On Second Thought, Hairston Deal Not Bad

My gut reaction was off on the Jerry Hairston, Jr. deal. I was upset that the Red Sox had gone out and plugged their biggest hole as did the Tigers. But once I thought about the Hairston trade more, I realized it was a good deal.



There was a rumor on Twitter that the Yankees had traded top OF prospect Austin Jackson in this deal which led me to my initial disapproval. But it ended up that all they gave away was a single A catcher with a .318 OBP. This is a good move for the Yanks: dealing from a position of strength.



The Yankees have Austin Romine, Jesus Montero, Francisco Cervelli, and Gary Sanchez in the minors. The Yankees have done a great job stockpiling at a position to create strength from which to deal.



And here they got a very useful part. Hairston plays all three OF positions as well as 3 INF positions. That makes him a much more useful part than Cody Ransom who can only play the INF and is a much better hitter. It also gives them a backup while Brett Gardner is on the Disabled List.



Overall, I think the Yankees did OK. They needed a starting pitcher but still may be able to get someone during the waiver period. But they got two very useful parts in Jerry Hairston and Eric Hinske. And usually it is parts like those that create success in the playoffs.





-Andrew

Peavy to the White Sox

A very, very surprising deadline deal:

From: @SI_JonHeyman
Sent: Jul 31, 2009 4:22p
"this is no joke. peavy goes to white sox again. #padres get minor leaguers."

From: @nyp_joelsherman
Sent: Jul 31, 2009 4:23p
"jake peavy was traded to the white sox for a bunch of minor leaguers, post learns"

Wow...interesting. Roy Halladay doesn't get dealt but a guy on the DL who previously vetoed a trade to the same team does...crazy

-Andrew

Ummm....

Yankees respond to the Red Sox Victor Martinez deal...

by getting Jerry Hairston, Jr. from the Reds, according to Joel Sherman.

Not exactly a blockbuster. He has a career OPS of .700. Hmmm...

V-Mart to the Red Sox, 1 Hour Until The Deadline

Via Peter Gammons:

The Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians appear to be closing in on a trade that would send Victor Martinez to Boston for prospects.

Talks between the teams have "heated up" in the final hours before the 4 p.m. ET non-waiver trade deadline and the key Red Sox players in the deal are Justin Masterson and hard-throwing, 23-year-old left-hander Nick Hagadone of Class A Greenville, sources told ESPN's Peter Gammons.

Great job by the Red Sox to get Victor Martinez without giving up Buchholz or Bard. I wonder if the Yankees will make a move to retaliate

Word is that the Mets may be getting Adam LaRoche because he is now expendable. I wonder how Carlos Beltran will react to this after their public spat this season

One hour to go!!!

Some Great Trade Deadline Analysis

Baseball Think Factory is doing an awesome live Trade Deadline Chat right now with Dan Szymborski, John Sickels, Jonah Keri, Dave Cameron, Craig Calcaterra, Brian Joura, and others. It sure beats ESPN at this point. Check it out!

 

Having Fun With Asterisks and Then Some Clarity on Steroids

I'm pretty sure we now need to call the Red Sox past two World Series, the *04 and *07 wins. Actually, let's just wipe them out and start the 1918 chant again. Much more fun that way.

How about three great Bill Simmons tweets to really break the spirit of Boston fans:

Of all the days for me to fly cross-country... I nominate this as my all-time worst finding news out on a blackberry moment.

I'd like to thank George Mitchell one last time for doing his best to keep our boys out of this PED mess. You tried, George. You tried.

When Jeremy Schaap is narrating an essay with sad piano music and showing your favorite players, it's never a good thing.

Now for some links (sorry...just had too much fun as a Yankees fan with this...):

• Deadspin checks out PapiGate straight from Boston (pretty funny stuff)
• It Is High... talks about Gammons and the rest of the ESPN analysts bemoaning "poor, poor Papi"
• Rob Neyer tries to translate Big Papi's past statements
• Baseball Musings remembers something that could have been a clue
• IIATMS gives a PED auto-response template
• Gerry Callahan says "Papi goes the weasel" and says the slugger tarnished the Sox
• Tony Massarotti says that "Big Papi" was revealed as a myth
• Curt Schilling weighs in (I hope he's on that list too...)
• Jorge Says No recalls Ortiz's comments about A-Roid
• The Big Lead follows trainer Angel Presinal to see where the next big name may come from (warning: both New York second basemen are on this list)
• Deadspin drinks in the "hilarious naïveté of Red Sox Nation"

And now for some clarity

• Shysterball is always a good place to go to clarity and says that you're not surprised, you're not betrayed, the Red Sox are no more tainted than any other team, and whoever is revealing this information is committing a far greater offense than what Manny or Papi did. That's why he asks the more important question: who is the leaker?
• Craig Calcaterra also does a great job on NBC Sports of letting everyone know why the rest of the names cannot be released.
• ESPN's Howard Bryant says that faith for Red Sox fans went unrewarded because David Ortiz really wanted us to believe he was different from the rest
• Bronson Arroyo provided some insight and maybe a confession
• Peter Abraham points out that these names being released balances out the comical slant of the Mitchell Report
• Tyler Kepner may have the most levity of all saying that if every player was doping, there really was no need for asterisks

 

Jarrod Washburn Goes To The Tigers

This according to ESPN Radio's Seattle affiliate (via MLBTradeRumors). This after Jon Heyman reported this morning that the Mariners and Yankees may go down to the wire on this one after the M's asked for Yankees top prospect Jesus Montero for Washburn (and were rebuffed).

 

Last Night's Yankees Loss Stung

Sometimes it hurts losing games you should win. Those little losses come back to hurt you by the end of the season (ask the Mets about that). Last night was one of those loses that really stung as the Yankees lost to the Chicago White Sox in a bottom of the 9th walk-off.

Maybe I'm just so used to the Yankees walking off on other people, but last night just felt wrong. First, the 2nd run for the White Sox should never have scored. Andy Pettitte slipped trying to quickly field a slow roller from Jim Thome. Why Andy? Thome is one of the slowest guys in baseball (only Mark McGwire has less stolen bases among 500-homer club members). Then a routine groundball was hit to A-Rod that he kicked away. Somehow, after the official scorer reviewed this one, he took away an error on the play. Then Phil Hughes came in and got a ground ball that should have easily led to a double play and ended the inning. But A-Rod threw it high to Robinson Cano, who was being barreled down on a dirty slide by douche-bag-extraordinaire, A.J. Pierzynski, and Cano flung one way wide of first. Mark Teixeira bobbled and slipped and the second run scored.

This was the Yankees second sloppy defensive game in a week. They also played horrendous defense on Tuesday in Tampa Bay. In that game, everyone on the field (except maybe Melky Cabrera) had a bad defensive play. It was awful. Amateur hour. The Yankees have not had a great defensive team all season but have been able to suppress that. The Yankees have committed less than the league average in errors and have the third best defensive efficiency in the AL (according to B-R), but their UZR is in the bottom third of the AL (according to FanGraphs), and their corner OF defense has been atrocious all season (despite the fact I thought Swisher would be good in RF). In fact, the only two guys that have a UZR over 1.0 are Brett Gardner and (surprisingly) Derek Jeter.

