Kuroda Returns, Granderson Goes Crosstown

The Yankees will have to look for a new hitter for the heart of the order with the departure of Robinson Cano, but they've added back a piece of the starting rotation. Hiroki Kuroda has decided to return for another season at a reported salary of $16MM.

Kuroda was the ace of the Yankees staff in 2013 until he wore out in the final month of the season. Prior to that he was a legitimate contender for the AL Cy Young Award. The right-hander will turn 39 during Spring Training next year and hopes to get more run support than he did this past season. The Yankees averaged 3.2 runs per game when Kuroda started, a major factor in his 11-13 record despite an ERA that was under 3.00 until his final three starts of the season.

Kuroda joins CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova as holdovers from last season's starting staff. The Yankees still hope to sign Kuroda's countryman Masahiro Tanaka as well as a 5th starter either from within the organization (Michael Pineda) or from outside. There's a chance that the Yankees could take a look at free agent Ubaldo Jimenez again, whom the Yankees had interest in early in the off-season.

Outfielder Curtis Granderson will be switching to orange and blue after he agreed to a four-year, $60MM deal with the New York Mets. Granderson was acquired from the Detroit Tigers prior to the 2010 season in a three team deal that sent Austin Jackson and Phil Coke from the Yankees to the Tigers.  The Yankees also sent pitcher Ian Kennedy to Arizona, who sent the AL 2013 Cy Young winner Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth to Detroit. The Diamondbacks also received pitcher Edwin Jackson from the Tigers.

Towards the end of a non-productive 2010 campaign, Granderson made adjustments with the the help of hitting coach Kevin Long and it paid off the following year. Granderson reached career highs in OPS (.916) and home runs (43) and led the AL in runs scored (136) and RBI (119). He finished 4th in the AL MVP vote with former teammate Justin Verlander taking home the hardware.

Granderson hit 43 home runs and drove in 106 in 2012, but the rest of his numbers were down, except for strikeouts. The affable Chicago native was limited to 61 games in 2014 after pitches broke a finger and his forearm in two different incidences.

Sending Out An SOS: Yankees Need the Cavalry

Teams lose to other teams. Some of those other teams might not be as good as the losing team. It happens - well Suzyn, you can't predict baseball, etc.  The Yankees lost four straight to the Mets after Thursday night's 3-1 debacle (at least the game was quick) and have dropped five straight overall as they head into a much more important series with the Boston Red Sox this weekend.

Vidal Nuno pitched beautifully for six innings, but allowed a 2-run home run to Marlon Byrd in the early going. That's about one or two runs more than the Yankees can handle these days. The bats are coming back to Earth, which means the Friday arrival of Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis is coming just in the nick of time.

The Mets starter for Thursday night was Dillon Gee. The 27-year old Texan had made 10 starts this season prior to the finale with the Yankees. In those 10 games, Gee allowed less than three earned runs just three times and recorded an out in the 7th inning just once. So tonight Gee and his 6.34 ERA threw 7.1 innings and struck out 12 Yankees. His season high had been six strikeouts, which he accomplished twice. The only blemish on his stat line was a solo home run served up to Robinson Cano.

The Yankees hitting a brick wall was not unexpected; it's about the only thing they can hit right now. There were signs of this earlier in the season, but the lineup bounced back. Not so in the series with their crosstown rivals. So Brian Cashman has some decisions to finalize tonight. With two everyday players returning, room needs to be made on the 25-man roster, and for Teixeira, on the 40-man roster as well.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Cashman was quite frank when he spoke Tuesday to ESPN radio's Don LaGreca concerning the future of first baseman Lyle Overbay. Though the 36-year old has done a marvelous job (The YES Network showed a graphic prior to tonight's game that showed Overbay's numbers after 50 games were very similar to Teixeira's first 50 games in 2012.), his position limitation does not make him an ideal candidate for the everyday roster. Things are even more complicated when you consider Travis Hafner cannot play a position at all.

Letting Overbay go with no return would be a terrible mistake (he certainly would not pass through waivers without being claimed), but he's the logical choice to be removed from the roster.

The second player is likely to be David Adams who has been seeing most of the playing time at third base since he was recalled from Triple-A on May 15. Despite the organization's love of his bat, Adams should be sent back to Scranton to play every day.  Another less likely option would be to get rid of recently acquired Reid Brignac, but the Yankees don't have another infielder besides Jayson Nix that can handle shortstop.

