Hot Stove League

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Posada had no role on the team well before Montero was called up, a year later he has less than no role. His excellent post-season was a fitting farewell, not an indication that a return is in order.

That's what the Yankees told him, but that was before they traded Montero. I hope Jorge does retire, but the Yankees web site http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=nyy has not carried the actual announcement yet, and I'm sure they will when it happens.

[jimsumner]

As a Yankees fan, I think this can be a good trade, if the Yanks address their DH deficiencies. Posada was a rally-killer last season and I very much hope he follows through with his announced plans to retire.

I'm not sure what's left in the free-agent market. Carlos Pena? Johnny Damon? Hmm.

Maybe Nick Johnson is available.

That's a joke, folks.

With Kuroda, the Yankees now have seven starters and lots of guys like Warren and Phelps more-or-less ready to move up from the minors. Sounds like a trade to me. Burnett's contract makes him toxic, so I'm thinking Hughes gets moved.

Maybe they can trade Burnett to Washington for Jayson Werth. You take my contract nightmare, I'll take yours.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

As a Yankees fan, I think this can be a good trade, if the Yanks address their DH deficiencies. Posada was a rally-killer last season and I very much hope he follows through with his announced plans to retire.

I'm not sure what's left in the free-agent market. Carlos Pena? Johnny Damon? Hmm.

Maybe Nick Johnson is available.

That's a joke, folks.

With Kuroda, the Yankees now have seven starters and lots of guys like Warren and Phelps more-or-less ready to move up from the minors. Sounds like a trade to me. Burnett's contract makes him toxic, so I'm thinking Hughes gets moved.

Maybe they can trade Burnett to Washington for Jayson Werth. You take my contract nightmare, I'll take yours.

I sure hope they don't trade Hughes. He's a #1 or 2 starter in a year or two if he's healthy.

[jimsumner]

I sure hope they don't trade Hughes. He's a #1 or 2 starter in a year or two if he's healthy.

Perhaps. But he slumped in the second half of the 2010 season and was awful last season. Is it arm health or does he have fundamental flaws? I've always been a Hughes fan. But maybe it makes sense to trade him now, when he can bring value.

The Yankees have seven starters. They aren't going to move C.C., Pineda or Nova. They just signed Kuroda and Garcia, so I assume they aren't on the market. Burnett might give less value for the money than anyone whose arm is reasonably healthy. Who would want him?

They could move someone to the pen. But, with Chamberlain due back in the spring to join Soriano, Robertson and Rivera, do they really need another right-handed reliever?

A conundrum.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

With Kuroda, the Yankees now have seven starters and lots of guys like Warren and Phelps more-or-less ready to move up from the minors. Sounds like a trade to me. Burnett's contract makes him toxic, so I'm thinking Hughes gets moved.

Maybe they can trade Burnett to Washington for Jayson Werth. You take my contract nightmare, I'll take yours.

This article http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/...s_nyy&c_id=nyy agrees with you on Hughes.

A deal may be more likely for Hughes, 25, who fought through an injury-marred season and was 5-5 with a 5.79 ERA in 17 appearances (14 starts).
But that might be a case of selling low. The Yankees have been pleased by reports that Hughes is working out hard near his California home, following a similar training regimen to the one he used before 2010, when Hughes won 18 games for New York.
It is also possible that the Yankees could consider using Hughes out of the bullpen, where he showed flashes of dominance late in the season and during the ALDS against Detroit.
"We consider him a starter," Girardi said of Hughes earlier this offseason, "but he's got to get back to the form he had in 2010 to continue to stay in our rotation. That's something he'll work very hard at this winter."

[Olympic Fan]

As I posted earlier, I LOVE the Pineda deal and I'm happy that we picked up Kuroda.

As Jim notes, that gives the Yankees seven projected starters -- with several more promising prospects (including Bettances and Banuelos) just about ready for the big time. And I agree with the projections that Hughes is the most logical trade bait in that bunch.

But I would also prefer NOT to trade him. I don't think seven starters is too many. I don't believe that you can have too many. A year ago at this time, everybody was gushing over the depth of the Boston staff ... with injuries and poor performance, they essentially ran out of starters, which led to their collapse. I say let the seven Yankee starters fight it out in spring ... the top five go in the rotation, the two "losers" go in the pen ... not so much to help the pen, but to be available if and when one of the starters falter. I mean Burnett has to be on a very, very short leash. Hughes has to prove he's recaptured his early 2010 form. Nova has to prove he's as good as he looked last year (he was not a premier prospect and the Yankees were surprised that he blew up like he did). Garcia has to prove that he's got another solid year in him. Sabathia is a rock, but how much longer can he go before he breaks down?

I don't want to see the Yankees trade a starter for a DH -- especially since A-Roid (and to a slightly lesser extent Jeter) are at the age where they each need to DH maybe once a week. I know the talk is that the Yankees are talking to Pena, but he stinks -- I don't want him. What about free agent Vlad Guerrero? I know he's 36 years old and is coming off a bad year, but just two years ago he was an all-star and No. 11 in the All-Star vote. What about Wilson Betemit, a former Yankee now a free agent, who is just 29 years old and had an .871 OPS last season at Kansas City? He can also fill for A-Roid at third base. Both would come cheap (Betemit made just $1 million last year).

There are options out there without trading one of our seven starters ... or some top prospects.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

They could move someone to the pen. But, with Chamberlain due back in the spring to join Soriano, Robertson and Rivera, do they really need another right-handed reliever?

A conundrum.