Last night, though, Nick Swisher hit a dramatic, 2-out, game-tying home run in the top of the 9th against his former team and his former manager (who he supposedly hates).

In the end, the White Sox won it on a walk-off by DeWayne Wise off the glove of Phil Coke (how did he not glove that one?). It was a tough loss to take. Phil Coke had two strikes on Wise, a .185 hitter, and let him get away.

It was one of those nights.

 

Peter Abraham wraps up the night by showing how many innocuous things can add up to a bitter loss. He also wonders (as I do) if Phil Hughes is being stretched out to start. Speaking of Phil Hughes, Mark Feinsand notes how his streak ended at 25.1 scoreless innings (longest for a Yankee since Rivera's 30.2 in 1999), while Andy Pettitte's winless streak continued...and neither one really deserved their fate. Bronx Banter (channeling their inner Get Smart) says that the Yankees missed it by that much. (Picture from the AP)

Back more with later including Trade Deadline news...

Kazmir Back to Mets?

An anonymous source hints that first year Mets closer Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez could be dealt as part of the beginning of a team overhaul. In a proposed the trade, the Mets would send Rodriguez and reliever Pedro Feliciano to the Tampa Bay Rays for one time Mets phenom Scott Kazmir, Outfielder Matt Joyce, and Shortstop prospect Tim Beckham.

Kazmir, once the jewel of the Mets farm system, has fallen out of favor in Tampa due to high walk numbers and his injury-prone status. The Mets feel that they can turn Kazmir's career around. Outfielder Matt Joyce would provide them with another young outfielder and the Mets have hopes that shortstop Tim Beckham could make the transition to 2nd base or play shortstop should the Mets decide to part ways with Jose Reyes.

Rodriguez, who inked a multi-year deal with the Mets in the offseason, would provide the closer that the Rays have desperately been seeking. Pedro Feliciano would provide another quality left-handed arm out of the bullpen to accompany J.P. Howell and Brian Shouse.

In order to complete the deal, the Mets would have to obtain K-Rod's permission, since he is in the first year of a multi-year deal. In addition, that same circumstance could allow K-Rod to demand a trade in the off-season if he is not happy.

Thoughts?

Stock Market And Trade Market Are Open

And both close at 4 PM today...

Who Exactly Was Canseco Talking About?

When there's steroids news, there's Jose Canseco quotes. To be fair, although most people thought he was a nut, he's been right about mostly all of the players he's called out as steroids users. So what did he say today?

"When you tell me something I didn't already know, I'll be surprised," Canseco told ESPN. "And I'll tell you this, Major League Baseball is going to have a big, big problem on their hands when they find out they have a Hall of Famer who's used."

"It's not about naming names," he said. "I've never had anything against the players. It's always been against Major League Baseball. I know who's on that list, but like I said, it's not about attacking the players. It's about the machine that allowed this to happen. What I speak out of my mouth is the truth. It burns like fire. Just remember, I have never lied about this subject."

So who the heck is Jose talking about? Let's just assume it was someone he actually played with. Using Baseball-Reference's Oracle, which shows you everyone that Jose Canseco played with, here are the current Hall-Of-Famers who were his teammates (although he could have very well been talking about possible future Hall Of Famers Rafael Palmeiro, Roger Clemens, Derek Jeter or Mariano Rivera)

• Nolan Ryan
• Rickey Henderson
• Wade Boggs
• Reggie Jackson
• Don Sutton
• Rich "Goose" Gossage
• Dennis Eckersley

The only guy on that list who was active in 2003? Rickey Henderson, the guy who was JUST elected to the baseball Hall of Fame. And Rickey Henderson and Jose Canseco were teammates on the 1990 Oakland A's when Rickey won his only MVP...

Just saying...

Boxscores from 1859 to 2009

Two great articles to check out:

1. From NPR on the man who made the baseball boxscore a hit way back in 1859
2. From The New York Daily News about the man behind Baseball-Reference.com, one of my favorite sites out there

Some good train reading for you. Enjoy!

Less Than 24 Hours Until Deadline, Could Halladay Still Go To The Phillies?

Less than 24 hours to go until the trade deadline.

The Dodgers got George Sherrill from the Orioles (via MLB.com), the Cubs seem on the verge of getting John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny from the Pirates (via MLBTradeRumors), and one thought keeps on coming to my mind:

With Roy Halladay still out there, could the Phillies sweep in and get him?

The Phillies were able to complete the Cliff Lee deal without dealing any of the prospects proposed in the Halladay deal. Could they turn around and trade Happ/Drabek, Dominc Brown and another prospect for Halladay?

Wouldn't that be something?

Not a rumor...just throwing it out there.

 

Others

• I really thought that this article from Joel Sherman titled "Pressure on Red Sox and Dodgers" had to do with the news about Manny and Big Papi coming out...but it was about making trades (Dodgers have responded and Red Sox are involved in a LOT of rumors)
• On Washburn
• Joel Sherman talked to the Mariners GM and he sounds like he doesn't know if he'll trade Washburn away, let him go as a free agent, or extend him
• Rob Neyer is not sure if Jarrod Washburn will be dealt and if he is, he thinks the Mariners may have inflated his numbers a bit...
• On the Cliff Lee Deal
• Steven Goldman reviews trading day and the Cliff Lee deal
• Jack Curry talks about choosing Lee over Roy Halladay
• Rob Neyer thinks the trade is a win-win for the Indians and Phillies
• Keith Law likes it for the Phillies because they gave up only a few high-end prospects
• FanGraphs loves the acquisition and points out that they'll have (at least) 3 lefties in their playoff rotation

New York Mets Rumor/Humor

Rumor has it Luis Castillo’s wife gave birth this morning and Castillo dropped the baby (H/T Malter)

In all seriousness, give credit to the Mets who have been looking much better as of late while playing against a very good Rockies team. My prediction of them playing until the last day of the season (only to fail again) is looking great!

Newsday thinks that not firing Minaya has to do with Madoff. I think that the Mets would swallow the money if they felt it was the move they needed to make. I also think that it would have to be the first time someone was fired before his extension kicked in. That's impressive.

Also, Razor Shines doesn't care how good your throwing arm is according to Amazin' Avenue

A Mets win tonight and a Giants loss would put the Mets within 4.5 games of the Wild Card. Don't stop believin'!

Yankees and Padres Discuss Heath Bell

This is not really anything that seems close, but if they Yankees do not acquire a starter, they could acquire a reliever and move Alfredo Aceves or Phil Hughes back into the rotation. From Rosenthal/Morosi:

Bell would be good fit for Yanks — 12:08 p.m.

If you're thinking that Padres closer Heath Bell would be a perfect addition for the Yankees, you're thinking right.

The Yankees indeed have expressed interest in Bell, but the teams are not engaged in serious discussions, according to a major-league source.

Bell would be an ideal setup man for closer Mariano Rivera, and give the Yankees the option of returning right-hander Phil Hughes to their starting rotation.

Between 10 and 15 teams are pursuing Bell, sources say. The Marlins are among those showing the strongest interest, and the Rangers are on the periphery.

The Padres, however, are asking a high price — "as much as the Blue Jays are for Halladay," one source says — and might simply choose to trade Bell in the offseason instead.

