151 replies to this topic

[jon abbey]

The Indians are supposedly out, Chisenhall will play 3B and Reynolds 1B.

Isn't your husband a Yankees fan, ITP, or am I confused? We welcome you to the DARK SIDE.

[Bob Montgomery's Helmet Hat]

Here is the part I don't get--Slappy is coming back. Horseface is at first. The MFYs like to rotate the DH among their many aging/aged players.

Is there really enough playing time to make Youks happy?

[jon abbey]

Here is the part I don't get--Slappy is coming back. Horseface is at first. The MFYs like to rotate the DH among their many aging/aged players.

Is there really enough playing time to make Youks happy?

A-Rod will be out at least the first few months, if not longer, and there are no DH options on the roster currently, but I agree that this lack of clarity is probably one of the main things holding him back from signing already.

[Bob Montgomery's Helmet Hat]

A-Rod will be out at least the first few months, if not longer, and there are no DH options on the roster currently, but I agree that this lack of clarity is probably one of the main things holding him back from signing already.

Yeah, in the end there probably would be plenty of playing time, but Youks has never seemed like someone comfortable with an undefined role.

[rembrat]

They can time it so that when Rodriguez is coming off the DL, Youkilis is going on it.

Edited by rembrat, 10 December 2012 - 09:30 PM.

[InsideTheParker]

The Indians are supposedly out, Chisenhall will play 3B and Reynolds 1B.

Isn't your husband a Yankees fan, ITP, or am I confused? We welcome you to the DARK SIDE.

You are not confused, but thanks but no thanks. He would love for me to root with him, but I can't do it. Let him root for the Sox---he lives in Massachusetts! Boy, you guys keep talking as though Youks to the Yanks is a fait accompli, but I don't see that anywhere.

[jon abbey]

I don't think it's a done deal at all, I think he understandably probably has some mixed feelings about crossing the great divide like that, as would I in his shoes.

[Tyrone Biggums]

The Dodgers are rumored to have interest in Youkilis, maybe that's the holdup there.

Well Youk is a former Allstar and the Dodgers don't have one at 3rd base yet. Dodgers have the deepest pockets. Might happen

[Snodgrass'Muff]

Snod, thanks for that, and keep in mind the statement was made specifically in the context of Youkilis choosing, and I think his addition would help NY more than it would TB as he'd slot right in at 3B. Also, Jeter is supposed to be ready for Opening Day, according to all reports I've seen. If not then, soon after, I'd think. My only point was I don't think he would see TB as a definitely better option for winning this year after his addition, I think your analysis confirms that.

Yeah, I think that's a fair statement. I just thought it was an interesting enough question to look at a little more closely. And you could certainly argue that my adjustments should be tweaked in one way or the other. There's a lot of uncertainty in the expected level of performance for both clubs, for very different reasons. So I guess you just have to pick your poison: young and potentially improving but unproven, and older and hopefully healthy, but proven.

Also, if Jeter is ready by opening day, that probably favors the Yankees by at least another half a WAR or so. I had it in my head he'd be out until June or so for some reason.

[StuckOnYouk]

Well Youk is a former Allstar and the Dodgers don't have one at 3rd base yet. Dodgers have the deepest pockets. Might happen

Does Beckett still think he's the snitch? If there's any bad blood between the two, I would think Youk might want to stay away from there if he enjoyed his Beckett-free time over the last four months of the year.

[derekson]

Snod, thanks for that, and keep in mind the statement was made specifically in the context of Youkilis choosing, and I think his addition would help NY more than it would TB as he'd slot right in at 3B. Also, Jeter is supposed to be ready for Opening Day, according to all reports I've seen. If not then, soon after, I'd think. My only point was I don't think he would see TB as a definitely better option for winning this year after his addition, I think your analysis confirms that.

