Yankees Newsa yankees

[nyy26 0]

The injured are starting to return. Wang made a big step towards returning to the majors as he threw a spectacular game in triple A, recording 12 groundouts. That means that the sinker is sinking and the slider is sliding. If Wang’s pitches regained their motion there is no reason why he can’t be the ace he has been his whole career. Wang’s return would come at just the right moment, with the Yankees finally starting to hit their stride offensively. Wang’s return means that the Yankees will have to make a decision on Phil Hughes. Hughes will make his next start on Tuesday no matter what because there is no way Wang could be ready by then. I could see the Yankees keep him up and put him in a struggling bullpen. They could teach him how to pitch at the major league level the old fashion way, in the bullpen. Sending Hughes down once again could damage his mental makeup and could make him want out of the organization. Most likely, Phil Hughes will take Andy Pettitte’s slot in the rotation next year. Hughes will make one more start and if he pitches well I think the Yankees will keep him up and use him out of the bullpen like they are doing with Alfredo Acevas. If he pitches poorly, the Yankees could use that as an excuse to send him down back to the minors. Brian Cashman was very pleased by what he saw out of Wang.Brian Bruney is almost back as well. He had an outing today in relief of Wang. Brian Cahman said Bruney looked healthy, and that is the important thing. He is coming off of an elbow injury. Bruney was unhittable until he got hurt. His injury was a big loss for the Yankees and they sure wish he was here now with the struggling bullpen.With Wang, Bruney, and eventually Posada all coming back, the Yankees could be an unstoppable force. I say that because if you look at the way they have been playing lately, multiply that by 1.5 and that’s how good they will be. Then once all of the pitchers and bullpen get on the same page, forget about it. Granted, they have been playing the Twins, but they also took two out of three from Baltimore and Toronto. They look great when they win and terrible when they lose.How ridiculous have the Yankees been playing lately? It really is unbelievable. I know they should be waiting until the last minute to win, but it really is amazing what they’ve been doing lately. Not only that, but they’re showing that they can make a comeback, and not just lie down and die when they fall behind early. They are really starting to hit their stride, and they are playing some of the best baseball they’ve played in years. They are getting the starting pitcher out of the game and beating up their opponent’s bullpen, just like Joe Torre’s Yankees used to do. Johnny Damon is doing amazing as well. No doubt it is because he is in a contract year but still, he his having a career year. It would be a shame if he plays like this all year and the Yankees don’t bring him back. He wants to play another five years until he’s 40.

[nyy26 0]

The Yankees will be taking on the Nationals today. There is really no excuse for them not to win at least two games. Winning three is really expected though. The Rays have already swept the Nationals so if the Yankees fall asleep and don?t win at least two, they will fall behind in the American League East. The Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Toronto Blue Jays will certainly take two and the Red Sox could easily take three. The home runs should be flying out of the ballpark with this amateur Nationals pitching.Going into this series, the Yankees are two games out of first place in the American League East. They?ve won twenty-one of their last thirty-one but they are only .500, seven and seven, in their last fourteen. They are also only two and four in their last six. Washington has lost three straight and twelve of their last fifteen. And if that isn?t bad enough, they are six and twenty-three on the road this season. So, maybe they?re due for a good series, but that would be no excuse for the Yankees loosing the series.CC Sabathia will be pitching the first game. We should see a great performance out of him. There aren?t many hitters to navigate around in this lineup, mostly Adam Dunn, Nick Johnson, Ryan Zimmerman, Elijah Dukes and Christian Guzman. We should see a nice seven or eight inning performance out of CC Sabathia, maybe even a complete game. Once again, there is no reason why the Yankees shouldn?t win this game with Sabathia going up against Shairon Martis. Martis has five wins but an earned run average above five.We?ll probably see a bunch of familiar faces this series. Some former Yankees now in Washington would include Nick Johnson, Alberto Gonzalez, Ron Villone and Will Nieves. Ron Villone is actually having a nice year. He has a 0.96 earned run average in twenty-two appearances. He has only allowed thirteen hits in eighteen and two-thirds innings. He has walk ten batters and struck out nine. It seemed like he was finished a couple of years ago when the only good he was to Joe Torre was a couple of left-handed hitters here and there after Mike Myers failed to get the job done anymore.The Yankees have won fourteen of their last nineteen home games. That could be because of the ?home field advantage? that some are stating, giving the Yankees power lineup a significant advantage. Or it could be because its summer time and fans are actually starting to show up to the games. The stadium has seemed a little louder lately, and the seats behind the plate have been filled more often than not, unlike at the start of the season.Over the first eight years of interleague play, the Yankees were ninety-three and sixty-three. Since then they are thirty-three and twenty-seven, failing to take advantage of inferior opponents such as the San Francisco Giants, The Pittsburgh Pirates, the Colorado Rockies, and the Houston Astros. The Red Sox done just the opposite, winning forty-two of their last sixty interleague games. This year the Yankees will face the Washington Nationals. Florida Marlins, Atlanta Braves, and the New York Mets.Derek Jeter is the king of interleague play, just like he is in the playoffs. Derek Jeter has two-hundred-ninety-three hits, eight-hundred-sixty-two at-bats and one-hundred-sixty-two runs scored in interleague play. All of those numbers are the most in interleague play among any player. He has a career .339 averages against the National League in interleague play. Derek Jeter had nine hits in his last eighteen at-bats. In that many at-bats, he has four runs batted in and four runs scored. He has been able to bring his batting average is up to .310 after a below average start.Nick Swisher is a story of ups and downs. He had one of the best starts any player could have, but had a terrible May and beginning of June. It seemed like he couldn?t get a hit, run the bases right, or field. Nick Swisher is 1has fifteen hits in his last forty-six at-bats in sixteen games. In that time he has eleven runs scored, eight runs batted in, fourteen walks, and eight extra-base hits.Hideki Matsui is has six hits in his last sixteen at-bats. He has two homers in that stretch with five runs batted in, five walks, and five runs scored. This is good for Matsui because he was struggling really badly. Matsui has always been a streaky hitter but before he broke his record for consecutive at-bats without a hit, which, granted, wasn?t that high to begin with, but he was struggling badly. Girardi said that Matsui will not play the outfield in a National League Park. This is to protect Matsui from putting extra stress on his knees, which he has worked on every day. Girardi did say that he would use Matsui to play the outfield in a double switch if necessary.Alex Rodriguez has been slumping. He only has eight hits in forty-five at-bats in June so far. He started the season going .260/.412/.584 in his first twenty-two games; he is at .178/.339/.356 in his last nine. Rodriguez hit a homerun against the Mets, so we can hope that that is the beginning of him coming around. He needs to get it going for the team. Maybe the Yankees struggles lately can be attributed to Alex Rodriguez?s struggles. Then again, the team usually struggles when your number four hitter is. But Mark Teixeira has been on a tear.After setting the record for most consecutive games without committing an error, the Yankees have committed at least one error in ten of their last twelve games. Last year the Yankees were thirty-two and thirty-one after sixty-three games. They had the same record in 2007 as well, but this year they have improved to thirty-six and twenty-seven this is great because it shows the Yankees are winning some of the early games they should be winning. Although they should have one a few more games, granted, they should have lost a few more as well.

