While You Wait…

The Yankees and KC game is being delayed by the weather. If you’re sitting around, bored out of your mind and willing to read about baseball on a Friday night, check out Jon Heyman’s piece on the free agent market. Some of the free agents he reflects on (e.g. Manny, Tex, CC, Sheets, etc.) could be Yankees next year.

Yanks Fire Scouts

From ESPN:

A Major League Baseball source said Friday that the New York Yankees decided to fire two scouts for taking kickbacks from Dominican prospects after being briefed by MLB investigators on the financial scandal and the role the men played in it.

The fired officials were identified as Carlos Rios, the Yankees director of Latin American scouting, and Ramon Valdivia, the team’s Dominican Republic scouting director. The two, who had been on leave, were terminated Thursday.

The source said that the Yankees have worked closely with MLB on the investigation. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman declined comment.

MLB investigators are still preparing a report on the skimming issue for commissioner Bud Selig. The report is expected to be finished within weeks, the source said.

Earlier this month, ESPN reported that Carlos Rios was a target of investigators for forcing several players to kick back a portion of their signing-bonus money. Sources have told ESPN that the investigation is expected to implicate roughly 20 employees on “a handful” of teams.

The 20 or so employees either received money or were aware of others who did. In late July, the Red Sox’s Dominican scouting supervisor, Pablo Lantigua, was fired after MLB investigators confronted him about allegedly skimming signing bonuses, according to an MLB source.

Investigators have also expanded their probe to Venezuela, where many major-league clubs have academies.

Federal authorities also have been part of this probe. But sources have said FBI agents have limited their investigation to allegations surrounding fired White Sox official David Wilder, Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden and Nationals special assistant Jose Rijo.

The White Sox also said findings from baseball’s investigation had been given to federal authorities.

Bowden has confirmed that he has spoken with federal authorities but insists he has done nothing wrong; he said the FBI agents had asked him nothing about his own activities.

This is terrible. Hopefully this issue will be resolved quickly. I’m sure that this wasn’t the first time scouts or team officials have taken advantage of Latin American prospects. Maybe this will serve as a cautionary tale for future team officials and prospects alike.

Cole Update

PA at the LoHud Blog seems to be reaffirming the belief that Gerrit Cole will head to college instead of signing with the Yankees. According to Pete, this is a “lifestyle” decision, not a money decision (Kepner said the same thing last night). You can’t blame the kid, but you have wonder about his choice. Hopefully he’ll remain healthy and get the contract he deserves in a few years. Meanwhile, if this holds up, the Yankees will get a compensatory pick in the next draft.

UPDATE (7:41) — Here’s some info from noMaas, who spoke with Tyler Kepner:

From what I understand, the Yankees drafted Cole believing he would sign with them and wanted to play pro ball.  Negotiations were not set to start until late, as usual with Scott Boras clients.  By the time they really started to talk, Cole and his father said Cole was committed to college and they did not even want to hear offers from the Yankees.  I am quite sure the Yanks would have paid over-slot for him, as is their custom, but in the end it made no difference because he didn’t even want to hear an offer.  Now, there is still time before the deadline and Boras is known for (literally) last-minute deals.  But the impression I got late last night was that this thing was dead, no turning back, and the Yanks will take the pick next June.

Wow, this is rather strange. You would think that the Yankees drafted Cole believing that they could throw enough money at him so that he would forget all about higher education. Who knew that Cole’s father wouldn’t even entertain the idea? Whenever your potential signee doesn’t even hear an offer, that’s bad, and someone didn’t do their job.

MELKY DEMOTED, SEXSON WAIVED

The Yankees have finally done it. Melky Cabrera has been demoted and Brett Gardner has been called up. The team will use Damon in CF but will look to Justin Christian and Brett Gardner for some speed, late in games. Also, Richie Sexson was waived (it’s about time), and Cody Ransom has gotten the call (his glove is more valuable than Sexson’s bat, at this point).

The Sexson move is also key, since it prevents Girardi from platooning Giambi when there’s a lefty on the mound. To Sexson’s credit, though, he wasn’t totally awful during his brief stint. I’d expect far less lineup changes from this point on (at least until Hideki Matsui returns). This is a minor shakeup, but it could be effective, as the loss of Melky could also jump start Cano.

Discussion: Post Your Lineup

With money coming off the books, it’s not hard to fathom that there could be major changes in store for the 2009 New York Yankees. Mark Teixeira, Pat Burrell, Adam Dunn, CC Sabathia, Rafael Furcal, Ben Sheets, Manny Ramirez, Rafael Soriano, and others will all be available, so, using the following list of free agents courtesy of MLBTR, what lineup would you like to see throughout 2009 (warning, lineups are subject to change as long as Joe Girardi is the manager)?

