Q & A with Charlie Hayes

Written for Bronx Pinstripes

The past week felt like the “Bizarro Yankees” world. (Thank you Superman and Seinfeld.) For the first time in the Steinbrenner era, the Yankees were big time sellers at the MLB trade deadline.Carlos Beltran, Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, and Ivan Nova were all sent to new homes. Conversely, in 1996, the Yankees were big time buyers on their way to their first championship. One of the players they brought in was a former Yankee, third baseman Charlie Hayes.

One of the lasting memories of the that season was the final out of the World Series. Mark Lemke’s foul pop nestled neatly in Hayes’ glove and he squeezed it tightly for the third and final out in the 9th inning. To help commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 1996 team, I spoke with Charlie Hayes about the ’96 team, his sons, and what the future holds.

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Yankees Acquire Aroldis Chapman

In a shocker Monday afternoon, the New York Yankees acquired Cincinnati Reds' closer Aroldis Chapman for four prospects. Chapman was close to becoming a Los Angeles Dodger until the Cuban born reliever was accused of physical abuse by his girlfriend. In addition to reportedly choking his significant other and pushing her into a wall, Chapman also fired eight shots in the garage of his Miami-based home. Though police were called, no arrest was made.

The Yankees agreed to send third baseman Eric Jagielo (26th overall pick out of Notre Dame in the 2013 draft), second baseman Tony Renda, and right-handed pitchers Caleb Coltham and Rookie Davis to Cincinatti. Coltham appeared in 12 games for the Yankees this past season.

Chapman is in his third year of arbitration eligibility and can become a free agent for the 2017 season. The four-time All-Star has averaged better than 15 Ks per nine innings over the last four seasons, with a  high of 17.7/9 IP in 2014. His fastball has been clocked as high as 105 mph. Chapman has averaged 36 saves per season over that same stretch.

The move could mean that the Yankees current closer, Andrew Miller, could be used as trade bait. The fellow left-hander signed a four-year, $36MM contract prior to the 2015 season. Miller recorded 36 saves and rang up 100 strikeouts in 61.2 innings.

With Dellin Betances, the Yankees could have a three-headed monster out of the pen and insurance in case Chapman leaves as a free agent. In all likelihood though, Miller will be given his traveling papers in exchange for starting pitching or a solid bat.

Mattingly Out in LA

After three straight NL West division titles and two straight division series losses, the Los Angeles Dodgers and manager Don Mattingly are going their separate ways. That news according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, who describes the ouster as a "mutual parting of the ways".

Although the higher ups, including primary owner Mark Walter, reportedly supported Mattingly, the team fell well short of expectations. Those expectations were high, though the Dodgers didn't necessarily have the team to meet them.

Mattingly was the first Dodgers manager to win three straight NL West titles. The team didn't make the playoffs in his first two seasons at the helm in 2011-2012. The Dodgers reached the NLCS in 2013, but lost in six games to the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cardinals eliminated the Dodgers again in 2014, that time in the first round, before the NL pennant winning New York Mets knocked them out of this year's postseason.

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.

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 Send Cervelli to Pirates for Lefty Reliever

Francisco Cervelli had an up and down career in his time in New York.  A fan favorite to some, part of the Biogenesis scandal, a sufferer of serious injuries, and one of the most spirited players in the Major Leagues.  But with Brian McCann signed to a five-year deal prior to the 2014 season and a laundry list of catching prospects making their towards the Majors, the Venezuela native became expendable. The Yankees sent their backup catcher to the Pittsburgh Pirates for left-handed reliever Justin Wilson.

Cervelli hit a career hit .301 this past season, but appeared in just 49 games. A strained hamstring in mid-April sent him to the 60-day disabled list and missed 59 games. He got hot towards the end of July, but drove in just 13 runs on the season. Defensively, he threw out just six of 24 potential base stealers.

Cervelli, who will be 28-years old when the 2015 season is in his first season of arbitration eligibility after he earned $700K last year.

The 27-year old Wilson appeared in 70 games this past season, his second full season in the Major Leagues. He finished 3-4, 4.20 with better than 9 K's/9 IP. In 2013, Wilson made 58 appearances and posted an ERA just over 2.00.

