Pineda Mows Down 16 O's in Yankees' 20th Win

photo courtesy of usatoday.com

Michael Pineda's Major League career has been and up and down journey threw injuries, pine tar suspensions, and high expectations. There was a lot of outrage among Yankees fans in January, 2012 when he was acquired for the Yankees top hitting prospect Jesus Montero. Fans had heard for so long that Montero would be an offensive superstar, the deal came as a shock, even to those of who liked the idea of obtaining Pineda from Seattle. (Keep in mind I was also thrilled when the Yankees acquired Jeff Weaver.)

The outrage got amped up when Pineda missed all of 2012 and 2013, due to shoulder surgery, without ever having thrown a baseball in a Yankees regular season game. Meanwhile in Seattle, Montero hit 15 home runs and drove in 62 runs for the 2012 Mariners in his first full season in the Majors.

Much has changed since then though and on a sunny, Mother's Day in the Bronx on Sunday, Pineda made it clear who the trade has worked out better for in the long run. The 26-year old struck out 16 Baltimore Orioles in a 7-inning stint as the Yankees won their 20th game of the season. (The team's best 32-game start since 2010.)

Due to injuries, Pineda was limited to 76.1 innings in 2014, but posted a 1.89 ERA and struck out seven batters per nine innings. With the 6-2 win over Baltimore, Pineda raised his record to 5-0, lowered his ERA to 2.72 and raised his K's per nine innings to 10.49. Montero, meanwhile, waits for his call at Triple-A Tacoma, a season after he had a dispute with a team scout who sent ice cream during a game to the out-of-shape Montero.

With injuries to Ivan Nova and Masahiro Tanaka, and CC Sabathia not pitching like the ace he once was, Pineda has become the de facto ace of the team. The Yankees are 6-1 in Pineda's seven starts, 14-11 when someone else has toed the rubber in the 1st inning. Pineda's most remarkable stat has to be the 18:1 strikeout to walk ratio he has posted in 46.1 innings. He has issued just three free passes this season and only one in his last four starts.

Pineda tied David Cone for the team record for strikeouts by a right-handed pitcher in a single start.

Yankees to Change Name to Butchers

While there has been much talk in the media about the campaign/pressure to get the Washington Redskins to change their team name, the New York Yankees name change has gone ignored.

Yes, the one time Highlanders are now to be known as the New York Butchers. It has nothing to do with the many butcher shops there have been over the years in the Big Apple. No, this has to do with the 2014 Yankees' exceptional job at butchering baseball games. Last night's 5-2 loss to the Houston Astros was another example of the Yankees turning a victory into a loss.

The last time that happened was, well, the night before. So the Yankees take the field Thursday afternoon hoping to salvage the finale of a three game series with a young Astros team that suddenly doesn't look like the doormats of the American League. Then again, the Yankees make most teams look good.

Michael Pineda was grooving last night. Handed a 2-0 lead, he didn't allow a hit until the 4th inning and departed, with a 2-1 lead, after he walked the lead off man in the 7th. That's when Joe Girardi made a call to the Butcher Shop bullpen. Moments later, David Huff and Esmil Rogers had turned a possible win into another damaging loss.

Forget the A.L. East - the Yankees are 9.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles - the Yankees are now five games out of the second wild card spot amd have three teams (Mariners, Blue Jays, Indians) in between them and the holders of the second wild card, Detroit.

The Yankees startering pitching put in decent efforts over the last six games; They held opponents to 2.29 runs per game and averaged nearly 8.5 K's per nine innings. Despite the solid efforts, the team won just twice in those half dozen games. While the defense has improved, the once reliable bullpen has been anything but reliable and the hitters have continued to not produce runs. (The lineup might actually hit better with a meat cleaver.)

The Yankees season is sinking faster than the Titanic, and the ship's captain, Derek Jeter, will depart MLB without making the playoffs for two consecutive years. That will be one first he does not want.

Tanaka Tosses, Thornton Tossed

Every time you hear the name Masahiro Tanaka, you are at once hopeful and also want to curl up in a fetal position. The expensive Japanese import was having a phenomenal first season in Major League Baseball when he felt something wrong in his very valuable right elbow. If you listen closely you can still hear the cries of "Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" echoing throughout the country after his last start on July 8.

Tanaka had been taking it easy since then, but threw 25 baseballs (correction - previously reported as 50) in a light and easy game of catch on Monday. Today, Tuesday, he followed up with another 50 throws. Hopefully he'll feel as good as he did yesterday when he wakes up tomorrow morning after back-to-back efforts.

GM Brian Cashman's nails must be bitten down to the cuticle as he sees one of his starting pitchers after another fall to the wayside. David Phelps was the latest injury victim when he was diagnosed with elbow inflammation after his short start this past Sunday. He was placed on the 15-day DL forcing the Yankees to once again maneuver things around to put someone in the rotation to take his place.

Chase Whitley should not be that choice. We've seen how that experiment went downhill after a great start. Michael Pineda should not be rushed back either. He's just beginning to ramp up his throwing rehab. David Huff could be moved into that spot or Cashman might find someone on the waiver wire.

There has been a shift in the bullpen as well. Matt Thornton got one out in Monday night's game and was headed to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. The Yankees placed Thornton on waivers and the Washington Nationals scooped him and the $4MM he'll paid next season. Veteran Rich Hill will take his place for now, while Cashman looks for a more viable replacement. Either way, the Yankees have some extra cash to play with.

