We did a Q&A with Tim Dierkes back in December of last year. With the trade deadline in the not to distant I figured now would be a good time for another, so enjoy..
C2C-There have been some early reports saying the Yankee's have no room to add more payroll. You buying it?
Tim D-I'm not. I'd have to see what reports you're referring to, but I cannot see them spending all that money in the offseason and then drawing the line at a few million bucks to add a reliever in June.
C2C-This trade deadline might be the biggest buyers market we've ever seen come the trade deadline. Do you see the sellers being disappointed in their returns, due to the surplus of elite talent that will be available? Peavy, Berdard, Halladay, Holliday, and Hawpe just to name a few.
Tim D-I don't think the sellers will be disappointed. I don't see it as a surplus of elite talent. Take the starting pitching market: Peavy's suitors are greatly restricted, and Halladay probably will not be available. So if you want to bring in a #1-2 starter you have to roll the dice on a few months of Bedard. As for available high quality bats, I don't see too many impact guys either. It looks like a typical trade deadline in terms of talent available.
C2C-There have been a lot of reports that Stratsburg will be seeking a 50 million dollar signing bonus. It’s pretty clear he'll break the record, but do you see him actually getting the 50 million?
Tim D-No...I think most people see him landing in the $20-25 million range. I do think the Nationals will get him signed on August 15th, but over the years we've seen Scott Boras pull every trick in the book.
C2C-The Yankees rotation has been shaky at best so far. With Wang, Joba, and Hughes being somewhat of question marks right now. I know there was a lot of talk about Washburn last trade deadline could you see those talks being revived again?
Tim D-The Yankees don't have a strong need for starting pitching unless they decide to move Joba to the bullpen or someone gets hurt. If one of those things happens then I could see talks for Washburn revived.
C2C-Favorite Weezer song?
Tim D-I will go with My Name Is Jonas...but there are a lot of contenders from their first two albums.
C2C-Any crazy predictions you want to throw out there for the trade deadline?
Tim D-There will be many more rumors than actual trades. Wait, that's not too crazy. OK here's a prediction: Jake Peavy stays put. It wouldn't shock me if the Padres couldn't find a match and wait until the offseason.
C2C- Thanks Tim
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Should the Yankees Trade for Mark Derosa?
I saw on MLB trade rumors this morning that the Yankees might be considering making a run at Mark DeRosa. Is it just me though, or does this idea make no sense? I mean, don't get me wrong I like Mark DeRosa, he's a very good player and managed to post a wOBA of 376 last year. So far this year he has posted a wOBA of .338, which considering his painfully slow start at the beginning of the year is not to shabby.
But what hole does Mark DeRosa really fill for the Yankees? Ya the three headed monster of Angel Berroa, Cody Ransom, and Ramiro Pena has been underwhelming to say the least, but to the point of adding 7 million dollars to the payroll as well as giving up prospects? I just don't think it's that bad yet. Also, while Mark can play the corners in the outfield just fine, he's unable to play center field, a position the Yankees are lacking at right now.
Speaking of prospects, the Indians are seeking major league ready pitching. Uhh... if by major league ready pitching they mean Kei Igawa, Alfredo Aveces, Phil Coke, and Jose Veras, then I'm sure we can work something out! In reality the Indians are probably looking for a prospect more to the tune of Ian Kennedy. Well, if Ian Kennedy were healthy I'd be more than happy to deal him (I'm probably in the minority here, I really don't see the ceiling everyone sees for him), but unfortunately he's not. With Wang and Joba's ineffectiveness so far, as well as Phil Hughes streakiness starting pitching depth is really not something the Yankees should be trading away regardless...
In other news Posada could potentially be back in the lineup as early as tomorrow. It should be exciting to see just how many runs the Yankees will be able to put up with both Posada and Arod in the lineup.
*Edit- I saw that Joe Pawlikowski over at River Ave Blues ,also just put something up concerning the Mark DeRosa rumors. I definetly suggest checking it out if your intrested in this.