His numbers were actually better against right-handed hitters rather than lefties and he suffered some control issues. (30 walks in 60 IP). The California native was a 5th rd draft choice out of Cal St.-Fresno in 2008.

Jeter Reveals Players' Tribune Site

Derek Jeter has a job! No having to apply for unemployment! The choice of job is a curious one though. The freshly retired Yankees' shortstop is the publisher of his own brand new website, The Players' Tribune.

It's a site for "unfiltered" talk between athletes and the fans (and the media?) from a player who was notorious for not giving the media many worthy sound bites. This is a snippet from Jeter's website welcome:

"I do think fans deserve more than “no comments” or “I don’t knows.” Those simple answers have always stemmed from a genuine concern that any statement, any opinion or detail, might be distorted. I have a unique perspective.

Many of you saw me after that final home game, when the enormity of the moment hit me. I’m not a robot. Neither are the other athletes who at times might seem unapproachable. We all have emotions. We just need to be sure our thoughts will come across the way we intend."

Some would disagree about the robot part and the timing is strange considering Major League Baseball is in the middle of the post-season. While not comparing apples to apples, Alex Rodriguez was vilified when he opted out of his contract with the Yankees during the 2007 World Series.

Quick tip from a longtime blogger - Make sure your site isn't out of alignment like it is right now on the closing paragraph. Centering an entire paragraph usually doesn't look good. ;)

The Players' Tribune intro closing

"Introducing The Players’ Tribune, a new media platform that will present the unfiltered voices of professional athletes, bringing fans closer to the games they love than ever before. Founded by Derek Jeter, The Players’ Tribune aims to provide unique insight into the daily sports conversation and to publish first-person stories directly from athletes. From video to podcasts to player polls and written pieces, The Tribune will strive to be “The Voice of the Game.”

The initial reaction of the fans is "huh?" while some in the mainstream media would like to figuratively, or literally, flip Jeter the bird. The site mentions there will be more of a real today, October 2. Stay tuned.

Derek Jeter's appearance on the Today Show

Yankees and Jeter Running to the Sunset

Jeter and Prado have fist bumped for the last time.

If you still held out hope that the Yankees could somehow grab an AL wild card spot, you can completely forget it now. The team that has been dropping like flies in losses and manpower, is now completely done. Versatile Martin Prado, who has been one of the few players to swing a consistently good bat, is done for the rest of the year after his appendix decided it wanted to come out.

Yes, what you hear is the final nail being hammered into the 2014 coffin. Feel free to add any other cliche you would like. The announcement that Prado's season was done was met with laughter and not just by me. No, I don't think it's funny that Prado needed surgery. It is gallows humor, because just about everything that could go wrong with this team has gone wrong. Injuries, sub-par seasons, overpaid/underachieving players shuttling in and out of the lineup. It's been miserable.

Last night's walk-off loss, the third in the last five games came as no surprise. There was no anger on my part, just a resigned, "I knew that would happen" attitude. And that's coming from one of the most optimistic fans you will find. But the writing has been on the wall for this season for some time. And it's a shame, but that's what happens when you give tons of money to the wrong people, collect a roster full of elderly players, and don't make front office changes. I never liked the way George Steinbrenner handled things in his heyday, but Hal needs to start wielding a front office axe or the Yankees dry spell for the playoffs will be a lot longer than two years.

Derek Jeter's mediocre season in a mediocre year has made it even touger to watch games over these last six months. The Captain, in the midst of an 0-24 skid at the plate, sat out last night's l-0, 9th inning loss to Tampa Bay. Just 13 games remain in Jeter's final season. His last home game is a week from Thursday before a three game adios in Fenway Park. It's been a more disappointing season than Mariano Rivera's final bow in 2013. The Yankees' closer was still sharp and saved 44 games. The long-time Yankees' shortstop has seen his average dip to .250, his on-base PCT. to .298 and his OPS to a sickly .596.