[nyy26 0]

The Yankees will be taking on the nationals for the second time this series. The Yankees were finally able to pull off the win last night after it looked like they were going to get shut out. They simply could not hit Martis. The Yankees always have trouble hitting those kinds of pitchers. The will go up ageist some guy nobody?s ever heard of and get shut out. You can?t do that, teams should probably just start bringing guys up from the minors to face the Yankees. The Yankees game plan going in to the game was to work the count and get into the bullpen. The starter shut them down, but once Washington went to the bullpen and brought in Ron Villone, the Yankees launched their comeback. Mark Teixeira had the crucial runs batted in. So the Yankees were able to pull out a win in a game they had no excuse for loosing. Chen-Ming Wang will start today?s game. Joe Girardi has already said that Wang needs to start earning his spot in the rotation, and rightly so, but Wang showed some improvement his last time out. He had electric stuff against Boston; he just couldn?t find the plate. Wang still needs to build up arm strength. Putting him in the bullpen will probably ruin him for the season because he will not get enough work and his stuff doesn?t really translate in to bullpen stuff. The Yankees and Yankee fans need to remember that Wang won nineteen games two years in a row and was on pace to break that last year if he didn?t get hurt. He probably would have won the Cy Young award last year if he didn?t get hurt. Hopefully he will have a great start, or at least show improvement. When asked if Joe Girardi was just looking for improvement or was looking for Wang to be lights-out, Girardi said he was just looking for improvement. If Wang could chug out a quality start, I think all of us will be pleased. Especially since the Yankee lineup should be able to win the game in the bullpen innings. He will be pitching on six days rest, which isn?t always good for sinker-ballers. Sinker-ballers usually do better on short rest because it gives their sinker more movement. Wang will also be pitching on an adrenalin rush, his first child, Justin was just born. I guess the Wang family didn?t go with the traditional name, but never the less, congratulations. Wang has a 3.75 ERA in 11 interleague games in his career. He has faced the Washington Nationals once and suffered a bad loss. He lost three to two on June 18, 2006 at RFK Stadium. Ryan Zimmerman hit a walk-off two-run homerun. The Yankees had the lead two-one going into the ninth inning. After the loss Wang slammed his glove into the dugout and was very upset, showing more emotion than Wang has ever shown. Then manager and pitching coach Joe Girardi and Ron Guidry went over to comfort him. Shockingly, Wang hasn?t won a game since June 15, 2008. He threw five scoreless innings against Houston in Houston until he suffered a season ending foot injury when rounding third and scoring on a base hit.The Yankees will be taking on John Lannan, who is a native New Yorker from Long Beach, N.Y. He attended Siena College after starring for Chaminade High. He has only given up one earned run on nine hits in his last 15 innings. Lannan has been great at home, with an earned run average under two, but has been poor on the road, with an earned run average above six. The Yankees should be able to hit this guy but once again, the Yankees tend not to hit these kinds of pitchers. I will be very disappointed if they don?t beat him.The Yankees have won three of their last four games as well as twenty-two of their last thirty-two. The Yanks have won fifteen of their last twenty games at the New Yankee Stadium. They are four and three in interleague play thus far this season. The Yankees have had an astonishing twenty-two come from behind victories in thirty-seven wins. Some of those wins were amazing too.Alex Rodriguez has been struggling lately. Alex Rodriguez has eight hits in forty-eight at bats in June. That is a batting average of .167 He does however have three RBI in his last nine games. Joe Girardi has acknowledge that Alex Rodriguez has not taken off yet because this is his spring training, remember that he missed about a month due to that hip injury. He also hasn?t had that many days off. Girardi did admit that he may have pushed it starting him nine games in a row against the Boston Red Sox, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the New York Mets, but you have to have him in there because he can change the complexion of a game with one swing of the bat. Rodriguez did have a game off on Monday wit the rest of the team, and there are a lot of built in off days that will prevent him from starting more than six games in a row for a while. I agree with Girardi?s logic, and I am not worried about Alex Rodriguez?s struggles because this is his spring training. He will get on one of his streaks and start being Alex Rodriguez before we know it. He doesn?t get that average up to .270 by the all-star break, maybe then we should worry.Talk about home cooking, Mariano Rivera has successfully converted 32 consecutive save opportunities at home. His last blown save in the Bronx came on Aug. 13, 2007. River also climbed the Yankees all time strikeout list. He is currently sitting on 967, tied for eleventh with Allie Reynolds. He is sitting behind Roger Clemens who has 1,014, and Al Downing who has 1,028. Rivera might be able to move into sole position of eight places, ahead of Downing, if he can pick up enough strikeouts in this year and the next. I think Rivera will retire after next year, when his contract ends.Robinson Cano is having a career season. He is finally getting his batting title stroke back. He got off to a bad start in 2007, but picked it up tremendously in the second half of the season. He had a below average year last year. Last year he had a lot of problems, he swung at everything and barley walked. He was also a head case, especially on defense. This year he is being more patient, working the count, and waiting for a good pitch to hit. This will probably be a career year for Cano. He is also having a spectacular year on defense. He looks really smooth and is not making errors, making a lot of great defensive plays getting to balls he used to give up on. He has nine hits in his last sixteen at bats. During that span he has six runs batted in and five extra-base hits.Phil Coke has been good in a struggling bullpen lately. In Phil Coke?s last six appearances he has pitched five and two-thirds innings giving up two hits, zero runs, zero homeruns and two walks and struck out four. Coke has great stuff and he will play a large role in the bullpen, especially since Dimaso Marte might need surgery to find out what is wrong with his elbow. The Yankees think very highly of Coke. In fact, if it was necessary they were going to slot him into the rotation. Then they went and signed Sabathia and Burnett and brought back Pettitte. But that shows you how good the Yankees think Coke is.The Yankees did not hit a home run last night. That is quit the surprise for a park that averages about four homeruns a game. The only other home game that they did not hit a homerun at home was May 6 against the Tampa Bay Rays. They have hit at least one homerun in the other thirty-one home games.The Yankees are ten and one in games Brian Bruney has pitched in. Bruney can be a great set up guy if he can stay healthy. The Yankees are being extra careful because he has gone on the disabled list twice this season and missed most of last season. When Bruney is on he shortens the game by ensuring the bridge to Mariano Rivera.Derek Jeter was sent for an MRI on his sore ankle today. It came back negative but he was held out of the lineup as a precaution. Jeter needed a day off anyway. Jeter told Girardi that he was playing but Jeter could be in a full body cast and still try to get in the lineup. Ramiro Pena will get the start at short.

[nyy26 0]