It'd help the Yankees more than it would help the Rays to replace Loney or whatever scrub they have in line to DH for them? I don't know about that. The Yankees at least have around half a season of ARod that they can pencil in at third base. Part of the holdup with Youkilis taking NY's offer could be that he doesn't want to end up DHing once ARod is back and is looking for assurance that he'll stay at third base. I can't imagine he's too fond of potentially being relegated to nearly full-time DHing in the 2nd half of the season. In reality the Rays may be too cheap to make a competitive offer even after shedding Shields' and Davis' salaries anyway, so this whole discussion could easily be moot.

As for answering the question of why he'd see the Rays as a more likely contender: the WAR breakdown was illuminating but unlikely to be the way that a player analyzes the likelihood of a team contending. The Rays are seen around baseball at this point as a perennial contender with a constant pipeline of young pitching and a decent lineup that needs an offensive jolt. If Youkilis believes he's a difference maker on offense, then it's easy to see him thinking he could shore up the issues with the Rays roster and make them a sure thing for the playoffs. And after how old and broken down the Yankees looked during the playoffs, I think that's going to leave a bad impression on someone like Youkilis who was probably watching at least some of those games on TV.

[terrynever]

Coming off hip surgery, you would think the Yankees will avoid using A-Rod in the field for the final few months of 2013. Youk can have 3B all season long with a few starts at first base when Teix is resting and a few DH appearances, too, to save his own weary body. The Yankees can honestly offer Youk 140 games and 550 ABs.

[jon abbey]

As for answering the question of why he'd see the Rays as a more likely contender: the WAR breakdown was illuminating but unlikely to be the way that a player analyzes the likelihood of a team contending. The Rays are seen around baseball at this point as a perennial contender with a constant pipeline of young pitching and a decent lineup that needs an offensive jolt. If Youkilis believes he's a difference maker on offense, then it's easy to see him thinking he could shore up the issues with the Rays roster and make them a sure thing for the playoffs. And after how old and broken down the Yankees looked during the playoffs, I think that's going to leave a bad impression on someone like Youkilis who was probably watching at least some of those games on TV.

Hrrm, I'd argue with that a bit, but is there even any rumor that TB is interested in him in this price range?

Meanwhile, LA seems to be out, from an ESPN LA writer:

Mark Saxon ‏@markasaxon

Ned Colletti said the Dodgers are probably done spending, more or less

[soxhop411]

Ken Rosenthal ‏@Ken_Rosenthal
Source: #Yankees sign Youkilis, one year, $12M.

[jon abbey]

Looks like somehow he passed on the imaginary TB offer.

[nattysez]

I think Youk is mostly done and he will ultimately hurt the MFY. So, good signing.

I remain baffled as to why the Yanks didn't pay Eric Chavez 1/$3 for better defense, similar (at worst) hitting, and the same level of injury risk.

[Wingack]

This is gonna be fun

[jon abbey]

I remain baffled as to why the Yanks didn't pay Eric Chavez 1/$3 for better defense, similar (at worst) hitting, and the same level of injury risk.

The rest of the lineup is really left-handed especially with A-Rod out, so that could be a bit of it, but I'm basically with you and would have let Nunez play 3B against LHP.

[terrynever]

This is gonna be fun

My take, too. Youk also adds juice to a dull team that couldn't fill the park late in the season, plus toughness at the plate. He ain't what he once was but he still grinds out ABs, something the 2012 Yankees punted on when it counted.

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

This is gonna be fun

Just wait till they give him the locker next to Joba's.

[Brickowski]

It will be even more fun if they can sign Ichiro. Sure, Ichiro's not what he used to be, but I still love to watch him play.

[jon abbey]

What was strange about the Joba thing is I don't think we ever knew what precipitated it, as opposed to Tex/Padilla or Mesa/Vizquel. I would pay a good amount of money to be able to listen in on the first lengthy conversation this year between Joba and Youkilis.

[InsideTheParker]

Shit.

[jon abbey]

It will be even more fun if they can sign Ichiro. Sure, Ichiro's not what he used to be, but I still love to watch him play.