There's already been talk by members of the media that the Yankees will promote their first pick (2nd round) in June's amateur draft, Jacob Lindgren, to fill the void. The Mississippi State University product was promoted to Double-A Trenton on Tuesday after one game in the Gulf Coast League, four games at Single-A Charleston, and six games at Advanced-A Tampa.

One look at the 5'11" southpaw's stats and it's easy to see why the Yankees and the media are thinking the 21-year old could join the team this year. What stands out the most are 30 strikeouts in 13.1 innings pitched. While he's averaged over 20 K's per nine innings, Lindgren has walked just four batters, meaning that not to many opponents have put the bat on the ball and put it in fair play when they did make contact. But before declaring Lindgren as a star as making, remember that he's not facing David Ortiz or a young Justin Morneau. Hopefully the Yankees keep that in mind when it comes to deciding if Lindgren should be fast-tracked.

Steinbrenners to Introduce GeorgeCare

A view you may not see again this year.

Yankees' Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner announced earlier today that the team is rolling out new healthcare legislation, "GeorgeCare", due to the rash of injuries the team has suffered this season. The new legislation will allow the Yankees to carry a 50-man active roster and fans will receive rebates every time Matt Thornton pitches or Kelly Johnson bobbles a ball at first base.

All kidding aside, the Yankees are a physical mess right now and there is no hope in sight for a healthy turnaround.

The death knell to the season may have come when it was discovered that Masahiro Tanaka had a slight tear of his Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL). Tanaka will be out a minimum of six weeks, and Tommy John surgery has not been ruled out of his future.

The injury leaves Hiroki Kuroda as the only starting pitcher left from the five man rotation the Yankees hoped to trot out to the pitcher's mound.  CC Sabathia has been out since mid-May due to a degenerative knee injury; Michael Pineda was DL'ed on May 6, when he felt pain in the area below his right shoulder, and Ivan Nova, who looked to have returned to his 2011 form in the second half of last season, went down early to Tommy John surgery. And then the big blow to the season came with the loss of Tanaka, who was among the league leaders in all positive pitching categories.

Unless a decision is made prior to that, if Tanaka needs surgery and doesn't have the operation until August or September, there goes the entire 2015 season and probably part of 2016.  For now David Phelps, Shane Greene, and Brandon McCarthy are in the rotation, along with Kuroda. But who will be joining them?

Chase Whitley started out fantastically, but crashed back to Earth in his last three starts (17 earned runs in 10.1 innings pitched). He did pick up the win in relief on Wednesday when the Yankees topped the Indians 4-2 in 14 innings.

Left-hander David Huff has pitched fairly effectively out of the bullpen and is a former starter, though he has only started six games since 2011.  (Two with the Yankees last year and four with the Indians in 2012.)

The Yankees added another left-hander to the mix Friday when they acquired Jeff Francis from the Oakland A's for a player to be named later. Francis had been designated for assignment on July 3 after he had allowed nine earned runs in 13.1 innings pitched. Francis pitched through shoulder pain for the Colorado Rockies in 2008 and missed the entire 2009 season after he underwent shou7lder surgery. He's never regained the effectiveness he had in 2006-2007, when he averaged 15 wins and a 4.19 ERA, with his home games played in hitter-friendly Coors Field.

The Yankees lineup is suffering too. Carlos Beltran has been a walking disaster area. He missed time due to a bone spur in his elbow and a strained hamstring.  Then during batting practice on Wednesday, Beltran fouled a ball into the cage. It ricocheted back into his face, causing two small facial fractures. He was placed on the 7-day disabled list to check for a concussion as well. So far, the three-year deal given to Beltran is a complete bust.

The trade deadline (July 31) will be coming up before you know it. The Yankees always go for the gold, but do they sell instead this year? If their still floundering in three weeks, it might be for the best to try to deal some players. David Robertson will be a free agent after this season. He can always come back, so why not trade him to a team willing to pay a heavy price for one of the better relievers in baseball.

Though his hitting hasn't been tremendous, Brian Roberts has stayed healthy and could be traded for a minor prospect or two. See if Hiroki Kuroda is willing to waive his no-trade clause. Perhaps a reunion with the Los Angeles Dodgers could be in the offing.

Who should build/rebuild this team?

You never know when injuries will strike, but there's a greater chance with older players. Combined with the lack of top prospects at the top tier of the farm system, and you can see why it maybe time for Brian Cashman and the scouting department to be under more scrutiny. Cashman has been creative, at times, in building a team, but the putrid play the last two seasons have shown that maybe it's time someone else was the team's foreman.

The Yankees Ship Exited April in 1st Place, But Not Without Some Leaks

Masahiro Tanaka was better than advertisted in April.

It wasn't a perfect first month of the season for the New York Yankees, but after April 30's scheduled game with the Seattle Mariners was rained out, they ended the month with a 15-11 record and a 2.5 game lead over Baltimore for first place in the AL East.

The month did not come without its bumps and bruises, and unfortunately for the Yankees, they've hit where they could hurt the most. The first blow came when Ivan Nova had three bad starts in his four appearances. While everyone wondered if it was mechanics, velocity, or just a slow start, the truth was much worse. Nova had torn the Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) in his right elbow and had season-ending Tommy John surgery.

