In their attempt to bolster their pitching before the trading deadline, the Yankees have turned to improving the bullpen if they can't add another starting pitcher. They have already shown interest in Padres reliever Joaquin Benoit, but he's owed $8 million in 2015. Aside from Benoit, they have looked at other relievers who are under control for more than one year, but are much cheaper, namely James Russell of the Cubs and Antonio Bastardo of the Phillies.
Russell, arbitration eligible for the last time in 2015 at the age of 28, has had success at the major league level for the last three years by pitching to a 3.42 ERA and 3.98 FIP during that time. He's dropped below that level in 2014 and has also struggles with control by walking a full batter per nine innings more than the 3.3 level he's maintained since 2012. As a left-handed reliever, Russell is a LOOGY who has been allowed to face right-handed hitters far too often. In his career he maintains a 3.65 FIP against lefties and a 5.05 FIP against righties, however his platoons have reversed in 2014.
Bastardo is also arbitration eligible for the last time in 2015, is also 28, and is also a left-handed reliever. He has great strikeout numbers with an 11.1 K/9 since 2009, however his 4.2 BB/9 shows that he lacks control and he's now hit 5.0 this season for a career-high. Despite his 4.17 ERA, his 3.75 FIP suggest he's a bit unlucky in 2014. For a left-handed reliever, Bastardo doesn't show any platoon splits over his career, however, he's struggled a bit against lefties this year.
Both Russell and Bastardo are dealing with reverse splits this year, making them unlikely to be upgrades over Matt Thornton or even David Huff. Brain Cashman is clearly trying to upgrade over one of them and give Girardi a better second lefty option down the stretch. Unfortunately, neither pitchers are much of a solution.
Player of the Game: Colby Lewis has been oft-maligned for being a pretty bad pitcher this season. Maybe that's fair. After all, the Rangers aren't running a charity or a museum on the field. However, tonight, he looked like Colby Lewis prime. Colby went a season-high seven innings allowing two runs (And in Colby fashion, both runs came on solo home runs) and picked up his seventh win of the season.
Thanks for being a dude who actually stuck around and made a return, Colbs.
The Yankees must have spent all their offense yesterday, as two home runs aren't enough to take the series win from the Rangers.
Last night, the offense had to score 12 runs to win the game, and it was barely enough. They responded to tonight's game by failing to reach base after the 3rd inning. Hiroki Kuroda had a shaky first inning, but was able to settle down and pitch six clean innings. Unfortunately, the offense couldn't pick him up.
The game started well for the Yankees, with Brett Gardner wrapping up a fantastic series against the Rangers by hitting his fourth home run in just three days. In the third inning, Jacoby Ellsbury followed suit with his own home run to right field. Following the third inning, the offense ran out of gas and failed to get a hit or base runner for the rest of the game. The only other player to collect a hit during the night was Carlos Beltran, who singled twice early in the game.
On the other side of things, the Rangers scored all of their runs in the first inning. A single by Shin-Soo Choo, followed by an RBI double off the bat of Elvis Andrus put the Rangers on the board. Adrian Beltre singled up the middle to bring home Andrus. Then, with two outs, Mark Teixeira decided to let a ball hit by Leonys Martin slowly roll one inch foul. It seemed like Tex probably could have gotten to the ball to end the inning. Martin then drove in what ended up being the game-winning run on a line drive to left field.
After the first inning, it seemed like Kuroda might be in for a rough night, but he was able to turn it around for the rest of the game, and he even pitched 7 innings, which the bullpen needed. He ended the night having allowed 9 hits, 3 runs, and 1 walk with 4 strikeouts. David Huff came in for the eighth inning, and although he walked two batters, he didn't allow any runs to score.
Alex Rios was hit by a pitch in the third inning, and then removed from the game in the fifth, leading to questions of whether he had been traded. It was later said that his quad had swelled up from the HBP.
Tomorrow is a much needed off day. The Yankees will start a three-game series in Boston on Friday at 7:10 pm EST, with new Yankee Chris Capuano expected to face off against John Lackey.
Phillies outfielder Marlon Byrd's latest possible destination is New York. CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports that the Yankees, a team that doesn't appear on Byrd's no-trade clause, have inquired about the power-hitting outfielder, though a deal isn't close yet.
The Yankees, losers of four of their last five games, have struggled with offensive inconsistency this season, ranking 16th in the majors in runs and OPS. The outfield has actually been one of the team's stronger points, with Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury and Ichiro Suzuki patrolling the Yankee Stadium grass, but the lack of outfield depth and power, along with Ichiro's age, makes the addition of a solid outfield bat one of the team's top priorities.
Byrd, who played 117 games for the Mets in 2013, is slashing .273/.321/.482 with 20 homers and 60 RBI this season. He'll make $8 million this season and next, and he has a vesting option (also worth $8 million) for 2016 that comes into play if he accumulates 600 plate appearances in 2015 or 550 plate appearances that year and a total of 1100 in 2014 and 2015. If neither of those situations occur, the vesting option then becomes a team option.
Translation: Byrd has an excellent chance of being locked up through the 2016 season, and if he continues to produce like he has this season, that figure could look like a bargain, especially for a Yankees team with such a big chunk of its payroll committed to players like Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka and Jacoby Ellsbury.
The concern is that Byrd turns 37 in August, though that hasn't stopped the Yankees in the past. General manager Brian Cashman has dolled out bigger bucks for aging players, and he's also under some pressure to make a big move on Thursday before the non-waiver deadline because of the Yankees' spot in the AL East standings. With a 55-52 record, the team stands 5.5 games back of the division-leading Orioles and three games behind the Blue Jays, who currently hold the second wild card spot.
Yankees and Marlins are still reportedly interested, but not strongly enough to change rotation
Last July, the rumors circulating Jake Peavy approached their crescendo at the same time he was scheduled to make his next start. Instead of risking an injury or spoiling Peavy's immediate availability to an interested club, the Sox called upAndre Rienzo to make a start in Cleveland. Rienzo made his major-league debut with Peavy present, but the Bulldog switched Sox before the end of the day, and Rienzo spent the rest of the season in the major-league rotation.
That's how you'd expect a team to play it when a deal is likely. Conversely, when John Danks remains the probable starter for today's game (as of 3:30 a.m. EDT, anyway) against the Detroit Tigers, one set to take place hours before the trade deadline, deductive reasoning suggests that Danks isn't going anywhere immediately. Also, Robin Ventura used Rienzo out of the bullpen on Wednesday instead of holding out for a possible emergency start, which further bolsters that theory.
The Yankees and White Sox are still discussing John Danks as a trade possibility, but the latest word is the sides were still apart in terms of the package New York would send back.
... the New York Post's Joel Sherman tweeted that New York had no such interest:
If the Yankees are still interested in Danks, they may no longer be alone. Both FoxSports.com's Jon Morosi and WEEI.com's Rob Bradford have reported that the Miami Marlins have discussed trade possibilities with the Sox. Maybe Danks' contract isn't as objectionable as we're led to believe.
That's more times than the Yankees have checked in on me, so that's something.
Gordon Beckham isn't even getting that much direct-ish press. His name is only coming up in tweets, articles and posts referring to the market's second base possibilities. Something like this:
SF, A';s, teams needing 2B sifting through Valbuena, Cabrera, Hill, Prado, Beckham...
