Official NY Yankees thread

STAT1

Starter
Scratch any idea of Hughes going to the pen now that Bartolo Colon just left the game with a hamstring injury. That could keep him out for a while. Hope it's not serious & just a tweak. He's been pitching so great for us of late, would really hurt to lose him AND Joba for any length of time. Unless Cashman can swing a trade, he might have to rush one of our young phenoms up to the majors before they're ready. Banuelos & Betances better be ready if they're called upon.
 

finestrg

Rotation player
Gotta say, Posada's been a hell of a lot better of late in the DH role. Gotta give the man credit. I had a fork stuck in this guy, I thought he was finished but over the last month or so, he's been a different player. No longer the automatic out he was the first couple of months to open up the season. The offense as a whole has been much better of late. Great to see.

They're saying Colon should be back sometime over the weekend against the Mets (Sat. maybe). Much quicker return than I expected. Not even gonna make a rehab start. Right back to game action. Awesome..What a shot in the arm that's gonna be.

Speaking of rehab start, Hughes just made his 3rd and looked very good, consistently hitting 93 MPH with his fastball, topping out at 94. That's great. Velocity no longer looks to be an issue. Hughes at 93-94 will win games and that's the bottom line..Think about it: this team, in first place in our division and in possession of the 2nd best record in the majors behind the Phillies last time I checked, is on the verge of getting Bartolo Colon, Phil Hughes, Derek Jeter and eventually Rafael Soriano and Eric Chavez back. Demaso Marte even "began playing catch June 10th" so maybe he's not that far behind these guys. Banuelos and Betances are both pitching well in the minors -- perhaps those two plus Jesus Montero get the call up this Sept and get their feet wet....With all these reinforcements coming and the team playing well anyway, it's hard not to feel good about this club right now..We'll have to see how things go but as of right now, there may be no need to go out and make a deal this summer...We've got everything we need coming: our captain going for 3000 hits, 2 very good options for the rotation, 1 for the bullpen (with perhaps another lefty option too in Marte to go along with Logan possibly---two lefties available in that bullpen everyday would be a HUGE plus for Joe. Worked out great when we beat the Phillies in the WS), and a very good utility infielder that can still field & hit...

I just wonder how Freddy Garcia's gonna take the demotion when Colon and Hughes both come back. You figure it'll be between he and Nova...Knowing Nova's here for the long haul (and he hasn't been terrible), I doubt they **** with him. They're gonna want to keep building that kid up, I doubt they're gonna want to take a step back with him..I think Garcia's gonna be the one to get bumped...Perfect world, Garcia doesn't deserve to lose his spot in the rotation -- he's been good. He's kept the Yanks in almost every game he's pitched..Nevertheless, I think he's gonna be the one to go--I wonder how he takes it. Hope it won't be too much of a problem..Otherwise, I'm happy where we're at right now..We're in good shape entering the all-star break.
 
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finestrg

Rotation player
Ubaldo Jimenez. What'd ya think fellas? Just saw his name mentioned in today's Newsday once again and I just read on his wikipedia page that the Yankees have been interested in trading for him since at least early July. I'm behind it 100% -- just gotta figure out how much is enough. We definitely have the pieces to make this trade. But what gets it done? The guys I'd be willing to part with are Montero, Hughes and Brackman. If we could ever get this guy built around that package, without surrendering Banuelos and Betances (and Nova), it'd be as big a homerun as there ever was...Truth be told, I couldn't see Colorado settling for anything less than Montero (maybe Gary Sanchez instead) + Banuelos or Betances, probably all 3 plus God knows what else..Best case scenario, we'd be damn lucky to hang onto 1 of the 2 top killer Bs, either Manny B or Dellin. Steep price but I think you do it anyway. I think Jimenez is that good and that worth it.

He's talented and young enough to warrant surrendering that much, I think anyway. If we dealt for him by the deadline, he might have 1 more year before his contract's up -- I think he signed a modest 4-yr, $10M deal before the 2009 season. A steal for the Rockies at the time, given his ability. This time around, he's gonna get paid BIG. Sabathia-type money maybe? Who knows? I say at least in the $100M range..The Yanks will have to break out the checkbook for this guy eventually, as well as CC who has an opt-out this off-season that he most certainly executes. Gonna cost us a ton (players to surrender and amount it'll take to ink Ubaldo's next deal) but I think we gotta do it. We do this and extend CC, we'd be cementing a playoff berth each season for the next 5-7 years. At least. I guess that's what it's all about, right? I know one thing: we land this guy and I'd be a lot more comfortable matching up with Boston in an AL playoff series and then say the Phillies in the WS, God willing we get that far.