The Yankees also announced that Andy Pettitte would be returning to start Monday's game against Cleveland. Thursday's starter Vidal Nuno would be the logical choice to go back to Scranton.

Mariano Exchanges Gifts With Mets

Prior to last night's Yankees - Mets game at Citi Field, the Mets gave Yankees closer Mariano Rivera part of an FDNY firehose for being the "ultimate fireman". He also had the honor of throwing out the game's first pitch to former Mets closer John Franco. Hours later, Rivera returned the gift by blowing his first save opportunity of the season in a 2-1 Mets win. I believe he was contaminated by the Mets.

The fact that Mo blew a save and the Yankees lost was no amazing feat. It's happened before and will happen again. What was truly amazing was the fact that it was the first time in his Major League career that the game's greatest closer blew a save or lost a game without having retired a single batter. THAT is remarkable.

The game was excellent pitcher's duel between Yankees veteran Hiroki Kuroda and Mets phenom Matt Harvey. Lyle Overbay's RBI single was the game's lone run through eight innings and happened in part because Marlon Byrd played Brett Gardner's single like Pele, allowing Gardner to advance into scoring position.

The Yankees couldn't get an insurance run though - Ichiro Suzuki got picked off first base in the 9th and was thrown out as he tried to advanced to second - and it came down to Rivera against the Mets trio of Daniel Murphy, David Wright, and Lucas Duda.  Wright had the game winning home run in Monday's opener of the four game set.

Murphy, who was robbed by Gardner of a home run on Monday and an extra base hit in Tuesday's contest, reached out on and poked a Rivera cutter to left for a ground rule double. Wright followed with a single to center that plated Murphy ahead of Gardner's throw. To compound matters, Rivera got caught watching the play and forgot to back up home plate. Sure enough the ball skittered through catcher Chris Stewart to allow Wright to grab the extra base.

Duda's single to right followed and the Mets had done the unthinkable, beaten the game's greatest closer without having recorded an out.

Notes

Though in my opinion it was blown out of proportion by the media, Jeff Wilpon's words during the pre-game presentation to Rivera, annoyed a lot of Mets fans and baffled the media. Basically Wilpon said that it would be the last time Rivera would face the Mets at Citi Field. Mo responded, "You never know." But instead of being let off the hook, Wilpon added something to the effect of "It would take some big turnaround."  I guess Mariano felt bad for him last night.

The series moves to Yankee Stadium Wednesday and Thursday for a pair of games.

Brian Cashman was brutally honest Tuesday when ESPN radio's Don LaGreca asked him if there was room on the team  for Overbay with Mark Teixeira about set to return. Cashman said he wasn't really sure, given the fact that Overbay can only play one position. (All of Overbay's play in the field - 1,270 games - has been at first base.)

Piazza Damaging His Legacy

Maybe Piazza can get into the Italian Baseball Hall of Fame..if one exists.

On the surface, Mike Piazza looks like a sure shot to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Most home runs by a catcher, 12 All-Star selections, NL Rookie of the Year, 10 straight Silver Slugger Awards, and a lifetime .308 average. That's just a sampling of Piazza's offensive prowess. However, in his first year of eligibility (2013), Piazza only garnered 57.8% of the Hall vote.

There were whispers of performance enhancing drug use even though there have been no accusations or failed tests (Not that passing a test means anything these days.). Jeff Bagwell knows exactly how Piazza feels - condemnation with no proof - but Piazza may have done further damage to his cause with his new book.

In the tome "Long Shot", Piazza states that he tried every type of then legal substance, but never touched steroids. Amphetamines? Yes Andro? Yes Steroids? No. This will undoubtedly put even more doubt in the minds of those members of the Baseball Writers Association of America as well as the fans.

If Piazza took only non-banned substances, why would he not take steroids? They were not banned at the time either. Piazza's claim of innocence don't seem plausible.


Don't mess with those that are beloved: Perhaps it's the unwritten 12th commandment. The beloved in this case being Vin Scully, the voice of the Brooklyn Dodgers since their days in Brooklyn. Piazza states that Scully had it in for him and turned the LA fans against him during Piazza attempt to wangle a new high priced contract.. Piazza also felt Scully promoted opponents on the air for the NL MVP Award instead of Piazza.

Scully responded by basically saying, " I don't know what he's talking about."

