match up all the ‘pens against each other, the Yankees are the clear-cut winners based on stats. They have the best closer in the game, probably the best setup man in the game and one of the better left-handed specialists as well. Nonetheless, their long relief will remain a question, simply because of the known inconsistency their rotation will inevitably face.

The Red Sox are also strong at the closing position but will face some real struggles with left-handed batting. No one in their bullpen is really a specialist in terms of lefties. Also, despite completely cleaning the house of relievers in the free market this winter, the Red Sox still don’t have a reliable long relief option either. Most of their better relievers are suited for setup/closing roles.

The Jays, I think anyway, have the best bullpen of the three. Despite not having a sure-fire closer, they do have numerous reliable options at the position to fill in for the dominance the Sox and Yankees have at the position. The Jays also have numerous long relief options, which should pay dividends for a young rotation. The Jays are also strong on both sides of the plate, where the other two are only dominant on one side.

The Jays are committing a lot of money to their relief corps this season, and it should pay off well, as Toronto not only has quantity but has quantity too. This should put them a step ahead in terms of pitching vs. the Red Sox and Yankees.

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This winter has exposed cracks in the New York Yankees’ organization.  What was once the proudest and most cohesive unit in baseball has reverted to the days of factions between the New York front office, headed by GM Brian Cashman, and the Tampa brain trust, led by the Brothers Steinbrenner.

The winter was mostly inactive, until the Steinbrenners overruled Cashman in signing Rafael Soriano, a free agent Cashman didn’t want because he wanted to protect the Yankees’ first round draft pick.  Recently, Cashman allowed himself to go on the record suggesting Yankee captain Derek Jeter move to the outfield by the end of Jeter’s contract, igniting a media frenzy in the New York papers.

Numerous sources indicate that Cashman may leave the Yankees organization for a smaller market club when his contract ends after the season.  And to that, Yankee fans should say good riddance.  Brian Cashman has been the most overrated general manager in all of sports for the last ten years.  

While Cashman has made some good moves over the course of his tenure (trading for Scott Brosius and Chuck Knoblauch in 1998, getting major contributions from Shawn and Aaron Small in 2005), most have been relegated to obscurity (Chili Davis anyone?).

The only reason Cashman has been able to survive for so long was that he was able to win multiple World Series Championships with teams that Gene Michael built.  

His mistakes are further covered up by the Yankees’ huge payroll, which allows the team to eat bad contracts without problems, like Carl Pavano’s in 2004 (who Cashman greatly considered bringing back this offseason) or AJ Burnett’s in 2008, contracts that would devastate other teams.

So, to Brian Cashman I say, “Be careful what you wish for.”  Leaving a great gig like the Yankees will be a day you rue for years to come.  Sure, you may get more power with a mid-market club, but you’ll miss the ability to sign any free agent you want, as well as the pomp and circumstance of New York.

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The Yankees have made an adjustment to their bullpen and the change is exceptional.

Pitcher Rafael Soriano has been welcomed to the team as Mariano Rivera’s setup man. The 31-year-old accepted a three year, $35 million contract with the bombers and will contribute to a dominating bullpen, saving games and ending them quicker.

As a possible and likely successor to Mariano’s closer position, the Yankees seem to be in good shape for the 2011 season. But do these two talented closers remind you of a previous unstoppable duo?

In the beginning of Rivera’s career, before he became the best closer in baseball, he was the setup man to John Wetteland. These two worked together and brought the Yankees to a 1996 World Series win.

Their work together was remarkable, but can Soriano and Rivera become a better and more dominant closing duo?

Here are 10 reasons why Rivera and Soriano are the better duo. 

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Is it just me, or are there any other people scratching their heads over the Yankees’ personnel decisions this offseason?

This is the time of the year that the Pinstripes are supposed to re-tool for another run at another World Series crown, isn’t it?

So far the Yanks have failed to sign a top-tier free agent outside of Rafael Soriano who will be paid $10 million to pitch the eighth inning in front of Mariano Rivera.

Perhaps the most telling fact about the Bronx Bombers’ offseason mediocrity is the rejection of Cliff Lee when he turned down the Yankees and signed with Phillies for less money. You have to go back to 1992 to find the last time that a free agent turned down a better offer from the Yankees to sign with another team when Greg Maddux opted to sign with Atlanta rather than wear pinstripes. That’s almost 20 years!

Do the Yankees make the grade with their offseason moves thus far?

Let’s take a look at some of their notable offseason transactions. Then, you decide.

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It is official: Ex-Atlanta Braves superstar Andruw Jones has officially signed with the New York Yankees. 

MLB Trade Rumors is reporting a one-year deal at $2MM bucks with performance incentives worth another $1.2MM for 2011.

Jones has a career batting average of .256 with 407 home-runs and 1,222 RBIs.

This is agent Scott Boras’ second signing in the Bronx this week, as closer Rafael Soriano signed for three years worth $35MM, but he can opt out of the contract at the end of 2011 or 2012 and it doesn’t include a no trade clause.

Soriano was the best closer in the American League last season posting a 1.73 ERA and had 45 saves in 2010.

Soriano will set-up for Mariano Rivera, a job he feels is an absolute privilege.

This was a solid pick-up by Hal Steinbrenner and President Randy Levine, who took the reigns from GM Brian Cashman to get the deal done.