The Tigers have benched Magglio Ordonez indefinitely. He hasn?t had a terrible season, with something like a .270 average but his power has disappeared. He only has two home runs on the season. Ordonez is due 18 million next year if he makes a certain number of appearances. Ordonez has had a great career; it?s a shame to see him fading. But it was going to happen soon or later. The tigers have been in a funk lately, Ordonez is getting benched, they just got the news that Carlos Guillen might not return this season, and they just placed Dontrelle Willis back on the disabled list with an anxiety disorder. The Guillen loss will be huge because that will leave the Tigers with a power deficit. They may need to make a deal for a bat. They should make a run at Matt Holliday although I?m not sure how well he would hit in that ballpark. Last year they made the deadline deal for Ken Griffey Jr. Dontrelle Willis has just been a mess since that one good year in Florida. We all thought that the Tigers pulled off a steal getting both Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, but it is starting to look like Cabrera was the only part of that deal that worked out. Cabrera is a great hitter and is having a great season. I would take Cabrera on my team any day. He; has great power and is a great hitter. He is definitely an MVP candidate, and he might even be leading if Joe Mauer didn?t have an absurd .425 batting average. Mauer is having a great season as well. He will be a free agent next year and the Red Sox and Yankees will probably both be going after Mauer hard. Mauer is a batting title hitter and a good catcher. Jorge Posada?s contract will be over by then and if he comes back he will probably be back for his bat and have to DH, filling the hole Hideki Matsui will be leaving most likely after this year. Mauer might not be able to catch his whole career and many believe he might make the transition to first base in a few years in order to preserve his bat. The Red Sox could definitely use Mauer. He would absolutely rake in Fenway Park and the Sox will need a catcher to replace Varitek who will most likely leave after this season.Many around the league don?t think that the Philadelphia Phillies will pick up a bat. I think that depends on whether or not the Raul Ibanez injury is serious. He is on the 15 day disabled list. The Phillies have had some bad luck with injuries; Brad Lidge is on the disabled list as well. The Phillies have struggled a little this season, and could be in better shape than they are. They have been terrible at home, and you think they should thrive in that bandbox in Philly. I think they are another Matt Holliday candidate as well. Holliday would hit great in that park.On an XM Satellite Radio show, Jonathan Paplebon said he would play for the Yankees. As good as he is, I don?t think the Yankees would ever consider it even when Rivera is gone. I don?t think that the fans would accept it at all. I would like to see him leave Boston though. Go far away, maybe to the Dodgers, play for Joe Torre.Chris Young will join Jake Peavy on the disabled list. Young has been having a bad year, losing his last six starts or something like that. Peavy is out twelve weeks. The Padres are going to be sellers, but their biggest piece of trade bait was Jake Peavy and he will obviously not be dealt this season. I wonder if they?d be willing to deal Adrian Gonzalez. He?s a great hitter and has a lot of power. Brian Giles will draw some attention as well, he always does in July.Brian Cashman says he doesn?t foresee a major move because he is hoping Jose Molina, Dimaso Marte, and Xavier Nady will return soon. I don?t think we will see Marte for a while though. Mark Derosa?s name has been flying around in conjunction with the Yankees and he would be a great utility addition for the Yankees because he can play pretty much anywhere. Ramiro Pena can serve the same purpose but Derosa can play the outfield and is a better hitter, he has some power as well. He could hit some homers in the new Yankee stadium. I would like to see them make a push for Huston Street or Heath Bell.

[nyy26 0]

