As the Winter Meetings draw closer, MLB executives believe that it would be an upset if the Yankees didn't land free agent outfielder Carlos Beltran, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Yankees have been adamant so far about limiting any potential deal with Beltran to two years instead of the three-year deal that the former Cardinal is seeking.
With Curtis Granderson departing in free agency and Brett Gardner representing the only starting-caliber outfielder remaining for 2014, the Yankees likely need to sign one of the outfielders on the open market. They have options outside of Beltran in Shin-Soo Choo and Jacoby Ellsbury for bigger names, as well as a host of players seeking less lucrative deals. Neither Choo nor Ellsbury can likely be had for less than five years and over $100 million, possibly making Beltran a more attractive option to the budget-conscious Yankees. That is, assuming that Plan 189 has not completely ceased to be a thing in order to actually field a competitive team in 2014.
The executives Sherman spoke to said that they figured the Yankees would eventually concede the third year, or give Beltran a great deal more money for a two-year contract. Beltran wants to sign with a team that has the ability to put him in a position to win a World Series before he hangs them up for good, which could be the Yankees if they are serious about bringing in free agent talent that will put them in a better position than they were in last season. Signing Brian McCann was a nice first step, but there are more steps to be made.
Beltran, unfortunately, represents more of the policy of bringing in aging veterans instead of younger players. The Yankees have been burned by that recently. Is a shorter term investment in Beltran worth more to them than investing in a younger player over a longer period of time? Only time will tell.
The Yankees have been waiting on Hiroki Kuroda for months now. It has long been believed that he will either play in Japan, retire from baseball, or return to the Yankees. After he rejected a $14.1 million qualifying offer, contact between the two sides have been limited, but the Yankees have finally broken the silence by extending another contract to Hiroki Kuroda. While the exact number of the one-year deal is unknown, he made $15 million in 2013, so his final salary will likely fall somewhere between $15-$16 million.
Now that New York has signed its new catcher, it's time for them to start putting together the starting rotation. At the moment, only CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova are projected to be a part of the 2014 rotation, with Andy Pettitte retiring and Phil Hughes signing with the Twins. If the Yankees can lock Kuroda down, it will go a long way toward creating a competitive pitching staff. On the other hand, Kuroda seemed to fade (or struggle) in the second half of the season, and now it will be a question of whether or not he can pitch a full season at the age of 39 years old.
While they have their heart set on Japanese phenom Masahiro Tanaka, a new posting system has yet to be approved and even then it isn't a guarantee they'll win the exclusive negotiating rights to sign him. Kuroda will not only help ease the blow in case they miss out, but he could also help Tanaka make the adjustment of living in America much easier.
The Yankees could use Kuroda, and are trying to keep him from retiring by increasing their offer.
Free agent starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda is unlikely to sign elsewhere, but he might very well retire rather than return to Major League Baseball. In order to keep that from happening, the Yankees, the club Kuroda spent the last two seasons with, have increased their offer to the free agent right-hander from the one-year qualifying offer to something believed to be in the $15-16 million range, according to ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand.
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Kuroda, who will be 39 years old in 2014, threw 201 innings from the Bombers this past season, giving him three-straight 200-plus inning campaigns. It was also his third season in a row with an ERA+ of at least 120. While he struggled over his final seven starts of the season, posting a 6.80 ERA courtesy an opponents line of .314/.360/.554, he has been one of the more reliable arms in the game since he came to Major League Baseball back in 2008.
The Yankees, who missed the playoffs in 2013 for the first time since 2008, could use Kuroda back in the rotation, and would love to pay him a significant sum for one year rather than invest in a lesser, younger arm who will require more of a long-term commitment, such as the recently departed Phil Hughes, who just signed a three-year, $24 million deal with the Twins. If they are able to retain Kuroda with this latest offer, a slight increase in pay from the qualifying offer that doesn't have the same immediate deadline for acceptance, then the 2014 rotation will start with CC Sabathia, Kuroda, and Ivan Nova, with the back-end spots either filled out internally -- with, say Michael Pineda, acquired before 2012, finally making a start in a Yankees uniform -- or through a combination of acquisitions and the former.
Marchand suggests the Yankees want to keep an eye on Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, who could be available through the posting system once MLB and Japan's NPB finish negotiations on the latest iteration. Should Kuroda head in the opposite direction back to Japan, the need for Tanaka will be that much greater. New York's 2012 rotation posted a 4.08 ERA -- league-average was 4.15 -- and allowed opponents to hit a slightly better-than-average line against them, even with park and league effects taken into account. There is definite room for improvement, as the pitching was and is solid, but the lineup has so many questions that solid just won't cut it.
Of course, the Yankees might have to wait to see whether or not they are paying for Alex Rodriguez in 2014 before they are able to commit further big money to the short-term. If A-Rod's suspension is erased, New York is on the hook for $27.5 million towards the $189 million luxury tax threshold -- should it be simply reduced, though, the Yankees would have more wiggle room, and if it's upheld entirely, they've all of a sudden got a whole lot of money to play with in their quest to stay under the soft cap.
Once upon a time not so long ago, Hughes was the future of the Yankees' rotation. Now, he's off to Minnesota after a disastrous finale in the Bronx. What happened?