This is basically done according to reports and will be announced soon.

[Snodgrass'Muff]

This sucks. Even aside from my love for him as a home frown talent who defied expectations at every step, I could absolutely see Youk rebounding from 2012 and posting an .850+ OPS season next year. I fear that rumors of his demise may be greatly exaggerated.

Edit: Typo. Frown instead of grown, but it fits Youk and my mood so I'll leave it.

Edited by Snodgrass'Muff, 11 December 2012 - 06:24 PM.

[EvilEmpire]

Watching the Sox sign Swisher after this will add to the amusement. Weird kind of douche exchange. Guess we'll see how far the laundry goes.

[derekson]

Looks like somehow he passed on the imaginary TB offer.

I didn't really think TB would actually make a competitive offer with how cheap their ownership is, but if they had it would've been interesting. An they should have. It's not like they can't afford it after trading Shields and Davis.

Edited by derekson, 11 December 2012 - 06:55 PM.

[Edelpeddle]

Watching the Sox sign Swisher after this will add to the amusement. Weird kind of douche exchange. Guess we'll see how far the laundry goes.

Have any other 4 WAR players in the primes of their careers that you'd willing to trade for our broken down 1 WAR players?

[EvilEmpire]

Have any other 4 WAR players in the primes of their careers that you'd willing to trade for our broken down 1 WAR players?

I see it more like a broken down 1 WAR player who fills a position of greater need on a one-year deal for a 4 WAR player in the prime of his career who will get a multi-year deal at a position of lesser concern plus draft pick compensation and slot money allocation.

[glennhoffmania]

No date has been set for Alex Rodriguez’s hip surgery and it’s not expected to be performed until the middle of the month — at the earliest.

When asked for a potential return date for the third baseman, even general manager Brian Cashman wouldn’t hazard a guess. Regardless, he admitted Rodriguez’s absence only will add to the reduced role of home runs in The Bronx in the upcoming season.

Link

[Carmine Hose]

Rodriguez’s absence only will add to the reduced role of home runs in The Bronx in the upcoming season

All 8 he hit at the Stadium this year will be a huge dent.

[terrynever]

All 8 he hit at the Stadium this year will be a huge dent.

He was healthy enough to party in Mexico with George Clooney's crowd over the holidays.

[Sampo Gida]

Link

I wonder if the Yankees even want him back this season. I have to imagine they have insurance on him (anyone know for sure?) and I believe some insurance polices require you to miss pretty much an entire year for the team to collect, and even with a large deductible recovering most of the 28 million he is owed must be attractive. They certainly don't seem to be in any hurry to get the surgery done and that's the starting point for any recovery. If they need help offensively some of that savings could be put to good use at the trading deadline, the earliest he would return with timely surgery, so its not like they would be giving up on the season by delaying his return.

[Edelpeddle]

I see it more like a broken down 1 WAR player who fills a position of greater need on a one-year deal for a 4 WAR player in the prime of his career who will get a multi-year deal at a position of lesser concern plus draft pick compensation and slot money allocation.

At the time you made this statement, Zoile Almonte was listed as the first right fielder on your depth chart so I'd say right field was a bigger need. It's debatable now that the Yankees have re-signed Ichiro. Nunez has had a 89 wRC+ the last two seasons and he's pretty bad defensively but there's the possibility of A-Rod returning. Ichiro's had a wRC+ of 84 the last two seasons and he's better defensively, but if he doesn't hit or his decline gets worse there won't be any cavalry coming in the second half. At least not from an internal option.

[jon abbey]

Not really in the realm of this thread, but in answer to your last sentence there, three of NY's top four prospects right now are OFs (Mason Williams, Slade Heathcott, Tyler Austin) and while it's unlikely any of them will be genuinely ready to go to the bigs at any time this year, it's certainly not entirely out of the question that NY tries that, especially given the other options. Heathcott is going to start in AA, Damon Oppenheimer recently said he could maybe make the bigs this year.

