There's a 100% chance GM Brian Cashman signs a new contract with the Yankees before long, based on what Joel Sherman of the New York Post is hearing (Twitter link). However, many questions about the 2012 Yankees persist. Here's a look ahead at some of the team's upcoming decisions…
- The Yankees haven't had any contract talks with Cashman at this point, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. Feinsand hasn't heard from anyone who thinks the sides will fail to reach a deal.
- C.C. Sabathia told Mark Hale of the New York Post that baseball is a business, while acknowledging that it would be difficult to leave New York. The left-hander will likely opt out of the four years and $92MM remaining on his seven-year, $161MM deal. Cashman says the Yankees haven't started talking extension with Sabathia.
- Manager Joe Girardi says he doesn't want to imagine his rotation without Sabathia, according to Feinsand (all Twitter links). Girardi says he's sure the Yankees will look to add top-of-the-rotation pitching even if Sabathia returns.
- Girardi says he expects Alex Rodriguez to start at third, rather than DH, in 2012, according to Feinsand.
- Sherman knows that it'd be easiest for the Yankees to pick up Nick Swisher's $10.25MM option and work Jesus Montero into the lineup, but he makes the case that Carlos Beltran is in many ways preferable to Swisher. It will cost more than $10.25MM to sign Beltran, who could obtain a three-year deal this winter.
Beltran won’t cost any draft picks
usually when cashman indicates something is/isn’t going to happen, the opposite immediately takes place
therefore…cashman to the cubs!
#pleasenotepstein
Beltran’s contract states team cannot offer arbitration so no draft picks as noted by M34josh
Beat me to it.
Beltran is a slam dunk for the Yankees.
We don’t want any Met losers …….. keep Swish
we swish has done a thing to keep his job. i would trade him,a-rod-tex-martin-keep montero get younger guys in there. the yankees look like grumpy old men
If the Yankees sign Beltran and let Swisher walk the Red Sox will happily put him in RF!
And the bosox will be watching he take strike 3 right down the
Middle to end the game. He always did that in oakland, Chicago and ny
I like and prefer Beltran, but to be fair, Beltran has been known to take a 3rd strike looking as well.
Damn you and your speedy fingers.
Amen
Wait, are we talking Swisher or Beltran?
/Wainright’d
No we won’t. He’ll cost a multiyear deal and they’d be better served allocating those funds into focusing on Ellsbury when he hits free agency. They’ll likely give Reddick the starting job out of spring training and give Kalish the opportunity to win it should Reddick underperform.
I don’t disagree, but I also don’t think it takes Reddick underperforming for Kalish to take the job. I still think that Kalish has more potential than Reddick and if he plays to his potential I think the job is his.
Semantics, I know, I just had to throw it out there.
I agree!
listen beltran is always on the dl, yankees do’nt need him i would go with ellsbury
Screw swisher, If i see him on TV or another stupid commercial I’ll cut myself!
Damn man, chill out.
No they will go with Reddick and Kalish in RF. The Sox need pitching like the Yanks, they led the league in runs this year.
the Yanks will not let Swisher walk even if they pick up Beltran or Cuddyer…they will pick up Swishers option and then trade him to a team in need of some power…which is what i hope they do…
Isn’t like this the 1000th time that fans have had to correct the media on Beltran? HE WILL NOT COST DRAFT PICKS. That’s why the Mets needed to get rid of him and get a prospect. Because they were not going to get compensation. If they were to get two draft picks, they may not have traded him.
Yankee fans must be on the crack pipe to want Beltran over Swisher.
Do your homework. Beltran has been and still projects to an up-grade over Swisher.
Switch hitter, more power, better tracker to the ball, stronger and more acurate arm, very good post season numbers. Swisher has been a good Yankee, has done community work, has improved his fielding and is a fan favorite, his one big detraction has been his post season numbers for three straight years.
Beltran is a Boras client , so he may want 3 years and $15MM per. That’s a bit steep for him at this stage, but I would offer 2yrs/$25mm and a team option or buy out. Everything being equal, I go with Beltran.
Of course, when Beltran ultimately gets injured, the entire deal looks absolutely retarded.
The Yankees are sticking with Swisher. This Beltran nonsense is ridiculous, unless he wants to take an Andruw Jones-type role. Which, hey, he might, if he really loves the Yankees as much as he’s indicated
You make a good point about the injuries, as he made I believe three trips to the DL in the past few seasons. That’s why I think he can be had for reasonable amount of money this time around. To compare him to Jones is not valid, say what you want, but Beltran is far better. That’s why he should get offered more than Andruw from anyone.