Spring Training 2006
"I didn't know who he was. I thought he was going to throw about 88 [mph], and he came at me with 95. I immediately asked Mark Newman if he was one of our top prospects because I was like, 'Who the [heck] is that guy?'" - Alex Rodriguez
"He throws hard, and he's just a baby -- 19 years old. The thing that's unusual for a kid as young as he is, his curveball is really impressive. His stuff is very real." - Joe Torre
"That kid is going to be good; he reminds me of Rocket. He's young, but that fastball, it's late. I don't care what the radar gun says, it seems like it's on top of you. He's got good stuff." - Jason Giambi
"He has the best arm in camp, no doubt about it. Better than all these guys (points to a row of lockers which included Randy Johnson and Mariano Rivera). I don't care how old he is. He's unbelievable. It's effortless the way the ball comes out of his hand at 95-96. He's that impressive. He's the best prospect we've got. It's fun to see." - Jorge Posada
***
Those were the days. After the 2006 season, Baseball AmericarankedPhil Hughes as the best minor league pitching prospect in the game. This lofty praise was no small feat--here are just a few of the other Baseball America Top 100 pitching prospects who were ranked behind Hughes:
Homer Bailey (#5 overall): Two no-hitters, 92 ERA-, 6.2 fWAR, and 417 innings pitched since start of 2012
Tim Lincecum (#11): Two Cy Young Awards, no-hitter, 90 ERA-, 1,510 strikeouts, and 27.8 fWAR
Yovani Gallardo (#16): 93 ERA-, 1,080 strikeouts, and 16.9 fWAR
Matt Garza (#21): 2009 ALCS MVP, no-hitter, 93 ERA-, 1,001 strikeouts, and 18.1 fWAR
Clayton Kershaw (#24): Pitching Jesus, two Cy Young Awards, 68 ERA-, 1,206 strikeouts, and 28.4 fWAR
Granted that hindsight is always nice with these prospect rankings since the likes of Andrew Miller and Adam Miller were also highly ranked (with Daisuke Matsuzaka number one, though I'm not sure why he's on this list), but it seems incredible now to think that scouts once thought Hughes was better than them all. Many pitching prospects' careers flame out before they even reach the majors, so on one level, the Yankees should perhaps be grateful that they received any major league production at all from Hughes during his seven years in New York prior to his unsurprising departure as a free agent for the Minnesota Twins.
However, it is going to be tough to get over the fact that for years, Hughes was the face of the Yankees' future on the mound.
2004: Amateur praise
The Yankees selected Hughes out of Foothill High School in Santa Clara, California with the 23rd overall pick of the 2004 MLB draft, a compensation pick from the Astros for signing away Andy Pettitte. Among the other players still on the board when the Yankees took Hughes were Gio Gonzalez (38th overall pick), Gallardo (46th), Hunter Pence (64th), and Dustin Pedroia (65th). The Yankees felt strong about their decision though, and it was hard to blame them:
"Philip Hughes is a high school pitcher who our guys felt is very much like a college pitcher," said Mark Newman, the Yankees' senior vice president of baseball operations. Our guys felt that Hughes was a very sophisticated, physically mature high school pitcher with a better fastball than any college pitcher that would present himself to us... We've got left-handers with average fastballs, pitchability guys like Alex Graman and Brad Halsey at Triple-A who are pitching well, but we felt we needed right-handed power. He's a mature, polished high-school pitcher, and we think he's more like a college pitcher."
"He has everything we looked for, including his makeup," said Gordon Blakeley, the club's senior vice president of player personnel. "He's from a good background, a good family, and those things are important. To play in New York, you need more than good stuff, you need good makeup." (Source 1) (Source 2)
With forgettable guys like Alex Graman and Brad Halsey at the peak of the farm system, it's no wonder that the Yankees liked Hughes so much. Just looking at his scouting report and high school numbers were enough to inspire a great deal of confidence in the young righty:
Scouting report: TALL, LARGE FRAME. BROAD BACK, SHOULDERS. WIDE HIPS. STRONG, THICK LOWER HALF. LONG, LOOSE MUSCLES. NO WINDUP, HIGH 3/4. SIDE STEP TO START, HIGH LEG LIFT. HIDES BALL WELL. QUICK, COMPACT, LIVE ARM. SHORT IN BACK. SITS ON 90-91, OCCASIONAL PLUS 92-94. SOLID MECHANICS W/ GOOD BODY CONTROL. FLASHES MAJOR LEAGUE SLIDER W/ LATE BITE, GOOD DOWN PLANE. GOOD MOTION ON CHANGEUP. BIG, STRONG-ARMED PITCHER W/ PROJECTABLE MAJOR LEAGUE OR BETTER PITCHES ACROSS THE BOARD. AROUND PLATE W/ ALL PITCHES, CHANCE FOR PLUS CONTROL.
Hughes went 9-1 in 2004 with a 0.69 ERA, striking out 83 and walking just three batters in 61 innings. Hughes allowed 41 hits, holding opponents to a .181 batting average. In 2003, Hughes went 12-0 with a 0.78 ERA. In 72 innings, Hughes struck out 85 and walked 19, holding hitters to a .192 average. Before the draft, Hughes was ranked No. 16 among prospects by Baseball America.
2005-06: Taking the minors by storm
Hughes had tremendous stuff, and he took off in 2005. Splitting the year between Low-A Charleston and High-A Tampa, Hughes succeeded in both places, pitching to a 2.19 ERA, 9.7 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, and a remarkable 0.857 WHIP in 17 games (86 1/3 innings).This performance was enough for Baseball America to rank him on their Top 100 Prospects for the first time, where he placed 39th, ahead of future pitching successes Anibal Sanchez, Jered Weaver, Cole Hamels, and the aforementioned Gonzalez. He was already the Yankees' best pitching prospect. The Yankees invited him to Spring Training the following year, and that led to his memorable encounter mentioned above with Yankee stars who were awestruck by Hughes's pitching.
He began the 2006 season in Tampa since he only pitched 17 2/3 innings there at the end of '05. It didn't take him long to earn a promotion; he blitzkrieged Florida State League competition with a 1.80 ERA, 30 strikeouts, and just two walks in five starts. The Yankees moved him up to Double-A Trenton. Shortly thereafter, Minor League Ball's John Sickels wrote about Hughes in comparison to the Mets' fellow rising pitching prospect Mike Pelfrey:
Hughes is extremely mature for his years, with a reputation for thriving under pressure... His fastball can hit 96 MPH and is consistent at 91-93, though his velocity has reportedly increased a bit this year. He has two breaking balls, a strong slider and a strong curveball, both with the potential to be above average. He also has a good changeup. His command is outstanding, and like Pelfrey he has a great feel for his craft. Hughes has had nagging injuries as a pro, including a sore shoulder in 2005 and a sore elbow in 2004. None of these are considered major by themselves, but in the aggregate they lead to unavoidable concerns about his stamina... Hughes projects as a number one starter at the major league level, a rotation anchor.
Sickels expressed some concern about his low innings count thus far, but his review otherwise raved about Hughes. The higher league did not slow Hughes down at all. In 116 innings (21 starts) in Trenton, Hughes dominated with a 2.25 ERA, 2.26 FIP, 138 strikeouts (10.7 K/9), and 32 walks (2.5 BB/9). Nothing seemed to be stopping Hughes from his quick ascent to the major leagues. At the start of 2007, Baseball America gave him his high prospect ranking, and Baseball Prospectus author Kevin Goldstein (currently a pro scouting coordinator with the Houston Astros) had this to say about the 20-year-old:
The Good: The total package, making him the best pitching prospect in the game. His 92-96 mph fastball has good movement to go along with outstanding location, and his hard curveball gives him a second major-league-quality out pitch. His change-up is at least average, and has nice fade and deception. His size is ideal and his mechanics are nearly flawless.
