Kuzul

At first glance, the answer would be a resonating no.

When discussing Zach Duke though, it is important to take a glance behind his outrageous 2010 numbers and look deeper into what he would really mean to any organization moving forward in 2011.

At age 27, Duke has surpassed a point in his career where most pitchers at the Major League level have established themselves as talented assets, moving into the prime of their careers.

Duke’s case is quite unique, however, as the once highly anticipated Pittsburgh Pirates’ prospect has regressed into obscurity.

Following a 2010 campaign where Duke pitched to a record of 8-15, with an ERA of 5.72, he was designated for assignment by the Pirates Friday afternoon.

With numbers like that, it is hard to make a case for Duke to be an effective part of any pitching rotation in 2011, but with the Philadelphia Phillies, I’ll make a special case.

The Phillies will be heading into the 2011 season in the conversation for having the best rotation in baseball.

Anchored by 2010 National League Cy Young Award winner, Roy Halladay, the Phillies will follow their ace up with dominant pitchers in their own right, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt, and serviceable right-hander, Joe Blanton, to round out their rotation.

One through four, the Phillies have a solid rotation. However, the fifth starter’s position is going to be up for grabs, and the Phillies have little organizational depth to create competition.

This is where a guy like Zach Duke could become beneficial to an organization like the Phillies, who undoubtedly will try to round up some competition to compete for that fifth starter’s spot and draw the best out of each of the competitors.

A few in-house names will already compete for the job, headlined by guys who have each started a game for the Phillies in 2010: Kyle Kendrick, Vance Worley and Andrew Carpenter.

The trio features a couple of unique angles. On one hand, Kendrick has been a serviceable starter for the Phillies over the course of his career, posting a career record of 35 – 24 and an ERA of 4.69.

However, some of Kendrick’s 2010 numbers have become a cause for concern in the organization, highlighted by the worst Strikeouts per nine Innings (K/9) among qualifying pitchers, in Major League Baseball (just 4.18).

A lot of minds surrounding the Phillies’ organization believe that Kendrick isn’t even the favorite to win the job out of Spring Training, bestowing that honor upon another Phillies’ right-hander, Vance Worley.

Although his time in the major league was brief in 2010, Worley impressed all the right people, including manager Charlie Manuel.

Worley logged a total of 13 innings with the Phillies in 2010, posting an impressive ERA of 1.38.

Worley showed that he doesn’t have to rely on his fastball to retire professional hitters, throwing his breaking pitches, an overhand curve-ball and a slider, a combined 29.9 percent of the time, mixing in a low-90s fastball and a change-up as well.

The final member of the obvious, in-house trio is the least likely of the three to break with the big league club, right-hander Andrew Carpenter.

His time with the 2010 Phillies was very brief, as he only saw three innings of work with the big league club, and allowed three earned runs over that span.

While only one of these three have a chance to crack the rotation, it’s likely that at least one other will make the Phillies bullpen as well.

So, where does Zach Duke fit in all of this, you wonder?

Duke has lived in basic obscurity over the past couple of seasons with the bottom dwelling Pittsburgh Pirates, for a while, serving as the ace of a weak pitching staff.

Called up to the major leagues at a young age, only 22, Duke provides what many 27-year-olds don’t in the big leagues—experience.

A team like the Phillies will be interested in bringing in experienced starting pitchers to show what they’ve got in Spring Training, providing competition to young guys like Vance Worley and Drew Carpenter, while sending Kyle Kendrick the subliminal message that he won’t just be handed a spot in the 2011 rotation.

Over the course of the past three seasons, Duke has had success pitching in Citizens Bank Park, one of the reasons the Phillies may give him a look.

In two starts there, Duke pitched to a 1-1 record, with an ERA 2.57. The only ballparks he’s been more successful in were AT&T Park in San Francisco and PETCO Park in San Diego.

The Phillies will consider a number of variables. Can Duke regain his form? Is his 2010 decrease in velocity going to be a constant decline? Are his numbers in the Bank a fluke?

Can he perform better as a bottom of the rotation arm, in the shadows of decorated aces like Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels?

