CC IS BACK!

It feels like her never left, probably because he never actually did. Despite all the people who insisted that CC was going to walk (I'm looking at you Bobby Valentine) CC signed an extension with the Yankees for a guaranteed $25 million in 2016 and a $25 million vesting option for 2017. Here is the full contract from MLBTR.

The Yankee Free Agents

Its officially the off season and the Yankees have 8 free agents and unfortunately it looks like CC will opt out and Rafael Soriano will not. The Yankees have also predictably picked up the options for Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano, and while that makes it likely that the Yankees will not pursue Carlos Beltran the possibility does remain that they could sign Beltran and trade Swisher. The Yankees eight free agents are
-Jorge Posada
-Luis Ayala
-Bartolo Colon
-Andruw Jones
-Damaso Marte
-Sergio Mitre
-Eric Chavez
-Freddy Garcia (Type B)

Eric Chavez is leaning heavily toward retirement but has said that if he doesn't retire he would like to come back to the Yankees. This would work very well for the Yankees as he would go back to his bench role, but the Yankees do have internal options and other free agent options and they wont likely wait for Chavez if another player is available. Eric Chavez did finish exactly replacement level and will continue to be a constant injury risk. Its also possible they could bring him back to compete for the job in spring training, but I really think he will end up retiring.
Another valuable bench piece was Andruw Jones who despite his slow start definately was a valuable piece for the Yankees. The only reason Jones would not come back is if he gets a better offer from another team for either more money or more playing time, which is a very good possibility. Jones had the fewest PA/ AB since August debut in 1996 and while there is a good chance he would get some more playing time this season, the Yankees were really finding playing time for him most of the season rather than needing him. If he liked playing with the Yankees then he will be back but there is a good chance that someone who needs him more will offer him more money and/or more laying time.
Bartolo Colon, we all mocked the signing of Bartolo Colon when it happened and called him bullfrog and a has been who was never going to make the team. Then he had a good spring training and made the bullpen, then he got thrust into a rotation spot and minus one hiccup in Texas was absolutely phenomenal and Bart day became my favorite day of the week, culminating in this. Colon faded down the stretch and the guy who had been penciled in to the #2 spot in the playoff rotation was left off the postseason roster altogether. Colon will sign with a team that needs a back of the rotation starter and will make a lot more than the 900,000 he made with the Yankees this year. There is no way the Yankees would bring him back unless CC doesn't sign or somebody gets hurt. Best of luck to you Bart.
Sergio Mitre and Damaso Marte, nothing really needs to be said about these two both are hurt and neither will be back on anything but a minor league deal and I don't either of them will get a major league deal from anyone. Mitre would but his shoulder problem isn't going to invite teams to give him guaranteed money. Luis Ayala on the other hand probably will get a guaranteed contract from somebody, he pitched decently for the Yankees, but I seriously doubt they would offer him anything but the minor league deal they gave him this season.
Freddy Garcia is the only type B free agent the Yankees have and he will only count if he is offered arbitration and declines. The Yankees could do what they did last year with Javier Vazquez and have a pre arranged agreement where Garcia will decline arbitration. The Yankees would love to bring back Garcia as insurance as he could be a good back of the rotation starter and honestly he is a better option than Burnett, but the Yankees need to do more for their rotation than resign Garcia and he could be looking for a two year deal from somebody. The Yankees are loaded with back of the rotation arms and I only think they will bring Garcia back if they can swing a trade for A.J Burnett just like the Braves did for Derrek Lowe.
I saved Jorge for last. Jorge Posada is A True Yankee and despite a sour year he had some good moments and could get some Major league offers from a number of teams. Its also very possible that Jorge will choose to retire or he could accept a job as a coach or a scout. I don't want think to end like it did with Bernie Williams, but only Jorge knows what he is going to do. Jorge had some really great moments this year and I hope he can take those and end his career on a high note.
Chris Dickerson, Greg Golson and Justin Maxwell are not free agents but they are likely to be released as they are all out of options and none of them are arbitration eligible. Dickerson or Maxwell could be retained by the team but it would only be as a 5th outfielder who will likely get almost no playing time.