Haven't heard anything imminent yet, just little snippets here and there for a couple of weeks now which makes me believe something's gotta be brewin'. Would you guys be behind this move? Just wanted to get your thoughts.
 
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finestrg

Rotation player
Tell ya what, a nice secondary move that we might be able to pull off before the deadline ---> bring back Hideki Matsui for the stretch drive. Just something to consider -- that As team is going nowhere (currently 44-57, 14 games back of 1st place in the AL West after losing to us today at the Stadium). Matsui hasn't had a great year statistically but he's had a hot July, going 19-58 for a .328 clip, including 5-5 today against the Yanks. Couple that with the following: he had a decent yr with the Angels last year (which tells me he's not done yet), the fact that he's thrived here before and on the biggest stage possible--winning WS MVP against the Phils, he'd probably love to come back and actually play in some meaningful games, and would be welcomed back with open arms by fans and teammates alike. If you look at the side-by-side stats between Godzilla and Posada, you won't see much of a difference but I believe Matsui has a lot more left in the tank than Jorgie..

Either a move we make in conjuction with a trade for Ubaldo Jimenez or something seperate if that trade with the Rockies never materializes. Matsui by himself would be a nice little move for us to make..Matsui/Andrew Bailey or Matsui/Fautino De Los Santos are slightly bigger packages we might be able to get Oakland to go for provided the Jimenez move isn't there and we still have all our trade chips available to us...Bailey's young but a proven back-end-of-the-pen stopper that's probably up for a contract soon (a price the As might not be willing to meet)...And this kid De Los Santos looks very promising to me. Electric stuff, hitting upper 90s with the heat the past couple of days and showing a real tight slider. Between the two though the As probably look to hold onto De Los Santos and would probably be more open to dealing Bailey in order to escape committing any kind of substantial money to him long-term.
 
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STAT1

Starter
As much as I would love to make a move for Jimenez & Matsui, I don't think either are in the cards for us this summer. Jimenez would cost an arm & a leg in terms of prospects & Cashman has been conspicuously stingy when it comes to trading away prospects in recent years for any 1 player. Everyone knows the Yankees are looking for starting pitching, which means the price gouging will be in full effect when Cashman goes looking around for bargains. More likely look for a back end of the rotation type of player to be had on a waiver claim next month. A vet who can eat up some innings & who's team is looking to dump his expiring salary for the rest of the year. I think that's the type of player Cashman will have his eyes peeled for this summer.

As for Matsui-san, I see the Yankees wanting to keep the DH position open so that guys can get half days off whenever possible. A-Rod has been breaking down in recent years & Teix has also needed a spell from time to time, so Cash likely won't make any deals for another bat unless it's a significant bat for a bargain basement price. Matsui, while we all love him, is no longer an impact type of bat anymore at this stage in his career. I don't see it happening.
 

finestrg

Rotation player
Hey, maybe bro. Cash has shown that he values keeping the farm as stacked as possible at all times and may not look to relinquish what we all think it might take to bring a guy like Jimenez here. That's could be..Remember though, he had a pretty sizable package on the table for Cliff Lee before the Mariners traded him to Texas...But on the flip side, I see what you're saying: as the rumor goes, if Cash would've just substituted Eduardo Nunez for some infield prospect whose name escapes me (I remember the Mariners were questioning that kid's health at the time), we would've landed Lee in that trade...Hey, probably the best thing that every happened, because that wacko Lee probably would've bolted on us at the end of the season just like he did with Texas..

I know Lee's good, but this guy Jimenez is younger, arguably more powerful and more dominant and could be viewed as a better buy long-term. That could very well be the thinking too. I'd be willing to bet that if Cash didn't feel that way himself, others in the inner circle very well may, maybe even Hal..Then again my buddy keeps telling me, "forget this guy Jimenez bro. He's not what he was last year. Kershaw and King Felix are FAs soon (maybe the following year). One of those 2 is our guy." Who knows man. Maybe you do wait, and then target one of those guys instead..All I know is that I've been hearing from people and reading on the Net that we're supposedly very interested in UJ, so you know how that goes -- where there's smoke, there's usually fire..We'll have to see what happens..I wouldn't count us out on this thing. I guess it all comes down to how serious the Rockies are about trading him.

