Designated For Assignment - WHITE SOX GET MELK, HEADLEY RE-UPS WITH YANKEES

The latest free agents are comprised of a player moving on to his sixth team in seven years and one that is staying where he was two-month rental. The Chicago White Sox have been busy this offseason and they continued their re-tooling over the weekend with the free agent signing of outfielder Melky Cabrera. Meanwhile, the New York Yankees agreed, on Monday, with Chase Headley to keep the free agent third baseman for the next four years (at a cost of $52MM).

Cabrera, who played four full seasons with the Yankees, then spent one season in Atlanta, one in Kansas City, one in San Francisco, and two years in Toronto. He'll replace the lackluster bat of Dayan Viciedo in left field and join newcomers Jeff Samardzija and former Yankees teammate David Robertson on the list of big time acquisitions by GM Kenny Williams.

Read the rest of this column for free at Designated For Assignment

Yankees Continue to Spend Stupidly, Near 4-Year Deal With Headley

I got 52MM bucks

I've repeated it numerous times this offseason. The Yankees do not have a philosophy for building the 2015 team. They're avoiding giving big bucks to those who will help the team (i.e. David Robertson) one second, and in the next moment they are spending money in a ridiculous manner. It continued on Monday when media outlets reported that the Yankees and Chase Headley agreed to to a four-year, $52MM deal.

While $12MM a season is reasonable these days, giving Headley four years is not. This is a guy who has had ONE great season. It was a fabulous, MVP-type season. But he did nothing before it and he's done nothing since. Acquired at this past season's trade deadline, Headley had ONE good stretch as Yankee. He brings a great glove to the position, but having the left side of the infield as a complete good-glove, no-hit combo is not a good combo.

It is clear that Hal Steinbrenner does not want to spend money like his Dad. Which is fine, but spend it wisely. George made plenty of mistakes in that department too, but getting cheap on David Robertson isn't the way to do it. They should have used this money to lure back Brandon McCarthy. They overspent last year on Jacoby Ellsbury (by a lot) and Brian McCann.

This isn't the Kansas City Royals where it takes more than a decade to build a contender. This is New York and though the Yankees don't need to win the World Series every year, you at least want to be competetive.

The team still does not have a solid rotation due to injuries and uncertainities, and the lineup will have a hard time producing runs. Much of the issues comes down to Alex Rodriguez and, believe it or not, this is not his fault. The Yankees stupidly gave him a 10-year deal at an average of $27.5MM a year and it has completely hamstrung them.

This team is in disarray from top to bottom.

Yankees Talk D-Rob, Headley, Likely Say Sayonora to Kuroda

The postseason is over with the San Francisco Giants sleeping at night with visions of Madison Bumgarner dancing in their heads. It means it's time to get back to the business of baseball or more precisely, getting ready for next year.

First  on the docket is deciding whether to extend a qualifying offer to your team's eligible free agents. The Yankees most certainly will extend an offer to David Robertson, aka "D-Rob", who did a very good job in his first season as a full-time closer. Those who think the Yankees should let him go and immediately install Dellin Betances as closer are either bananas or haven't paid much attention to the games they watched.

Robertson will turn down the offer, which is set this year at $15.3MM, up from $14.1MM from last season. This is Robertson first chance at a multi-year, multimillion dollar deal and there will be plenty of calls to his agents. He would be a fool to accept a one year deal to keep his high socks in the Big Apple.

No player accepted the 2014 qualifying offer last season and that's a pattern that's likely to repeat this season. The exception, though, could be Hiroki Kuroda. Which is wjy the Yankees should NOT extend him a qualifying offer. After a fabulous 2013 season, Kuroda was very erratic this past season, though the team's lack of defense and run production hurt his record and adversely affected the outcome of many of the games he started. He would probably jump on the offer, if he intends to play another season and wants to stay a Yankee. There's no way the Yankees would (should) give him an amount close to that. The Yankees need to reserve their money for younger, talent-rich players. (And no, that doesn't mean an All-Star at every position.)

Though the only starting pitcher, at the moment, the Yankees have under contract and is (somewhat) healthy is Michael Pineda. Since CC Sabathia hasn't thrown a pitch in a Major League game since May 10, he's not yet in the equation. Ivan Nova is coming off Tommy John surgery. Masahiro Tanaka's seven innings in September, after two months off, doesn't inspire confidence, and Brandon McCarthy is also a free agent. David Phelps, Chase Whitley, and Shane Greene are all question marks for consistency, among other things.