For the moment, second year pitcher Vidal Nuno has taken Nova's spot in the rotation. Nuno was solid in threes starts last season and the Yankees are going to need him to be as good this year. The rotation took a another hit when Michael Pineda was caught cheating and suspended for 10 days, and then strained his back. Pineda was seen with pine tar on his right hand in a start against Boston on April 10. He explained afterwards that it was dirt, which everyone knew it wasn't.

It was clear that Pineda was trying to get a better grip on the ball, but the Red Sox didn't complain because they know how prevalent cheating is among the pitchers in Major League Baseball. On top of that, the Red Sox starter that night, Clay Buchholz, is one of the pitchers that is rumored to be a walking medicine cabinet of salves and ointments.

To the untrained eye, it didn't appear that Pineda used any aids whe he threw six shutout innings to beat the Chicago Cubs in his next start. But on a chilly night in Boston on April 23, Pineda went to the well, or pine tar, once too often. To make matters worse, he made no effort to hide what he had done. Red Sox manager John Farrell sad after the game that he didn't want to say anything to the umpires, but it was so blatant he really had no choice. A big smear of pine tar shone on the side of  Pineda's neck. An ejection and a 10-game suspension followed, but Pineda's tale of woe was not complete.

During a simulated game, Pineda felt pain in his lat muscle and went for an MRI. It turned out to be a Grade 1 strain of the teres major muscle, an injury with much more potential danger than a strained lat. It's part of a group of muscles that supports the shoulder. That's not good news for a pitcher who missed all of the 2012 and 2013 seasons after undergoing surgery for a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Pineda, off to a 2-2, 1.83 start, will be out for 3-4 weeks. Considering his past shoulder issues, that could be a conservative estimate. David Phelps will take his first turn in the rotation and could move into the spot until Pineda gets back.

With CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda struggling to find consistency, Masahiro Tanaka has been a Godsend. The Japanese star has been nothing less than outstanding in his first month in the big leagues. His final start of the month, against the Los Angeles Angeles, was probably the best proof of what Tanaka is made of. After four starts, in which he had 35 strikeouts and two walks in 29.1 innings, the right-hander struggled with his control against the Halos. He walked four and allowed five hits in 6.1 innings, but a double play and 11 strikeouts helped keep the Angels to two runs. Though he didn't figure in the decision, the Yankees eventually won 3-2. Tanaka finished the month 3-0, 2.26 with 11 K's per nine innings pitched.

The other big free agent signings had mixed results in their first season in the Bronx. Jacoby Ellsbury was oustanding. The former Red Sox center fielder put together a .312/.369/.452 line with eight stolen bases in 10 attempts. He also scored 14 runs and had nine multi-hit games, including four games with three hits.

Carlos Beltran slugged five home runs, drove in 13 runs, scored 11, and finished with an .826 OPS.

The transition at the plate wasn't as smooth for new catcher Brian McCann. He exited April with a .620 OPS, that included a month-ending 2-20 slide.

Rookie utility infield Yangervis Solarte was the surprise of the month after winning the final spot out of Spring Training. Solarte posted a 1.007 OPS after 15 games and drove in 13 runs.

The Yankees bullpen did an outstanding job for much of the month, which included filling in for an injured David Robertson. Shawn Kelley, David Phelps, and Adam Warren combined for six saves.

Yankees: Pain, Rain, and The Stain

Tuesday night's Spring-Winter schizophrenic rain/snow storm wiped out the Yankees first of two with the Chicago Cubs. A day-night doubleheader (really a pair of single games with different start times and an akward reference) is scheduled for today, Wednesday. If you can only make it to one, choose the 1:00 p.m. start. It's plenty cold out, but you will not be warm tonight.

Just like the weather, the Yankees have had some ups and downs the first month of the season. But after they took three of four from Boston, the semi-Bronx Bombers were tied for first place in the AL East with a 7-6 record. However, it hasn't come without a price.  Mark Teixeira got hurt about two seconds into the season and hopes to return from a hamstring injury on May 1.

Francisco Cervelli is well acquainted with the DL. He'll have plenty of time to treat his Grade-2 hamstring strain, after being placed on the 60-day DL for the injury he suffered Sunday night. It remains to be seen if the injury is that bad or if the Yankees just had to find a way of opening spots on the 40-man roster. John Ryan Murphy, formerly known as J.R. Murphy (against his will), was called up to back up Brian McCann. He should get the start in tonight's game.

In addition to Cervelli, Derek Jeter missed the last two games against Boston with a sore quad, Brian Roberts sat out with a sore lower back, and McCann took a Red Sox ricochet off his hand.

Tests came back negative on McCann and he's in the lineup for the first game on Wednesday. Jeter is not, but is expected to play the nightcap. Roberts has not been DL'ed, but is not expected to play at all today. Roberts told the media he could "...play if needed", but is on pain meds and Joe Girardi wants him to have additional rest. The Yankees brought up Scott Sizemore and he's got the start at third base this afternoon, while Yangervis Solarte will play second base. Dean Anna (shortstop) and Kelly Johnson (first base) fill out the rest of the infield.

David Robertson feels he is on track to return from the DL on April 22. Robertson has been sidelined with a strained groin since April 7. Shawn Kelley and David Phelps have picked up saves in his absence.

All eyes will be on Michael Pineda tonight, after he was accused by the media of using a substance on his pitching hand in his last start. Pineda had, what appeared to be, pine tar on his pitching hand for part of last Thursday's start against Boston. The substance disappeared after it was discussed on the game's broadcast.

