SB Nation User Blog: SenorSwanky

Baseball Musings: Is That a Twisted Sister Pin on Your Uniform?

SenorSwanky — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:57:26 -0000

Baseball Musings: Is That a Twisted Sister Pin on Your Uniform?

I find this story too good to be true, but so awesome, as lame as Twisted Sister is (now, if Cash had come bearing a song set to appeal to Tex's KISS fanaticism, that would be much cooler). From his presser, Tex seems like an awesome guy.

Two Cuban Stars Defect

SenorSwanky — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 02:11:00 -0000

Two Cuban Stars Defect

Ripe for the Yanks' picking?

Thinking About Tex and CF

SenorSwanky — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 06:15:52 -0000

You know what Scott Boras likes more than money, or at least alongside money? Opt-out clauses. There has been no discussion of them when it comes to Mark Teixeira and his potential contract. Boras is reportedly looking for massive AAV over massive years. But wouldn't he love to have the opportunity to sign his player to another fat contract a few years down the line? Think about it: if he's under contract for 8 years, Tex will be 36 when he's up for his final contract. It's harder to find teams willing to sign someone in his late 30s to multiple years, especially not at high AAV and especially not if his production has started to wane (see Jason Giambi, et al). But if he signs for 8 years and can opt out halfway through, Tex will be 32 and can sign another guaranteed 7- or 8-year contract which would likely pay him more for his age 37-40 seasons than would a contract he'd get at age 36. Boras would follow his own A-Rod model.

And wouldn't the Yanks love to have Tex for a few years until we can develop another 1B (this Jorge Vazquez guy sounds like a beast, at least in the Mexican League and winter ball)? Sure, we don't need another bat in the heart of the order, but it would be icing on the cake and insurance against more injuries, decline in our older players, and failures to bounce back from down seasons from a number of our players. And it would add to our roster flexibility; Nick Swisher would move to the bench and back up not only 1B but all three OF positions, probably replacing Melky Cabrera. Plus, if we think we need to use Jorge Posada or Derek Jeter or other players at 1B or DH when Hideki Matsui leaves following this season, we can.

I think the Yankees offering an 8-year, $176-180 million contract ($22-22.5 million AAV) with an opt-out clause after 4 or 5 years would beat out anything else except maybe a crazy Nats club offering $180-200 million over 9 or 10 years. With the opt-out, we may only need to offer $21 million per year to land him, and depending on the AAV and when the opt-out occurs, the Yanks would likely only end up on the hook for $84-112.5 million over 4 or 5 years for an elite player.

On another subject, Mike A. at River Ave. Blues thinks the Yanks ought to take a look at Gabe Kapler as a short-term CF and utility OF until Austin Jackson is ready. I agree. His career average is only .273-.331-.425, but he went .301-.340-.498 last year in 229 at-bats off the bench. Playing full-time, he'd probably be worth his career averages for BA and OBP, but would probably put up at least 15 homers and 70 RBI. He was a useful guy for Boston and the Brewers the past few years, he's only 33, and we could probably pay him $2-3 million per for one or two years, considering he made $800,000 last year and the most he's ever made is $3.425 million. His defense is also superb and has only improved over his career, with FPs at or near 1.000 across all OF positions, including center, the last three seasons he's played. That may also decline just slightly if he played almost every day, but he'd still be great in the field and probably better offensively than either Cabrera or Brett Gardner or the other on-the-cheap free agent for whom I'd previously advocated: Willy Taveras. Unlike Gardner and Taveras, however, Kapler would not steal a lot of bases. He wouldn't even take as many as Mike Cameron, and he may get on base a few less times per PA and drive in a couple fewer runs, and he wouldn't potentially relieve us of Kei Igawa, but he wouldn't strike out nearly as much, he would be a lot cheaper, he would be at least as good if not better defensively, and he wouldn't cost us any prospects.