In addition to not retaining Kuroda, the Yankees should also not pursue Max Scherzer, who turned down a six-year, $144MM offer from the Detroit Tigers earlier this year, or lefty Jon Lester, who figures to earn a boatload of money as a free agent. While either would be fine acquisitions, their cost is too high, especially for a team with so much money owed to underachieving players.

The Yankees should try to bring back McCarthy, who adapted to well to Yankee Stadium, and James Shields. While Shields does not always live up to that "Big Game" moniker, he'll give you a solid regular season and 200+ innings, and will make less than Scherzer or Lester. Jeff Samardzija is also likely to demand too many greenbacks.

The Yankees liked what they saw in third baseman Chase Headley, though he has not come close to his 2012 offensive production. (31 HR-115 RBI-.875 OPS) Headley was spectacular manning the hot corner and occassionally filled in at first base. Several media outlets reported today the Yankees are already in negotiations for a new contract with the 30-year old Colorado native. It may not be easy though, as Headley is preferred by a number of team to free agent Pablo Sandoval and his expected wish for a big money contract.

Headley had a .768 OPS in 58 games in pinstripes with 6 HR and 17 RBI. While far from spectacular, it was difficult for anyone  on the team to drive in runs when no one was getting on base on a regular basis. The plan would be for Headley to regular man third base with Alex Rodriguez becoming the primary DH.

UPDATE -  The Yankees indeed made an offer to Robertson and bypassed Kuroda.

Young Proves Sterling Is Right

 
You've heard the mantra thousands of times on the Yankees' radio broadcast. The "voice of the Yankees" (Mel Allen is turning over in his grave), John Sterling, will utter the phrase, "You can't predict baseball, Suzyn" at least once a game. The Suzyn, of course, is Suzyn Waldman, Sterling's sidekick on WFAN radio.

Last night the Yankees' Chris Young proved that Sterling has been on the money with that statement all along. Young, cut by the Mets on August 15 due to a complete lack of productivity (it's safe to say he sucked), hit a very improbably walk-off, 3-run home run that gave the Yankees a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays and kept the unrealistic dream of the playoffs alive for another day.

If Thursday night's game was a championship bout, the Yankees were down on the mat and the referee had counted to seven and was about to count to eight. Rays' starter Alex Cobb was within six outs of a no-hitter (there was no perfect game due to an error charged to centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier, who dropped a routine fly ball in the 3rd inning.) when Young broke it up with a double to the gap in right-center.

With the no-no gone, Rays' skipper Joe Maddon sent for Brad Boxberger to face Brendan Ryan. Joe Girardi countered with Martin Prado and the pinch-hitter promptly deposited a 2-run home run into the left field seats. Suddenly, the Yankees were alive...if you consider a team that struggles to get three runs a game, alive.

Hard throwing lefty Jake McGee came on in the 9th to close things out, but hit Chase Headley in the chin to start the inning. McGee was clearly shaken up by what had occurred and left a pitch up to Ichiro Suzuki. He's not the hitter he once was, but Ichiro can still occassionaly use his bat like a master swordsman. He did against McGee, lashing double to left-center.

Zealous Wheeler pinch-hit for Stephen Drew, but was clearly overmatched and struck out for the first out of the inning. That brought up Young, who had a .630 OPS when the Mets kicked him to the curb. He fouled off a 98-mph fastball and then jumped on a 97-mph heater that left quickly left the field of play. A wild celebration ensured, complete with Gatorade dousing.. You could predict that.

But you can't predict baseball, Suzyn.


Notes

As a Yankee, Young has a 1.667 OPS. He's 6-12 (.500) with two home runs, two doubles, and seven RBI.

Michael Pineda had pitched beautifully since his return from shoulder soreness earlier this year. Last night was not his night though. He gave up a pair of home runs to shortsop Yunel Escobar, who entered the game with four home runs for the year. Pineda has been a victim of a lack of run support, but last night his teammates bailed him out. Shawn Kelley improved to 3-5 with the win.

A scarey moment occurred in the 7th inning when Boxberger hit Derek Jeter in the elbow with a pitch. Jeter's left arm went dead, but he remained in the game.

Headley's Two Day Journey Ends With 14th Inning Game Winner

Headley celebrates his game winning hit over Texas

Chase Headley (@chaseheadley7 on Twitter) woke up in Chicago on Tuesday, 7/22 and will go to bed in New York early Wednesday morning as a baseball hero. Headley has been the subject of trade rumors involving the Yankees for the last three years, but it took until Tuesday for rumor to become fact.