Yes, those are the worst numbers of Jeter's career for any season in which he has played in 100 or more games. And THAT has been every season except 1995, when he got a brief call up and the injury riddled 2013 season. (His lowest OPS in a 100+ season until this point was .710 in 2010)

Hopefully, Jeter has one more run in him. A streak of singles and doubles, and perhaps one last home run in him before the season ends. That's all Yankees' fans have to hope for now.

Yankees Can't Afford To Put This One In The Ell Column

When Jacoby Ellsbury and the Yankees agreed to a seven-year, $153MM contract this past offseason, a very loud, "WHAT?" was said in unison in the baseball world. For Jacoby Ellsbury? The guy who had one very good season and was known more for his injury plagued years. That Jacoby Ellsbury?

It's only the first year of his contract, but the Yankees would be nowhere without Ellsbury, unquestionably the team's MVP. (Masahiro Tanaka would have been in the mix had he not injured his elbow - be very glad they are shutting him down now after he experienced soreness in his elbow after his latest rehab throw.)

Ellbsury had the misfortune Friday night to slide into the league in the leg of Toronto Blue Jays' catcher Dioner Navarro. Not only was Ellsbury out at the plate, but sprained/jammed his ankle. Tests results came back negative, but Ellsbury is hurting. He sat out Saturday's game with Toronto, and though he feels he'll play on Sunday, a conservative Joe Girardi is more likely to give him another day off. Especially since the Yankees have their next to last off day on Monday.

It's an especially painful loss for a team that has had trouble scoring runs all season. The former Red Sox outfielder has been on a tear of late - 11-22 (.500), 4 HR, 9 RBI, 6 runs in his last six games - and entered Sunday leading the team with 64 RBI and 37 steals, and is second to Brett Gardner with 64 runs scored.

Like everyone else, Ellsbury has had his dry spells too. He hit just .231 in May with a .664 OPS. But as the race for the second wild card has heated up, so has Ellsbury. In 25 starts and one substitute appearance in August, his slash line is .317/.360/.525 with 5 HR, 16 RBI, 9 SB (without being thrown out), 32 hits, and 13 runs scored. Girardi has used him primarily in the three-hole in the lineup this season, but as of late has inserted him into the lead off spot. Ellsbury has a robust .926 OPS at the top of the order, compared to a .728 OPS batting behind #2, Derek Jeter in the two-hole.

Over the years, many teams have thrown left-handers at the Yankees so as not to let them take advantage of the short porch in Yankee Stadium's right field, but Ellsbury has hit better - nearly .100 points higher in his OPS - against southpaws rather than right-handers. Sunday's game is no different, though it's on the road. The Blue Jays have lefty J.A. Happ scheduled to make a start. The Yankees can only hope the first batter he faces is Jacoby Ellsbury. Otherwise, the Yankees are already going into the game trying to come from behind.

Cashman Brings In Mediocrity in Capuano, Aims Higher

Capuano is the latest lefty to join the Yankees

Chris Capuano had solid years for the Milwaukee Brewers. Notice the past tense in that sentence. Capuano is the latest player in the new game show, "Throw it against the wall and see if it sticks." It's also known as the Brian Cashman "I'll take what I can get" show.

Cashman isn't done looking for pitching though. Reports have the Yankees in discussions for their former first round draft pick Ian Kennedy and Rockies' starter, Jorge De La Rosa.

The Yankees acquired Capuano from the Colorado for cash. The 35-year old left-hander was released on July 1 after he pitched poorly in relief for the Red Sox. The Rockies signed him to a minor league deal just three days later. Capuano was at his peak in his third and fourth full seasons (2005-06) in the Major Leagues. He won 18 games with a sub-4.00 ERA in '05 and followed it up a year later with a tough luck won/loss  record (11-12), despite a 4.03 ERA.

Not yet 30, Capuano appeared ready to make a name for himself, but underwent surgery on his non-throwing shoulder after a miserable 2007 season. The following spring he injured a ligament in his left elbow during Spring Training and had to undergo Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career. (He previously had the surgery in 2002.)

Capuano returned to the Majors and Milwaukee as a reliever/starter in 2010, before he joined the Mets as a free agent for the 2011 season. He was a decent back-end-of-the-rotation starter for the guys from Queens and topped 186 innings. His comeback was truly complete as a member of the Dodgersin 2011, when he put together solid ERA and WHIP numbers (3.72, 1.220), threw 198.1 innings, and led the NL with 33 starts A variety of injuries limited him to 20 starts in 2013 and his production dropped off as well.

