Results tagged ‘ andy ’
A Look Ahead: Pitchers
With the season passed the halfway point now, the needs of teams become apparent. Now most contenders look to the MLB Trade Deadline on July 31st to solve there needs, but I’d like to give you a look ahead to the off-season. Please note that these forecasts could change depending on trades made by the Yankees or other clubs.
Starting Pitching:
The options: Erik Bedard, Justin Duchscherer, Rich Harden, John Lackey, Cliff Lee, Jason Marquis, Brett Myers, Brad Penny, Andy Pettitte, Joel Pineiro, Jarrod Washburn, Roy Halladay.
All of the pitchers above are viable options for the Yankees. The club will have 1 or (barring a Chien-Ming Wang comeback) 2 open spots in their rotation. Andy Pettitte sort of holds one of those spots as he would probably receive a contract offer if he doesn’t retire at the end of the year. If Chien-Ming Wang (or a Yankee prospect like Zach McAllister) can pitch effectively, they could also receive a spot. However, I would expect there to be at least one open spot for the Yankees to bring in another starter.
The most likely candidates would seem to be Duchscherer, Marquis, or Washburn, but don’t rule out the others. The Yankees are already scouting the A’s as they look at Duchscherer and Matt Holliday (more about him later) for a possible trade. He seems a good candidate as he’s young and can keep the ball down and in the park. The deciding factor will be if he can remain healthy or not.
I think Marquis would be a good pickup, however, I’m not sure the Yankees will pull the trigger. He’s more of a fly ball pitcher, which doesn’t go well in the new stadium. Plus something tells me they’re more likely to go after some of the bigger names.
Next up is Washburn. At 35, Washburn might be a bit old, but he’s also putting up some terrific numbers in Seattle. His 2.87 ERA is no joke, and if the M’s don’t trade him this summer, he could wind up in the Bronx.
Some of the other big names on the list the Yankees could avoid for other reasons. Josh Beckett could be a free agent, but the Red Sox will most likely lock him up. Same goes for John Lackey and the Halos. It’s a little different with Rich Harden and Erik Bedard, both of which you would never feel comfortable giving a large contract do to their poor health histories. Cliff Lee’s Cy Young season is probably well behind him and I don’t think Brad Penny or Brett Myers’s personalities would fit in the Bronx.
The one other name on the list is Cardinals pitcher Joel Pineiro. After a tough start to the season, Pineiro has really rebounded nicely. He’s a sinker-ball pitcher, which could bode well in the Bronx Bomb-Zone and I think the Yanks could make a run for him.
Finally Roy Halladay. I’m kind of tired of rumors about him but basically, I don’t think the Jays will be trading him to the Bronx any time soon.
Relief Pitching:
The options: Mike Gonzalez, Kevin Gregg, Fernando Rodney, Rafael Soriano, Jose Valverde, Billy Wagner, Chad Qualls, Huston Street, Dannys Baez.
The Yanks would love to have any of these pitchers on their roster. If they were able to sign one of them, they could send them to the 8th inning and move Phil Hughes back into the starting role.
They could sign a LHP like Wagner or Gonzalez to replace the unfortunate Damaso Marte. Or they could acquire someone like Chad Qualls or Huston Street through a trade. If young guys like Hughes, Robertson, and Melancon step up then they could stick with them.
The Yankees really have a lot of options when it comes to the bullpen this offseason.
Pettitte to Be Pinstriped Once Again
Today, Yankees GM Brian Cashman held a conference call with Andy Pettitte to announce the left-hander’s re-signing with the club he’s been with for 11 of his 14 major league seasons. Pettitte said that he really couldn’t imagine playing for any other team and that he really wanted to open up the new Yankee Stadium. However, the main thing preventing the return, was money. The last two seasons, Pettitte has been paid $16mm. He was probably looking for about that this time around as well. However, the Yankees were not as lenient as they’ve been with him in the past. This was because of a couple things:
Number one, Pettitte didn’t have his best year last year by any standards. In 2008, Pettitte went 14-14 with a 4.54 ERA. Also, one of Pettitte’s key traits throughout his career, has been his effectiveness down the stretch. Well that also wasn’t there last year, as after the all-star break, he went 5-7 with a disastrous 5.35 ERA.
The other reason was the fact that the Yankees really didn’t have very much room financially. After investing over $400mm in contracts with CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeira, the Yanks didn’t really have very much money to work with. In fact, Brian Cashman even said that they really only had about $10mm left in the budget. Well it appears as though that $10mm (and possibly a little extra) will be going to Andy Pettitte as he signed an incentive-ladened contract with a base of about $5.5mm. If he reaches incentives (that could include innings reached and time on the roster), the deal could be worth about $12mm.
