Facing the possibility of losing Matt Moore to Tommy John surgery, Rays manager Joe Maddon offered his take on the recent rash of Tommy John surgeries in the game. Via the Associated Press:
"Sometimes you have to look underneath the surface and I tend to agree it has a lot to do with youth sports and travel teams and multiple travel teams and kids pitching to win when they're really young and throwing too many pitches. I think the more recent epidemic curiously might be tied to what they're doing before they even get here professionally."
Of course, Moore's injury is not the only injury facing the Rays' rotation, either. Jeremy Hellickson opened the season on the disabled list, and Alex Cobb is now out as long as six weeks after being placed on the DL with an oblique strain yesterday, writes Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune. Here's more from the AL East…
- The Mariners' decision to designate Shawn Kelley for assignment last Spring Training rather than pay him $935K has proven to be the Yankees' gain, writes John Harper of the New York Daily News. Kelley was a vital part of the bullpen in 2013 and has stepped up for the injured David Robertson in 2014 thus far. Kelley's strong 2013 season is part of the reason that the Yanks didn't add a right-handed setup arm this offseason, writes Harper, as they believed the two-time Tommy John victim to be capable of handling the role of Robertson's primary setup man.
- Harper also looks at the predictably injury-riddled Yankees infield and opines that it's time for the team to call Scott Boras to get a deal done with Stephen Drew. As Harper points out, the Yankees ran out an infield of Kelly Johnson, Dean Anna, Yangervis Solarte and Carlos Beltran last night, and patchwork mixes like that simply won't cut it. He suggests a two-year deal for Drew, to play second base and provide insurance for Jeter this season before taking the reins at shortstop in 2015.
- While much is made of Jon Lester's coming free agency by the Boston media, the Boston Herald's John Tomase writes that Jonny Gomes is also in the final year of his deal, and he spoke with the part-time Red Sox outfielder about that scenario. Gomes admits that it's difficult to play in a walk year due to the results-oriented nature of the game, adding that he knows being a good clubhouse presence won't necessarily get him a job next year. Tomase writes that ideally, Gomes' preference is to stay in Boston.
- WEEI.com's Alex Speier writes that Red Sox manager John Farrell isn't exactly thrilled with the early returns on baseball's instant replay system. "It's hard to have any faith in the system," said Farrell after being on the losing end of a pair of challenges this weekend. Saturday's call, in particular, looked to provide conclusive evidence in Boston's favor, but the umpires didn't agree. Said Farrell: "As much as they’re trying to help the human element inside this system, it seems like it’s added the human element at a different level."
The Sox haven’t resigned many of their bench pieces over the past decade but Gomes is a bit of an exception. He’s a clutch hitter who embodies the gritty style of the team. I hope he stays.
It’s probably more likely that some other team will overpay Gomes for his “intangibles.” Similar to the way Arizona overpaid Cody Ross after the 2012 season
NY doesnt need Drew. Pedroia is injuried, Boston could use him more then us based on Harper’s logic.
With the same logic the Jays should sign him with Reyes and Izturis on the DL.
Or Detroit without Iglesias or Texas without Profar.
No, that’s not the same logic because only Boston could sign Drew without giving up a compensatory pick.
Compensatory picks be damned! It will be interesting to see ten years from now how many of these compensatory picks become productive major league baseball players, but I am more interested in the players that can help the Yankees win right now.
The bigger question than those related to the Yankees questionable infield this season is who is going to be the Yankees second baseman and shortstop of the future and I think that Drew could and should be the answer to that question.
As much as I would love to see the Yankees sign J.J. Hardy or Hanley Ramirez this offseason or trade for Jose Reyes or Troy Tulowitzki, I think that the Dodgers and Orioles are going to lock their guys up long-term and I think that the Blue Jays and Rockies are going to keep theirs. So who does that leave the Yankees to go after?
Is it crazy to think that Boras and Drew would accept a five-year, $40MM offer?
I would also try to cash in on Ivan Nova’s good start last night and offer him and Austin Romine to the Mariners for Nick Franklin and Jesus Montero. The Yankees could do much worse than a middle infield of Drew and Franklin for four years after this one along with a mix of players like Kelly Johnson and Yangervis Solarte to complement Alex Rodriguez and Mark Texeira. Montero needs a change of scenery desperately and I think that he could recapture his lost potential back in New York.
