NYaT Roundtable: Division Series Picks

The Yanks' bobblehead and I

As I walked through midtown today, I saw a giant Yankees and Phillies bobblehead right outside the Major League Baseball offices (the picture on the right). TBS was sponsoring it and it reminded me that they're back doing broadcasts (sans Chip Caray) and playoff baseball is back. We're also back here at NYaT to give our picks (and quick thoughts) about the division series starting this afternoon:

New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins

Jay: "Yankee pitching (even sans AJ Burnett) keeps Minnesota in each game, but Yankees scratch out enough runs to escape in five games. Small ball and an effective bullpen help the Yankees win games on the road." Yanks in 5

Sarah: Yanks in 4

Ben P: "The Yankees offense has enough to carry them over the Twins in this series. The Twins do everything well, but nothing great. CC wins his two starts and the Yanks find a way to get one more win." Yanks in 4

Ari: "Minny is missing some big pieces. And they don't have many to miss. Yanks gut this one out." Yanks in 4

CC Sabathia will target the Twinkies tonight at Target Field (CBC)

Elissa: "Just like with the Rays, it all comes down to pitching. The Yankees have a shaky starting rotation at best. Andy Pettitte has only pitched in 3 games since coming off the DL (3 underwhelming outings), Phil Hughes has been relatively ineffective in August and September, A.J. Burnett needs no explanation on why he's a liability in the rotation, and although CC pitched outstanding in the 2009 playoffs, his previous experiences in Milwaukee and Cleveland were less than stellar. I really don't see how the Yankee's pitching staff can pull it together this week." Twins in 5

Ben W: "Yanks need to turn on the switch and there's no better opponent to do it against than the Twins. Liriano matches up well against Sabathia but he's still CC. After that it's Carl Pavano and the illustrious Brian Duensing. The Yanks will put their faith in Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes. The Yankees know better than any other team that you start over again in the postseason and that their poor September is but a piece of history. Look for the Yanks to play like they did for the first five months of the season." Yanks in 4

My opinion: "The Yankees and Twins have met quite a bit recently in the postseason and despite optimism things would change, they've stayed the same. Although the Yankees have holes after their #1 starter, the Twins holes look just as bad--and worse considering the Yankees have an edge in the top tier of their bullpen. If the Twins had Justin Mourneau and Joe Nathan, I would feel differently about this series, but without them, I'm not sure the Twins have enough firepower or pitching to go toe-to-toe with the defending champs." Yanks in 4

Texas Rangers at Tampa Bay Rays

Read more>>

Damon (finally) gets a 2-year offer

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Detroit Tigers have made a 2-year, $14 million offer to Johnny Damon, matching the offer that the Yankees made to him before they eventually signed Nick Johnson.

This obviously trumps the 1-year, $4-4.5 million offer Damon got from the Atlanta Braves, who do play closer to Damon's offseason home in Orlando. Not that Scott Boras would allow Damon to take a 1-year deal in the National League over a 2-year deal in the American League because of the city's proximity to his home, but still.

The other deal on the table is the Tigers' offer of 1 year at $7 million, but that seems unlikely as Damon has been seeking a multiyear deal all along.

Since it seems unlikely that any team will outbid Robert Illitch's two-year offer, expect Damon to take it. As a result, in 2010 the Yankees will feature Curtis Granderson in CF, while the Tigers get Johnny Damon in LF. As far as outfielder switcheroos go, I'm happy to have Granderson!

The only remaining question is: why, Illitch, why? What did the nice people of Detroit do wrong?

UPDATE: Rob Neyer proposes platooning Damon (vs. RHP) with Ryan Raburn (vs. LHP) in left field. That may be the best fit for Damon in Detroit, but it seems like $7 mil per year is a lot to spend on an aging, part-time player, doesn't it?