There have been many over the years who thought Piazza was a total goof and his admission of taking Karate lessons in the wake of being beaned by Roger Clemens does nothing to dissuade the notion. Piazza was going to attack Clemens should they have a rendezvous on the field again. Of course they did, but that's when Clemens threw a broken bat at Piazza during the 2000 World Series and totally through the Karate Kid's plan off track. (Ala Seinfeld, I can see Piazza driving home and making a quick U-ie when he's thought of a great insult. - "The jerk store called, and they're running out of you!")

While Piazza's offensive numbers are as good, if not better, than any other catcher that came before him, it would not be a surprise to see his voting percentage dip in next year's Hall election. That may be the price Piazza pays for an ill-timed, ill-advised book.

BD Spring Training Report: Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots | Baseball Digest

BD Spring Training Report: Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots | Baseball Digest

The Chicago Cubs have a growing reputation as a mixed martial arts squad rather than a baseball team. There was the Carlos Zambrano-Michael Barrett tiff in June, 2007. Last season it was Zambrano and 1st baseman Derrek Lee going toe to toe. And 2011 is no different..except it wasn’t Zambrano this time around.

On Tuesday pitcher Carlos Silva allowed five runs in the 1st inning thanks in large part to three Cubbie errors. Silva got into the face of 3rd baseman Aramis Ramirez, who had committed one of the gaffes. No punches were thrown, no hair pulled, but the two had to be separated after shoving one another. Silva was eventually escorted back to the clubhouse and order was restored.

Mike Quade (in his first full year as manager) didn’t mind the fight, but did hold a team meeting on Thursday to clear the air and straighten things out. Quade is under enough pressure as a rookie skipper without his players getting out of hand. Veterans Marlon Byrd and Carlos Pena helped out by calling a players only meeting to stress unity. Somewhere Steve Bartman is shaking his head.

Across town the White Sox Jake Peavy is doing battle with his surgically repaired shoulder. Peavy makes his first start today since having the latissimus dorsi muscle in his right posterior shoulder reattached in a July procedure. His surgeon told the Chicago Trib’s David Haugh that Peavy is making good progress. “His motivation has been exactly in the right spot in that he understands this surgery and his recovery is not for him just to play this year, 2011, but beyond so he can meet expectations of him since he came here,” Romeo said on the phone from Vail, Colo. “Things are progressing well.” You should still be wary in your fantasy drafts.

Rumors are persisting that Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg or some of the team’s partial owners have an interest in the NY Mets. According to the Tampa Tribune Sternberg has denied any interesting in owning part or all of the Mets, but the NY Times reported that minority owner Randy Frankel has a definite interest.

Youngster Jason Castro was set to be the Houston Astros starting catcher this season, but a torn ACL will probably cause him to miss the entire season.

The Boston Herald is reporting that outfielder J.D. Drew is likely to retire after this season. The 35-yr old has been bothered by a series of injuries the last few years and has a lingering hamstring issue from last season. “I don’t really know what I’m going to do, I’m leaning both ways. I guess, I don’t really know,” Drew said. “It depends on how the year goes. I don’t know what I’ll do. There’s benefits to both sides, but I have to think it out, pray about it, talk with my family, see how my body holds up over the year, and go from there.”

The Atlanta Braves Chipper Jones played 3rd base Thursday for the first time since injuring his knee last August. Afterwards he felt, well, pretty Chipper about it. “I just want to play,” Jones said. “Once you get on the field instinct takes over. That’s what you need to worry about. I wasn’t expecting to be playing by now and I don’t know what to expect.”

BD Hot Stove: NL East Prospects | Baseball Digest

Mets prospect Wilmer Flores hopes his bat can live up to the Miguel Cabrera comparisons.

BD Hot Stove: NL East Prospects | Baseball Digest

It’s time for the Hot Stove to wrap up the top prospect look in the National League by concentrating on the NL East.

Phillies: Ever since the Phillies drafted outfielder Domonic Brown in the 2006 amateur draft (20th round) they’ve waited excitedly and patiently for his presence on the big league roster. Phillies fans got a taste last year when injuries caused a call up for Brown in late July. Brown doubled, drove in two runs and scored twice in his major league debut, but things weren’t so easy after that. Brown’s splits (.210/.257/.335) showed he wasn’t ready for prime time yet after just 28 games at the Triple-A level. But his time in the minors in 2010 did show he’s getting very close.

