A few items out of the Bronx…
- In a conference call with reporters (including Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees blog) today, GM Brian Cashman said he will look to fill the Yankees' DH spot through a trade, with free agent designated hitters being a "secondary" focus. Cashman said it's "a possibility" he will try to acquire a hitter using the Yankees' excess pitchers.
- The Yankees hope to address their DH need by trying to deal A.J. Burnett for salary relief or a "DH type," tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. If that isn't possible, Sherman says the next target would be to deal for a young, controllable hitter in exchange for a young starter like Phil Hughes.
- Joe Pawlikowski of the River Aves Blues blog looks at the pros and cons of trading Burnett, eventually concluding that New York should probably keep him given the difficulties in finding value in a deal.
- Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com hears the Burnett trade market is non-existent, even to the point of using a "pie in the sky" hashtag to describe the Yankees' chances of moving the veteran right-hander.
- The Yankees are "in no rush" to address their DH need quickly, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. "Teams in need can almost name their price," Rosenthal writes, given how many free agent DH types (Raul Ibanez, Hideki Matsui, Vladimir Guerrero, Johnny Damon, etc.) remain on the market.
How about AJ to the Cubs for Soriano?
AJ is better(hard to be a worse player than AJ), cheaper and under contract for less years. No thanks
If the Cubs threw in cash to match up the salaries for the first couple of years then it actually wouldn’t look to bad.
I think Soriano would have a higher fWAR as a Yankee than Burnett would have as a Cub — since any day with the wind blowing out at Wrigly would result in a pretty ugly fWAR for Burnett.
Wouldn’t that same wind help Soriano hit HRs? Ha!
How bout Hafner for Burnett?
Nobody wants AJ Burnett. Not even the Nippon Ham Fighters
I think their robotic pitching machine has better stats than AJ.
I think their robotic pitching machine has better stats than AJ.
AJ for Bay
As a Met fan, no.
as a yankee fan hell no
That’s what I was thinking. I think it makes sense for both sides. AJ will benefit from a pitcher’s park, and Bay from a hitter friendly one. The salaries are pretty much exact.Â
I saw AJ to the Cubs for there batboy. Or AJ to the Rangers for a new baseball bat.
I hate the Yankees
Aj for either rios or Dunn make the contracts match evenly
Maybe when Hughes can prove he isn’t injury prone he could be worth more …
It all fairness Hughes hasn’t really been injury prone. Last season he was just flat out — out of shape. It’s like the guy loaded up on jelly beans the winter before. In all seriousness, I think Hughes fully matured. It’s not unusual for a 24 year old male to drastically change in body type, when not working out. That’s been resolved this winter. Apparently he’s been on a torrid work-out regimen. I’m actually pretty high on Hughes. I think he’s going to surprise a few people for a few years, maybe more. He has the make-up and tools. I’d rather the Yanks keep him and move Burnett, if possible.Â
yeha hard to say hughes is been injury prone when last year was the first time he spent significant time on the DL. and it wasnt because he was really hurt, as it was out of shape. he looked like he gained 20 lbs before spring training
AJ for Bay (eat a few mil), AJ for Soriano, AJ for Hafner, AJ for cash considerations, AJ for ANYTHING
AJ for Bay seems like a good one. Also AJ for Hafner
Good for whom? The Mets don’t need another Mike Pelfrey. With the walls in this gives Bay a chance, albeit a small one, to bring his career back. I’ll take a guy that had 36 homeruns and 119 RBIs a couple seasons back over a guy that hasn’t been good since 2005.
A couple of years back in Boston — not in Citi Field.
AJ’s last respectable year was in 2009: when he posted 3.5 WAR (in 2008 he posted 5.5 WAR). Jason Bay posted 4.9 WAR and 3.1 WAR respectively.Â
There is actually greater risks with Bay because of his questionable health. He wouldn’t need to play the field as much if he is traded to the Yankees.  He’s hit 6 and 12 HR’s since that monster year so who knows if and when he will ever fully recover. Look at his HR logs, he’s hitting half of his HR’s in Citi so he’s not hitting them on the road either.
I think both players could use a change in scenery and stadiums. Burnett could definitely take advantage of Citi field and with the pitcher batting 9th. Bay could use the lineup advantage and hitter’s ballpark.