And when swisher hits .230 with less than 20 home runs and chokes in the post season that looks better right? I don’t hate swisher just at 10 mill that’s horrible.
Every year I spend the whole summer thinking Nick Swisher is underrated. …And every year I spend the fall watching him go 1-for-19 with 11 strikeouts.
He was terrible in the 2009 postseason, and we were lucky to get by without him. He was terrible in the 2010 and 2011 and we didn’t. He’s a terrific guy, but if you can’t help the team in a five- or seven-game season, you can’t help *this* team.
By that logic the Yanks need to get rid of Tex (.637 OPS in the post season lifetime), Jeter (a .600 ish OPS since the 09 WS) and Gardner (.553 OPS last 3 years). See how silly that sounds?
he was willing to give the Yanks a discount in 2005 and settled for the Mets. This is the main reason Mets hated him, knowing how much he wanted to be a Yankee.
You list the fact that Beltran is a switch hitter as a reason he is an upgrade over Swisher. Swisher is also a switch hitter. That aspect is a wash. You want to argue he’s a better hitter / more power, then fine, but don’t pile on switch hitter as a reason to choose Beltran over Swish. You could also say he’s older and immensely less durable if you’re really interested in a fair comparison.
Swisher vs Beltran
23 hrs vs 22 hrs (road: 11 vs 8)
15 BB % vs 11.9 BB%
6.9 UZR vs -7.3
.358 wOBA vs .398 wOBA
450 games played last 3 years vs 287
Beltran is a better hitter for avg.
Why are we willing to dump Swish for Beltran who will cost more and is much more of an injury risk again?
Beltran is a star player and Swisher is not, and the Yanks will need to make a change and Swisher is the odd man out!
That’s ridiculous. If the Yanks need to make a change, it’s to add to their starting rotation. Offense is the LAST thing that needs to be tweaked.
That’s a given, they will go after pitching first!
You’re ridiculous. Bentran is 35 and brittle. He had a big year during a walk yea. Wow…how often has that blown up in someone’s face? Swisher has been the better all around player this year (his numbers back it up) and he’s been durable.
He led the team in OBP and had a .868 OPS after the all-star break. How can ppl dismiss that? He’s a much safer risk at $10 mil than Beltran @ whatever Boras will demand and it’s not even close.
Yanks will wait for Kemp after next season
Swisher has been just as good offensively in terms of OBP and power and is a hell of a lot more durable and versatile that Beltran. Why fans are obssessed with Beltran after watching him the last 3 years with the Mets amazes me. This was a contract year. Why should we expect him to be healthy and NOT miss significant time over the next 2 years?
And for all the talk of his defense he’s posted a -UZR for the last 3 years including a -7.3 UZR this year.
@ Broll American as well-
I’m gonna confess here, I’ve always liked Beltran. When he signed with the Mets, I was disappointed because I had hoped the Yanks would sign him and put him in LF to become the heir appearent to Bernie in CF. I forgot Swish is a switch hitter, it’s just that he splits were somewhat forgettable this year. As for age, it’s not a vast difference there either.
As for why people prefer Beltran over Swisher is simply the caliber of player. Granted Swisher is a bit more versitile because he can fill in at 1B and he HAS been healthier than Beltran the last few years. When Beltran is sound, there is no comparison, at the bat or on the field. Beltran actually carried the Mets when healthy, a number of times, through his tenure there. Swisher, only once last year for a short period, other than that, he’s been very streaky.
Now as for your stats, keep in mind that comes with Beltran playing a premiuim position, on a bad knee, before and after the surgery, which is about two years. He only relented in going to RF when it became apparent he was not ready to play CF.
You can never overlook the the fact of how an injury affects a player’s performance, I give you Ellsbury as an example. This years injury was a wrist injury, he was playing well for the Mets when traded. I would bank on him staying healthy and risk it for 2 yrs/$25MM
“I forgot Swish is a switch hitter, it’s just that he splits were somewhat forgettable this year”.
2011 vs lhp = .850 OPS and 1 hr every 25 Ab
2011 vs rhp = .809 OPS and 1 hr every 21 Ab
Beltran in 2011
2011 vs lhp = .874 OPS and 1 hr every 20 AB
2011 vs rhp = .923 OPS and 1 hr every 25 Ab
Beltran was a little better but not by much and both were pretty consistent.
Away: Swisher: .792 OPS Beltran: .839 OPS
“As for age, it’s not a vast difference there either”.
As of April 2012: Swisher will be 31. Beltran will be 35.
4 years is a significant difference, especially when you have a guy in Beltran who has missed 199 games over the last 3 years and has had major knee injuries and is expected to be the everyday RF. Swisher on the other hand has played at least 150 games in 6 straight seasons.
