The Sheffield Trade

Give your last compliments to the Sheff, because his time in New York is over. Gary Sheffield was traded to the Tigers on Friday for three pitching prospects, after a one sided battle of words between Sheffield and the Yankees. After some harsh remarks about the Yankees and his replacement Bobby Abreu, Sheff seemed to sing a very different tune after his trade became final. "I had a wonderful time there. I generated some excitement. I had a fan base other than anything I'd experienced," also stating that the only thing he was disappointed in was that he couldn't help get a ring for the Yankees. Because of the trade, the Yankees picked up three very promising pitchers, including Humberto Sanchez, who was considered the Tigers' second-best pitching prospect. Sanchez went 10-6 with a 2.63 ERA in 20 starts in both AAA and AA last season. He also struck out 129 in 123 innings, and gave up only 97 hits and 47 walks.

Everyone seems to be very happy with the trade, but Cashman isn't depending on any of these players to contribute much for this upcoming season. Despite this fact, Cashman said that he was proud, mentioning how the Yankees minor league system used to be a joke, but now not only have they traded for some big prospects, they also have kept big names such as Phillip Hughes and Eric Duncan. If a starting pitcher gets injured during the season, it gives the Yankees an option they haven't used with much confidence the past few seasons, which is bringing up a minor leaguer. Of the three pitchers Sanchez is the only starter, but Hughes has a very good chance to be called up in case of injury. Hughes is only 21 and Sanchez is 23, both are still extremely young, but both of them seem to be ready for a start in Major League action. Now don't get too excited, the decision to bring either of them up would be a last-case scenario, only if someone gets injured for a prolonged period of time, and if the Yankees can't make a suitable trade to fill in temporarily. They are young, and bringing them up too soon can be an extremely bad idea, so the Yankees will want to take their time and get these two plenty of experience in AAA before bringing them up. The other two pitchers from the trade are two right handed relievers, Kevin Whelan and Anthony Claggett, who are both 22 years old.

The Yankees made out pretty good on this trade, looking to the future instead of concentrating only on next year, and it seems Cashman has focused on nothing but pitching. As early as Monday or as late as Tuesday, the winner of the Matsuzaka bidding will be announced, and we will see who wins the best pitcher on the market, and whoever wins, we will see how it affects the Yankees.

2006 Offseason- Bullpen, Bench, and Free Agents (UPDATE: 1/6/07))

To the other side of pitching, the other side of offense/defense, and to the other side of business deals, time to talk about the little things that sometimes go ignored in baseball. Bullpen, Bench, and Yankees that will stay and go due to free agency.

Bullpen: The Yankees 'pen had some surprises, and some disappointment this year. The Yankees miracle wild card Dotel seemed to be a burn out, the 100 MPH fireballer Farnsworth wasn't all he was hyped up to be, and a rarely used Yankee who never seemed to find his place in the organization, became the most frequently used pitcher not just with the Yankees, but in all of baseball in 2006, Scott Proctor.

Surprises: Scott Proctor being the biggest, he came out of nowhere and ate up innings, getting out of pressure situations, and giving the Yankees more than they could ever hope for. He lead the majors with 83 appearances, and give the Yankees a real fighting chance when times were tough. Brian Bruney seemed to catch the same fire that Proctor did, coming from Arizona and blowing people away with his fastball. Any kid who comes from a team with no real chance at winning, and pitches with the Yankees and pulling through big like he did is ok in my book, but don't be sold by this kid yet, remember Shawn Chacon.

Disappointments: Kyle Farnsworth and Octavio Dotel both seemed to have too much hype, giving Yankee fans too much to look forward to. Farnsworth battled back problems and his stuff was sub-par in the beginning of the season, but he did pull threw in the second half, giving the Yankees more stability. Dotel on the other hand didn't do so hot. Everyone was on the edge of their seats waiting to see how he could contribute to the Yankees, and Dotel kept everyone waiting. His heart was in the right place, always being optimistic, always looking forward to his eventual arrival to the Yankees, but when he finally got here, he didn't make the most of his opportunity. I think the Yankees should give him another shot, he barely had two months with the Yankees, one full season could bring out the Dotel of the past. The biggest disappointment of this season was Mariano Rivera. Now before you chop my head off hear me out, Rivera was great this season, and he was as automatic as ever, his performance this year was not disappointing at all. What was disappointing however, was how he had to be sidelined for about a month with a strained muscle in his arm. It turned a light on in Yankees fan's heads that, Rivera isn't gone yet, but he is getting there. The dramatic three inning saves, even the two inning saves may be in Rivera's past, his career is starting to wined down, making it all the more important to get to the post season so Mo can get that final out, at least one more time before hanging it up for good.