They’re going to make about the same as well. I think you are grossly overestimating Bay’s chances of recovery. Hitting in that lineup and in that stadium is bad enough for a HR hitter but they are also putting pressure on his health issues by making him play the field. Concussion issues are notorious for being finicky and long lasting.Â
I’d rather put AJ on ebay than trade him for any of those “dead bodies”.
bay would pop out to left every time….
I rather trade Hughes for a young bat
not me id like to see hughes get another chance he was solid 2 years ago.. if he can become somepart of that guy we saw the p staff coulkd be young and good!
I don’t think Hughes would net anything great in return without showing that last year was the outlier first. Doesn’t Hughes have 4+ years of service time?
Yeah, Hughes has over 4 yrs of service time, so you get 2 years of team control. Given where his FB velocity was last year, he’s probably got less value than Jair Jurrjjens. And Jurrjjens hasn’t been generating much trade interest for the Braves.
I would love for the Royals to do something, but we all know that aint gonna happen
I was actually thinking something similar. Billy Butler for AJ Burnett and Delin Betances straight up. You get a +50 pitching prospect and frankly, a healthy pitcher who’s not too old, not too young, for 2 years who still has great stuff. Just very overpaid, hence the Betances inclusion.Â
I wouldn’t mind that, but I don’t think the Yankees wouldn’t want to trade Betances.
Probably right, but considering the cost savings for them, it’s worth a thought to make a deal happen. I don’t see how anything else could happen, unless Cashman can get very creative with Houston for Carlos Lee.Â
I would like Carlos Lee. Maybe a season with a team that has a chance to go to the playoffs could give him some energy. And if AJ goes to Houston he dosn’t have a lot of pressure on him. Maybe he even pitches well enough there to get traded for prospects or something. Crazy things have happened before.
AJ Burnett and betances for Wandy Rodriguez and Carlos Lee. Wandy is what 25 26 years old? a lefty, and Hughes is better suited out of the pen anyway. Wandy is undercontract for two or three more years. basically it would be like trading contract for contract and then betances for Lee and basically make it look attractive.
I don’t think this trade happens. With this trade the Yankees would be taking on a lot of money and as reported they only want to spend 1-2MM tops on a DH. Even though they would get that with Carlos Lee, I don’t think Wandy is nessecary since the Yankees already have Hughes, Garcia and young guys like Warren, Phelps, Mitchell and Kontos for cheaper price. Also, the Yankees are also high on Betances so it would have to take someone more worth while to get than Lee/Wandy. I would like Wandy but the Yankees want to get younger and cheaper to try to get to 189M for 2014.
Yes on Lee, no on Wandy. AL East will turn Wandy into a left handed AJ.
Wandy is 33.
Eh, I think that’s underestimating Butler’s value. He’s still a 25 year old power hitter.
I think that’s what a lot of people forget about him. It’s possible that those doubles won’t translate into more HR, but he’s still just 25.Â
He’s redundant on that team. $24mm over 3 years isn’t fantastic for a DH only player. He’s worth it, but probably not ideal for many teams, so the Yanks are a good match. He probably won’t even be around by the time they compete. Two pitchers probably get them there quicker.Â
He may be redundant but the Royals are not going to give away Butler. Especially not if Burnett is a major piece. Burnett is a 35 and paid like a front line pitcher. It seems like a lot to take on and give up if you’re banking on Betances to be a star.
Right. Giving away. That’s what I meant.Â
We were finally having a civil conversation… no need to get snippy.
I would think even if the Royals were shopping Billy Butler (which they definitely aren’t) that they would sell high because he’s a doubles hitter & once he gains the strength to carry those doubles into a few more home runs, he’s gonna look good in the same lineup as Hosmer, Moustakas, & Myers
Keep in mind he only has three years under contract. This isn’t a lifetime marriage happening. Plus the Royals were most definitely shopping Butler, quietly, at various times. There was even a time here a year or two ago where it was rumored. I actually read an article recently in one of the KC newspapers online where the local sports writer made a good case to trade him.
He isn’t a power hitter he is a doubles hitter
Yankees aren’t giving up a top prospect for someone filling a DH role with little power, sorry.