Surely, he’ll be on the Phillies free agent radar in a weak market. Who knows? Maybe Duke wins the job out of Spring Training and reclaims his 2005 form, where he was 8-2 with an ERA of 1.81.

The Phillies will need to take a chance on him to find out.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Sandy Alderson and the New York Mets interviewed Terry Collins for the second time on Thursday as the club forges ahead in looking for Jerry Manuel’s successor.

While I find it a little unnerving that all four of the final candidates called back for the final round of interviews are in-house candidates, I just don’t feel comfortable with Collins.

It’s as intangible as anything else, but I just don’t believe he has the makeup needed to guide the Mets back to relevance.

Yes, he has six years of Major League experience under his belt, but how much does that really count for?

Considering he hasn’t managed in the bigs in more than a decade, does his experience really make him any more suitable than Chip Hale of Wally Backman?

I don’t think Backman is right for the job either, but I would consider Collins’ change on a par with Backman’s. Hale, despite no Major League experience, has a more hands-on knowledge of the challenges facing the current roster and I think that a degree of continuity is important.

With that in mind, I think Hale’s familiarity with the Major League club holds more weight than the work Collins has done in the past year as Minor League field coordinator.

Even if you do consider that Collins’ experience with the Houston Astos and the California Angels is invaluable, look at his tenure with these teams where he spent three years each.

Collins managed the Astros to a 224-197 record in three seasons between 1993 and 1996. Despite having the highest winning percentage of any manager at the time, he was fired under a veil of needing to “change dynamics” at the club.

Rumors had it that he was an unpopular manager, and the fact that he was replaced by the team’s broadcaster Larry Dierker—a man with no managerial experience but described as “fan friendly” by the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel—must tell you something.

Apparently the organization had so little faith in Collins’ ability to lead the team in the right direction that they kicked him to the curb in favor of a play-by-play guy.

Collins stayed in the business by landing a job with the Angels, but his fierce regime had some people thinking that it led to a number of late-season collapses.

Then towards the end of the 1999 season, players’ complaints began criticizing his passive managerial style. Others were apparently unhappy at his inability to manage a diverse group of players in the clubhouse.

Team leader Mo Vaughn, Randy Velarde and Todd Greene were so upset with Collins that they met with then-Angel General Manager Bill Bavasi to urge him not to offer Collins an extension.

Bavasi tried to save face by backing up his manager, although when it came down to putting his money where his mouth was, he never tried to talk Collins out of his resignation near the end of the 1999 season.

It’s sad, because there are things that would fit almost perfectly with Alderson’s ideals. There’s just not the right ones.

At his introduction to the press at Citi Field, Alderson said he continues to believe that on-base percentage and slugging and power and so forth are important. He is known for his fondness for sabermetric analytical tools, much like Collins who shares his affinity for things like OBP.

Alderson also wants someone who is fiery and who isn’t afraid to stand up to umpires. Again, if Collins’ reputation precedes him, he seems a good fit.

Unfortunately, Alderson also said leadership is key, and that is where I think Collins is lacking. When it comes down to managing a big market team under the scrutiny of New York’s media, leadership trumps a potential manager’s analytical skills or intuition.

Bob Melvin will be the next manager of the New York Mets, not Terry Collins.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

This year’s AL Cy young winner, Seattle Mariners Felix Hernandez beat out Yankees ace CC Sabathia and the Tampa Bay Rays young pup David Price, and for that one can only think, “Thank god.”

The voters, for the second year running, rightfully ignored the win/loss column on the respective stat lines of each player, and rightfully gave the award to a man who won 13 games, and lost 12.

If you were to tell this to a baseball writer who lived and wrote in the Sixties, or even the Nineties, they would be irate.

“Daggummit,” you would hear, “how can a fella barely crack .500 and be the best darn pitcher in the dagum league?”  And yes, writers of yesteryear all talked like an 1840s gold prospector if you were curious.

The only other player to win the award with as few wins in the history of the Cy Young award was Fernando Valenzuela, who went 13-7, who won the award in 1981, a strike shortened season.

So, Hernandez has the honor of having the fewest wins of a Cy Young Award winner who pitched a full season and didn’t have a fistful of saves.