But what hole does Mark DeRosa really fill for the Yankees? Ya the three headed monster of Angel Berroa, Cody Ransom, and Ramiro Pena has been underwhelming to say the least, but to the point of adding 7 million dollars to the payroll as well as giving up prospects? I just don't think it's that bad yet. Also, while Mark can play the corners in the outfield just fine, he's unable to play center field, a position the Yankees are lacking at right now.
Speaking of prospects, the Indians are seeking major league ready pitching. Uhh... if by major league ready pitching they mean Kei Igawa, Alfredo Aveces, Phil Coke, and Jose Veras, then I'm sure we can work something out! In reality the Indians are probably looking for a prospect more to the tune of Ian Kennedy. Well, if Ian Kennedy were healthy I'd be more than happy to deal him (I'm probably in the minority here, I really don't see the ceiling everyone sees for him), but unfortunately he's not. With Wang and Joba's ineffectiveness so far, as well as Phil Hughes streakiness starting pitching depth is really not something the Yankees should be trading away regardless...
In other news Posada could potentially be back in the lineup as early as tomorrow. It should be exciting to see just how many runs the Yankees will be able to put up with both Posada and Arod in the lineup.
*Edit- I saw that Joe Pawlikowski over at River Ave Blues ,also just put something up concerning the Mark DeRosa rumors. I definetly suggest checking it out if your intrested in this.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Its a hard knock life
For Melky Cabrera. Seriously, you just got to feel bad for the guy at this point. After last years terrible, terrible, TERRBILE performance, it looked as if he had finally turned the corner, posting a wOBA of 371 so far this year (league average is around 336). Now it looks like he's going to be on the dl for at least 15 days.
Now what does this mean for the Yankees? Two things. First off, Brett Gardner will most likely become the every day center fielder. So far in limited playing time this year he has put up a wOBA of .343. In addition he has played some amazing defense, with a UZR of 6.5 through 232 innings. That would make him the third best defensive center fielder so far this year, if he had enough innings to qualify. So yea, while losing Melky might suck, it’s not the end of the world for Brett Gardner to fill in for him for a while.
The second thing though, is a much bigger problem. Who the hell is the Yankees fourth outfielder now? I'd throw out some ideas, but honestly I've got nothing. I guess they could bring up Austin Jackson (who's having a great year so far), but I doubt there going to risk stunting his development. Anyway, it should be interesting to see who in the Yankees minor league system gets the nod (I would be shocked if the Yankees made a trade).
In other news AJ finally had a good game going 6 strong innings with 7 strike outs against the Rangers red hot offense. I'm still not like the high amount of walks he's issuing (4 today), but eh, a wins a win.
Before I go here's a video Alex showed me the other day, you might even find this funnier than the video from Monday (*note not exactly G rated).
Now what does this mean for the Yankees? Two things. First off, Brett Gardner will most likely become the every day center fielder. So far in limited playing time this year he has put up a wOBA of .343. In addition he has played some amazing defense, with a UZR of 6.5 through 232 innings. That would make him the third best defensive center fielder so far this year, if he had enough innings to qualify. So yea, while losing Melky might suck, it’s not the end of the world for Brett Gardner to fill in for him for a while.
The second thing though, is a much bigger problem. Who the hell is the Yankees fourth outfielder now? I'd throw out some ideas, but honestly I've got nothing. I guess they could bring up Austin Jackson (who's having a great year so far), but I doubt there going to risk stunting his development. Anyway, it should be interesting to see who in the Yankees minor league system gets the nod (I would be shocked if the Yankees made a trade).
In other news AJ finally had a good game going 6 strong innings with 7 strike outs against the Rangers red hot offense. I'm still not like the high amount of walks he's issuing (4 today), but eh, a wins a win.
Before I go here's a video Alex showed me the other day, you might even find this funnier than the video from Monday (*note not exactly G rated).
