Random Yankees thoughts: spring training edition

There can be only one Evil Empire.

I know the nickname was meant to insult the New York Yankees, but I have always loved it and many Yankee fans and the organization itself have embraced it. Now, even the law recognizes that the Yankees are in fact the Evil Empire and are entitled to legal protection for the nickname. I guess we should thank Boston Red Sox President Larry Lucchino for pinning the moniker on the Yankees (and for the profits that came with it).

·         I love Lady Gaga’s music although I’m not always crazy about her antics. Still, I was looking forward to going to her concert at the Barclays Center (my first time checking out the new arena) with my sister. Unfortunately, Gaga’s hip injury and subsequent surgery put the kibosh on those plans. Never to fear because Alex Rodriguez is on the case. The Yankees third baseman reportedly spoke to Gaga (an archenemy of ARod’s supposed one-time paramour Madonna) to reassure her about the procedure. I’m hoping Gaga makes a quick recovery and can resume her tour in 2013. But the best things come to those who wait. I attended a U2 concert almost exactly a year after it was first scheduled due to Bono’s back injury and it was definitely worth the wait.  

·         So a Core Four reunion is not in the cards. Jorge Posada has vowed that he will not pull an Andy Pettitte and un-retire after a year away from baseball. Not even the pull of another spring training with his best pal Derek Jeter could lure him away from the happy home life he is enjoying. If Posada was still capable of playing at his level, he would have a real shot at his old job with the Yankees, who will likely be desperate for offense and don’t really have a #1 catcher now that Russell Martin has joined AJ Burnett in Pittsburgh.   

 ·         I’m generally in favor of the planned switch of outfield positions for Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner as Gardy has more speed and is clearly the better fielder. I do worry that Granderson, in having to learn how to play a notoriously difficult left field at Yankee Stadium, will let any defensive challenges affect him at the plate, where he will be counted on to produce for the often offensively challenged Yankees. However, Mike Cameron raised a potential safety issue in making the switch, with Granderson having to relinquish his take-charge mentality in the outfield to avoid a collision similar to the one Cameron experienced with New York Mets teammate Carlos Beltran. I distinctly remember that terrifying accident and pray nothing even remotely close to it happens to Granderson and Gardner.  

Jeter’s recovery top baseball story for Yankees

Put aside the salacious revelations of the potential connections of Alex Rodriguez and Francisco Cervelli to a Miami clinic suspected of dispensing performance-enhancing drugs. Never mind the feud and subsequent burying of the hatchet between Joba Chamberlain and his new teammate Kevin Youkilis. The most important baseball story so far this spring training by far for the New York Yankees has been the recovery of Derek Jeter.

I can understand why the media is obsessing with the Yankee Captain’s every move on the field. With ARod down for at least half a season, Nick Swisher playing the outfield for the Cleveland Indians and Russell Martin catching his old pal AJ Burnett in Pittsburgh, the Yankees are going to have to squeeze offense out of every position. The Yankees will desperately need Jeter to have a season like he had last year before getting hurt, the kind of season in which he carries the team with his clutch hitting and defense while his teammates struggle mightily, which will no doubt happen again this year. Jeter has to be healthy and he has to be Derek Jeter or the Yankees don’t have a chance in 2013.

But I really worry about his health. I hope Derek learned a valuable lesson about not pushing himself too hard. He admitted he played the last two months of the 2012 regular season and into the playoffs on an injured ankle even though he probably shouldn’t have. Jeter is, in a sense, a hostage to his own toughness because he firmly believes that if a baseball player can walk, he should be out on the field. I’ve long admired his ability to ignore pain and man the shortstop position every day, but I think it leads to too many situations where he plays baseball when he shouldn’t. It finally cost him last October.

Jeter’s rehabilitation has gotten even more attention than Mariano Rivera’s comeback, perhaps because Mo’s injury happened way back in May of last year while the image of Jeter writhing on the ground in unbearable pain is fresh in our minds. Whatever the reason, no one on the Yankees is being watched more closely than Derek Jeter.

Gaping hole at catcher for Yankees with Martin exit

I didn’t see this one coming.
 