The Bad: 2006 was Hughes' first season with no health problems, and he was treated with kid gloves at the end of the season. He's yet to prove that he can hold up under a full-season workload, although he was as dominant as ever at the end of the year.
The Irrelevant: In the first inning of games, opposing hitters facing Hughes hit .125 (11-for-88) with 34 strikeouts.
In A Perfect World, He Becomes: An absolute ace--a legitimate No. 1 on any team.
That's a ton of good, and not much bad. Goldstein said that he should be up before the All-Star break, but due to the Yankees' starting pitching injury woes, Hughes received his opportunity earlier than expected. After just three starts above Double-A with Scranton, Yankee fans finally got the chance to see this highly-touted prospect pitch in the pros.
2007-09: Struggles and an unclear role
Hughes's MLB debut against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 26, 2007 was not very impressive. He appeared tentative at times, and veteran Toronto hitters like Frank Thomas and Vernon Wells (functional version) were not fooled. He gave up two runs on three hits in the first inning, then after three decent frame, the Jays knocked him out in the fifth with three more hits. A.J. Burnett was brilliant for Toronto and the Yankees lost, 6-0. It was an inauspicious debut, but Hughes made everyone forget about with his start a few days later in Texas against the Rangers.
On this warm May afternoon, Hughes faced a tough Texas lineup that had all of its first seven hitters end the season with an OPS+ over 100. One of the two players who didn't was rising slugger Nelson Cruz. It was a good mix of veterans like Kenny Lofton and Michael Young with promising young talent in Ian Kinsler and powerful first baseman Mark Teixeira, Hughes's future teammate. Despite the Rangers' potency, Hughes absolutely mastered them. He struck Tex out after a double play erased Lofton's leadoff walk, and he added five more strikeouts to his ledger. Two later batters managed to reach base via walk, but just two others were able to even lift a fly ball against Hughes entering the seventh. He had a no-hitter going into the latter stages of the game in just his second big league start. On this very site six and a half years ago, then-PSA lead scribe John Amato was very impressed by the kid:
Last night against Texas he was THE top prospect in baseball. This was the kid who has pinpoint control, a nasty curve and a new and improved change up that will be the key pitch in his arsenal. What I really liked about his performance was that he took the ball and threw quickly. He had a plan, picked up the pace from last week and dominated.
As was the trend with the '07 Yankees though, the fun did not last. After retiring Young on a fly ball to center, he fired two quick strikes against Teixeira, then felt a pop in his leg. Suddenly, the no-hit bid was over and Hughes departed the game in disappointment. He had a hamstring pull, and he did not return to the Yankees again until August. (The no-no also ended when Mike Myers surrendered a leadoff double to Hank Blalock in the eighth.) Some have argued that the moment before Hughes's hamstring popped was the apex of his Yankees career; after reaching such unsustainable heights, how could he meet the expectations, which were high anyway?
Hughes pitched out of the rotation in the final two months of the season. August was rough, as he struggled to rediscover his form and opposing hitters torched him for a 6.40 ERA. He did rebound against lesser teams in September, finishing the regular season with a 2.73 ERA in September and even finding some playoff glory by bailing out an aged and injured Roger Clemens in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Cleveland Indians with 3 2/3 scoreless relief innings. The Yankees rallied to avoid a sweep and Hughes earned a playoff win.
Yankees fans had every reason to be optimistic about the future headed into the '08 season with Hughes and fellow highly-regarded pitching prospects Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy poised to play a role in the rotation. They were the "Big Three," the young guns who would inject some youth into an older team. The season turned out to be a complete and utter disaster. Kennedy pitched poorly and his postgame comments always seemed to indicate complacency with his performance. Joba was kept from the rotation until June, and after the slow process of stretching him out, he hurt his rotator cuff on a weird play involving new catcher Ivan Rodriguez. As for Hughes? He had a horrendous 9.00 ERA through six April starts, then was shut down with a stress fracture in his rib cage--he would not appear again for the Yankees until they were just about eliminated in mid-September.Just about everything that could go wrong did go wrong. It was a lost season for Hughes.
Despite his '08 injury woes, the Yankees felt Hughes was ready to go for the '09 season. He began the year in the rotation and once again got off to a slow starts. He was excellent in some starts, miserable in others, and he carried an unsightly 5.45 ERA into June. A crowded rotation that now featured free agent imports CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett in addition to Joba and Andy Pettitte now had former ace Chien-Ming Wangreturning from injury, so instead of demoting Hughes, the Yankees decided to keep Hughes on the MLB roster in the bullpen.
The move turned out to be a masterstroke, as the Yankees' setup man to Mariano Rivera up until then was the inconsistent Brian Bruney. Hughes was so good in the setup role that the Yankees felt they couldn't afford to move him back into the rotation. They agreed to potentially stifle his growth in exchange for improving a team weakness, and in '09, it turned out to be a fine move. Hughes pitched to a 1.40 ERA out of the bullpen with a mere .172/.228/.228 triple slash against in 44 games. The Yankees went 35-9 during his games, and they romped to the AL East with 103 victories. Hughes experienced the rough side of bullpen pitching during the playoffs, when his .257 BABIP good fortune reversed. The Twins, Angels, and Phillies all handled him without a problem in October, as he was beaten up to an 8.53 ERA in 6 1/3 innings (nine games). Fortunately by then, the Yankees had found other bullpen assets in David Robertson and Damaso Marte, who helped bridge the gap to Rivera once fortified by Hughes. He became a World Series champion Yankee, though in a role he never could have predicted on the day he was drafted in 2004. He still had the pedigree of a big-time pitching prospect, but given his '09 bullpen success, would he be a starter or a reliever going forward?