Tom Glavine has decided that he will not pitch in 2009. Glavine was rehabbing on the disabled list for the Braves for a while but was released in order to make room for Nate McLouth after the Braves acquired him. Glavine was a bit upset with the Atlanta organization because they trotted him out to pitch a minor league game forty minutes from Atlanta and they sold out the game. The AAA team never sells out so it was obviously because of Glavine, but they had him go out there even though they knew he would be released the next day. Glavine called out the team for using him and since then the organization has apologized and both sides are fine. Glavine deciding to take the year off leaves Pedro Martinez as the only guaranteed hall of fame available. Pedro has been watched by the Rays Cubs and Yankees. The Rays considered bringing him in as a reliever but they could not meet Pedro?s demands. The Cubs are very interested and are trying to work out a deal but are not sure they could meet Pedro?s demands. I would assume the Yankees would be looking at him as a reliever as well but I?m not sure how much id like that move. How could you bring probably the most hated player by Yankee fans onto the team when he is way past his prime? I know they brought Clemens in but he was a team removed from Boston and was still in his prime. The Mets should be the ones looking at Pedro and they would be fools if they weren?t. The Mets could use another starter and reliever. Pedro would probably like to rejoin the Mets as well. Talks went cold on resigning Pedro this winter because Pedro was asking for too much money where as the Mets wanted to offer an incentive based deal. Pedro did not believe he should have to pitch for his money because of his track record and both sides pretty much just stopped talking. I?m sure Omar Minaya has kept in contact just as a backup plan. But you have to ask yourself how much Pedro has left. Can he be a quality four or even five starters? And could he make the transition to be an effective reliever even though he doesn?t through that hard anymore? I?m not sure he could work out n the bullpen but he might be able to start. Then again, if he started you would probably only be able to get five or six innings out of him before going to the bullpen, otherwise you would risk hurting him.Nick Johnson is a free agent after this year and is the most likely Washington National to be dealt. Johnson has always been a pretty good player and hitter, often coveted by other teams at the trade deadline ever since the Yankees dealt him away. Johnson would be a match in many places. The Mets should defiantly take a look a t him and inquire on how much it would take to get him. He would be a nice addition to that team to play first base. The Nationals said that Adam Dunn?s price would be astronomical. He?s at the top of the league in homeruns and walks like he always is; he?s also at the top in strikeouts like he always is. Dunn?s never been an average hitter but boy can he hit home runs. Last year around the trade deadline the Blue Jays general Manager said that Adam Dunn doesn?t care and doesn?t try. That was a very offensive comment especially with Dunn testing the free agent market last winter. Dunn is a great hitter and could be an option for many places because he can sort of play the outfield as well as first base. However, I do not think he will be dealt because the Nationals will ask too much.Danys Baez and George Sherrill are likely to be dealt from Baltimore. Sherrill was an all-star closer but has been spitting save opportunities this year. I?m sure there will be many teams going after him including the Angels and possibly the Yankees. I don?t think /Baltimore would ever trade him to the Yankees, unless they gave up a lot more than asking price.The Diamondbacks are looking to deal free agent to be Doug Davis and Chad Tracey. Davis already expressed that he would be willing to sign an extension with Arizona if they offered a contract before the end of the season, but if they didn?t he would test the market. I?m sure there will be a lot of teams after Davis who could be a good starter for many competing teams. The Mets will likely be involved on him. Chad Tracey is interesting because he is a good player but has struggled this year. He can play first and third and defiantly has a high ceiling if you were to have him stick around for more than one year. I could see the Mets making a package deal that involved both Doug Davis and Chad Tracey. That deal would help the Mets tremendously, it just depends how much the Mets are willing to give up. Would Arizona ask for Fernando Martinez or John Niece? And would the Mets deal one of them? They are defiantly two names to watch this July.One major league executive believes that Brian Giles should get released. I think we might see him dealt in July.The Padres will most certainly be sellers once again this summer. The big fish Jake Peavy will not be dealt because of his injury but Cla