Brown is a tremendous athlete (He turned down a football scholarship to the U of Miami) and it showed in his game last year. The 23-yr old hit 15 HR and drove in 47 runs in just 65 games at Double-A Reading before a promotion to Lehigh Valley of the Int’l League. There he added another five home runs and 21 RBI in 28 games. He also stole 17 bases between the two levels and played all three outfield positions. With Jayson Werth gone, he’ll get a chance to battle Ben Francisco for playing time in the Phillies outfield.

Mets: Pitcher Jenrry Mejia was the most talked about player in the Mets organization last year and is still ranked as their top prospect in some circles. But we’re going with shortstop Wilmer Flores as the top youngster in the Mets organization. The now 19-yr old was signed as a 16-yr old out of his native Venezuela in 2007. He made an immediate impression in rookie ball when he slugged eight home runs and drove in 42 runs and has already drawn comparisons to his fellow countrymen Miguel Cabrera.

Flores struggled mightily in ‘A’ ball in 2009, but bounce back last year, splitting his season of 133 games nearly in half between Savannah (‘A’) and Port St. Lucie (‘A+’). Flores hit 11 home runs, drove in 84 runs, and recorded a decent .758 OPS. Flores is a contact hitter who needs to learn to show more patience at the plate (He drew just 32 walks last season.). Listed as 6’3″, 175 lbs, Flores won’t last at shortstop much longer as he gets bigger and stronger. The only question is where will he go, to the outfield or to a corner position?

Marlins: Florida has had some pretty good hitting 3rd baseman in their 18 year history. Mike Lowell, Miguel Cabrera, Bobby Bonilla, Gary Sheffield (the latter two saw limited time there.)…Lowell provided Gold Glove defense to boot (or in this case should it be “not to boot”?). Could Matt Dominguez be next in line? He’s shown the glove so far, but he’ll hit have to improve offensively to stick in the major leagues. Dominguez was the Marlins 1st round pick (12th overall) in the 2007 amateur draft out of Chatsworth (CA) High School. Power came quickly to Dominguez in the minors- he hit 18 home runs as an 18-yr old at Single-A Greensboro in 2008. He added 16 doubles, a .296 average, and an impressive .853 OPS. But Dominguez took a step back the last two years to the type of player the scouts feel is the truer picture. A .250 hitter with 15 home run power and a decent run producer (81 RBI, 61 runs at Double-A Jacksonville last season).

Marlins hitting instructor John Mallee had this assessment of Dominguez early last year. “(Dominguez is) a hitter whose swing had gotten long, who was chasing balls out of the zone with two strikes and who was not staying behind the ball. But he was encouraged that Dominguez still had good pitch recognition. He’s getting better and better at staying behind the ball and when he does that he’s really going to hit. He’s coming. I think he’s going to be legitimate.”

With Wes Helms manning the hot corner this season for Florida, Dominguez will have an excellent shot at taking over the job in 2012.

Braves: It would be hard to top the splash Jason Heyward made on Major League Baseball last season, but right-handed pitcher Julio Teheran may not be too far away from creating a commotion of his own. Teheran was signed as a 16-yr old by the Braves out of his native Colombia after impressing scouts with a low 90′s fastball. After playing rookie ball for two years, Teheran spent 2010 at three different levels last season, making an impression at each stop. All told, Teheran struck out 159 hitters in 142 2/3 IP (10.0 per 9 innings) and had a 4:1 strikeout to walk ratio.

Braves GM Frank Wren had this to say about Teheran: “The first time I saw him, I thought of Pedro — a little taller Pedro. I still see that. He’s live-bodied. When you watched Pedro, you could see by the way he carried himself that he knew he was good and knew he was going to get you out. He exuded that, and Julio is kind of that way.”

Teheran has a consistent mid-90′s fastball, a good curve that breaks low in the zone, and an even better changeup. He’s received an invite to the big league camp, but will start the season in Triple-A. He definitely has a great shot to get a pre-September call up in 2011 and an even better shot at being in the rotation in 2012.

Nationals: I’ll give you one guess who the Nationals top prospect is. If you didn’t say Bryce Harper, go directly to jail and don’t collect $200 (Haven’t seen any new Monopoly boards lately, is it still just $200?). Harper is of course the teen phenom that (along with his parents) ticked off people by skipping out of high school two years (he did get his GED) early to play ball at the JUCO level. The 18-yr old was the #1 selection in last year’s amateur draft. Right at the signing deadline, he inked a five year, $9.9M deal that included a $6.25M signing bonus

Harper’s first professional exposure came in the Arizona Fall League, where he torn things up in a nine game stint for the Scottsdale Scorpions. A .410 (12-35) average included three doubles, two triples, and a home run. Harper drove in seven runs and posted a 1.039 OPS. There’s no question Harper can hit, but the organization has not decided yet whether to have him play outfield or to catch, the latter of which would slow his progression to the major leagues.