The Red Sox made no accusations of cheating, primarily because their own pitcher that night, Clay Buchholz, has been rumored to use several substances during a game. With only circumstantial evidence, MLB decided not to mete out any punishment.

Yankees Aim To Give The Captain One More Ring (D4A)

Key Acquisitions: Masahiro Tanaka, Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann

Key Losses: Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson

The 2013 New York Yankees season was rife with poor performance, injuries, moves made in desperation, steroid allegations, and a roster of maybes, has-beens, and never-weres. Owner Hal Steinbrenner wanted general manager Brian Cashman to get payroll under control so that the team would fit under the 2014 luxury tax threshold of $189MM. With injuries and payroll cuts, sub-par players like catcher Chris Stewart and journeyman infielders like Reid Brignac and Luis Cruz littered the 25-man roster last season.

Manager Joe Girardi did his best to push all the right buttons, but many days he simply ran out of buttons to push. The team managed to rack up 85 wins and finished in third place the AL East, but their record fell well short of a playoff appearance. It was just the second time since 1995 that the Yankees missed the post-season.

With Derek Jeter's announcement that this will be his final season, the moves made by the Yankees this off-season could give him one final chance to add to his championship ring collection (He has five).  More importantly, Jeter needs to remain healthy after ankle and quad injuries limited him to 17 games in 2013.

The Yankees upgraded at catcher when they signed veteran Brian McCann to a five-year deal worth $85MM. The former Atlanta Brave hit 20 or more home runs during the last six seasons and should enjoy swinging at the short porch in right field this year.

Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, a member of the Boston Red Sox 2013 World Series championship, was persuaded to put on the pinstripes with a seven- year deal in excess of $152MM. (The deal could earn Ellsbury close to $169 if the Yankees exercise an 8th-year option.) There's no question that the Yankees overpaid for a player who has missed more games than he has played in two of the last four seasons and suffered a calf injury during the current Spring Training season. But, if healthy, he can steal 50 bases and hit 10-15 home runs.

Read the rest of the preview for Free at Designated For Assignment

Tanaka Gets the Green Light

After weeks of the Japanese media reporting that Masahiro Tanaka would or wouldn't be posted by the Rakuten Golden Eagles, the right-hander got the go ahead to play baseball in the U.S. Now the crazy begins.

The Yankees are expected to back up the Brinks' truck to land Tanaka and make him a long term fixture in their rotation. They'll have plenty of competition from the Red Sox, Cubs, Angels, and whoever else wants to throw their hat in the ring, but the Yankees are expected to blow away the competition with the numbers preceding six zeroes.

The Steinbrenners and GM Brian Cashman have been counting on the 25-year old Tanaka playing in the Major Leagues to shove the team back in the right direction after a disastrous 2013 campaign and get younger in the process as well.

If the Yankees win out, Tanaka would join CC Sabathia (33), Hiroki Kuroda (39), and Ivan Nova (27 next month) in the rotation. The fifth and final spot would likely come down to a competition between Michael Pineda, David Phelps, Adam Warren, Vidal Nuno and anyone else who wants to throw their fastball into the ring.

Tanaka's contract is expected to leave Yu Darvish's six-year, $56MM deal with Texas in the dust. The Yankees could work some side deals as well to for Tanaka's wife, Mai Satoda, who is a Japanese pop singer. "Hey, would you like to play Madison Garden or the Barclays Center?" They should also use Kuroda and Hideki Matsui to recruit the native of  Itami, Hyōgo Prefecture.

Tanaka played for Rakuten in the Nippon Professional Baseball league for seven seasons, compiling a 99-35 mark in 175 career games.  (All but three of which were starts.) Tanaka's performance this past season was phenomenal - he went 24-0 in 27 starts plus a relief appearance. Known as "Makun" or "Ma" by his teammates, the 6'2" righty allowed 30 earned runs (1.27 ERA), 168 hits, walked 30 and struck out 183 in 212 innings pitched. And it wasn't only the second best season of his career.

Two years ago he posted the same ERA in 226.1 innings with 241 strikeouts, 27 walks and 171 hits. His 0.875 WHIP topped the 0.943 from this past season. It sounds like Tanaka has the right mental toughness for the Big Apple. He threw 160 pitches in a complete game loss in the sixth game of the Japanese Championship Series, then came back to save Game 7 the next day with a 15-pitch performance. Tanaka normally throws a fastball that tops out at 96 mph. He was still throwing 92-94 mph in the series finale.

Understandably, after watching a pitcher like Daisuke Matsuzaka wear down in the Major Leagues you have to be concerned about those 160 pitch games. One Major League scout said as much to the NY Times' David Waldstein back in November. Coming to the US in his mid-20's, Tanaka may actually have a much longer career than had he stayed in Japan, since warning bells and whistles (figuratively) go off when a pitcher throws his 100th delivery in a Major League game.

A team like the Yankees should also take special care after watching CC Sabathia's deterioration after many years of high pitch counts and 200+ innings pitched. But that's all for another day. While some slept last night with visions of sugar plum fairies dancing in their heads, Cashman and other GMs dreamt of a Japanese pitcher dancing on the mound in the seventh game of the World Series.

Merry Christmas to all and to all good luck. Masahiro Tanaka certainly doesn't need it right now!

