Andruw Jones interest growing with other teams

Andruw Jones interest growing with other teams

by Matt S.

Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com suggests that the Rockies could pursue Andruw Jones if Michael Cuddyer or Carlos Beltran signs elsewhere.

Well, he would certainly be much cheaper. Jones, 34, earned $2 million in 2011 while batting .247/.356/.495 with 13 homers, 33 RBI and an .851 OPS over 222 plate appearances. The Yankees have interest in bringing him back as their designated lefty masher.

Source: Jon Paul Morosi on Twitter

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Greg Golson signs with Royals

Greg Golson signs with Royals

By Delia E.

Greg Golson is now a Kansas City Royal. A week after the Yankees DFA’d the RF, he had been signed by the Royals who have been signing multiple players on minor league contracts. Golson in 33 games with the Yankees had a .235 AVG, 0 HR & 2 RBI’s.

Hot Stove Cespedes, Soler, Darvish

Hot Stove Cespedes, Soler, Darvish

by Matt S.

Yu Darvish will be far less likely to settle on a contract he believes fair if the winning posting fee is high, according to Yahoo! Sports.

Darvish believes the posting system is unfair. He’s right. Obviously the higher the fee, the less the winning team will be able to offer him. Darvish’s preference is to play for a West Coast team, according to the report. Bids to negotiate with Darvish are due at 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Some MLB teams prefer Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler to Yoenis Cespedes, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America.

Callis believes Soler would have been a top-five pick had he been in the 2010 draft and compares him to Royals prospect Bubba Starling. Soler, 19, isn’t close to major-league ready, but the 6-foot-3 outfielder is highly-regarded for his power potential. Callis believes Soler is more talented than Leonys Martin, who received a three-year, $15.5 million deal the Rangers. The Phillies, Nationals, Yankees, Cubs and Rangers are believed to be in the mix for Soler.

Source: Baseball America

The Yankees aren’t expected to post a bid high enough to land Yu Darvish, according to the New York Daily News.

New York said as much last week. The Yankees will assuredly post a bid, but it isn’t expected to be competitive with industry expectations. According to the Post, “The smart money is on either the Blue Jays or Rangers to land Darvish.”

Source: New York Daily News

2011 Yankees Awards: Voting Part 1

During the 2011 season, we have seen plays that have made us laugh, made us cry and made us shake our heads in confusions. Yankees fans have probably been annoyed that the Yankees weren’t recognized during awards season, but I decided to change all that with the first ever, Yankees awards! They are awards ONLY for the Yankees players so no Red Sox players can come and steal the Yankees awards.  All week I will post 2 categories a day and you will vote! On December 31, 2011 I will announce the winners in a special post. Remember, your players will win each category if you vote, so make sure you vote often but hurry. Voting ends on December 26, 2011. Here are the first two categories:

Player of The Year:

The player of the year could only go to someone who has been outstanding all year round in every aspect of the game! So the question is…

VOTING HAS NOW ENDED

Starting Pitcher: In this category, all of the pitchers in the starting rotation are nominated for an award, because this is the Yankees award. You are voting for the best, so the question is…

VOTING HAS NOW ENDED

Thanks for voting! Come back tomorrow for 2 more categories! Remember, you can vote as many times as you like!

Live Chat Tonight at 7PM

Just a reminder that tonight at 7PM our very own Matthew will be hosting a live chat make sure you stop by and ask any questions you have about the Yankees or Major League Baseball.

SEE YOU THEN!!!!

Spanning the Yankee Blogs

Hello all and welcome to another issue of Spanning the Yankee Blogs where I scan all the Yankee blogs and give you an article from each of them. I hope you enjoy them all. Please read some or all and share your thoughts about the any of the articles in the comment section.

And away we go….

* An A-Blog for A-Rod asks, Do you want Yu?

* Bleeding Yankee Blue has an exclusive interview with Paul O’Neill.

* Lohud looks into a more reasonable international alternative.

* Mike Silva’s New York Baseball Digest gives some insight into the newest Yankee Cesar Cabral.

* River Ave Blues wonders if A-Rod can return to the .500 SLG plateau.

* Give this one a read.  The Yankee Analysts suggests that you can constrain the payroll but the imbalances will remain.

* Yanks Go Yard has all the nuts and bolts about the Garcia contract.

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 #26 Banuelos

Our friends over at Seedlings to Stars are having their feature of the top 100 and when they mention a player we kindly post the article over here to show what they have said. Please read and than click the link to finish reading the article on their site.  Thanks.

*  *  *

Name: Manny Banuelos
DOB: 3/13/91
Organization: Yankees
Position: Pitcher
Notable 2011 Stats: 3.59 ERA, 4.01 FIP, 7 HRA, 52 BB, 94 K, and 50% GB% in 95 1/3 IP with Trenton (AA);
4.19 ERA, 3.90 FIP, 2 HRA, 19 BB, 31 K, and 50% GB% in 34 1/3 IP with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA);
3.75 ERA, 3.98 FIP, 9 HRA, 71 BB, 125 K, and 50% GB% in 129 2/3 IP total

Why He’s This High: Banuelos held his own in Double-A as a 20-year-old, and got no worse when he was promoted to Triple-A, which says something about his impressive polish. He’s always performed solidly or better despite being extraordinarily young for his levels.

Banuelos isn’t all about polish, though. He has three pitches that at least flash plus, with a low-90′s sinker, low-80′s sinking changeup, and 75-79 mph curveball. He throws all three offerings with the same arm action, and he utilizes a simple, low-maintenance delivery that he repeats well. He’s always been lauded for his mound presence and cool demeanor, so he’s overall far more advanced than the typical 20-year-old pitcher.

If he continues to make refinements in the coming years, there’s no reason why his three-pitch mix won’t be good enough for him to become one of the better lefthanded starters in the game.

Why He’s This Low: Banuelos has fallen a bit in my rankings since last year, and the main reason for that is that he walked too many batters in the upper minors. He was just under 5 BB/9 in both Trenton and Scranton, and that’s going to have to drop significantly if he’s going to be even a mid-rotation starter. Obviously, he has plenty of time to work on that, but given his pristine command in the lower minors, there’s some evidence he hit a bit of a wall with the jump to Double-A, which is notoriously the toughest transition in the minors.

To finish reading the article CLICK HERE.

Morning Bits: Non-Tender Deadline, Yankees Hospitality, Darvish

Hello all I want to mention that our very own Matthew will be hosting a live chat tonight at 7pm.  Come and check it out and bring all your Yankees/MLB questions & comments.

Now onto the morning links….

* No moves from Yankees as baseball non-tender deadline approaches.

* Dave Checketts said to join Goldman-Yankees Hospitality venture as Chief.

* Yankees have their doubts about Yu Darvish.  Here is another article saying they are not interested in Darvish.  I thought it was all smoke maybe it is reality.

* Yankees look to lock up youngsters.