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Posts Tagged ‘Matt Holliday’

It’s Derby Time! Let’s Go Swisher!

Posted in Yankee News, Yankee Players, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 12, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Home Run Derby Contestants

Home Run Derby Contestants

Tune into ESPN tonight at 8PM ET to see the 2010 State Farm Home Run Derby. Bobby Abreu won the Home Run Derby back in 2005 at Comerica Park, so I don’t see why Nick Swisher can’t win it today. Abreu’s 162-Game HR average is 21, while Swisher’s is 28. Anything can happen in these competitions. Let’s Go Swisher!

Sam Borden at The LoHud Yankees Blog breaks down the history of Yankees who competed in the derby over the years. Be sure to check it out.

Back, back, back, back, back… Gone!

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Cashman: “Our team is, for the most part, set”

Posted in Yankee News, Yankee Players, Yankees Management, Yankees Opinion, Yankees Organization, Yankees Outlook, Yankees Rumors, tagged , , , , on January 6, 2010| Leave a Comment »

From Pete Caldera:

“Our team is, for the most part, set,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday by phone from his office at Yankee Stadium.

“With the money we had to spend, we chose to spend it in those spots,” Cashman said. “We’re just playing with the bench right now.”

“We have a left fielder,” Cashman said, adding, “We do like Brett Gardner.”

It looks as if Brett Gardner will be the opening Day left fielder. All hopes of a slugging outfielder are gone. I didn’t expect Bay or Halladay, but DeJesus would have pleased me. (more…)

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What are they going to do about left field? It looks like Gardner….

Posted in Yankee Players, Yankees Opinion, Yankees Outlook, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 6, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Brett Gardner is good, but isn’t he more valuable coming off the bench? To be honest, when he first came up I thought that he could be a decent outfielder. It turns out it doesn’t look like he can make it as an everyday player on this club.

We heard that Damon came down from his thought of a three- or four-year deal. Johnny offered to return for two years at $20 million. The Yankees countered at $14 million, and nothing happened after that. He probably wants to stay in New York, but obviously money means more to him then winning.

Supposedly, Xavier Nady’s price “is above the Yankees’ current budget.” The Yanks also don’t appear to be a primary suitor for Jermaine Dye, according to Jon Heyman. DeRosa (Giants), Holliday (Cardinals), Bay (Mets), Kearns (Indians) are all off the board. David DeJesus, Ryan Church, Scott Podsednik, Travis Buck, Reed Johnson, Jerry Hairston Jr. and Johnny Damon are still available. It just seems like the Yankees aren’t budging on this “we have a budget” idea.

Update: 1:30PM ET: MLB Trade Rumors: “Heyman believes the Yankees would not go beyond one year and $6MM to re-sign Johnny Damon.  On MLB Home Plate Boras said Damon “would just have to move forward,” while not faulting the Yankees for sticking to a budget.  Heyman suggests four alternatives for Damon: the Giants, Mariners, Braves, and Angels”

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Steinbrenner: The Budget is Set!

Posted in Yankee News, Yankee Players, Yankees Miscellaneous, Yankees: Off the field, tagged , , , , , on December 20, 2009| 2 Comments »

Hal Steinbrenner has told GM Brian Cashman that the budget he gave him (less than $201 million) is set in concrete and won’t be changed. Cashman has said he would never close doors and Steinbrenner has said he would always listen.What has happened here is that Steinbrenner is now hard of hearing and Cashman is now standing in the door he swore never to slam close a very very cold man…

So at this point in time that means everyone can stop fantasizing about Matt Holliday or Jason Bay wearing pinstripes. This also makes sense why the Yankees didn’t really ‘pursue’ John Lackey like some of us thought they might.

Cashman at this point in time will continue looking for another starting pitcher as he found his new DH, Nick Johnson. One has to think that Cashman will look at Justin Duchscherer or Ben Sheets. At this point in time Ben Sheets’ asking price is a little high at $12MM, which I feel will come down quick as I don’t think anyone wants to spend that much money on a walking injury risk.

One has to wonder if George Steinbrenner was still in charge if he would have set his budget in concrete. Me? I don’t think so. George would be enamored with Bay after his exploits in Boston and would want to stick it to them much like when Damon left Boston for New York. Should be interesting this year if the Yankees are underachieving and if Hal calls for the Yankees to put on more payroll via trades in July or earlier…

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Damon: I Will Explore Other Options

Posted in Yankee News, Yankee Players, Yankees Rumors, Yankees Transactions, Yankees: Off the field, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 16, 2009| Leave a Comment »

UPDATE 8:38pm:

Johnny Damon has indicated through his people that if the Yankees were to offer less than $13 million per year to not even send in an offer.

Man, talk about someone who thinks highly of himself. The ball is in Cashman’s court now, time to see how Cashman returns Damon’s serve..

—–

Apparently, Johnny Damon does not care to play the waiting game with Brian Cashman.