I would take JJ Hardy over HanRam or Jose to the DL Reyes anyday of the week at this point. Hanley is gonna want more money
That’s a fair argument, but my point is that I don’t think that any of them will be available to the Yankees next year, making the idea that the Yankees should wait until then to bring in Jeter’s replacement a ludicrous one. While Dean Anna has been pretty good so far and Brendan Ryan has one of the best gloves in the league, I think that Drew gives the Yankees the most upside at both second base and shortstop.
I guess Drew would be the only option. Dean Anna has been a pleasant surprise, that dude can flash the leather pretty well. Im getting worried about Solarte though, seems like hes starting to get figured out. Is ryan returning soon?
No idea. Back injuries are tricky. Solarte is probably going to be one of those kinds of players who need to be deployed strategically, because when they play every day, the league catches up to them. Hopefully not, but I think that the Yankees are better off having an infield like the Rays, where instead of having 2-3 very good players and 1-2 questionable ones, you have 6 good players that you can mix and match as needed.
I don’t think that it would be problematic at all if the Yankees had Brian McCann, Francisco Cervelli, Jesus Montero, Mark Texeira, Nick Franklin, Stephen Drew, Derek Jeter, Kelly Johnson, and Yangervis Solarte rotating in and out of their five infield (including catcher) positions, Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran, Ichiro Suzuki, and Alfonso Soriano rotating in and out of their 3 outfield positions, and everybody DHing as needed. Between that and a rotation of Sabathia, Kuroda, Tanaka, Pineda, and either Phelps or Nuno and their bullpen, I would feel very good about the Yankees chances this season.
The pitching is fine and set. Im just most worried for 2B/SS position not so much 1B anymore because Kelly Johnson has done a fine job at first. Brian Roberts just looks lost though I doubt expectations were he would be swinging at the fences. I guess I can say hes done ok for what we expected and thats making the plays at 2nd. Solarte whos been solid needs to keep it up and I dont know if we can believe in him to sustain it. The positive? when Solarte makes contact…he makes contact. Hes a bit aggressive though, which is probably natural as this is his first go at the majors. When Tex returns he should be DHing a lot
I agree about the pitching, which is why I would cash in on Ivan Nova off of a good start against a good team, before he loses his next two starts against lesser teams and has no trade value whatsoever. I think that Nick Franklin is worth taking a chance on Nuno or Phelps with the #5 spot in the rotation. I also think that Jesus Montero is a phenomenal buy-low opportunitity and Romine has no future in the organization and not much trade value otherwise. I think that the Mariners would take him for Montero since they seem to have given up on him.
Why would you trade Nova? Nova IMO just needed warmer weather to get a better grip on his curveball. If you trade him, you are just creating another hole in the rotation. A rotation of Kuroda, Nova, Tanaka, Pineda, and Sabathia is pretty darn good, it’d be foolish to trade any of those guys. Nuno hasn’t been consistent at all, and he won’t give you many innings. Phelps seemed to find a home in the bullpen and is better off there than in the rotation. Jesus Montero is awful Point Blank Period. I can’t understand why you would want to bring him back and block prospects (Sanchez and Peter O’Brien). Why would you trade one bad catcher for another? If anything, Romine is slightly better than Montero.
I would trade Nova to get Nick Franklin, who I believe could be the Yankees 2B or SS for the next ten years. Based on what I have read, he has the potential to be the kind of player that Derek Jeter was with a satisfactory, but not spectacular glove and an above-average bat. Romine is most certainly a better catcher than Montero, but Montero has much more offensive upside. He just needs to get out of the Mariner organization. He would not block any other catcher in the organization, because his role would be as a 3rd catcher and backup DH and 1B. I think that the Mariners would prefer to have Romine and between that upgrade and Nova, the Yankees should be able to get Franklin. If not, I would be willing to throw in Dean Anna and/or Zoilo Almonte.
Nova more valuable than Franklin! Don’t fall into the hype of prospects. No offense, but you aren’t too good at evaluating trade proposals there is a reason the Yankees haven’t done these them.