What they need: The Yankees don't need to look much further than what they already have to make the 'pen of 2007 great. If Darrell Rasner and Jeff Karsten spend any time with the Yankees next season, they will be in the bullpen for long relief and spot starts through-out the season. If they do anything like last year, the club would be more than pleased. For short relief the Yankees still have the lefty specialist, Mike Myers in the 'pen. Sure they only bought him to face David Ortiz, but he came through in some clutch situations last year. For longer appearances, lefty Ron Villone did pretty well his first year as a Yankee. Villone filed for free agency, but the Yankees do need another left arm in the bullpen, so expect him to return. As for right handed relief, Taynon Stertze is coming back from an arm injury, he has proved to be a strong force in relief, so even though eh also filed for free agency, the Yankees will probably take a chance with him.

The Bench: Melky Carbrera. Need I say more? This kid comes up from the minors to replace an injured Hedeki Matsui, and did an amazing job. Sure we missed the home runs, RBIs and clutch hitting of Matsui, but in return the Yankees got some great defense, more hit-and-runs, and more youth in the clubhouse. Melky was the perfect fit at the perfect time, and filled in better than anyone expected. For next season however, he will have to be rotated in as the 4th outfielder. Matsui, Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu, and Jason Giambi will all shift in and out of the DH spot, giving Melky a few days at a few different positions all year, as well as a few at bats. But don't worry Melky fans, he is still young, and unless Abreu puts up serious power numbers, I would see Melky being the starting right fielder for a long time. As for the rest of the bench, Phillips seems to be the only other bench player besides Melky that will 100% remain on the Yankees, all the rest have filed for free agency. Sal Fasano who the Yankees picked up mid year to replace Kelly Stennet filed before the end of the World Series, meaning there isn't much chance of him coming back, unless no other team will give him a better offer. Andy Cannizaro, who the Yankees brought up for a few games during the year was sent back to AAA. The same offer was given to Nick Green but he decided on free agency the same time Fasano did. Bernie Williams will most likely return to the role he was suppose to fill this year as a pinch hitter and defensive replacements during the game. Injuries to Gary Sheffield and Matsui gave him a lot more playing time, and showed the Yankees he still has some game left in him, so expect Bernie to be with New York at least one more year. Miguel Cairo, who came back last year after a year with the Mets, filled in great for Cano when he was injured. Cairo has made it clear that he likes playing for the Yankees, so he should be back next year also. A wild card that might have slipped some peoples minds in Bubba Crosby. Crosby was designated for assignment last year, but cleared waivers and is still in the Yankees system playing in AAA. With spots being open on the bench, I would expect him to be with the Yankees again next year. The Yankees have really lucked out with the bench the past few seasons. Both Crosby and Melky can play all three outfield positions, and Cairo can play all the infield positions, giving the Yankees much more versatility when replacing players.

What They Need: The biggest need for the bench at this point is a back up catcher. The Yankees have gone through three in the past two years, not seeming to be able to find a suitable back up. Wil Neives seems to be a likely candidate for the job, but the Yankees feel that he is better suited as a full time catcher in AAA than a back up catcher in the majors.

Free Agents: No starting Yankees have the opportunity to file for free agency this season, taking a load off of GM Brian Cashman's plate, and giving him enough time to work on starting pitching. The list of Yankees that have filed are mostly bench players, and most of their futures are pretty clear with the exception of only a couple.

Miguel Cairo: Latest news on Cairo is that he and the Yankees agreed on a one year, $750,000 deal for next season pending a physical. This makes it very grim for Bernie Willaims' chances in remaining in pinstrips next season due to lack of space on the roster.

Bubba Crosby: Crosby has signed with the Cincinnati Reds for 2007, so he will not be with the Yankees next season.

Octavio Dotel: Dotel signed a contract with the Kansas City Royals to be their closer. If it were a better team, I would be a little worried, but it's the Royals.

Sal Fasano: The Yankees seem to be set on having Wil Nieves and Raul Chavez compete for the back up catcher role during spring training, making Fasano's time in the Bronx a thing of the past.

