Any sort of roster transaction
It’s the day before Opening Day and the Yankees are putting the finishing touches on their roster by once again cutting and adding players. Here are the moves the Yankees made today.
1. The Yankees have designated Clay Rapada for assignment to make a spot for Lyle Overbay on the 40-man roster. I knew the Yankees had to make a move to put Overbay on the roster, but I didn’t see Rapada getting the boot, especially since the Yankees only have one lefty in the bullpen. This could be a way to get Rapada back into the minors like with the David Adams scenario or this is a goodbye to the side arming lefty. Still, I didn’t see this coming. Rapada released a statement via tweets after his DFA:
@yankees it’s been real…
— Clay Rapada (@pada5something) March 31, 2013
It was a good year.. But it is a business I appreciate the opportunity to pitch in the NY.. Fans are tough but awesome.Can’t predict future
— Clay Rapada (@pada5something) March 31, 2013
2. Vernon Wells changed his number before tomorrow. 56 originally belonged to Tony Pena so Vernon Wells will now wear #12.
3. The Yankees have finally released their 25-man roster. Here’s the roster for tomorrow:
ROTATION
52 CC Sabathia
18 Hiroki Kuroda
46 Andy Pettitte
47 Ivan Nova
41 David Phelps
BULLPEN
42 Mariano Rivera
30 Dave Robertson
62 Joba Chamberlain
48 Boone Logan
27 Shawn Kelley
38 Cody Eppley
43 Adam Warren
CATCHERS
29 Francisco Cervelli
19 Chris Stewart
INFIELDERS
55 Lyle Overbay
24 Robinson Cano
36 Kevin Youkilis
26 Eduardo Nunez
17 Jayson Nix
33 Travis Hafner
OUTFIELDERS
11 Brett Gardner
31 Ichiro Suzuki
12 Vernon Wells
45 Ben Francisco
22 Brennan Boesch
15-DAY DISABLED LIST
65 Phil Hughes
2 Derek Jeter
25 Mark Teixeira
14 Curtis Granderson
60-DAY DISABLED LIST
71 Cesar Cabral
35 Michael Pineda
13 Alex Rodriguez
The Opening Day 25-man roster has to be set by Sunday, but the Yankees got a head start and started making some cuts and additions. Here’s what manager Joe Girardi and the Yankees did after the Yankees 4-2 win over the Nationals.
1. The Yankees optioned Melky Mesa to Triple-A Scranton along with newly acquired pitcher Sam Demel.
2. Lyle Overbay officially made the team today. Overbay’s defense impressed Joe Girardi enough that he will be the 1B against right handed pitchers while Kevin Youkilis plays third base.
3. Ben Francisco and Jayson Nix also made the team as the 4th OF and a utility guy off the bench.
4. David Aardsma was designated for assignment by the Yankees today. The reason behind it was that Girardi felt the Yankees already felt that they had enough one inning pitchers. Didn’t seem the need to carry another one.
5. Shawn Kelley made the team. Girardi liked his approach on the mound as well as the fact that he’s a strikeout pitcher.
6. Vidal Nuno along with a handful of other players were reassigned to minor league camp. I guess winning the Dawson Award didn’t mean much in the Yankees eyes.
7. Before the game today, Joe Girardi and Mark Teixeira were watching Brennan Boesch do first base drills while Teixeira was giving him pointers. It seems as if the Yankees plan on carrying Boesch as the emergency first baseman although the Yankees didn’t officially announce that as of yet.
8. After the Yankees released David Adams, he became a free agent today and the Yankees re-signed him. Seemed like a lengthy process to get him off the 40-man roster and back into the organization.
The New York Yankees have a new player on their team, although it’s not the way that everyone prefers. Instead of signing a free agent, the Yankees claimed Russ Canzler off waivers from the Cleveland Indians. He’s speculated to compete for the 4th OF spot with Matt Diaz. In the minors Canzler hit .289/.365/.508 with about 1,000 AB in the International league.
To make room for Canzler on the 40-man roster, the Yankees have designated OF Chris Dickerson for assignment. Honestly Yankees, everyone’s getting tired of the ‘Lets DFA Chris Dickerson‘ game. He’s a great RF and for a moment, I considered him a great bench/Swisher replacement–before you DFA’d him…today.
In Other News:
– There has been no date set for Alex Rodriguez‘s surgery. No one is sure if it’s a set-back but it could be a problem if Rodriguez’s return is postponed by a week or two. Brian Cashman already believes that the 2013 Yankees aren’t going to hit as many HR’s as the 2012 Yankees since the departure of Nick Swisher and Russell Martin along with the injury to A-Rod. Well, maybe if you went to the Winter Meetings and got some big pieces like you were supposed to, then hitting HR’s wouldn’t be a problem.