Time to Take a Look at the Yankees Bank Account

With the addition of Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran, and Brian McCann, and the return of Hiroki Kuroda, the Yankees purse strings have tightened up a bit.

So far this is roughly the impact of the players under contract on the luxury tax:

Derek Jeter: $12.81MM
Alex Rodriguez: $27.5MM
Mark Teixeira: $22.5MM
Alfonso Soriano $4MM
Vernon Wells: $0
Brian McCann: $17MM
Jacoby Ellsbury: $21.857MM
Carlos Beltran: $15MM
Hiroki Kuroda: $16MM
Ichiro Suzuki: $6.5MM
CC Sabathia: $24.4MM
Kelly Johnson: $3MM
Brendan Ryan: $1.6667MM

Add in about $11MM for insurance and the Yankees total, with A-Rod, is $183.233MM. Suddenly the luxury tax limit of $189MM is crushing. Since there is no immediate resolution to A-Rod's appeal hearing the Yankees have no choice but to operate as if the lightning rod will be part of the 25 man roster in 2014.

That means that if the Yankees have less than $6MM to spend and need 12 more players on the roster. Which is the reason the Yankees are shopping Ichiro Suzuki and Brett Gardner. The big ticket free agent signings are over for this year and the Yankees will now need to look to trades, from within the organization, and minor free agents to fill out the roster. Should one or both outfielders get dealt it could create an opening for Zoilo Almonte, who had impressed the Yankees the last two spring trainings and in 34 big league games.

Among the players still to be added to the roster are:

Ivan Nova
David Robertson
Shawn Kelley
Brett Gardner or a replacement if dealt.
Francisco Cervelli or Austin Romine
A left-handed reliever (possibly Cesar Cabral)
A 4th and 5th starter - one of which may come from David Phelps, Adam Warren, Vidal Nuno, or Michael Pineda. If Pineda is healthy he would be the ideal choice.

That would still leave four roster spots, five if they release Wells even though he has no luxury tax impact. If Ichiro is dealt, probably for low level prospects/non-prospects, that would take $6.5MM off the books. Gardner is arbitration eligible and would like get $3.5MM - $4MM.

The Rumor Mill

A report came out on Monday that the Yankees were looking into Twins free agent and ex-Met starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey. To say the reaction from the fans was pure rage would be an understatement. Letting Phil Hughes walk and replacing him with Pelfrey would be utter nonsense. (I'm keeping it clean)

The Indians are reportedly shopping Justin Masterson who made over $5.6MM last season and is arbitration eligible. Masterson made his first All-Star appearance this past season and you can expect he'll get a healthy increase, one that would be out of the Yankees range of spending.

Yankees Need A Year Without A-Rod To Re-Boot

Whether you support, condemn, or are indifferent about Alex Rodriguez, the New York Yankees would be better off without the controversial slugger and the millions he is owed for 2014. Because of the Steinbrenner's initiative to get the 2014 salary below the new $189MM luxury tax max, the Yankees won't have a lot of wiggle room to construct next year's squad with or without A-Rod.

With Derek Jeter's recent one-year, $12MM deal, the Yankees have about $80MM (You have to include approximately $11MM for insurance and other associated costs - costs) to fill out the remainder of the roster for next season. That's not much money to bolster the starting pitching, get an upgrade at catcher, get a starting outfielder, and strengthen the bench. Imagine how much easier it will be to accomplish that feat if A-Rod's luxury tax impact was reduced to $2.5MM from its current $27.5MM.

Below are the seven Yankees under contract with their current adjusted salaries based on the amount used to calculate the luxury tax. Even though Vernon Wells is owed approximately $2.4MM by the Yankees, nothing goes towards the luxury tax since the Angels are picking up over $18MM of his 2014 salary. Which should also make it easier to move the one-time All-Star somewhere else. 

The luxury tax impact of the seven signed players is $97.71MM.

Derek Jeter $12.81MM
Alex Rodriguez $27.5MM
Mark Teixeira $22.5MM
Alfonso Soriano $4MM
Vernon Wells $0
Ichiro Suzuki $6.5MM
CC Sabathia $24.4MM

I'll now construct the rest of the team with the assumption that A-Rod will not be part of the 2014 squad. That means that I have about $107.5MM to work with.

The other elephant in the room besides A-Rod is Robinson Cano, the topper in this year's free agent class. The front office is reportedly interested in free agent second baseman Omar Infante as a possible substitute should they lose their best player and it's also been reported that they have initially "kicked the tires" on Reds' second baseman Brandon Phillips. (When a rumor spread about two weeks ago that Phillips might be on the trading block, I knew it was just a matter of time before we would all hear the Yankees might be interested.)

The Yankees have to do their due diligence in case they do lose Cano to another team, but they are also trying to send out a little scare to the Dominican native that they might go elsewhere if the free agent's asking price is too high.

10 years and $300MM is what Cano is supposed to want; he won't get it from the Yankees or any other team. 7 years? That's a possibility, but it's still unlikely to be at $30MM annually.  That being said, it is not likely that another team signs Cano, so I'll go with the notion that his 2014 paychecks will add up to $27.5MM and will be paid for by the bank of Steinbrenner.