At that price, I may pass. The Yankees can use this guy but I'm not sure that much. One big positive for Bell is that while most pitchers in San Diego have stats that skew towards home in their splits, Bell is actually a pretty great pitcher on the road this season with a 2.40 ERA, 0.867 WHIP and 17 Ks to only 2 BBs. I wouldn't give up a ton to get him (meaning not Austin Jackson, Jesus Montero, Hughes or Joba), but I would gladly have him at the back end of the Yankees bullpen if the price is right.

It Keeps On Getting Better and Better

"One of the worst fears of Red Sox fans has apparently become a reality this afternoon." - Boston Globe

 

(let me just enjoy it a little more...please)

Oh The Irony...

"I think you clean up the game by the testing. I test you, you test positive, you're going to be out. Period."

Who said that?

David Ortiz on February 15, 2009

Uh oh...

According to this New York Times report, you're out of the game, Big Papi! Or should I call you Big Fat Cheater?

From the Boston Globe May 12, 2007:

"I just want to know," [Ortiz] said. "What have I ever done for people to question my integrity?"...

The only connection between Ortiz and steroids is that he is a very big man and he hits very big home runs. And that's not fair

Now it's fair...now we can question it.

Take back those 2004 and 2007 rings!

 

(just having a little fun with this)

Dear Boston Fans, It's Time To Shut Up About A-Roid

From ESPN:

Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003, lawyers with knowledge of the results told The New York Times.

The two were key members of the Boston Red Sox World Series teams in 2004 and 2007.

Boom goes the dynamite

Matt Garza Is An Idiot

Doesn't Matt Garza know it's not a good idea to admit that you hit someone? Doesn't he know it's not a good idea to critique a team that just beat you in a three game series? Well...I guess not.

From the St. Petersburg Times on the Yankees as a team:

"They have a lot of weaknesses," pitcher Matt Garza said.

On the fact that he hit Teixeira on purpose?

"I just kind of got tired of people brushing him back," Garza said. "It's about time someone made a statement. They did it on Monday night and we didn't do anything, they didn't do it too much (Tuesday) and (Chamberlain) did it again tonight.

"I hate to be that guy, but someone had to take a stand and say, 'You know, we're tired of it.' You can go after our best guy, well, we'll make some noise too, and that's what happened."

So Matt Garza wanted to make a statement on a pitch that Joba Chamberlain threw 18 feet over Longoria's head, and so what does he do? He barely hits Teixeira in the arm. I mean the ball hardly even grazed him. On the replay, I don't think you even see the ball hit him. Is the statement Garza tried to make that he doesn't have good control? Is that the noise you really want to make?

I hope you enjoy that suspension/fine Matt Garza, because you'll be very sad watching the Yankees with all their "weaknesses" play in October while you're sitting home.

Joba Following Instructions Brilliantly

So I want to thank Joba Chamberlain for reading the blog. I wrote today: "Joba's biggest problem is just getting ahead and retiring guys. The leadoff hitter of an inning has a .333/.426/.538 line against Joba. That means he's letting a leadoff runner on once every four innings which is unacceptable. He needs to trust his stuff and go after guys."

And how many lead-off batters did he allow on in this game? Zero. In 8 innings.

He looks so much more comfortable on the mound and I'm telling you, it's all about the fist pump. He even told Michael Kay that it wasn't in his nature to suppress the fist pump so as long as he's not showing anyone up, Joba feels OK doing it. He looks relaxed, confident and focused on the mound. He seems to be pitching with a purpose and with emotion (I'm telling you, it's ALL about the fist pump).

He's 23 and has a 0.83 ERA since the break. Good thing we didn't move him into the bullpen.

Reviewing the Yankees Starting Pitching To Date

It's almost the trade deadline and the Yankees are out there looking for a starter. So let's look at the guys who they went into the season thinking would be their top 5 starters:

• A.J. Burnett - 20 starts, 10-4, 3.53 ERA, 127.1 IP, 109 hits, 15 HR, 63 BB, 113 K, 1.351 WHIP, 8.0 SO/9, 124 ERA+
• AJ is having one of the most statistically odd seasons out there. He leads the league in walks and wild pitches and is third in hits by pitch. His K rate is down, his walk rate is up, and he's on pace to give up more homeruns than he's ever given up. Yet he's also on pace for one of the best seasons of his career.
• One of the reasons this has occurred is that he's bared down when he's gotten runners on base. With a runner on third and less than two outs, he's held them to scoring only 38% of the time which would be a career low and way below the MLB average of 52%. 
• He also has totally turned his season around after a slow start. I was at the Fenway start in which he couldn't protect a 6-0 lead. It was embarrassing and he said as much himself. He's responded by going 6-1 with a 1.67 ERA in his last 8 starts and looked like the ace of the staff. The team is 14-6 in his 20 starts which is the best mark on the team.
• Sports Illustrated says that no player has been more vital to the Yanks burst past the Red Sox than Burnett. Mark Feinsand of the Daily News says that Burnett set the tone for the road trip with his start on Monday night vs. Tampa (and also has a funny quote from Johnny Damon)
• CC Sabathia - 22 starts, 10-7, 3.83 ERA, 148.0 IP, 133 hits, 12 HR, 43 BB, 109 K, 1.189 WHIP, 6.6 SO/9, 115 ERA+
• CC has been good and he's been durable and he's gone long...but he hasn't really impressed or dominated yet. Maybe this is the curse of the big hurler coming to the Yankees in the first season (see: Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, et al), or maybe it's his incredible workload the past few seasons (he's thrown more innings than anyone the past few years). His SO/9 are down and his SO/BB are down. And he hasn't been good against Boston and Tampa Bay, the two teams he was brought in to beat. That's even before October comes along where he sports a 7.92 career ERA.
• Mark Feinsand points out what a strange season CC has had:

Yet a look at the Yankees’ record with each pitcher on the mound reveals something very strange...

Burnett: 14-6 in 20 starts
Chamberlain: 13-6 in 19 starts
Pettitte: 13-7 in 20 starts
Sabathia: 11-11 in 22 starts

How are the Yankees a .500 team with their $161 million ace on the hill? Sabathia has thrown seven innings or more in 14 of his 22 starts, and he’s given up three earned runs or less in 13 starts. Throw in four more starts in which he allowed four earned runs and he’s done enough to give the Yankees a chance to win in 17 of his 22 starts...

He’s also left eight of his starts with his team losing, so he deserves some of the blame. Is it telling that he’s 0-2 with a 6.10 ERA in three starts against Boston and Tampa Bay?