In a surprising development, Russell Martin has decided to leave the New York Yankees for the Pittsburgh Pirates after the Yankees told him they could not afford to meet his contractual demands. Of all the notable Yankee free agents this offseason, Martin was probably the last one most people thought would leave New York.

In free agency, a player getting a lucrative offer from another team is always a possibility. But with their resources, the Yankees do not usually get outbid so this is a major surprise. There can now be no doubt that the Yankees are dead serious about coming in below that $189 million payroll threshold, given their unwillingness to match the two-year $17 million deal offered to Martin by the Pirates.

I never wrote much about Russell Martin on this blog, just a few mentions of praise here and there, namely with regard to his selfless decision to step aside and let a young Matt Wieters play in the 2011 All-Star game and about how his plunking helped bring the Yankees closer to together that year. Martin is one of those baseball players who is a steady presence behind the plate, beloved by his pitchers, but usually does his best work with little fanfare. The Yankees are going to miss him, even if he did struggle offensively through the first half of 2012, as their best catching prospects are still years away from the big leagues.  

 
At least Martin will have a familiar face to catch in Pittsburgh. AJ Burnett is with the Pirates and will probably welcome his former Yankee teammate with open arms.

Godspeed Russell!

Yankees absence from World Series depressing

The World Series will start tonight without the New York Yankees, which is pretty depressing.

I will watch some of the World Series and root for the San Francisco Giants to win it all, but I do not harbor much ill will toward the Detroit Tigers. It was not their fault that the Yankee hitters decided to sleep walk through the postseason. I like Detroit’s chances with Justin Verlander leading their rotation and their sluggers Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. But I can’t help but wonder if they are really that good of a team or if the ALCS sweep was mostly the result of the Yankees stinking up the joints in the Bronx and Motown.

So instead of preparing to represent the American League in baseball’s final showdown, manager Joe Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman were busy the last few days sharing their thoughts on the state of the Yankees and their season with the media. We didn’t get much in the way of insight, but I suspect there will be some major changes this offseason.

However, despite how badly I and other Yankee fans want to get rid of Alex Rodriguez, I have serious doubts that Cashman can pull off a trade, even if ARod changes his mind about playing in New York, which he should. ARod is a small fraction of the player that he was once and other baseball officials would have to be blind to have missed that. I really believe that the only way the Yankees will be able to trade ARod is if they agree to pay all but a few million dollars a year on his remaining contract, which means that deal will continue to strangle the Yankees for years to come, even if ARod experiences an AJ Burnett-like resurgence somewhere else.  

But Cashman and Girardi will have plenty of time to ponder how to make things work with ARod at third base next year while they watch the Tigers battle for the World Series championship they could have had with a little more effort from the offense. Completely depressing, indeed.  

Joe Girardi shows some fire

I’ve never seen Joe Girardi as angry as he was yesterday. It was truly awesome.

If you haven’t seen Girardi’s post-game interview, I insist that you immediately stop reading this blog and check out this link to the YES Network website. Not only did the New York Yankees manager rip third-base umpire Tim Welke a new one on the field, he continued his verbal assault in an epic tirade after the game.

We normally don’t see the Yankees manager that worked up, unless he is fighting with a reporter who dares to question him, particularly when it comes to AJ Burnett (come to think of it, with Burnett gone, I can’t remember seeing Girardi fight with any reporters). I know Girardi was still angry about Welke’s stubbornness, but I couldn’t help cracking up as he took shot after shot at him.

But Girardi’s central point is a fair one: that the umpire made a mistake that could have easily cost the Yankees the game, especially with the rain that may have forced an early end. After admitting that he initially called a fair ball foul, Welke should have been more understanding of Girardi’s argument that the runner should be sent back to third base rather than letting the go-ahead run score (he then made the situation worse by refusing to let the Yankees manager protest the game). That’s clearly why Girardi was so angry. With the Yankees struggling in recent weeks, it was an important game for them to win.

Girardi’s outburst on the field may have awakened his slumbering ballclub. Mark Teixeira and Eric Chavez hit back-to-back home runs that gave the Yankees a lead that they did not relinquish. You can’t say for sure those homers were related to Girardi’s angry display, but it can only help motivate baseball players who know that their manager completely has their back.