Considering my newfound advocacy for Teixeira and Kapler, here is my new proposed 2009 Yankees roster:

C - Jorge Posada - $13.1

1B - Mark Teixeira - $22.5

2B - Robinson Cano - $6

3B - Alex Rodriguez - $32

SS - Derek Jeter - $20

LF/CF - Johnny Damon - $13

CF/RF/LF - Gabe Kapler - $2

RF/LF - Xavier Nady - $6

DH/LF - Hideki Matsui - $13

Bench

C - Jose Molina (R) - $1

1B/LF/RF/CF - Nick Swisher (S) - $5.3

1B/2B/3B/LF/RF - Ty Wigginton (R) - $5

1B/2B/3B/SS - Cody Ransom (R) - $0.45

Rotation

C.C. Sabathia - $23

Chien-Ming Wang - $5

A.J. Burnett - $16.5

Andy Pettitte - $10 or Phil Hughes or Ian Kennedy or Alfredo Aceves- $0.4

Joba Chamberlain - $0.4

Bullpen

Mariano Rivera - $15

Damaso Marte - $3.75

Brian Bruney - $1.2

Jose Veras or Jon Albaladejo - $0.4

Edwar Ramirez - $0.4

Phil Coke - $0.4

Alfredo Aceves or other long man - $0.4

Lineup:

Damon, LF (L)

Jeter, SS (R)

Teixeira, 1B (S)

Rodriguez, 3B (R)

Matsui, DH (L)

Nady, RF (R)

Posada, C (S)

Cano, 2B (L)

Kapler, CF (R)

That would bring our total initial 2009 payroll to $206,200,000 or $215,800,000 (depending on if we sign Andy Pettitte or use Phil Hughes or another prospect for the final rotation spot). According to Cot's, the latter would increase our payroll by over $6.7 million over the salaries for our 2008 opening-day 25-man roster--yet another MLB record--but the former would actually still save us almost $3 million. We wouldn't be decreasing payroll in the short-term, but as more contracts come off the books and we continue to work in our prospects, we will.

What do you all think of my proposal for adding Tex and Kapler (and, per my previous post, Ty Wigginton) and the construction of my roster and lineup? Would adding an opt-out clause make it more likely we land Tex? Would it still be wise to do, both for 2009 and in the long term? Is Kapler the kind of guy we need, or should we still trade for Cameron, or should we stick with Cabrera or Gardner? Or should we be loony and sign Manny Ramirez and stick Johnny Damon in center?

Non-tendered Players--New Free Agents--and My 2009 Yankees

SenorSwanky — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 04:55:33 -0000

Two interesting names who could be valuable to the Yankees in 2009 were not offered contracts by their teams today and are now free agents: Ty Wigginton and Willy Taveras. Taveras is a 28-year-old speedy CF who steals a ton of bases, hits for a solid average, and is at least as strong a defender as Melky Cabrera and Mike Cameron. Wigginton is a power-hitting utility IF/OF who is coveted by several teams to be a starter but who was an underrated utility guy for the Rays before they traded him to the Astros straight-up for Dan Wheeler.

Though he wouldn't know a homer if it hit him in the forehead, I'd rather sign Taveras for two or three years at $2 million per and keep Cabrera around than trade him for a low-BA 35-year-old who we'd have to pay about $10 million for one year--that is, unless getting Cameron means we get rid of Igawa, which seems unlikely, based on reports. (Those who worry signing a longer-term CF would block Austin Jackson's emergence should remember that Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, and Xavier Nady are in contract years, so AJax will have plenty of places to play. The fact that those players will be playing for their next contract with another team (therefore increasing their usual run production) also means people who want a lineup with nine big boppers that includes Mark Teixeira are idiots. Molina also is in a contract year.)