Here’s mine:

CF – Johnny Damon
SS – Derek Jeter
1B – Mark Teixeira
3B – Alex Rodriguez
RF – Manny Ramirez (HA!)
DH – Hideki Matsui
C – Jorge Posada
LF – Xavier Nady
2B – Robinson Cano
BN – Justin Christian, Jose Molina, Mark Loretta

Oh, and for my rotation/bullpen:

SP1 – CC Sabathia
SP2 – Chien-Ming Wang
SP3 – Joba Chamberlain
SP4 – Mike Mussina
SP5 – Andy Pettitte
LM – Chase Wright/Kei Igawa/Darrell Rasner
RP – Jose Veras, RP – Chris Britton,
RP – Juan Cruz, RP – Edwar Ramirez
CP – M. Rivera

That’s the team I’d like to see. I’m not 100% sure whether or not Loretta is available, but I believe he is. I think Melky should go back to the minors (or he’ll be traded) since he doesn’t offer much other than defense, which Justin Christian can provide along with a ton of speed (and adequate offensive production). I like Loretta’s IF versatility and that he’s a consistent hitter (goodbye Wilson Betemit).

For pitching there aren’t many surprises in my set. Some may wonder where Phil Hughes or IPK are on this list, but I would be fine with leaving them in AAA for a bit longer (their innings can be controlled from the beginning of the season and then they can be called upon as the year progresses). Also, for middle relief, I think that the Yankees have been getting burned on left-handed relievers these past few years. With that said, why not opt for a left-handed long reliever (Chase Wright is my boy)? That way, you’ll have a lefty in the pen and a long-man. In addition, Juan Cruz (ARIZ), who is headed to free agency, is young and talented and he’d be a solid addition.

So, what would your ideal lineup look like for 2009?

Opener Announced

From the AP:

The new Yankee Stadium will open on April 16 with a game against the Cleveland Indians.

It’s going to be a fun day in the Bronx, that’s for sure.

The Market For Jason Giambi

From Ken Rosenthal (FOX Sports):

Don’t look now, but the Yankees’ Jason Giambi could be a free agent in demand. The Yankees are certain to decline Giambi’s $22 million option, and several American League clubs in need of power could pursue him on a short-term deal.

Giambi, who turns 38 on Jan. 8, ranks ninth in the American League in OPS, ahead of players such as the Indians’ Grady Sizemore, Twins’ Justin Morneau and Tigers’ Magglio Ordonez.

The Indians are one team likely to consider Giambi — they could sign him to play first base, keep Victor Martinez at catcher and possibly trade catcher Kelly Shoppach for a top-of-the-rotation starter.

The emergence of Shoppach, who ranks fifth among major-league catchers in OPS, increases the Indians’ options. If the Indians fill their offensive void at another position — say, by signing Orlando Hudson — they could stay with Shoppach, move Martinez to first and keep Matt LaPorta, their big prize in the CC Sabathia trade, in the outfield.

Other possibilities for Giambi could include the Mariners, Blue Jays and yes, his old team, the A’s.

I could see all those teams interested, however, aren’t the Angels another obvious suitor? If they lose out on Mark Teixeira, who I’m sure they’ll make a nice run at especially if they go on to the WS, then Giambi could be a practical addition. Plus, he lives in California, so that may help matters. The Mariners would be smart to add Giambi, as well. Out of 14 AL teams, they currently rank 12th in OBP and 11th in SLG. Their team OPS is .705, which is absolutely horrible. Giambi would be an instant boost to that lineup (.915 OPS) and he’d be a good fit for Safeco Field.

I’d like to see the Yankees make a run at Mark Teixeira. If they can’t get him for 1B, I’m still not sold on bringing Jason Giambi back for another year. His age, his base running, his deteriorating body, and his overall one-dimensional style of play, all add to my reluctance. Even Joe Girardi seems to make a variety of lineup decisions based on the fact that Giambi is old, aging and brittle. If they can bring him back for a one-year deal, then I wouldn’t mind, but given the market for his services (outlined by Rosenthal), Giambi may not accept such an offer. Maybe Nady can play first base?

Cashman Blames The Offense

From Joel Sherman (NY Post):

Yet now, when pitching injuries hit, I hear son of The Boss – let’s call him The Loss – say: “Pitching is 70 percent of the game. (Chien-Ming) Wang won 19 games two straight years. (Joba) Chamberlain became the most dominating pitcher in baseball. You can’t lose two guys like that.”

Again, stop listening to Hank. It is not the pitching. The pitching has been competent despite the losses. GM Brian Cashman realizes this.

“It is our offense. We have been inconsistent with offense,” Cashman said yesterday. “Our pitching, despite injuries, has been surprisingly good. We should have been buried because of our pitching, but have not been. Our offense has buried us.”

Our offense has been dealt a heavy blow this year. There are numerous offensive problems which have effected the team throughout the season, and these problems just haven’t gone away. In fact, Sherman goes on to sum them up in a very succinct manner.

Sure, the Yanks would be better served with Wang and Chamberlain. But they would be best served right now if Rodriguez and Giambi were hitting in the clutch, if Jeter and Cano were not so far off their projected numbers, if Melky Cabrera had lost contact with being a major league player. Add 10 well-timed sacrifice flies this season – about one every two weeks – and the Yanks would probably be holding a playoff position right now even with all of those innings pitched by Darrell Rasner and Dan Giese and Sidney Ponson.

It’s a great summation, actually. The biggest problem has been the inability to hit with RISP and our two biggest offensive threats (Giambi and A-Rod) are represenatitive of that theme. If Matsui can return, it’d be nice to see him hit behind A-Rod. Matsui can hit with RISP, so hopefully his return can shake the lineup out of its offensive malaise.