Obviously, the reason that the Yankees haven’t traded Nova for Franklin is because they value Nova more than Franklin, but I disagree with that. I think that Nova’s trade value going into this past offseason was as high as it was ever going to be. His inconsistent performances during Spring Training and the first three starts of the regular season have probably reduced them somewhat. Is there a better middle infielder with more long-term potential and value than Franklin who the Yankees could get for Nova? Is Didi Gregorius better or worse? If Jean Segura’s problems in Milwaukee continue, could the Yankees get him for Nova? Do they have any other components to a trade package other than Nova who they could put together that would get them a middle infielder who is as young as Franklin and has as much potential as he does? If so, I am open to other suggestions.
How’s this for a Yanks lineup next season, Bertin: Ellsbury, CF; Zobrist, 2B; Beltran, DH; Texieira, 1B; H. Ramirez, SS; Hedley, 3B; A. Rios, RF; McCann, C; Gardner, LF? Rotation — Scherzer, Sabathia, Shields, Tanaka, Pineda. Great farm system your team has.
Sounds great, but unlikely. I think that when push comes to shove, both the Dodgers and Padres lock up Hanley Ramirez and Chase Headley long term. Also, the Yankees are probably going to be stuck with A-Rod as at least a part-time 3B and DH for the next three seasons after this one. I am not interested in Alex Rios at all. As far as the rotation is concerned, I would be fine with Sabathia, Kuroda, Tanaka, Pineda, and either Phelps or Nuno.
Most sandwich picks won’t work out. It is the ones that do that are valuable. It doesn’t take long for a prospect to be worth several million in excess value, since they make $500,000 a year in first 3 years.
Last night’s start really doesn’t change Nova’s value that much. The dropoff from Nova to Nuno would be quite a bit I think. Nick Franklin wasn’t exactly very good when he got regular playing time last year.
Nobody is very good when they have to play in Seattle’s ballpark with Seattle’s supporting cast. Based on what I have read about Franklin, I think that he could be a great middle infielder for the Yankees for a very long time. I think that either Nuno or Phelps could be very good 5th starters for the Yankees and both have greater upside potential than Nova who is too inconsistent. We have probably seen Nova’s ceiling as well as his floor. I would prefer to give Nuno and Phelps a shot to see what they can do, especially if it yields me the Yankees middle infielder for the next decade. Montero for Pineda appears to have worked out for the Yankees. Nova for Franklin could yield similar benefits.
Nova’s ceiling is way higher than Nuno’s. Nuno is a pitcher with no velocity, and without a real out pitch. Franklin got playing time last year and simply wasn’t that good.
A lefty in Yankees stadium is always a valuable commodity. I think that we have seen Nova’s ceiling. I don’t think that we have seen enough of Nuno to know what his ceiling is. I would like to see what Franklin can do in NY.
Being a lefty is not everything, all it does is slow down the home run ball vs lhh. I hope the best for him, but being realistic, he is a pitcher that works in the 80’s and has no out pitch, that is a bad combo, he has gotten through the minors by being a junkballer.
He wouldn’t be the first lefty junkballer to be effective at the major league level and he won’t be the last. David Phelps should probably be the first guy to have a shot at the #5 spot and with today’s doubleheader, we will probably see him start this coming Sunday, but if he is better suited to pitch out of the bullpen, I could live with Nuno or Adam Warren in that spot. There are also plenty of innings-eaters out there who could be a serviceable #5 for the Yankees. Where is Barry Zito right now?
The Yankees are certainly in a slightly different position than the other teams because they’ve already doled out a couple compensatory picks. But in any case, Drew’s value is probably pretty questionable. Jeter’s on the field no matter what for the rest of the year unless he gets hurt. So Drew would have to play 2B, which it is unknown if he’d even be willing to do. But in any case, dollars and compensatory pick combined, how much more than Johnson or Roberts is Drew really worth? Once everything is factored in, it’s really pretty marginal. The Yankees are doing the right thing by exercising patience.