San Francisco is the contender with the greatest need for a second baseman, but even though Grant Brisbee has seen Dan Uggla up close and personal, he still gives Beckham a D-:.
Is he worse than Uggla? No, Beckham can field. But it's not a binary decision between Beckham and Uggla. It's more of a decision between giving up a prospect and starting Beckham or starting Joe Panik and keeping the prospect. The latter is much more preferable to the former.
If the White Sox will just let the Giants have him as a glorified PTBNL in the Conor Gillaspie deal, sure, why not? If he takes anyone -- anyone -- in the top 30, there's no point.
Beckham had a five-game hitting streak interrupted by an 0-for-3 night in Detroit on Wedneday, but that hitting streak met the minimum requirements only. He went 5-for-20 over those five games, and with an OBP (.227) that's lower than his batting average (.250).
Yet those five games still qualified as a relative "tear" for Beckham, who enters the final day of July hitting .124/.146/.191 this month. He doesn't blame the rumors for his play, but he says his play has probably affected the rumors:
"I’m definitely not going to blame my struggles on the trade deadline; it is what it is," Beckham said. "It’s been a little different, but you know what, I mean, honestly, I played so bad, unfortunately, I don’t know how much of a chance the White Sox have to trade me. So, that’s the unfortunate thing for them."
NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: With Brian Roberts now gone, Stephen Drew, who has never played there, will be the starting second baseman for the remainder of the season.
Matter | Tim Elfrink: The untold story behind Alex Rodriguez's bizarre doping regimen.
Deadspin | Barry Petchesky: A full recounting of the time Jim Bowden of ESPN stole a fake lead about Marlon Byrd going to the Yankees and then lost his mind.
Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from July 31st.
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W 8-4 vs. Gwinnett Braves
LF Jose Pirela 3-5, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI - hitting .310 over last 10 games 2B Rob Refsnyder 2-5, 2 RBI - hitting .333 over last 10 games CF Adonis Garcia 1-5, RBI, K 1B Austin Romine 1-4, 2B, K C John Ryan Murphy 2-4, HR, RBI DH Kyle Roller 1-4, K 3B Rob Segedin 1-3, BB SS Carmen Angelini 1-4, 2B, RBI, K, fielding error (7) RF Taylor Dugas 0-2, BB, HBP
Bruce Billings 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, WP- 60 of 96 pitches for strikes, 3 GO/8 FO Matt Daley 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, HBP - 11 of 18 pitches for strikes, 0 GO/3 FO Edgmer Escalona 2.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 K - 29 of 46 pitches for strikes, 2 GO/2 FO
Double-A Trenton Thunder:W 2-1 vs. Portland Sea Dogs
RF Jake Cave 2-4, BB, K LF Ben Gamel 1-3, BB C Gary Sanchez 1-4, K - hitting .333 over last 10 games 1B Francisco Arcia 1-3, RBI DH Tyson Blaser 0-4, 2 K CF Mason Williams 2-4, 2B, 2 K 3B Dan Fiorito 1-4, K, fielding error (8) 2B Casey Stevenson 2-4, RBI, K, SB - hitting .303 over last 10 games SS Ali Castillo 1-4
Jaron Long 6.2 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, BB, 8 K - 70 of 103 pitches for strikes, 6 GO/4 FO Danny Burawa 1.1 IP, H, BB, 2 K - 11 of 21 pitches for strikes, 1 GO/0 FO Mrk Montgomery 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R/0 ER, K - 17 of 28 for strikes, 2 GO/0 FO
High-A Tampa Yankees:L 3-7 vs. Charlotte Stone Crabs
CF Danny Oh 0-4 LF Jose Rosario 1-3, 2B, BB, CD 1B Greg Bird 0-3, BB, K DH Aaron Judge 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB, K 3B Eric Jagielo 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2 K 2B Angelo Gumbs 0-4, 3 K SS Cito Culver 0-3, BB, two throwing errors (16) - hitting .147/.237/.206 over last 10 games RF Anderson Feliz 1-4, RBI, K C Wes Wilson 1-4, 2B, K
Miguel Sulbaran 7.0 IP, 7.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R/3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, WP, HBP - 9 GO/5 FO Philip Walby 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, K - 1 GO/1 FO
Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:L 0-1 vs. Hagerstown Suns
CF Mark Payton 0-4, 2 K - ends 13-game on-base streak SS Abiatal Avelino 0-4, 2 K, throwing error (5) DH Tyler Wade 2-4, 2 B, 2 K 3B Miguel Andujar 0-3 LF Michael O`Neill 0-3, K C Eduardo de Oleo 0-2, BB, K 2B Gosuke Katoh 1-2, BB, K 1B Reymond Nunez 0-3, K RF Brandon Thomas 0-3, 2 K
Chaz Hebert 7.0 IP, 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R/0 ER, BB, 5 K - 54 of 77 pitches for strikes, 7 GO/6 FO Chad Taylor 2.0 IP, H - 14 of 23 pitches for strikes, 4 GO/1 FO
Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees:L 4-11 vs. Lowell Spinners
CF Devyn Bolasky 0-3, RBI, BB, K C Luis Torrens 1-5, RBI 2B Ty McFarland 1-3, RBI, BB DH Isaias Tejeda 1-4 1B Connor Spencer 1-4, 3 K, throwing error - hitting .390 over last 10 games LF Chris Breen 1-3, BB RF Austin Aune 0-3, 2 K, HBP, fielding error (4), outfield assist SS Vince Conde 0-3, BB, K, fielding error (3) 3B Renzo Martini 1-2, 2B, 2 BB
Sean Carley 2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R/2 ER, BB, 2 K - 4 GO/1 FO Dillon McNamara 3.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, K, HR - 6 GO/1 FO Andury Acevedo 1.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, K, WP - 1 GO/0 FO Tim Giel 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R/1 ER, K, HR, WP - 3 GO/1 FO
CF Leonardo Molina 0-3, HBP - hitting .208 on the season 3B Drew Bridges 0-3, BB, 2 K DH Alexander Palma 0-4 2B Dalton Smith 2-4 SS Billy Fleming 1-2, 2B, 2 BB - hitting .467 to start career C Kyle Higashioka 0-2, 2 BB, K RF Miguel Mojica 0-4, 2 K LF Griffin Gordon 0-4 1B Roybell Herrera 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K
2B Junior Valera 0-3, 2 BB, SB DH Ericson Leonora 3-4, 2B, 3B, RBI, BB, K - hitting .462 over last 10 games SS Angel Aguilar 0-5, K 1B Jake Hernandez 3-5, K - hitting .306 over last 10 games 3B Allen Valerio 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K LF Frank Frias 0-5 C Jesus Aparicio 1-2, 2B, BB, K RF Wilmer Romero 2-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB Jose Figueroa 1-4, RBI, K, 3 SB
Branden Pinder 2.0 IP, 2 K - 3 GO/1 FO Felix Santiago 2.2 IP, 3 H. 3 ER, 2 BB, K - 3 GO/3 FO Abel Mora 2.0 IP, 2 BB, 2 K, HBP, balk - 0 GO/4 FO Alex Polanco 1.0 IP, H, BB, K - 0 GO/2 FO Mike Noteware 1.1 IP, K - 2 GO/0 FO
The Yankees didn't make a big splash at the deadline, but they did make their team better.
