I had a scout tell me a few weeks ago that Cano's problem is Cano. He's in love with himself and doesn't feel the need to make any adjustments. Cano has a lot of talent but doesn't have the work ethic, he's apparently lazy and it's hard to motivate him. He doesn't do a good job working the counts. Larry Bowa use to get in Cano's face and yell at him to get him going but right now there's no one on the Yankees that does that with him. I also read somewhere that if Cano had the heart and work ethic of a Pedroia, Aaron Hill or David Eckstein, he'd be Chase Utley, maybe better (but with a little less power). Basically a lot of people are down on Cano and starting to question whether it was a smart choice to give him that long term contract.
Yanks once again squeek above .500..... Rumor: Indians will be putting pending FA to be CC Sabathia on the block this season for best trade offer. If so, I truely hope Cashman and Steinbrenner's are players and shakers that pull the trigger. With Pettitte gone...we will benefit from a lefty and help move Wang to true #2 guy in the rotation. Then if Hughes and Kennedy can return to get innings in this year, and Joba can get his innings in, we have a stretched out proper rotation for 2008 and beyond for a while. Rotoworld:
AMEN. That would really help this team. IMO. However, it was a nice sweep over the weekend! Hopefully Wang is not too hurt!
Cano has hsitorically in his young career has been a slow starter, and he always hits well after the All Star Break. We'll see if he's indeed lazy. And the Yankees are baseball history, everytime they come into an opposing town we bring a quarter of the entire history of baseball with us. I am proud to be a member of the Empire, and always will be. I remember when we won 51 games one year, and had Mel Hall Jesse Barfield, and Roberto Kelly in the ourfield. I even remember the falsh in the pan that was Kevin Maas, or Andy Stankiewicz for goddness sake. I've been there a long time.
Well, letting 2 of those games go vs. Reds (esp. with Sox losses) hurt a lot and took the momentum away from the 7 game win streak. Not getting swept was big, so onward and upward to catching TB for WC and closing the gap vs. Sox too.
This series with Pitt could be big. If we can win at least 2 of 3, I think we will get one (maybe more) games on Boston with them playing Arizona.
Yanks seem to want that setup guy from Colorado. Otherwise, they might sit tight around the trade deadline and keep their prospects for a change, unless Fielder somehow becomes available to play 1B (but the Brewers have a legit shot at the postseason for once). What about Texiera (sp?) from the Braves, is he in play?
Tex is a pending FA, so he is very much in play. I said it at the time of the Santana deal, and I will say it agian for CC. Expecting 3 young arms to all be PRO stud arms is very very hard. If you can package 1 of them to get a 1B of the future, or a #1 ace you do it. I like what Cashman is doing right now, and if we retain the young Treo they certainly can be 3 4 and 5 in next years rotation. The concern is that we dont have a true #1. Personally, trading 1 of the 3 (i.e. Hughes or Kennedy) from a risk standpoint makes more statistical sense than keeping all three and expecting perfection from them. I do not expect Moose and Andy to be on the 40 man next year.
Why must the Boys of the Bronx mock us so.....perfect opportunity to pick up games and narrow the gap on WC and 1st over the last few games and we have our Bats once again take prolonged naps. These guys are just so frustrating.
Well start of a 4 gamer vs. Sox. (1st time since 1997 that neither is in 1st of the East). Most runs scored last night all season....would have preferred if they spread them out over their last few to be on a run of W's and narrow the gap, especially with the TB sweep of the Sox. Oh, well...once again Steinbrenner speaks and for what ever reason...the team responds. Here is too a happy 4th, and hopefully a Yankee revival before this thing gets completely out of hand. P.S. feel free to trade Melky & Cano wth either Hughes or Kennedy for a STUD Ace lefty arm soon.
Amen on all points BDH. However, maybe I misheard. I thought they said since 1990 on Sportscenter that neither is in first!? Need a big weekend. IF by some miracle we can take 3 of 4 from the Sox (I know, I am dreaming) then we would be in great shape and would really hurt them at the same time. OOHH boy do I wish that would happen. I really like Melky, but I am with you... trade him now. Looks like we have a viable replacement. I would even take a Righty arm, if it were a STUD ACE.
It's funny, I remember on the old board having a huge arguement with some people about how Melky was being overrated by Yankee fans (those same people said he was a future All Star) and I said he really isn't a MLB OFer (especially on a team like the Yankees) and was at best a 4th/5th OFer. I still like Melky is a nice MLB player but shouldn't be starting for a team like New York. Not to rain on the parade but Brett Gardener isn't much better. I've heard from many scouts that he's a poor man's Juan Pierre and is a 4th/5th OFer himself, however the same scouts said that Austin Jackson looks like a star so I'm sure the Yankees could live with Gardener/Melky in CF for another year and a half.
