Open Thread

Here is your Open Thread discuss any thing you want. I am posting this earlier than normal because of both playoff football games today.  I’m sure most of you still haven’t come down from the trade or the signing of Kuroda.  If you haven’t shared your thoughts please do.

Enjoy the nite everyone!!!!

Bobby V Says Yankees “Probably” Upgraded Rotation

Bobby V Says Yankees “Probably” Upgraded Rotation

By Delia E.

Yankees fans were thrilled to have 2 new arms to help them in their “Chase to 28” but one manager that isn’t ecstatic is Bobby V, the manager of the Boston Red Sox.

During a charity event earlier this morning, Bobby V mentioned that the Yankees “probably” upgraded their rotation while commenting on Michael Pineda & Hiroki Kuroda.

On Michael Pineda: “Pineda, when I saw him in the first half, he looked unhittable. Second half he looked OK. The Mariners saw a lot of him and they traded him.”

On Hiroki Kuroda: “Kuroda is a good pitcher–a year older than he was last year, pitching in the American League and not the National League, pitching in not a great pitcher’s ballpark from a great pitcher’s ballpark.”

Seems like Bobby V had a lot to say. Hey Bobby V. How are the Red Sox doing?

Johnny Damon A Possible DH Bat

Johnny Damon A Possible DH Bat

By Delia E.

The Yankees aren’t willing to go all out for a bat for the DH spot, but according to Andrew Marchand of ESPN the Yankees see Johnny Damon as a possibility. The Yankees have also looked at Carlos Pena but it is unlikely that the Yankees would sign him, seeing that he could get more playing time and money from Milwaukee and Cleveland.

Johnny Damon was formerly on the Yankees in 2009 and was a big part of the 2009 World Series run. Would you want Johnny Damon back with the Yankees for the right price?

Previewing the 2012 Rays | Interview Series

The Rays recently extended lefty top prospect,

Over the course of the next month or two, we will be previewing the Yankees’ competition in the American League. To do this, I will interview one blog for each team in the league.

We now move all the way down the East Coast to the Tampa Bay Rays. I had the pleasure of interviewing Devon Rogers of Rays Colored Glasses.

Let’s get started…

1. The Rays had an excellent 2011 season, including a 91-71 record, and making the playoffs. What do you think was their greatest asset that helped them achieve success? Conversely, what do you think the Rays could have done a better job at, in order to go farther into the playoffs?

Their greatest asset was by far the starting rotation. The Rays had five, and sometimes six, starters capable of going deep into games last season. The starters kept the Rays in many games the Rays had no business winning. The Rays could’ve done a better job with timely hitting. The offense as a whole struggled last season, but they did have their good games. The problem was getting hits with runners in scoring position in close games. Had the Rays got timely hits, they could have won a few more games and most likely would’ve made it deep into the playoffs.

2. The highlight of the Rays’ offseason, at least to this point, has been the extension of lefty-starter Matt Moore, who we saw pitch Game 1 of the ALDS. The Rays now have one of the best rotations in baseball, with Shields, Price, Hellickson, Moore, and Niemann/Davis. Do you think it is a better idea to leave the rotation be – or, do you think the Rays should trade one of them for some offense?

I would like to see the Rays trade either Jeff Niemann or Wade Davis, or both. I think Alex Cobb is a better option at the fifth spot than either of those two, so I think the Rays should try to find a way to get rid of them. They need help at first and they could use one of the two as a cornerstone piece in a trade for a good first baseman. If they don’t trade one or both, the Rays will find themselves in the situation of having three good starters for one spot while still having holes in the offense.

3. What is the general confidence level in the Rays  going into the 2012 season? Do you think the strong pitching staff is enough to balance out the lesser offense?

The general confidence level is very high. Many feel this could be the year the Rays make a strong push for the World Series. Buster Olney recently ranked the Rays as the best team in his New Year’s power rankings, saying that their rotation is good enough to carry the team if the offense stays the way it is now. I tend to agree with him since the Rays have the rotation to go deep into most games and have a good back end of the bullpen to shut down close games. If the offense can score a couple runs, that should be enough in most games for the pitching staff.  If the Rays do get one or two more power bats the Rays have a very good chance of winning the World Series with their rotation.

4. How do you feel about the current state of the Rays’ prospects, and minor-league system? Are there any prospects that you think could have an impact on the 2012 team?

The current state of the Rays farm system is pretty good, as it always is. The biggest prospects are Single-A and Double-A players, like Hak-Ju Lee and Chris Archer, so not much in the way of impact in 2012. Matt Moore and Desmond Jennings should have huge impacts on the team as recently called-up prospects, but beyond them I don’t see much of an impact from the minor league system. You may see guys like Brandon Guyer or Alex Torres as fill-ins in case of injury, but that is about it.

5. Lastly, how do you project the team will do in 2012?

I project the team as a 95-100 win team in 2012 with a deep run into the post season. I could easily see them winning the division, but it is hard to predict how the AL East will play out since there are four teams that have a chance to win. If the Rays add another bat or two, which I am guessing they will, the Rays will be a very good team in 2012 and will contend for a championship.

Morning Bits: Montero-Pineda Trade, Kuroda, Pena

Good morning everyone. It’s mind-blowing how much a team can change in a mere couple of hours. Well, that’s exactly what happened last evening. The Yankees traded top-prospect Jesus Montero, and RHP Hector Noesi, for Seattle RHSP Michael Pineda, and RHP Jose Campos. Pineda will slot in after C.C. Sabathia in the pitching rotation, while Campos is an extremely high-upside pitching prospect. The Yankees also signed Hiroki Kuroda to a 1 yr / $10MM. Kuroda and Ivan Nova figure to fill in the 3-4 slots in the rotation.

Here are your morning links…

— Bernie Pleskoff of MLB.com analyzes the Montero, Noesi — Pineda, Campos deal from both sides of the trade.

— Scott Miller of CBSSports believes the additions of Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda make the Yankees the AL East favorites.

— Jon Heyman of CBSSports writes that Carlos Pena is now on the Yankees’ radar to be the 2012 DH.

With Montero gone, the Yankees now have a number of different options to fill the DH. They simply do a platoon of designated hitters, including veterans- A-Rod, Teixeira, and Jeter. They could make A-Rod the full-time DH, and either: put Nunez at 3B, or look for outside 3B help. Or, they could sign a DH, like Carlos Pena, Johnny Damon, Vlad Guerrero, or Hideki Matsui. And of course, there are more options than the ones I listed.

Here is one last article on the Pineda-Montero trade:

— David Waldstein of the NY Times writes about how the Yankees have bolstered their rotation.