It would have been easy for the voters to look at Price’s 19-6 record and terrific 2.72 ERA and give him the nod, or even Sabathia’s league leading 21 wins and decided that he was deserving.

Just a few short seasons ago, this is probably what would have happened, leaving the most dominant pitcher in the league with no hardware to show of his magnificent season.

Hernandez, along with his 13 wins, voiced a 2.27 ERA, the lowest in the Majors, 232 strikeouts, good for second, and a tiny 1.06 WHIP.

The writers took into account the fact that Felix could do nothing to make up for the Mariners historically terrible offense, which scored a pitiful 513 runs, and in ten of his starts this season, they were held to one or fewer runs.

In the past two seasons, three of the four Cy Young winners have had 16 or fewer wins, and have accounted for the three fewest win totals for Cy Young winners in the history of the award, a significant change in the way of voting.

Voters are now embracing the statistical revolution in baseball brought along by Bill James and the people at SABR who have brought along a slew of new statistics to evaluate players in a more accurate and sophisticated manner.

Writers have begun to favor newer, formerly frightening sounding stats from WAR, VORP, and WPA to the frighteningly simple OBP.

Long gone are the days of three main stats used to designate the best players in the league, and finally the writers and voters are catching up with that trend.

Better late than never, kudos to Felix and kudos to the writers, you guys definitely got this one right.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

This year has been a special one for San Francisco Giant fans.

It started out on a crisp day way back in Houston, with the Giants taking all three games from the Astros to start the season.

The Giants jumped out to an early division lead in April and for the first week or so, it looked like the Giants would be flirting with a top Power Ranking spot during the season. 

As we all know, success is short-lived…or is it?

The Giants were not able to keep their division lead and at the All-Star break they were in fourth place, six games behind San Diego who was in first.

No one would have predicted that San Diego would perform like they did this season either, but it was obvious to many that the Padres success was built on a shaky foundation and required too many fine pieces to stay successful.

The team’s schedule was easy anyways, which meant even if they got to the playoffs, they would have faltered. 

The Giants season was the definition of a roller coaster, if ever there was one. San Francisco finally caught up to the Padres after they hit a dry spell and lost ten games in a row.

The Padres success may have been built on shaky ground, but the Giants lived off their incredibly strong pitching staff. This was especially evident during the Postseason. 

But without the offensive force of Buster Posey, the Giants would have been on the couch drinking beer and watching the World Series instead of pouring it over one another. 

Posey finished the year batting .305 with 18 big flies and 67 RBI’s. His stats do look appealing, but they don’t account for the leadership he showed on and off the field as well.

After Bengie Molina was traded midway through the season, Posey was thrust into the fire. He became the full-time catcher after playing mostly first base during his call-up. His personality is impossible not to like unless you are a Dodger fan, and even then it must be hard. He is always humble and puts the team over his personal achievements. 

Posey not only handled a hot bat that resulted in a 21 game hitting streak, but he also had to handle a pitching staff that was the best in the league. It’s not easy catching a freak, an erratic yet affective lefty, a 21-year-old rookie BUM, and a deep-voiced, curly haired Matt Cain who is hardened by the minimal run support he has received over the years. 

Buster Posey was only one of the many pieces that brought the city of San Francisco their first championship, but he accounted for many wins both offensively and defensively.

It feels almost as good to finally have a home-grown offensive threat as it does to be World Champions.

Doesn’t it just make you wanna rage? Like, RIGHT NOW?

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

After a season that saw the New York Mets miss out on the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, third baseman David Wright got the baseball juices flowing for next season by conducting a clinic at Chelsea Piers Saturday afternoon.

Sponsored by Pirate’s Booty Snacks, the event featured the presentation of “Do Wright” Awards to four children from the After-School All-Stars (ASAS) New York Program, who were selected to participate in the clinic based on excellence in academics, athletics and community service.

ASAS provides free comprehensive after-school programs to nearly 80,000 children on over 450 school sites in thirteen different cities from New York City to Hawai’i.

The programs incorporate academic support, enrichment opportunities and health & fitness activities in concerted efforts to address America’s high school dropout, youth obesity and student dis-empowerment crises.