I am confident that Drew can play 2B or 3B in addition to SS and will be better defensively than either Johnson or Roberts and at least as good offensively as Johnson and much better than Roberts or Anna. If the Yankees can sign Drew and trade for Nick Franklin, having them over Anna and Roberts will give them the infield depth that they will need for the rest of this year and a middle infield for the foreseeable future.
A) The Sox don’t yet know how long Pedroia will be out
B) They have no place for Drew to play next year and he won’t sign a 1-year contract
C) The Sox would lose out on that juicy compensation pick
Nobody knows how long Pedroia will be out, if he even goes on the DL with the wrist issue and as for the WMB problem? They have his replacement already at Pawtucket.
For that matter? Mookie Betts is already tearing up the EL with an OBP near .600 (yes it’s early) and could feasibly play in the MLB in a couple of months if need be, maybe sooner. He’s no slouch and had an .OBP, of over .400 last year at A ball and a line of .314/.417/.506 with a .923 OPS and 38SB last season. He’s on the fast track until a position change away from 2b.
Why should the Yankees sign Drew? They’re likely not going to make a push for the playoffs with their age and, coincidentally, their injuries. I’m not a Yankees fan, but given the condition the team and the farm system is in, they’d be better off saving their money and draft picks.
I’d say the Yankees have as good a chance as anyone in the AL East. I think it’s safe to say every team in the majors is injury riddled as of now, some much more then the Yankees.
Agreed. The Yankees should invest in as much depth as possible to give themselves the best chance to win no matter who is healthy and/or hot at a given time. I think that Stephen Drew and Nick Franklin do that for the Yankees much more than Dean Anna and Brian Roberts.
I didn’t know the playoffs started in May.
Who said they did?
Indestructable, who says the Yankees aren’t likely to make a push for the playoffs.
Did everyone else in the majors have a right fielder who has never played first base at first base last night and a catcher who should have been taken out of the game still behind the plate?
Plus they won with all those injuries.
Right, but where do they go now for infielders? There aren’t any left on the 40 man who aren’t currently in the majors. Either they have to reshuffle the 40 man, which if possible one would figure they would have already done by now, or they have to sign someone.
They could just put canzler or sizemore on the roster, not that it matters as jeter is expected to play tomorrow.
Jeter will be back tomorrow, and Tex will be back Sunday. None of the injuries to their infielders are serious except for Brendan Ryan, and I’d take Solarte/Anna over Ryan any day.
And if you have injuries again? You’re right back where you started with no one to call up from the minors because you don’t have any extra infielders on the 40 man. You either need to make a trade or sign someone, because that position is untenable.
The Yankees have Sizemore in the minors who was just called up today. They put Cervelli on the 60-day disabled list and sent Shane Greene down to AAA in order to make room for him and Murphy. If they need a second baseman they also have Jose Pirela waiting in Scranton
Pirela isn’t waiting for anything. He’s not on the 40 man, which means you would have to DFA someone to call him up.
They wouldn’t HAVE to DFA anyone, they would need to place someone on the 60 day dl to bring him up, which they would most likely do if they needed him to replace an injured player.
And when they injured player returns? Someone gets DFAed. Either way you expose someone to waivers who is on your 40 man roster.
Because Carp is an everyday third baseman… Why would mccann come out with an index finger injury?
Carp came up early on as a 3b in the MiLB. At least he didn’t get any action that I remember during the game.
It was an interesting game to say the least, though mostly all those moves that were mentioned were LATE in the game and none got anything hit to them, or 1-2 at the most.
Yankees still won lol. But it looks like Ortiz is the only real threat in the Sox lineup now that Pedroia is out. Only thing is Ortiz doesn’t seem too threatening this season. Who knew Pedroia would get hurt before Ellsbury. But the Yanks will take good care of Ells, we promise 🙂
Feel free to take good care of him. Ellsbury was injured during Spring Training, before the season even began.
Better to be injured during ST then the regular season when the games count. Pedroia might try and come back early if they let him play thru the injury, you might be better off bringing someone from the minors. Or just keep playing him until the injury requires surgery.
Got a wholes season out of Pedroia with an injured thumb. How many games do you suppose your boy Ellsbury would have played with that injury? And don’t worry Pedroia will be nack in a few games. As it turned out the injury wasn’t that serious. My money’s still on Pedroia playing more games this season than Ellsbury. Anyone’s would be if they knew a thing about the two players.