Thursday's trade deadline was full of 12 trades that saw big names such as Jon Lester, David Price, and Yoenis Cespedes change teams for the stretch run. The Yankees were not players in any of the big name trades that went down, instead choosing to continue the trend of making incremental upgrades to their team without trading away their top prospects to do so. Including trades that happened ahead of Thursday's deadline, here is how the Yankees have upgraded their team this trade season.
The first Ninja Cash move of the season saw him trade Nuno to Arizona in return for McCarthy and cash. Nuno had worn out his welcome in New York after being moved into the rotation due to injuries. His 5.42 ERA and 1.73 HR/9 numbers were ugly, especially being particularly prone to fly balls in the smaller confines of Yankee Stadium. Cashman flipped Nuno for a more proven commodity in McCarthy, who has thrived in his starts since the trade. McCarthy credits returning to his cutter, a pitch that the Diamondbacks didn't want him to throw. Nuno has done alright for himself since switching to the NL, but I think most Yankee fans are pretty happy with the switch off, especially now that some improved infield defense should help with McCarthy's ground balls.
Solarte had been the star of the Yankees for the first month of the season before falling on harder times as the season wore on. He was optioned to Triple-A for a brief stint after his struggles became an unavoidable issue. The career minor leaguer before 2014 will always have a special place in Yankee fans' hearts for being the reason the team finally gave up on their undying love for Eduardo Nunez. Rafael De Paula has an electric arm that may carry him to the majors, but concerns about his identity and whether or not he is destined for the bullpen made him an expendable piece in the eyes of the Yankees. The strikeout numbers are dazzling but the walks have been a concern. Parting with both players was worth getting Headley in return, who has hit very well in his brief time with the Yankees. He also plays a sparkling third base, which has already been evident since he switched coasts and uniforms.
It's possible that Headley spends the rest of the year auditioning for the Yankees' plans beyond 2014, since it seems unwise to count on Alex Rodriguez spending meaningful time in the field after being out of baseball for practically two seasons. This is another trade where people on both sides seem pretty content with their return so far. Solarte has hit well in his new west coast home and Headley's bat lengthens a Yankee lineup that desperately needs some pop in it.
The Yankees and Red Sox haven't traded with one another since 1997 until minutes before the 2014 4:00 pm deadline. Kelly Johnson, who is currently on the disabled list with a groin issue, was sent to Boston in return for shortstop Stephen Drew. Drew went unsigned until quite late in the season after his offseason demands proved to be more than teams were willing to pay. As a result, his numbers have been ugly after a very slow start. He has heated up recently, though, and the Yankees will be hoping that that is a sign of things to come for the rest of the season. Drew won't be playing shortstop as he is accustomed to, though. Instead, he'll be sliding over to play second base with Derek Jeter entrenched at shortstop.
You can argue that Johnson didn't get the fairest shake with the Yankees, playing out of position for most of his time in New York. He played basically everywhere except second base while Brian Roberts stayed surprisingly healthy. He proved himself not to really be adequate at first base in Mark Teixeira's absence and he wasn't great at third base. He won't get to play second base in Boston either, due to the presence of Dustin Pedroia. The Yankees obviously felt like the defensive upgrade was worth whatever offense they may be sacrificing in the swap.
The final move of the day saw the Yankees upgrade their right field situation by acquiring Martin Prado from Arizona. After Carlos Beltran's elbow rendered him unable to play the outfield, Ichiro Suzuki has had to become the every day right fielder. As expected, playing every day turned Ichiro from helpful bench bat into dead weight with a sub-80 wRC+. Bringing in Prado will allow Ichiro to move back to the bench as the 4th outfielder. Prado also brings the benefit of playing two infield positions, which will help when Joe Girardi needs to give players the day off.
Peter O'Brien's power display in the minors this year has been nothing short of amazing. Unfortunately, the home run show has been about all that would impress you on O'Brien's resume. The Yankees had pretty much given up on O'Brien's future behind the plate as a catcher. A brief stint at third base was quickly abandoned and a short trial in the outfield didn't render positive results either. He'd been moved to first base pretty permanently with the Trenton Thunder, likely under the guise that anyone can play first base or fake it enough to get by. The Diamondbacks have Miguel Montero locked up behind the plate and Paul Goldschmidt is entrenched at first. The National League hasn't gotten with the times and adopted the DH yet, so it's unclear how O'Brien fits into their future plans. As if that wasn't enough, O'Brien practically refuses to walk and has his strikeouts pile up at an alarming rate. That combination doesn't usually spell good things for the future. That being the case, it's easy to see why the Yankees were willing to part with such an impressive power source.
Which of these moves do you think helped the Yankees the most? Which former Yankee are you most disappointed to see go?
Boy what a trade deadline that was. David Price, Jon Lester, Martin Prado and multiple others switched teams on Thursday. The D-backs were also active, although not nearly as active as most thought they would be. We'll see how the August deadline goes.
Quotables
We'd like to do those type of celebrations [when we] win a world championship.
That's been my trouble this whole year, giving up home runs. But otherwise, if I don't give up home runs, it'll be a really close game. It could be a 1-0 ballgame.
If you look at all the injuries I had, it's a miracle that I played for 17 years. I've honestly been thinking about it for the last three years. Every offseason, after the season had ended, I went back home and kind of had evaluated where I was at mentally and physically, and I knew that if I got the itch to start working out and preparing myself for the next season, I probably was going to play.
Marte homers in MLB return; Gibby sets wins mark | MLB.com After trading away two everyday starters for a trio of prospects, the D-backs planned to move forward this season with what general manager Kevin Towers called "internal options." One of those options, Andy Marte, powered the D-backs to a series-opening 7-4 win against the Pirates just hours after joining the team.
Nuno looks to corral long ball against Pirates | MLB.com Vidal Nuno has changed teams, coasts and leagues, but he can't escape the long ball. Nuno will take the mound Friday night against Pittsburgh having given up 19 home runs this season, tied for sixth-most in the Majors. After seven shutout innings in his D-backs debut, Nuno has given up four homers in his past three starts.
Chavez retires rather than push ailing knee | dbacks.com Eric Chavez officially announced the end of his career in Phoenix after 17 years in the Major Leagues with the A's, Yankees and D-backs. A knee injury had relegated him to a part-time role, and he rarely saw the field. But when he did, he still provided the solid defense that led to him winning six Gold Glove Awards at third base.
Around the MLB
Brewers Bet on a Different Sort of Regression | FanGraphs Baseball Assuming Parra’s still a good defensive outfielder, then he has value, and he improves a Brewers team that’s still fighting for its life. At the plate, he’s weakest against lefties, but as it works out, Parra’s left-handed and Davis is right-handed so we could have the makings here of something of a platoon. At least, Parra’s a fourth outfielder and defensive replacement, and few teams have a guy with such a great standout skill available on the bench.
Yankees Gain Flexibility in Landing Prado, Drew | FanGraphs Baseball Of course, the most interesting part of this deal is which Martin Prado are the Yankees getting? There’s a big difference between the .345 wOBA version of Prado and the current .305 wOBA incarnation. Either way, they are unlikely to miss prospect Peter O’Brien, who despite hitting some impressive home runs, was unlikely to find much time behind the plate for the Yankees — if he can even remain behind the plate. O’Brien has played some first base and right field this year, and it’s unclear exactly where he will fit with the Dbacks, if and when he reaches the majors.