Monday, May 25, 2009
Yankees Bullpen
Is anyone else worried about the bullpen in its current state, with Brain Bruney going back on the DL? Let's take a look...
Mariano Rivera- No complaints here it’s freaking Mariano
Alfredo Aceves- A good long reliever/spot starter, but not exactly who I think of when I'm trying to name shut down relievers
Phil Coke- *See Alfredo Aceves
Chien-Ming Wang- I don't know what Joe Girardi is talking about when he says he sees marked improvement in Wang. He still looks pretty awful to me, maybe I'm wrong and I'll come to eat my words this coming series but I doubt it.
Jose Veras- He's basically the definition of a loose cannon. He'll either come out of looking dominate with the ability to locate his fastball, or be unable to locate his fastball and walk nearly every batter he faces
Brett Tomko- How Brett Tomko is still in the majors’ amazes me. He has been terrible EVERY SINGLE YEAR for a grand total of ELEVEN YEARS. Here's an interesting stat for you aside from his rookie year Brett Tomko has never posted an ERA below or even approaching 4.
If Marte and Bruney can't finally get healthy, it appears that yet again the Yankees will be in the market for a good arm come the trade deadline.
Mariano Rivera- No complaints here it’s freaking Mariano
Alfredo Aceves- A good long reliever/spot starter, but not exactly who I think of when I'm trying to name shut down relievers
Phil Coke- *See Alfredo Aceves
Chien-Ming Wang- I don't know what Joe Girardi is talking about when he says he sees marked improvement in Wang. He still looks pretty awful to me, maybe I'm wrong and I'll come to eat my words this coming series but I doubt it.
Jose Veras- He's basically the definition of a loose cannon. He'll either come out of looking dominate with the ability to locate his fastball, or be unable to locate his fastball and walk nearly every batter he faces
Brett Tomko- How Brett Tomko is still in the majors’ amazes me. He has been terrible EVERY SINGLE YEAR for a grand total of ELEVEN YEARS. Here's an interesting stat for you aside from his rookie year Brett Tomko has never posted an ERA below or even approaching 4.
If Marte and Bruney can't finally get healthy, it appears that yet again the Yankees will be in the market for a good arm come the trade deadline.
Yankees vs. Rangers 5/25
Lineup:
Jeter DH
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Swisher RF
Pena SS
Cash C
Pitching: Phil Hughes RHP vs. Matt Harrison LHP
Notes:
This is Phil Hughes' first start in Texas since he pitched 6.1 no hit innings here in 2007.
Brian Bruney is officially on the DL again... maybe next time he comes back at 100% so we don't have to deal with this again...
Yanks are coming off a great homestand, despite yesterday's dissapointing loss, they also have won 9 of their last 11.
...back later with updates from the game...
Update 2:19: It's 2-0 Yankees after 1 inning, Hughes on the mound now.
Update 2:22: I've noticed Hughes has been turning to his fastball more often in 2 strike counts. It is possible that the Orioles last time around struck out so much because they were looking for breaking pitches and instead hughes was throwing fastballs.
Update 2:42: very impressive inning for Hughes there... gave up a leadoff double to nelson cruz, then hit blalock... and got behind 3-0 on marlon byrd... then followed by 3 straight pitches to strike him out, then striking out chris davis on a nasty curve, and an equally nasty pitch to strike out teagarden.
Update 2:53: it's 6-0 Yankees now after a bunch of succesive hits by Damon, Teixeira, A-Rod and Cano.
Update 2:59: Hughes doesn't seem to have the same velocity on his fastball that he had in his previous start... he's averaging around 91-92... as opposed to his last start where he was hitting 95...
...as long as he has the command of his fastball today he'll be fine, if not, he'll get hit around a bit... still, his line through the first 3 innings have been good.