Funny, but didn’t that essentially just happen with the Mariners? Little power? He’s good for 18-26 homers, so I fail to see the issue. Not saying I prefer this move, but it’s something that’s certainly possible.Â
the problem for the yankees would be that he fills the DH position for 3-4 years. they’ll need it freed up much sooner than that
actually no, its not the same thing that happened. th eyankees traded Montero to fill a bigger need. trading for a DH is not that big of a need. especially since they have andrew jones to fill that spot if worst got to worst.
…
where did the 26 hrs come from?
Can I please come to your location and punch you in the nose? I will go all “grassy knoll outside of the stadium” if Cashman used Bets to get a DH bat, which isn’t as major of a priority as young pitching is.
I know, I know. BUT IF YOU COULD, get $33mm of the books and free up a valuable roster spot, that’s worth something no? Unfortunately we can’t just blink and have that happen. To entice a team to think about it and beyond sending money, you use something that costs you nothing and has a lot of potential. It was just a thought and definitely not an unrealistic one. I wouldn’t like it, but just looking at it from a $$ point of view only. Â
Yeah, but we aren’t the Royals. $$ is our strong point. Freeing up ~10m is not worth giving up Betances for.Â
I’m with YFS78, a punch in the nose is due!Â
It’s not worth giving up a POTENTIAL…front of rotation arm. Not for anyone, including the Yanks.
Who do you have in mind for a young bat? If you guys want I’m sure Hughes for Lahair would be a fine deal.(a little sarcasm by the way)Â
a young bat? how about Vernon Wells… He hit like a rookie last year.
To me that actually makes the most sense considering his best years came in the AL East IMO. Scratch that he had his best years in Pittsburg.
So, the Yanks trade for a pitcher, now they’re trying to deal one away? This makes complete sense.
when u get pineda then u trade way burnett seems like a win to me…even tho i feel like burnett can still deal at times
So I guess BB isn’t your game.
Ummmm Yankees trade for Pineda (young upside cheap pitcher) + sign Kuroda = 7 pitchers under contract, 3 mlb ready back end prospects in AAA and 2 near mlb ready prospects at AAA in Bans and Bets. Considering how AJ makes more in 1 year than Nova, Pineda, Kuroda and Hughes combined and hasn’t performed better than most of them then I’m not sure how you’re lost?Â
Hey Cashman, you *had* a young, controllable hitter as a DH a few days ago…
and a weak rotation. DH is a much easier problem to solve
that i agree with. although montero was a perfect DH fit for the yankees, pitching was much more needed. the yankees can easily sign someone like ibanez or vlad. trade AJ to the indians eat some of his contract and get shin soo choo. hes a lefty with some power. good DH.
why would the Indians want to unload Choo, and why would they want Burnett?
He actually was not a perfect dh fit. They don’t need any more power what they need a guy who can play multiple positions and get on base and have some speed. I truly think someone like figgens could be a good fit he has sleeve and could bounce back can play 3rd, ss,2nd and the outfield gives arod, jeter, Curtis, cano, and Gardner days off
No thanks. Â Figgins is washed up with a sub .300 OBP
yeah but he stinks
if the yanks get choo for aj every one in cleveland should be fired
Why would the Indians give us arguably their best hitter for A.J. Burnett?Â
And now he *has* a controllable front-end starter for a few years. Guess which one is easier to replace?
I’m still betting on Montero to be a better big leaguer, but we’ll see. Â Major league ready pitching isn’t exactly a weakness of the current Yankee farm system.
He very well might be, but a player without a position who offers more of what they already have, compared to a cost-controlled pitcher is a no-brainer. If the Yankees’ have a surplus of front-line starting pitching, they can use it to fill any hole they have. You can’t say the same for Montero.
Yeah but Pineda is a step above “mlb ready”. Just imagine a possible 2013 staff of..
..CC-Pineda-Nova-Hughes/Bets/Bans/Warren/Phelps/Mitchell
That’s a veteran lead staff followed by a bunch of 26 and under pitchers. They could easily have one of the youngest staffs in the AL but Nova, Pineda and Hughes would have some seasoning already. Great!