And I hear ya on Matsui --- now that you mentioned it, I do remember Joe saying coming into the season that he wouldn't be opposed to having a 'DH by committee' type of situation in order to keep all his big guns fresh..I'd like to see a little more stability at the position myself, but it's true that they could go that route.

Having seen Cash operate for awhile now, you know he's working the phones hard and probably working on something, maybe a few different things..We'll find out soon.

Big props go out to CC btw. Dude's been AWESOME lately. Pitching on another level. Probably the best he's pitched as a Yankee, maybe his entire career. The man's a true ACE in every sense of the word. An absolute horse. Too bad it rained tonight -- this guy was throwin' a friggin no-no man! Who knows WTF would've happened if it didn't start pouring and he got a chance to keep his rhythm. So pissed we gotta wait some more on Boston man -- I want those guys bad right now! BAD!! Can't wait 'til we play those clowns again!
 
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SSj4Wingzero

All Star
I don't want to trade for Ubaldo Jimenez. Yeah, he's a good pitcher, but his velocity is down AND he plays in the NL West which is a joke division.

I don't want to trade for Matsui either. Simple reason: he's terrible. He's posting a .687 OPS right now. That's even worse than Jorge Posada. I'm not giving up trade bait for that shit.

The good thing is we have a potential comeback player of the year in Bartolo Colon...gonna be excited to see him possibly win it. I think he's deserving of it considering he hasn't really been a decent pitcher since 2005.
 

finestrg

Rotation player
I don't want to trade for Ubaldo Jimenez. Yeah, he's a good pitcher, but his velocity is down AND he plays in the NL West which is a joke division.

I don't want to trade for Matsui either. Simple reason: he's terrible. He's posting a .687 OPS right now. That's even worse than Jorge Posada. I'm not giving up trade bait for that shit.

The good thing is we have a potential comeback player of the year in Bartolo Colon...gonna be excited to see him possibly win it. I think he's deserving of it considering he hasn't really been a decent pitcher since 2005.

Fair enough. A good buddy of mine feels the same way.

And damn good point on Bartolo -- maybe he does win CBPOY. Lord knows he deserves it. Minus a hiccup or two along the way, he's been tremendous right from spring training, no question.
 

finestrg

Rotation player
Just wanted to chime in about last night's game against KC. Very unusual game..First off, I think that last night may have been the 1st game I remember seeing AJ Burnett make a big pitch in a big spot to get out of a jam since his first season with the Yankees. Can you imagine?? That's how long it's been..Got a huge groundball double play that really restored order last night, stopped the bleeding and allowed the Yanks to rally and retake the lead. Typical AJ though right before that -- Yanks stake him to a 2-0 lead and he promptly gives it right back (in the 5th inning I believe) but did get that huge double play to get out of it. I was shocked. LOL! Maybe we can build something with this guy now.

With this dude, it's 100% mental. Slight dip in the quality of his stuff from years past, but overall there's still more than enough there to win ballgames..This dude's gotta want it and pitch much more aggressive. We've seen this all before with certain guys --- the most frustrating pitchers to root for: a guys with A+ ability but no smarts and no balls..Absolutely ZERO mental toughness...The 1st sign of trouble, he wilts like a flower..I've never seen anything like it --- it's not like he's a rookie; this guys been around for a long time now..Hey last night was a nice change but I still don't trust him at all in a big spot. All the bullpen talk is nonsense btw -- he's a starting pitcher -- has always been a SP, and will always continue to be..Francesa was saying that the other day and I agree with him. From here on in though, and definitely in the playoffs, God willing we get there, Joe's gotta keep him on a very short leash...First sign of trouble, he's out..Just like that game in Chicago..I couldn't even care less about him qualifying for that win..It ain't about any one guy but team...I loved it when Joe yanked him from that game against the White Sox...Hey, he helped us win a championship a couple of years ago so there's not too much you can really say, but man, is he scary in a big spot or what? I can't wait until this guy's outta here..I think he's got 2 years to go after this one. I say you ship this guy right outta town the first chance you get if the opportunity ever presents itself..Even if we had to pay most of the freight..Betances just got promoted to AAA ball, following Banuelos not too long ago..These guys are both on the rise -- each should get the call up in Sept. and may actually be in the plans for next year. CC's not going anywhere and I think Hughes and Nova are here to stay. Not sure about Bartolo and Freddy. One, maybe both are brought back for next year to help bridge the gap to Betances/Banuelos. By that time, if there's anyway to send Burnett packing, I say you do it. Even if we had to eat salary and even if we barely got anything back for him..Whatever we could get for this guy would be gravy..The big thing is opening up his spot in the rotation for one of the young guns eventually. I just can't see this guy in pinstripes for the entire length of his contract.