Re: Price to Tigers, Beane "had a feeling it was going to happen." Dombrowski jokingly texted, "You have 1 minute to acquire Chris Sale"
The trade deadline has passed and the Yankees now begin their final two month push for the playoffs. How do you feel about all the moves they have made in July?
It has been a very interesting month for the Yankees. A confusing, jumbled mix of bad, good, and injuries to put it lightly. July is usually the month of change for the majority of baseball teams, and this year was no exception. Many teams see where they stand for this year and what can be done for the future. The trade deadline has now passed by. Brian Cashman and the Yankees have made their moves. It's August 1st, and the Yankees plan is the same as it's always been; improve now, compete now, and worry about the future tomorrow.
This is not to say that the Yankees aren't preparing for the future. There are three key points to remember about this July:
They're still in the race and they're making a push for the playoffs via minor transactions
They have not gutted the farm or the future for said push
They bolstered their farm system with international talent, rather than tanking or trading for pieces they cannot acquire
There was really no big move the Yankees could have made to give them that extra budge into AL East dominance. It will be a hard fought battle to the end of September. It's August and there is still no supreme AL East team. AL dominance looks like it has been reserved for the Tigers and Athletics this year. The Yankees can still make it and moves like this were the only real option. Nothing major, just fix some pieces and get rid of a couple pieces of garbage. Stephen Drew is an improvement over Brian Roberts. Chase Headley is an improvement over Kelly Johnson. Martin Prado put Ichiro Suzuki back on the bench where he really belongs. Again, minor moves. Hopefully they will be effective moves.
The second point should make most Yankee fans happy. Whether you believe the Yankees can make the playoffs or not, the only two prospects the Yankees really gave up this trade season was Rafael DePaula and Peter O'Brien. No Luis Severino or Rob Refsnyder prospects were harmed in the making of this trade season film. While it is sad that the Yankees did not have the pieces to land a David Price or Jon Lester, odds are those two pitchers were never coming to the rival Yankees anyway. The important thing is that they didn't compensate by trading these pieces for a Jason Hammel in order to make up for that fact.
Finally, the Yankees showed that they can acquire talent without tanking to draft in the early first round. Again, they do not have the pieces to net another team's top prospects via a trade. Therefore, the Yankees went on an international spending spree, possibly buying entire countries in the process. What July showed is what many have been saying all along; the Yankees can compete and try and improve at the same time, even if the improvements are minimal. They still might not make it, but even if they don't there was no need to tank and have a fire sale like the Red Sox. They had fire to sell. The Yankees did not.
Now that it's August, what do you think about the Yankees month of July? Did they do enough to give them that push to the playoffs? Are you happy with the international signings and the trades? If so, whom?
Here's what was said about the Arizona Diamondbacks' late flurry of activity at the trade deadline: from those involved in the trades, those who executed them and outside observers.
The players
"I think everybody dreams to play for the Yankees, and I never expected that in my career. I'm just looking forward to trying to find myself in a good position to play baseball. I felt like I've been up and down all this year, so now in a new place, we'll see how things are going to go." -- Martin Prado
All my fans in Arizona I appreciate your support during my time in Phoenix. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to play for the Dbacks
"He's going to hit home runs in pretty much any park you put him in. He is probably one of the best offensive players in the minor leagues right now. He's like Trumbo. He's like Goldy. We think he is going to hit for an average, drive in runs. You have a chance to have a middle of the order catcher. Big offense." -- Kevin Towers on Peter O'Brien
"We were very high on him when he was an amateur. Kind of profiles probably more as a corner outfielder, though, he has played center. Speed is probably the lowest grade that we have on him, but defender with a plus arm, plus power, plus hitter. A guy that will probably go to Double-A for us in Mobile, but a corner outfielder that we think could be a five- or six-hole-type hitter here in the very near future." -- Towers on Mitch Haniger
"Pitching, especially with some of the injuries that we've had, it's a big priority. When you look at the No. 1 responsibility for all of us, it's to present a team that contends, hopefully in October. I like some of the guys on the club but I like the flexibility that we can get financially to move toward those areas of need." -- Tony La Russa
"All three of our outfielders are right-handed. Parra is a veteran guy who can give those guys a day off or be used in matchups against certain right-handed pitching. He's a Gold Glover. He has experience at all three outfield positions. We got him to play and help us out. He hasn't played quite as much as in the past because the Diamondbacks were experimenting with younger guys." -- Brewers general manager Doug Melvin
"We're obviously trying to improve our offensive output and give Joe (Girardi) flexible options. We're going to be asking some guys to move around... I think one of his value points is his ability to play multiple positions." -- Yankees general manager Brian Cashman on Martin Prado.
The pundits
There is only one strategy left, and it's not spending wildly to acquire championship-caliber pitching. The Diamondbacks can't win the money game. They can only trade for a chorus line of pitching prospects, restocking the shelves for another run a few years down the line. So, yeah, the trade deadline was great theater. The A's became America's team, the Tigers countered with their own bold stroke, and the Yankees actually made a deal with their hated rivals in Boston. But in Arizona, the net result was one pitching prospect, and further proof of the long road back. -- Dan Bickley
dbacks did well to get big power hitter peter o'brien in prado deal
This haul might appear underwhelming, but consider what the Diamondbacks gave up: an outfielder with above average defense but little offensive ability who should be platooned and a utility guy who is getting older, doesn’t hit the ball hard and was owed $16M over the next two years. Those assets aren’t going to net you top prospects, and overall, I’d say they got a reasonable return based on the financial and roster flexibility they were able to create in these deals. The most encouraging sign, though, is that the team seems to have shifted its priorities for contention. -- Jeff Wiser, Inside the Zona
Both deals were about financial flexibility but the Prado deal made the biggest impact. This deal was all about the 2015 free agent starting pitching market. MLB Trade Rumors put together a list of potential starting pitchers and there are plenty of impact guys for the Dbacks to go after... Now the Dbacks have the money to sign an impact arm, and the front office made it clear that starting pitching is priority no.1, no.2, and no.3 this offseason. Overall I think the Diamondbacks made two trades today that will help them this offseason and next year if they can acquire an impact arm. -- Joseph Jacquez, Venom Strikes
Prado is a useful veteran; O'Brien has impressive power upside but is more of a future role player than a regular. The trade isn't a game changer either way... Parra doesn't offer the Brewers much hitting but his glove will be an asset for the stretch run. In exchange the Diamondbacks pick up a pair of Grade C+ pitching prospect and a C+/B- outfielder, which seems a reasonable return to me. -- John Sickels, Minor League Ball
With the trade deadline come and gone and the Blue Jays inactivity, I thought we could have a poll to gauge out level of 'disappointment'.
I'm at about at the Bautista level 'slightly disappointed'.
I really would have liked a starting pitcher, I think we are pretty thin at the position. If we were to decide that say Drew Hutchison needs a couple of weeks off in Buffalo to fine himself again or if J.A. Happ turns back into Happ or if, God forbid, someone were to get injured, who fills in? Not Esmil Rogers, we lost him because we needed someone to sit in the bullpen and not pitch for a few days. Liam Hendriks is gone too, not that I wanted to see him again. Right now, I'd guess, the next in line is Sean Nolin, unless the Jays would prefer to turn Aaron Sanchez back into a starter.