Rumors, News, and Transactions

Michael Young is mad as hell and isn’t going to take it any more. He may not throw a television out the window, but Young wants out of Texas..NOW! Feeling disrespected and misled by the Rangers front office, Young has demanded a trade. And Texas is happy to oblige, though it may not happen too quickly because of the $48M still owed the 3rd baseman.

Indians outfielder Grady Sizemore hopes to begin playing spring training games by mid-March as he continues his recovery from microfracture surgery on his knee. His teammate, catcher Carlos Santana, is making an even quicker recovery from his knee injury and has been cleared to hit and catch bullpen sessions.

Needing room on the 40-man roster for Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez, the Rays designated outfielder Justin Ruggiano for assignment.

White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy continues his way back from shoulder surgery and threw off of a mound earlier today.

Free agent catcher Bengie Molina has still not decided whether to play or not in 2011.

It’s not risky or even risque, but the Orioles have signed pitcher David Riske to a minor league deal. The Dodgers have done the same with infielder Aaron Miles.

BD Hot Stove: The Repercussions of Phil Lee

BD Hot Stove: The Repercussions of Phil Lee

The fallout from Cliff Lee signing with Philadelphia can be heard today from Texas to New York to Boston and everywhere in between. Lee left up to $50M on the table to play back in Philly, where he spent the latter half of 2009. You can go home again, and much to the dismay of the player’s association, you don’t have to take the most moneyed contract to do so.

In New York, Yankees fans cried, whined, and sighed. And Met fans applauded that the Yankees lost out on Lee. Apparently it hasn’t sunk in yet that the Mets will have to face the Phillies rotation 19 times a year.

In Arlington, Ron Washington’s gut is in hiding. After all, it was Washington’s gut that told him Lee was coming back to Texas. And the Rangers are back where they were before last season’s trade deadline; with a huge hole in their rotation.


The Red Sox fans joy is twofold. 1) The Yankees didn’t get Lee and 2) The Yankees didn’t get a top left-hander to negate their lefty-laden lineup.

Meanwhile, Yankees GM Brian Cashman has to go to plan ‘B’. He told area beat writers this morning, via a conference call, that means “patience”. For now the Yankees have just three definite spots in their rotation- CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, and A.J. Burnett. So the next logical step will be to see what Andy Pettitte’s status is. With no Lee in NY, Pettitte will probably ask for a higher amount of money than had the Yankees landed Lee. I can see a $15M asking price, though the Yankees will want the figure to be closer to $10M. Incentives can make both sides happy.

Another winner in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes is his agent Darek Braunecker, who is now a household name.

Rumors, News, and Transactions

Former Yankee Hideki Matsui finalized his one year deal with the Oakland A’s. It’s worth $4.25M. Good job by Billy Beane.

The Yankees may not have gotten Lee, but they did get the catcher they wanted. Russell Martin, recently non-tendered by the Dodgers, has agreed to a one year deal.

Lyle Overbay has agreed to a one year, $5M deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Overbay had a nice offensive year in 2010, but it’s not his norm. Still you would think there would be some upper echelon teams interested in him.

The Nationals have signed pinch-hitter extraordinaire Matt Stairs to a minor league deal.

One of the Rangers plan ‘B’ options is apparently Chien-Ming Wang. The former Yankee missed all of 2010 after undergoing shoulder surgery and was non-tendered by the Nationals. Nolan Ryan and company are reportedly also looking at Carl Pavano.

The Cardinals have agreed to a deal with Gerald Laird as a backup catcher to Yadier Molina. Laird will receive $1M for one year.

According to the Kansas City Star’s Terez Paylor, the Royals are still shopping Zack Greinke and looking for the best fit.

The Rays have re-signed lefty J.P. Howell to a one year deal. Howell, who had torn labrum surgery in May, will miss the start of the season and his exact return is in question.

The Mariners, looking for parts, inked Royce Ring, Ryan Langerhans, Denny Bautista, and Chris Giminez to minor league pacts.

Sheff to the Mets?