Ranging in age from 11-12 years-old, the students honored by the Mets five-time All-Star attend I.S. 192 The Linden (Malik Ba, Jonathan Jovin) and MS 217 Robert A. Van Wyck School (Christian Marinez, Nikolas Vasquez) in Queens.

In addition to athletic participation, the enterprising young men were noted for their continuing work on learning projects. The themes included preserving the environment, making healthy diet decisions and serving the community by providing much-needed clothes and nutritious meals to homeless people.

The afternoon’s festivities culminated with Wright teaching the four award recipients, as well as over fifty children from the New York metropolitan area, the baseball fundamentals: fielding, hitting, throwing and how to stay in shape and eat right.

“Anytime I get a chance to talk to young kids, it’s about hard work”, Wright said when asked about the most important messages he wanted to impart to his young pupils.

“Not just baseball, but school, whatever that these kids have a desire to do when they get older; try to be the best at it.”

The 28-year-old Wright, a native of Chesapeake, Virginia, also briefly shared how his upbringing helped translate a solid work ethic in the classroom into what has been, thus far, a successful baseball career.

“I was fortunate where I had parents that pushed me growing up to make good grades, that helped me study, helped me do my homework”, Wright continued.

“I always challenged myself to try to make A’s, to try to make the best grades that I possibly could, and I think a lot of that translated on to the baseball field where it taught me a lot of life lessons about hard work and being dedicated to something.”

“That’s the kind of message that I want to relay to these kids”, Wright added. “You don’t want to be average; you don’t want to be a follower. You want to be a leader and go out there and do what you want to do and make sure you accomplish it.”

Speaking of leadership, among the myriad of topics he addressed during his time with the media, Wright tackled the issue of his responsibility to be more of a team leader as the Mets enter a brave, new world going into the 2011 season.

“I think each year you kind of mature more into that kind of role”, Wright said. “I think this team; we need more from the guys that have been here for a while and that’s including me.

I plan on this year just kind of getting into that role a little bit more just like last year and the year before.”

“We do need more leadership in the clubhouse”, Wright added. “And I do need to be part of that solution as well.”

Click here to read the original article on Examiner.com, which includes relevant links and exclusive video footage of David Wright‘s Q & A session with the media.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

This is part four of a series of articles outlining the decisions that the Cubs will need to make this offseason. You can read part three by following this link.

After Aramis Ramirez exercised his $14.6 million player option, the Cubs’ only true free agent was Xavier Nady. Since then, Brad Snyder was outrighted off the 40-man roster and opted to join Nady in the pool of free agents, leaving the Cubs with only 15 position players.

That’s obviously a number that will need to increase, but most of the spots on the Opening Day roster will probably be filled by players from that group. For instance, I fully expect Darwin Barney, Starlin Castro, Tyler Colvin and Geovany Soto to be lining up along the third base line come April 1.

Castro and Colvin each have their share of things to work on, but each showed enough talent with both the glove and the bat to start for this team; Soto had a few injury issues, but proved that he is one of the better hitting catchers in this league after a disappointing sophomore campaign in 2009; and Barney may very well be the perfect backup infielder—a talented and versatile defender with enough of a bat to fill-in when necessary.

I’d also be very surprised to see that roster without the likes of Marlon Byrd, Ramire, or Alfonso Soriano.

After Ramirez’s 2010 season that featured poor defense, a drop in offensive production, and a myriad of injuries, teams won’t look to acquire the veteran third baseman until they see exactly how well he bounces back in the early goings of the season, especially since he has no-trade protection via his ten-and-five rights. And at $14.6 million, he’s too expensive to simply release him and eat his salary unless he completely collapses.

Soriano actually improved defensively and in almost every offensive category, but his full no-trade clause and the four-year, $72 million commitment that comes with it leaves him in almost the exact same situation. The lone difference is that trading Soriano at any point in 2011 without taking on a very large portion of his remaining salary would qualify Jim Hendry as a miracle worker, especially in the wake of last year’s Milton Bradley-Carlos Silva swap.

Byrd, on the other hand, will likely return because he is fairly cheap ($5.5 million salary in 2011) and was a catalyst for the 2010 Cubs on both offense and defense. Even if his production were to fall off somewhat, he would still offer value as a clubhouse presence and mentor to the younger players.

