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Thursday, November 20, 2008 Yankees add four pitchers to 40-man By cjennings : posted @ 5:44 PM : 1218 Views : 19 Comments : Rating posted in News, Prospects, Transactions   Four pitchers were added to the Yankees 40-man roster on Thursday, filling each of the roster's openings without taking anyone off. Added to the roster were Anthony Claggett, Steven Jackson, Michael Dunn and Chris Garcia. All four would have been Rule 5 eligible if not protected. Among the noteable's left exposed to this winter's Rule 5 are Alan Horne, Kevin Whelan and J.B. Cox. UPDATE: Not that it affects the Yankees, but Jhonny Nunez was added to the White Sox 40-man. Who's been added Anthony Claggett (left) Right hander 24 years old Originally thought of as the smallest piece of the Gary Sheffield trade, Claggett seems to have leaped over Kevin Whelan in the Yankees pecking order. He opened this season on the disabled list with a strained hamstring, but went on to pitch 29 times for Trenton, finishing with a 2.15 ERA. All but five of his outings were more than an inning. He entered this season with a 2.93 career ERA in three minor league seasons, the first two in the Detroit organization. Michael Dunn 23 years old Left hander As an outfielder, Dunn's bat was taking him nowhere. He hit .160 in roughly a year as a position player, but early in 2006 he moved to the mound and his stock started to rise. There is nothing particularly encouraging about his 4.55 ERA in Tampa this season, but after moving fulltime from the rotation to the bullpen in August, Dunn had a 3.45 ERA as a reliever. He went to Trenton for the final game of the regular season, then had four hitless postseason appearances with the Thunder, going 4.1 innings allowing four walks and striking out seven. If for no other reason than the fact he throws with his left hand, he was probably a significant risk to be taking in the Rule 5. Steven Jackson Right hander 26 years old As I wrote a couple of days ago, Jackson stood out to me as one of the greatest risks to be taken in the Rule 5. If I remember correctly, I believe Baseball America listed him as one of the top Rule 5 candidates last year. Of course, this year was much better than last. Armed with a splitfinger that simply did not work in 2007, Jackson became a go-to reliever late in the season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. In August he had a 1.20 ERA with 18 strikeouts and seven walks in 15 innings. Opponents hit .231 off him in July. Chris Garcia Right hander 23 years old There is a lot of raw talent in Garcia's right arm. The question is whether he can stay healthy long enough to put it to use. Through 10 starts with Tampa, Garcia had a 2.90 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 49.2 innings. Moved to Trenton at the end of the season, he had one strong regular season outing and one bad postseason outing. A series of injuries have hurt Garcia's development: He missed a month in 2005 with an elbow strain, missed a lot of 2006 with an oblique problem, missed all of 2007 after elbow surgery and missed three months this year because of shoulder and elbow problems. That's reason for significant concern, however I'm sure the Yankees were also concerned that if Garcia is healthy next season, he could easily stick in a major league bullpen and possibly develop into a front line starter down the road. Who's left exposed Alan Horne Right hander 25 years old Obviously the Yankees are banking on Horne not being selected in the Rule 5. It seems to me that it's a big risk -- especially knowing Horne expects to be ready for spring training -- but it's also easy to understand the Yankees thinking. Horne had a bad year, though it seems the bulk of those problems can be traced to a rotator cuff injury that wasn't diagnosed until late in the year. The numbers and the injury may be enough to keep teams from drafting Horne, but his upside makes this a real risk for the Yankees. J.B. Cox Right hander 24 years old I'm not sure what went wrong with Cox after his final June outing, but he was never quite the same pitcher I saw through his first 12 Triple-A outings. When Cox showed up in mid-May, he was exactly the type of pitcher I had been told to expect: He threw strikes, didn't overpower anyone, and generated a lot of ground balls and soft pop ups. Through his first 12 Triple-A appearances he pitched 14.1 innings allowing one run, seven hits and three walks. On June 28, though, he allowed three hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning. His July was horrible (14.1 innings, 11 earned runs, 14 hits) and his August was just