“Swisher, only once last year for a short period, other than that, he’s been very streaky”.
Swisher hit a combined 18 hrs, a .417 OBP and a .977 OPS…..from June 1st to August 31st. That’s a hell of a “streak”.
“Beltran actually carried the Mets when healthy…”
Operative words “when healthy”. That would basically be 2005-2008 and 2011. Should we just forget about 2009 and 2010? Should be expect the same health from age 35 on?
“Now as for your stats, keep in mind that comes with Beltran playing a premiuim position, on a bad knee, before and after the surgery, which is about two years”.
Repeat your words…to yourself…..very slowwwwwlllllly. He can no longer play that premium position and he has a history of knee problems (as well as hamstring, oblique, shoulder, etc) and he’s expected to play RF everyday. If he CAN’T play everyday then you need an adequate replacement and if he DH’s then he takes away at bats from Montero and possible rest for Arod.
“I would bank on him staying healthy and risk it for 2 yrs/$25MM”.
But why take that risk when Swisher gave you almost the same production this year and can be had @ 1/$10 mil, is not as much of a health risk and has been a better OF’er over the last 2 years?
You have changed my mind it might be better to pick up his option for next year!
Again, my intentions are not to dump on Swisher, he’s been a good player overall. I just feel Beltran has been and still is a better player, despite the injuries. He played well last year before being traded and I’m banking on that he will stay healthy this year. As for the numbers they don’t tell the whole story, especially with Swisher, he had a a terrible first 2 months, played well June through August and slumped at the end. My point about him being streaky is a valid one.
As for being able to play the position, remember he would play RF, not CF, so even a slower Beltran can play there. If he had to, he could still play CF. He asked to play RF this spring only because he was the in a contract year and could not demand to take over CF, given his rep as a malcontent with the Mets as well as the fact that Pagan had a outstanding season last year. He needed to be the team player. When he got traded to SF, there was no way he was going to be slotted in CF there either.
Granted he’s been hurt for just about the better parts of 3 years, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be or isn’t healthy now. Players recuperate from injuries and come back. I already gave you Ellsbury last year, how about Colon this year? He also was out for 2 yrs and we know how that story went. Swisher has been the healthier player not really the better player the last 2 years.
The Yanks would most likely pick up Swisher’s option,but only if they don’t think Beltran is healthy, the money I’m talking about is not that big a difference. Swisher is going to have to play much better than last season. Then the following season they’re going go get some one else. I just don’t see them re-signing Swisher next year.
Yankees had their chance with Beltran in 2005. They will bring Swisher back in 2012 , let him walk afterwards and go hard for Matt Kemp after the 2012 season.
If they decline swishers option…i wouldnt mind the giants signing him!
Yup if the Giants get outbid on Beltran I’d be fine with Swisher as a cheaper option for one of the corner outfield spots.
Swisher is a Cashman favorite, so don’t count on it.
I don’t like this idea. I’d take Swisher for 1 guaranteed year over the 3 to 5 guaranteed years Beltran will require at an equal or greater cost. Better to ride Swisher out until we find someone younger or cheaper than to commit to yet another aging high priced free agent.
Sign them all. Just raise the price and nyers will pay any price to see their evil empire play. Look whay 200 mil bought this year, a first round loss.
Dude, go revel in the Pat’s win over the Jets and leave baseball talk to those that have a clue.
Is that supposed to be an insult that NY fans will pay anything to see their team play? Sox fans will show up to any September collapse! haha!
Really?
The sad part… I’m a Sox fan and I think your insult made more sense.
haha there’s plenty of ways to insult Yankees’ fans….That was not one of them.
I’m sorry I didn’t say enough. It’s the three eveilempires of baseball, evilempirebos, evilempirenyy and evilempirephilly. If baseball had a salarycap like every other professional league, then it would be a better game then having three teams spend some much money and the havenot can’t afford it. I grew up a red sox fan but now can’t stand them like yankees and philly. Let make it an even playing field and have the best team win, not the riches
NBA has a salary cap, I don’t see things going well with that, do you? And if I’m not mistaken, I”m seeing the same teams in the NBA Finals year in and year out. It’s always the Lakers, Mavericks and Spurs in the West.
Stick to football.
Beltran is a no brainer if the Yanks can get him. Put Beltran and Montero in the Yankeee lineup is a major upgrade.
swisher must stay!!
I think that of the yankees part with Cashman it would benefit to purposes:
First, it would allow other teams to benefit from his intellectual knwoledge.
Second, Oppenheimer could get a legitimate shot at landing the spot.
Beltran is a slight upgrade but I would gladly take Swish and his health on a reasonable contract than overpay Beltran who is a huge injury risk.