I mean they didn't need to get David Price. I'm amazed at the low return that Rays got for him. But as much as Zaun thinks they could have easily outbid the Tigers, but I understand that they wouldn't have given him to the Jays for such a low return. Nor were we likely to get Lester or Lackey from the Red Sox, but I'd like to think we could have found someone that would make a deal with us. I didn't have any illusions that we were going to grab someone that would fit at the top of the rotation, I would have liked someone that could fit in our rotation.
I think the one that stung was the Yankees getting Brandon McCarthy. I think that if we had picked him up, and let's face it, the Yankees didn't exactly break the bank for him, for one, the Yankees would be much further back in our rear view mirror and we'd have some depth. Perhaps Happ could be the long man in the pen, keeping ready to jump back into the rotation if needed and keeping us from running Rob Rasmussen and Chad Jenkins up and down the highway between Toronto and Buffalo.
If not Brandon, then someone of that level would have been a nice get.
I wasn't that worried about middle infielders, I don't see Asdrubal Cabrera as a huge upgrade. Martin Prado doesn't excite me and I'm long past my desire to add Stephen Drew on the team. I think we have enough infielders and Gibby seems like he is up to the task of mixing and matching and riding the hot hand.
A middle reliever would have been nice and if Aaron Sanchez didn't look so good it would have been very important to get someone. Even if it isn't the burning need that it was a couple of weeks back, it really doesn't cost all that much to get a reliever, I don't see that it would have been all that hard to add someone.
Mostly, I'm disappointed (if only slightly) because I think that making a big trade would have sent a message to the team that 'hey we believe we can win this thing'. I tend to discredit those thoughts, but the players don't discredit those ideas. Listening to Janssen and Bautista, it does sound like the players were looking for a sign from management. Now, I think if we win some games, the guys will start thinking 'it is us against the world'.
Alex keeps saying that there would be money to add to payroll if there was the right piece out there, but it rings pretty hollow after months of very carefully not adding to payroll. I don't buy the 'cheap Rogers' stuff, when you are in the top 10 in payroll, it is tough to see them Rogers as cheap, every team has a budget. And the idea that there is someone else out there with deep pockets who would buy the team and give them a no limit Platinum MasterCard is living a fantasy.
I am glad that Alex didn't give in, sent off Stroman or Sanchez to 'make a statement'. I'd rather keep those two than make any trade that I heard out there.
The Yankees didn't acquire anyone resembling a star player, but Brian Cashman's patchwork might be enough. Meanwhile, Bill Madden remains hackish and the Diamondbacks continue to perplex.
This morning, Hall of Fame baseball writer Bill Madden wrote rather grumpily of the Yankees' trade deadline activity:
Are the Yankees better with Drew and Prado? Perhaps, but only marginally. On the other hand, the AL East-leading Orioles made a huge move in acquiring lefty reliever Andrew Miller from the wheeling-and-dealing Red Sox.
This is comedy, and "only marginally" is key to the whole thing, but let's backtrack a bit so we can see it. Right field has been killing the Yankees this year. A lot of other things have been killing the Yankees, like the death of the starting rotation, no farm system, and a flawed theory of rebuilding that went something like, "If you have no prospects, just add the living dead!" or possibly, "We're gonna make a lot of money on people wanting to see degraded Derek Jeter not play well one last time, so we'll spend $250 million to ..." It doesn't make sense, but then it never did. Nevertheless, the Yankees have done rather well for themselves in spite of all that. But right field, let's concentrate there. We'll get back to the overview part of the program in a moment.
The average major-league right fielder is hitting .261/.324/.411. That doesn't seem like much, but with offense going the way of Argentinian debt service, it's not bad. Yankees right fielders, who have numbered among their motley lot Ichiro Suzuki, the long-since released Alfonso Soriano, the now DH-bound Carlos Beltran, Zelous Wheeler, Zoilo Almonte, Kelly Johnson and Brett Gardner, have totaled .240/.281/.344, the worst production at the position in the American League. Only the Cubs and Cardinals trail them in the National League.
We are far from Dave Winfield here. Paul O'Neill. Tommy Henrich. Babe Ruth. They're all feeling insulted these days, wherever they are. With Soriano gone, a big part of the blame falls on future Hall of Famer Suzuki, who simply isn't an everyday player at this point. He's more like an internationally famous Sam Fuld, except that Fuld is having a better year. Suzuki can still run and field, and he was hitting .300 -- a soft .300, but .300 -- as recently as July 12. A 3-for-34 stretch in 12 games since then has dropped his rates to .269/.320/.316, which is consistent with everything he's done since 2010 except for the 67 games he played with the Yankees in 2012.
Martin Prado is as much a right fielder as Stephen Drew is a second baseman, though the two career innings he's played there mean he's more experienced at his new position than the latter is at his. He's also not what you would call a traditional right field bat, especially not when he's hitting .270/.317/.370 -- with upgrades like that on offer, you might as well stick with your current cell phone -- but he's been better in the past, and even if that means he only hits as well as he did last year, .282/.333/.417 in a season grossly aided by Chase Field, that will be an upgrade for the Yankees.
Stephen Drew (Jim Rogash)
As with the Drew trade (you can see my remarks on that deal here), this was a deal made with one eye on the possibility of a division title or wild card, something still very possible despite a -30 run differential on the season given the marshmallowy softness of the AL East, and one on the future: Prado can play second base, third or left field, so if Alex Rodriguez comes back or doesn't (or comes back with all the mobility of the statues of himself that will never be built), or the team doesn't re-sign the recently acquired Chase Headley, the Yankees have a player who can be positioned wherever they need the most help. And they will continue to have that player until 2016 at $11 million a year, when he'll be 32.
By Yankees standards, that's youthful, useful and inexpensive.
To get Prado, Yankees shipped off Peter O'Brien, the leading home run hitter in the Yankees' system. "Leading" is a quantitative rather than qualitative description. With 33 home runs on the season. he led the team's paltry pile of prospects by a wide margin, but there are issues. Signed as a catcher, the Yankees had tried him at third base before he ultimately looked like a first baseman-designated hitter. If you hit enough home runs, that's not a problem, and O'Brien has popped 23 of the suckers in 274 at-bats at Double-A Trenton, which is impressive given a ballpark slightly less nurturing than my fifth-grade science teacher, an icy maiden of 55 who thought nothing of bursting into the boys' bathroom to see what the kids were doing in there. (They were using the bathroom.)
O'Brien's major talent deficit, other than bringing to mind the Rangersfirst baseman of the 1980s, is that he has the plate judgment of a starving man at a casino buffet. He's walked 20 times in 102 games. If the foregoing conjures associations with Mark Trumbo, you'd be right, and you might also ask yourself, "Who needs two of that?" Ever been given a completely non-functional item as a housewarming gift, say, some kind of ceramic egg or something else "decorative" and thought, "Gosh, that was nice of them. Where the hell do I put this thing?" Imagine if you doubled up. (A: Craigslist, eBay.)