My money is on Ellsbury playing more games then Sizemore lol. The Yankees have outfielders for days. They can slide Gardner over and have Soriano in LF which would free up the DH slot for others to play.
Not to mention Shane Victorino, who is a bit injury prone himself.
Right, but we’re paying him a bit less than you’re paying Ellsbury, who was going to hit like 30 hrs at Yankee stadium this year. You let me know when he gets started with that.
Who said anything about salary? I don’t see why you had to bring salary into the conversation but Ellsbury is a better player than Victorino hands down so of course he will be making more money than him. And again, who said anything about him hitting 30 homers at Yankee Stadium?
Pretty much every one of your fans when you signed him. Victorino’s a better fielder with a better arm than Ellsbury. Ellsbury will steal more bases. Whether he’s worth 8 million a year more than Victorino? Doubtful.
The thoughts and opinions of other Yankee fans is irrelevant to this conversation, so I’m not sure why you brought it up in the first place. Ellsbury is younger, steals more bases, gets on base more, and is a game changer when on the field. Victorino had a career year last year, which he isn’t likely to repeat again along with many other Sox players. A lot of things had to go right for the Sox to win the WS and its early, but the magic seems to be lost in Boston. If I were you, I’d be more concerned about that than the Yankees’ situation.
I think that 13 games into the season is a little early to be overly concerned. Depth of roster typically has a great deal to do with winning a World Series or long playoff runs. You keep insisting you don’t need anything more, but your roster says otherwise. Although it seems your team is done paying for anything, which is a shame, because they seem to have sunk a lot of money into only a few players, without bothering to completely address all of their off season issues.
The Red Sox were also fortunate enough to not have to deal with any major injuries to their starters in 2013. Their roster has a few needs as well. What about Middlebrooks at 3rd? He doesn’t seem like he’s capable of hitting major league pitching. What about JBJ? To me, he looks like another overhyped prospect is really just a AAAA player. You’re also asking a lot from Grady Sizemore whose last good season is 2008, a year before Roberts’ last productive season (2009). The Red Sox have needs/issues as well, yet you’ve conveniently ignored those to address those of the Yankees. The main ?’s of the Yankees offseason have been the starting pitching, the bullpen, and the infield. The starters have looked great so far, as well as the bullpen. The infield has had some “pleasant surprises” (Solarte, Anna) and, like I said earlier, Jeter is going to play tomorrow and Tex will play Sunday. All of the question marks they had going into the season have been answered.
“Pretty much every one of your fans when you signed him. Victorino’s a better fielder with a better arm” This is pretty funny. Only redsox fans thought ells was a power hitter…
No we did not, we thought the thirty hr season was a fluke. He’s never had a double digit season since. He did however get paid like a perennial MVP, but that’s only because the Yankees can’t develop their own talent so they have to pay through the nose to sign players other teams developed. And yes Victorino is a better fielder and thrower than Ellsbury. At that rate so is Jackie Bradley. But I have a better arm than Ellsbury, so that really isn’t saying much.
“No we did not, we thought the thirty hr season was a fluke” Nope not even close to true. But hey who needs facts… Bradley takes horrible routs to the ball so enjoy his strong arm…
Sizemore has a base salary of $750,000. Since Ellsbury is making more than 20 times that, you’d better hope he plays more games than Sizemore. Who maxes out at 6 million by the way.
Ells would play the same amount of games as pedey did with that inury. It;s not that that pedey is extra tough or something.
You keep telling yourself that. Pedey isn’t necessarily overly tough, but Ells is bit fragile.
Sure he is..
You’ll see. Probably not this year, because he’s still trying to be a good boy, but by then end of his contract you’ll have had quite enough of him.
“Probably not this year, because he’s still trying to be a good boy” so ells now chooses when to get hurt?
No he chooses when to stay out of the lineup for a tweaked muscle that other players would just play through. I don’t imagine he’ll do that right away though, so you have at least one season of a honeymoon period.
Yes players always play through rib injuries…
Carp was playing for Sox at 3B for first time. Catchers have hits all the time, is part of the job. Sure he got hit on the fingers, but that doesn’t mean he should have been taken out.