Girardi is clearly going to pay for his post-game tirade, but I’m sure he couldn’t care less about the fine coming his way. I can only hope his fire is contagious and sparks a Yankee winning streak. 

Happiness for AJ Burnett

There were a lot of feel-good stories in the first half of the 2012 baseball season. But for me, AJ Burnett pitching so well for the first-place Pittsburgh Pirates is one of the best ones.

Sure, most of the talk around baseball this year has revolved around exciting young players such as Mike Trout, Bryce Harper and Giancarlo Stanton, deservedly so. But after struggling during most of his three-year tenure with the New York Yankees, I’m very happy that Burnett finally found a place where he belongs, one where he is not weighed down by our often unrealistic expectations.

To be fair, Burnett did not live up to the hype of his $82.5 million contract, given to him in large part because of his dominant performances over the Yankees and the Red Sox while in a Toronto Blue Jays uniform. But that massive contract often overshadowed the fact that AJ came through with some big-game performances for the Yankees, including a crucial Game 2 win in the 2009 World Series and a clutch division series victory last year against the Detroit Tigers.

Perhaps AJ simply belongs in a place like Toronto or Pittsburgh with a more supportive fan base rather than under the never-ending New York media glare. He’s already won 10 games this year (his Yankee protégé Ivan Nova leads the Yankees with 10 victories at the break) to help the Pirates take first place in their division and I’ll be rooting for him to continue with his solid pitching in the second half of the year.

I’m glad AJ found himself again. Perhaps we’ll see him back on the Yankee Stadium mound in October, pitching against the Yankees for the National League champion Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series. Wouldn’t that be something? 

Hughes no longer in danger of becoming AJ Burnett

I was beginning to worry that Phil Hughes was becoming the new AJ Burnett for some New York Yankees fans looking for someone to boo and blame for the Bronx Bombers’ mediocre start. But Hughes put those concerns to rest with his gem of a start yesterday.  

With Andy Pettitte coming back to the Yankees today, it was extremely important for Hughes to remind the fans and quite frankly the organization about why they have so much invested in him as a starter. Hughes was on the verge of being shifted to the bullpen, sentenced to a baseball life as a middle reliever, as Joba Chamberlain has been despite his stunning debut in the American League in 2007. But his starting job now seems safe as Hughes delivered by far his best performance of the baseball season. Yes, it was against the Seattle Mariners, but he has been improving with each start and is headed in the right direction.

Hughes claimed he didn’t have his best stuff, but he spotted the baseball beautifully and took full advantage of an improved defense behind him (no longer having to worry about Eduardo Nunez making errors that blow up innings for him as the young shortstop was sent to the minor leagues to work on his defense). Hughes was so efficient that the Yankees finished off the Mariners in about 2 ½ hours. The main improvement has been in Hughes’ attitude, with his newfound aggressiveness leading to more success, which in turn breeds confidence.

Yankee fans don’t have Burnett to kick around anymore so I was worried they were starting to turn their negative attention on to Hughes, a kid who has shown flashes of promise, but has struggled to sustain it. But it looks like he is in the clear again when it comes to restless Yankee fans. All Hughes has to do is keep pitching well and he will hear his name being chanted instead of being booed. 

Sympathy for AJ Burnett

I feel terrible for AJ Burnett, who is going to miss the next 2-3 months following surgery to repair a broken orbital bone.

It’s a real shame that such a freak injury happened right when things were finally starting to look up for the embattled right-hander. After three inconsistent years, Burnett was finally free of the expectations and pressure of playing in New York following his trade from the New York Yankees to the Pittsburgh Pirates. I was rooting for him to do well in his new baseball home, which could still happen after he returns from his injury (thankfully having nothing to do with his rather durable right arm). But it has to be deflating to be sidelined so quickly after joining a new team.

I do not, however, want to see Burnett’s injury being used as an excuse to expand the designated hitter to the National League. I am in favor of American League teams using the DH in NL parks during interleague games only to avoid injuries such as the one that ruined Chien-Ming Wang’s career with the Yankees. But eventually I want to see the DH job phased out completely, after giving the AL teams some time to teach their pitchers proper hitting techniques, including, apparently, bunting.

