Author Archive
New York Yankees’ A.J. Burnett Turns in Solid »
With the final two spots in the Yankees' rotation up in the air as they enter the 2011 season, the team is counting on A.J. Burnett to have a bounce-back year to solidify the front end of the pitching staff. The right-hander started out on the right foot Wednesday against an Astros split squad team, allowing two hits and walking none, while [...]
New York Yankees Sacrifice Offense for Defense in »
The New York Yankees agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal with Andruw Jones on Thursday to replace Marcus Thames as a right-handed-hitting fourth outfielder. While Jones, a 10-time Gold Glove winner, is not the same outfielder he was 13 years ago when he was still breaking into the Majors, he's still a far better defensive option than Thames. But [...]
New York Yankees’ Top 5 Free-Agent Pitching »
With Andy Pettitte continuing to lean toward retirement and the Yankees' stubborn refusal to give Joba Chamberlain a true shot at a rotation spot—despite his career 12-7 record and 4.18 ERA as a starter—New York must consider adding a free agent to replace Sergio Mitre as the No. 5 starter this season.Mitre was 0-2 with a 5.93 ERA in [...]
Cliff Lee Signing With Phillies Leaves Yankees in Deep »
Cliff Lee is headed back to Philly, and the Yankees appear headed for a second place finish in the American League East. Lee agreed to a five-year contract worth $120 million with a vesting option for a sixth season, according to MLB.com. The Yankees reportedly offered the free-agent a seven-year deal worth $154 million, and the Rangers even put [...]
Carl Crawford Signing With the Red Sox Means Yankees »
The Boston Red Sox have reportedly signed free-agent outfielder Carl Crawford to a seven-year, $142-million contract, which not only drastically improves their lineup and defense, but also puts an immense amount of pressure on the New York Yankees to lock up Cliff Lee. Two days after trading for Padres slugging first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, Theo [...]
Derek Jeter’s Worth For the New York Yankees Is »
Derek Jeter will be a New York Yankee next season. Let's just get that out of the way. Both sides have been a little wrong and a little right in the ongoing negotiations for the free agent and future first-ballot Hall of Famer. With the Yankees reportedly offering the captain a three-year, $45 million contract, they are clearly willing to pay far [...]
AL Cy Young Award: Felix Hernandez More Deserving Than »
When it comes to pitching statistics, wins are nearly as insignificant as saves. That’s why it’s ridiculous to exclude Felix Hernandez from the American League Cy Young Award race simply because the terrible team he plays for allowed him to win only 13 games. King Felix’s 2.27 ERA led baseball and his 249 2/3 innings were [...]
New York Yankees Grades For 2010 »
Overall, the 2010 season was a disappointment because the Yankees did not win the World Series, but last year's championship softens the blow a bit.This is not the collapse of 2004, the gutwrencher of 2001 or the frustrating drought of 2005-08. Instead, this was a good team, but not a great team.With that in mind, let's hand out grades for 2010 to [...]
Joe Girardi Did Very Little to Help Overmatched New »
In the end, the Rangers were simply better than the Yankees in every facet of the game. During the six games of the American League Championship Series, Texas outscored New York, 38-19, outhit the Bombers, .304 to .201, and outpitched them, 3.06 to 6.58 in the ERA category. The Yanks were also outmanaged. New York was the highest-scoring [...]
New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman Earns Mediocre Grade »
Despite winning a World Series last fall, Yankees GM Brian Cashman kept busy over the winter. He acquired Curtis Granderson in a three-team deal that sent top outfield prospect Austin Jackson to Detroit along with lefty reliever Phil Coke, as well as starter Ian Kennedy to Arizona. If not for Granderson's late-season surge that came thanks to [...]