The St.Louis Cardinals are World Series Champions

The St.Louis Cardinals defeated the Texas Rangers tonight in World Series Game 7 by a score of 6-2. Chris Carpenter pitched a fantastic game and the Cardinals offense took the lead in the 3rd and never looked back. The real killing blow was when Scott Feldamn loaded the bases and then walked in the run and then CJ Wilson came in and hit the first batter to give the Cardinals a 5-2 lead. You have to feel bad for Rangers fans, they were 1 strike away from winning the world series twice and their bullpen failed them both times.
The Rangers lost in the World Series for the second consecutive year, which could make their off-season extremely interesting. Last Year they lost Cliff Lee and brought in Adrian Beltre.This year they have to wonder if C.J Wilson will stay or go. Will they make a lot of changes to shake things up, or keep things as they are, considering it brought them consecutive pennants? The bullpen lost them the world series but was key in them winning the pennant so what do you do there.
Regardless of the off-season this was a hell of a game and the Cardinals comeback in game 6 made that game one of the greatest of all time. Also as Joe Buck let us know numerous times this may be the last time that Wilson or Pujols suit up for their respective teams and while the Pujols saga will be trying for Cardinals fans at least they won, while Rangers fans have to think about game 6 and how their bullpen twice failed to win them the series. Great series for both teams.
Congratulations to David Freese for winning the series MVP.

The 2012 Yankees Bench

The Yankees had one of their better benches this season even with injuries to Eric Chavez and Francisco Cervelli that had both spend a good deal of time on the DL. Chavez hurt himself in Detroit back in May and Cervelli started and ended the year on the DL with a Broken leg and a Concussion. Cervelli only appeared in 43 games with 137 PA, but he was on a Offensive tear before going down with a concussion, including 3 home runs in the week before he went on the DL. That being said with Jesus Montero showing that his bat is definitely MLB ready and Russel Martin likely coming back their really isn't place for him and Austin Romine. Either one could get traded but I would bet that Cervelli will seeing how they have tried to trade him twice in the last year. Chavez appeared in 58 games with 175 PA  he finished exactly replacement level and is apparently strongly considering retirement. Andruw Jones also did well despite a poor start, the only real problem was that the outfield played well enough that he really didn't get too many plate appearances. In fact Jones had the fewest plate appearances since his debut as an 18 year old back in 1996. Jones could be back but he also could probably get the same contract from a team that would give him more playing time. So honestly the only guy who is more than likely going to be back in 2012 from the 2011 bench will be Eduardo Nunez who had an interesting season to say the least, but was the primary backup for Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.
If Andruw Jones and the Yankees part ways there are a number of options for the Yankees if they bring in another Right Handed Outfield Bench bat, including Marcus Thames or Jonny Gomes. The Yankees have also said that they want to give Nunez more reps in the outfield and if that's true they could bring in a Lefty bat like Chris Dickerson, Scott Hairston or Laynce Nix. A left handed outfield bat isn't ideal but the Yankees may have a problem finding a good left handed infield bench bat especially since reports indicate that if Eric Chavez retires then the Yankees would consider Brandon laird who is a right handed bat and can play the outfield and infield corner spots. Ramiro Pena is a no offense option but the Yankees will probably keep him as a depth option because they know exactly what they would get from him and his defense was not very good in his limited time with the Yankees. The other internal infield options are the aforementioned Brandon Laird as well as Jorge Vazquez, Kevin Russo and Mike Lamb. I doubt that Kevin Russo is an option as he is essentially a lesser version of Eduardo Nunez and was already removed from the Yankees 40 man once. Vazquez is a power bat who can play 3rd and 1st  but has primarily played 1st in the Yankees organization. Mike Lamb is really the only internal left handed infield option but I don't know if the Yankees consider him a real option despite a good 53 games with the Scranton Yankees. Casey Blake is another suggested option after he had his contract bought out by the Dodgers and probably the best available one but he is another right handed bat and would probably be the most expensive option.
The likeliest option is that the Yankees will have a competition in Spring training for the non-Nunez/Montero bench roles. I expect that they will go with a right handed outfield bat, an infielder, Eduardo Nunez and Jesus Montero. This would leave them with another spot as Montero will probably be the primary DH and while the Yankees will probably go with a second infielder they could potentially bring Cervelli as a third Catcher/emergency infielder. We really wont know until Spring training so we have a while to wait.

Stop hating Nick Swisher!