ESPN's Jim Bowden reported on Thursday the Yankees were in discussions with the Padres for Kennedy's services, with prospects Eric Jagielo (3B) and Ian Clarkin (P) being mentioned as part of a deal. However, on Friday, Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish reported that the Yankees were not "aggressively pursuing" Kennedy. Earlier in the week, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman stated that the Pads would not trade Kennedy unless they were blown away by an offer.

It was also Bowden who reported the Yankees had talked to the Rockies about De La Rosa. A couple of weeks ago, Bowden's colleague Jayson Stark had written that the Rockies were looking for a young pitcher that could join the staff ASAP. The Yankees are not in possession of that type of player, nor are most teams.

After he beat the Nationals on Wednesday, De La Rosa's record stood at 11-6, 4.19 with a 1.284 WHIP in 116.1 innings pitched. The 33-year old left-hander has actually had better results at hitter-friendly Coor's Field than on the road. With some home cooking, De La Rosa's ERA (3.23) is more than two points lower than when he dons the Rockies' road uniform. He's also won seven of his nine decisions in Colorado.

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.

Yankees Trade For Brandon McCarthy. Is Anyone Cheering?

So a little while ago a friend texted me and others that the Yankees traded Vidal Nuno to Arizona for Diamondbacks starter Brandon McCarthy. The reactions were What? Why? LMAO. No, no one thinks the Yankees needed to hold on to Nuno. But Brandon McCarthy?

While at first I had forgotten that McCarthy is no longer a fly ball and thought the Yankees were acquiring a Phil Hughes "arm doppelganger", my opinion is still that he's not a good pitcher. (I'm being nice there)

This season McCarthy is tops in the National League in hits and earned runs allowed. His 5.01 ERA and 1.377 WHIP, and 15 home runs allowed (second worst of his career after only 18 starts) are too many crooked numbers, to paraphrase ol' Jim Kaat. Throw in a -0.5 WAR and you can see why no one is doing cartwheels.

There are some positives. The Diamondbacks, for unknown reasons, are paying the remainder of McCarthy's $10.25MM salary and $1MM assignment bonus. McCarthy has rung up a career high 7.6 strikeouts per nine innings and has walked just 1.6 batters per game. Of course, you can't walk batters when they are too busy getting hits off of you.

McCarthy's best years came when he called the very pitcher-friendly Oakland A's (Oakland-Alameda County Colisuem) ballpark home. He led the AL with a 2.86 ERA in 2011, the first year in which he converted from getting fly balls to getting hitters to keep it on the ground. (While getting ground balls is better in Yankee Stadium, the Yankees infield defense could cost McCarthy some outs.) He also had a solid 2012 season with the A's before a line drive to the head caused serious injuries and ended his season early. In the offseason he departed Oakland for a free agent deal with the lowly Diamondbacks.

His numbers in his first year in the desert were only slight better than this season. A 4.53 ERA, 10.7 hits per nine innings, compared to 10.8 this season, and a .325 BAbip  (Batting average on balls put in play). This year, hitters have a .347 BAbip against McCarthy.

While the right-hander's numbers are worse at home, his road figures aren't much better.better. And remember, that 5.01 ERA is primarily against National League teams, which in essence fields an eight man lineup. (You might even consider it seven batters the way the eight man in the order gets pitched around to get to the pitcher.)

A few things factored in McCarthy being acquired by the Yankees. 1.) The Yankees have no Major League talent ready to help in the rotation. 2) The Yankees don't have the prospects to deal for a better pitcher. 3.) See 1 and 2.

McCarthy is an upgrade over Nuno, but nothing to get excited about.

RIP Zim, We'll Miss Ya

Don Zimmer had so many jobs in baseball, he became famous, sometimes infamous, for so many things. His family and his baseball families suffered a loss today when the colorful 83-year old died two months after having heart surgery.