The great thing this does for the Yankees (besides give them ‘ol Andy back) is that it gives them great depth to what could be one of the best rotations in baseball. Before they signed Pettitte, it seemed as if the Yankees were prepared to put the 5th spot in the rotation up for grabs in Spring Training, with youngsters Phil Hughes, Dan Giese, Alfredo Aceves, and Phil Coke viewed as the favorites. However, that spot will now be given to Joba Chamberlain, as he slides into the 5th spot and gives the 4th hole to Pettitte. This gives the Yankees a rotation of: CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, and Joba Chamberlain. Pretty good if you ask me.
Yanks in Talks With Sheets, Pettitte
The New York Yankees are in talks with free agents pitchers Ben Sheets and Andy Pettitte according to SI.com’s Jon Heyman. I recently wrote a post about how the Yankees should try to sign Ben Sheets and it seems as though it may actually take a 2-year deal to sign the injury-prone right hander. Since they are the Yankees however, they might be able to sign Sheets to a 1-year deal with one or two option years.
The Yankees have also “resumed” talks with LHP Andy Pettitte after Pettitte declined the Yankees $10.5mm offer. Pettitte refused the deal due to, in most part, the pay decrease it would result in from last year’s salary ($16mm). Unless the two sides are willing to compromise to a deal around $13mm, Pettitte may be forced into retirement.
Pettitte-Yanks Talks Dwindling
Talks between LHP Andy Pettitte and the Yankees are starting to cool off. After Pettitte rejected the Yankees’ 1 year, $10mm offer, talks have all but stopped and one baseball executive even said there was less than a 50% chance of Pettitte putting the pinstripes back on.
Pettitte Has Put a Black Mark Next to Legacy
By turning down the Yankees’ 1-year, $10mm offer the other day, Andy Pettitte did a number of things; he not only all but removed himself from the Yankees 2009 rotation, but he has forever put a black mark on his Yankee legacy. One larger than when he tested positive for human growth hormone (HGH). For a little more than a decade now, Pettitte has been adored by Yankee fans and has been a face of the franchise. They have always stood by each other. When Pettitte was apologizing about the HGH results, the Yankees took him in and allowed him the time he needed. All along this off-season, Pettitte has claimed that “he only wants to play for the Yankees” and that he wants to play in the new stadium. However, now that he’s rejected their offer (which is quite fair for a pitcher who went 14-14 last year) it appears that those are publicity-lies, meant to look good. Now I’m not against Pettitte. In fact, I’d love it if he comes back. But if he doesn’t take their offer and joins another team instead, his reputation, his legacy, will be ruined.
Yanks to Lower Pettitte Offer?
According to Joel Sherman of the NY Post, the Yankees have lowered there $10mm offer to Andy Pettitte. This is coming after Pettitte rejected the offer and it appears as though the Yankees are standing pat on what they have been saying all along: they weren’t going to budge on their offer.
Pettitte Rejects Yankees’ Offer; Future Uncertain
According to a person with knowledge of the negotiations said that Andy Pettitte has rejected the Yankees’ 1-year, $10mm offer. At the beginning of the offseason, it appeared as though a reunion between Pettitte and the Bronx was inevitable. However, after signing CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeira, Pettitte’s future in pinstripes became in doubt and it now appears as though it might be over. The Yankees have been stubborn as to giving Pettitte more than $10mm and if he holds out for more, he probably will have a forced-retirement, something that he does not want.
Yanks Still Want Pettitte
Despite numerous reports saying that Andy Pettitte had “waited too long” and the Yankees were just going to go with Phil Hughes as their 5th starter, the Yankees still want Pettitte. In fact, a deal is expected to be completed perhaps as early as next week. Apparently, someone in the Yankees organization was just telling everyone that as a scare tactic as they new that Pettitte badly wanted to pitch in New York and at the New Yankee Stadium. A person in regular contact with the Yankees organization said that, “they just want him at their price, that’s the bottom line.” Pettitte, 36, had a 4.54 in 33 starts this year going 14-14 with 158 Ks which led the Yankees. Also, his 2.9 K/BB and strong groundball rate, indicate that he’s capable of a bounce-back season. If he returns, he would probably be the #4 starter, pitching in front of Joba Chamberlain.
mlblogsbronxrumors
Recent Comments