300 Million Reasons Cano Is Crazy

All $300 million reasons that Robinson Cano is crazy are all the same. He is NOT going to get $300MM, because no team will be dumb enough to do it. ESPN reported that within the last month Cano's people made the Yankees aware of the amount of money Cano is looking for this free agent off-season.

Now, now I know..there are a lot of idiot owners that bark about finances and then give out contracts like there's no tomorrow. But times are different and there are plenty of examples of bad, long term contracts. Alex Rodriguez's opt out deal with the Yankees and Albert Pujols' bank breaker with the Los Angeles Angels.

The Yankees are still the likelist team to fork over $30MM per year to their star second baseman, but it would probably be for a shorter term than the 10 year deal that Cano is reportedly seeking. 7 years for $210? While it would hurt like a son of a bitch when trying to meet or stay close to the luxury tax threshhold, $210MM is better than $300MM. (Even though the Dodgers spent money the last two years like they were giving away pennies, I don't see them making that big of a free agent splash.)

And as much as it hurts to say it and no matter how great a player Cano is, if he won't accept the terms than you have to let him walk away. Because no matter how much Cano says he wants to remain a Yankee, drawing a line in the sand before the current season is even over means that the money is more important than which uniform he wears.

The performance enhancing drug use and misplaced blame for playoff failures are two of the biggest reasons that A-Rod has alienated himself to many Yankees fans. But much of that also came from not living up to the contract, at least in the eyes of the detractors. It can turn fans on you in a hurry; Robinson Cano should keep that in mind.

Girardi's Choice Of Joba Seals the Deal

Joba's fist pumping days are a distant memory.

The Yankees have a worn out bullpen, no one is questioning that. What is being questioned is why Joe Girardi continues to call on Joba Chamberlain in crucial situations. Thursday night the one time phenom quickly turned a 3-1 deficit into a 6-1 blowout that was punctuated by an Adam Lind 3-run home run. Final score, Toronto Blue Jays 6 Yankees 2.

It was another devastating loss in a devastating season. With Texas and Tampa Bay on the verge of a four game split, the Yankees have found themselves running in place while the Orioles and Indians inch closer to reeling in one of the wild card teams. The Yankees now sit three back of Texas (four in the loss column) and four behind the Rays (five in the loss column). Cue Frank Sinatra singing, "the end is near". Except, Girardi should not have done it "his way".

Obviously it wasn't all Chamberlain's doing; Hiroki Kuroda once again looked 68 instead of 38. He "held" Toronto to three runs in six innings, but it could have been a lot worse considering he gave up eight hits and walked four.  The Yankees offense sputtered again with journeyman Todd Redman looking like a Cy Young candidate. The 28-year old has beaten the Yankees twice in the last three weeks.

But with the game on the line, with a lead still in reach, Girardi pushed the wrong button...again. A quick look at Joba just since August 1, shows that the Yankees were better off bringing in anyone from the bullpen other than Chamberlain.

8/2 - Entered with Yankees down 5-2 to San Diego; turns it into a 6-2 game. Final score, Padres 7-2

8/10 - Entered with Yankees down 6-2 to Detroit; two on and one out. Gave up 3-run home run to Torii Hunter to put game out of reach. Final score, Tigers 9-3

8/15 - Entered with Yankees down 7-1 to Angels; gave up back to back hits to make it 8-1. Final score, Angels 8-4

8/16 - Entered with Yankees up 10-3 on Boston; loaded the bases in the 9th. Girardi has to go to David Huff for the final out. Final score, Yankees 10-3

9/1 - Entered with Yankees down 4-3 to Baltimore; two men on with one out. Allowed 3-run home run to Adam Jones. Final score, Orioles 7 Yankees 3

9/5 - Entered with Yankees and Red Sox tied 8-8 in the 10th inning. Gave up a pair of hits including Shane Victorino game winning single. Final score, Red Sox 9 Yankees 8

9/6 - Entered with Yankees trailing Red Sox 10-8 in the 8th inning. Intentionally walked David Ortiz, threw a wild pitch, unintentionally walked Mike Napoli, walked Daniel Nava to force in a run, and allowed RBI single to Stephen Drew. Final score, Red Sox 12 Yankees 8

Chamberlain has spent much of the year extending the other team's lead or diminishing the Yankees lead. Brian Cashman made a huge mistake in not giving Chamberlain away for whatever he could get. The Yankees will make no qualifying offer to Chamberlain, which means they will not receive a draft pick when the one-time three digit thrower leaves via free agency after this season.