Zimmer's first personna was that of a player in the Brooklyn Dodgers organization. He was a member of the '55 "Bums" that finally beat the New York Yankees in the World Series. He nearly died though before he put together a 12-year career, primarily as a reserve. Playing for St. Paul in 1953, Zimmer lost sight of a pitch and leaned right into the ball.

In the days before helmets, Zimmer suffered a devastating head injury. He was unconscious for nearly two week and had to have holes drilled in his head to relieve the pressure. The 170 pound infielder dropped down to 124 pounds and was told he would never play a game. The doctors didn't know just how tough Zim was.

He went with the Dodgers when they moved to Los Angeles and picked up another World Series ring with the 1959 team. He bounced around after that. Taken by the Mets in the expansion draft in 1961, Zimmer had the misfortune of playing on the sad sack Mets squad that lost 120 games in 1962. Zimmer retired from MLB after the 1965 season with stops in Cincinnati, briefly back with the Dodgers, and three years in Washington. There was one more season in professional baseball for Zimmer though, as a member of the 1966 Toei Flyers in the Nippon Professional Baseball League.

Baseball was still in Popeye's blood even though he was no longer a player. He got his first Major League managerial job with the San Diego Padres in 1972 after Preston Gomez was fired 11 games into the season. The Padres were 114 and 190 under Zimmer, who was fired after the 1973 season. The next stop was in Boston to replace Darrell Johnson after 86 games into the 1976 season. In 1978, the Red Sox built up a 14.5 game lead over the New York Yankees. But the Yankees began a Summer surge while the Red Sox swooned. A 163rd game was needed to decide the AL East winner and Bucky Dent ruined Zimmer's and Boston's dreams. Zimmer, unfairly, became the scapegoat for the blown division lead.

Zimmer was let go by Boston near the end of the 1980 season, but got a job the following year as the Texas Rangers manager. He was fired 96 games into the 1982 season. Zimmer's final managerial stint came as the skipper of the Chicago Cubs from 1988 into 1991. The 1989 team won 93 games, but lost in the NLCS to San Francisco in five games.

Zimmer got a new lease on his baseball life when Joe Torre, barely an acquaintance at the time, asked him to be his bench coach for his new gig as the New York Yankees manager. Zim became a lovable character during his time in New York, whether it was from Derek Jeter rubbing his head for luck, donning an army helmet after a Chuck Knoblauch foul ball hit him, taking on George Steinbrenner, or charging Pedro Martinez during a bench clearing brawl.

Zimmer stayed closer to his home in Florida the last 11 years as a senior advisor for the Tampa Bay Rays. Baseball wasn't his dearest family though. That distinction belonged to his wife Jean, better known as "Soot", who he met in the 10th grade. The couple was married for 63 years and had two children, a son, Tom, and a daughter, Donna, who gave them four grandchildren.

Zim's health began to deteriorate and he suffered a stroke in 2008. This past April he endured surgery to repair a leaky heart valve, but never fully recovered. My thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to his family and friends. Don Zimmer, one of a kind.

Updated 6/5

Derek Jeter reflects back on Zim

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.

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Paul Blair, 69

Sad news out of the baseball world tonight; former Baltimore Oriole and New York Yankee Paul Blair has passed away at the age of 69. Orioles beat writer Roch Kubatko reported the news a short time ago.

Blair had suffered a heart attack at age 66, which led to the discovery that his main artery was 98% blocked. He had a stent installed and went through months of physical therapy. He apparently collapsed at a bowling alley prior to his passing.

Until Ken Griffey Jr. came along, I never saw anyone play center field with the defensive prowess that Paul Blair displayed. He would turn his back to the infield, race back towards the center field wall, turn around and be at the exact spot the ball came down and landed softly in his glove.

He was a seven time Gold Glove winner with the Orioles, a two-time World Series champion, and a member of four AL pennant winning teams. Blair was dealt to the Yankees in January of 1977 for Elliott Maddox and Rick Bladt and earned two more World Series rings.

The California native could hit too, but after being beaned in the head he was never the same player at the plate. He spent the 1979 season with the Cincinnati Reds before a return to the Yankees in 1980 for his 17th and final season in the Major Leagues. The two time All-Star's career came to an end when the Yankees released him in July, 1980.