Haters gonna Hate

 Stop Hating Nick Swisher. There is a phrase I never thought I would have to utter but seriously people stop it. All I keep hearing is how Swisher is a great guy and great clubhouse personality, but he isn't a good enough player. Really people? After another poor postseason some have advocated that the Yankees should dump Nick Swisher. The most popular idea seems to be that the Yankees should decline Swisher's option and sign Carlos Beltran to play RF. This is a terrible idea for several reasons:
1.) Beltran is 34
2.) Beltran would command at least 3 years
3.) Would need to DH significantly.
4.) The 2012 Free agent class is awesome


The first and second reasons are pretty tied together, but I mean come on would you really want to sign an older declining veteran for three years? When Beltran has productive years he has been very productive, but he has had some trouble staying healthy only playing more than 150 games 3 times in the last 9 years. Also for all the talk about how Beltran would be more productive than Swisher in the postseason, he hasn't actually played in the postseason since 2006 and his only other time in the postseason was with Houston in 2004. Also one of the benefits of Nick Swisher is that he will only be under contract for one more year and if he isn't productive then we can cut him lose but Beltran would command at least a 3 year deal and possibly 4 years which would probably force him into more of a DH role in the last year or two of his contract which would be a problem with the already crowded DH role.
The other big factor is that the 2012 Free agent class is going to have some big names with Josh Hamilton, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and B.J Upton highlighting the Free agent Outfield class. All of these free agents are better than Beltran in terms of age and are not he injury risk that Beltran is.

Also people really don't appreciate Nick Swisher for his regular season production. In his Three years as a Yankee Swisher had hit 81 Home Runs and has been very productive as a Yankee with a .267 BA with 250 walks and 256 RBI's. Nick Swisher isn't just with the Yankees cause he has a pretty face hes been a solid hitter with power, patience and has gotten better in the field. This may not be the reason but also who do you think will be the number one suitor for Nick Swisher if we decline his option? The Red Sox, they need a Right fielder and he is better than everyone else out there with the possible exception of a Healthy Carlos Beltran. Some People have suggested that the Yankees should sign Josh Willingham, but they are surprisingly similar in terms of career stats and Willingham has never played more than 144 games in a season and he only player 96 games in the outfield this year. Swisher on the other hand has played exactly 150 games each of the last three years for the Yankees and despite all the criticism his overall value during his time as a Yankee ranks 7th among Right Fielders and Swisher is a consistent 3+ WAR player and even in this down year for Sisher he has a higher WAR rating than Michael Cuddyer who had a career high 3 WAR year, so please forget about that idea.
The end result is that there really isn't anyone at Swisher level for this year other than Carlos Beltran and as I said before Beltran is probably going to be looking for a 3 or 4 year deal as it will be his last big payday. The Yankees have a cheap option for Swisher who has outperformed his salary in each of the last 3 seasons by far and 2012 will likely be no different. As Fans we always want the best players for our team, but you need to appreciate Nick Swisher for the quality player he is and honestly their is  good chance he will be with the team for the next several years as he would make a great stopgap player while the prospects develop in the minors. Also think of it this way, if Nick Swisher slumped in any other 5 game time period would you want the Yankees to not renew his option because of that 5 game period?

Yankees likely 40 man casualties

Almost Certainly gone: Scott Proctor, Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia, Austin Romine or Francisco Cervelli, Greg Golson, Chris Dickerson, Jorge Posada.
I don't think I need to tell you why Proctor wont be on the 40 man next year, but if you havent seen hes washed up and I would seriously doubt that he will get anything but a minor league deal from anybody. Colon and Garcia have both been really good for the Yankees this year and while its possible the Yankees will keep one of them I seriously doubt the Yankees will keep either one. Garcia is a type B free agent and he could do what Javy Vazquez did for the Yankees last year and just decline arbitration as a formality, but he is the most likely to be retained but they only would if they have completely lost faith in Hughes or Burnett. Romine wasn't supposed to even be on the 40 man but with the injury to Cervelli he has come up after playing almost the entire season in AA Trenton and as the scouting report said his glove is ready and his bat isn't. One of these two is likely to be traded and its more likely going to be Cervelli for the obvious reason that he has been playing significantly in the last three seasons and could definitely be a good starting catcher for a lot of teams. On top of that The Yankees have tried to trade him twice, once to the dodgers and then in July to the pirates. If the Yankees are so not confident in Montero behind the plate that they carry three catchers next season Romine will likely be dealt. Posada isn't coming back, I hope he retires but he might be able to find a job backing up for the Astros or something. Dickerson and Golson are both on the 40 man and with Justin Maxwell who is on the 60 day DL they are out of options and will likely sign with a team that could actually use them. Dickerson has the best shot of making the club as a Lefty 5th outfielder, but I somewhat doubt that the Yankees will carry 5 outfielders after going almost all year with barely needing four.