Don't forget about Pedro Feliciano. He's still on their active roster too http://yankees.mlb.com/team/roster_active.jsp?c_id=nyy Anyone heard how his rehab (from his injury) is going?

[Olympic Fan]

Don't forget about Pedro Feliciano. He's still on their active roster too http://yankees.mlb.com/team/roster_active.jsp?c_id=nyy Anyone heard how his rehab (from his injury) is going?

The early buzz is good, but we won't know until he lets rip in spring.

But I think Jim didn't mention him because he was talking about "right-handed arms" (and all the candidates from the starting rotation to go to the pen are right-handed). Feliciano is a lefty and those are in short supply in New York.

[jimsumner]

The early buzz is good, but we won't know until he lets rip in spring.

But I think Jim didn't mention him because he was talking about "right-handed arms" (and all the candidates from the starting rotation to go to the pen are right-handed). Feliciano is a lefty and those are in short supply in New York.

Yep. And add Cory Wade to the righty group. He performed quite well last season.

[JasonEvans]

What about grooming Hughes or someone to take over for the Greatest Reliever of All-Time at some point. Doesn't his arm just fall off at some point. Rivera is freaking 42 years old!

-Jason "but, man, he is still great" Evans

[Blue in the Face]

What about grooming Hughes or someone to take over for the Greatest Reliever of All-Time at some point. Doesn't his arm just fall off at some point. Rivera is freaking 42 years old!

I can't imagine Hughes or any other of the surplus starters supplanting David Robertson as the likely future closer.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I can't imagine Hughes or any other of the surplus starters supplanting David Robertson as the likely future closer.

The Yankees acquired Soriano last year to be Mo's successor. Another candidate, at least 3 years ago, was Joba.

[jimsumner]

The Yankees acquired Soriano last year to be Mo's successor. Another candidate, at least 3 years ago, was Joba.

I thought the Yankees acquired Soriano to be Mo's eighth-inning setup guy.

FWIW, the twitterverse has the Yanks trading Hughes to KC for Billy Butler.

This hasn't been substantiated by grown-ups, however.

[Olympic Fan]

I thought the Yankees acquired Soriano to be Mo's eighth-inning setup guy.

FWIW, the twitterverse has the Yanks trading Hughes to KC for Billy Butler.

This hasn't been substantiated by grown-ups, however.

FWIW, I just watched Peter Gammons talking about this on MLB Network, just a few minutes ago. Said his Yankee sources said that there would not be deal for a DH -- that the team didn't want to lock in a fulltime DH because they want to leave the position open for A-Roid and Jeter. His take was that Nunez is "essentially" the Yankee DH, not that he will DH but that he will play 100-plus games at 3B and SS (plus maybe a few at 2B), while the guy he replaces DHs. Despite his errors last year, the feeling is that Nunez is better defensively at third than A-Roid and better defensively at short than Jeter ... but NOT better defensively at second that Cano (but that Cano migfht occasionally need the "rest" of merely being a DH).

Butler would be a nice addition -- a 25-year-old 1B/DH with some righthanded pop. He would be a big pickup for the 2011 Hughes ... but not nearly worth the 2010 Hughes. That's the gamble you'd be making on both sides.

PS Gammons also pooh-poohed the hot rumor out there that the Yankees are talking to Johnny Damon about a FA deal. He said they are talking to Hideki Matsui and MIGHT sign him to a one-year deal -- but as a lefty PH, occassional DH ... not as a fulltime DH.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I thought the Yankees acquired Soriano to be Mo's eighth-inning setup guy.

Yes, initially. They enticed him with big (closer) bucks to play second fiddle to Mo until he retires, and then to become The Man. Assuming Mo retires before So's contract is up. We'll see how it plays out.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

As for the DH speculation, this article discusses the possibilities
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/...s_nyy&c_id=nyy
It even mentions what I said above about Posada's non-announcement so far.

And they have signed Phil Hughes to a one-year non guaranteed contract, avoiding arbitration.
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/...s_nyy&c_id=nyy

[Blue in the Face]

Victor Martinez likely out for 2012, after tearing his ACL in off-season workouts. Ouch.

[Blue in the Face]

Darvish signs with Texas - 6 yrs, $60 mil.

http://espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/story/...0-million-deal

[Olympic Fan]

Darvish signs with Texas - 6 yrs, $60 mil.

http://espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/story/...0-million-deal

What does this mean for Prince Fielder? Every story I read suggested that if the Rangers didn't reach a deal with Darvish, they'd use the money to sign Fiekler. Now?

On the Darvish deal, keep in mond that now that they've reached agreement, they lose the $61 million rights fee (they would hav gotten that back if he didn't sign). So while it is a 6-year $60 million deal, it's really going to cost them $120 million for six years -- $20 million a year!

That's a LOT of cash.

[Doug.I.Am]

What does this mean for Prince Fielder? Every story I read suggested that if the Rangers didn't reach a deal with Darvish, they'd use the money to sign Fiekler. Now?

On the Darvish deal, keep in mond that now that they've reached agreement, they lose the $61 million rights fee (they would hav gotten that back if he didn't sign). So while it is a 6-year $60 million deal, it's really going to cost them $120 million for six years -- $20 million a year!

That's a LOT of cash.

It certainly is and a heckuva leap of faith for a guy who's never thrown a pitch in the states. From all accounts he'll do well here, but 20 million bucks worth? Not likely. Rangers have the cash now that TV deal in in place. Do I dare say they've become the Yankees of the south?

In regards to Fielder - if they do sign him, they need to keep in mind that Hamilton is a FA after this year. That won't be cheap. I still see him going to the Nationals.