as bad (6.2 innings, 6 walks, 2 strikeouts, 6.75 ERA) before he was put on the disabled list with a knee injury. To my knowledge he didn't pitch again. That bad second half and a Cox's Tommy John surgery last offseason may be enough to keep anyone from taking him in the Rule 5, but he was a closer at the University of Texas and has significant upside if he gets himself going again. Kevin Whelan Right hander 24 years old Proof that the Arizona Fall League doesn't have a massive impact on a player's status, Whelan pitched very well in Arizona with a 2.08 ERA that would have been much, much lower if not for one bad outing. That said, Whelan walked 14 batters in 17.1 innings, and that's been his one significant problem. A converted catcher in college, Whelan has strikeout stuff but has trouble with his command. It's the one problem that could keep him from developing into a shutdown major leaguer and could keep him safe in the Rule 5. Ramiro Pena Shortstop 23 years old The strongest case for protecting Pena from the Rule 5 is the Yankees lack of infielders on the 40-man roster. As I've written before, I believe Justin Christian and Shelley Duncan can play in the major leagues, but on a Yankees roster already overcrowded with outfielders, it might have made more sense to drop one in favor of Pena or some other infielder (Reegie Corona, Chris Malec, etc). Pena is a very good defensive player, but has very little experience beyond shorstop. He's played one game at second base this winter, but that may be the extent of it. That lack of versatility may keep him from being taken, but my feeling is that a team could easily move him around the infield during spring training to see if he could fill a utility role. He's also not much of a hitter, so it could be that at the most the Yankees are at risk of losing another Alberto Gonzalez. With so few infielders, though, that may be a significant risk. Others left unprotected Infielders: Chris Malec, Eric Duncan, Marcos Vechionacci and Reegie Corona (left) Catchers: Kyle Anson and P.J. Pilittere Pitchers: Zach Kroenke and Jason Jones I'm not sure how much of a risk there is in losing any of these guys, but they stand out to me as notable other names exposed to the Rule 5. Malec and Corona are utility types, which sometimes go in the draft. Catchers also sometimes go, as do lefties and potential long relief or mopup type relievers. Kroenke and Jones could fit those roles, and both put up good numbers this season.

Thursday, November 20, 2008 Horne is Rule 5 eligible if not added By cjennings : posted @ 12:05 PM : 281 Views : 4 Comments : Rating posted in Miscellaneous   Still no word on who the Yankees will add to the 40-man, but someone brought up in the comments that it seemed possible Alan Horne would not be Rule 5 eligible. I double checked with Mark Newman and Horne is in fact eligible for the Rule 5 if he's not added. I must admit, reading that post in the comments and tracking down some Baseball America articles did make me wonder whether Horne might still be a year away, but I think the lesson -- as always -- is that these rules are far too confusing and it's always best to ask the experts. Newman says he's eligible, and that's good enough for me. By the way, a few seconds ago an email popped into my inbox from the New York Yankees. The subject line: Mike Mussina announces his retirement.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 Rosenthal: Mussina set to retire By cjennings : posted @ 5:29 PM : 168 Views : 1 Comments : Rating posted in Big leagues   Not surprising news, but Ken Rosenthal is reporting that Mike Mussina will in fact retire and that the official announcement will come later this week.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008 Determining the 40-man roster By cjennings : posted @ 7:07 PM : 763 Views : 11 Comments : Rating posted in Prospects, Opinions   In the past few days I've talked to two players worth strong consideration for the 40-man roster and neither has heard whether he's been added. Thursday, though, is the deadline, and it's fast approaching. By my count, there are 36 spots currently filled. The Yankees site lists 37, but I'm pretty sure Sergio Mitre is a mistake. He was signed to a minor league deal and (I believe) should not be listed on the 40-man. UPDATE: Heard back from Mark Newman this morning. Mitre is in fact on a minor league deal and the rosters have to be finalized by Thursday at 5, so that news might not break until later in the day. Also by my count, these are the top candidates to consider protecting from the Rule 5: Pitchers: Anthony Claggett, J.B. Cox, Michael Dunn, Chris Garcia, Alan