Just like that, I am back to the $80MM figure and seven players on the 25 man roster. Time to add some players, so I'll hand out new one year deals to the following players (Amounts are guesstimated):

Brett Gardner $3.5MM (arb eligible - made $2.85MM in 2013)
Ivan Nova $625K (pre-arb eligible - made $575.6K in 2013)
David Robertson $5MM (arb eligible - made $3.1MM in 2013)
Shawn Kelley $2MM (arb eligible - made $935K in 2013)

That leaves about $68.875MM in the company's vaults. With A-Rod out of the picture, I sign Mark Reynolds to a one-year, $5MM (2nd year option for $7.5MM with a $2MM buyout) to play third base and to back up Mark Teixeira at first base. $63.875 left in payroll and I haven't addressed the starting rotation or catcher spot yet. (The Yankees are also considering the possibility of bringing back Eric Chavez, who spent last season with the Diamondbacks.)

Austin Romine looked good in the second half of the season and will hopefully be fully recovered from the concussion he suffered in September.  He's my backup catcher and will make the league minimum of $500K. That's a $10K increase from 2013 as laid out in the collective bargaining agreement and 13 players on the 25-man roster.

As for the starting catcher position, I’m cutting ties with Francisco Cervelli. Youngsters John Murphy, Gary Sanchez, etc. aren't ready for the big leagues yet, so the Yankees need a veteran catcher. There are three primary free agent catchers that will garner the most attention. Atlanta's Brian McCann, Chicago White Sox' A.J. Pierzynski, and the Boston Red Sox Jarrod Saltalamacchia. None of the three are necessarily the answer to the Yankees' needs.

McCann and Saltalamacchia will be looking for long term deals, while the soon-to-be 37-year old Pierzynski would be more of a stop gap measure. McCann is by far the best hitter of the trio. He has 20 or more home runs for six straight seasons and averaged 21 over the last eight years. McCann has an .823 lifetime OPS, but was under .700 two years ago and a tad under .800 this past season. 

He had surgery in October, 2012 for a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder that impacted the 2012 season and didn't return until early May this year. Having made $12MM last year, McCann will most certainly looking for a 3-5-year deal that averages out to that amount or higher. The Yankees shouldn't commit to that.

Saltalamacchia had a career best .804 OPS in 2013 for the World Champion Red Sox, but prior to that was a below average hitter with some power (25 HR in '12). He's a decent game caller, but base runners go wild on him - opponents stole 89 bases in 110 tries when Salty was catching last season. His bat is too unreliable to give him multiple years.

The Yankees reportedly have concerns about Pierzynski's overall defense and a player who has thrown out 25% of runners for his career isn't going to get better as he approaches 40-years of age. Pierzynski's timing was perfect in 2012 when he had one of the best offensive seasons of his career (tops in HR, OPS, and RBI), but nonetheless he had to settle for a one-year deal. His OPS nosedived more than 100 points in his first season with Texas this past season, most of it due to a precipitous drop in slugging pct.

I would also avoid another free agent, Carlos Ruiz. The Phillies catcher had the best year of his career offensively in 2012, but then was suspended 25 games to start the 2013 season for amphetamine use. He'll be 35 when the season starts and will be looking for an increase over the $5MM he made in '13.

So if the Yankees don't go with one of the main three, where do they turn? The Yankees should look short term/stop gap and they can look at someone who formerly donned the Pinstripes, Dioner Navarro. The Venezuela native will turn 30 shortly before Spring Training and is coming off one of the best offensive seasons of his career (13 HR, .300/.365.492 split). The free agent made $1.75MM last year with the Cubs, and could be had for $2.5MM - $3M annually. Navarro is average at throwing out base runners, but at that price, go for it. He'll come a lot cheaper than Pierzynski, though I'll keep the veteran on the back burner as "Plan B".

With the $3MM I am generously giving to Navarro that leaves $60.375MM as I turn my attention to the starting rotation.

Where does the rest of the starting rotation come from? A lot will depend on whether or not Hiroki Kuroda decides to return. He made $15MM last year and was the ace of the staff, save for the month of September when he ran out of gas. Kuroda already turned down the Yankees qualifying offer of $14.1MM and general manager Brian Cashman has stated he has had no indication whether Kuroda wants to play in the Major Leagues in 2014.

With the qualifier turned down, Kuroda will be looking for more than the $15MM he earned last season. The Yankees are reportedly willing to give a minimal increase, so I'll sign Kuroda for $16.5MM for 2014. (I would rather let him walk at that price, but I see the Yankees getting that type of deal done.)

All right, that leaves $43.875MM in the coffers and two rotation spots yet to fill. There have been several reports that the Yankees are going to go all out to get Japanese native Masahiro Tanaka. First, MLB and the Japanese Baseball League have to work out some things with the posting system. According to Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan, MLB is trying to lower the amount of money sent to Japan. As you would expect, the new strategy has been met with much resistance.

Whenever an agreement is reached, the bid on Tanaka is supposed to be higher than that of current star Yu Darvish and former Red Sox World Series champion Daisuke Matsuzaka. The good news is that whatever system they came up with, the posting bid will NOT count against the luxury tax. So let's say the Yankees win the bid to negotiate a contract with the 25-year old. Darvish's deal with Texas paid him $5.5MM in 2012, $9.5MM in 2013, $10MM for the next three years and $11MM in the final year of the six year deal.

I'll say the Yankees create a similar deal that will pay Tanaka $7.5MM in 2014, $10.5 in 2015, etc. We really don't care about the (likely) three years to follow that.  That's four pitchers in the rotation and $36.375MM with one starter still needed.