Nick Green: Green was offered a minor league contract, but chose free agency. In basic English, he is gone. Probability of return: 0%

Terrence Long: Long was acquired by the Yankees to start because of the Sheffield and Matsui injuries. Since the Yankees have an amazing forth outfielder in Melky, I doubt Long would want to return as a back up to a 22 year old. Probability of return: 0%

Mike Mussina: Mussina and the Yankees have come to an agreement to a two year, $23 million contract, putting the Moose back in Pinstrips.

Wil Nieves: Nieves doesn't seem to be a likely candidate to be Jorge Posada's successor behind the plate, and the fact that he is turning 30 next season doesn't give him much inspiration to stay with a team that is going to keep him in the minors. Nieves will return next season to try-out for the back up catcher roll, competing against Chavez.

Gary Sheffield: The only reason the Yankees picked up Sheff's option was to trade him. He has been an amazing player, put up great numbers, and became a fan favorite, but his attitude in the club house and his lack of real teamwork led to his demise, and he will not be coming back next year. Since Sheffield has been traded to the Tigers, he has signed a 2 year extention, so Yankee fans can breath a sigh of releif that he will not go to the rival Red Sox.

Aaron Small: Small has been a journeyman through-out his career, making a huge name for himself in '05 by going 10-0. But his Cinderella story ended in his first start with the Yankees last season, when he took his first loss as a Yankee. After that he could never recover, suffering the same fate as Crosby did, being designated for assignment and then clearing waivers to pitch for the Yankees AAA club. With the over abundance of long relief the Yankees have, it is doubtful he will make it to the big leagues with the Yankees again. Small might be happy pitching AAA with the Yankees, but if another team wanted to take a chance, maybe get some of that same magic that produced a 10-0 record, then he could take a chance with another team. Probability of return: 50%

Tanyon Sturtze: Stertz signed a contract with the Atlanta Braves for one year. The Yankees might consider bringing him back depending on how he does in Atlanta.

Ron Villone: Villone was born in New Jersey, growing up as a Yankees fan, it was his dream to play for the Yankees, and when he finally got that call last season it was a dream come true. He did well for the Yankees, pitching up to three innings of relief at times, getting out of some very difficult situations. The Yankees still need another left arm in the bullpen, so chances are both Villone and the Yankees can come to an agreement. Possibility of return: 90%

Bernie Williams: The oldest tenured Yankee came back once thinking he was going to be just a bench player, so he would most likely do it again in a heartbeat. Unfortunatly, due to lack of space on the 25 man roster, it is unlikely Bernie will be resigned unless Melky Cabrera is traded.

Craig Wilson: Wilson who was acquired by trade near the deadline filled in nicely at first base, but now Doug Menkeitwicz and Phillips or Phelps will be spliting time between first, making Wilson's tenure with the Yankees complete.

Jaret Wright: Coming down to the final weeks of last season, Wright seemed to finally wake up. He pitched brilliantly in his last few starts of the season, but a few good starts woke make everyone forget about the last one and a half seasons, where he did very poorly. Wright didn't make enough starts to have him eligible to have his option pickled up automatically. The Yankees have said they are close to a deal with the Orioles to bring reliever Chris Britton to the Yankees. The trade is pending commissioner Bug Selig's approval, because the deal will be Wright and cash for Britton, and the cash will exceed 1 million, so the commissioners approval is necessary.

2006 Offseason- Pitching Staff

Well here we are again loyal Yankees fans, other winter with no 27th crown. The Yankees had a ton of problems during the playoffs, seems to be their motif these past couple of years, but all the Yankees really need to do is realize that there is no such thing as an impenetrable offense. There is however, such thing as an impenetrable pitching staff. Pitching wins ball games, period. Think about it, every year since '01, the Yankees have tried to get big name hitters, and it hasn't worked out. We need to tighten up on pitching this offseason, and we will. I know for a fact, Cashman will work his hardest on obtaining pitching, and ignoring all the big name bats out there this offseason. (Mostly because the Yankees can't fit anymore bats anywhere in the field). So here we go, with another offseason of rumors, free agents and trades, making it even harder to wait for Spring Training '07 to arrive.