[Edelpeddle]

Not really in the realm of this thread, but in answer to your last sentence there, three of NY's top four prospects right now are OFs (Mason Williams, Slade Heathcott, Tyler Austin) and while it's unlikely any of them will be genuinely ready to go to the bigs at any time this year, it's certainly not entirely out of the question that NY tries that, especially given the other options. Heathcott is going to start in AA, Damon Oppenheimer recently said he could maybe make the bigs this year.

I'm aware that three of the Yankees top 10 prospects are outfielders. But considering none of the Yankees top five outfield prospects are elite, they were all signed out of high school and they've played a combined 3 games above Advanced Single-A, I'm pretty confident that none of them will be a starting outfielder for the Yankees next year.

Edited by Edelpeddle, 09 January 2013 - 06:10 PM.

[jon abbey]

none of the Yankees top five outfield prospects are elite

Please stop making declarative statements, Williams is #40 and Austin is #58 overall in baseball in the latest mlb.com rankings

A little message board tip: if you'd just said "it's unlikely there will be any cavalry coming in the second half. At least not from an internal option.", then no one could or would have argued with you. Avisail Garcia finished 2011 in the same exact level of the minors that the three guys named above did, wasn't a top 10 overall in baseball talent, and came up for DET in September and made an impact down the stretch. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen occasionally, especially when a team is desperate without many options as NY quite possibly may be.

[Edelpeddle]

Please stop making declarative statements, Williams is #40 and Austin is #58 overall in baseball in the latest mlb.com rankings

A little message board tip: if you'd just said "it's unlikely there will be any cavalry coming in the second half. At least not from an internal option.", then no one could or would have argued with you. Avisail Garcia finished 2011 in the same exact level of the minors that the three guys named above did, wasn't a top 10 overall in baseball talent, and came up for DET in September and made an impact down the stretch. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen occasionally, especially when a team is desperate without many options as NY quite possibly may be.

Could just be semantics, but I don't don't think a fringe top 50 prospect is "elite". Sickels also doesn't believe the Yankees have any elite prospects; he didn't rank any Yankees prospect above B+. You're right, it is literally possible that a Yankees outfield prospect does make the jump. Overall, however, I don't think that right field was much less a position of need for the Yankees than third base. The chances of A-Rod returning and being productive obviously much greater than a B type prospect making the jump from Advanced Single A to the majors and becoming a productive everyday player.

Edited by Edelpeddle, 09 January 2013 - 07:22 PM.

[glennhoffmania]

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has undergone successful surgery on his injured left hip, the team announced on Twitter. Rodriguez is scheduled to be released from the hospital Thursday and begin what's expected to be a six-month recovery period. If he's able to adhere to that schedule, he should be able to return in time for the second half of the 2013 season.

Link

[terrynever]

Link

No word from the surgeon yet on what kind of cartilage damage he found during the operation. He said last week that cartilage damage would be a key part of this very tricky operation. I would imagine the surgeon will have something to say tomorrow.



Funny link from NY Post as A-Rod poses for photo from hospital bed and then links to his FB page:

http://www.nypost.co...P#axzz2IBMKduqz

The best part of A-Rod's injury is that Youk gets to play third base for at least half the season. Kevin Long visited with Youk last week, they looked at a lot of film, and will continue to work in Florida. Long is hopeful that Youk may bounce back in 2013. It will be fun, as a fan, to see how this relationship works out. I see a lot of upside with Youk.

Edited by terrynever, 16 January 2013 - 06:00 PM.

[Sampo Gida]

Not sure Arod would approve the release of any bad news regarding the cartilage, so the Yankees and Docs hands may be tied on what they can say.

No word from the surgeon yet on what kind of cartilage damage he found during the operation. He said last week that cartilage damage would be a key part of this very tricky operation. I would imagine the surgeon will have something to say tomorrow.