• SNY's Bronx Cheer says that his drop-off is going unnoticed and asks if people should worry. Steven Goldman is worried. We pointed out yesterday this Baseball Prospectus article that says that CC Sabathia is not finishing off hitters.
• Joba Chamberlain - 19 starts, 6-2 3.86 ERA, 102.2 IP, 102 hits, 13 HR, 48 BB, 92 K, 1.461 WHIP, 8.1 SO/9, 114 ERA+
• Joba has shown flashes of brilliance since the All-Star break allowing only 2 runs in 13.2 innings while striking out 14 and going late into games. This start tonight against the Rays is a big one for him as if he can string 3 of these in a row together, it will look mighty impressive. Joba's problem has been pretty easy to figure out: he just hasn't gone after hitters. His SO/BB rate is 1.92. He's hit a league-leading 11 batters. He has been great on the road (3.26 ERA) but has struggled at home (4.37 ERA) in the new ballpark. The other issue to worry about is his innings limit which he's going to get close to this season.
• Joba's biggest problem is just getting ahead and retiring guys. The leadoff hitter of an inning has a .333/.426/.538 line against Joba. That means he's letting a leadoff runner on once every four innings which is unacceptable. He needs to trust his stuff and go after guys. Giving up a solo home run is fine. Walking a guy you had an 0-2 count on to force in a run is definitely not.
• We mentioned on the blog that Joba was missing his fist pump because now that it's back he's been pitching great. Behind The Moat agrees with me. I don't give a shit what the "purists" think. If you want Joba to pitch with any emotion on the mound, let him show some emotion on the mound. Give him his snarl back. I don't mean he should show up every guy he strikes out a la Carlos Perez, but he should get excited after a big K and upset when he sucks it up. Oh...and the guy is really, really young and developing. Should be interesting to watch in the second half...if he's not traded by Friday for Roy Halladay.
• Andy Pettitte - 20 starts, 8-6, 4.67 ERA, 121.1 IP, 132 hits, 16 HR, 47 BB, 85 K, 1.475 WHIP, 6.3 SO/9, 94 ERA+
• Andy has been less than dandy, but has been serviceable. Well, as a 5th starter he would be serviceable, but he's been thrust into the 4th starter role and I'm not sure he holds up here. His second half last year was brutal and he's on pace to throw just as many innings. His hits/9 are actually the lowest he's had in the AL since 2002 but his HR/9 is the highest ever, his BB/9 are up, and his SO/BB ratio has fallen to the lowest since 2000. He's always been a guy to give up a lot of hits, but he used to get out of it with GIDPs. Not so much anymore. He went from 29 GIDPs in 2007 to 15 last year to only 8 so far this year. Worse, with a runner on 3rd and less than two outs, that runner has scored 63% of the time.
• Andy has only had a quality start in 45% of his starts. Most of the problem, though has been his home and away splits. Even as a lefty, he's struggled in the New Yankee Stadium. At home, he has a 5.28 ERA, a .819 OPS against and has given up 13 home runs. On the road, he has a 3.69 ERA, a .697 OPS against and has given up 3 home runs. That's a huge difference.
• Pettitte has actually pitched better so far in the second half, though, and gives some hope for a bounce back. He's only made two starts, but has a 3.29 ERA, 1.024 WHIP, and .584 OPS against vs. his first half numbers of 4.85 ERA, 1.523 WHIP, and .795 OPS against. He's never had great WHIPs over his career, but he needs to control the baserunners because he's having a harder time getting them out once they get on the base paths.
• Chien-Ming Wang - 9 starts (12 games) 1-6, 9.64 ERA, 42 IP, 66 hits, 7 HR, 19 BB, 29 K, 2.024 WHIP, 6.2 SO/9, 46 ERA+
• There's not much more to be said about Wang. He was awful, was shut down, was awful again, was shut down and now is out for the season. When he was in there, he just didn't seem to have the same feel he had last year before his foot surgery. Baseball-Reference writes about his nightmare season (though, if it's any comfort for him, Roy Halladay was once MUCH worse)
• Both Tyler Kepner and Peter Abraham wrote how that one step in Pittsburgh changed everything for Wang. I really feel bad for the guy. Seemed like a good guy who never complained and went about his job. He did it really, really well, too until this year. Now he's probably a non-tender candidate. Some team will pick him up and try to resurrect the guy who was a perennial 19-game winner (maybe Los Angeles with Joe Torre?). I will miss the Wanger too who not only threw the quickest games out of any Yankees starter, but also inspired the most jokes with that last name. Let's hope he has a quick recovery and the Yankees find a way to bring him back.

So there you have it, the Yankees 5 opening day starters. Sergio Mitre is now in for Wang which is why there is urgency in getting a starter for the Yankees. Will they by the deadline? Maybe not. But it won't mean that the Yankees won't acquire one after during the non-waiver deadline. Also, if they decide to trade Joba for Halladay, they won't be filling a starter hole; they'll just be replacing one starter with another. Although Halladay won't have the same innings limits and has a better track record, I still think the Yankees would rather keep Joba and fill the 5th starter slot with someone else.

 

Less Than Two Days Until the Trade Deadline

Tick

Tock

Tick

Tock...

Ben Francisco To Be Added To Possible Lee Deal

According to Phillies MLB.com beat writer, Todd Zolecki: Source: Phillies also would receive OF Ben Francisco (.250, 10 homers, 33 RBIs). Right-handed bat the Phillies have been looking for.

Yahoo! Sports and FOX Sports are both reporting the Cliff Lee deal to be close. According to Yahoo! In return, the Indians would receive right-handed pitching prospects Carlos Carrasco and Jason Knapp and at least two players from a group that includes catcher Lou Marson, shortstop Jason Donald and outfielder Michael Taylor, according to sources.

If the Phillies can do this, kudos to them for getting a top pitcher and the right handed bat they needed without giving up their top prospect (Drabek) or a single person from their major league roster. Cliff Lee is not Roy Halladay, but for the reported price, I think it would be a really, really good pickup for the Phillies.

 

 

Pirates Make Their First Good Trade!

Congrats to the Pirates who made their first good trade since they sent Rick Rhoden to the Yankees in 1986 for Doug Drabek. Ok...probably not the first, but it seems like that (though with the Marte and Nady injuries, the trade they made at the last deadline is looking pretty darn good even with Jose Tabata's wife issues).

The Pittsburgh Pirates dealt shortstop Jack Wilson and right-handed pitcher Ian Snell to the Seattle Mariners for shortstop Ronny Cedeno, first baseman Jeff Clement, and right-handed pitching prospects Aaron Pribanic. I have no clue why the Mariners made this trade. If they're truly sellers, what good will Wilson do? Even if they were buyers, I'm not sure what a guy with a career OPS of .687 does for a team in serious need of bats.

MLBTradeRumors has a lot more details and links including MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo calling it a "pretty good haul" for the Pirates and Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus saying it's the best deal the Pirates have made yet.

Is Freddy Sanchez (to the Twins or Giants) next?

Phillies Getting Cliff Lee?

It seems like the Phillies may be tired of waiting for a Halladay deal to materialize and will go after their Plan B, Cliff Lee of the Indians. The package? According to Jayson Stark it would be starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco--who was abruptly scratched from his start today--along with Jason Knapp (A-level pitcher), Trevor May (A-level pitcher), and a position player. This seems to be MUCH less than the package for Halladay as it doesn't include JA Happ or Kyle Drabek and may not include the OF prospects that were being thrown around in the Halladay talks as well.

If I were the Phillies, I'd jump on that deal. Supposedly, if they do not get Lee or Halladay, they'll go after George Sherrill of Baltimore but he won't help solve their problems at starting pitcher. FOX Sports has the Dodgers making also making a "hard push" for Lee with the Angels also interested. The rumor mill is heating up!