The Yankees could go with Michael Pineda for the final spot, with competition from David Phelps and Adam Warren.  Manny Banuelos could provide competition at some point, though it's not likely he'll be guns blazing in Spring Training after having gone through Tommy John surgery in October, 2012. I am going to assume that it's all systems go with Pineda and give him $550,000 to lower what's left to $35.825.

Should the Yankees not bring back Kuroda and/or lose out on Tanaka, they are rumored to be interested in free agent Ubaldo Jimenez, who had a 1.82 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 84 second half innings in 2013.

Before I go anything further, since there's no luxury tax impact, I am going to get rid of Vernon Wells while I can. His tank keeps getting lower and lower to the point that the needle is just about completely on "E".

Okay back the bullpen, which currently has Robertson and Kelley, Phelps, Warren, and lefty Cesar Cabral gives the team five decent to very good pitchers. The combined salary for the latter trio is $1.525MM

What to do with Eduardo Nunez? The average bat, great speed, can't-keep-his-helmet-on, stone-handed fielder suddenly looked like an All-Star when he manned third base for 13 games in September. He had his best month at the plate with an .808 OPS and committed two errors in 120 innings. However, he still was under .700 for total season OPS. He turns 27 in the middle of next season, but he should be wearing a different uniform at the time.

So who does back up the infield? Brendan Ryan, that's who. Until you see a guy every day you just can't appreciate how well they can or cannot play. In Ryan's case, his fielding was even better than advertised when the Yankees picked him up last season. He has tremendous range, great footwork, and a hell of an arm. The drawback, of course, is that he cannot hit. I mean he really can't hit. His lifetime .619 OPS looks like a mistake, but in this case, you think it would be lower. But the Yankees don't need him to hit; they need him to get every baseball to his left or right or right at him and throw a runner out. A two year deal at $2.5MM per year should do it. (He made over $3MM in 2013, but that ain't happening while I am GM....)

I'm down to $40.59MM and need two outfielders. MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reported earlier today that the Yankees have their radar aimed squarely on Carlos Beltran. The 36-year old has been a post-season phenomenon and hasn't been too bad during the regular season either. Beltran made $13MM each of the last two seasons. If the Yankees land him, it will take (IMHO) $15MM per year for two guaranteed years. The biggest question will be if Beltran wants to return to the city that he had his ups and downs across town?

The Yankees also have an interest in Shin-Soo Choo, but different sources have his agent, Scott Boras, seeking to top Hunter Pence's 5-year, $90MM deal or Jayson Werth's 7-year, $126MM contract. The latter is absurd, as was Werth's deal, so I wouldn't count on seeing Choo in a Yankees uniform.

Therefore, Carlos Beltran, I give you this check for $15MM and lower my checkbook balance to $25.5M. We got our starting infield - Teixeira, Cano, Jeter, Reynolds; our starting outfield - Soriano, Gardner, Beltran; a veteran catcher, five starting pitchers, five relievers, and a bench of Ryan, Ichiro, and Romine.

I'm going to add Zoilo Almonte to the outfield mix at the Major League minimum, and that leaves three spots open. D-Rob is a great reliever, an even better person, but I don't have the faith in his durability to make him the closer. His arm doesn't respond well to back to back outings, so I am going after another free agent to close. The closer I have in mind is Joe Nathan, who turned down the Texas Rangers option to become a free agent. I highly prefer him over another free agent, Fernando Rodney, despite the latter's success the last two years.

Nathan made $7MM annually the last two seasons with Texas. I am going to hand him a 2-year, $20MM deal, possibly containing an optional third year/buyout.  Plan 'B' would be to try to reacquire Rafael Soriano from the Washington Nationals.

I've got about $17MM to fill the last two spots on the team - another guy for the bullpen and another player for the bench.

There you have it. In my fantasy baseball payroll I even get to go home with extra money.

Steinbrenners Must Decide: Pass or Play

The Yankees need their big man to come through in the clutch.

The All-Star break has arrived and the New York Yankees are slowly fading into the sunset or AL East basement. If not for the underachieving Toronto Blue Jays, the Yankees would already be dwelling in the place where no Yankee has finished since 1990. That team won just 67 games and finished last among seven teams. It's remarkable that entering Sunday's play the Yankees were only six games out of first place.

It's all well and good that the Steinbrenners want to meet a $189MM payroll goal next year, but they have to decide what to do this year. Either make moves, somewhat regardless of salary implications, to try to make the playoffs or sell parts and start to build next year's team.

Injuries and salaries have hamstrung the current squad and the chances of getting those injured players back are getting less and less probable. Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis are already out for the year. Derek Jeter came back after missing the entire season and immediately got hurt with a different injury. Will his second half be a wash or will he contribute? 

Curtis Granderson broke a forearm when he was hit by a pitch, then it was his finger's turn when he came back and got hit by another pitch. He has just gotten the go ahead to take dry swings. A return in mid-August seems to be the likeliest scenario..

Francisco Cervelli appeared to be very close to a return from a broken hand when an old elbow injury acted up. He's also facing possible suspension due to the Biogenesis case.  Speaking of which, Alex Rodriguez is on a slow road back from his second off-season hip surgery and may be hit with a whopper of a suspension. Rumors came out on Sunday that A-Rod was working a plea deal with MLB. Considering this is not yet a judicial matter for A-Rod, the term "plea deal" is awfully strange for this process.