Funny link from NY Post as A-Rod poses for photo from hospital bed and then links to his FB page:

http://www.nypost.co...P#axzz2IBMKduqz

The best part of A-Rod's injury is that Youk gets to play third base for at least half the season. Kevin Long visited with Youk last week, they looked at a lot of film, and will continue to work in Florida. Long is hopeful that Youk may bounce back in 2013. It will be fun, as a fan, to see how this relationship works out. I see a lot of upside with Youk.

The key for Youk will be staying healthy. If he can bounce back with Longs help and Arod does come back, he can DH and also backup for Teix and Arod. I doubt Arod will be playing 3B everyday when he comes back, and Teixera can always use a rest late in the season,

[armyguy25]

I think Arod would prob be ok with them releasing specific injury info. After all, its not like hes getting another contract after this one, and in a way, he might want word to get to the fanbase if the damage is significant. It would give them a reason to point to for his postseason fail, and improve his image.

[glennhoffmania]

That doesn't make sense to me. He signs an insane contract, hurts both hips so his production falls off a cliff sooner than expected, and the fans will understand so his image will get a bump?

[terrynever]

That doesn't make sense to me. He signs an insane contract, hurts both hips so his production falls off a cliff sooner than expected, and the fans will understand so his image will get a bump?

The only way he bumps his image is by producing in October.
Like Sampo Gida has been saying, I'm rooting for A-rod to miss the whole season. It is possible. Even the surgeon, Dr. Kelly, said rehab could take longer than six months.
Weird thing about A-Rod is he seems to truly enjoy rehabbing. There's no pressure rehabbing. He's working out with his favorite person.
I'm going to root harder for Youk this year than Inside The Parker in her most insane moments. He might be the key addition this year.

[armyguy25]

That doesn't make sense to me. He signs an insane contract, hurts both hips so his production falls off a cliff sooner than expected, and the fans will understand so his image will get a bump?

Well maybe "bump his image" was the wrong term. I just mean its a lot harder to legitimately hate on a guy whose production fell off a cliff because he has serious injuries to his hips (and "valiently" played through tthem, which Im sure would the narrative Arod would put out there) rather then just suck for no reason or (even worse) lack of effort or caring.

[Sampo Gida]

I think Arod would prob be ok with them releasing specific injury info. After all, its not like hes getting another contract after this one, and in a way, he might want word to get to the fanbase if the damage is significant. It would give them a reason to point to for his postseason fail, and improve his image.

Maybe, although denial can be a funny thing. Also, I doubt the Yankees would since they may want to make a deal before it became apparent A-Rod would be limited going forward. Of course, for all we know he is fine, but I find the lack of information on what was the biggest uncertainty to be somewhat interesting.

[terrynever]

Dr. Kelly no longer available to talk about surgery. His statements last week caught Yankees by "surprise," according to this NY Daily News story. Nobody wants to talk about any cartilage damage. Yankees controlling all news about the surgery. DN does talk to another surgeon about potential for cartilage damage.

http://www.nydailyne...ticle-1.1241528

[InsideTheParker]

I'm going to root harder for Youk this year than Inside The Parker in her most insane moments. He might be the key addition this year.

I doubt if you can match me, but remember: no matter what anyone says, Youks has clutchiosity!

[Ramon AC]

No word from the surgeon yet on what kind of cartilage damage he found during the operation. He said last week that cartilage damage would be a key part of this very tricky operation. I would imagine the surgeon will have something to say tomorrow.



Funny link from NY Post as A-Rod poses for photo from hospital bed and then links to his FB page:

http://www.nypost.co...P#axzz2IBMKduqz

As often as athletes have "surgery", it's not often that I realize that they are really having SURGERY. The Rod with an oxygen tube in his nose looking like he just woke up from general anesthesia is kind of shocking to see, for an event that happens with such regularity.

[terrynever]

Cartilage damage may be minimal, according to anonymous source:

http://espn.go.com/n...e-third-baseman