2010-13: Sudden success and the beginning of the end
Photo credit: Ronald Martinez
The Yankees answered the question of starter or reliever with Hughes in a hurry, unlike Joba. The Yankees decided to put Hughes back in the rotation for the start of 2010 and to send Joba, who rarely pitched deep into games, back to the 'pen. This time, the rotation was crowded by Sabathia, Burnett, Pettitte, and the re-acquired Javier Vazquez, so the Yankees decided to gamble on Hughes over Joba. The decision immediately paid off, as Hughes was excellent for the first couple months of the season, providing the Yankees with more value than ever before by pitching to a 2.71 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 11 starts and 69 2/3 innings pitched. Opponents only OPS'd .577 against him, and a highlight came when he no-hit the Athletics for seven innings on April 21st before a mishandled Eric Chavez comebacker broke it up. Although he began to slump toward the end of June, he was named to the AL All-Star team. For awhile, it looked like Hughes would finally live up to the expectations that had long been placed on his shoulders.
Unfortunately for Hughes, that slump was a greater sign of what was to come than the All-Star berth. His stumble toward the end of June was no blip on the radar; from June 13th until the end of the season (18 starts), he was a disaster. His ERA over this period was 5.15, and opponents hit .260/.320/.461 against him with 21 homers. The high dinger total would plague him throughout the rest of his Yankees career. Hughes ended the season with 18 wins, but he was lucky to have a 10-7 record over that awful 5.15 ERA stretch. Although his 4.19 ERA (98 ERA-), 4.25 FIP (99 FIP-), and 2.5 fWAR appeared respectable, it was very hollow beneath the surface since most of the good numbers were accumulated during his first 11 starts.
The Yankees used him in the playoff rotation, and he briefly inspired some hope with a seven-inning, four-hit shutout effort against the Twins during another ALDS sweep. The Rangers destroyed him in the ALCS though; his 11.42 ERA in two starts was one of the main reasons the Yankees were unable to repeat as AL champions. Joe Girardi gave him the ball in Game 2 after a stunning five-run comeback helped the Yankees steal Game 1, and he surrendered any momentum the Yankees might have had by giving up ten runs and seven hits in just four innings. The Yankees lost two of the next three games, but they decided to try Hughes again on the mound in a possible elimination game in Game 6 rather than turn to Pettitte on three days' rest. Hughes wasn't much better, leaving the game with the Yankees in a 5-1 fifth inning hole that they could not escape. The season was over.
The 2011 season began ominously for Hughes. He did not look good at all in Spring Training, as his velocity was down and he didn't have much movement on his pitches. It showed in his first three starts of the season, when the Tigers, Red Sox, and Orioles bludgeoned him for 19 hits, 16 runs, and four homers in just 10 1/3 innings, a 13.94 ERA. The Yankees could not wait for him to get better while they lost, so they shut him down with shoulder fatigue, which was blamed on him pitching close to 200 combined innings in 2010 after never having come anywhere near that figure before. Hughes did not return until the beginning of July, and he only made 11 more starts for the rest of the season. He pitched a little better to a 4.55 ERA in those starts, but again, he was very inconsistent. He did not make the playoff rotation and instead just pitched out of the bullpen in the Yankees' five-game ALDS loss to Detroit.
2012 was again the tale of two halves for Hughes. He was awful in April and not much better in May, ending the month with a 5.64 ERA. He went through a streak of 12 consecutive starts with at least one homer allowed. A complete game four-hitter against the powerful Tigers on June 3rd began to turn his season around. From then on, he was much better, though he continued to fall victim to the long ball. Hughes pitched to a 3.70 ERA over his final 22 starts of the season, but by season's end, he had given up 35 homers, the second-highest total in Yankees history. He won 16 games, but only had a 2.3 fWAR season and a mediocre 4.23 ERA (101 ERA-) and 4.56 FIP (108 FIP-) to show for it. Hughes did make the playoff rotation, and despite a few hard-hit balls, he pitched well in his ALDS Game 4 start against the Orioles: 6 2/3 innings, four hits, eight strikeouts, and one run allowed (on a homer of course). Back stiffness forced him from his Game 3 ALCS start against the Tigers after three innings; the ALCS sweep brought another middling season to a close.
Many hoped that in his free agent walk year of 2013, Hughes would step it up in hopes of earning a nice contract as the youngest reputable starter on the market. It was not meant to be. His Yankees career ended with a whimper, as he was smacked around by opposing hitters all year long. The year ended with a 5.19 ERA (127 ERA-) and a 4.50 FIP (110 FIP-). He was so bad that he was below replacement level by Baseball-Reference measures and during a desperate last-ditch September run at a Wild Card spot, he was briefly replaced in the rotation by the uninspiring David Huff. The 0-2-to-walk-or-hit became a Hughes specialty; this Jeff Sullivan tweet just about sums it up:
Phil Hughes allowed a higher OPS after 0-and-2 than Kevin Correia allowed after 2-and-0
At the beginning of the season, the consensus among fans seemed to be that the Yankees and Hughes would likely part ways during free agency, but at least the Yankees would receive draft pick compensation for letting him go after giving him a qualifying offer that would almost certainly be declined. Hughes's 2013 was so miserable though that the Yankees could not afford to risk giving him that qualifying offer of one year and $14.1 million, since his stock had fallen so much that there was a chance he could take it and be just as bad in 2014.
So Hughes's Yankees career ended in shame. He received a nice three-year, $24 million contract from the Twins, but in return, the Yankees did not get much out of the pitcher once touted to be the future of the franchise. At his best, the Yankees received a good half-season out of the bullpen (which most starters can luck into at one point during a career), a couple months of hope in 2010, and roughly league-average pitching in 2012. At his worst, he was pounded for the greater parts of seven seasons. Three of them were completely lost causes ('08, '11, and '13).
