2008-2009 Off-Season Thread

[love_that_reefer]

I think so too but they can still get Burnett or Lowe or some other player to take away draft picks. Hurts a team that is now starting to value the farm system again after years of neglect.

[love_that_reefer]

Jorge Posada threw from 60 feet Wednesday for the first time since undergoing shoulder surgery.
Posada, who started his throwing program two weeks ago and is expected to be ready for spring training, made approximately 75 throws.

Good sign from one of the many question marks the Yankees have next year.

[love_that_reefer]

Yankees agreed to terms with RHP Chien-Ming Wang on a one-year, $5 million contract.
Wang settles for a $1 million raise after missing more of half of last season with his foot injury. He was 8-2 with a 4.07 ERA before going down. Had he kept up that kind of pace, he could have been in line for around $7 million in arbitration. Wang was a super-two player last year, so he's not going to be eligible for free agency until after 2011.

A reasonable price for a guy who did miss half the season. Wonder if he will pitch in interleague games next season.

[catman]

I agree. Wang is still a very good pitcher and could really help them alot.

[love_that_reefer]

The Yankees have reportedly signed Kevin Cash to a minor league deal.
It's surprising that Cash, who was non-tendered 11 days ago, would be so quick to sign with a team that would prefer to have no use for him at all. He'd be the backup to Jose Molina if Jorge Posada isn't ready for Opening Day.

The Yankees spent a lot of cash today and got some Cash back. Cash could get some playing time if Posada breaks down.

[love_that_reefer]

The Yankees have reportedly signed Jason Johnson to a minor league contract.
Johnson had a 5.22 ERA in 29 1/3 innings for the Dodgers last season. He might be third or fourth in line for the fifth spot in the rotation right now, but it's doubtful that he'll have any chance of making the team by the time that spring training starts.

I think this constitutes as charity so it might be a tax write off.

[love_that_reefer]

The Yankees have reportedly signed outfielder John Rodriguez to a minor league contract.
Rodriguez, 30, hit .298/.378/.434 in 332 at-bats for the Cards between 2005 and 2006, but he hasn't seen the majors in two years since. He'll be a cog in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's lineup this year.

I can honestly see Rodriguez in a Yankees uniform at some point in the season.

[love_that_reefer]

The Yankees have reportedly signed Angel Berroa to a minor league contract.
Berroa would battle Cody Ransom for a utility job if the Yankees fail to do better before the start of the year. Ransom is the better defender of the two and has more experience at positions other than shortstop, so he might rate the edge.

WoW! The Yankees have signed Jason Johnson, John Rodriguez and Angel Berroa in one day.

[Del]

Sounds like a day to me....

[NYgiantsfan5689]

Ken Rosenthal says...

The Yankees aren't done. And if the prices are right, they should give strong consideration to signing free-agent right-hander Ben Sheets as their fifth starter and righty Juan Cruz as a setup reliever.
The extent of the Yankees' interest in Sheets and Cruz is not known, but even after adding CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and re-signing Damaso Marte, the team continues to explore the markets for both starters and relievers.
Both Sheets and Cruz are Type A free agents who were offered salary arbitration, but they would cost the Yankees only fourth- and fifth-round draft picks. The Yankees already have signed three higher-ranking free agents — Mark Teixeira, Sabathia and Burnett.
Sheets, while a physical risk, could be the Yankees' answer to Brad Penny and John Smoltz, both of whom signed with the Red Sox for relatively low base salaries with the chance to earn significantly more through incentives.

FOX Sports on MSN - MLB - Don't be foolish, the Yankees aren't done yet

I personally think this is ridiculous. Both these guys are risks, and while I used to support the Yankees getting Sheets, now that they have 2 possibly injury prone guys in the rotation plus a young unknown, they need someone who they know will give them innings. Sheets is not one of them. And Rosenthal is being sucked into this let's buy ourselves a championship, which clearly hasn't worked out in the past. Yes, the Yankees are trying it again this year, but they still need SOME resemblance of a draft presence. And giving away their 4th and 5th round draft picks basically eliminates them from the first half of the draft, which would be the foolish thing to do. I also HATE this notion that the Yankees and Red Sox need to counter what the other team does. It doesn't work like that! You don't need to sign an injury prone pitcher to a low base salary with high incentive possibility just because the other team did! That's ridiculous. Get your head out of this stupid way of thinking, Rosenthal. You build the best team you can, no matter what anyone else does.

Bottom line: signing Cruz and Sheets are both risks, and not worth the draft picks given up, IMO.

What do you guys think?

[browntown653]

A setup man with a 2.61 ERA and a guy who started the All-Star Game and 31 games aren't worth a 4th and 5th round draft pick?...um, OK.

[NYgiantsfan5689]

Wow, way to over-simplify the situation. I just laid out why they're not worth the draft picks. Yes they're good. But they're risks

[love_that_reefer]

I really don;t see the risk in Juan Cruz. That is a need for the Yankees, bullpen help. The Yankees are banking on the young guys again but this time it is in the bullpen. Giving up a 4th round pick is worth getting Juan Cruz. The Yankees draft is going to be shit anyway. Why not get back to the playoffs?

I do agree on Sheets though. Yankees have enough injury risks on one team to make a GM go bald.

[love_that_reefer]

General manager Brian Cashman said Monday that Mariano Rivera has yet to begin throwing following October shoulder surgery.
Rivera is expected to be ready for Opening Day, but Cashman indicated that his status for the beginning of spring training may be in some doubt. "It's very early in the process," Cashman said. "I do have concerns just because I have a closer who we desperately need who's coming off of shoulder surgery, no matter how minor it may be."

Yet another question mark going into the season. Joba time?