Wang, viewed as a potential ace with the Yankees for a time, has yet to completely recover from that devastating injury. I wish a better fate for Burnett.

Get well soon, AJ. 

Yankees baseball is back

There’s nothing like the first day of reporting for pitchers and catchers to get people excited about baseball again.

For me, most of March will be spent tracking Syracuse University’s (hopefully long) journey through the Big East and NCAA tournaments toward another national title. But I will make some time for spring training baseball. I was excited to see the YES Network announcement of the first broadcast of a New York Yankees spring training game on March 4. Sure, most of the Yankees regulars probably won’t even play and those that do will only play for a few innings at the most. But it will be fun seeing the Yankees take the field again after their disappointingly quick exit from the playoffs last year.

And the start of spring training will once again lead to a rash of last-minute activity. Brian Cashman finally managed to trade away AJ Burnett, but he will still have some decisions to make about the roster, namely filling out the bench roles. It’s looking less and less likely that Johnny Damon will return to pinstripes (which I had doubts about due to his desire to chase 3,000 hits), but Eric Chavez seems happy to reclaim his supporting role with the Yankees.

The Yankees have plenty of decisions to make heading into the 2012 baseball season. Who will be the odd man out of the starting rotation? Who will be the back-up catcher for Russell Martin? Do they hire a designated hitter with the money they saved from trading Burnett or do they leave the job open for the aging Yankee infielders? The answers will probably come slowly over the next few weeks, but they will make spring training interesting to watch. 

Best wishes for AJ Burnett

Even though I was too often frustrated by AJ Burnett, I’m truly hoping for him to find success in his new baseball home.

Brian Cashman finally succeeded in trading Burnett to another team willing to take a chance on him. 

After three years of inconsistency, with flashes of the talent that led the New York Yankees to give him that humongous contract mixed in, the Yankees finally admitted what the rest of the baseball world probably already knew: that Burnett was never going to become the pitcher they thought he could be, at least not in New York.

I think Cashman deserves huge kudos for this trade, even though he is only getting marginal prospects in return. I’m actually surprised he persuaded the small-market Pirates to pay $13 million of the remaining $33 million for Burnett’s services, given his struggles in New York and the Yankees’ apparent desperation to move him. But just because Burnett could not succeed in the Big Apple does not mean he cannot do well in Pittsburgh. On the contrary, I think this trade could actually be great for him in a lot of ways, including eliminating the glare of the New York spotlight and leaving the tough American League East for the National League.

No matter his struggles, I never rooted against Burnett. I really did want AJ to succeed in New York, mainly because I always felt the Yankees would be a much better team if he ever could figure things out on the mound. And Burnett, despite his tantrums at times, seems to be a good guy, well-liked by his teammates and coaches and a mentor to young Ivan Nova. Perhaps Burnett could slide into a role as a wise elder in Pittsburgh, a role that will give him purpose and the strength to become a better pitcher.  

AJ, I wish you nothing but the best. 

Phil Hughes determined to rebound in 2012

Phil Hughes has always been his own worst critic so it was not surprising to hear him describe his 2011 baseball season as a wasted year. But I’m glad to hear that he is doing everything he can to avoid a repeat in 2012.

The New York media has pronounced Hughes to be fit as a fiddle, which is saying a lot as the writers hammered him for being out of shape last spring. Hughes’ reshaped physique is a manifestation of his determination to avoid a repeat of his bad 2011 campaign (again his word, not mine). I thought his bad luck with injuries was the main cause of his struggles, but Hughes is not taking any chances, working his body hard to make sure he is ready to fight for his job when pitchers and catchers report on Sunday.

Hughes must be feeling tremendous pressure, even with the possibility of an AJ Burnett trade that could help clear a path for him to a rotation spot. The New York Yankees sure aren’t putting potential stud Michael Pineda in the bullpen and Ivan Nova performed well in that #2 spot after CC Sabathia. With veterans Hideki Kuroda and Freddy Garcia in the mix, Hughes will have to demonstrate that he can re-claim the stuff and mental toughness that made him an All-Star in 2010. The young right-hander has already proven that he can be successful in the bullpen so any misstep in spring training will send him back there rather quickly.