Meredith, Chris Young, and Kevin Kouzmanoff could be. Meredith has had a good season and could catch a decent prospect in return. A bunch of teams will probably be after Kevin Kouzmanoff. Chris Young has had a pretty bad year and is currently on the fifteen day disabled list so I?m not sure any team would touch him.The Royals could deal reliever Ron Mahay who was coveted in July and December a few years ago. He would be a good option for a lot of teams. I wouldn?t be surprised if the Yankees take a look based on their past interest. The Mets will probably take a look as well.The Houston Astros aren?t likely to sell at this point and the big chip they had was Roy Oswalt but they would have to sell low on him because of the bad seasons he is having. Some believe that Olswalt just needs a change of scenery but I do not believe he will be dealt anyway. If the Astros do decide to have a fire sale in July, Ivan Rodriguez, LaTroy Hawkins, and Jose Valverde could be moved. Pudge is an interesting candidate but I don?t think many teams would touch unless they are really desperate because of his failure last year when he was dealt to the Yankees for Kyle Farnsworth. LaTroy Hawkins has had a great season filling in for Jose Valverde, but still, I?m not sure many team s would give up much for him. He will probably be dealt though. Jose Valverde is probably less likely to be dealt than Hawkins because he is coming of an injury and stint on the disabled list; he is also better and more valued by the Astros. So the high price combined with the injury will probably scare some buyers away from the once top closer.One official said that the Pirates would love to deal Jack Wilson. Wilson has always been a second half hitter and can play multiple positions. I think he might be one of the first name to be dealt as long as the Pirate don?t ask for a king?s ransom, they usually don?t.Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee are not going anywhere, unless someone offers everything they?ve got, but Mark Derosa is almost certainly to be dealt. I wonder if the Indians would field offers for Grady Sizemore. They would be fools if they did but he is one the best players in the league and would fish a hefty package.If the Athletics don?t play well in the upcoming weeks they will almost certainly deal Matt Holliday. Holliday is coveted by many and would fish a decent package in return despite his falloff season thus far.The Red Sox said that they aren?t in a hurry to deal Brad Penny. Penny will almost certainly be dealt though; I don?t see Boston keeping him around for the bullpen.Delmon Young is also available, I wonder if a team would be willing to give up enough to get him. He has great power but strikes out way too much. Not too long ago he was dealt for Matt Garza, Matt Garza obviously turned out to be the better of the two. I think there will be a few teams going after Young, it wouldn?t surprise me anyway.

[nyy26 0]

The Yankees have informed Pedro Martinez that they will not sign him. Yankee Universe just breathed a sigh of relief. I don?t think the Yankees were ever serious about thinking about bringing in Pedro Martinez, arguably the most hated opponent of the past two generations. It may have been a smoke screen for another deal, but who knows. Pedro says that he is in ?tippy-top shape?. I?m not sure what that means but I guess he has been watching himself over the winter and spring. Just a Mango and an Advil right? Along with the Yankees, the Texas Rangers, Milwaukie Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals also watched him pitch today. I would assume The Rangers would be interested, though they have been rumored to be in on Ben Sheets if he returns healthy sometime in July. Texas is actually competing so it would make sense to bring in another veteran to add some stability to the rotation. Milwaukie makes sense with the struggling rotation, as well as St. Louis. Bothe clubs could easily compete. I still think Pedro will have to go to the National League in order to have any kind of success. I don?t think it will be possible for him to pitch well in the American League anymore.Scott Boras is speaking out on Magglio Ordonez saying there was no compelling reason for the Tigers to bench him. Boras will likely file a grievance saying that the Tigers are only benching him to avoid paying him his 18 million dollar 2010 option which he gets if he gets a certain number of plate appearances.Jim Leyland had his contract extended by the Detroit Tigers organization. Barring a firing or retirement, he will be the manager through 2011. This is good news; Leyland is one of the best managers in the game. He is a very old school, tough manager.Brandon Webb has had a setback and now they are saying he could miss the whole season. Webb made one start this season after being denied a contract extension. It?s a shame; Webb was a great pitcher for a few years, perennial Cy Young candidate. Hopefully he will bounce back next season.