Almost a dozen hours later, Headley was getting doused with Gatorade by new teammate Brett Gardner and was being interviewed on the field by Meredith Marokovits (YES Network) and Suzyn Waldman (WFAN-AM). With the game tied at one apiece in the 14th inning, Brian Roberts reached with a one-out ground rule double. Francisco Cervelli, who ripped a potential game winning line drive to Adrian Belte at third base two innnigs earlier, singled to push Roberts to third base and gave Headley a second chance to play the hero.

Headley, who had arrived shortly after the game started, pinch-hit for Zelous Wheeler in the 8th inning and struck out. He made the second out in the 11th inning with a ground out and bounced out again with the bases loaded to end the 12th.

But with his fourth at-bat of the night, Headley got his first Yankees' RBI when he dropped a Nick Tepesch pitch into left-center to drive home Roberts with the game winner. It was a satisfying ending to a long day.

Headley had been informed around 11:30 CDT this morning that he had been traded. He got the first plane out to New York and walked into the dugout in pinstripes with the number 12 on his back as the Yankees battled the Rangers in a scoreless duel. Headley told Marokovits after the game that he was excited "to go from the situation I was in (the Padres fell to 43-56 after the Cubs shut them out 8-0 on Tuesday), to go right into a pennant race."

Yankees Get Headley - No Additional Joy in Mudville

The Yankees are counting on Chase Headley to strike a pose at the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium.

Had this been the 2012 trade deadline or the offseason heading into 2013, the Yankees acquisition of Chase Headley would have been met with more enthusiasm. But the trade between the Yankees and Padres, announced moments ago, has been met with a ho-hum.

That's because, since his breakout 2012 season, Headley hasn't been impressive at the plate. He led the National League with 115 RBI in 2012, to go along with 31 home runs, 17 steals, and a .286/.376/.498 split. While the Padres are a horrible team, Headley's production should be better than it was, even though he played most of last season with a torn meniscus. He had corrective surgery in the offseason.

Headley was limited to 141 games last year and put up a .257/.347/.400 slash line. He hit 13 HR, drove in 50 runs and struck out 142 times. This season Headley missed some time early with a calf issue and has not hit, particularly at his home field, Petco Park.

.229/.296/.355 is the ugly truth Headley is staring at as he heads to New York. 7 HR, 32 RBI, and 73 K's in 77 games. That doesn't sound much different than one of the players he was dealt for, Yangervis Solarte. The rookie took New York by storm the first two months of the season and has a .254/.337/.381 split with 6 HR and 31 RBI in 75 games. Joining him on the way to San Diego is right-handed pitcher, Rafael De Paula.

The 23-year old was pitching at Advanced-A ball Tampa and had compiled a 6-5 record with a 4.15 ERA. De Paula averaged 10.5 K's and 3.8 BB's per nine innings this season. He's a prospect that could still move up the charts and come back to haunt the Yankees one day. Yes, I am not in favor of dealing pitching prospects.

Headley will become the every day third baseman, with Zelous Wheeler sent back to Scranton. (Wheeler's spot could be taken by another reliever or perhaps outfielder Zoilo Almonte.) The 30-year old Padre will be reportedly be sent with $1MM to alleviate the remainder of the $10.525MM owed him this season. He's eligible to become a free agent next year; that's the biggest positive of the deal  until Headley can prove otherwise.

Headley will also have to choose another number than his current 7 or his old number 16. Now, can this mean the removal of Kelly Johnson? Probably not, but one can wish for it.

UPDATED 2:50 pm - Here's prospect guru John Sickels' assessment of De Paula:

Rafael De Paula, RHP: The Yankees signed De Paula out of the Dominican Republic in 2010. He earned a $500,000 bonus but it took some doing: his identity was in question, with De Paula having used various names and birthdays since scouts started showing interest in him. Once his identity was finally settled, he was suspended for a year until eventually signing the Yankees contract.

He finally got to North America in 2013, posting a 2.94 ERA in 13 starts for Low-A Charleston last year, with a 96/23 K/BB in 64 innings. Promoted to High-A Tampa in the second half, he struggled with his command and his secondary pitches, resulting in a 6.06 ERA in 49 innings and a 50/30 K/BB. He's improved in 2014, lowering his ERA to 4.15 for Tampa with a 104/38 K/BB in 88 innings.