Given the lofty praise of guys like Giambi and Posada in 2006, it would have been difficult for any prospect to meet those high expectations, and Hughes did give the Yankees some value. Many prospects give their original teams jack squat. However, it will be always be a bummer to look at his final line with the Yankees and see this:
Year
Age
Tm
W
L
ERA
FIP
G
GS
CG
SHO
IP
H
R
ER
HR
BB
SO
ERA-
FIP-
WHIP
rWAR
fWAR
2007
21
NYY
5
3
4.46
4.35
13
13
0
0
72.2
64
39
36
8
29
58
99
98
1.28
0.9
1.2
2008
22
NYY
0
4
6.62
4.34
8
8
0
0
34
43
26
25
3
15
23
152
101
1.706
-0.3
0.5
2009
23
NYY
8
3
3.03
3.23
51
7
0
0
86
68
31
29
8
28
96
66
71
1.116
2.6
2.4
2010
24
NYY
18
8
4.19
4.25
31
29
0
0
176.1
162
83
82
25
58
146
98
99
1.248
2.0
2.5
2011
25
NYY
5
5
5.79
4.58
17
14
1
1
74.2
84
48
48
9
27
47
138
110
1.487
-0.1
0.7
2012
26
NYY
16
13
4.23
4.56
32
32
1
0
191.1
196
101
90
35
46
165
101
108
1.265
1.9
2.3
2013
27
NYY
4
14
5.19
4.50
30
29
0
0
145.2
170
91
84
24
42
121
127
110
1.455
-0.7
1.3
7 yrs
56
50
4.54
4.31
182
132
2
1
780.2
787
419
394
112
245
656
107
101
1.322
6.3
11.0
I'll appreciate Hughes for his relief efforts on the '09 champions, but other than that, it's going to be hard to look at that final stat line and not sigh in disappointment of what could have been. What if Hughes had found some way to limit the long balls? What if Hughes had figured out a way to put batters away after getting them down 0-2, like he had so often in the minors? What if he had been able to refine his command so that he wasn't missing targets on pitches that ended up in the middle of the strike zone? Oh well. Baseball is cruel to its pitching prospects.
The Yankees have signed minor league free agent Russ Canzler. You might remember Canzler from when the team claimed him off waivers back in January from the Indians and then subsequently lost him to the Orioles after he was designated for assignment. Now the right-handed hitting first baseman/outfielder will be under the Yankees' control and technically won't be arbitration eligible until 2017.
The 27-year-old has only played in 29 major league games with 102 plate appearances between 2011, with the Rays, and 2012, with the Indians, where he accumulated a .271/.304/.396 batting line. However, in 30 at-bats against lefty pitching he's collected 12 hits with two home runs and a walk.
Yankees' fans were especially distraught about Canzler being designated for assignment before spring training because he represented a potential upgrade against lefties off the bench. In 2013, he ended up hitting .252/.343/.376 with 12 home runs stretched between the Orioles' and Pirates' Triple-A affiliates, but against lefties he hit a monstrous .327/.438/.617 in 107 at-bats. He previously had an .860 OPS against them in 2012 and a .921 OPS against them in 2011 as well. Meanwhile, the Yankees ended up hitting just .244/.313/.363 against lefties this season.
Though he has primarily played first base and left field in his career, he has also played in 140 games minor league games at third base. The Yankees might want to see if he can actually play the position, like they did with Ronnier Mustelier last spring. That being said, they likely see him as a bat off the bench against lefties and perhaps a backup plan in case Mark Teixeira isn't as healthy as he should be. Most likely, however, he'll end up in Triple-A as Scranton's everyday first baseman, if he lasts that long in the organization this time.
Replacing old dudes with more old dudes is a strategy the Yankees need to reconsider.
The Yankees' pursuit of Carlos Beltran has been pretty widely reported over the past few weeks. They're willing to offer two years and $28 million to the switch-hitting outfielder, who'll turn 37 on April 24th of next year. Beltran's holding out for three years and if we all know the Yankees as well as we think we do, then that offer's probably on its way.
This isn't meant to disparage Beltran. He's had a fantastic career and he can still play - or still hit, at least. His .296/.339/.491 line with St. Louis last year blows away the .251/.296/.358 slop that Yankee right fielders, headlined by Ichiro Suzuki, combined for. But signing a player of Beltran's age to a three-year or a two-year or even a one-year deal and calling it a solution means falling back on the same tired approach that stuck the team in the quagmire of ill health and ineffectiveness it couldn't free itself from in 2013.
The Yankees weren't the oldest team in baseball last season, but their average age was brought down by sub-replacement-level twenty-somethings forced into action by injuries. Going into spring training, their projected starting shortstop was 38, their right fielder was 39 and their designated hitter was 35. 37-year-old Alex Rodriguez was out for the first half and was to be replaced by 34-year-old Kevin Youkilis. Meanwhile, a 40-year-old and a 38-year-old made up two fifths of the rotation. Throughout the spring and the season, the Yankees managed to bring in Lyle Overbay, 36, Vernon Wells, 34 and Alfonso Soriano, 37. Of those nine players mentioned, five are under contract for 2014 and Hiroki Kuroda, the 38-year-old member of that pitching tandem, has been invited back.
Trying to force one last burst of energy out of the dying embers of former stars is a strategy the Yankees have employed for some time. Since the late 90's, Tim Raines, Darryl Strawberry, Chili Davis, Ruben Sierra, Raul Ibanez, Ichiro and many, many more are examples of geriatric fixes the Yankees sought out with varying degrees of success. Over the years, Yankee fans have been treated to some unexpected spurts of brilliance, but they've also watched accomplished baseball lives end in slow, painful deaths. Using late-thirties and early-forties types to supplement a roster flush with in-prime talent is one thing. Asking those guys to contribute every day - to bat third, fourth and fifth - well, 2013 was a cold reminder of how that can turn out.
Baseball's changed over the past decade but the Yankees' philosophy hasn't. With steroid and amphetamine use somewhat curbed, players are getting less and less productive late in their careers. In 2003, thirteen players aged 37 and 38 - the age Beltran will be if the Yankees sign him to a two-year deal - managed to earn 300 plate appearances or more. They combined for a .361 OBP and a .487 slugging percentage. In 2013, just seven from the "37-38" group hit the 300 PA plateau. They OBP'd .332 and slugged .423. Today's older hitters play less. They get on base less and they hit for less power.
The Yankees have passed on Beltran twice. In the 2004-05 offseason, he was so disappointed with their failure to pursue him that he reportedly offered to take significantly less than what the Mets paid him, to play in the Bronx, with his close friend Bernie Williams. In 2012, the team could have signed him again, before he agreed to terms with St. Louis. Instead, it started Ibanez, Andruw Jones or both in the outfield 131 times and saw its left fielders OPS .727 to Beltran's .842. Why is he suddenly such a must-have at age 36 when he wasn't at 34 or at 27?
Shin-Soo Choo is a 31-year-old on-base machine. If he gets a six-year deal, he'll still be younger at the end of it than Beltran will be after a two-year pact. The difference in their AAV will amount to less than the $5 million the Yankees have already frivolously spent on Brendan Ryan's salary and Derek Jeter's courtesy raise. If they have the funds available for a high-cost right-fielder, there's an obvious better option than the prehistoric Beltran staring them in the face.