Horne, Steven Jackson, Jason Jones, Zach Kroenke, Kevin Whelan Catchers: Kyle Anson, P.J. Pilittere Infielders: Reegie Corona, Chris Malec, Eduardo Nunez, Ramiro Pena Outfielders: None Here's who I would protect: High ceiling My belief is that you first and foremost protect the players you absolutely don't want to lose. That mean's your high-profile, high-ceiling prospects. A few years ago there seemed the smallest chance that Josh Hamilton could possibly stick at the major league level, so the Devil Rays left him unprotected and watched him become a stud. To that end, I think Chris Garcia and Alan Horne (left) should be protected. Garcia's lack of upper-level experience and Horne's injury may keep them undrafted, but Garcia has the stuff to immediately pitch in middle relief and Horne, if healthy, could at least be a long man. And there's always the chance both could be much, much more. Not saying the Yankees will protect them, just saying I believe they should. There's a chance neither would be selected -- especially Horne, who's 2008 numbers and health are reason for concern -- but both are too talented to risk losing. High risk Next, you obviously protect the players most at risk of being selected in the Rule 5. For me that immediately means Steven Jackson (left). Nearly everyone on that list of Rule 5 eligible pitchers comes with some reason to believe they could be selected, but Jackson had the best numbers of the group (along with Claggett) and pitched at the highest level. Maybe it's because I saw him day in and day out that I rank Jackson ahead of the others, but he really gave me reason to believe he could be a big league reliever right now. And this is coming from someone who was not so kind to Jackson last year. He got ground balls and pitched his way from the Double-A bullpen, to Triple-A long man to trusted Triple-A set-up reliever. Someone will and should take a shot on him if he's not protected. Beyond Jackson, the best bets to be Rule 5'd are other relievers: Anthony Claggett, J.B. Cox, Michael Dunn and Kevin Whelan. Claggett put up undeniable numbers in Trenton, Whelan had his moments in the regular season and seems to have found a groove in Arizona, Dunn is a still-learning left-hander and Cox is the high-ceiling former college closer who seemed on his way to the big leagues by September before a rocky second half in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. To be honest, it's hard for me to pick out one guy from that group. I haven't seen much of Claggett or Whelan, I haven't seen anything of Dunn and what I saw of Cox was a mixed bag. If I had to pick just one I would probably go with J.B. Cox, if only because he's had the same kind of Double-A success as Claggett and has that college closer background that makes you wonder if -- when things click -- he could be a good eighth-inning guy. Certainly his status faded this year, but Cox still fits somewhere in that first category of high-profile, high-ceiling prospects that the Yankees would worry about blooming into significant big leaguers if left exposed. High cost If Garcia, Horne, Jackson and Cox are my top picks to take the four open spots on the 40-man, then every other protected player has to come at a cost. Should the Yankees try to re-sign Cody Ransom and Dan Giese to minor league deals and use those roster spots to protect Kevin Whelan (left) and Anthony Claggett? Do Shelley Duncan and Justin Christian have roles worth spots on the 40-man, or would those spots best be used for Michael Dunn and Ramiro Pena? Would it be best for everyone involved if the Yankees let Chris Britton look elsewhere and instead protected a utility man like Reegie Corona? As much as I like Ransom, I think he'll be taken off the 40-man and replaced by another pitcher. I'll guess Anthony Claggett, but as I said, Claggett, Whelan and Dunn are pretty close in my eyes. True, losing Ransom leaves the Yankees without a utility man, but they should be able to find one elsewhere, and I'm not sure there's another team out there willing to give Ransom a big league contract. He played like a guy who deserves a role in the big leagues, but let's face it, he seems to have been labeled as a AAAA player. That's a tough label to shake and -- right or wrong -- probably makes him expendable. I'm not so sure about Giese, who probably did enough to land a 40-man spot with another team if not with the Yankees. The Yankees might decide they have enough long-relief types in the system -- hard to argue with that thinking -- and let him go, but if they do, I don't think they'll be able to bring him back. For his own sake, I hope the Yankees dump Britton. I