Could lose their spot: Aaron Laffey, Reggie Corona, Kevin Whelan, Colin Curtis, Raul Valdes
Let me start off by saying that Laffey's case is less likely a losing your spot case and more like a might actually keep his spot, due to his being a lefty and decent pitching this year. He could end up making the club next season or put in AAA if they sign a $4 Million LOOGY. Lefty depth is good and Laffey could provide good depth. The same goes for Valdes.  I really don't know what to think for Kevin Whelan because he's been excellent in AAA and he had two appearances back in July, but he isn't with the Club now and that doesn't make any sense to me because I would much rather see Whelan take some innings rather than Proctor. However if the Yankees were going to kick him off the 40 man wouldn't they have done it by now? Even if he was hurt they could just put him on the DL, but he hasn't done anything since the minor league season ended, its just kind of weird.Corona hasn't been healthy all year and hes not likely to get picked up in the Rule 5 so there is a good chance that the Yankees take his 40 man spot away. The reason why Colin Curtis has a 40 man spot is because he's a left handed bat but he's been hurt all year and while I doubt he will lose his spot I also didn't think Kevin Russo would lose his. Both Dickerson and Maxwell are better in the field and hitters than Curtis but they are both out of options and would likely sign with a major league team.


The Yankees have five players that are Rule 5 draft eligible and therefore need to be added to the 40 man roster to be protected. Jeremy Bleich, David Adams, D.J. Mitchell, David Phelps and Pat Venditte are all Rule 5 eligible and all but Adams are pitchers. The advantage that the Yankees have is that only Mitchell and Phelps are in AAA and would have any shot at sticking with a club, therefore they will be the only two added to the 40 man. 
David Adams was the piece that broke the Cliff Lee deal and his injury stopped that trade and he still isn't healthy so he is not likely to be selected. The guy is very talented but has only played 68 games in the last two years. Jeremy Bleich is a Lefty Starter who hasn't stayed healthy and has a 4.79 ERA in AA so no chance he is selected. Pat Venditte is the notorious Switch pitcher and honestly I think he will get selected but I doubt that he will stick with a club after Spring training or he wont last the full year on the 25 man. The guy has had a decent year in AA, but it is AA and I dont even know if the Yankees would bump him up to AAA in 2012. However even if he makes a club and stays, he isnt a good enough prospect for the Yankees to really care about. 
D.J. Mitchell and David Phelps have both had good years at AAA Scranton and Phelps would be on the 40-man if the club hadn't decided to sign Brian Gordon to make a pair of starts instead. Mitchell isnt given a lot of credit but he has actually had the best year of any AAA Scranton Starter in terms of ERA, but his FIP was 3.96 compared to his 3.18 ERA and batters are hitting .263 off him. He may end up being a reliever long term but somebody would definitely pick him up if hes left unprotected and the Yankees will have to add him to the 40 man, but he could be packaged with Romine for a Trade. David Phelps is going to get added and he will likely be the guy the Yankees call if a starter goes down, which as the Red Sox found out is always a possibility. Phelps numbers are good and they probably would be better if he hadn't gotten hurt, but he will be looking to get a lot of innings under his belt next season. One of Mitchell or Phelps is likely to be traded because if they aren't the Scranton Yankees will have 6 starters so somebody's either going to get traded, moved to the bullpen or start the season on the real Yankees and these two and Noesi are the most likely.
Also if Utility man Kevin Russo is not added back then he could be picked but honestly I doubt the Yankees care enough to add him or else they would not have taken him off.

Nuts! Yankees season is over with a game 5 loss to the Tigers.

Well it ended almost the same way as last year except A-Rod struck out swinging in game 5 of the ALDS instead of looking in game 6 of the ALCS. The Yankees had 10 hits and 3 walks and loaded the bases with one out twice but still only scored two runs and one came on a bases loaded walk to Teixeira. So many missed opportunities and of course Jeters deep ball that was so close to being out its not even fair. Ivan Nova went down with pain in his arm so hopefully he is okay and now we will have the CC talks that despite all the writing about how he is done with the Yankees there is a 99.9% chance that he resigns with the Yankees.  The Yankees should have won this game and frankly should have won this series several days ago, but they didn't and now the Tigers will advance to the ALCS and take on the Rangers. I really wonder how different the series would have been if game one goes off without a hitch because that game did end up giving the advantage to the Tigers, but the Yankees still should have won. That's the playoffs for you, you can never predict what will happen. Everybody is going to try and make a Goat out of A-ROD, Girardi, Tex or somebody but the end result is that we lost and there is nothing that we can do but wait until next season. This was a hell of a season with Jeters 3,000 hit and Mo's 600th save and its especially impressive because of how the season started.