To rebound from the disaster that was 2013, the Yankees don't just need to get better players - they need to change their thought process for picking those players. Replacing old dudes with more old dudes really isn't doing that.
Cano's asking price has been the talk of the offseason, as earlier reports had him seeking over $300 million on the open market. However, the Yankees are dead-set on keeping their offer reasonable, and refuse to offer an eighth year or a salary figure north of $200 million, reports Curry. That means that the two sides are still apart by as much as $100 million.
One thing hurting Cano's leverage is the lack of a serious bidding war for his services. The other obvious big spenders don't have a particular need for the five-time All-Star; the Red Sox are set with Dustin Pedroia, and Dodgers appear to be rolling with new-comer Alex Guerrero, the Rangers are set up the middle with Elvis Andrus and Jurickson Profar, the Angels are more in need of pitching than another expensive bat, the Tigers just acquired Ian Kinsler, and the Phillies have Chase Utley. Without another serious suitor for his services, Cano could have a tough time getting the Yankees to budge from their current offer.
While Cano mulls his next move, the Yankees appear satisfied to move on without him if necessary. They have already signed catcher Brian McCann to a $75 million contract, and they are still actively pursuing free agents such as outfielder Carlos Beltran and pitchers Hiroki Kuroda and Masahiro Tanaka. If Cano waits too long, he may find that New York's financial resources have dried up; the team has consistently stated that they are committed to keeping their payroll below $189 million in 2014 for luxury tax purposes.
If the Yankees are unable to land Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka this offseason, the team could turn to free agent pitcher Matt Garza to fill voids in their rotation. Garza is no stranger to the AL East after spending time with the Tampa Bay Rays before being traded to the Chicago Cubs, which could be attractive for teams who feel like the environment is a concern. Doug Williams of the YES Network thinks that Garza might be a good place to turn for insurance in case the Yankees are somehow out-bid for Tanaka's services when he posts.
With Phil Hughes signing with the Minnesota Twins, Andy Pettitte retiring, and Hiroki Kuroda's future still very much up in the air, the Yankees are left with CC Sabathia coming off an awful year with no guarantee of a bounce back, Ivan Nova who turned a demotion early in the year into a fantastic second half, and a conglomeration of maybes and wild cards. That is no way to stay competitive in the AL East. Obviously Tanaka is the main goal of the offseason, but the bidding war is a secret process. Unless the Yankees are willing to blow away any potential bids, they run the risk of another team swooping in and earning the exclusive negotiating rights.
Garza owns a lifetime 3.84 ERA in his six years as a major league pitcher. The 30-year-old pitched to a solid 3.17 ERA in Chicago last year before imploding slightly after he was traded to the Texas Rangers in the second half. That might be concerning when considering that Garza's good looking numbers came when facing the pitcher multiple times per game. With the Rays between 2008 and 2010, Garza's ERA was 3.86 with his lowest innings pitched total coming in 2008 at 184. For a fourth or fifth starter, that may not be terrible. He's likely not a guy that a team would want heading up their rotation, though.
The Yankees are a bit desperate for solid pitching at the moment, though hopefully they can get some from contributors like David Phelps, Adam Warren, Michael Pineda, and Vidal Nuno. If not, very much will weigh on their ability to land Tanaka in a super secretive bidding battle. Would they consider Garza to be sufficient backup if the Tanaka plan falls through? Would he be worth bringing in for the back of the rotation anyway, despite his inevitable premium rate?
The non-tender deadline has proven to be a busy day for the Yankees, as they have already traded Chris Stewart, who was expected to be cut, to the Pirates for a player to be named later. With only hours before the deadline, Brian Cashman has said that the team will non-tender Jayson Nix, another likely candidate, Matt Daley, a not surprising cut, and, in a shocking turn of events, David Adams.
It's completely possible that the Yankees could re-sign Nix to a minor league deal and keep him as depth insurance, though no one will likely miss Daley.. Adams, though surprising, likely didn't impress many people in the Yankees' front office. It's certainly possible they released him in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster and then they could re-sign him, like they did earlier in the year.
Cutting those three leaves the Yankees' 40-man roster at 36 (37 once the Brian McCann deal is official), leaving them with four spots to either sign free agents or pick minor leaguers is the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. It also means that Francisco Cervelli and David Huff will be tendered a contract.
As reported last week, the Yankees officially re-signed shortstop Brendan Ryan to a two-year contract with an option for a third year. At first, it seemed like the option was a normal club option, but it's not quite that typical. (It never seems to be typical with the Yankees.)
Breakdown of Ryan pact with #Yankees $2M in '14, '15. '16 club option $2M, if not exercised becomes player option for $1M.
So Ryan will earn $2 million annually over the next couple years, but the Yankees won't be completely off the hook if he becomes unplayable. The $2 million option they have on the 2016 season will actually become a $1 million player option if they decline it. While it's a couple years into the future, I can't envision any scenario in which Ryan doesn't exercise that option if the Yankees do decline that 2016 option. They would not likely be declining the option if he was still useful, since $2 million is not bad at all for a useful player. If they are declining it, that means that Ryan's game has likely gone to hell, which is certainly possible since he was benched by the fantastic Seattle Mariners this year. Quality fielding pays, I guess.
I'm sure the Yankees could always just release him and pay him the $1 million to go away despite the player option, but it still just seems like business as usual with the Yankees essentially guaranteeing money for the next three years for a guy who, again, was benched by the Mariners this year and can't hit a lick. Since turning 28 in 2010, he has had three seasons out of four with an OPS+ under 60. His fielding is excellent, but there's no hiding the fact that it would be concerning if Ryan became the everyday shortstop and continued that Stewart-esque production.
In total, $5 million is not a big deal for the Yankees and it's of course not my money. However, this better not negatively impact any payroll plans. That's my main concern with this deal. It sure seems like Plan 189 is becoming a thing of the past given the offers we've heard about for Carlos Beltran and Robinson Cano in addition to the Brian McCann and Ryan contracts, but we'll just have to wait and see to know for sure.
The Yankees have reportedly been reluctant to offer free agent outfielder Carlos Beltran more than a two-year deal despite the fact that he was said to be seeking a deal for three years. According to Buster Olney of ESPN, an unnamed team has offered Beltran just that.