There were rumors we were in talks for Wigginton before the '07 trade deadline. We would have sent the Rays Scott Proctor, but they wisely refused, so we were stuck with Wilson Betemit. I was clamoring for Wigginton then, and I'd rather sign him now than Rich Aurilia or Nomar Garciaparra (two options I mentioned in my "Utitily Infielder, Bench" post) because he is several years younger and has more pop in his bat. The only downside to Wigginton is that we'd still need to use Cody Ransom to back up short because Wigginton hasn't played a single inning there in his entire career. But we can afford to have three utility guys on the bench (Wigginton, Ransom, Cabrera) in addition to Jose Molina.

Thus, here's my ideal 2009 Yankee roster, considering the already-made moves. I would prefer Derek Lowe to Burnett or Pettitte or Ben Sheets, but we're not going to change history or block a rotation slot for Phil Hughes or Ian Kennedy for the next three or four years, so it's either Pettitte for $10 million or Sheets for $30 million over two years. Next to each player is his 2009 salary (or my best guess for those who are arbitration-eligible or for those who have not signed with the Yankees).

C - Jorge Posada - $13.1

1B/LF/RF/CF - Nick Swisher - $5.3

2B - Robinson Cano - $6

3B - Alex Rodriguez - $32

SS - Derek Jeter - $20

LF/CF - Johnny Damon - $13

CF - Willy Taveras - $2

RF/LF - Xavier Nady - $6

DH/LF - Hideki Matsui - $13

Bench

C - Jose Molina (R) - $1

1B/2B/3B/LF/RF - Ty Wigginton (R) - $5

1B/2B/3B/SS - Cody Ransom (R) - $0.45

CF/RF/LF - Melky Cabrera (S) - $0.465

Rotation

C.C. Sabathia - $23

Chien-Ming Wang - $5

A.J. Burnett - $16.5

Andy Pettitte - $10 or Ben Sheets - $15

Joba Chamberlain - $0.4

Bullpen

Mariano Rivera - $15

Damaso Marte - $4

Brian Bruney - $1.2

Jose Veras - $0.4

Edwar Ramirez - ? (assume $0.3)

Phil Coke - ? (assume $0.3)

Alfredo Aceves - ? (assume $0.3)

That comes to a total payroll of $193,715,000 (or $198,715,000 if we sign Sheets instead of Pettitte)--no less than 2008, even though we apparently were planning to save some money. If we sign Teixeira and move Swisher to the bench (replacing Cabrera), we'd owe our major-league team a record $213,250,000 (or $218,250,000). Not gonna happen, as much as we'd all love to have him in our lineup. Plus, we need to keep 1B relatively open for Jeter or Posada or both in a few years. Swisher is only under contract through 2011, and he can be moved to the OF (Jeter could also move there instead of 1B).

Now here's a proposed starting lineup, along with their batting arm and their three-year averages (BA-OBP-SLG-HR-RBI-SB):

Damon, LF (L) - .286-.362-.448-17-71-27

Jeter, SS (R) - .322-.390-.448-12-79-20

Matsui, DH (L) - .297-.372-.469-26-109-3 (note: averages do not include injury-shortened 2006 and 2008 seasons)

Rodriguez, 3B (R) - .302-.403-.581-41-126-19

Posada, C (S) - .293-.396-.503-21-85-2 (note: averages do not include injury-shortened 2008 season)

Nady, RF (R) - .289-.343-.481-20-77-2

Cano, 2B (L) - .304-.340-.471-16-82-3

Swisher, 1B (S) - .246-.363-.454-27-80-2

Taveras, CF (R) - .280-.333-.336-1-26-44

Thoughts on Wigginton, Taveras, or my proposed roster or lineup?

Utility Infielder, Bench

SenorSwanky — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:48:10 -0000

We need a utility infielder (or two, if Cody Ransom doesn't cut it). Reports have us pursuing Nick Punto, which wouldn't be terrible. But what about Rich Aurilia or Jerry Hairston, Jr., or Nomar Garciaparra? Or two of them, even? I'd also be interested in Ty Wigginton, but we don't seem to match up with the Astros' needs.