It’s time for a change with Beltran and Montero in the lineup!
Isn’t exercising swisher to use him as a trade chip an option??
Could help towards the goal of acquiring a top-flight starter
Great idea!
I think the best reason to not pick up swisher is to just make A CHANGE, they can’t make a change ANYWHERE on the field next year except in right field and their back up catcher. (DH don’t count!) Every other position wil lbe the same next year, fan favorite be damned I certainly found his desire to get on TV at every moment infuriating.
So make a change where a change isn’t really needed? Perfect sense. Am I the only one that remembers Swish led the team in OBP and walks and was 4th in HRS last year and hasn’t had significant missed time? Pathetic. Just what we need, another overpaid post 35 yo player who will give us about the same amount of hrs and obp that Swisher will IF he (Beltran) can stay healthy.
Nope, you aren’t the only one.
Good point!
I agree with u as well
if yanks get rid of swisher, cubs will gladly sign him, or atleast i would!
I guess I’m just cynical, but if players always talk about the glory of playing in NY — and most don’t make 90+ million over 4 years — why would CC even CARE about an extension? Would he really consider playing elsewhere? Is he really concerned about the Yankees dedication to winning? Is the extra money he’ll make really necessary? Am I just naive? I would think he’d be fine just cruising through the remainder of his contract, dominating, earning TENS of MILLIONS of dollars and being the anchor of the staff of the team with the most media coverage in the sport.
EDIT: And while I’m not a Yankees fan, I do ask this question seriously.
It depends on what CC values, if he gets an extra 40 million dollars he can get another island. I think both players and owners make too much money in this game.
Seriously, it’s about the business and not just the money. I for one believe CC will opt out only because it’s sound business move. He and his agent know that the Yanks do NEED and want him. The Yanks know that he wants to stay, by many of the things he’s said and more importantly by the things he hasn’t said. The Yanks will match what ever offers he receives, which won’t be many. Remember, he’s walking away from 4 yrs $92MM. Very few teams will be willing to surpass that just to start.
The Yanks blew everyone out the water last time just to sign him, They won’t allow him to get away easily. ‘Team’ CC knows that the bidders won’t be very many, so they have to be prudent as well. He would be leaving a winning organization that competes every year, a city that loves him, and new home 45 minutes away and a possible uprooting of the family as well.
Look for the Yanks to give him an extension in years with a possible small raise as well and a weight clause when he opts out.
@yahoo-SKN2GJFQ5ZD4WR2TXMONSPUSME:disqus — so, he’s on the Marlon Brando plan? 😉
@Slopeboy:disqus
I see what you’re saying. And the fact that the yankees would only be competing with themselves (unless the Red Sox find 120 million in the couch cushions), the resulting contract probably won’t be THAT much more. just more years.
Still, the optimistic baseball fan in me would rather hear him say “I’ll stay, but use the money you wanted to spend on me to solidify the rotation behind me and get good backups for the fragile parts of the infield (looking at you Arod and Jeter!). Oh, and lock up that 2nd basemen until 2047. He seems nice.”
Is there any risk on the yankees part that they’ll spend more money on CC than is wise, limiting what they can do in the next few years? I suspect not since their revenue seems limitless, but even the Yankees have to have some kind of limit.
I use to feel that way also, but the facts are what they are. The Yanks WILL overpay, but that’s how it’s done. Don’t feel bad for the Yanks, they’ll manage to get along. Winning brings in the fans and more money!
No way the Yankees are letting CC walk . He will opt out because his agents is making him do it. He and Amber love it here.
The Yanks will have to add an additional 3-4 years to his deal . But, they should be allowed to add a weight clause that he has to maintain a healthy weight. The Tigers did it to Cabrera and the Giants did it to Sandovol . Whomever signs Fielder should do the same
Swish to the phils or the giants if the yanks decline that option which I have no idea why they would. It’s only 10mil for decent product plus a fan favorite. Dont get it.
the move the Yanks should make is…pick up Swish’s option and trade him…this may result in them getting a good number 2 or 3 type prospect/starter who can fill in the rotation in the near future…and instead of getting Beltran they should go out and get Michael Cuddyer…he has 30 hr 30 2b potential and could definately hit 25/30…which is about what the Yanks get out of Swish…and if they go after Cuddyer they don’t have to deal with Boras…Swisher is good,not great and that’s why they should trade him…because Beltran or Cuddyer could equal his numbers…and Swisher could bring back a good young pitcher…and although a free agent would cost more…money doesn’t seem to be a problem for the Yanks and niether player would cost the yanks a prospect…so on paper it seems like a win win for the Yankees…