The Yankees need help with their lineup, starting rotation, and bullpen. Hiroki Kuroda has emerged as the ace of the staff with CC Sabathia in a #2 or #3 slot. Sabathia is as competitive as ever, but his fastball and pitch location is not what it was. Andy Pettitte has won a couple of games of late, but has struggled for most of the year and has looked more like a #5 starter than a middle of the rotation guy.

Some of the help for the pitching staff could come from within the organization. Ivan Nova has appeared to recapture his 2011 form, but that is based on a small sampling of work. That being said, his last two starts have produced 17 innings pitched, 17 strikeouts and just three runs (1.59 ERA). He's also limited opponents to eight hits and three walks (0.65 WHIP). Nova has allowed nine earned runs in 35.1 innings (2.29 ERA) over his last six appearances, half of which were starts.

The secret weapon/unknown factor could be Michael Pineda, who has returned strong from career threatening shoulder surgery. It appears that Yankees want to take things slowly with their prized possession, acquired from Seattle in the Jesus Montero deal. After a rehab stint, the Yankees activated Pineda and sent him to Scranton to continue his way back to the Major Leagues. The hard throwing right-hander has had mixed results in his two starts. He allowed two runs and struck out seven over five innings in a win against Lehigh Valley, but gave up a pair of home runs and six runs in four innings in a loss to Syracuse.

Then there's Vidal Nuno, who was impressive in Spring Training and made three starts and a couple of relief appearances in April and May. The southpaw allowed four runs over 17 innings in his starts, but won just one of them due to a lack of run support. Unfortunately, he's been out of action since June 8 with a strained groin.

Among the current starters, Phil Hughes continues to look good one moment and bad the next. Sometimes both at the same time as he did Saturday against the Twins in his final start before the All-Star break. Hughes dominated for much of the game, but allowed four runs and three home runs and took a tough loss. Word is that the Yankees are aggressively shopping him and they should. They need to get near-ready prospects or a Major Leaguer in return rather than wait to see if the draft pick they get as compensation when Hughes leaves, will pan out.

David Phelps started out strong, but has struggled of late and ended up on the DL. Phelps could move back to the pen, possibly sharing a long man role with Adam Warren,  or work on his stuff in Scranton, or return to the rotation.  The Yankees might even try Warren as a starter since he's done such a good job in long relief. A lot will depend on how Nova does while Phelps is out or if Hughes is moved.

Brian Cashman could look at the number of pending free agents to supply another starter as well.  There's quite a list of starters that might be available, but not a lot of quality.

Matt Garza: The Cubs right-hander had a stress fracture in his elbow last season and a latissimus dorsi strain during Spring Training this year. He came back seven weeks later and has been an effective member of the Cubs' starting rotation. Garza is 6-1, 3.17 with a 1.141 WHIP and 62 strikeouts in 71 innings pitched. With his  fastball clocked in the mid-90s, the 29-year old is in demand. ESPN's Bruce Levine has Toronto and Texas as the leading candidates to land the former Tampa Bay Ray. Thus far there has not been any indication the Yankees are interested. (At least if the Yankees did get Garza they can rip that ugly as hell goatee off of him.) Whoever does land Garza will pay a hefty price to land him.

Ervin Santana: This guy is one of the biggest enigmas in baseball. One minute he looks like he's pitching likeJohan Santana (Ervin's actual real name) in his hey day with the Twins, the next he's pitching like Carlos Santana...the guitarist not the Indians catcher. He's had two seasons with an ERA above 4.00 and three season over 5.00. He's also had four seasons under 4.00 and once finished 6th in the AL CY Young voting.
Santana is a streaky pitcher in the way some sluggers are streaky home run hitters. It's hard to tell what you'll get out of him from one start to the next. So far he's not available, but I would expect that to change.

Bronson Arroyo: It's hard to believe that Arroyo is 36-years old. It seems like just yesterday he was a young, brash pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and mouthing off to A-Rod. Arroyo's been in Cincinnati eight years now after Theo's Epstein dealt him for Wily Mo Pena. Yes, Epstein would like to forget that deal ever happened. Arroyo is one shy of 100 victories in a Reds uniform and has been a workhorse, averaging better than 200 innings a season. With the Reds in the thick of a pennant race he isn't likely to go anywhere.

Of the three, the Yankees have the best shot at getting Santana.

Unfortunately, the remaining pending free agents are either not available (i.e. Atlanta's Tim Hudson) or aren't any better than what the Yankees have now (Guys like Jorge De La Rosa and Jason Vargas). Another option for Cashman is try to obtain a pitcher currently on a team that is already out of the pennant race. One such pitcher would be John Danks from the Chicago "almost everything must go sale" White Sox. On the plus side, Danks is left-handed, but he is coming off shoulder surgery and is ridiculously overpaid at $14.25MM a year and has three more years on his current contract. No thanks.

Kyle Lohse is on a horrible Brewers team, but is in the first year of a three year, $33MM contract. Lohse also seems to be strictly a National League pitcher. He wasn't very good or consistent in the AL. Perhaps a pitcher like Kyle Kendrick could become available closer to the deadline if the Phillies decide to rework the team. That is the biggest problem in trying to obtain front line talent. There are just too many teams still in the playoff race, particularly with the addition of a second wild card in both leagues.

For now it looks like the Yankees will have to do some fixing from within. Guys like Nova and Pineda may be better than anything Brian Cashman can up with in the next month.