Newsday's David Lennon is reporting that the Mets are in talks with Gary Sheffield and could sign him as early as today.

We guess that with Moises Alou gone, they need another creaky, older player.

Reportedly the Mets are in the pole position now with the Phillies and Reds still showing interest. There goes some of your playing time Dan Murphy.

Subway Series 2008

We're so desperate to hear some good Yankees baseball were listening to the Tampa Yankees play the Ft. Myers Miracle. Eric Hacker is on the hill for the Yanks and has allowed 1 unearned run through 6 innings.

The big boys go at it tonight, though the heavy rains we're experiencing may cause a day-night doubleheader tomorrow or Sunday. The Yankees probably wouldn't mind that or maybe it's just us fans who wouldn't mind that.

Darrell Rasner has the task of going up against Johan Santana tonight in the opener on my9. Andy Pettitte faces Oliver Perez tomorrow afternoon, and the series concludes in a nationially televised game on Sunday night as Chien-Ming Wang faces John Maine. The best pitching match up for last.

The Mets come in at 20-19 and underachieving. Willie Randolph's days could be numbered if the Mets current play continues. Everyone is saying the team is lacking a spark and the overall attitude is not good. That usually means a manager is going to get chopped. This series could be crucial to Willie's future.

The Yankees aren't hitting at all and to make matters worse they have to face two left-handers in this series. One of which is arguably the best left-hander in baseball.

Johan Santana has heard some boo birds in his first season in Shea, which of course, is absolutely absurd behavior. The lefty is 4-2, 3.10 with 52 K's in 52.1 innings. He's got a 4:1 K/BB ratio, and a 3-game winning streak.

Some Yankees have had success against Santana including left-handed hitters Hideki Matsui (6-15 1 HR 1 RBI) and Robinson Cano (4-9). Derek Jeter has also hit .294 in 17 at-bats.

Rasner was facing the Mets last season when he suffered a broken finger on a come-backer. Hopefully he'll have better results this time around.

Subway Series 2008

We're so desperate to hear some good Yankees baseball were listening to the Tampa Yankees play the Ft. Myers Miracle. Eric Hacker is on the hill for the Yanks and has allowed 1 unearned run through 6 innings.

The big boys go at it tonight, though the heavy rains we're experiencing may cause a day-night doubleheader tomorrow or Sunday. The Yankees probably wouldn't mind that or maybe it's just us fans who wouldn't mind that.

Darrell Rasner has the task of going up against Johan Santana tonight in the opener on my9. Andy Pettitte faces Oliver Perez tomorrow afternoon, and the series concludes in a nationially televised game on Sunday night as Chien-Ming Wang faces John Maine. The best pitching match up for last.

The Mets come in at 20-19 and underachieving. Willie Randolph's days could be numbered if the Mets current play continues. Everyone is saying the team is lacking a spark and the overall attitude is not good. That usually means a manager is going to get chopped. This series could be crucial to Willie's future.

The Yankees aren't hitting at all and to make matters worse they have to face two left-handers in this series. One of which is arguably the best left-hander in baseball.

Johan Santana has heard some boo birds in his first season in Shea, which of course, is absolutely absurd behavior. The lefty is 4-2, 3.10 with 52 K's in 52.1 innings. He's got a 4:1 K/BB ratio, and a 3-game winning streak.

Some Yankees have had success against Santana including left-handed hitters Hideki Matsui (6-15 1 HR 1 RBI) and Robinson Cano (4-9). Derek Jeter has also hit .294 in 17 at-bats.

Rasner was facing the Mets last season when he suffered a broken finger on a come-backer. Hopefully he'll have better results this time around.

Breaking Down the Santana Trade

When we first heard the Johan Santana deal announced yesterday, we reacted with a combination of relief (that the Red Sox hadn't landed him) and shock (that's all the Twins got?!). There are a couple of factors though that can play into our final feelings on the trade.

La Velle E. Neal III (what a name!) of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune is reporting that Johan Santana told the Twins he would not waive his no-trade clause if he was not dealt by Tuesday (yesterday). Santana has completely denied similar ultimatums that were attributed to him during this whole process. If it's true than the Twins did indeed have their hands tied in making a deal.
Peter Abraham of the Journal News reported that Twins' GM Bill Smith went back to both the Yankees and Red Sox in one last attempt to get the best deal possible. Both Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein said no to lower packages.