Speaking of young talent and good "stuff," this kid Felipe Paulino for KC is a complete enigma. For some reason, his well above average arsenal just hasn't translated to winning games. Dude's got a golden arm though -- routinely hits 95, 96 on the gun (I've seen him hit 98 with his heater in the past) with a real tight slider. I suspect he hasn't been utilized properly in the bigs so far..I wonder if he would be better served pitching out of the pen as a late-inning power set-up guy or closer. He's got that kind of stuff. Very quietly, I might make an offer for this guy in the off-season if I were Cashman. Try to get him cheap off the poor record and performance..Change of scenery, a move to the bullpen, pitching in meaningful games...who knows. This dude has been designated for assignment by the Rockies in the past and is now scuffling big-time for the Royals in an Anthony Young kinda way. Funny how the Rockies just up & gave up on him, considering the kind of arm he has.. Makes you think how long KC plans on sticking with him. With Mo on the decline, adding another power arm on the cheap wouldn't necessarily be a bad move for next year (who knows how Joba bounces back from TJ surgery), if we could get him at a good price..I see a totally different pitcher with this kid Paulino out of the bullpen for some team. Just my 2 cents: stuff-wise alone, I see a much better talent than Joakim Soria, the current Royals closer. I see a lot of ability that hasn't been harnassed yet up to this point..
 
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finestrg

Rotation player
Burnett is garbage...So sick of this guy. Just doesn't have his shit together. And he's got the balls to give Joe a problem when he comes out to take the ball from him?? WTF is that? This dude only has himself to blame. Has nothing at all to do with Joe. Joe's actually very loyal to his players. AJ's lucky he still gets the ball every 5th day at this point. What a sin man...All of that ability and he just can't do anything with it. I'm tellin' ya, this guy's gotta go eventually. Unless he recaptures what he did for us a couple of years ago soon, we're gonna have to eat whatever's left on that contract and ship him right outta here. Esp. when at least one of the kids (Banuelos or Batances) is ready. I have trouble seeing Burnett straightening himself out in time for the playoffs. If he can't put together at least 2 good starts together back-to-back the rest of this month into Sept., I don't see how you justify giving him a playoff start. Couldn't care less how much money he's making...

What's up with this move for Aaron Laffey? Freddy goes on the DL (a move he questioned in the papers -- he thinks he's ready to go) and instead of bringing up a capable arm from the minors, we cut C Gustavo Molina and add this guy to the 40-man? I don't get it. Yeah, we can use another lefty to go along with Logan but what about promoting from within with guys like Wilkins Arias first? I guess they like the fact that Laffey's a lefty, still very young and can start or pitch in relief. Stuff-wise, I don't see this guy being much of a factor though..I doubt Laffey makes a start for us down the stretch (even minus Garcia for the time being we still have 5 capable starters, if we can even call Burnett 'capable' at this point) and a guy like Arias had a chance to be a much bigger impact lefty late in games out of the pen to go along with Logan, who, I gotta say, has turned things around nicely. Logan, all of a sudden, has become very reliable. This guy Arias, a 31-year-old rookie stuck in AA ball, may never get a chance now. I've followed Arias for awhile, see the impressive numbers (against right-handers too) and have read the reports -- I know he has good stuff. Better than Laffey..This dude Laffey's a soft-tosser that ain't foolin' anybody..Sad, I've been rooting for Arias to get his chance eventually. I mean if anything, try and reaquire lefty Wilkin De La Rosa. That kid has a higher ceiling than Laffey. Released by us, acquired by the Dodgers and then released by LA recently. Currently pitching for the Camden Riversharks, an independent baseball club out of NJ. Don't know what to make of him being released a couple of times, but so was Laffey. I know how to read a scouting report and this kid has better stuff than Laffey. Just as young too..I just assume we not waste our time acquiring guys that take up space on the 40-man and probably won't help us and have an impact in the long run. Target power arms with higher ceilings..Usually that's the direction Cash goes -- not in this case however. They obviously see something in this kid that I don't. I hope I'm wrong. Not that big a deal I suppose..
 
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jwmann2

Rookie
Yankees Hotels on the Road

Here is a link that has the hotels the Yankees will be staying in when they visit other American League cities this summer.
Yankees Hotels
Great way to meet the players. You can find 29 team hotels at this link with the exception of the Red Sox.
 
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