What the Yankees have to do:

As explained before, they need pitching, and there are some huge names out there that are going to help their new ball clubs get to the post season. But which players will end up with the Yankees? The biggest names in free agent pitching are Barry Zito, Jason Schmidt, Mark Mulder, Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, and two familiar ones, Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens. Lets just get this out first, they are not comming back folks, so get it out of your heads now. Pettitte has a confortable setting in Houston, he pitches where he lives, can't get much better than that. He is too confortable in Houston, and has gone as far to say that he could retire, but I don't think he will. Pettitte's only return to the AL might be to the Rangers, not the Yankees. Same thing with Clemens, they both made deals with the Astros mainly because of family concerns, so they are not coming back. Jason Schmidt seems to be a good fit, nice fastball, great control, but unfortunatly he has made it clear that he wants to either stay with the Giants, or pitching in his home state of Washington, with Seattle. Besides, I think the Yankees have experimented enough with pitchers comming from the NL to the AL don't you think? Mulder seems to be a pitcher with too high of a risk. I think he is going to sign with a team who is willing to take a chance on him, not a good fit for the Yankees, we still waiting on Pavano to make good on his 4 yr/40 mil contract. This leaves the two biggest names left, Zito and Japanese phenom Matsuzaka. Now these are the Yankees, highest payroll in baseball, but that doesn't mean they have unlimited funds. These two pitchers are going to command extremely high contracts, because they are young (Zito 28, Matsuzaka 26), they have both proved themselves to be winners, and maybe the most important, they both have the same agent, Scott Boras. This is the same guy who when Damon was on the market last year, started out with a 7 yr/90 mil dollor offer. Boras will squeeze every penny from the club who is willing to sign either of his clients. Now Zito, I have been following this kid ever since he came up in 2000 with the A's, and ever since them I have wanted to see him in pinstripes. In 2002 when he went 23-5 with a 2.75 ERA, I knew the Yankees wanted him too. Zito has said that he has wanted to come to New York, either with the Mets, or with the Yankees. The reason the Yankees might have a competitive edge is that former teammates Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon are on the Yankees, making it easier for Zito to feel at home with the Yankees. On the other hand, the Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson was a former coach of Zito's on the A's, including during Zito's Cy young award winning year, giving the Mets an edge too. I feel Zito will most likely test the market, look at all the teams, and see how much he can actually make. He might be willing to take a pay cut to play for a team in New York and he might not, but if the Yankees can give him the money he wants, I am sure he will be a Yankee over being a Met. Strangely enough, a lot of Zito's decision of which team he will be on lies with Matsuzaka. Both the Yankees and Mets are bidding for Matsuzaka, along with the Red Sox. These three teams seem to be the front runners to get the negotiation rights for Matsuzaka. Matsuzaka was the inaugural World Baseball Classic's MVP, then went on to having a 17-5 season in 2006. Now the reason he will control Zito's fate, is because of the price of the auction is expected to reach at least 20 million. Now remember, the winning bid amount doesn't go towards Matsuzaka's contract, the money goes to the Seibu Lions, his former team, as compensation for losing their prized pitcher. The auction money is just so that the team who wins has the sole right to negotiate with Matsuzaka and his agent Scott Boras, and the team has 30 days to come to an agreement. Matsuzaka will most likely command a contract very similar to Zito, around 6-7 yr/90-100 mil. If the Yankees pick up Matsuzaka, expect Zito to be with the Mets, and vice versa. If Matsuzaka signs with the Red Sox...God help us. If the Yankees pick up Zito or Matsuzaka, they will most likely be their number one starter, making our rotation look almost bullet proof. 1. Zito or Matsuzaka, 2. Chien Ming-Wang, 3. Randy Johnson, 4. Mike Mussina, and 5. A healthy Carl Pavano....Yeah...We'll see about that. There has not been much news on Pavano's progress, but the Yankees have another out. Jeff Suppan, formally of the World Champion St. Louis Cardnals, has expressed interest in signing with the Yankees, and the Yankees have expressed interest in return. If the Yankees pick up Suppan, expect Jaret Wright to be playing somewhere else, since the Yankees can buy out his contract. Wright did well down the stretch last season, but it was too little too late. I don't expect him to be in pinstripes next season.

Well that does it for the rotation. Please comment on anything you would like talked about, or any questions you would like me to address in future blogs. I will have an E-mail specificly for this blog so there will be mailbags, a lot better than the one on Yankees.com. Personally I think their beat writer should be beaten with a stick.