After his professional playing career concluded, Blair held head coaching positions at Fordham University and Coppin St. College, worked as an outfielder instructor and a minor league coach in the Orioles organization

My condolences go out to his family and friends.


Paul Blair with the game winning hit in Game 1 of the 1977 World Series

Report: Cano and Mariners Agree to 10 Year, $240MM Deal

How long until Cano makes this face and thinks "what have I done?"

Apparently Robinson Cano was heavily influenced by Jay-Z and Roc Nation Sports or he's just plain greedy and not too bright.

ESPN Deportes' Enrique Rojas and CBS Sports Jon Heyman reported that the Seattle Mariners and Cano have agreed to a 10-year, $240MM contract. Yes, you can put the word crazy in any spot in that sentence.

Cano was originally seeking a 9 or 10 deal worth $235MM to $310MM, depending on who you believe. Despite his supposed desire to remain with the Yankees, Cano felt the Yankees dissed him by giving Jacoby Ellsbury $153MM over 7 years, which in turn limited the money they could give Cano. Cano's father felt the same way and publicly expressed his opinion on the topic.

The Yankees also didn't seem to want Cano back for some reason. GM Brian Cashman, who earlier today praised Cano, spoke about the second baseman a couple of weeks back and only referred to him as "the player". Cano had been a steady bat and glove in the lineup nearly every day - he's only missed 12 games in the last seven seasons.

The Yankees were obviously not going to go overboard after they bid against themselves and gave Alex Rodriguez a ridiculous 10 year contract in December, 2007. But perhaps the Yankees underestimated what it would take to keep Cano in pinstripes. A 10 year, $240MM contract is ridiculous and I'm glad the Yankees did not aqueous, but a 7-year deal for $189 (27 per season) might have done the trick. Instead, the team refused to budget off a range that wasn't that much more per season than Ellsbury's new deal, despite the wide gap in production between the two.

The Mariners are the big losers in this. While Cano will help them offensively, though not as much as they would like in spacious Safeco Field, he isn't going to bring fans out to the ballpark. He's a great player, but he's not Miguel Cabrera or Mike Trout. Also, a 10 year deal for a player 30 or over is as dumb as it gets.

Robbie Cano no longer making fools aware. He is the fool.

Enjoy your Starbucks Robinson.

Feinsand: Ellsbury and Yankees Agree to 7 Year-$153MM Deal

I tried to keep my head from spinning after I heard CBS Sports' Jon Heyman report that the Yankees and free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury were close to a seven year deal. Now comes word from the NY Daily News' Mark Feinsand that it's a done deal worth $153MM pending a physical on Wednesday. Perhaps it's a leaked rumor to get Robinson Cano into a panic mode since he and the Yankees are still well apart in negotiations or the Yankees are simply moving on.

Ellsbury is a very good player..when healthy. He missed all but 18 games in 2010, was limited to 74 games in 2012 and missed 28 games this past season. He was an AL MVP candidate in 2011 when he hit 32 home runs, drove in 105 runs, scored 119, stole 39 bases, put up a .928 OPS, and had a league high 364 total bases.

The 30-yr old has led the league in steals three times including this past season when he swiped 52 in 56 attempts. With Alfonso Soriano set to play left field, this could spell the end of Brett Gardner's days in pinstripes or a possible demotion to the fourth outfield position.

According to Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan, Ellsbury's deal includes an eighth year option with a buyout that could bring the total to $169MM. There will be a $21.86 hit on the luxury tax. Passan still feels the Yankees can still get Cano on board as well if he lowers his demands. The Yankees are reportedly still pursuing Shin-Soo Choo and are out of the Carlos Beltran sweepstakes.

Things just got a whole lot crazier.

Update 10 pm: Getting more torqued thinking about this deal. The Yankees supposedly won't budge off the $160MM, 7 years they've offered Cano, yet they are willing to give a very good, but not great player almost the equal amount.

I don't want to hear about Cano not busting it down to first base, he's a superior player to Ellsbury with the bat and with the glove. He's also played at least 159 games in the last six seasons.