Time For a Shake Up Part II: Yankees Need to Cut Hughes and Joba Loose

(I began this about 2 weeks ago and nothing has changed for the better. Chamberlain's performance in Wednesday's game pushed me to finish it.)

Potential and promise are two of the worst words in the human language when paired together. Much worse than any word that George Carlin could produce in his "7 dirty words" routine. Potential and promise may be the worst words of all time when they are associated with athletes.

Phil Hughes has been linked to the twin "P"s since the Yankees drafted him out of Foothill High School with the 23rd overall pick in the 2004 Major League Baseball amateur draft. Of course, Hughes was probably labeled with every positive long before he left Santa Ana, CA for the Gulf Cost League in Florida.

Joba Chamberlain had a big arm and a big arsenal of pitches when he strode the mound for the University of Nebraska. The Yankees snatched him up with the 41st overall pick of the 2006 MLB draft. Another first round selection with plenty of potential and promise. Even more so after Chamberlain was unexpectedly called up to the Majors on August 7, 2007. He was just 21-years old, but his 19 game stint brought excitement from a rookie that had not been seen since Shane Spencer grand slammed his way through the end of the 1998 season.

Things have changed drastically for both players since those early days. Injuries, loss of velocity, inconsistency, and inefficiency have all trumped the words that start with the letter "p". Hughes appeared to get on track in 2010 when he started the season 11-2, 3.65 and averaged better than eight strikeouts per nine innings pitched. His ERA in the second half was nearly 5.00 and he walked the same amount of batters (29) that he did in the first half, but in 26 less innings. The number of home runs allowed also increased, a major problem that has persisted since then.

A year later back issues and dropped velocity limited Hughes to 17 games. 2012 epitomized Hughes inability to produce a solid start on a consistent basis. His overall numbers - 16-13, 4.23 - weren't bad, and were bolstered by a stronger second half. His penchant for serving up gopher balls (35) continued to hurt his game. The positives gave the team something to look forward to in 2013, but a bulging disc slowed Hughes in Spring Training and he was the same inconsistent, home run served on a silver platter pitcher once the season started. He enters Thursday's start 3-6, 5.09 with 1.5 home runs and 10.2 hits allowed per nine innings.

Chamberlain has never recaptured the amazing dominance he showed in 2007. And it was not all his fault- the Yankees messed him up with their ridiculous "Joba Rules", they jerked him back and forth from the rotation and pen, and limitied his innings. And it all backfired because he ended up with Tommy John surgery anyway.

Wednesday night's game with Texas was typical of Joba's performances these days. Either allow the other team to increase their lead in the game as the Rangers did, or have the Yankees lead quickly become less. Chamberlain may have a big repertoire of pitches, but they're just about all flat and hittable. He's also as immature as his first day in the Major Leagues.

What it all means is that it is time to get rid of both- Joba through a trade by the deadline (Don't expect much in return.) and Hughes by letting him walk when he becomes a free agent after the end of the 2013 season. (Chamberlain is also set to become a free agent, but why hold on to him that long.)

There would be an opening in the bullpen with Chamberlain jettisoned out of town, an opening that would be filled by Hughes for the remainder of the season. (It's likely the Yankees wouldn't get much through a trade so why not get draft pick(s) instead when he signs somewhere else?) It's a shame to give up on Hughes, I held out as long as I could, but his trouble with locating his fastball, his drop in velocity, and his propensity for getting hurt and serving up gopher balls has pushed me past the point of no return.

For now Hughes could be quite serviceable in the pen though where he appeared in 44 of 51 games in 2009.
Given one or two innings of work, I believe Hughes could be an asset to the club. He won't like it, but too bad.

What about Hughes' spot in the rotation you ask? One Michael Pineda, hopefully, coming right up. The righty pitched well for the Trenton Thunder Tuesday night as he continues his comeback from shoulder surgery. If not Pineda, then turns the reins over to Ivan Nova to see if he can get his career back on track. (In another scenario Pineda and Nova could replace Hughes and David Phelps.)

With CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte both showing some chinks in their armor, the team can't afford to carry dead weight. It doesn't get much deader than Phil Hughes starting and Joba Chamberlain coming in from the pen.

Curtis Granderson is within reach of playing his first Major League game of the season. The Grandyman has been out since the first game of Spring Training after a pitch from J.A. Happ broke Granderson's right forearm.