Johnny Damon had this to say yesterday:

I am going to start looking around. Teams are getting better and there are teams interested, I can’t wait forever and I am sure [the Yankees] are trying to figure things out. I have to be ready.

At this point in time with the Yankees highly unlikely to be involved in the sweepstakes for Jason Bay OR Matt Holliday, Johnny Damon has become their best option on the free agent market.

Unfortunately for the Yankees, Damon is still seeking a 3 year/$39 million contract. Which might be a little bit richer than what Brian Cashman is wanting. Damon references Pettitte’s raise in salary and the fact that Mike Cameron got two years from Boston as reasons why he wants what he wants.

Considering what options are available (Carlos Delgado, Juan Miranda, Mike Jacobs), if I were Brian Cashman, I would almost try to come close to that offer, maybe make the third year an option year. If Cashman didn’t sit back and let things develop, the Yankees might not even be in this situation. I hope Cashman has some sort of plan, because if he does, he’s not letting us know.

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Buster: No chance the Yanks’ bid for Holliday or Bay

Posted in Breaking News, Yankee News, Yankees Rumors, tagged , , on December 15, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Buster report on his Twitter: Official with knowledge of the Yankees’ thinking said there is “not a chance” the team bids for Holliday or Bay this winter.

Interesting. This means the Yankees main focus is pitching, as it should be. I guess it’s all about Sheets, Duchsherer, Chapman and Escobar now.

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A few quick notes…

Posted in Yankee News, Yankee Players, Yankees Rumors, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on December 15, 2009| 3 Comments »

According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Yankees have interest in Matt Capps. Agent Paul Kinzer told Kovacevic that the interest in his client is “enormous”.

Here are a few more updates and rumors from MLBTR: 

  1. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney hears that the Red Sox are looking at righty outfielders such as Xavier Nady to contribute in a utility role.
  2. Newsday’s Ken Davidoff doesn’t expect the Yankees to commit to another nine-figure salary and sign Matt Holliday, especially since they need pitching.
  3. Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News says the Yankees are glad to see Roy Halladay leave the AL East. I’m sure Yankees fans agree.
  4. Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Yanks would be comfortable playing Melky Cabrera in left and using Johnny Damon as the primary DH.
  5. One veteran talent evaluator tells ESPN.com’s Buster Olney that the only clear winner is Seattle. Olney hears from some Yankees people who believe the Jays got less than what they were demanding from Brian Cashman & Co.
  6. Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Yankees were willing to offer Jesus Montero in a package for Halladay, but not Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain.

My take:

  • With Hughes and Chamberlain expected to be slotted into the rotation, Capps could fill a void in the Yankees bullpen.
  • I wouldn’t offer Matt Holliday that kind of contract. How often do eight-year deals pan out anyway? The main priority right now is to bring back Johnny Damon.
  • It’s really nice to see the Yankees organization sticking with the young guns. They were asking for too much, and I’m just glad that Doc Halladay is out of the AL East. I’m sure Jesus Montero can get some sleep now…

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Are the Carinals insane? It looks like Holliday is a goner as well…

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on December 15, 2009| 2 Comments »

Update: 2:20PM ET: TUESDAY, 11:19am: A source familiar with the talks tells ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick that “nothing is imminent.” The source says Boras and Holliday “are still looking for something that they’re not finding.”

–Newsday’s Ken Davidoff doesn’t expect the Yankees to commit to another nine-figure salary and sign Matt Holliday, especially since they need pitching.

From MLB Trade Rumors:

The Cardinals have offered Matt Holliday a deal which would pay him $16MM per year for at least eight seasons, writes Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. As St. Louis is anxious to reach a resolution, those familiar with the talks believe it possible that Holliday could reach a verdict before Christmas. 

This proposal dwarfs the average value of the 7-year, $100MM contract Albert Pujols inked in the winter of 2004.  Of course, the average value of Pujols’ next contract will likely overshadow the pitch made to Holliday.

Strauss writes that the Yankees may be the most dangerous variable to the Cardinals, despite their insistance that they are not pursuing Holliday.  With Jason Bay pointed towards signing with the Mets and the Red Sox inking Mike Cameron, two potential suitors are presumably off the chase.

Are they nuts? An 8yr/$16M per year contract offer? I wouldn’t have minded Holliday on the Yankees, but not for that price.  It just makes you wonder what they will offer Pujols when his contract is up. I honestly don’t understand how Holliday can possibly pass up this offer. I wonder how true this rumor really is. What do you guys think?

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Yankees News, Notes, and Rumors

Posted in Yankee News, Yankee Players, Yankees Minors, Yankees Prospects, Yankees Rumors, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on December 13, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Here are some of the latest news, notes, rumors and opinions involving the Yankees:

Roy Halladay

Yankees 3rd in chase for Doc: “Nevertheless, when it comes to the Roy Halladay Sweepstakes, the Yankees appear to be running third. The Angels, who reportedly made an offer to the Blue Jays yesterday, and Phillies are the favorites.”