As of early this morning–Kevin Youkilis is officially a New York Yankee. The Yankees agreed to a one year contract for the former Boston Red Sox infielder, who said that family influenced his decision to come play in New York.
“The first thing was family.” Youkilis said during a conference call. “I wanted to make sure with all these options what was best for the family.” Youkilis’s family believed that being in New York City for a year would have been unbelievable and the fact that the Yankees could of had a chance to win the World Series in 2013.
During the conference call, Youkilis said that he had received a voice mail from Joba Chamberlain–the both of them have had a rough history together. Youkilis said that he hasn’t worked out on trying to reach out to Chamberlain as of yet due to multiple voice mails and calls to return. “For me personally, it’s a new teammate.” Youkilis said of Chamberlain. “We’re going to go out there and take the field together. He goes out there to pitch and hopefully I can play great defense behind him. And if he gets in a jam, we can stop it.”
Before you ask, no Youkilis will not play in the outfield as a Yankee. He will be used as a third baseman, a first baseman and a DH. When Alex Rodriguez returns from surgery, both Youkilis and A-Rod will be in the lineup somehow. Just don’t ask him to play shortstop. “If they put me at short, we’re going to be in a lot of trouble there.”
In Other News
– The Yankees will have to deal with one more familiar face joining another team. Ramiro Pena (or as known in New York as ‘El Nino’) has signed a major league contract with the Atlanta Braves. It’s not surprising that Pena is going to a different team since he barely had time to play for the Yankees, but the fact that’s surprising is that he signed a major league contract. Pena’s fielding is tremendous–but his hitting makes you want to cringe every time there’s an RBI situation and he’s up to bat. We’re going to miss you Pena.
Yep, the Kevin Youkilis waiting game is over. According to Ken Rosenthal, Kevin Youkilis signed with the Yankees for a one-year, $12 Million contract, marking this the first signing of the offseason for the Yankees that wasn’t a re-signing (Yankees signed Hiroki Kuroda, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Brett Gardner all on one year deals). Here’s the tweet from Rosenthal:
Source: #Yankees sign Youkilis, one year, $12M.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 11, 2012
The dust has finally settled after a crazy past few days in Major League Baseball. If the non-waiver trade deadline wasn’t shocking enough, the waiver trade deadline was even more frantic and surprising.
In a blink of an eye, the Red Sox traded away three core players and over 270 million dollars worth of contracts to the Los Angeles Dodgers. And then some.
L.A. acquired slugging first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, (the centerpiece of the deal), injured left fielder Carl Crawford, struggling 32-year old righty Josh Beckett. and utility infielder Nick Punto. Meanwhile, Boston receives first baseman James Loney and four prospects.
At first glance with little knowledge of what’s gone on this year, it seems like the most lop-sided trade in baseball history. But, as in football, “upon further review”, this deal is as equal as it can get.
The Dodgers, now 69-58 after a win over Miami in Gonzalez’s debut (1-5, 3-R HR), are two games back of the San Francisco Giants in the N.L. West. Prior to this deal, the team had already made numerous moves to improve the club, compared to where it stood on Opening Day.
Outfielder Shane Victorino, shortstop Hanley Ramirez, reliever Randy Choate, closer Brandon League, and starter Joe Blanton are the biggest names that most recently donned Dodger Blue, and all of them have fit in nicely since their respective trades prior to the July 31st [non-waiver] trade deadline.
Now in bringing in A-Gone, Crawford, and Beckett, the Dodgers have added a grand total of 94.75 million dollars to the team’s payroll [for this year alone] since starting to wheel and deal back in July. And I didn’t even bring up the home-grown superstars of Matt Kemp (making 10 million this year, jumping to 21 million annually in 2013) and Clayton Kershaw (making 7 million in 2012, jumping to 11 million next season, and then demanding a big payday afterwards). Clearly, the Dodgers are digging deep into the pockets of Magic Johnson to make all this happen.
Don’t worry, I didn’t forget the Red Sox.
Boston officially waves the white flag in making this deal, as they traded their ace, best hitter, and well, Carl Crawford, all in one deal.
It’s been a season of disappointment and bitterness for the Red Sox and their fans, as they are in fourth place in the AL East with a record of 60-67. Uttering the name Bobby Valentine on Yawkey Way is almost as bad as saying “Dent”, “Boone”, or “Buckner”. Seriously. The fans hate him, and so do the players, which is probably a reason why they’ve played so poorly all year long. If you don’t like your manager, it’s unlikely you’ll play hard or well for him.
The Red Sox to me are like a teenage girl following a sudden break-up. “This wasn’t how it was supposed to end.” I can hear Ben Cherington cry out to John Henry.
But in all seriousness, the team’s prior hopes and dreams of championships are crushed, and so Boston finally accepted it’s time to start looking towards the future and planning for 2013 and beyond, which is the smart thing to do.