Listed at 6-2, 215, De Paula's current birthday is March 24, 1991. He had one of the top fastballs in the Yankees system, consistently in the mid-90s with movement. However, his slider and changeup are very erratic and he loses the touch with his mechanics at times, hampering his control. Many scouts see him as a future reliever due to his inconsistency with his secondary pitches.

Infielders, Come One, Come All

Run, don't walk, to the Yankees today!

With Tuesday's announcement that Brian Roberts is now officially a New York Yankee, the front office continues to be on the look out for any player who can wear an infield glove, maintain their balance, throw a ball fairly straight and maybe hit it too.

With Robinson Cano gone, Alex Rodriguez in suspension-limbo land, and Derek Jeter coming back from a myriad of ankle and quad issues, general manager Brian Cashman seems hell bent on grabbing every possible infielder that is or isn't available.

In case you missed it the other day, the Yankees signed former Detroit Tiger and Oakland Athletic Scott Sizemore to a minor league deal. Sizmore missed all but two games over the last two seasons due to the misfortune of tearing his left ACL not once, but twice. The Tigers were pretty high on him after they selected him in the 5th round of the 2006 MLB amateur draft.

Four years later he was in the Major Leagues after he tore up Double- and Triple-A the prior year. Sizemore's talent didn't translate to the big league level - he posted a .631 OPS in 43 games. A year later he was dealt to Oakland for pitcher David Purcey after he managed a meager .567 OPS in 17 Major League games. Apparently the change of scenery paid off for the then 26-year old as he hit 11 home runs, drove in 52 runs and sported a .778 OPS in 93 games.

His versatility also got a boost as the A's moved him from second base, where he played in Detroit, to the hot corner over at third. Poised to build off his 2011 season, Sizemore ripped up his left knee in Spring Training and 14 months later did it again. His signing falls into the "we have nothing to lose" category.

The rumor mill got a new name Tuesday when it was reported that San Diego Padres infielder Logan Forsythe had drawn the Yankees interest. There have been rumors about Chase Headley since his 2012 season, but he stunk in 2013 and the Padres are still asking for too much in any trade banter.

Forsythe has primarily been a second baseman, but also has experience at third base, shortstop and in the outfield. The 27-year old (Jan. 14) had a decent 2012 season - .733 OPS, 6 HR, 28 RBI, 8 steals in 10 attempts in 350 plate appearances - but suffered from plantar fasciitis last season. In more than a 100 less plate appearances Forsythe had similar home run and RBI totals, but only put up a .613 OPS.

If you are older, broken down, trying to make a comeback, etc. just call Brian Cashman today! You could be the next Yankees infielder!

The Yankees Not So Hot Corner

The punch-less Yankees dropped another game in the AL East standings Tuesday night. A game that could have been won had the Yankees' lineup been able to produce more than a single run in a 3-1 loss to the KC Royals.

Royals' starter James Shields, aka "Big Game James" has not had much success against the Yankees and struggled in the early going. The Yankees had two on and none out, and the bases loaded and one out and only scored one run. Shields and the pen then shut down the Yankees the rest of the way. Monday night's 5-1 loss in the first game of the four game set came after the Yankees had the bases loaded with no one out in the 9th and then struck out three straight times. With all the pitchers they let off the hook the Yankees should never take up fishing.

In Tuesday's piece, "Shortstop, Catchers and Pitchers, Oh My, I wrote about the need for the Yankees to upgrade at catcher. Today I am going to focus on the infield, particularly the corner position that has been anything other than hot for the Yankees this season.

Third base has been a key position for the Yankees over the years. Gil McDougald won the AL Rookie of the Year Award after he manned the position in 1951. Graig Nettles won two World Series rings (1977-1978) against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will attest to Nettles' remarkable thievery with his glove. Alex Rodriguez won two AL MVP Awards after his shift to New York and a new position. The Yankees would not have won the 2009 World Series if not for the player who should really be known as "Lightning-Rod".

A-Rod's second hip surgery knocked him out of play for the first half of the 2013 season and a PED suspension could wipe out the second half. Kevin Youkilis was signed to take his place, but played just 28 games before he was lost to season ending back surgery. The Yankees replacements have contributed decent defense, but the offense has been anemic.

David Adams, Alberto Gonzalez, Jayson Nix, Chris Nelson, and Luis Cruiz have combined to go 53-247 (.215) with 2 HR (both by Adams) and 18 RBI when they played third base. Only Nix (.620) has an OPS above .600 at third and that number is nothing to write home (or text) about. The combination of poor hitting veterans and rookies is not enough with the uncertainty surrounding A-Rod's future. The Yankees need to get themselves a third baseman.