Juan Miranda

Can Miranda fill the DH spot?: “Juan Miranda can be a DH,” said Cashman, who cut off a question about not having a DH. “We have Jorge Posada, we have Mark Teixeira and A-Rod and a number of guys who can swing over on their days of rest. We have people we can play in that position internally right now.”

Brett Gardner

Gardner attracting interest: “According to a scout familiar with the situation, the Sox were one of two teams in the American League Central letting the New York Yankees know during the winter meetings this week that they covet outfielder Brett Gardner. The Kansas City Royals also were wondering what it would take to acquire the promising 26-year-old leadoff hitter.”

Chien-Ming Wang

Would the Yankees possibly bring Wang back?: “Many believe the Yankees will simply bring Wang back on a lesser deal filled with incentives. Think again. A source close to Wang told me recently that the pitcher is still bothered that the Yankees took him to an arbitration hearing over $600,000 in 2008 – then gloated publicly after winning the case.”

Ryota Igarashi

Yankees interested in Ryota Igarashi: “The Yanks appear to be interested in Ryota Igarashi after trading Brian Bruney away to the Nationals on 12/7.  The Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, and Baltimore Orioles are also rumored to be interested in Igarashi.  And it seems his agent is looking for a 2-year deal wroth about US$2M-3M.” (more…)

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Dan Shaughnessy: Don’t Believe The Red Sox…

Posted in Nonsense, Yankees vs. Red Sox, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 11, 2009| 1 Comment »

Yesterday Dan Shaughnessy wrote (hat tip to Was Watching) a scathing article about how the Red Sox claim they are in a transition/bridge period and to expect them not to be as good as they once were. I, personally love this article and Shaughnessy is right, the Red Sox shouldn’t kid themselves, they are made of the same blood the Yankees are. Here are the best parts, for the rest, click the above link.

John Henry and Theo Epstein are preparing you for the Big Slide. While they continue to raise ticket prices and drain every dollar out of Fenway, they are telling you to put your expectations on the shelf. No more “championship-driven’’ campaign for your Red Sox. The Sox are building a “bridge’’ for the future. They are giving up on competing with those big, bad Yankees.

Please. Sounds to me like a bridge over troubled waters.

What a joke. First we had Sarah Palin’s Bridge to Nowhere. Then we had Bob Kraft donating thousands to Deval Patrick in an obvious (thus far, failed) effort to get the government to pay for a $9 million bridge to connect a couple of his parking lots. Now it’s Theo selling his bridge between championship seasons.

Great use of referencing Sarah Palin. Will we see Palin-Red Sox signs at Yankee Stadium next year? I can only hope so. Continue to see more after the jump.

(more…)

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Yankees Offseason Plans

Posted in Blog Update, Yankee News, Yankee Players, Yankees Rumors, Yankees: Off the field, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 5, 2009| 3 Comments »

With Yankees organizational meetings now over, the plans for the Yankees have become a little bit clearer than they were a mere few days ago. As expected, the Yankees plan on shedding some payroll this year, how much, is unknown at this time. While Buster Olney tweets that it should be between $190-$200 million, but it isn’t a hard number, obviously. Considering that Buster Olney’s blog always keeps us in the know, it has to be true. ESPN reports that the payroll could go as low as $185 million, though I doubt it will go that low. Time will tell…

Moving on to other news Olney has reported, it appears as if the Yankees don’t have Jason Bay or Matt Holliday at the top of their list, especially if they can resign Johnny Damon for about $7-8 million. I am glad that they are not going to spend a ton of money on either one of them, especially Matt Holliday, as I don’t think he’d be a great AL player, regardless of what Scott Boras tells you. In a minor note, Arn Tellem and Brian Cashman are to get together to talk about Hideki Matsui during winter meetings.

(more…)

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Yankees Organizational Meetings

Posted in Blog Update, Yankee News, tagged , , , , , on December 3, 2009| 2 Comments »

Yesterday the Yankees brass started their annual organizational meetings, while Joe Girardi would be in attendance today. Most likely the topics to dominate the meeting would be the budget for 2010, whether or not to re-sign either Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui (What, no Jose Molina love?) whether to go after free agents John Lackey or Matt Holliday and whether to go after Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay.

According to ESPN.com, The Boss has taken part in some of the meetings so far. I don’t know if it’s me, but in years past you would have figured that Big Stein would have been hot on Doc Halladay’s trail by now. Now, we have the Yankees trying to appear to be ‘fiscally responsible’ which is all good, but when the best pitcher in baseball becomes available, acting like you don’t care won’t win. However, the Yankees may come out of their meetings and go after him, which makes my above statement null and void.

The Winter Meetings in Indianapolis begin on Monday, so the outcome of organizational meetings might be obvious then. We’ll just have to wait and see.

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