So Hughes is using his “wasted” 2011 campaign as motivation to bounce back and once again become the star pitcher he has shown us he can be. I’m looking forward to watching the comeback. 

Can the Yankees really pull off AJ Burnett trade?

Can the New York Yankees really convince another baseball team to take AJ Burnett off their hands?

Brian Cashman has pulled off a number of stunning moves in his tenure as Yankees general manager. But it would be completely shocking to see him somehow sell one of his GM counterparts on the merits of Mr. Erratic.

To a certain extent, I can understand why another team would be interested in Burnett. He has undeniable talent and has pitched some very solid games in big situations for the Yankees. Burnett helped stave off elimination for the Yankees in the 2011 divisional series, even though it was only for one game. And truthfully, I think Burnett could do well in a place like Pittsburgh with extremely low expectations, a lot of young talent and a lack of media glare.

But if I were running another team, I would wonder why Burnett has not been able to harness all his talent into a winning record, even with the mighty Yankees lineup backing him up and relatively low expectations in 2010 and 2011. I would question whether Burnett’s psyche is simply too fragile to ever live up to his potential, even though the Yankees, and Cashman and manager Joe Girardi in particular, have gone out of their way to protect him.

The Yankees are probably going to have to pay almost all of Burnett’s remaining salary over the final two years of his contract, which even in this age of austerity they would happily do in exchange for a good, young prospect. But if I’m the Pittsburgh Pirates, or any other baseball team for that matter, I probably smellblood in the water with the Yankees desperate to move Burnett before the start of the 2012 season. If they wait long enough, they might even get the Yankees to give Burnett away for practically nothing.  

Cashman protecting or pitching Burnett?

Is Brian Cashman back to protecting AJ Burnett or is he trying to drum up interest in his erratic right-hander?

The general manager of the New York Yankees was ostensibly trying to give the embattled Burnett a vote of confidence at a recent event. But his use of the word comfortable several times in his comments has me thinking Cashman is actually less than comfortable with the fact that he will probably go into spring training with Burnett still on the Yankees roster.

I suspect Cashman’s positive comments about Burnett’s talent, effort and accountability are actually designed to try to drum up interest in AJ. I think the Yankees have finally come to the realization that Burnett will not have the success they envisioned for him in New York and are trying to move him, even if they have to swallow the vast majority of his salary.

Could I be reading too much into Cashman’s comments? Absolutely. Plus, I wasn’t there to get a feel for the tone and context of his words. It’s entirely possible that Cashman truly meant it when he said he will have AJ’s back, as long as the frustrated Burnett does not give up on himself.

But I can’t help but think that there has been too much damage done to Burnett’s psyche and reputation for him to remain in New York much longer. Plus, I don’t think his relationships with Cashman or manager Joe Girardi is particularly good these days, as they both have taken some of their harshest hits for defending Burnett, something they must be sick of by now.

Of course, if the Yankees are stuck with Burnett, they will put the most positive spin on it that they can come spring training. But I think Cashman is doing his best to spur even the slightest interest from other baseball teams so that someone else can become Burnett’s defender. 

Yankees should not give up Phil Hughes

Why are people so intent on trading Phil Hughes all of a sudden?

Ever since the New York Yankees traded Jesus Montero for Michael Pineda, speculation has run rampant that the Yankees will send Hughes away in exchange for a serviceable designated hitter. Putting aside the fact that the Yankees don’t really need a DH with all of their aging stars, I would hope Brian Cashman is not ready to trade away the talented youngster, even after his disappointing, injury-plagued 2011 campaign.

In a perfect world, the Yankees would find a way to trade AJ Burnett, but that’s not going to happen. However, I think trading Hughes would be a big mistake. He has shown us what he is capable of doing when he is healthy, with an All-Star campaign in 2010. I also think most of his problems last year were caused by his health issues. If he comes into camp in good shape, which he has fully committed to, I expect to see the 2010 version of Hughes and you do not trade a guy like that.