David Phelps (Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports)
Returning to the Yankees and "but only marginally." That's the whole point. As I wrote recently, the Yankees have aggressively addressed problems in the starting rotation. They haven't replaced them with peak-year Ron Guidry, but the staff that created their massive run deficit is gone:
Of those eight disaster games, two were started by Ivan Nova, who is broken and can no longer affect things, three were begun by Vidal Nuno, who is now the Diamondbacks' problem, for good or ill. Two blowouts were started by Hiroki Kuroda, but Kuroda has seemingly righted himself -- he's made nine starts since the calendar turned to June and put up a 3.10 ERA in 58 innings. The remaining 10-plus game belonged to David Phelps, who has made three consecutive quality starts and, at the risk of picking arbitrary endpoints, has been solid in six of his last seven appearances.
Again, no Cy Young candidates have been added, just Brandon McCarthy and Chris Capuano and Shane Greene. Eleven pitchers have started for the Yankees and no doubt that number will grow higher. Yet, it's working. Over the last two months, the Yankees have allowed about 4.2 runs per game, which is roughly league average. With park adjustments, it's probably a little better than that. In that same period, they've averaged 3.8 runs per game. Somehow they were nearly .500, going 26-27. That's a couple of more games than you might have expected them to win. Now, let's say the pitching staff remains consistent and the new acquisitions push them up by half a run a game on average. Big if, but not impossible. Just slightly better pitching and you can imagine the Yankees going something like going 32-23 the rest of the way. That's a 94-win pace over a full season, asking a lot, but slight improvements on replacement-level players like Roberts and Ichiro can pay huge dividends. There's a reason Jay Jaffe called such players "replacement-level killers."
No, it's not enough to win the AL East, not unless the Orioles collapse -- and that doesn't seem like an impossibility -- but the second wild card, with the Blue Jays having been silent at the deadline? They're only on a pace for 88 wins. Another 32 wins would have the Yankees finish at 87-75. A little luck and you're there, even if the Jays remain on the current pace. In other words, "marginal" was entirely worth doing if the Yankees want to make the postseason. Bismarck said, "Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable -- the art of the next best." That applies to general managers as well, and it perfectly describes just what Brian Cashman did on Thursday and has done all season.
Last note on the Bill Madden quote that opened this column: "The AL East-leading Orioles made a huge move in acquiring lefty reliever Andrew Miller ..."
Is he bleeping kidding? Miller has been very good this year, finally, finally getting his command under control (or is that getting his control under command? No matter), but the Orioles have a minimum of 495 innings left in their season and if they really push Miller, he'll throw 30 of them. Perhaps he'll be an important factor in the postseason, should the Orioles make it that far, but unless Buck Showalter leverages him perfectly, something no manager today does with relievers, he's not going to have a decisive impact on the regular season.
You might not have noticed -- Madden didn't -- but Matt Wieters is dead. Chris Davis has five gears in reverse. Nelson Cruz has hit .213/.287/.371 over his last 50-plus games. Steve Pearce is becoming himself again. Adam Jones hit six home runs in July but also had a .287 on-base percentage. Manny Machado has finally shaken off the rust resultant from his horrific knee injury of last autumn, but on the whole, there's less here than meets the eye. Adding Miller certainly doesn't hurt, but he's in no way a decisive addition.
Of course, when you start writing with an agenda instead of looking at the facts and seeing where they take you, you'll say anything in an attempt to make your point. You could swap "Andrew Miller" out of the above quote and replace him with "Edwin Jackson," "Kevin Correia," "Steve Trout" and he still would have arrived at the same predetermined outcome.
After the trade deadline, I always like hearing about what trades could have happened. Sometimes they're interesting and sometimes they're just absolutely hilarious. This one falls under the latter:
Was told today #Phillies wanted either Aaron Judge or Luis Severino for Marlon Byrd. #Yankees fans should be glad that didn't happen.
Laaaaaawd that would have been a bad trade. Byrd is almost 37 and has another year on his contract, maybe even two, if a vesting option actually vests. Ruben Amaro was criticized for not trading off anyone and the Phillies GM decided to lay the blame on everyone else but himself:
Amaro said Phillies did not ask for "top prospects." Criticized other GMs for not being aggressive enough.
So either 29 teams don't know how to make a trade or Ruben Amaro is a miserable excuse for a baseball executive. He claims he didn't ask for a lot in return, so either he doesn't know what a prospect is or he's lying. If this rumor is actually true, I think it basically proves that he doesn't know how to negotiate. Sure, you start off high, but then as you work on a deal, both parties need to reach a middle point. You don't demand the world for nothing in return and then never come down. That's insanity.
So not only did Brian Cashman get Brandon McCarthy, Chase Headley, Martin Prado, and Stephen Drew for mostly spare parts, he didn't trade away good prospects for old, expensive veterans. Sometimes you just gotta tip your cap to the better GM.
The two members of one of baseball's biggest rivalries don't exchange players that often. Surprised?
There were numerous big trades during the MLB Trade Deadline yesterday. Superb players like David Price and Jon Lester were among many to find new homes as MLB teams prepare for the final two months of the season. While there were several trades much more relevant than one the Yankees pulled off yesterday, perhaps none was quite as unusual. With just under an hour left before the deadline, the Yankees swapped infielders with the Red Sox, shipping Kelly Johnson up to Boston in exchange for Stephen Drew. It was a somewhat-minor move, a gamble taken by Yankees GM Brian Cashman that Drew is more the player he was in 2013 than the guy who struggled badly in June, his first full month of 2014. However, the historical implications of the deal made it even more fascinating.
Incredibly, it was the first trade made between the two rivals in almost 17 years. In that trade, consummated on August 13, 1997, the Yankees reacquired former catcher Mike Stanley to be their DH, as they wanted a little bit more power in the lineup with Cecil Fielder on the disabled list. Stanley helped the Yankees win the Wild Card that year by notching an OPS+ of 127 down the stretch, though they fell in the Division Series to the Indians. One of the pitchers sent to Boston in that trade, Jim Mecir, was claimed by the Devil Rays in the '98 expansion draft and didn't end up doing anything for Boston. The other pitcher acquired by Boston in the Stanley trade was Tony Armas. That November, then-Red Sox GM Dan Duquette (former Expos GM) made a deal with Montreal to acquire NL Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martinez in exchange for pitching prospect Carl Pavano and a player to be named later. That player turned out to be Armas, so the Yankees did inadvertently help the Red Sox acquire Pedro. Whoops. (Of course, it's not like Armas was the deciding factor in the trade--he wasn't even sent to Montreal until a month after the trade became official.)
The Yankees and Red Sox just don't make trades very often. There are a few theories why trades between them are so uncommon. The biggest is probably that any trade made between them would fall under far more scrutiny from their respective fanbases, and that it could create great anger among the fans if it works out poorly.
Exhibit A: Babe Ruth
Purchased by the Yankees on December 26, 1919 --- he was a guy. Ruth was just one of numerous players acquired by Yankees GM Ed Barrow from his old team, and many players on those '20s Yankees were former Red Sox. What a raid.
Exhibit B: Red Ruffing
Acquired by Yankees in exchange for 33-year-old outfielder Cedric Durst and $50,000 on May 6, 1930. Durst played poorly for Boston and never played MLB again after the season. Ruffing became a Hall of Famer and the greatest righthanded starter in franchise history. Whoops.