According to Olney, the deal Beltran has in hand is for three years and $48 million. A $16 million per year price tag for a player approaching 40 years old seems like a lot, and the fact that he didn't immediately accept it is a testament to how crazy the deals could get this offseason. Beltran is said to be meeting with the Kansas City Royals today, possibly indicating that they are the team who has offered him this deal. Olney speculates that it could also be the Mariners, who have been aggressive to this point.
If that is the price tag it takes for Beltran, the Yankees may decide that they are better off looking elsewhere for an outfielder. Unfortunately, knowing the Yankees, they may very well just concede the third year to Beltran and sign him for some amount more than $48 million anyway. They need at least one outfielder this winter and the other big names on the market will each command more dollars and more years to be obtained.
Prices soaring for free agent talent is going to make Plan 189 that much more difficult to do for the Yankees if they hope to field a competitive team in 2014. Beltran might not be the one that they decide is worth breaking their commitment to the luxury tax limitiations for, but it's likely that they'll have to concede that point before long if they hope to really bolster their roster for next season.
Would you give Beltran a deal that exceeds three years and $48 million, or is it time to look elsewhere for the Yankees?
The Yankees made the signing of Brian McCann official today and will announce their new catcher on Thursday. Now the actual details of his contract are out for everyone to see.
The Yankees pay McCann $17 million a year from 2014 through 2018. The sixth-year vesting option is for $15 million, and will only come into play under very specific circumstances:
He must have 1,000 plate appearances between 2017 and 2018
He must play at least 90 games behind the plate in 2018
He can't end the 2018 season on the disabled list.
Of course, if the option vests, McCann will also have the right to void it.
This is a very interesting breakdown in a lot of ways. The money is spread evenly over the first five years of the deal, which seems to be rather rare. It means the contract hasn't been frontloaded or backloaded to make the contract more favorable at a certain point in time. It could show that the Yankees are confident he will be worth $17 million for the next five years, or it might be just to make him happy. Only the AAV will be counted anyway, so it has no impact on the team's budget.
The option actually turned out to be great for the Yankees. So many criteria will allow the Yankees to make sure they get good value from McCann. Essentially, the deal will only vest if he's good and healthy and still a catcher. While a sixth year sounded scary, the language will ensure that the Yankees are safe from all possibilities. McCann has shown to be somewhat injury prone, but the hope is he will stay healthy, at least for a few more years. If he's moved to first base because of injury of because Gary Sanchez pushes him out, the Yankees can easily get rid of him. In the end, if he's good, he'll probably void the option year anyway in order to get a better contract. He'll be just 35 and if he's healthy he could land another lucrative deal elsewhere. This is a win for everyone.
Let us remember the good times. Please try to hold back the tears.
An era of incredible import has finally come to a close for the New York Yankees. No, Vernon Wells is not retiring. Chris Stewart, noted defensive warlock and slap-hitter extraordinaire, has been traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a player to be named later. I assume this player is Gerrit Cole, but we shall see. It goes without saying that Stewart has left quite the impression on us all. For example, here's the players with the lowest single-season wRC+ for the Yankees in the past 25 years. (min. 300 PA)
I didn't say it was necessarily a good impression. No, the Chris Stewart Era (also known as "Stewiepalooza") will most likely be remembered for the feeble hitting, frequency of passed balls and hilarious gaffes. Also, when you somehow manage to strike out with only two strikes against you, you probably need to hit like Thurman Munson to not be mocked for the rest of eternity. And there was also this highlight:
However, I do not intend for this eulogy for the Yankee career of Chris Stewart to focus solely on the bad times. Sure, the bad times were overwhelming in number, but even Stewie had his moments in the sun. Who could forget this gem?
Look at that! Tim McCarver sounds as amazed as if he saw a live dinosaur in the stands. Then there was also Stewart's crucial three-run homer in the first game of the double-header on August 21st. And...uh, he hit a homer off of Jon Lester in 2012. I guess that's about it. It's not easy rolling off highlight moments for a guy whose primary (only?) attribute is pitch framing.
Regardless, an unforgettable era has come to an end. While mostly the fault of a front office that tried to fill the catching position on the cheap and a manager who continued to play him when he couldn't hit air, Stewart will be one of the players most identified with a 2013 squad that was historically putrid on offense. Wells, Nix, Ichiro and Stewart: they will all go down as The Four Horseman of the Offensive Apocalypse. Two down and two to go. No hard feelings Mr. Stewart, but your departure was for the best.
So head West, young Stewie. May you find success in Pittsburgh like Yankees expats Russell Martin and A.J. Burnett. You can hang your head high knowing that you gave it your all during your time in New York, even to the point of becoming really thirsty. And know that The Binder will always love and miss you.
According to sources, the Yankees believe the Mariners are willing to make a competitive bid on Robinson Cano, which could reach $200 million over eight years. Mariners general manager Jack Zduiencik says "there's not a free agent we haven't talked to. We've cast a wide net." One source believes the Mariners could be desperate enough for hitting and to increase attendance that they would be willing to jump into the stalled Cano market.
Now, if the Mariners are indeed prepared to go higher than the Yankees, many believe it's a matter of whether or not Cano wants to be a Yankee or just wants the money. New York has no plans to go eight years or reach $200 million with Cano, so they'll either have to meet in the middle between their seven-year, $175 million deal and Cano's nine-year, $252 million contract with a tenth-year vesting option, or say goodbye to their star second baseman.
The contract the Yankees have pitched will already give him the second highest AAV in team history, second only to Alex Rodriguez. A source says "(The Yankees) think this offer is incredibly fair, it's the highest average annual salary they've paid anyone except for Alex Rodriguez. Not even (Derek) Jeter got that kind of money.'' Still, the Yankees proved during negotiations that they don't see Cano as an attraction that will bring fans to the game:
Instead, the Yankees presented an analysis of Cano's value that determined he was worth approximately $25 million per season.
...
According to the source, Cano's side presented its client as not only "the best player on the board,'' but also as the best player in baseball and someone who is "indispensable'' to the Yankees.
The Yankees disagreed with that statement and cited diminished attendance and TV ratings in 2013 in the absence of Rodriguez and Jeter, both of whom missed much of the season due to injuries, as evidence that Cano lacks the star power to attract ticket buyers.
"We don't see Robbie Cano as the best player in the game,'' one of participants at the meeting is reported to have said. "We see him as one of the best.''