firmly believe he's a major league pitcher, but it also has become apparent that the Yankees do not share my confidence. Bruney, Coke, Marte, Ramirez, Rivera, Robertson and Veras seem clearly ahead of him in the major league bullpen pecking order. Aceves, Albaladejo, Giese, Sanchez and Melancon might be as well, along with some of the guys who might be added to the 40-man. If the Yankees aren't going to use Britton, it's probably best to use his spot to protect another young pitcher. High demand Finally, the matter of Duncan and Christian. It seems to me that Duncan's stock took a hit in the Nick Swisher trade. His value as a first baseman and corner outfielder is not nearly as high and the Yankees demand for him is down. He's another one who seems ready and able to play a role in the big leagues, but might be stuck in the wrong organization. Because of all the outfield options on the roster, there's not much sense carrying two minor league outfielders on the 40-man. Probably best to drop one of them in favor of an infielder who the Yankees might be able to use at some point during the year. I'd go with Ramiro Pena (left), an Alberto Gonzalez-type to fill an Alberto Gonzalez-type role. Those are my picks. I would start by protecting Alan Horne, Chris Garcia, Steven Jackson and J.B. Cox. I'd drop Cody Ransom to protect Anthony Claggett and I'd drop one of the outfielders -- probably Duncan -- to protect Ramiro Pena. How many other pitchers are protected depends on how many pitchers the Yankees are willing to lose. If the Yankees drop Dan Giese and Chris Britton, I'd protect Kevin Whelan and Michael Dunn. I would be willing to risk the rest. I have no idea what the Yankees will do. This is nothing more or less than my opinion. I would love to see guys like Ransom, Giese and Britton stick around and get a good shot at playing in New York next season, but I'm not sure that's going to happen. I also think guys like Chris Malec, Reegie Corona, Zach Kroenke and Jason Jones could go in the Rule 5 draft, but I think that's a risk the Yankees will be willing to take.

Monday, November 17, 2008 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre jersey auction By cjennings : posted @ 9:39 PM : 152 Views : 0 Comments : Rating posted in Miscellaneous   Been gone most of the day, but got home to an email from Mike Cummings -- creator of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees Play Ball game day magazine -- who wrote to tell me the Yankees are auctioning off the 2008 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre jerseys. The eBay page is right here. Peter Abraham mentioned the auction on his blog as well. If you'd like to buy them directly, you can email Mike for pricing: mcummings@swbyankees.com

Saturday, November 15, 2008 Contract sold, Rasner moving to Japan By cjennings : posted @ 9:34 PM : 325 Views : 4 Comments : Rating posted in Transactions   The New York Yankees have sold the contract of right-hander Darrell Rasner to a team in Japan. According to a report on ESPN.com, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Pacific League will pay the Yankees $1 million for the rights to the 27-year-old Rasner, who is expected to sign a two-year deal. He will almost certainly make more money -- probably a lot more money -- than he would have made even had he landed a job on a major league roster next season. Rasner, as you know, pitched very well through his first few starts in New York last season. He won his first three outings but ultimately faded. All told, Rasner finished 5-10 with a 5.40 ERA. He had back-to-back strong starts in August, but was moved to the bullpen fulltime and rarely pitched during the month of September. It seemed likely -- at least in my opinion -- that Rasner would have been dumped from the 40-man before the end of the month, regardless of any sort of deal. He's a nice pitcher and can play a role in the major leagues, but the Yankees have enough similar guys that they could afford to lose him and would probably rather use the roster spot to protect one of their prospects from the Rule 5 draft. Peter Abraham wrote something similar on his blog, but let me add that Rasner really is a great guy. Very kind, honest and accountable. For non-prospect type players on the fence between the big leagues and Triple-A, signing in Japan or Korea is considered a blessing, not a curse. Rasner made it to the big leagues, and on his good days, handled himself quite well at that level. Now he'll go to Japan, make some cash and -- I assume -- hope to prove himself over there for another chance at the bigs somewhere down the line. I wish him nothing but the very best.