Just as is the case with catchers, the Yankees don't have anyone at the minor league level to play in the Majors right now. Ronnier Mustelier made a very good showing in Spring Training, but has missed large chunks of time with knee and groin injuries.

So who might be available? And would the Yankees want them?

Michael Young: He's the first option for teams looking for a utility guy or someone to specifically play either corner spot or second base. (His days at shortstop are long behind him.) Young has bounced all around the infield in his career until the Texas Rangers, who he spent 13 seasons with, finally forced him out. The 36-year old looked like he might be finished after he produced a sub-.600 OPS in May, but he's been above .800 the rest of the season. He could also give Lyle Overbay a rest across the infield now and then.

With one of the two wild card positions still in their sites, the Phillies are reportedly hesitant to move the pending free agent at this time. That could change as the trade deadline nears.

Aramis Ramirez: The 35-year old has hit less than 20 home runs just once since 2003 and averaged 26 home runs and 93 RBI over the last three seasons. So much for the good news; Ramirez was placed on the disabled list on Tuesday for the third time this season with a bad left knee. He is also guaranteed $16MM next year and has a $14MM mutual option/$4MM buyout for 2015. Fuh-geddabout it.

Ty Wigginton: Like Young, Wigginton is more of a utility player at this point of his career rather than a player who is settled in at one position. He's also unemployed after being released by the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals owe him the remainder of the $2.5MM he's making this season plus another $2.5MM he is due in 2014. The Yankees could sign him for a minimal amount this season (The amount would be subtracted from the Cardinals' debt), but should they?  Wigginton had a sub-.500 OPS and 34 of his 57 at-bats came as a pinch-hitter. If they're interested the Yankees would be better off signing him to a minor league deal with a deadline date where he can asked to be released if he is not called up. That way he can get some regular at-bats before facing Major League pitching. With all that said, I would pass on him.

Mark Reynolds: Mash or miss, that's been Reynolds unwritten motto since his debut in 2007. He's currently on a one year deal with the Cleveland Indians for $6MM and has split time between first and third. He might be available even though the Tribe is in the thick of the AL Central race, because he hasn't produced on a consistent basis. Reynolds has homered in 4.3% of his at-bats, the second lowest percentage since his rookie season. His .700 OPS is the lowest of his career as is his .392 slugging pct. Oh, and he's a butcher defensively at third base.

Wait, the idea was to find a player that would fit. There's the problem. There isn't a whole lot to choose from.

Chase Headley: He became a household name last year and since that time Yankees fans have been calling into radio shows to say the Yankees should go after him. Those fans haven't bothered to notice what Headley is doing this season nor have they taken a look at what he did before last season. Headley's 2012 campaign produced career highs in almost every offensive category.

He had never hit more than 12 home runs or driven in more than 58 runs in a season until he put up 31 and an NL leading 115 last year. 2012 was the first season Headley had an OPS over .800 as well. Headley has come crashing back to earth in 2013. He has just 7 HR and 29 RBI in 77 games and is sporting a career worst .681 OPS. More importantly why would the Padres deal him now? 1) He has no trade value at the moment. 2) The Padres had been trying to give Headley an extension until he asked them to stop negotiations in May, because he felt it was a distraction. So it appears they would like to keep him.

Chris Johnson: The Atlanta Braves 28-year old has provided the NL East leaders with some big at-bats this season. Johnson is with his third team in three seasons, but has a slash line of .332/.375/.480 in 269 plate appearances this year. As an added bonus, he's not eligible for free agency until 2017. Since he has been a key contributor it is possible Atlanta has no plans to move him, but perhaps the Braves would like to add some depth to their bullpen with a guy named Joba Chamberlain. Throw in a mid-level prospect too or perhaps they would like to take a chance on one time prospect Fernando Martinez.

Abbott and Costello were right. "I don't know....Third base!"

Tomorrow I take a look at the rotation and bullpen.

A-Rod's Clearance Not So Clear

Alex Rodriguez has been cleared to start rehab games next week. No, no he hasn't. That was the day in the life of Alex Rodriguez Monday. Or a day in the life of following the course of A-Rod's rehab.

Reports circuled that the lightning rod would start getting into rehab games after he was cleared by doctors. Only one little problem. Brian Cashman said the team doctors have not cleared him.

Maybe it was just A-Rod's dentist.

Meanwhile fans keep calling into radio stations with ridiculous trade ideas. Justin Morneau - 3 home runs this year. Chase Headley, who had a career, breakout year last season - .681 OPS this year.