Of course, Byrd might get moved if too many younger players prove themselves ready for big league action. For instance, what would happen if Sam Fuld, Brett Jackson and Brandon Guyer all did exactly that during spring training?

As previously stated, Soriano isn’t going anywhere. So if Kosuke Fukudome isn’t traded or Colvin remains in the outfield, then those three players would take up the other three outfield spots and Byrd would need to find somewhere else to play.

If both Fukudome and Colvin remain, then only two of those three would be needed to push Byrd out. And the possibility could still exist that Snyder could be re-signed in much the same way as Angel Guzman—on a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training—and eventually play his way onto the team, which would only require one of Fuld, Jackson and Guyer to accomplish the task.

As you may already know, Fuld is a strong defender and base-stealing threat that draws a lot of walks and doesn’t strike out a whole lot. In fact, he might develop into a classic leadoff hitter if given the opportunity, though he would need to bounce back from a lackluster 2010 season. After being among the final candidates to make the roster out of spring training last season, I expect him to be a front-runner for one of the outfield spots.

Guyer, the Cubs’ 2010 Minor League Player of the Year, and Jackson, the Cubs’ first round pick in 2009, are both top outfield prospects for the Cubs who can hit, play good defense, and steal their share of bases. Just like the Cubs’ 2010 Minor League Pitcher of the Year Chris Archer, Guyer is eligible for the Rule Five Draft in December, meaning that he’ll most likely be added to the 40-man roster.

Since he’s also three years Jackson’s senior, I’m left to assume that Guyer would have the upper hand on landing a roster spot, although I can’t assume that either player would make the Colvin-like jump from Double-A in 2010 to the majors on Opening Day.

Snyder, whose chances seem dim after not being re-signed to a minor league contract, put up huge numbers in Triple-A last year (.308/.381/.568) while stealing 19 bases and playing very good defense. If he is re-signed, he could be the dark horse that forces someone out the door.

Most likely, no matter what happens with other players, the Cubs will try to relieve themselves of most of Fukudome’s $13.5 million to clear some room for the other outfielders. I’m skeptical of the market that exists for him, but management only needs to find one team offering the right package, which I do believe will happen.

The infield is a little more straightforward as it will probably consist of Barney, Castro, Ramirez, and at least one of Jeff Baker and Blake DeWitt. In all likelihood, both Baker and DeWitt would stay as a platoon at second base with the former starting against lefties and the latter against righties, but the team might feel the need to have a better offensive backup to Ramirez at third than what Baker, Barney or DeWitt would offer.

From within the organization, the most likely candidate would be Marquez Smith, who hit .314/.384/.574 in 91 games at Triple-A Iowa and can play good defense at the hot corner. Josh Vitters was the Cubs’ top pick in 2007 and may make his own way up to the big leagues before too long, but he is probably better off spending another year in the minors after a less-than-stellar showing at Double-A Tennessee and a season-ending injury to his middle finger.

It gets a little murky over at first base, though.

Micah Hoffpauir is the only true first baseman on the roster, but Colvin’s name has already been thrown into the fray and Ramirez may be a consideration if his defense declines any more. The possibility exists that Nady might return, but it’s been well-covered that the Cubs would like to have a left-handed bat added to the lineup, which would be easiest to do at first base. Nady is a right-handed hitter.

Hoffpauir had a pretty good offensive season in Iowa (.283/.368/.529), putting up the seventh-best wOBA (.386) in Triple-A and improving his walk rate considerably (up to 11.3 percent from 6.7 percent in 2009), but seems to be an afterthought in the minds of almost everyone involved. With no minor league options remaining, he’ll get his final shot at the role in spring training, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in a different uniform come the regular season.

I expect the Cubs to be looking hard for external options at first base, but if they do look internally, the most likely scenario would involve Colvin re-learning the position.

Finally, although it may not be grabbing many headlines, one of the most important decisions will involve the men behind the plate. Soto is entrenched as the starter, as he should be, but his continued problems with injuries may force the Cubs to replace his backup, Koyie Hill.

