On the newest Podcast we talk about Yankees who did well in April, Yankees who struggled and those who we are still waiting to see how they turn out. Also how the Yankees have exceeded expectations in April and how the league looks so far and the Trade for Chris Nelson. Right after we did this Joba was put on the DL and it sounds like Preston Caliborne will be called up. I don't know the corresponding 40 man move but probably Cody Epply considering that they didn't call him up. Also we specifically talk about Pineda in the podcast and it was reported that he was around 93-95 in his rehab.

Yankees acquire Chris Nelson

The Yankees acquired Infielder Chris Nelson from the Colorado Rockies for cash considerations or a player to be named later. Corban Joseph was sent down to AAA and Francisco Cervelli was placed on the 60 day Disabled List. I had mentioned the possible trade earlier as the Yankees really needed to make a move because the timing meant they did not have a viable third base option to call up in the wake of Kevin Youkillis going on the DL. Apparently the Yankees had interest in acquiring in acquiring him during the winter meetings after Nelson he hit .301/.352/.458 (105 wRC+) in 377 plate appearances in 2012 . He can play Third, Second and short and I expect that he will be the everyday third baseman over Jayson Nix,he also bats right handed. He hit .242/.282/.318 (51 wRC+) in 71 plate appearances before the Rockies took him off the roster, but Nelson is a career .279/.322/.416 (86 wRC+) hitter over the length of  four big league seasons, and the right-handed bat doesn’t have a massive left/right (84/87 wRC+) or home/road (97/72) split.

Nelson was once the 26th best prospect in the game according to Baseball America as a Shortstop in 2005, but he never lived up to the hype. He is a pretty average fielder and does not steal or run bases particularly well, he is also out of minor league options but the Yankees need somebody who can play the infield and Nelson is exactly that. Nelson fits the roster better than Joseph but I do not know how long he will be on the roster as it is possible that the Yankees will give Ronnie Mustelier a shot after he finishes rehabbing.

The unfortunate third base situation

Yesterday the Yankees placed Kevin Youkilis on the 15 day Disabled list and called up Corban Joseph. There are however several problems with this promotion:


• Joseph is a left handed batter so he does not help the Yankees loss of Youkillis against left handed pitchers and will now force Overbay to play against lefties.

• Jospeh cannot play third base as he cannot make the throw across the diamond, if you recall he displayed this in spring training. He is listed as a third baseman but you need to be able to make that throw and he cannot, he could probably play third in an emergency but I do not have a lot of faith in him at third.

• Brian Cashman said that he can only play the right side of the infield, meaning that he can only play second and first. Keep in mind that Jospeh has only played a handful of games at first ever, all of which came this season.

The reason why Jospeh was called up for Youkilis is simply that the Yankees do not have a viable choice for third base other than him. Ronnie Mustillier impressed in spring training but he just had his first rehab game in Tampa as he is coming back from a Spring Training injury. David Adams is also a better option at third base than Jospeh but he cannot be called up until May 15th because he was released by the Yankees, not Designated for assignment, and then resigned to a minor league deal and players who are released and re-sign minor league contracts with the same team have to wait 30 days before they can be called up. The timing of this injury is very unfortunate because as of right now there is no backup for Nix and Nunez because they are the backups themselves. I guess the Yankees could have called up Dan Johnson, but they would have needed to add him to the 40 man roster and his display at third base in Spring left a lot to be desired and he is only hitting .171 in AAA. CoJo is a borderline prospect as he cannot defend very well anywhere on the field and while he can hit enough to be useful, he won’t hit well enough to be a starter. Honestly if I was the Yankees I would try and trade and acquire Chris Nelson who was recently DFA by the Colorado Rockies. The Yankees have reportedly been talking to Colorado about a trade but they will reportedly try to get him after he clears waivers.

Youkilis placed on 15 day DL, Call up Corban Jospeh

The Yankees have placed Kevin Youkilis on the disabled list with a lower lumbar spine sprain, aka a back strain. he went for the MRI yesterday and they determined that its nothing serious but obviously he hasnt been able to play. The date is retroactive to Sunday because he played on Saturday after missing several days, but there is nothing you can do about that. Infielder Corban Joseph was recalled from Triple-A to fill the roster spot. Jospeh can theoretically fill the hole at third with Youkilis's injury, but Jayson Nix will likely remain at 3rd as CoJo cant really play third because he cannot make the throw across the diamond and he is a left handed batter. It would have been nice if David Adams had been the callup but Joseph was already on the 40 man roster. I do not know how much playing time CoJo will get but whenever he does get some it will be his major league debut.

Yankees sign Youk

Kevin Youkilis will be the opening day third baseman for the New York Yankees after agreeing to a 1 year $12 million deal. After Chavez and Reynolds signed, Youk was really the only option and his right handed bat will balance out the lineup nicely. This signing is perfect for the Yankees as its 1 year, Right handed power bat and third baseman. That being said I am personally going to come out and say that I do not like Kevin Youkilis and I still don't like him. I always thought Youk was overrated and to be quite frank he is, but as I said he fits the Yankees need and gives David Adams some time in AAA. Next up, Ichiro.