Yeah you what, I hope the kid is legit. I think it would be fun seeing the Sox homegrown talent vs. the Yankees. Like Ellsbury vs. Jackson, Pedroia vs. Cano, Lester/Buchholz/Masterson vs. Joba/Hughes/Kennedy etc.
Yeah that sums up last night pretty well. I knew the Sox were going to win once in the top of the 1st Jeter threw away the inning ending DP and after Lester got out of the jam in the bottom of the 1st after walking the first 2 batters. Also I know Damon has a bad arm but it looks like it actually got worse, I mean this throw to the plate in the 1st to try to get Manny out scoring from 2nd base was embarassing, it was like a 14 hopper and it barely got past the pitchers mound.
Goodness, gracious, must we make even our W's interesting?? Lucky to hang on to that W! But I will take it!
Yup, consistently inconsistent is the mantra this season....during a game, an at bat, and the season to date. Glad to have the split based on the 1st two games....this could have got out of hand quick. We have a lot of work left and something has to give if we think we can get back into the hunt. Not sure what that is though! If possible, go after Tex or A. Gonzalez (1B), maybe Bell to help the pen, but I dont think we have options to help the starters right now, its on their shoulders.
Really, I think we could win a lot more games if the bats were more consistent or at least could get a clutch hit to save their lives. We do not seem to have the clutch hitters since the Tino Martinez, Paul Oneil team(s)... I swear we have to be LAST in batting with runners in scoring position.
Nice 2 game sweep of Rays.....doing just enough...not really on a roll, but nice to not let it slip away completely pre-All Star break....hope for bigger and better things to come from Bats for a while to carry us.
Dude, the bats have been asleep for the most part. Our pitching is what won us the last two... I just hope they can keep it up. I am not usually a big fan of trades at the deadline, but we really should look for a more consistent bat.
* Yankees To Sign Eric Milton Eric Milton, remember him? The AP is reporting that he is set to rejoin the Yankees after working out at the team's minor league complex. The 33 year-old lefty had Tommy John surgery in June of last year. He's said to be six weeks away from pitching in games, and the Yankees have 2009 in mind as well. Milton was a top prospect in the Yankees' system back in the late nineties before being traded to the Twins in the Chuck Knoblauch deal. He never pitched above Double A in the Yankee organization.
*Yankees Considering Sexson? From Joel Sherman of the New York Post: The Yankee problems against lefty pitching are so dire that they will meet in the next day or so to determine whether to make a play for Richie Sexson, Hardball has learned. The Yankees have a .729 OPS against southpaws this year, which ranks 7th in the American League. Sexson has a 1.045 OPS against lefties this year, but it's only been 70 plate appearances. He was nothing special against lefties in 2006-07. Peter Abraham offers his take on the idea of signing Sexson over at his blog.
* Yankees Unlikely To Sign Sabathia This Winter? Newsday's Ken Davidoff has an interesting take on the Yankees' chances of signing CC Sabathia this winter. He finds the Yankees an unlikely match for the big lefty, for a couple of reasons. By Davidoff's estimate, the Yankees will have over $60MM off the books for '09 even if they bring back Jason Giambi and Andy Pettitte. Breaking off a third of that for Sabathia wouldn't seem to be an issue, but that does not seem to be Brian Cashman's preference. Davidoff puts the chances of Cashman re-signing at about 65%, by the way. The other issue is Sabathia's preference. Sabathia has some talkative friends, because they're always being anonymously quoted. Davidoff talked to "two people familiar with his thinking," who see him choosing the NL and the West Coast. The Dodgers are named as his first choice. Perhaps the Yankees will sign a decent starting pitcher who does not require a $100MM outlay - Derek Lowe or Ryan Dempster, for example.
Sure would be nice if some of the youngster pitchers showed something this year... Hughes and Kennedy. Maybe it really would not matter much about a big FA pitcher. Ugh.
Reality is we have a lot of solid young and injury recovering arms from the last two drafts plus trades in our farm system. So, I too dont think we should overspend on these FA guys. Personally, if I would do it, it would be for a lefty SP or RP more than any other, but if we can just bide our time I think our farm system will have us set for arms for many years. Me either really.....one guy I liked was Tony Clark when we had him coming off the bench and reserve 1B. I still think about his "ground-rule" double in Fenway in 2004, that if it didnt hop over the wall would have secured a victory instead of the reverse sweep!!!! aggggggh!
baby steps...baby steps...... Like what I am seeing....not getting ahead of ourselves right now.....I like it. 3 back of WC 4 1/2 of Division put one foot in front of the other.....