Exhibit C: Sparky Lyle
Acquired by the Yankees in exchange for first baseman Danny Cater and a player to be named later (Mario Guerrero) on March 22, 1972. Cater and Guerrero didn't make much of an impact for Boston, and both were gone by the time the Red Sox won the '75 AL pennant. Meanwhile, their former closer became the Yankees' bullpen star for most of the rest of the decade, winning two World Series titles and the '77 AL Cy Young Award.
The Red Sox and Yankees have only made four trades in 42 years since the Lyle faux pas. I don't think that's an accident.
The two teams might be reluctant to do anything to greatly boost the other's future. For one thing, Boston GM Ben Cherington told everyone that Lester was available to every team except the Yankees. That's hardly a stunner. The Drew only has a marginal impact on the 2014 campaign, which is lost for the Red Sox, so I'm sure that helped push Cherington to agree to the swap. Had there been prospects involved or a bigger impact player like Lester, then it would have gotten dicey.
Trades aside from basic waiver claims like Esmil Rogers yesterday are additionally just very rare between teams in the same division, as noted by Cashman today on MLB Network Radio. The Yankees and Orioles have made only three trades in the last 21 years, and just one of them was a trade of players, not just a purchase. *Jaret Wright for Chris Britton in November 2006, a move designed to just get Wright out of the Bronx.) The last trade made between the Yankees and Blue Jays was 12 years ago, the infamous Raul Mondesi deal in July 2002, a trade born from Steinbrenner's fury at seeing infielder Enrique Wilson playing right field and screwing up a fly ball. They have made five trades in the last 30 years. The Rays and Yankees have the best trade history of them all--exactly one trade in Tampa's 16-year franchise history. That was just the Yankees purchasing reserve infielder Nick Green in May 2006. There's a reason intra-division trades are unusual.
It's also possible that the Yankees and Red Sox simple dislike for each other contributed to the drought. Former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino got into a battle of words in the press during this timespan of 17 years, and it's possible that the ill will from the sniping made the teams even more reluctant to trade with each other. Steinbrenner's presence on his own might have been enough to cause the Cold War, as he bought the Yankees in 1973 and his GMs made just three trades with Boston during his 37-year tenure.
Nonetheless, the two teams finally ended their embargo with the Drew/Johnson deal. I leave you now with a short list of what's happened in the world since their last trade:
One day after the trading deadline, the Yankees and Red Sox face off as one team continues to go for it in 2014 and the other looks ahead to next year.
Tonight's lineup vs #BOS (Pregame at 6 on YES) Gardner LF Jeter SS Ellsbury CF Teixeira 1B Beltran DH McCann C Headley 3B Drew 2B Suzuki RF
Stephen Drew gets his first start for the Yankees at second base, taking over for the recently DFA'd Brian Roberts. He'll wear #33, the number Kelly Johnson wore. Martin Prado is listed on the roster but is not starting tonight due to the fact that he has not yet arrived. The Yankees expect him to be there before first pitch, but that means Ichiro is still playing right field for tonight. Prado will wear Roberts' #14. The top of the lineup remains the same with Brett Gardner leading off ahead of Derek Jeter, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Mark Teixeira. With the exception of Ichiro in the outfield, there's a good chance that this is the lineup you will see going forward with Prado and Drew likely switching places at the bottom.
The Red Sox traded their ace Jon Lester to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for Yoenis Cespedes, however, while Boston was open to deal him to any team in the league, they were not going to trade him to the Yankees. They ended up trading Stephen Drew to New York and sent Andrew Miller to Baltimore, but Lester was a different story. An ace pitcher is a game-changer in a division, and while Lester is a free agent after the season, having him on the team could have given the Yankees a leg up in re-signing him. Now he's in Oakland, where he won't sign long-term, and it gives the Red Sox a shot at bringing him back into the fold. What the trade did do for the Yankees, though, was that it took away any kind of draft compensation that Lester would have had attached to him if he stayed with the Red Sox. Now it will only cost money, so the Yankees will likely be all in on him this winter.
Yankees traded a 2B they were using as a 3B to get a SS they will use as a 2B.
So the Yankees incrementally improved their team by trading for Martin Prado and Stephen Drew at the deadline. Prado is better than Ichiro Suzuki, Drew is better than Brian Roberts. A clear upgrade, even if it's not very flashy at all. Honestly though, I find the idea of trading Kelly Johnson away just to acquire Drew to be pretty freaking hilarious. See:
I don't even care about this David Price trade, this Stephen Drew for Kelly Johnson trade is legit hilarious
First of all, the Yankees and Red Sox actually traded for the first time since 1997, when New York acquired Mike Stanley, so it's absolutely historic. The trade really doesn't help the Red Sox that much, other than getting some salary relief. Also, Kelly Johnson is still on the disabled list, so that's funny in itself.
No, the real reason I find it to be a hilarious trade is this:
@ESPNNYYankees So they forced 2B Johnson to play 3B so they traded him for SS Drew who they'll force to play 2B!
Let me break the joke down for you: Kelly Johnson, a second baseman for most of his career, was forced to play third base, and really every other position on the field in order to accommodate Brian Roberts. In fact, he wasn't even used there occasionally. It was like Johnson came to the Yankees and suddenly wasn't a second baseman anymore. So he looked awful everywhere he played and struggled when he was actually allowed to play.
After they finally became fed up with Brian Roberts, they actually then traded Johnson, a second baseman, to the Red Sox for Stephen Drew, who is a shortstop. They will now force this shortstop to be a second baseman for them the rest of the way!
I mean, sure, Drew might be a better hitter than Johnson, maybe. Perhaps they'll give Derek Jeter a break and let Drew play short...oh wait, that's what Brendan Ryan is here for. It feels like the Yankees' idea of versatility is playing a bunch of dudes out of position and hoping they don't look stupid out there. Prado hasn't played the outfield regularly in years and he's never really been a right fielder. I mean, they're now going out of their way to get more players to play out of position for them. Like, on purpose.
I don't dislike this trade, maybe I even like it, but I also don't care about this trade. I just want to laugh at how stupid this all looks on paper.
The Yankees had a couple new faces make appearances in their first game following the trade deadline tonight at Fenway Park, but it wasn't enough for them to dig out of the hole embedded* Red Sox player Chris Capuano created for them by giving up four runs in 6.1 innings of work. New York got two home runs off the bats of Carlos Beltran and Derek Jeter (yes, really) to pull the Yankees back to within striking distance, but the deficit proved too much to overcome against Boston closer Koji Uehara.
Capuano wasn't missing many bats on the mound tonight, giving up eight hits before giving way to Shawn Kelley out of the bullpen. Kelley failed to strand Capuano's runner, allowing the fourth and final Boston run to cross home plate. The Yankees managed to get within one run twice, but that's as close as they would get after Dustin Pedroia doubled to score Brock Holt and David Ortiz drove in Pedroia with an RBI single to put the Red Sox on the board.