Saturday, November 15, 2008 Offseason evaluation: Left field By cjennings : posted @ 5:47 PM : 192 Views : 2 Comments : Rating posted in Prospects, Big leagues, Opinions   As I suppose is the case with most teams, the Yankees have plenty of left field options. Johnny Damon looks like the starter, but Hideki Matsui is also best suited for left -- though he should primarily be a DH -- while Xavier Nady, Nick Swisher, Brett Gardner, Melky Cabrera, Shelley Duncan and Justin Christian could see time there as well, depending on the situation. Left field is not a position of concern, but it could be stronger or weaker depending on the Yankees other moves this winter. Damon's spot for now If the season started tomorrow, Johnny Damon would be the Yankees starter in left and Xavier Nady would be the starter in right. That's not bad. Damon is still an awfully good hitter who gets on base, has some pop and steals bases. He remains the best lead-off option on the Yankees roster, unless Brett Gardner makes significant adjustments and stops striking out too much. Hard to say just yet how much time Hideki Matsui will be able to spend in the outfield, but if he can play out there occasionally, he should be a suitable No. 1 DH and No. 2 left fielder. External options I like Damon in left, but you have to wonder if there are better situations available. Mark Teixeira at first, Nick Swisher in left. Bobby Abreu in right, Xavier Nady in left. Adam Dunn in left (or first). Manny Ramirez. Pat Burrell. Some of those are more viable than others, but -- I'm guessing here -- none seems completely out of the question. These are the Yankees, after all, and they don't have an obvious option to bat in front of or behind Alex Rodriguez. That's what makes me wonder if they're going to go after another bat. And if they do, it will almost surely affect left field in one way or another. Having Swisher in the mix gives the Yankees plenty of options for shuffling the defense and adding a middle-of-the-order bat. Internal options The best young left field option in the Yankees system is Austin Jackson, but he's athletic enough to play center field, and given the center field situation in New York, the Yankees aren't going to move Jackson to left any time soon. Plus, he could use another year in the minors to cut down on strikeouts, so Jackson's not in the left field picture. More viable are Shelley Duncan (left) and Justin Christian, who individually offer power and speed as reserve outfield options. For the Yankees, those two are more depth than anything else. It would take a lot for either to become the Yankees everyday left fielder. Basically, the Yankees have plenty of guys capable of playing left field -- either as starters or off the bench -- so the position is not a place of need. The fact there isn't a standout left fielder in the system shouldn't be a concern. Colin Curtis remains an interesting prospect despite so-so numbers in Trenton last season, but he's the only guy upper-level guy who stands out, other than the ones who have already played in New York.

Saturday, November 15, 2008 Update on Alan Horne By cjennings : posted @ 12:24 AM : 332 Views : 2 Comments : Rating posted in Prospects, Injuries   Having undergone surgery to repair a slightly torn rotator cuff in August, Alan Horne (left) got good news from Dr. James Andrews after a follow-up examination this week. "He was very pleased with my range of motion and surprised by how strong the shoulder was," Horne said in a text message Friday. Horne said he has been cleared to begin throwing a few weeks earlier than expected. He will begin throwing December 1 and  expects to be ready for the start of spring training. "I can't imagine not being ready, but I guess u never know," he wrote. "I feel great and really strong so I'm not expecting any setbacks."