[nyy26 0]

The Yankees benched Alex Rodriguez today. They said it was because of fatigue, but one might think it was due to the fact that Rodriguez is slumping. Then again, his slumping could be due the the fact that he is tired. This is his spring training technically, and technically this would be the end of spring training if it was his spring training. Players usually tiered out toward the end of spring training despite having a bunch off days off, not playing as hard, and not playing as much and as long. Arod has been playing full games, nine straight at one point, and playing in real ballgames. Maybe the couple of days off will refresh him and he will go on one of his hitting surges. The Yankees should be able to survive two games against the Marlins without him. Then again, they couldn't survive three games against the Washington Nationals with him. But what are you going to do?

[nyy26 0]

Victor Martinez said he couldn?t see himself leaving Cleveland and that he wants to retire and Indian. His name has popped up in trade rumors all season because of his great bat from the catcher?s position. The Indians would want a stunning offer to move him and it is very unlikely that they do.Some people are saying that a Roy Halladay trade is more likely to happen during the winter. That would make much sense for the Jays organization because Halladay?s value is higher now and will not be in a contract year until next year. Halladay does not have an exclusive list of teams that he would only except trade to and would not mind pitching in the National league. Could you imagine him in the national league? Could you imagine 9 innings every time out with a sub 1.50 ERA? Because that?s what Halladay would do. He guesses there is a 50% shot that he gets dealt. He said the most important thing for him at this point in his career is winning. Many players are already speaking out in order to campaign for their team to get Halladay.Francisco Rodriguez doesn?t like baseball! The Met?s closer better known as K-Rod said he enjoys the game less than he did growing up but realizes it?s a business. That?s a brilliant thing to say when you just signed a huge deal and your team is hovering in fourth place when you were supposed to make the playoffs.Edwin Jackson isn?t bitter about what went down with him and Tampa Bay when he was there. I?m sure the Rays are kicking themselves for giving up too early because Jackson is having a great season and has some of the best numbers in the league right now.Pedro Martinez will be taking a physical for the Philadelphia Phillies today. He will be pitching out of the bullpen for them if he passes. Good for Pedro for getting back into the game all though he did sort of pull a Roger Clemens by not coming back until half way through the season. The Mets and Met fans would be devastated if Pedro Martinez is what ultimately keeps them out of the playoffs.Mark Buehrle said he would like to wear a Cardinal?s jersey for one day. I?m not sure if you can read much into that. What pitcher wouldn?t wan to a team that will give you great run support every time out? Not to mention it is a great city with great fans.Jay Bruce will miss a few weeks due to an injury. This was supposed to be Bruce?s break out year, formerly dubbed the best hitting prospect in the league, the power numbers were there for Bruce so far this season but the batting average has been very disappointing.The Padres should be shopping Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell, especially Bell who definitely will not draw as big of a package next year. Gonzalez?s value will always be there but they should at least see what he can fetch no while his value is at its peak. The closer he gets to free agency the less people will be willing to pay for him.Manny Acta was fired as manager of the Washington Nationals. I know the team has a terrible record but this move is kind of a head scratcher, I mean, what do you expect? They have the worst players in the league despite a few good ones. There is a small possibility that the Mets might give Acta a call if they decide to fire Jerry Manual during the season.

[nyy26 0]

The Yankees only have 3 World Champion players on their team. Their names are Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera. Those players have something special and I would trust any of them in a big situation over Mark Teixeira or Alex Rodriguez. There?s just something special about them, you know they will come through. Like the other day when the Yankees had the bases loaded and nobody out Jeter and Posada both got on base and up came Mark Teixeira. He had a pretty good at bat but ultimately made out without getting the runner home. Then Alex Rodriguez came up and grounded into a double play. That was a key moment when the Yankees were losing 4-2 in the seventh and could have easily taken the lead after already loosing the series and being on the verge of getting swept. It?s times like those where I would rather take a Jeter, Posada or Youkilis over anybody. Derek Jeter is having one of the best seasons of his career and Jorge Posada is still one of the game?s best catchers at the age of 37 and Mariano Rivera is as great as ever. These three key Yankees are still championship-caliber players in 2009 and I?m not sure anyone else on the team is.The Yankees can win right now with the hitting they have but I?m not sure they have the pitching for it. Joba Chamberlain and Andy Pettitte are way to inconsistent and are not giving the Yankees a chance to win when the head to the hill. Wang is probably a moot point for the rest of the year and Sergio Mitre certainly isn?t the answer.The Yankee bullpen has been over used this season due to the inconsistencies of the pitching staff. They put in 283.1 innings. Only three American league teams have used their pen more often, the Baltimore Orioles, The Oakland Athletics, and the Cleveland Indians. Those are three pretty bad teams with pretty bad pitching. There are two ways to approach this. The Yankees could add another bullpen arm or acquire a good starting pitcher.There are many teams looking to deal a bullpen arm, some closers and some relievers. Brian Cashman seems optimistic about the return of Dimaso Marte, but I am skeptical myself.There are also a bunch of teams that would sell starting pitchers in this type of market, when the young player under control for a while is desirable by smaller market teams.I?ll touch upon different trade options in my next post.

