Begging could work

Maybe Brian Cashman should give Mike Mussina a call and offer him that Andy Pettitte money. Hmmm….

Crying Carl

From Anthony Castrovince (MLB):

“When you’re down, you expect your organization to pick you up, not kick you when you’re down,” Pavano said. “I’ve had to pick myself up quite a few times the last four years.”

That’s Carl Pavano talking to reporters in Cleveland. Later on he made sure to say he’s “not holding any grudges.” But, when you think about it, what in the hell would he have to base a grudge on? He can be angry at the media, but why diss the NYY organization, itself? Have fun in Cleveland, Carl.

There’s more than one way to make money

The Biz of Baseball has an extremely interesting read out on the evolving financial relationship between MLB, MiLB and the Independent ball.

It’s OK to laugh at them…

Here are some utterly hilarious comments posted by Red Sox fans, via Facebook’s Boston Red Sox group. I’ll post them from Dec. 21st and on, when the Red Sox thought they had a chance to win the Teixeira bidding:

MS: better get big tex he will literally save them in 09

RC: Sox inch closer to Teixeira as the LA Angels withdrew their eight-year offer to the switch-hitting 1B, according to a baseball source. Our Sox are apparently at the top of a short 4-team list that includes BAL, WAS and the Evil Empire…….

JK: Tex for real. A crucial acquisition, but he comes at a high price.

MO: You know, I think Tex is going to the Sox. Think about it, I get the vibe that Boras doesn’t like Boston, so he isn’t just going to give away a key to a Red Sox victory easily. Besides, the Angels fell out of talks with him so we’re the biggest contender now.

Once Tex signed with the Yankees, we had the following:

AB: WTF? Why couldn’t we sign Teixiera? Those damn Yankees! Always trying to buy a championship and steal the players we want. This really sucks.

JA: I’m glad we didn’t get Teixeira, he proved to me that he’s all about the money!

MH: Massive ego’s don’t win championships teammates do!

JM: can we just sign Tek and ask him to drop down a bat size, or two?

HAHA! I know you love it…

Swisher in CF?

The Yankees don’t seem willing to try him there, but he’d probably be a better option then Johnny Damon from a defensive standpoint.

Based on Damon’s CF play in 2008 (34 games), his UZR/150 (runs below or above average, per 150 games) was -27.3. That’s pretty miserable. On the other hand, based on Swisher’s CF play in 2008 (70 games), his UZR/150 was -10.5. I say “was” because these numbers seem to apply only to a specific season, as they are contingent upon what was done there, that year. However, you can use them to predict how good someone may be in CF in 2009 and given Damon’s terrible numbers, maybe Swisher could be a better option there (if the Yankees choose to use Swisher, Damon and Nady in the OF, together).

Quick Bits: Cruz, Pettitte, Swisher/Nady

What’s a Friday without a few bits, right?

1. RAB makes a case for Juan Cruz. At this point, I don’t think any free agent relievers are really of use to the Yankees (even if they’re only giving up a 4th round DP). Cashman, thanks to Joe Girardi, has finally produced a bullpen that is young, cost effective and talented. It’s the one cog of the team that can truly be controlled from within given the arms in their system. Sure they gave money to Marte, but the team has been looking for a strong left-handed reliever for what feels like forever.

2. While a Houston return for Andy Pettitte may make sense for Andy Pettitte, it doesn’t make sense for Houston. Basically, the Astros, like most teams, seem to be reeling with the economy and are not willing to extend their payroll in order to accomodate Andy. Free agent spending is not a top priority for them right now (especially if AP wants $10 million+). I think the Rangers or the Braves would be smart to offer Andy $11 million.

3. Jon Heyman believes that the market for Xavier Nady should be better than the market for Nick Swisher. Conversely, however, Ken Davidoff points out that the Yankees, who are less inclined to trade Swisher, have received more calls about him than Nady. This is the problem with being a Scott Boras guy—nobody wants you in a walk year (but someone will take you, I’m sure).

Come on, give me something new, Ken…

Using a “rival executive” as his source, Ken Rosenthal hops on the trade-Nady bandwagon, noting that the Yankees would rather trade him over Swisher, as Swish is much more versatile (offensively and defensively) and remains under club control for the next 3-4 years. On top of that news, KR also says that the Yankees will not pursue Mike Cameron, even after Andy Pettitte rejected their offer.

Basically, “move on folks, there’s nothing to see here.”

If at first you dont succeed?

According to Tim Brown (Yahoo!), the Yankees “were thinking about” jumping into the Kenshin Kawakami sweepstakes (the Red Sox, Orioles and Braves are seen as the main crop of suitors). Kawakami, a Japanese pitcher, is seen as a “crafty” 33-year old veteran who knows how to pitch. His fastball is nothing to write home about (87-88 mph), but his sloooooow curveball and very effective cutter have allowed him to have a successful career for the Chunichi Dragons. Scouts think he can be a middle-of-the-rotation starter and, based on his repertoire, he sort of reminds me of Andy Pettitte.

I honestly don’t see this becoming something that the Yankees would really pursue, but if most scouts see him as a viable option for the middle of the rotation, it could make sense to at least think about it (my stance has softened since the last time I wrote on Kawakami). Earlier in the year the Yankees had sent Gene Michael to Japan to scout potential acquisitions and, although Kawakami wasn’t mentioned by name as someone that they were definitely scouting, it’s certainly possible that Michael checked in on him.