The players that are coming to Boston aren’t really anything special. James Loney is only coming over to play first base for the remainder of this season, as he’s been a very inconsistent hitter for the past couple seasons now. And the prospects have all had their share of struggles and should be Major League ready by now, yet they’re not.
But for the Red Sox, it really doesn’t matter who they got for what they gave. The point is they are free from a couple of high-priced, long term deals, one that was very misguided (wink wink, Carl Crawford). And Beckett was making 15 million bucks per year as well, and simply had to go. Taking this much money off the books allows the Red Sox to spend freely on any of the big free agents this coming winter, and also a chance to reconstruct the clubhouse and create a happy and friendly environment in Boston, which let’s face it, will be the total opposite as long as Bobby V is manager.
It will be very interesting to see what the Bo-Sox do this offseason. As I said, they can spend the money they got immediately and maybe try to get back in contention next year. Or they could hold off, let their prospects get a chance to prove themselves and wait and see.
If nothing else, one thing is definitely for sure – Bobby V is gone following the season.
Hurrah Red Sox fans!
According to Joel Sherman, the Yankees have traded RHP Chad Qualls to the Pirates for 3B/1B Casey McGehee. In 293 PA this year, the right-handed McGehee has hit .230/.297/.377. He will be beneficial as another right-handed bat in an otherwise heavily left-handed roster with the injuries to Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira. This year against left-handers, McGehee has a very strong 119 wRC+, a .348 wOBA, and a .807 OPS. He also brings a lot of value as a pinch hitter with a line of .292/.382/.542 coming off the bench in his career which is rather impressive. McGehee plays both 3rd and 1st base so he can add some pop to the lineup at 1st base while Teixeira is out, and then he could probably platoon with Eric Chavez at 3rd with A-Rod out. Sherman also notes that the Pirates are giving the Yankees $225,000 of the $485,000 differential between the contracts of Qualls and McGehee.
Chad Qualls was going to be the odd man out of the bullpen anyway with Joba Chamberlain returning from the DL so this is a good move by Cashman to get some value out of the right-hander instead of simply sending him down or DFA’ing him. However, this trade doesn’t come without a negative side, as McGehee’s defense at third base is not anything to rave about. Also as William J. of The Captain’s Blog pointed out on Twitter, the trade makes the Yankees lineup even more suscepible to splits as McGehee is extremely weak against right-handed pitching (.222 AVG, .616 OPS, 67 wRC+ this year).
Joba will be activated tonight and will be a great piece to have in the bullpen as someone who can get both righties and lefties out.
According to Jack Curry, the Yankees and Mariners have agreed on a trade to send Ichiro Suzuki to the Yankees in exchange for D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar. Also, Joel Sherman is reporting that the Yankees will pay just more than $2 million of what is left on Ichiro’s salary. Ichiro is batting .261 on the season, with 4 HR’s, 28 RBI, and a .642 OPS. The general consensus seems to be that the Yankees got Ichiro for next to nothing.
From the Yankees MILB.com page, 2012 5th round pick Robert Refsnyder is to start his career with the Charleston River Dogs. He was just named the Most Outstanding Player in the College World Series. Here is some information on Refsnyder from the article:
Refsnyder was selected by the Yankees in the fifth round of the 2012 Draft with the 187th overall selection following his junior year, and is expected to make his professional debut Tuesday night with the RiverDogs. This past season he batted .364 with eight home runs and 66 RBIs and also stole 14 bases in 65 games, earning a spot on the Pac-12 All-Conference squad. He was also named to the All-Pac-12 Conference first team following a sophomore season that saw him tie for the conference lead in RBIs.
Chavez to DL; Yanks call up Nix
The Yankees had made a roster change and for the Yanks, it’s not good. The Yankees have placed Eric Chavez on the 15 day DL after suffering a concussion in last night’s game. The Yankees refused to send down a pitcher, instead they brought up young Jayson Nix to be another bat on the bench. In Scranton, Nix is batting .233 with 0 HR’s & 4 RBI’s.
Freddy Garcia goes to bullpen
Freddy Garcia’s tenure in the Yankees rotation is officially over as of today. No, he wasn’t released from the team but he was added to the Yankees bullpen. Yankees called up D.J. Mitchell earlier today to add depth to the Yankees bullpen and though not official, it looks as if David Phelps will get to keep the rotation spot warm–until Andy Pettitte comes back.
There is still one issue though; the Yankees still have 26 men on the roster meaning someone has to be sent down to make room for Mitchell. This also isn’t official but it could be Cody Eppley that gets sent down.
Update: Cody Eppley was just optioned to Scranton to make room for Mitchell.
Yankees call up D.J. Mitchell
Update #1: According to Andrew Marchand, this could potentially mean that David Phelps is now in the rotation.