Unlike first base, this position will definitely be filled from within. With Welington Castillo and Robinson Chirinos on the 40-man roster, two players who have shown the ability to hit in the minors and are known as good defenders behind the plate, Hill will have some competition. If the team believes that Soto’s health is a legitimate concern, then Hill might even be non-tendered in favor of one of the younger and better hitting alternatives.

Don’t forget to look out for part five of this series, which will go over some of the team’s external options, expected to be up at some point in the coming week.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Carlos Beltran says he is professional enough to listen to New York Mets’ management if they want to explore moving him. That’s all well and good, but he really didn’t have a choice in the matter.

Listen, Beltran’s value right now hovers between low and mediocre. Very few teams are going to want to take on the risk of a disruptive and injury-prone center fielder, let alone someone who is only in it for himself.

With free agency just one year away, there are only two ways his value could be even worse: by injuring himself even further or by playing the diva card and alienating the new management.

Regardless, Beltran needs to move to right field. In terms of the wear and tear on his surgically-repaired knee, a corner outfield spot is generally regarded as less hazardous. In terms of what is best for the team with the current roster, Angel Pagan needs to be the every day center fielder.

If Beltran insists on patrolling the middle of Citi Field, he further risks hurting himself and hurting the team. Both reduce the size of the contract he could get in 2012 and the number of potential suitors.

In a walk year, it’s natural for a player, especially one of the caliber of Beltran, to want to maximize his worth and showcase his talents. He’s not going to do that by hitting the 60-day DL in May and then again in August. He’s also not going to do that by complaining about his role in the same way that Oliver Perez did.

I don’t know how the Mets are going to find a trade partner for Beltran, and if they do it’s not going to be any time soon. Should Beltran hit .280 with 10 homers in the first half of the season next year, then there are options for Sandy Alderson and the front office. Assuming he is still amendable to waiving his no-trade clause, there would likely be a few teams willing to take a shot on him. If not, well, then the Mets eat the final four months of his contract and wish him all the best in his future endeavors in the offseason.

If Beltran wants to be paid, he’s going to have to be a model citizen both on and off the field.

He’s saying the right things now, but it’s going to take more than that to really endear himself to Mets fans who are generally unhappy with his attitude and what he has produced in comparison with his salary.

Now, if only Perez and Castillo would come out an publicly say they would agree to a trade…I’d be more than happy to put $30 toward a cab ride to JFK.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Cliff Lee is a very good pitcher, and has had great success in both the American and National leagues during his time for the Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers.

However, Lee is already 32 years old, and his best days are likely numbered.

The New York Yankees are ready to make another big splash this MLB offseason, and a starting pitcher is a top priority. But given Cliff Lee’s age and lack of success in the World Series, should Yankees general manager Brian Cashman find a different starter?

This winter will not be a shopping season full of great starting pitchers. The drop off in quality starters after Cliff Lee is immense, and the Yankees might not want to wait another year for a different crop of free agents.

Consider that the Yankees must re-sign veterans Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter this winter, both of whom are New York legends, and surely cannot be seen in a uniform other than Yankee pinstripes. 

Jeter and Rivera will cost a pretty penny, but not as much as what Lee will demand.

Lee will surely ask for over $100 million for at least five seasons, and could possibly look for a deal similar to what the Yankees gave pitching ace C.C. Sabathia prior to the 2009 season (seven years, $160 million).

During the regular season, Lee was not the dominant pitcher the Rangers had hoped for after giving away top hitting prospect Justin Smoak to Seattle in exchange for Lee among others.

During the 2010 MLB playoffs, Lee was spectacular until the grandest stage, the World Series. Lee was battered in Game 1 by a Giants offense that was finding it difficult to score runs, ultimately taking the loss. 

In the clincher at home in Game 5, Lee gave up a three-run homer to eventual series MVP Edgar Renteria, which was the difference in the game, giving Lee a second World Series loss, and the Giants a world championship.

Cliff Lee’s sudden collapse in the World Series should trouble every team looking to sign him this winter. Did the pressure of the World Series get to him? It’s difficult to tell because he is such a calm person on the mound, but perhaps he was a bit rattled. 

Game 1 nerves are understandable for a player starting his first ever Fall Classic game, but Game 5 was a must win for the Rangers, and Lee blew it.