If the Mariners are really interested in Robinson Cano and are willing to go where the Yankees have seemingly not been willing to go, where does he sign? If the Yankees don't think he brings in fans, why are they willing to give him such a high AAV for a player they don't seem to value? If they truly feel he's not worth the money, then any bidding war is unlikely to involve them.
The Yankees have been surprisingly interested in signing a closer off the free agent market, even though they already have David Robertson. It didn't seem to be a huge priority, but they were still linked to Joe Nathan at one point. Now it doesn't seem like the Yankees will focus on signing one as closers start to come off the board.
The Tigers are now close to signing Nathan, the Dodgers are in talks with Brian Wilson, the Orioles have traded Jim Johnson to the Athletics, and could be looking to sign a replacement. At this point, Grant Balfour and Joaquin Benoit might represent the best closers on the market, with Fernando Rodney, Edward Mujica, and John Axford coming in at another tier lower. With the market squeezing, prices will rise and the Yankees likely don't want to be involved unless they have extra money. That is why they are now saying they won't sign a closer unless they can't re-sign Robinson Cano.
The two might be unrelated, but seeing as how they're trying to fit their second baseman into the budget, if they are unable to sign him, that money needs to go somewhere. If they can sign Omar Infante, it will come at a fraction of the cost it would take to sign Cano, so there would be extra money lying around which the Yankees could use to improve the team somewhere else.
Now that Mariano Rivera has retired, the bullpen is definitely something that could use an improvement, but that doesn't mean they should try to replace David Robertson. Despite his lack of closing experience, since 2011, Robertson has been worth 5.9 WAR and has the lowest ERA, FIP, xFIP, and K/9 out of those still on the market. You don't spend money on a closer if you have someone like that on your team.
Even if the Yankees don't sign Cano, signing a closer isn't a good move as they could afford to upgrade elsewhere. If they really don't have anywhere to spend it, they could try signing a lesser closer-type to be Robertson's set-up man, but they shouldn't be looking to spend big money just because it happens to be burning a hole in their pocket. Remember Rafael Soriano and all his opt out clauses? That didn't end up being disastrous, but it was completely unnecessary, and if they try something like that again, it could end up being a waste of resources.
With the Yankees desperate for starting pitching, the very busy Oakland Athletics could prove to be an important trade partner as the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Florida draw near. Brett Anderson is said to be on the trading block and the Yankees are among the teams interested in acquiring the left-hander, according to Jeff Passan.
Anderson, the 25-year-old five-year veteran, has not pitched a full season since 2010 when he posted a 2.80 ERA in 112.1 innings. He has only thrown 160 total innings in the last three seasons that have been derailed by injury, making him an interesting buy low candidate on the trade market. Anderson is far from a sure thing, but has been successful when healthy. His recent injury issues will likely prevent him from costing too much in the way of top prospects to acquire and, even though he is far from a sure thing, the team willing to take a chance on him could end up with a nice return if he finds a way to put it together.
The Yankees may not be able to take such a risk when they need some stability in their pitching rotation. Still, the former second round pick could provide a boost if he proves to be healthy in 2014 and beyond. It would be a risky acquisition, of course. Teams, including the Yankees, will need to decide whether or not he is worth that gamble.
Would you be willing to put up something of value on the hope that he can return to a healthy, successful pitcher at a potentially low cost, or do you think the Yankees should pursue a player that is more of a sure bet at a higher price?
The offseason seems to have exploded and now the Yankees are reportedly jumping into the fray offering deals to multiple free agents. They have been looking for an outfielder as well as infield help after finding their catcher in Brian McCann. The Yankees have offered contracts of unknown value to Omar Infante, Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin-Soo Choo, and Carlos Beltran.
Infante reportedly has multiple offers on the table, some from teams who are more interested than the Yankees. Their interest in Infante is likely as insurance and leverage against Robinson Cano, though they seem to like his ability to play third base. Infante might be the second best second baseman on the market, but he isn't a replacement for Cano.
Ellsbury and Choo are each projected to command a $100 million deal, while Carlos Beltran apparently has a three-year, $48 million deal on the table. The Yankees say they refuse to go to two years, so if this deal is for real, their offer likely won't be enough.
It was originally reported that the Yankees also had an offer out to Stephen Drew, but considering Brian Cashman's statement that another shortstop isn't a priority now that they have Derek Jeter and Brendan Ryan, it was quickly shot down to be false.
The Yankees and free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury are reportedly nearing a seven-year deal that would exceed the deal Carl Crawford signed with the Red Sox of $142 million, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Rumors began swirling earlier that Ellsbury would be in New York tomorrow to take a physical and it now looks as though those reports may have something to them.
Carlos Beltran had previously been rumored as the Yankees' top outfield target, but with a three-year, $48 million deal on the table with another team, it's possible that they Yankees turned to Ellsbury.
With the signing, there's certainly some question as to whether or not the Yankees could afford to keep Robinson Cano, the best second baseman in baseball, if they still intend to get their 2014 payroll under $189 million. And the move certainly makes it look like Curtis Granderson—who has been linked to the Mets this winter—won't be rejoining the Yankees next year.
The Mets never figured to be in on Ellsbury, even though their outfield needed major improvement at the beginning of the offseason. But the Yankees' move could obviously have an effect on the Mets' plans.
The Yankees have agreed to terms with outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, pending a physcial, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. The deal is for seven years with dollars expected to exceed the $142 million deal that Carl Crawford signed with the Red Sox before the 2011 season. Jon Heyman believes the deal will be in the $150 million range.
The Yankees' deal with Ellsbury is done, pending a physical. I'm told the contract is bigger than Crawford's 7 year/$142M deal.
Ellsbury's signing may be directly related to Carlos Beltran receiving a three-year deal for $48 million earlier today. The Yankees had been heavily involved with free agent outfielders, including Beltran, Ellsbury, and Shin-Soo Choo. This almost certainly means that Curtis Granderson won't be returning next season. If Plan 189 is still in play, it could very much mean the end for Robinson Cano in New York, too. Hopefully that is not the case. Jeff Passan says, however, that the Yankees believe they have room for Ellsbury, Cano or Choo, and a starting pitcher, likely spelling the end of Plan 189.
In 134 games for the Red Sox last season, Ellsbury hit .298/.355/.426 with nine home runs. He finished 15th in MVP voting, though he finished second in the MVP vote after his career season in 2011.