[nyy26 0]

It is very improbable that the Yankees get a deal done for the best pitcher in the league, Mr. Roy ?Doc? Halladay. I am giving it a fifty percent chance that Roy Halladay is dealt at all. I would also give it a one percent chance that he is traded within the division. The last thing that the Toronto Blue Jays would want to do is trade Roy deal Halladay to the Yankees and then have to face the best pitcher in the league a bunch of times a year when they play the Yankees, and you know they will line Halladay up to make sure that he is pitching against Toronto. Trading Halladay within the division, whether it is to the Yankees or the Red Sox wound be a terrible thing for the Blue Jays to do, even if they are getting a boat load of prospects because Roy Halladay is most of the reason why Toronto is starting to get their fan base back and trading him to one of the two teams those fans hate the most would no doubt drive some away, at least for the rest of the 2009 campaign. If Halladay is dealt, it will probably be to a national league team or an American league team on the west coast, someone the Toronto Blue jays won?t see (at least they will be dealing him out of the county no matter where they deal him (get it, because the Blue Jays play in Toronto, which is in Canada, and every other team in the United States)). Ill get back to the Yankees chances after I take a look at the other top suitors.Roy ?Doc? Halladay is a type-A player, meaning that he would fetch the first two draft picks of which ever team signs him for the Blue Jays. Therefore, the Blue Jays would want two type A prospects in return for the best pitcher in the league. The Blue Jays and J.P. Richardi already said that the will go hard after the top two prospects of any team that tries to deal for Halladay. They said he will not be dealt unless they are blown away with a deal. So let?s take a look at where negotiations would start for the teams that are front runners.

[nyy26 0]

St. Louis Cardinals could definitely use Roy “Doc” Halladay tremendously. Besides that, the Blue Jays probably wouldn’t mind dealing him there because the Blue Jays aren’t seeing the St. Louis Cardinals anytime soon and probably wont as long as Roy Halladay is there. (He will be a free agent after next season in which case he will probably be a Yankee). The Cardinals already have Adam Wainwright, who has been tremendous for them this season and especially of late. Wainwright gives the St. Louis Cardinals a chance to win every time he hits the hill and with a great offense behind him, powered by Albert Pujols, I don’t see it just being a fluke. Roy Halladay would thrive with that offense behind him. He’d probably win 25 games next year with an earned run average of under 1.50 if he made the move to the National League. Any deal for Halladay would most likely include the Blue Jays asking for 23 year old major league prospect Colby Rasmus. Rasmus, centerfielder, has been the top prospect in the bird’s system for the past few years and has been pretty successful in the majors this year. The next piece of the puzzle would be third base prospect Brett Wallace and outfielding prospect Daryl Jones. The Blue Jays have already expressed interest in both of those two young prospects. Wallace a better average hitter than Daryl Jones but Jones is the more athletic one and has a boat load of speed. I can’t imagine that the Toronto Blue Jays won’t want a pitching prospect in return, so they might also ask for one of the top two starting pitching prospects in the St. Louis Cardinal’s system. Their names are Jess Todd and Clayton Mortenson. Jess Todd is projected to eventually be a number two starter and Clayton Mortenson is projected to eventually be a number three starter. A deal for Mr. Roy Halladay from the St. Louis Cardinals would probably look something like this: Colby Rasmus plus Brett Wallace or Daryl Jones plus Jess Todd or Clayton Mortenson.I don’t know whether or not the Cardinals will be willing to deal that much young talent but acquiring Roy Halladay would make them instant World Series favorites. Colby Rasmus probably will be a good major league center fielder for years to come and in addition the Sr. Louis Cardinals would have to give up two more pretty good prospects. I think the appeal of what Roy Halladay could do in the National League and a very good chance another World Series title would convince the Cardinals to get a deal done.The Mets are definitely father from making the playoffs than any other team that would go after Roy Halladay however, the addition of Roy Halladay could make them contenders in the National League East if the rest of the team is able to come back healthy enough to give him a couple of runs a game. Also, Roy Halladay is also under contract for one more year, so the Mets will also have him for next year, when presumably the team will be healthy. That would give them a rotation of Roy Halladay and Johan Santana, those are the two best pitchers in baseball. The Toronto Blue Jays want each teams two best prospects in any deal so the Mets would have to start with Fernando Martinez. Fernando Martinez has struggled in the major leagues this year but is still a young prospect with some promise. Not to mention he had a trial by fire when they threw him in there after all of the injuries. The next best hitting prospect in the system is shortstop Wilmer Flores. Those two guys are two pretty good prospects, and I?m not sure the Jays would swap out either for Nick Evans. If the Mets were to give up those two guys I don?t think they would also give Toronto Mike Pelfrey as well. They will probably have to give up at least one pitching prospect. Toronto will likely choose between Mike Pelfrey, Jonathon Niese, Brad Holt, Bobby Parnell and Eddie Kunz. If the Toronto Blue Jays are completely set on trading Roy Halladay this year and do not receive a better offer from anyone else, they might do trade that included Fernando Martinez, Jonathon Niese, and Bobby Parnell. A deal with the Mets would also depend on whether or not the Mets would want to trade hitting prospects or pitching prospects, and whether or not they want to deal Mike Pelfrey.