 

Latest On Halladay-To-Yanks Rumors

Just finished reading Ken Rosenthal's piece this morning on the Yankees talking to the Jays about Roy Halladay. He seems to think the Yankees can get it done without including Jesus Montero and including only one of Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain. I think you may have to do this deal. With Chien-Ming Wang gone for this season and probably a non-tender candidate for next season and Andy Pettitte probably at the end of the line, you would not only be getting a starter for this season, but one to fill in a gap next season as well. And if the Yankees are really operating on a budget (I doubt that), Halladay would fit into their plans with the salaries of Wang and Pettitte coming off the books.

So Yankees fans...do you trade Joba/Hughes, Austin Jackson, Austin Romine and Jeremy Bleich for Roy Halladay (and maybe a little extra to get Scott Downs as well)? Personally, I give them Hughes, Jackson, Romine and Bleich to get Halladay for 1 1/2 seasons.

If the Red Sox are sniffing, you know the Yankees will be there. And I agree with Rosenthal, the most important point may be "if the Yankees get Halladay, the Red Sox will not."

It'll be an exciting sprint to the trade deadline finish.

You Heard It Here First: Mets Will Play Until The Last Day Of The Season

I've been saying it to my friends and now I need to say it in public so I can be on record: despite how bad the Mets are playing, they will start mounting a comeback this season, springboarding a huge showing against the Rockies this week and push towards a playoff berth. They will play on the last day of the season with a chance to make the playoffs.

And they will lose again.

How is that for torture for Mets fans?

Some more fun links for Metropolitan fans:

• Deadspin looks into that unbelievably bizarre press conference. Amazin' Avenue has the transcript of the press conference. ShysterBall is amazed that Mets can even make the firing of Bernazard a crazy affair.
  
• Adam Rubin responds!
• Buster Olney says that Omar Minaya has shifted the glare to himself now and his own clock is ticking. Rob Neyer notes that Minaya is losing control.
• Deadspin on a sort-of-maybe apology from Minaya
• The New York Times looks at Bernazard's career before this debacle
• Deadspin takes a few more rips at the Mets (picture courtesy of Deadspin, too)
  

And, lastly, I don't know if SNY showing the whole press conference, the interviews afterwards, talking about it on the network and running clips of the meltdown on their website is one of two things: transparency from a team not trying to hide from its mistakes or complete and utter disdain for the fanbase which it seems to want to torture at every turn. It absolutely amazes me that a team that once employed drugged out Doc Gooden and Darryl Strawberry, (allegedly) women-crazy David Cone, firecracker-wielding Vince Coleman, poker-playing Rickey Henderson, reporter-threatening Bobby Bonilla, bleach-spraying Bret Saberhagen, sexually-harassing Steve Phillips and Mo Vaughn could only now be deemed a total mess.

Either way, it keeps A-Rod off the backpages so as a Yankees fan, I can't complain

Stat of the Day: The Worst Hitters in the Game

Via Baseball-Reference, the players with the worst adjusted OPS in baseball:

 Cnt Player            **OPS+** Year Age Tm  Lg  G   PA  AB  R   H  2B 3B HR RBI  BB IBB  SO HBP  SH  SF GDP  SB CS   BA   OBP   SLG   OPS  Positions
+----+-----------------+--------+----+---+---+--+---+---+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+-----+-----+-----+-----+---------+
   1 Willy Taveras         54   2009  27 CIN NL  82 360 329  46  82 10  2  1  14  17   0  49   2  10   2   2  21  6  .249  .289  .301  .590 *8
   2 Jason Kendall         63   2009  35 MIL NL  87 338 292  27  70 10  1  0  25  31   5  32   8   2   5  10   2  1  .240  .324  .281  .605 *2
   3 Emilio Bonifacio      63   2009  24 FLA NL  92 425 391  57  98 11  5  1  22  26   0  81   1   3   4   4  18  7  .251  .296  .312  .608 *56/478
   4 Edgar Renteria        66   2009  33 SFG NL  83 351 314  36  80 14  0  2  39  26   2  50   1   5   5  12   5  2  .255  .309  .318  .627 *6
   5 Chris Young           70   2009  25 ARI NL  90 324 284  33  58 22  4  6  26  34   1  82   2   2   2   1  11  2  .204  .292  .373  .665 *8
   6 Mike Fontenot         74   2009  29 CHC NL  88 305 273  26  63 13  1  8  31  28   3  65   1   0   3   5   2  1  .231  .302  .374  .676 *54
   7 Jeff Francoeur        74   2009  25 TOT NL  94 376 353  34  92 14  2  7  49  12   2  51   4   1   6  10   5  2  .261  .288  .371  .659 *9
   8 Jimmy Rollins         75   2009  30 PHI NL  91 432 397  61  94 25  2 10  45  29   1  45   2   1   3   6  17  8  .237  .290  .385  .675 *6
   9 Daniel Murphy         76   2009  24 NYM NL  92 315 280  33  68 15  1  5  32  28   1  41   0   3   4   5   2  1  .243  .308  .357  .665 37
  10 Adrian Beltre         77   2009  30 SEA AL  73 313 297  36  77 19  0  5  31  11   1  48   3   0   2  12   9  2  .259  .291  .374  .665 *5/D

Usually bad hitters have some excuse, but most of these guys don't have it. We have the two guys who have speed (Taveras and Bonifacio), the two guys going on past reputation (Kendall and Renteria), the two guys going still living off that prospect status that still hasn't materialized (Young and Francouer), two guys on off years (Rollins and Beltre) and two guys we expected better from this year after how they performed last year but still could turn it around (Fontenot and Murphy).

It also may be that all these guys aren't that good, despite the fact that Rollins does have an MVP and Daniel Murphy is going to be the next Paul O'Neill....

Yankees Deadline Update

The trade deadline is fast approaching so it's time to look at what the Yankees will do before Friday's deadline hits:

• Earlier on the blog:
• Bronson Arroyo coming to the Yankees
• Bronson Arroyo not coming to the Yankees
• Yankees won't give up Joba AND Hughes for Halladay
• Out last trade deadline update
• Justin Duchscherer to the Yankees
• Next, from the ultimate source, MLBTradeRumors:
• Yankees scouting Ian Snell 
• Roy Halladay Rumors of the Day (non-Yankee)
• The Yanks are looking at Scott Downs to be the second lefty out of the 'pen
• Jon Heyman has information on the Yankees pursuit of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Jarrod Washburn as well as a take on Hughes/Chamberlain.
• He also states that they have "run the gamut" looking for starting pitching
• Tyler Kepner notes the place the Yankees could use some help is in pitching (who does mention the wild card in this whole arguments is Alfredo Aceves)
• Newsday says the Yankees may consider bringing up Austin Jackson instead of trading for an OF to replace Brett Gardner
• From Buster Olney on Monday:
• Justin Duchscherer threw two perfect innings for Class A Stockton in his minor league outing Sunday, striking out two. It's expected that he'll be ready to pitch in the big leagues within a couple of weeks. When healthy, he has been very effective.
• The Yankees, perhaps, who had a scout on hand to watch Ian Snell pitch Sunday, Rob Biertempfel writes.
• Baseball America lists Jesus Montero as the Yankees one untouchable prospect: Scouts who cover the Yankees organization are fond of saying the team over-values its own prospects, but the scouting consensus is that Montero is the real deal. He has premium raw power and pure hitting ability to go with it. If he can catch, he could have a Mike Piazza-esque career. More than likely, he's New York's future DH, and the Yankees' asking price for him is prohibitive.
• Rob Neyer thinks that Arroyo would be a BIG mistake for any acquiring team
• Joel Sherman links the Yankees with Heath Bell
• River Avenue Blues gives some caution to trading a Drabek from the Yankees' history of trading a Drabek (though Halladay and Rhoden are REALLY different pitchers)
• USA Today says that trade deadline rumors like this drive GM's batty