Plus, there is the old adage: you can never have too much pitching. I think that applies to the Yankees current scenario, as it has in the past. Not that I would ever root for a pitcher to go down with an injury, but the Yankees have to be prepared for the possibility that someone could get hurt. Rather than being forced to pay exorbitant prices on the trade market mid-season if that happens, the Yankees could tap into their starting pitching surplus. Hughes, if he does not win a starting job in spring training, could come in from the bullpen to fill any injury voids.

But the main reason I do not want the Yankees to trade him is because we have all seen his promise. I haven't given up on Phil Hughes. I hope the Yankees don't either. 

Hughes, Burnett the odd men out for Yankees?

The New York Yankees all of a sudden have a crowded starting rotation heading into spring training after reportedly signing Hiroki Kuroda and trading for Michael Pineda. So who are the odd men out? Most likely it will be either AJ Burnett or Phil Hughes, or perhaps both of them.

Hughes just got some good news, as his agents and the Yankees reached agreement on a one-year, $3.25 million contract with performance bonuses and avoided arbitration for the second straight year. I’m glad that Hughes and the Yankees were able to reach a deal because of the contentious nature of these arbitration hearings. Hughes would not have had as strong a case for a raise this year as he struggled with injuries and was unable to replicate his 2010 All-Star campaign. With Hughes rededicating himself to going into spring training in tip top shape, I fully expect him to have a bounce-back year.

But even if Hughes struggles in spring training, I don’t think the Yankees are ready to trade him, despite the rumors in the blogosphere. For one, he is coming off a rough year so his value is not as high as it was a few years ago when he was a key prospect that Brian Cashman simply refused to part with for Johan Santana. Secondly, the Yankees know that Hughes can be successful in the bullpen and could ultimately decide that is the best spot for him, as they eventually did with Joba Chamberlain.

Burnett is another issue entirely. He has worn out his welcome with Yankee fans, and possibly even people within the Yankees organization, as evidenced by the Yankees reported willingness to trade him. Since the Yankees would have to pick up a huge chunk of his remaining salary over the next two years to make it happen, I still think the odds of a trade are miniscule. But I think the Yankees are almost out of patience with Burnett so his large contract is not going to protect him for much longer. Burnett has already been demoted to the bullpen in the playoffs and I could easily see the Yankees shifting him to the pen if he struggles in the regular season.

It’s possible this overcrowding situation will be resolved by injury although I would hate to see anyone lose a job because they got hurt. More likely, Hughes and Burnett will have to step up to keep their jobs. I believe Hughes can do that, but seriously doubt we will ever see Burnett consistently harness his ridiculous talent to become the #2 starter the Yankees paid for. 

Bobby V is the gift that keeps on giving

Well, that didn't take long.

Bobby Valentine wasted no time ratcheting up the Rivalry between his Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Not even a week after being introduced as the new Saux manager, he proclaimed his hatred for the Yankees and stated that he did not want to waste valuable time talking about them. Bobby V’s comments were a bit tongue-in-cheek. But they showed that he understands perfectly that part of his new job is to give the Yankees fits whenever humanly possible, a task at which I have no doubt Bobby V will be tremendously successful.

Joe Girardi didn’t take the bait. He talked about how managers are different and how only time will tell how things work out for Bobby V. Apparently, Girardi reserves his anger for members of the media after bad losses or probing questions about AJ Burnett. I’d like to see the Yankees manager show some of that fire against Bobby V, but it’s simply not Girardi’s style. It’s definitely Bobby V’s style.

In the grand scheme of things, Valentine’s words do not really mean much, just him playing his new role to perfection. But it promises some fun times to come. Just in time for the holidays, Bobby V is the gift that keeps on giving to the best Rivalry in baseball.

Thanks to the US Consulate General - Osaka for the Bobby V photo.

Yankees stuck with AJ Burnett

For me, the New York Post “exclusive” about the New York Yankees shopping AJ Burnett falls under the category “Duh!”

Of course, the Yankees are making Burnett available. Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi have been talking up Burnett’s good qualities such as his relatively good health and innings pitched and some solid postseason starts. They would never acknowledge it publicly, but I think they are just as tired of his inconsistency as Yankee fans are.

But Yankee fans should not get their hopes up about a possible trade. I think even Cashman would privately admit that trading Burnett is a pipe dream, even though the possibility of a trade has obviously been on his mind for quite some time.