Edited July 16, 2009 by nyy26 (see edit history)

[nyy26 0]

The Brewers have inquired about the Toronto Blue Jay ace Roy Halladay. Last year the Brewers swung a deal for CC Sabathia. That was an excellent move as Sabathia had a MVP like performance the rest of the season and carried the Brewers into the post season. I do not think that the Brewers will want to offer up more of their top prospects again but the Blue Jays have already said they want the team?s two best prospects. Any deal would have to begin with their two best hitters, Mat Gamel and Brett Lawrie. Most likely, according to Baseball America, Alcides Escobar is their best prospect. Escobar is an average hitter and a great defensive short stop. The Brewers do not have many pitching prospects. They do have 26 year old Manny Parra. He was sent down to the minors after being horrendous this year. He was called back up and had a great start before the all-star break. I do not think that the Blue Jays would consider taking Parra, mostly because they probably don?t consider him a prospect, or a good one for that matter. I do not think that the Brewers will be able to put a deal together that would blow the Blue Jays away. If they did get the deal done it would no doubt include Escobar, Gamel or Lawrie and Salome.

[nyy26 0]

If the Los Angeles Dodgers were to add Roy Halladay their rotation they would have an excellent crop of pitchers and maybe the best rotation in the league. It wouldn?t make any sense for the Dodgers to deal Clayton Kershaw or Chad Billingsley but Toronto?s asking price might start there. The Toronto Blue Jays might ask for Matt Kemp, in which case I would advise the Dodgers to walk away. No way should the Dodgers even consider dealing Matt Kemp. Kemp is a stud and will be a perennial all-star in center field for years to come. The Dodgers have enough pitching prospects in their system to get a deal done with Toronto. With two good outfielders already, one of them a future star (and Manny Ramirez), the Dodgers could trade top prospect out fielding prospect Andrew Lambo. After Lambo there are many pitchers on the farm that the Blue Jays could choose from. The Blue Jays would likely ask for two of those prospects. The players they will have to choose from are James McDonald, Ethan Martin, Josh Lindblom, Scott Elbert, Chris Withrow, and Nathan Eovaldi. There is no doubt that the Dodgers have the prospects to make a deal for Roy Halladay as long as the Blue Jays don?t ask for Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, or Chad Billingsley.

[nyy26 0]

The Angels are another team that has an abundance of starting pitching prospects that they could use to get a trade done for Roy Halladay.Their best prospect would be an outfielder named Peter Bourjos. Bourjos is a stud on defense and I believe that his name would have to be the starting point for the Blue Jays if the Angels were serious about making a deal. Of course after him the Angels would have to add on at least one pitcher, and they have many. The Blue Jays could choose from pitchers Jordan Walden, Trevor Reckling, Sean O?Sullivan, or Kevin Jepsen. The Blue Jays might also like the top catching prospect in the Angels organization, Hank Conger. The Blue Jays could choose to ask the Blue Jays for the 25 year old second basemen Howie Kendrick. Howie Kendrick has batting-title ability but struggled very badly this season. He was swinging at everything and couldn?t hit a breaking ball for his life. He was sent to the minors where he hit well above .300 and appeared to have gotten his stroke back. He was called up and has gotten a hit in all except two games I think, including a three hit game against the Yankees; he has something like a .500 career batting average against the Yankees.I don?t know if the Jays would even consider taking Howie Kendrick, especially with the emergence of Aaron Hill at second base. I?ve always liked Kendrick and like I said, he has batting title up-side, it?s just a matter of whether he can capitalize on his potential. If the Blue Jays would be willing to take Kendrick, the prospect price should drop and a deal might get done.

[nyy26 0]

The Red Sox will definitely try to make a run and swing a deal for Roy Halladay. For the last couple of years we have been hearing about the great Clay Buchholz down in triple a, but it seems he is just gathering dust with the occasional spot start here and there. If the Red Sox are realistic, I think they would deal him in a heartbeat. The Toronto Blue Jays would also ask for top hitting prospect in the Red Sox system, Lars Anderson. Lars Anderson is supposed to be a promising prospect so I?m not sure how willing the Red Sox would be to deal him. And I am certainly not sure if the Red Sox would be willing to deal Clay Bucholz and Lars Anderson and then throw in prospect Michael Bowden. The Red Sox might be willing to throw in a lower level pitching prospect, which would include someone such as Nick Hagadone or Daniel Bard. Roy Halladay would give the Red Sox a huge advantage in any playoff series because they could run out him, Beckett, and Lester not to mention they would be World Series favorites this year and next year.