Original Post:
RHP D.J. Mitchell was recalled from Scranton/WB earlier today. He'll be making his Major League debut.—
Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) April 29, 2012
David Phelps’s old friend from Triple-AAA will join the Yankees. D.J Mitchell was called up today just a day after Freddy Garcia blew his last start. There was no counter move at the moment but it looks like Girardi really did sleep on his decision. Mitchell is to make his Major League Baseball debut in today’s game. More on who’s off the roster as this story develops.
Tweet:
Yanks have called up D.J. Mitchell for Sundays game. Not sure of the counter move yet.
— Daniel Barbarisi (@DanBarbarisi) April 29, 2012
Andy Pettitte re-signs with the Yankees
The last time we saw Andy Pettitte with the New York Yankees, it was in 2010. After calling it a career in the 2010 off season and not playing during the 2011 season, Andy Pettitte had a change of heart and is now has re-signed with the New York Yankees for the 2012 season. The Yankees & Pettitte agreed on a 1 year, $2.5 Million minor league contract which includes an invitation to what is left in Spring Training! Here are some tweets about Pettitte’s return.
The Yankees have signed Andy Pettitte to a 1-year minor league deal worth $2.5 million. The team is thrilled to have 240-game winner back.
— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) March 16, 2012
Less than 3 weeks ago, Pettitte admitted that he had thoughts about a comeback. Now Pettitte, who didn’t pitch in 2011, is returning.
— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) March 16, 2012
Yankees Sign OF Reynolds
The New York Yankees signed third baseman/outfielder Burt Reynolds after watching him play for the independent Newark Bears & Can-Am Baseball Association in 2011. Reynolds has some family members in the game; his cousin happens to play 2nd base for the New York Yankees whose name happens to be Robinson Cano. Last season Reynolds hit .232 with 13 HR’s, 36 RBI’s & 11 SB. He was a 30th round draft pick for the Washington Nationals and spent time in Tampa Bay’s minor league system before joining the Can-Am league.
Yankees sign David Aardsma—
Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) February 22, 2012
It’s a major league deal worth 500,000 reported by Feinsand. He will start the season on the DL as he is coming back from Tommy John surgery. The deal includes a club option for 2013. I think this is a great add on for the Yankees.
Seems like a good guy. He recognized us right away on twitter.
“@YankeeFansUnite: @TheDA53 welcome to the Yankees. Get healthy.” true that!!!—
David aardsma (@TheDA53) February 22, 2012
Yankees & Chavez Agree On 1 Year Deal
Well it looks like when Joe Girardi made that slip up earlier today during an interview, it turned out to be what we all thought; an Eric Chavez signing. According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports the Yankees & Eric Chavez agreed on a 1 year, $900,000 deal. The deal is major league and is pending a physical.
Ken....your Mom sounds like one helluva lady! How did she know to teach you to throw and hit both wa
Yeah, so much can change by next year...who knows what we can epect from guys like Jeter and ARod wi
fishjam... That was the kindest thing ever said about my left arm. It's a funny thing, my mom made m
Adams seems to have the right stuff to be a #2 hitter, as you pointed out fishjam. The test will com
Ken, did anyone ever say...."I've seen better arms on a snake!"
And he does it AGAIN! Why do RHPs continue to throw offspeed pitches to him.....if you leave it near
This is the best lineup the Yankees have had in a while. On a different topic, Romine is starting to
OldYank.....We may begin to see less of Ichiro now that Hafner is back. Ichi is on the bench with Gr
Kuroda is unbelievable. Who would think at 37-38 yrs old, moving from the NL West to the AL East he
A lot to like about adams right Doug? He seems like a good hitter for the 2-hole.....uses the whole
Yanks have been whipping on Toronto all year. 3 more 2-out runs today. Cano continues to hit HRs on
Yanks are on a roll with the young player, time to bring up either Musty or Almonte.
Fishjam, I'm almost ready to move Adams into the 2 spot.
Another gem for Kuroda, the Yanks have to try and sign this guy again for next year. He is another A
old yankee, you hit the nail on the head, A-Rod's contract will hurt the Yanks the most, do they do
fishjam/doug... I understand why it will be Itchy until the wheels fall off, I keep hoping he will r
doug... The reason they didn't sit Mickey was because, as much as his game had gone south...he was s
fishjam, I totally agree, Francisco has to go.
old yankee, you didn't see them sitting Mantle when he was going bad near the end of his career, unl
You are right Old Yank.....should be the best guy for the job plays but money and length of contract
Doug, ichiro will get more slack because of who he is and because they have committed a 2-yr deal to
old yankee, you missed my point, Ichiro will get a little more slack than your average player. It is
Hall of Famers, one can't play a guy that is a sure thing HoF player if he is not better than the pl
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