Thursday, November 13, 2008 Thoughts on the Nick Swisher deal By cjennings : posted @ 8:15 PM : 364 Views : 3 Comments : Rating posted in Opinions   Nick Swisher (left) is not a great center fielder and he can't play any infield spots beyond first base, but he's versatile enough to give the Yankees flexibility heading into next season and beyond. For now he's the Yankees first baseman -- and it might stay that way -- but if the Yankees decide the price is right on Mark Teixeira, Swisher doesn't have to stand in the way of that deal. If Jorge Posada's shoulder absolutely will not hold up behind the plate and he has to move to first base, Swisher doesn't have to stand in the way of that move. If Johnny Damon leaves vai free agency after this season, Swisher can replace him in left. Basically, he gives the Yankees options and fills a very real need at first base. If someone else has to play first base, I don't see much wrong with carrying Swisher, Damon, Nady, Gardner, Matsui and even Cabrera as big league outfielders. That would still leave two bench spots open for Molina and a utility infielder. At $5.3 million for this season, Swisher's contract isn't killing the Yankees, and by the time his back-loaded deal is due to pay him more money, the Yankees will have Matsui and Damon off the books. (Check out Cot's for the terms of Swisher's contract) That's why I like Swisher for the Yankees. I'm not sure where the Yankees will bat him -- I'm not sure he's a middle of the order bat to replace Abreu and/or Giambi -- but he plugs a hole, and gives the Yankees flexibility to plug other holes should those become of greater concern. As for what the Yankees gave up, it was a package they could afford to send elsewhere. Wilson Betemit had clearly fallen out of favor and lost playing time late last season to minor league veteran Cody Ransom, who now stands as the only utility infielder on the roster. Not sure it will stay that way, but that's how it shapes up for now. Jhonny Nunez was by all accounts a nice relief pitcher, but Kanekoa Texeira more or less perfectly replaces him in the organizational pecking order. And, unlike Nunez, he doesn't have to be protected from the Rule 5. There's a lot to like in Texeira's numbers. Cashman said today that he will probably open the year in the Trenton bullpen. Then there was Jeff Marquez (above) who remains a very good prospect who was showing strong signs of adjusting to Triple-A before his injury. But for tomorrow's paper, I came up with a list of eight organizational pitchers who could very well have opened next season in the Triple-A rotation ahead of Marquez: Alfredo Aceves -- If he's not pitching for New York in some capacity. Phil Coke -- Lefty reliever in the big leagues, but sounds like the Yankees want him starting in the minors. Alan Horne -- He hopes to be healthy by spring training. If so, he remains one of the team's top prospects. Phil Hughes -- Depends on who the Yankees get for the major league rotation. Kei Igawa -- When Marquez was healthy in AA, the Yankees could have bumped Igawa from SWB but didn't. Ian Kennedy -- Seems destined to open 2009 in the Triple-A rotation. George Kontos -- Probably would have been on equal footing with Marquez after leading Trenton in strikeouts. Chase Wright -- The lefty pitched well in Trenton and finished strong in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre That's to say nothing of Eric Hacker, Chris Garcia, Jason Jones and even someone like Dan Giese, who had more of a positive impact in New York last season than any of the guys mentioned above. I'm not saying Marquez is a lesser prospect or that he won't pitch in the big leagues -- I believe he will -- just saying the Yankees still have tremendous starting pitching depth in the upper levels of the organization despite trading away Marquez, Jeff Karstens, Ross Ohlendorf and Dan McCutchen. They traded from a position of depth to get something they needed at the major league level. That's always a good thing.

Thursday, November 13, 2008 ESPN: Swisher to New York for Marquez By cjennings : posted @ 4:05 PM : 243 Views : 1 Comments : Rating posted in Transactions   As reported by Jerry Crasnick, the Yankees are said to have acquired 1B/OF Nick Swisher for minor league starter Jeff Marquez. I haven't read that anywhere else and don't know any other details. If the deal has gone through, the Yankees are selling low and buying low, as both Marquez and Swisher are coming off bad seasons. That said, the Yankees could use a 1B/OF type and can afford to give up a minor league starter. UPDATE: Looks like the deal is official. The Yankees are sending Marquez, Wilson Betemit and Jhonny Nunez to the White Sox for Swisher and a minor league pitcher. I'll post more later but my initial reaction is that it's a great deal for the Yankees who had clearly soured on Betemit and they have a ton of options similar to Marquez and Nunez. Swisher gives them something they need. And he's flexible enough to fill multiple holes.

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