AJ for David Ortiz.Â
The Yankees don’t want to pick up a contract that goes beyond 2013. 2014 they have a legitimate chance to get below the luxury tax threshold-AJ, Soriano, and Jeter come off. Assuming Jeter still wants to play, he’s probably going to be less than the current 17 million he makes. And Mariano, assuming he doesn’t decide to have his robotics replaced, will probably be retired as well. That’s $60 million right there.
Jeter has an $8M option for 2014 with a $3M buyout.
Good point. You wonder whether Jeter would pick up the option for that year at half pay. He’s pretty much accomplished what he wanted individually, and he’s coming to a point where his qualitative numbers are being impaired. I think he will take the $3 Million, a Derek Jeter Day, and a place in Monument Park.Â
I would like to see the Twins somehow trade for Phil Hughes.
for who?
What would the Twins give in the the trade for Hughes. It has to be what the Yankees need. So tell me.
i can’t see Moureau because I don’t see the Yankees taking an injury prone guy, unless the Twins pay most of his salary. I was thinking about an outfielder in return. Maybe someone like Joe Benson, but even that doesn’t satisfy me.
I would like to see Morneau, but not for Hughes. If you let Morneau DH from now on, and let him play the field maybe to give the Tex a day off, then I don’t see why not. Also they can sign a Russell Branyan type to a minor league deal just in case he goes on the DL. I wonder if the Twins even want to trade him, and what would the price be?
Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see Morneau in the Yankee lineup. When healthy he can be a great hitter with power. I just don’t think the Yankees should go crazy on getting a DH. I would like to see either Matsui or Damon back on one year deals. I would rather get a one year solution rather than getting a guy like Morneau or Butler with multiple years of control because in the future we’ll need that DH spot for A-Rod/Jeter. The Yankees got 6 more years of A-Rod and it’ll make more sense to put him at DH full time after this season.
Did you not notice the “somehow” part? I’m sure Terry Ryan and Brian Cashman could figure something out. I’m not saying this is likely, however, by any means. The Twins farm system really isn’t as bad as some people think. Miguel Sano is rated second best 3B prospect in MLB. He is projected to have significant power, though I would be hesitant to send him packing for only Phil Hughes.
Yound controllable hitter sounds a lot like Kendry’s Morales to me 🙂 Hughes and Laird for Morales.
Angels don’t really need more pitching do they?
I think the Yanks would go after a young position player that could move into a spot soon. If the Mets resign Wright then maybe Murphy becomes available?
How about AJ ($33 million – 2 years) for Carlos Lee ($18.5 million – 1 year) and the Yankees put in $7 million. The Astros will have to pay AJ $7.5 for 2 years. Reasonable?
Haha who was the guy last week that told me it would be easy to trade AJ and not eat his whole salary. How does pie in the sky sound now whoever you were!
heres a solution, use Andrew Jones exclusively for leftys. For rightys, have a revolving door at DH, alternate with guys like Jeter, Arod, even Swish/Tex on some days, and just have Eduardo Nunez play the possition. I’m really interested to see what he can do with even more playing time, plus it adds more speed and youth to the lineup. We went all of last year without a legitimate full time DH, it was a revolving door between bench players like Posada, Jones, and chavez. I would like to see Nunez get more playing time, and if the Yankees dont want to fork over more money I dont blame them.
btw way guys AJ isnt complete garbage like people think. I’m the only Yankee fan who still believes in AJ, so there might be some bias, BUT last year was actually encouraging. He had a far worse season the year before. I’m not sure if any Yankee fans actually watched the games last year, but he was pretty solid the whole year, pitching at around a sub 4.00 ERA. His ERA is inflated b/c of the dreadful August where he pitched to a 12.00 ERA. Yeah hes not pitching to his contract, but we all expected that when he signed. To think hes complete garbage and wouldnt benefit from a switch of ballbarks, and getting out of the AL East is ridiculous.
Jesus Guzman for Phil Hughes? he hit .312/.369/.468 while playing half his games at petco and is cheap and controllable for the next several years. Â The padres have also been kind of shopping kyle blanks but i don’t think he brings back hughes.
Given the lack of depth in the Padre lineup and the relative easiness of turning less than stellar pitchers into quality options at Petco makes me think they’ll try to find a spot for Guzman instead of trading him for a pitcher. Â
Going to be hard to move AJ, even if they take on half his salary.
He’s easier to move than Zito