Hughes Headed To The Twin Cities

For a fly ball pitcher, Phil Hughes picked a new team that plays its home games in a place where home runs don't leave the park so easily. According to the Star Tribune's La velle E. Neill, the former 1st round pick (23rd overall in the 2004 amateur draft) of the New York Yankees has agreed to a three-year, $24MM deal with the Minnesota Twins.

Hughes had been a disappointment with the Yankees; he was never able to live up the hype or potential that was expected of him. The product of Foothill High School in California, Hughes made his Yankees debut at age 20 in April, 2007. His second big league start saw him throw 6.1 no-hit innings against the Texas Rangers at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.  But with then Rangers first baseman Mark Teixeira at the plate, Hughes pulled a hamstring when he tried to get extra torque on his curveball and had to leave the game.

It was his first Major League win, but he wouldn't get a second until August due an injured ankle that occurred while he treated his hamstring. Various injuries (rib cage) and "situations" (dead arm) followed him for the rest of his Yankees career, but that potential was still there. He was a big reason the Yankees won the World Series in 2009 after he moved to the bullpen in the second of the season and was outstanding.

It seemed to carry over a year later when he was back in the rotation and made the All-Star team. Though he finished with 18 wins, he struggled in the second half and was routed by the Rangers in a pair of post-season starts. The Yankees still had high hopes for Hughes after a strong finish in the 2012 season. But this past season was more of the same - too many home runs allowed (59 over the last 2 years), too much inconsistency, and too many losses. His days in the Bronx officially came to a close when the team didn't make him a qualifying offer in early November.

His final numbers for the team in the Bronx read 56-50, 4.54 ERA in 132 starts and 50 relief appearances.
Still just 27-years old, Hughes will get a fresh start at Target Field, which yielded an AL low 1.75 home runs per game in 2013.

Girardi Re-ups For 4 More Years

Many an incumbent president has had supporters shouting "four more years" during their campaign for a second term. Though no one was shouting it, Joe Girardi, performance willing, will be back for four more years as manager of the New York Yankees.

The Yankees just announced that Girardi has signed a new four year contract that will keep him the Yankees manager through 2017. If Girardi completes the entire contract, the Yankees will have had only two managers from 1996-2017.  An unheard fete during the George Steinbrenner portion of the Steinbrenner era.

Girardi was reportedly torn between returning to the Yankees or going after the vacant Chicago Cubs job in his native state of Illinois.  Principal owner Hal Steinbrenner appeared on the Michael Kay Show on Tuesday and said he felt a decision would be made soon regarding Girardi.

Looking at the history of the Cubs, particularly their lack of success, Girardi knows he has a better chance of winning another World Series with the Yankees than the Cubs have of even making the playoffs

The monetary terms of the deal were not released, but it is believed that Girardi got a healthy raise from the $3MM he made in 2013. Rumor has it that it is $16MM over the four years.

Next up on the docket, Robinson Cano.


Official press release from the Yankees:

The New York Yankees announced today they have re-signed Manager Joe Girardi to a four-year contract, extending through the 2017 season. The 48-year-old Girardi has guided the team to the postseason in four of his six seasons at the helm, winning the franchise’s 27th World Championship in 2009. Under Girardi, the Yankees have gone a Major League-best 564-408 (.580) since 2008. 

Over his first six years as manager of the Yankees (2008-13), the club has led the Majors in home runs (1,236), while ranking second in runs scored (4,884) and seventh in hits (8,836) and batting average (.265). The Yankees have also committed the fewest errors (484) in the Majors over the span, with a Major League-high .986 team fielding percentage. 

In 2013, Girardi guided the Yankees to an 85-77 finish, tied with Baltimore for the third-best record in the American League East. He recorded his 500th win as Yankees manager on May 10 at Kansas City in his 844th game as skipper of the club, becoming the fifth-fastest manager in club history to reach the milestone behind Casey Stengel (790 games), Joe McCarthy (796 games), Joe Torre (833 games) and Miller Huggins (833 games). The club made just 69 errors in 2013, the third-lowest total in the Majors and tying the franchise record for fewest in a season (also 2010). Their .988 fielding percentage set a new franchise record, fractionally better than their .988 mark in 2010.