Other moves:

• FOX Sports has the latest here
• The Giants picked up Ryan Garko to play first base. Not the type of big bat I think they needed to get, but they need a few bats so this is a start.
• ShysterBall (somewhat tounge-in-cheek) says to start printing playoff tickets.
• Rob Neyer wonders about the helpfulness of the Giants newest "professional hitter"
• Keith Law says it doesn't cure Giants' ills at 1st base
• The Giants may not be done dealing as Jon Heyman links them to Freddy Sanchez
• Joel Sherman has a midday trade confidential
• For the second time in a week, the Red Sox got a AAA right-handed OF for a guy they were going to release. This time it's Brian Anderson for Mark Kotsay. Makes sense to have a couple of these guys sitting around in case of injuries or to have on the bench come September.
• Brett Myers may help the Phillies out in the 'pen

Trivia Tuesday

A little late today, but better late than never:

We hear a lot at the trade deadline about "5-tool" players. These are players who, on the offensive side hit for a high average, hit homeruns and steal bases ( although all those do NOT constitute a complete player by any means). Currently, Hanley Ramirez is the only player on pace to hit 25 HR and steal 25 bases while posting an average above .300. There are 6 other players who currently have a batting average of at least .300, 10 or more home runs and 10 or more stolen bases. Can you name them?

Post your answer into the comments below. I will post the correct answer late tonight or tomorrow morning. No cheating! Good luck!

Arroyo to the Yanks? Probably Not As Close As FanHouse Made It Seem

Yesterday, I wrote about how the Yankees were close to acquiring Bronson Arroyo from the Reds after reading a AOL FanHouse report describing such. Not so much. Via MLBTradeRumors:

9:14pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com tweets that the Yankees said a deal was "not realistic at this point," implying that Arroyo was making too much money for their liking.

6:17pm: Peter Abraham of The Journal News tweets the Yankees have shot the rumor down.

I could be OK with that deal not happening. I didn't have the chance to check out Arroyo's stats before writing the post yesterday and they're not good. And he's owed $4 million the rest of this season, $11 million in 2010 and 2011 (with a $2 million buyout for 2011). The Reds would have to pick up a lot of that tab to make it palatable for the Yankees.

The worst part? Since he threw a league- and career-high 240.2 innings in 2006, he's gotten worse every year. His ERA and WHIP have gone up every year, and his SO/BB has gone down every year. This may be the problem with just increasing innings pitched without regard for the pitcher (and a lesson for those who want to blow through the innings limit for Joba). Arroyo went from 170.2 IP (between the majors and minors) in 2003 to 191.1 IP (between regular season and playoffs) in 2004 to 206.1 in 2005 to a ridiculous 240.2 in 2006 (in his first year in Cincy).

Side Note: There are only two pitchers who have thrown 240+ IP since Arroyo in 2006. Those guys are CC Sabathia (twice) and Roy Halladay. And Sabathia's strikeout rate is down this year. Just throwing a little caution out there.

This year his ERA is 5.21 in the lesser league with an NL-leading 72 earned runs allowed so far this season. He's been the definition of durability since 2004, appearing in at least 34 games every year (including leading the NL in games started twice), and durability is something the Yankees need from a starter acquisition. But Arroyo has not been good and there's not a lot of reason to think that he'll excel in a better league, in a better division and in a park that has a jet stream going out to right field. This may be one instance where the Yankees should pass.

Yankees, Reds Working On Arroyo Deal Says MLB FanHouse

I was about to write a post today for the blog that the Yankees should go out and get a low-cost deal for a 5th starter and I guess it seems that's what they're doing.

http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/07/27/yankees-reds-working-on-arroyo-deal/

This makes more sense than a Cliff Lee or a Roy Halladay, though they could still get one of them because if they traded Joba in the trade, they'd still need another starter. Arroyo hasn't been great, but he could be an upgrade on Sergio Mitre as the 5th starter (who would then return to the minors as insurance for injury risks AJ Burnett, Andy Pettitte and the innings limit of Joba). Arroyo has also pitched in the AL East before so he's familar with the competition. Arroyo would cost a low level prospects with Cincy probably paying most of his salary.

I don't think this is a done deal yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if it gets done soon.

-Andrew

Reviewing ESPN's 30 Over 30 at the Hot Corners

Last Monday we reviewed ESPN's 30 over 30 at Catcher and DH. ESPN is doing a mobile survey to determine who fans think are the best players by position in the ESPN Era of the past 30 years. The winners last week were Johnny Bench/Ivan Rodriguez and Edgar Martinez despite my opinion that Mike Piazza and Frank Thomas should have won. Let's move on to the categories for last week and this week: The Hot Corners.

 

First Base:

• Jeff Bagwell - .297/.408/.540, 9431 PA, 1517 runs, 2314 hits, 969 XBH, 449 HR, 1529 RBI, 1401 BB, 1558 SO, 149 OPS+
• Rod Carew - .314/.393/.392, 3570 PA, 474 runs, 968 hits, 180 XBH, 18 HR, 282 RBI, 405 BB, 312 SO, 119 OPS+
• Steve Garvey - .286/.319/.431, 4961 PA, 590 runs, 1333 hits, 377 XBH, 141 HR, 682 RBI, 230 BB, 513 SO, 109 OPS+
• Todd Helton - .328/.427/.571, 7505 PA, 1194 runs, 2064 hits, 864 XBH, 321 HR, 1176 RBI, 1091 BB, 861 SO, 141 OPS+
• Keith Hernandez - .303/.391/.441, 6599 PA, 867 runs, 1716 hits, 492 XBH, 126 HR, 848 RBI, 836 BB, 769 SO, 132 OPS+
• Don Mattingly - .307/.358/.471, 7003 PA, 1007 runs, 2153 hits, 684 XBH, 222 HR, 1099 RBI, 588 BB, 444 SO, 127 OPS+
• Mark McGwire - .263/.394/.588, 7660 PA, 1167 runs, 1626 hits, 841 XBH, 583 HR, 1414 RBI, 1317 BB, 1596 SO, 162 OPS+
• Albert Pujols - .334/.426/.629, 5807 PA, 1026 runs, 1642 hits, 731 XBH, 353 HR, 1068 RBI, 771 BB, 545 SO, 172 OPS+
• Pete Rose - .283/.365/.348, 4415 PA, 508 runs, 1092 hits, 208 XBH, 10 HR, 360 RBI, 481 BB, 244 SO, 98 OPS+

Let's do this a little out of order. Pete Rose was one of the greatest hitters in the history of the game, but by 1979 he had moved on to Philly (and on to first base) and after a great 1979 season, he wasn't really the same player (though he was great in a short stint back in Cincinnati in 1984). He averaged 167 hits and 74 walks with only 37 Ks per 162 games, but had no power to go along with it (as well as some betting thing).