The Yankees would have to offer a hell of a lot more than $8 million of the $33 million left on his contract to get some other team to take Burnett off their hands. Except for the Miami Marlins, this is the start of an age of austerity for many baseball teams, including the Yankees. No team is going to agree to take on the erratic Burnett and $25 million, even if they think they can do a better job of harnessing his talent than the Yankees have done.

But Burnett could prosper in a different, less-pressurized environment. Compared to New York, the glare of the spotlight would be a lot dimmer in any baseball town, other than Boston of course. In that context, a team could decide to take a risk on Burnett. But I highly doubt any team will. Unless the Marlins want to use some of their newfound wealth to bring Burnett home.

Solid move by Yankees to re-sign Garcia

Get ready for more Freddy!

The New York Yankees made a solid move by re-signing Freddy Garcia, who more than earned his pay bump after helping to keep the Yankees rotation together in the 2011 regular season. Garcia should have been the #5 starter, but was forced into the #3 spot due to the injuries to Phil Hughes and the inconsistency of AJ Burnett.

Does re-signing Garcia solve the Yankees’ rotation shortage? Absolutely not. The Yankees and Brian Cashman are still looking for a starter to slot in behind CC Sabathia. They don’t seem terribly excited about available free agents such as CJ Wilson and Mark Buehrle, neither of who will come cheap, and don’t really want to spend ace-type money on either one of them. But this being the Yankees, I imagine one of those guys will be in pinstripes relatively soon.

Who else will end up in the Bronx? Stay tuned.

Nova's year a breakout despite ROY loss

Ivan Nova didn’t win a Rookie of the Year award today, but that loss in no way diminishes his outstanding 2011 campaign.

I’m surprised at Nova’s fourth-place finish in the ROY balloting, with only one first-place vote and 30 points overall, well behind the winner: Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Jeremy Hellickson (congrats, kid!). I thought Nova would get a lot more support and perhaps become the first member of the New York Yankees to win the ROY since Derek Jeter in 1996 (yes, it has been 15 years since the skinny kid from Kalamazoo took New York by storm).

Nova went 16-4 with a 3.70 ERA for a Yankees team that finished with the best regular season record in the American League. He stepped right up to fill a major void to become the Yankees #2 starter behind CC Sabathia after AJ Burnett struggled mightily again and Phil Hughes lost a step because of injuries. I would have liked to have seen Nova rewarded for that.

But in the grand scheme of things, Nova losing the ROY doesn’t really matter. The Yankees will be counting on him to prove that 2011 wasn’t a fluke and that he deserves to be a mainstay in the Yankees rotation for years to come.

Free agents use Yankees to jack up price

Now that the offseason has officially started, it's time for the annual dance of agents of players who have absolutely no interest in playing for the New York Yankees to use the Bronx Bombers to jack up their price.

First up: Mark Buehrle. The long-time ace of the Chicago White Sox is finally a free agent, but has generally been in the conversational shadows of CJ Wilson and other free-agent starters. The agent for Buehrle, who has hurled a perfect game, talked up Buehrle’s durability in throwing more than 200 innings for 11 seasons. Is it just a coincidence that Brian Cashman mentioned AJ Burnett’s durability as a positive contribution by the otherwise inconsistent righty or did Buehrle’s agent see Cashman’s comments and decide to let the general manager subtly know that Buehrle could be his guy?

I don’t know much about Buehrle except that he has roots in the Midwest. New York is a notoriously difficult place to play with the media glare, but Buehrle did spend nearly a dozen years in Chicago so I doubt it would be that much of a transition. But just because Buehrle wouldn’t be blinded by the big-city lights doesn’t mean he actually wants to play for the Yankees, especially since he has only ever played in Chicago (hey Theo Epstein, how about stealing your cross-town rivals' ace—wouldn’t that make a major splash?). It could just mean that Buehrle and his agent will use the Yankees, as many other players do, to increase the bidding for the pitcher’s services.

Should the Yankees go after Buehrle? It doesn’t hurt to take a look. I don’t know how much he would cost them, but if the Yankees are at all interested, the price will be substantially higher.