There’s a difference between someone being trained during spring training to play a position because the team was aware they lacked depth there, like Carp, and a player being forced to play a position he had never played in the major leagues before because there was literally no one else available. And I guess we’ll never know whether McCann would have come out of that game, because there was literally no other option, unless Girardi wanted to throw on the mask again.
Catchers don’t typically come out of a game because a ball hit them. It probably stung, but there is nothing broken, will probably just be sore for a few days.
Is unfortunate on Beltran, but is what happens when KJ had to be at 3B, and your other backup 1B got hurt. Teix’s injury isn’t major, many players have hamstring problems in early April, is just a fact of life, but it is only one game.
They will need to make a move before tomorrow, but Murphy and sizemore can both play 3B, which means KJ can go back to 1B.
“They’re likely not going to make a push for the playoffs with their age and, coincidentally, their injuries” Its wayyyyy to early to make that assumption. The pitching has been pretty damn impressive so far and has shown good composure with guys on base. The lineup has been solid as well, Ells and Beltran are hitting everything right now and its only a matter of time until McCann stops getting hit into the shift. I think you should replace the Yankees with that statement for the Red Sox. That team is in shambles
The 2014 Rays are looking a lot like the 2012 Blue Jays right now…
Yep, with all that added payroll….
Losing Moore definetely hurts but is not the end of the world. His stats are a little misleading as when you watch him pitch he’s lights out one inning and Carlos Marmol the next.
Cobb’s injury is what scares me the most. I think he will likely be out longer then six weeks with the way the Rays normally report these. Hellickson is going to really need to step it up (I won’t hold my breath).
By the time drew is ready to actually play Jeter will probably be over his injury and sizemore will be on the team.
“…the Yankees didn’t add a veteran relief arm this offseason.”
Matt Thornton?
What Madden and many others are saying makes sense. I started playing baseball in the late 90s to the mid 2000s and I played baseball essentially nonstop from March to November with 3 different leagues, and I’m in a Northern State. In addition to that, our summer/fall travel team coach had us go to a facility in the winter to practice as well. I did this from basically age 8, I was a pitcher and I basically threw my arm out by the time I was 15 and was done with competitive baseball before I could make a varsity team, I still get soreness in my upper forearm whenever I throw a ball for extended periods of time. Anecdotal of course, but I can’t help but think that 30+ years ago kids only played baseball in the spring, most athletes played multiple sports, and not just baseball.
Drew, who has never played any position other than SS in the MLB, is not the answer to NYY infield problems. Jeter isn’t getting bumped from SS in his final year and 2B and SS are very different positions. Its not like Drew can just step on the field and be a defensive specialist at 2B. NYY needs 2B and 1B depth more than SS depth at this point and Drew simply isn’t that.
Gomes is a fourth outfielder at best he wasn’t good last year and sucked in the postseason even though he has been the most vocal.
Gomes and Nava are a combined 12 for 73 thus far. Both better pickup the pace if they want to be in Boston, or, another MLB city in 2015.
They better pick it up if they want to make it back to the playoffs.
They better pick up the pace if they want a roster spot when Victorino is ready to come back..
I think the Mariners decision to DFA Kelley also worked out well for the Mariners since they got their current starting CF from the Yankees in the trade.
Yankees definitely need to make a move up the middle. Eduardo Nunez wasn’t an option because they grew sour on his defense. This team is good and will continue to play very good baseball on the backs of Jeter, *Teixeira* Ellsbury, Beltran, McCann, Soriano, Suzuki, Gardner, etc. coupled with their rotation – Sabathia, Kuroda, Tanaka, Pineda, Nova. I’m not worried about the team staying competitive. I just think we could use more infield depth and preferably a bullpen arm or two. However the season is young we do have Scott Sizemore & Zealous Wheeler + Alfredo Aceves & Andrew Bailey*, so hopefully we can find internal answers before wasting a pick on Stephen Drew or Kendrys Morales. Carlos Pena was playing this Spring. He hits for a low average but has HR power, he might be a good fit as depth insurance. Cervelli should not be playing 1B when we need him to back up McCann.
Wheeler is injured…