Granderson took swings in extended Spring Training before he reported to Triple-A Scranton to get in game shape. As of Monday morning, Granderson was 7-17 (.412) in the four games he played for the Railriders with a home run and three RBI.  It's possible Granderson could join the team at the start of the six game homestand that begins with Seattle on Tuesday. Brennan Boesch was sent to the minor leagues before the second game of Monday's doubleheader with the Cleveland Indians so the Yankees will need another
outfielder soon.

Oddly (to me) Yankees fans seem to be split over whether they want Granderson back or not. I can't understand how you would not want him back. There's no question that outside of the respectable .811 OPS he put up and the career high 43 home run he hit in 2012, Granderson had a bad season at the plate. He hit hit a career low .232 and struck out a career high 195 times. Before coming to New York, Granderson had a reputation for not being able to hit left-handers. Last year he struggled against righties and lefties.

Granderson is a guy that's easy to root for - he's a stand up guy with the press, a great ambassador for the game and for the team, a great role model for kids, his teammates like him, and oh yeah, he's a talented ball player. Fans point to his lack of production in the post-season - he's had only eight hits in his last 50 post-season at-bats and was a horrid 3-30 last year when the Yankees as a team did not hit - but Granderson is one of the guys (like Teixeira, like Nick Swisher) that gets you to the post-season.

Some people have forgotten about the MVP-type season Granderson had in the 2011 after hard work and adjustments made with hitting coach Kevin Long sent him to the second All-Star game of his then eight year career. Granderson's power was just as good as in 2012 when he hit 41 home runs, but the Illinois native also had 26 doubles, 10 triples, 25 stolen bases, 85 walks, a .916 OPS and led the AL with 136 runs scored and 119 driven in.

Granderson, like Teixeira, appears to have become pull happy in new Yankee Stadium. (Partial blame has to fall on Long in my opinion.) Granderson was unable to counteract the adjustments (different pitching approach, right side shifts) made by the opposition last year. His swing had too much of an uppercut and it appeared he attempted to hit one over the short porch in right field every time up.

With the new salary limits put in place by the front office, it's likely the Yankees will let Granderson walk after this season. The 32-year old is in the final year of the six year, $43.25 contract he originally signed while a member of the Detroit Tigers (The Yankees picked up his $15MM option for 2013.). Brett Gardner has taken over in centerfield and it appears he'll stay there when Granderson returns from the DL.

The Yankees also expect youngsters Mason Williams, Melky Mesa, Zoilo Almonte, and Slade Heathcott to make an impact in the Major Leagues soon .

Some fans though want Granderson gone before the end of the year and that's something I don't understand at all.

It's amazing how having a winning record and (surprisingly) being in sole possession of first place (entering Monday's play) in mid-May can change your attitude/mind on things. Fans who complained about the acquisition of Vernon Wells, Travis Hafner, etc., suddenly don't want to mess with the mix. Based on their track record, can you trust that Wells and Hafner will continue to produce and continue to be healthy? Kevin Youkilis is already out indefinitely with a back issue. Ichiro Suzuki has struggled at the plate so far. Would you rather have Boesch and/or Ben Francisco on your team than Curtis Granderson?

Most importantly, the team is winning because of the pitching and clutch hitting. If the hitters go into a slump, the team can still win with pitching. The present Yankees lineup is not one that can overcome poor pitching. So even though he has struggled in the post-season, do you really want to diminish an offense that is not an 'A' list lineup?

I don't think so.

Yankee Go 0-3 in Qualifying Offers

The Yankees were sincerely hoping that Hiroki Kuroda would accept the Yankees' $13.3MM qualifying offer and avoid free agency. They weren't so lucky. Kuroda, along with Nick Swisher and Rafael Soriano rejected the Yankees one year offering, meaning the Yankees will get compensation if any of the three signs with another team.

Everyone knew that Swisher and Soriano would turn down the offer, but the Yankees hoped the raise from last year's $10MM salary would be enough to get Kuroda to return. Instead, Kuroda will hit the open market and there is still the possibility he could return to Japan as well.

The Red Sox are, of course, one of the teams that have an interest in Kuroda, who is also being sought by his old LA Dodgers squad.

The Yankees will have a tougher time trying to get Soriano to return since he will be looking for a large, multi-year deal based on his 2012 season as closer.  Swisher doesn't fit into the Yankees plans any more - meaning they know how productive he is during the regular season and how flat out horrible he is in the post-season.