Aside from the two big blows by Beltran and Jeter, the Yankees got their other run when Beltran plated Jacoby Ellsbury with an RBI single. Ellsbury walked and stole second, where he was originally called out by the umpire. Replay was able to overturn the call. Brett Gardner walked twice and stole a base, which is a feat he hasn't accomplished very much this season. Luckily, he's been making up for it with home runs. Ichiro Suzuki singled and Mark Teixeira notched a double down the left field line. Martin Prado and Stephen Drew made their Yankees debuts, but both went hitless. Chase Headley made a couple dazzling plays at third base, but was unable to get anything going offensively.
The Yankees' bullpen, Kelley allowing an important inherited runner to score aside, kept the Red Sox hitless after Capuano departed the game. Only Warren allowed a batter to reach via a walk. Still, that inherited runner would prove to be the difference in the game.
Tomorrow's game will feature Shane Greene opposing Allen Webster at 4:05 pm. It might be cool if the Yankees actually won that one.
*Not saying this is a factual statement, but not saying it isn't factual.
UPDATE: Skaggs on the DL, CJ blows up in Tampa, and Thatcher leaves game with injury Saturday night. See below the original article for an addendum on the Angels' remaining options in AAA and AA.
Halo starter Tyler Skaggs has a sore elbow and is getting all sorts of second opinions while he sits on the fifteen day disabled list. Lefty Michael Roth was called up from AA Arkansas for the second time this season and looks to be the long man out of the pen as Hector Santiago graduates to full-time starting pitcher.
All of this happens almost musically with the downbeat of Skaggs leaving followed by a drumroll of C.J. Wilson returning from the DL this Saturday.
So the rotation for the next two weeks appears to be C.J. Wilson, Jered Weaver, Hector Santiago, Garrett Richards and Matt Shoemaker. Roth is stretched out as a starter and can take the mound if needed. He is having his best season at AA and although his strikeout rate has been halved, his walks are down even more drastically. In a season of sixth men, he stands to be the sixth man of Anaheim at least for the moment.
In AAA Salt Lake is dramatically improved Wade LeBlanc. Jettisoned from the 40-Man Roster (and then picked up by the Yankees, made one start and was released and re-signed by the Halos), his call up would require a waiver move of someone else but he looks to be the first to join the team in a month when the big league rosters expand. the only question now is whether the Angels can wait that long.
Roth meanwhile could be in a good position to audition for a more solid role - if he performs well might the Angels cut short the Joe Thatcher experiment and slot Roth in as the bullpen LOOGY? Crazier things have happened.
Addendum from Turk's Teeth:
Half a day later, and this article is more than a bit prescient. As Tyler Skaggs hit the DL, CJ Wilson may as well be headed back to it, as he took a glorious dump in St Petersburg tonight, giving up 6 earned runs on six hits, two walks and a home run...before the fifth out of the game was recorded. It's the third start in a row that Wilson has surrendered six runs, and the seventh time in the past nine starts that he has surrendered four runs or more. It's also the fifth game in a row that he's lasted five innings or fewer in a game, further taxing the bullpen during a long stretch of difficult contests. His ERA is now 4.74.
Let's be clear: C.J. Wilson is no longer a viable starting pitcher this year on a competitive club who hopes to keep pace with the best team in baseball, the Oakland Athletics. He may come back next year as a solid contributor, but this year he's a liability and currently the worst pitcher on the club. His appearances are no better than replacement level and are approaching Blantonesque levels of damage.
So the Angels are down to four rotation pieces between Richards, Weaver, Shoemaker and Santiago. We've lost the last three games Richards has pitched, Weaver badly bombed in his last outing, and Shoe and Hector have struggled to pitch beyond five innings in recent appearances. The Angels are going to need more than a couple spot starters down the stretch, and it's time to inventory the possibilities.
As I see it, there are six. Three at AAA, and three at AA. Two righties, four lefties. Not a one of them are sure things, and you would probably not want to use them for more than a couple starts, lest scouting reports catch up to them and leave them exposed to superior hitting. But maybe the Angels catch lightning in a bottle for a brief window until Skaggs can rehabilitate and return to the fold.
As we've seen, of the six above, Michael Roth is the pitcher of first resort. And as we've also seen, the junkballing lefty, who operates chiefly in the 75-86mph range, can walk a fine line the first time through an MLB batting order, but can be hit pretty mercilessly after a few looks. He held the Tampa Bay Rays to two hits over his first three innings in the game, but then surrendered four runs on five hits when the order turned over. He pitches to contact, and can induce double plays with frequency (three in this weekend's game), but he becomes exposed rather quickly for what he is: a junkman with deception and some cleverness, but not a lot else.
Caleb Clay is an interesting name on the list. A former first-round pick by the Boston Red Sox in 2006, he's a recent Dipoto pick-up who has shown up quite well in the hellish Pacific Coast League parks, and even delivered a complete game three-hit shutout against the Dodgers' AAA affiliate on July 20th. Like Roth, he pitches to contact, as his 88-90mph fastball doesn't miss many bats. He has four pitches, including a decent changeup, but his game is a command-and-control game, and could suffer with overexposure.
Wade LeBlanc has the most recent Major League experience, pitching to a 4.56 ERA over 98 MLB appearances (68 starts), about half of those in the fortunate pitcher's environment of San Diego in the NL West. He's had an up-and-down season in the PCL, and has boomeranged back and forth from the Angels org to the Yanks and back, but he's been reasonably successful of late. Over his past six outings at AAA, he's gone at least 6 innings in each, with as many as 11 and no fewer than 6 strikeouts in each effort, and has delivered a 2.52 ERA in that span.
Drew Rucinski got hit around in his first relief appearance on the road for the Angels, giving up two earned runs and looking quite shaky in the process. But it was also probably a case of serious nerves for a minor league free agent who never expected to be in that position, and who has very little experience pitching out of a bullpen. He has otherwise been the Arkansas Travelers' best and most consistent starter this season. He backs up a low 90s fastball with as many as four (average) secondary offerings, and a crazy shoulder tilt that can make him look like an auto-lot breezy geezer tube man in a Santa Ana gust. When he's on, it looks menacing. When he's off, it just looks a mess. He could possible deliver a string of solid outings like Matt Shoemaker, or get lit up against the wrong offense.
Randy Wolf– well, you know who Randy Wolf is. He hasn't had an effective season since 2011, but is trying to give it one last go. He put up a 5.26 ERA over 6 outings with the Marlins this season before being cut loose. In his first appearance with the Salt Lake Bees, he pitched 3.2 innings, and gave up five hits, two earned runs, a walk and a home run. Not exactly dominance, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the front office throw him out on the mound just due to resume and 'veteran grit'. Because. They. Do. That.
Then there's Nate Smith. Apparently he went on the 7-day DL today, with a broken pinky finger. Of the group, he might have the highest upside, but he's also the youngest and least baked of the group. He has what is probably the best changeup of any pitcher on the farm now that Mike Morin is no longer a prospect. His fastball is mediocre, but his change is simply so good and devastating on righties in particular than he misses bats with satisfying frequency. He's Ryan Ghan's and my consensus #3 prospect in the organization right now (after Newcomb and Bedrosian), so he's both the kind of guy you'd like to see pitch, but also the last guy whose confidence you'd want to destroy in a premature rush to the Bigs. In any case, it looks like he's not eligible for an immediate call-up, and will probably need 2-4 weeks to rehab that finger.
What say you, Angel fans? Who would you put your faith in for a couple games as our rotation slowly falls apart when the stakes are highest? Thoughts?