So Smith took the Mets deal which was no fantastic assortment of players. Carlos Gomez, Phil Humber, Kevin Mulvey, and Deolis Guerra. Let's take a look at each of them.

Carlos Gomez has the too much bandied about tag of "5-tool player" thrown around his neck. For those of you who don't know, a 5-tool player is one who grades at high skills in hitting for average, hitting with power, speed, defense, and arm strength. It can pan out in a player like Alex Rodriguez, but more times than not it usually results in players like Michael Coleman, who never translate minor league success to the majors.

Gomez hit .232 in 58 games with the Mets in '07 with 12 stolen bases in 15 attempts. His minor league numbers have never shown the power potential of a 5-tool player, and unless this 22-yr old bulks up, he's not going to either. Like a lot of Latin American ball players, Gomez is a free swinger who strikes out too often, and doesn't walk enough for a guy with his speed.

Whether or not the Twins make him their immediate replacement for Torii Hunter, remains to be seen. Gomez could probably use a full-season at Triple-A, or at the very least, platoon with a left-handed hitter (he only hit .212 against righties) his first year in Minnesota.

Mets fans have been hearing about Phil Humber for quite some time now. The 25-yr old spent 3 season at Rice University before joining the Mets in 2005. In 3 minor league seasons, Humber has a 4.11 ERA. In '07, his first at Triple-A, he went 11-9, 4.27 with 44 walks and 120 Ks in 139 innings pitched. Despite some moderate success, the Mets didn't think he was the answer to their starting rotation woes last season.

Humber did come up for a couple of looks the past 2 years, including a start in the heat of the pennant race in late September. The Nationals tagged him for 5 runs on 6 hits, including a home run, in 4 innings pitched. He'll probably start the season at Triple-A.

Kevin Mulvey is a New Jersey boy, who spent 3 years at Villanova. He split 4 games in '06 at Rookie ball and Double-A, and spent all but one game at Double-A in '07. His numbers weren't overly impressive at 'nova, but he showed promise at Binghamton last year, going 11-10, 3.26 with 43 walks and 110 Ks in 151.2 IP.

Mulvey obviously wasn't in the Mets system long enough to get a real idea of what he can do. He'll join Humber in Triple-A.

Deolis Guerra will turn just 19 on April 17 and has spent 2 years at the 'A' and advanced 'A' levels. The Venezuelan born right-hander went 9-14, 3.28 with 68 walks and 135 Ks in 178.2 innings pitched. It will be a few years before Guerra will have an impact at the major league level. He should start the season in Double-A.

On paper, it looks like the Twins got hosed, but time will tell. Though they will be paying a small fortune to Santana, this was an excellent deal for the Mets.

The only real downside for Yankees fans is having to listen to obnoxious Mets fans crow about Santana on WFAN. But at least we still have Phil Hughes.

Breaking Down the Santana Trade

When we first heard the Johan Santana deal announced yesterday, we reacted with a combination of relief (that the Red Sox hadn't landed him) and shock (that's all the Twins got?!). There are a couple of factors though that can play into our final feelings on the trade.

La Velle E. Neal III (what a name!) of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune is reporting that Johan Santana told the Twins he would not waive his no-trade clause if he was not dealt by Tuesday (yesterday). Santana has completely denied similar ultimatums that were attributed to him during this whole process. If it's true than the Twins did indeed have their hands tied in making a deal.
Peter Abraham of the Journal News reported that Twins' GM Bill Smith went back to both the Yankees and Red Sox in one last attempt to get the best deal possible. Both Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein said no to lower packages.

So Smith took the Mets deal which was no fantastic assortment of players. Carlos Gomez, Phil Humber, Kevin Mulvey, and Deolis Guerra. Let's take a look at each of them.

Carlos Gomez has the too much bandied about tag of "5-tool player" thrown around his neck. For those of you who don't know, a 5-tool player is one who grades at high skills in hitting for average, hitting with power, speed, defense, and arm strength. It can pan out in a player like Alex Rodriguez, but more times than not it usually results in players like Michael Coleman, who never translate minor league success to the majors.

Gomez hit .232 in 58 games with the Mets in '07 with 12 stolen bases in 15 attempts. His minor league numbers have never shown the power potential of a 5-tool player, and unless this 22-yr old bulks up, he's not going to either. Like a lot of Latin American ball players, Gomez is a free swinger who strikes out too often, and doesn't walk enough for a guy with his speed.