3 IP 1 hit 0 R 0 BB 3 Ks 38 pitches.
Update 4:01: it's 10-0 yankees now in the top of the 7th... hughes has been incredible through the first 6 innings.
Jeter DH
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Swisher RF
Pena SS
Cash C
Pitching: Phil Hughes RHP vs. Matt Harrison LHP
Notes:
This is Phil Hughes' first start in Texas since he pitched 6.1 no hit innings here in 2007.
Brian Bruney is officially on the DL again... maybe next time he comes back at 100% so we don't have to deal with this again...
Yanks are coming off a great homestand, despite yesterday's dissapointing loss, they also have won 9 of their last 11.
...back later with updates from the game...
Update 2:19: It's 2-0 Yankees after 1 inning, Hughes on the mound now.
Update 2:22: I've noticed Hughes has been turning to his fastball more often in 2 strike counts. It is possible that the Orioles last time around struck out so much because they were looking for breaking pitches and instead hughes was throwing fastballs.
Update 2:42: very impressive inning for Hughes there... gave up a leadoff double to nelson cruz, then hit blalock... and got behind 3-0 on marlon byrd... then followed by 3 straight pitches to strike him out, then striking out chris davis on a nasty curve, and an equally nasty pitch to strike out teagarden.
Update 2:53: it's 6-0 Yankees now after a bunch of succesive hits by Damon, Teixeira, A-Rod and Cano.
Update 2:59: Hughes doesn't seem to have the same velocity on his fastball that he had in his previous start... he's averaging around 91-92... as opposed to his last start where he was hitting 95...
...as long as he has the command of his fastball today he'll be fine, if not, he'll get hit around a bit... still, his line through the first 3 innings have been good.
3 IP 1 hit 0 R 0 BB 3 Ks 38 pitches.
Update 4:01: it's 10-0 yankees now in the top of the 7th... hughes has been incredible through the first 6 innings.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Maybe he's not so bad
It's hard to embrace a player as good after a year of total suck, but maybe it's time we say the New York Yankees actually have a quality centerfielder in Melky Cabrera.
Players don't go from hitting 249. to hitting 317. without making some major adjustments, and it's clear that Melky has a new approach to the game. Last year he started out hot, showing a suprising amount of power and hitting close to 300... it got to his head and he became the popup machine we all know...and hate.
Melky now understands that he isn't the homerun hitting monster he may wish he was, but instead a solid hitter with mediocre power. Last year you would never see Melky drive the ball to the opposite field, this year...it's a completely different story.
Melky may have been helped by the contention for centerfield he was getting by Brett Gardner. It's hard to win a starting job back after losing it in spring training because you only get a couple of chances to prove yourself when given the oppurtunity.
Another big problem with Melky was his inability to hit in the clutch...he's certainly proved that he can do that, he has THREE walkoff hits so far this year... and we're still in May.
...i know it may be hard to forget what Melky did last year, but it's time to look forward and embrace that maybe Melky is actually...good?
-
By the way... the Yankees have been umbaleebable over the past week and a half.
Players don't go from hitting 249. to hitting 317. without making some major adjustments, and it's clear that Melky has a new approach to the game. Last year he started out hot, showing a suprising amount of power and hitting close to 300... it got to his head and he became the popup machine we all know...and hate.
Melky now understands that he isn't the homerun hitting monster he may wish he was, but instead a solid hitter with mediocre power. Last year you would never see Melky drive the ball to the opposite field, this year...it's a completely different story.
Melky may have been helped by the contention for centerfield he was getting by Brett Gardner. It's hard to win a starting job back after losing it in spring training because you only get a couple of chances to prove yourself when given the oppurtunity.
Another big problem with Melky was his inability to hit in the clutch...he's certainly proved that he can do that, he has THREE walkoff hits so far this year... and we're still in May.
...i know it may be hard to forget what Melky did last year, but it's time to look forward and embrace that maybe Melky is actually...good?
-
By the way... the Yankees have been umbaleebable over the past week and a half.
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