Rod Carew also gets hit by the years as he moved in 1979 from Minnesota to California and although he would be productive until the end, he was not the same hitter who won the MVP in 1977 and had moved from second base to almost solely being a first baseman. His OPS over the ESPN era was 42nd among first basemen with 3000 or more PAs, just behind the immortals Greg Colbrunn, Paul Sorrento and Hal Morris. He's Jewish (as per Adam Sandler), so he gets extra points in my book, but not enough to put him over the top.

Steve Garvey was a fine player over his career, but this only spans half of it and misses out on his 1974 MVP season and his 2nd place finish in 1978. His OPS over this period ranks behind suck luminaries as Sid Bream, Rico Brogna, and Lee Stevens and his .319 OBP is worst among any first basemen with at least 3800 PAs.

Don Mattingly was one of my top 3 favorite players ever and one of the best defensive first basemen I've ever seen, but his bad back sent him out of the game at 34. I've always wondered what would have happened to that Yankee dynasty with a healthy Mattingly (and therefore minus Tino) as well as his Hall of Fame credentials. But that's all hypothetical. He averaged a very nice 40 2B, 20 HR, 100 RBI, 300 TB per 162 games, but that's not enough to finish first on this list.

Keith Hernandez was great defensively, won the NL MVP in 1979, and was awesome on Seinfeld, but he doesn't make it even if you do include his 5 years before 1979. Although his OPS was slightly higher than Mattingly's, I think Donnie Baseball may have been better overall during this time period. And both of their OPSs were below John Jaha, John Kruk and Paul Konerko.

Todd Helton has long been one of the more underrated and underappreciated players in the game. All the man does is hit. His power slowed down in 2005 (probably nothing to do with testing) but he continued to hit the ball well. He averages 30 HR and his .998 OPS is second among 1st basemen in the last 30 years. More impressively, his .427 OBP is 12th all time and first among active players. Some of his bump is due to Coors Field, but his .889 OPS on the road would put him above Rafael Palmeiro, Fred McGriff or Justin Morneau all by itself.

Jeff Bagwell one MVP award was in the strike-shortened 1994 season. "Bags" was hitting .368/.451/.750 with 39 HR and 116 RBI when the season was cancelled so we'll never know what he could have finished with. From 1994-2001, he averaged .306/.428/.589 with 41 HR and 132 RBI per 162 games. He also is the stolen base leader for first basemen in the ESPN Era with 202. The next closest guys are Gerald Perry at 142 and Andres Galarraga at 128.

Mark McGwire gets dinged for steroids but the guy hit 583 HR over his career including back-to-back years of 65+ HR and 147 RBIs. Over 162 games, this guy averaged 50 HR! And despite the fact he didn't hit for average, his .982 OPS was really good and he never posted an OPS + of under 100 after his initial call-up to the bigs.

Albert Pujols is a machine no matter what he says. The guy is well on his way to his third MVP Award. Here are his MVP finishes in the majors: 4th (won ROY), 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 1st, 2nd, 9th, and 1st. He's also really good around the bag. He's 1st in active batting average, 2nd in OBP, 1st in SLG (and 4th all time), 1st in OPS (and 4th all time), and 1st in adjusted OPS (7th all time). He compares very favorably so far in his career with Jimmie Foxx, Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, Lou Gerhig, Ken Griffey, Mickey Mantle, and Joe DiMaggio. Oh...and he's 29.

Missing from this list?/Special Mention: Neither one would win, but Jason Giambi and Carlos Delgado have each had very good careers with OPS over .928 and 400+ HR a piece and although the steroid cloud haunts him, Rafael Palmeiro did have 3020 hits and 569 HR.

My winners and runners up: My winner is Albert Pujols with Mark McGwire, Jeff Bagwell and Todd Helton coming in as runners up.

 

Third Base:

• Mike Schmidt - .275/.385/.543, 6231 PA, 941 runs, 1424 hits, 640 XBH, 358 HR, 1043 RBI, 938 BB, 1040 SO, 153 OPS+
• Alex Rodriguez - .304/.389/.576, 9367 PA, 1646 runs, 2462 hits, 1034 XBH, 572 HR, 1661 RBI, 1031 BB, 1689 SO, 147 OPS+
• George Brett - .305/.376/.500, 8510 PA, 1170 runs, 2284 hits, 846 XBH, 266 HR, 1242 RBI, 886 BB, 721 SO, 139 OPS+
• Chipper Jones - .310/.408/.545, 9041 PA, 1430 runs, 2363 hits, 923 XBH, 420 HR, 1422 RBI, 1303 BB, 1187 SO, 144 OPS+
• Wade Boggs - .328/.415/.443, 10740 PA, 1513 runs, 3010 hits, 757 XBH, 118 HR, 1014 RBI, 1412 BB, 745 SO, 130 OPS+

Michael Jack Schmidt (for some reason everyone calls him that) was probably the greatest hitting 3rd baseman ever. His biggest problem? He had 7 years under his belt when 1979 came around including 3 straight seasons where he led the NL in HRs. Still, his stats were great, but was it good enough to put him in first on my list?

A-Rod was only a third baseman less than 40% of the time, but in that time, he has the highest OPS of any of them over the past 30 years. He's also one of the best player of the past 30 years so his inclusion on here is easy...if you consider him a 3rd baseman. Still, he averages 44 HR and 128 RBIs per 162 games so whatever position you consider him, he should be on this list. He also has 289 SB which is not insignificant in the argument.

George Brett misses out on 6 years here and that's significant. In those 6 years he had two seasons he averaged 193 hits per 162 games. He was a great player but those missing years certainly take him out of the running.  

Chipper Jones has to be one of the most underrated players in the game. "Larry" (as he's known around Queens) has hit more than 20 HR every year and hasn't finished with an OPS+ of lower than 116 since his rookie year (where he was 108). He only won one MVP, but that wasn't because his value was low to his team. Since 1997, he's only had one season with an OBP less than .400.

Wade Boggs had a great career. Although he was solid throughout, his peak came 1983-1989. In those 7 seasons, he never has less than 200 hits or less than 100 runs. He also led the league twice in runs, once in hits, twice in doubles, twice in walks, 5 times in batting average, 6 times in OBP and twice in OPS. Despite only hitting double digits in HR twice in his ENTIRE career, he led the league in IBB from 1987-1992. I don't know, however, if he really compares to the A-Rod's and Chippers at the end of the day. It's tough to compare the pure hitters like Boggs to the power hitters, but I think that Boggs may come short especially when you consider his OPS was lower than Troy Glaus or Scott Rolen.

Missing from this list?/Special Mention: No one. This was the best list they made so far.

My winners and runners up: My winner is Alex Rodriguez with Chipper Jones and Mike Schmidt as the runners up.

 

Update: It ends up the actual winners were posted this afternoon. The fans voted for Albert Pujols and Pete Rose at first and Mike Schmidt and Alex Rodriguez at third. Pujols got 41.8% of the vote and Rose 24.5% (next closest was Mattingly at 8.5%). Schmidt got 40% of the vote and A-Rod 17.8% (George Brett at 17.3% and Chipper Jones at 15.6% just missed out). With the Bench and Rose votes so far, it seems like fans are ignoring the requirement that it be what the player has done over the last 30 years. But so far, not too bad.