Whether or not the Twins make him their immediate replacement for Torii Hunter, remains to be seen. Gomez could probably use a full-season at Triple-A, or at the very least, platoon with a left-handed hitter (he only hit .212 against righties) his first year in Minnesota.

Mets fans have been hearing about Phil Humber for quite some time now. The 25-yr old spent 3 season at Rice University before joining the Mets in 2005. In 3 minor league seasons, Humber has a 4.11 ERA. In '07, his first at Triple-A, he went 11-9, 4.27 with 44 walks and 120 Ks in 139 innings pitched. Despite some moderate success, the Mets didn't think he was the answer to their starting rotation woes last season.

Humber did come up for a couple of looks the past 2 years, including a start in the heat of the pennant race in late September. The Nationals tagged him for 5 runs on 6 hits, including a home run, in 4 innings pitched. He'll probably start the season at Triple-A.

Kevin Mulvey is a New Jersey boy, who spent 3 years at Villanova. He split 4 games in '06 at Rookie ball and Double-A, and spent all but one game at Double-A in '07. His numbers weren't overly impressive at 'nova, but he showed promise at Binghamton last year, going 11-10, 3.26 with 43 walks and 110 Ks in 151.2 IP.

Mulvey obviously wasn't in the Mets system long enough to get a real idea of what he can do. He'll join Humber in Triple-A.

Deolis Guerra will turn just 19 on April 17 and has spent 2 years at the 'A' and advanced 'A' levels. The Venezuelan born right-hander went 9-14, 3.28 with 68 walks and 135 Ks in 178.2 innings pitched. It will be a few years before Guerra will have an impact at the major league level. He should start the season in Double-A.

On paper, it looks like the Twins got hosed, but time will tell. Though they will be paying a small fortune to Santana, this was an excellent deal for the Mets.

The only real downside for Yankees fans is having to listen to obnoxious Mets fans crow about Santana on WFAN. But at least we still have Phil Hughes.

Around the Horn (6/11)

Injuries have finally caught up to the Mets, who have lost 6 of 7. Spark plug outfielder Endy Chavez was the latest to go on the DL last week. The Tigers had their way with Oliver Perez and Tom Glavine over the weekend. This is why Met fans who try to act arrogant need to simma.

When Ian Kinsler homered for the Rangers on Friday it was his 11th of the season. Not a bad total all. But considering Kinsler had 9 HRs after play on April 29, it's not such a great accomplishment. Worse though is the dip in his average from .309 to .230.

With a back injury to Joe Crede, prospect Josh Fields is getting a chance to play ever day for the White Sox. Unfortunately for him, he's hitting like the rest of the team. Fields is just 2-18 since his recall.

The A's recalled catcher Kurt Suzuki from the minors over the weekend after dealing Adam Melhuse to Texas. Suzuki could eventually supplant free agent-to-be Jason Kendall as the starting catcher.

When 39-year old Masumi Kutawa debuted for the Pirates yesterday, he became the oldest rookie since 41-year old Diomedes Olivo played for the Pirates in 1960.

The rumor mill has been set in motion. The Rays and Nats are seriously discussing Elijah Dukes and the Reds have let it be known that Adam Dunn is available.

Around the Horn (6/11)

Injuries have finally caught up to the Mets, who have lost 6 of 7. Spark plug outfielder Endy Chavez was the latest to go on the DL last week. The Tigers had their way with Oliver Perez and Tom Glavine over the weekend. This is why Met fans who try to act arrogant need to simma.

When Ian Kinsler homered for the Rangers on Friday it was his 11th of the season. Not a bad total all. But considering Kinsler had 9 HRs after play on April 29, it's not such a great accomplishment. Worse though is the dip in his average from .309 to .230.

With a back injury to Joe Crede, prospect Josh Fields is getting a chance to play ever day for the White Sox. Unfortunately for him, he's hitting like the rest of the team. Fields is just 2-18 since his recall.

The A's recalled catcher Kurt Suzuki from the minors over the weekend after dealing Adam Melhuse to Texas. Suzuki could eventually supplant free agent-to-be Jason Kendall as the starting catcher.

When 39-year old Masumi Kutawa debuted for the Pirates yesterday, he became the oldest rookie since 41-year old Diomedes Olivo played for the Pirates in 1960.

The rumor mill has been set in motion. The Rays and Nats are seriously discussing Elijah Dukes and the Reds have let it be known that Adam Dunn is available.