Getting back to Jones, who indisputably was one of the best players in baseball for almost a decade.

Just to get some perspective on how good, in 2005 Jones hit 51 home-runs and 128 RBIs. In the following season Jones’ bat posted 41 bombs and 129 RBIs. Jones also earned a Silver Slugger and Hank Aaron Award in 2005 and two of his 10 Gold Gloves for prevailing defense as an outfielder.

Jones was an absolute monster, as those numbers are so nasty it is to the point of almost unbelievable. 

Please realize that this is not the Jones the Yankees just signed. Super Agent Boras had to do cartwheels to get over $2MM and possibly more, for a player who has fallen like Jones.

Just looking at his seasonal stats, it is easy to see that when the Braves ousted Jones is when his real struggles began.

Here is a little history on Mr. Jones:

Jones signed with the Atlanta Braves when he was just 16. He spent his first 12-seasons in Atlanta. In 2007, the Braves did not renew Jones’ contract. 

Jones had no home pre-2008 season, until signing a two-year, $34MM contract to go play for the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

That love affair ended after one season, as Jones showed up overweight, out-of-shape and posted a .158 batting average. Clearly, Jones was not interested in being a Dodger and the feeling was mutual. 

This left Jones homeless once again. His best offer was a minor league deal to play for the Texas Rangers in 2009. Jones had no other options, but after showing up fat and not fit, Texas decided not to keep him either.

As a Ranger, Jones played in 82 games, posting a batting average of .222 and slamming 17 home-runs. 

Still, this was a 10-time gold glove winner, who was still productive as recently as two years prior making teams wonder what was going on, because Jones was just 31 years old.

Next up was the Chicago White Sox, who felt that $500,000 was little to lose if they could get Jones close to his old self. Jones signed another one-year deal in 2010, making Chicago his third home in three seasons.

Jones came to White Sox spring training 30 pounds lighter and in shape, which is a positive change. Under the leadership of skipper Ozzie Guillen, Jones hit 19 home runs, 48 RBIs, in 278 at bats and played in 107 games, the most games Jones had played in since 2007.

Jones also had career milestone while in Chicago, hitting home-run #400 on July 11th. 

The White Sox did not resign Jones, as the free agent has now found a new home in the Bronx for at least another season. 

So, what happened to Andruw Jones and why is it still a mystery? 

There has been much speculation, such as: 

• Depression hit after the Braves let him go, as it was Jones’ home since age 16.
• Steroids have been blamed due to Jones’ massive numbers in 2005 and 2006 dropped so sharply at the age of 29. Nothing has been proved implicating this happened.
• Is Jones’ actual age, his real age? Age has been questioned with Jones, mainly due to Miguel Tejada’s admitting to pretending to be two years older, so he would be eligible to play and for a signing bonus. Both are from Curacao in the Caribbean, but Jones did not do this either.

No one knows for sure, but it seems that Jones thought Atlanta was home because he knew nothing else.

My guess is he got depressed and uninspired, feeling kicked out and betrayed by the Braves. That is what makes the most sense, as the behavior is warranted and not uncommon.

My Outlook On Jones In Pinstripes:

As much as I was against this signing, $2MM is pocket change for the Yankees considering the possibilities. It is not my choice to root for the player, but it is for the team so try and see the positives.

It is not secret that Jones wants to make a comeback; he is in playing shape and was once considered a defensive specialist in the outfield. Jones can play all three positions in the outfield and still pretty well from what I have heard.

The five-time All Star is now 33 years old and might never be what he once was, but that is not expected.

If Jones can be three-quarters of that player again this deal could be on the GM Brian Cashman’s Top 10 List of greatest signings.

After last season’s busts like Nick Johnson and Randy Winn, Cashman could use a boost.

I think Yankee fans should be more optimistic about Jones, as he is supposedly great in the clubhouse and he already is friendly with most of his new teammates.

Why this might work is because nothing motivates a player to thrive like New York City, and add that to wearing the Yankee pinstripes and anything is possible.

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Courtesy of Yankees ‘n More

Turns out GM Brian Cashman meant what he said a few days ago when declaring he would not be giving up the New York Yankees’ No. 1 pick for any of the players remaining on the free-agent market.

He just didn’t bother to check first with ownership, and they held a differing view.

ESPN’s Buster Olney has confirmed that there was “a split” within the Yankees organization regarding the signing of former Tampa closer Rafael Soriano, with baseball operations leaning against and ownership pushing for the deal.

It has been widely reported that Cashman has, since the mid-2000s, had autonomy when it comes to baseball decisions, so long as they fit within the ownership-specified budget. Obviously, that kind of control only lasts as long as those who sign the checks allow for, as it ended Thursday night when the Yankees agreed to terms on a three-year deal with Soriano.

As far as we’re concerned, Cashman’s vice-like lock on the baseball side of this organization didn’t end soon enough. It’s too bad ownership didn’t put their foot down before Cliff Lee slid off to Philly. But at least the Yankees’ winter of nothing is over, even if Cashman didn’t want it to be.

There is also word that Andy Pettitte is working out. Perhaps, in the lack of any action from Cashman, the ownership of this franchise stepping up and improving the team will spur Pettitte into a 2011 return.

Regardless, adding Soriano improves this team significantly more than anything Cashman has done since last July.

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