Next one is 2B and SS...should be exciting!

 

A Message From Omar Minaya

So...Omar, when do you fire yourself? This seems to be a pretty interesting way of handling it, one that seems like saving face for Minaya and the Mets organization. That being said, I can't see the Yankees ever doing this. Ever. Regardless, here is Minaya's message I just got via e-mail:

I wanted for you to hear directly from me today regarding an update on the investigation of Tony Bernazard, our Vice President of Player Development.

Prior to a series of articles published in the media, our Baseball Operations and Human Resources departments had begun looking into several matters involving Tony. Once those reports became public, we accelerated our investigation. We wanted it to be thorough and complete it as quickly as possible while still being fair to Tony. That process concluded over the weekend.
Yesterday, I met with Tony in person to have a frank conversation about what we had learned following interviews with numerous people. I also wanted for Tony to have the opportunity to give his side of the story.
After meeting with Tony, and giving a lot of thought to the facts, I came to a decision on Tony's status which I shared with Ownership last night. My recommendation was that we needed to part ways with Tony, as his behavior in his interaction with others was inconsistent with our organization's values. Ownership agreed with my assessment and accepted my recommendation.
I spoke with Tony this morning and informed him of my decision to terminate his employment with the Mets.
Personnel decisions are never easy. And one can't make them without giving it a lot of thought. It's even harder when you know someone as I do Tony. Tony and I go back a long time. He is a dedicated baseball man who loves the game, someone I like and respect, and someone who has contributed to the Mets. In the end, however, I just told him I couldn't leave him in his position after all that had transpired.
As General Manager of the Mets, I am fully accountable for our Baseball Operations department -- on and off the field -- and stand by this decision.
Thank you for your ongoing support of the Mets.
 

Michael Vick Reinstated

Just saw this on Twitter (via Adam Schefter):

 

This just in from NFL: Michael Vick reinstated on conditional basis. He can practice and play in final two preseason games. Dungy his mentor.

Roger Goodell notified Vick today he was being reinstated on conditional basis and will be considered to be fully reinstated by week 6.

Tony Dungy also has agreed to continue his work with Vick as an advisor and mentor

 

Interesting decision. More reaction later.

Under pressure from No, You're a Towel, Mets terminate Tony Bernazard

Ok, NYaT is probably not the only reason Tony Bernazard won't be coming into the office tomorrow - but it was certainly pressure from media outlets and the blogosphere that led to his dismissal. Bernazard has been an issue in the Mets clubhouse for well over a year now and had clearly become a major distraction for a team that seemingly can't concentrate on the simplest of baseball tasks (read: catching pop-ups).

Now let's see if this leads to some strong play from the Mets, much the way the ouster of Willie and Rick last year seemed to wake them up.

Let's Go Mets!

The Yankees Will Miss Brett Gardner, Should Play A-Jax

Did you hear that Brett Gardner went on the disabled list? Probably not. In a year that has seen the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, Brian Bruney and Chien-Ming Wang hit the DL, Gritty Gutsy Brett Gardner's name didn't hit the same chord as the others. But GGBG will be missed. Amazingly, Gardner broke his thumb but continued to play on Saturday, making two diving catches and hitting a triple. Although only a part-time player so far this season, Gardner has contributed to the Yankees in many ways.

According to FanGraphs, he's the 4th best centerfielder in baseball behind the Nats' Nyjer Morgan, the Cards' Colby Rasmus, and the A's Ryan Sweeney and has the fifth best arm behind Adam Jones, Kosuke Fukudome, Michael Bourn, and Matt Kemp.. Overall, he's good for a WAR (Win Over Replacement player) of 2.1, which is equal to the Braves' Nate McLouth, the A's Scott Hairston or the Giants' Aaron Rowand. McLouth and Hairston have been dealt so far this season for prospects, so their values are well defined. His .354 OBP is 4th among American League CF (according to Play Index), he's 3rd in steals (also via Play Index) and he's one behind the AL leader in triples for any position. In fact, he is aiming to become the first Yankees to have more than 10 triples since Willie Randolph did it exactly 30 years ago. He's been covering a lot of the ground that Nick Swisher and Johnny Damon have missed in the OF and is a threat to run either when he starts or off the bench late in games.

What does this mean for the Yankees? More ABs for Melky Cabrera and a call-up of someone from AAA. Once again, Melky started the season hot but has cooled significantly since then. April he was .327/.400/.571 with 4 HR, May he was .321/.348/.429 with 1 HR, June he was .225/.312/.375 with 2 HR and so far in July he's bounced back a bit with .288/.373/.407 with 1 HR (but only 8 runs scored and 5 XBH total, though with an un-Melky-like 8 BB to 4 SO). Although he's on pace to have his best offensive season yet, that isn't really saying all that much for a player that had an adjusted OPS of 84 (or 16% below average) coming into this season. He's been bouncing around from CF to the corners to the bench, but his value as of late has certainly been in the ability the Yankees have to put he and Gardner in 2 out of the 3 OF spots late in games. Melky has been a subpar defensive player so far this season according to FanGraphs but has hit better than his last two seasons leading to a WAR of 0.9. He won't hurt the Yankees out there as long as he doesn't play to his June splits, but he's also not a big help out there, either.

Who could help at AAA? Peter Abraham suggests that the choices are probably either Austin Jackson, Shelley Duncan or John Rodriguez, with Ramiro Pena as a long shot. Tyler Kepner, after pointing out the Yankees cannot use Hideki Matsui in the field, relays Girardi's sentiments that Austin Jackson is a long shot as well because they want him to be playing every day. River Avenue Blues thinks Jackson is not the answer right now.

My feelings? Go with Austin Jackson and play him every day in center. The Yankees #2 prospect, A-Jax has burned it up at every level so far, hitting AAA pitching this year with a .311/.375/.429 line and 17 steals in 19 attempts. His line is sure to take a dip in the Major Leagues, especially playing in the ultra-competitive AL East, but his speed and plus defense in center could make him more valuable. Plus, this would allow the Yankees to showcase Jackson either for a trade or for the team to consider using as an every day player next season. The Yankees need to see what they have here and putting him up against the top competition in the middle of the pennant race is a sure-fire way to do so. I do not advocate bringing him up to be an extra OF. But if the Yanks are willing to commit to playing him everyday--knowing that they have plus offensive players at every other position, but could use some help defensively in the OF and with speed--then I think he could thrive in the Bronx. He has struck out a lot so far this season and is mired in a bit of slump, but for someone who has blown through the minors maybe all he needs to jump start his season will be a promotion to the Majors. As River Avenue Blues pointed out "he Yankees did promote Jackson back in 2007 while he was hitting just .260/.336/.374 in Charleston, and he responded by tearing the Florida State League to shreds in the second half, hitting .345/.398/.556 over the final 67 games."

If that doesn't work out? Call up Shelley Duncan who has been a monster hitter all season and allow him to be a righty platoon for Hinske, Matsui and Damon. Pena has had too little time in the OF and needs to be playing every day and Rodriguez is probably nothing more than a 5th or 6th OF at this point. But I say give the kid a shot and let's see what A-Jax can do.