Now with the possible Cameron trade, we'll need a bench player who can reliably play the outfield. Would we use Brett Gardner or Justin Christian for some speed and defense, or would we try to find another free agent who can play the outfield as well as the infield? Hairston would fit that bill.

Trade for a Pitcher?

SenorSwanky — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:26:33 -0000

It's looking like it will be difficult to sign two top-tier free-agent pitchers this offseason. Could we trade for one instead? We're often mentioned in the Jake Peavy talks, but who else may be available?

The Reds are looking for an outfielder and are reportedly in talks for Jermaine Dye. What would it take to get Edinson Volquez or Aaron Harang? Xavier Nady and a pitching prospect?

The Giants are looking for all sorts of pieces. I imagine Tim Lincecum is off-limits, but Matt Cain is possibly on the table.

Edwin Jackson or Andy Sonnanstine may be available to make room for David Price, but would the Rays trade in-division? Not likely. They need a DH and a RF, so we could supply Nady or Matsui.

The Angels' rotation is going to be overcrowded if they sign Sabathia, and it's already bordering on packed. They likely would make Jered Weaver available rather than Kelvim Escobar or Ervin Santana, and we don't want him. His ERA has increased significantly every year he's been in the majors.

What about the A's and Justin Duchscherer? Seems Billy Beane's always dumping tons of young talent every offseason, but this year, trading for Matt Holliday and gunning hard for Rafael Furcal, they may be serious about actually contending for a change.

The Rangers are reportedly shopping Vicente Padilla, who started off hot as a pistol this season before really turning into a bum. This will be a contract year for him, and he's only 31, so getting him for one year and about $11 mil may not be a terrible option, if push comes to shove.

I'd love to have the Marlins' Ricky Nolasco. They could probably use an outfielder.

Looks like, God knows why, the Astros are buying pitchers, not selling. Roy Oswalt and, to a far lesser extent, Wandy Rodriguez would be welcome additions to the rotation.

Anyone else I'm missing?

Hawkins Gone Too

SenorSwanky — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 01:16:54 -0000

Pete Abe says it all.

It's nice to lose the two weakest links in a strong bullpen in one day. I don't know that Cusick will ever amount to anything, but it's just nice to get Hawkins off the roster and the payroll to make room for better, cheaper players like Bruney, Britton, Melancon, and Aceves. I think Bruney and Britton warrant immediate call-ups, and Melancon and Aceves need a little more time in AAA. They may just have to prove themselves in spring training next year if our pen stays as strong as it has been.

"The Yankees also improved to an AL-best 41-1 when leading after six innings." That tells you...

SenorSwanky — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 05:47:41 -0000

"The Yankees also improved to an AL-best 41-1 when leading after six innings."

That tells you we've got a fantastic pen.

The AP on today's game

Stat of the night thanks to Cody from Iona: The catchers (Molina, Moeller, Stuart) and third...

SenorSwanky — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:54:48 -0000

Stat of the night thanks to Cody from Iona: The catchers (Molina, Moeller, Stuart) and third basemen (Ensberg, Gonzalez and Betemit) are 17 of 92 (.185) with 5 RBI since Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada went out with their injuries.

I know the rest of the offense (sans Matsui) is underperforming too, but I have a feeling we'd expect way more than .185 with 5 RBI and no homers from even one of Posada and A-Rod.

Pete Abe

Xavier Nady

SenorSwanky — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:49:09 -0000

Nady can play 1B and is better defensively in RF than is Abreu. He's also on a hotter offensive tear than either Abreu or Giambi (though Abreu has still been one of our better hitters so far this season). There are often rumors he could be traded to a contender. Should it be our Yankees?

And to fill up the stupid length requirement, I will just type another sentence that is nineteen words long.

Poll

Trade for Nady in 2008?

Yes, absolutely

2 votes

No, never

11 votes

Maybe--if Giambi is still slumping through the All-Star break and we don't have to give up too much for Nady

10 votes

23 votes | Poll has closed