What if Cliff Lee begins to show his age sooner, and does not fulfill the large contract he will receive from some desperate team? The Yankees have already blown huge contracts on A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira (who has had decent regular seasons, but very weak postseasons) and they cannot afford another.

As a franchise, the Yankees are an aging organization, and assuming they re-sign Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera they will not be allowed to usher in a younger player at the shortstop and closer positions. Andy Pettitte, Alex Rodriguez, and Jorge Posada are all key players for New York who showed decline last season, yet do not have a solid young backup ready to fill in. 

Brett Gardner, Phil Hughes, and Robinson Cano are good young players, but they are the only ones with mild success.

Catching prospect Jesus Montero is the eventual successor for Posada, but catchers are difficult to project due to the rigor of playing the position.

New York should instead turn their attention to Rays outfielder Carl Crawford, continue to develop young pitcher Phil Hughes and look for veterans they can sign to low risk/high reward deals.

The Yankees much show patience this offseason, and not give in to Cliff Lee just because he is the only great starter available. Just because Brian Cashman has a big checkbook at his disposal, doesn’t mean he has to use it to make up for the disappointments of last season.

The Yankees will always have money, but their ability to spend it wisely will determine their future success. Cliff Lee, at 32, is not a smart investment for the Bronx Bombers.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The American League Gold Glove awards were announced on Tuesday and there were some old standards and a couple newer ones.  Ichiro Suzuki, that ever-consistent star for the Seattle Mariners, won his 10th Gold Glove award for his outfield prowess.

Sure to spark debate is Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees winning his fifth Gold Glove for his work in the 2010 season.  

It is often argued by followers of advanced baseball statistics that not only is Jeter not the top defensive shortstop, he is not even in the top echelon anymore.

This, of course, would be disputed by his teammates and various coaches and general managers who have seen him perform over the years, as he is held in the highest regard for both his play and his leadership.

But respecting his game and his historical contributions is one thing, and giving him the honour of the winning the top defensive prize is quite something else.

Granted, his traditional fielding statistics are impressive.  His six allowed errors were lowest among shortstops in the league and his .989 fielding percentage led the league as well.

As baseball acquires more and more statistics in the age of sabermetrics, it is argued that these prior categories don’t properly reflect a fielder’s prowess.  

It is argued that even though Jeter committed fewer errors than anyone else, it is only because his range didn’t allow him to get to balls that other shortstops might have made a play on.

So if you were to nominate another shortstop to win in his stead, why not Yunel Escobar, the acrobatic new fielder for the Toronto Blue Jays?  His plays regularly made the highlight reels of sports shows across North America.

His errors committed and fielding percentage are average, but he led the league, along with former Blue Jay Alex Gonzalez, in double plays with 104.

Also, likely the most important of the new stats that have emerged is the UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating), which is a complicated calculation that basically determines the fielder’s effectiveness.  

With a 4.3 rating, Escobar is in the top third of shortstops in the league while Jeter, with a -4.7 rating, ranks in the bottom third.

So if you were to compare Jeter to Escobar, you could make the case that Escobar deserves the Gold Glove just as much as Jeter.

Many sports commentators have argued though that Alexei Ramirez of the Chicago White Sox actually deserved the Gold Glove.  His stats in sabermetrics are right at the top of the leaderboard, as are his ratings in scouting.

But it is his average traditional stats that drag him down and out of consideration for the award, which causes some to question the integrity of the award.

As Jeter enters next year at 36 years old, he will have plenty of challengers to his title. Whether he can maintain his status remains to be seen.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Dave Niehaus, the Seattle Mariners’ legendary broadcaster, died today at age 75, according to team reports. Niehaus, who was awarded the Ford Frick Award at his Hall of Fame induction in 2008, has been the Mariners voice since their inaugural year of 1977.

He was always an enjoyable voice during baseball games, whether the Mariners won or lost. He made famous catchphrases like “Grand Salami” and “It will FLYY away.” His greatest moments undoubtedly came during the historical Mariner run to end the 1995 season.

Dave will be missed by Mariners fans and baseball fans across the country. I know I certainly will.

The team is expected to make a statement on his death shortly.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com