Not Feeling the Pettitte Signing

I love Andy as much as the next guy. It's been an absolute pleasure watching him come up thru the system and becoming one of the faces of the franchise. In his prime, I felt nothing but confidence when Pettitte was on the mound.

That was then & this is now. This is the year 2012, he is turning 40 years old in June, and he has not pitched in the big leagues in over a year. The Yankees have incredible depth, and this was before Pettitte signed. Word is that Andy is going to either start the year in Tampa or Trenton. Tampa would make the most sense from a location standpoint since the Yankees are obviously based there during Spring Training & he is already unpacked there. From a selfish nostalgic point of view though since the contract is already signed, I'd like to see #46 in Trenton since it's just an hour or so from me.

Back to the point, why? We all know that the Yankees loyalty knows no bounds and for some reason, it's the front office that must show it. It's a two-way street in this business. The players help the team win but it was the team that first gave the players their shot to begin with. To me, this signing from a competitive standpoint, makes no sense, and at $2.5 Million, that is no small chunk of change, even for the Yankees. This is a loyalty signing and it is not in the best interest of the 2012 New York Yankees. You're probably asking yourself "Why is he talking about loyalty?" Well the answer to that is that we all know that when Andy is ready to go, he is going to take someone's spot in the rotation, regardless of how he or the pitcher he's replacing, is performing. Why? It's Andy Pettitte. For how long did we see Jorge Posada flailing miserably while Jesus Montero was raking?

Yes this is a lot of ifs and assumptions but if history has taught us anything, it is the most likely scenario. The only scenario that I would be on board with is if Freddy Garcia is severely under-performing & Pettitte is excelling in the Minors. Under no circumstances, should he replace Phil Hughes or Ivan Nova in the rotation, especially if his spot in the rotation means one of them are sent to the bullpen. Hughes & Nova need to continue to start, especially Hughes, because the Yankees need to see what they have in him.

Besides who is he going to replace in the rotation, he's probably going to need at least a month, maybe more in the Minors before he's ready. So not only is he going to be handed a rotation spot, but he is also going to stunt the development of a young pitcher in either Trenton or Tampa. Whoever he bumps off in the minors, bumps off a pitcher below him, so on & so forth. It's a Domino Effect.

I'm sure this isn't a popular opinion & that's fine with me. I'm not here in hopes of pleasing the masses, I'm offering my two cents on the matter. I would have much preferred to see Pettitte at Old Timer's Day as opposed to a member of the 2012 Yankees.

Again, yes I am aware that none of this is supported with factual evidence. This is what I think is going to happen & it is not good.

Cano Leaves Game After Being Hit on Hand With Pitch (Updated - X-Rays Negative))

(Update 11:45 PM)

From Bryan Hoch:

Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano left Sunday's Grapefruit League exhibition against the Orioles after being hit on the left hand by a pitch.

Cano was batting in the sixth inning at Ed Smith Stadium against Baltimore left-hander Troy Patton when he swung at a pitch that clipped his hand, a sequence that was ruled a strikeout by first-base umpire Tim Welke.

Cano doubled over in apparent pain and was immediately seen on the field by head athletic trainer Steve Donohue, who helped the slugger into the third-base dugout.

More updates as they come... Cross your fingers.

D-Rod Update

Yankee Fan Stereotype

Being a Yankees fan isn't as easy as one would think.  Now, before you respond to that opening sentence with expletives, hear me out.

No matter where you go, no matter what you stand for, if someone hears that you're a fan of the New York Yankees, you are automatically assumed to be, well a -insert insult here-.  In some cases, that insult is rightly earned.  I know a ton of people that want the Yankees to acquire a superstar player at every given choice.  When it comes to some of them, they won't be satisfied until the #5 starter is Josh Johnson and the backup outfielder is Matt Kemp.  Yup, some Yankee fans are extremely spoiled and intolerable to the point that they resemble Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.  Some of them want that Oompa Loompa now & he had better be a five-tool stud who's off day is going 2-for-4 at the plate. 

Those types of fans disgust me & almost make me feel obligated to apologize on behalf of the New York Yankees fan base.  Not every single fan is like that though, certainly not to the point where other fans should approach total strangers and start belittling them at random.  I can't even begin to get into the amount of times that some Joe Schmo has given me crap because of the stereotypical attitude displayed by what they feel is representative of all Yankees fans.  There are stereotypes everywhere with all fan bases but being a snob and that the World Series is their birth right, is an unfortunate stereotype that Yankee fans deal with.  From people that I work with to people I meet at the local bar, from Baltimore and Boston to San Francisco, I've heard it all and it is exhausting.  I've even had my chops busted at a small pub in Rome.  That completely threw me off because who would expect that?

Some of you may not want to believe it, but there are large amounts of Yankee fans out there that don't subscribe to the "World Series or Bust" mantra.  You are only familiar with the type of fan that ESPN broadcasts to increase their ratings.  There are tons out there like me who preach patience and develop from within as the proper way to go.  If there is a legit stud on the open market that fills a pressing need, then yeah go ahead & lock that guy up.  C.C. Sabathia is a shining example of a necessary big money signing to fill a dire need but Mark Teixeira was not.  That signing was overkill and now the Yankees are once again saddled with a huge, long term contract at top dollar.  Yeah it fed a short term need in the 2009 World Series but the last two seasons, he's been underwhelming to put it nicely considering the contract he was signed to.  He was signed to be elite for a long time, not just an all or nothing home run hitter with a nice glove at first base.  Contrary to popular belief, there are fans that do think about the long term success of the Yankees and think the "What have you done for me lately?" attitude is dated and inaccurate. Also, it's going to make you look stupid if that's your opinion.  Everyone has an opinion but if that is yours....yeah, then it really is stupid. 

I'm not a Homer.  I don't feel that the Yankees should be a strictly home grown team.  They should make trades and free agent signings that fill needs.  What they shouldn't do is acquire a player just because he's elite & on the market.  If they truly need that player, like I said, go out and get him.  If not, let him be someone else's albatross of a contract.  The system is deep and there are impact players there at every position.  From starting pitcher to any infield position to the relievers, the system is stacked.  The quick fix high salary star should not be the initial thought for the Steinbrenner brothers.  But the point of this post is that fans throughout baseball need to realize that there are Yankee fans out there that don't want the top dollar mercenary by any means necessary.  Not all of us are going to stomp our feet because the Yankees didn't win the World Series.  Show me progress of young talent on the ML roster and of impact prospects in the minor league system and I am content.  I will mark out over a World Series title like a teenager at a Jonas Brothers concert though, don't get me wrong.  I detest that "World Series or Bust" attitude and I always will.

If you're going to approach a Yankees fan blindly thinking something negative, there's an excellent chance that you will look foolish for that assumption by the end of the conversation.

-Trev

Twitter: @trevwolff

Pettitte's Back!

Wow, this came out of nowhere.... Here's the story from Mark Feinsand:

Andy Pettitte ended his one-year retirement, agreeing to a minor-league deal with the Yankees worth $2.5 million plus incentives.

“He’s coming back,” a source said.

The deal was first reported by the YES Network.

Pettitte returned to camp earlier this spring, and though he indicated that he planned to remain retired, his three-day stint as a guest instructor “got his juices flowing,” a second source said, prompting him to put the pinstripes back on as a member of the team.

According to the source, Pettitte and the Yankees had been speaking about a possible reunion for weeks, but the trip to spring training cinched his decision.

“He got the itch,” the source said.

Naturally, I have my doubts about any 39-year old pitcher who just spent a year in his living room, but it's Pettitte so why not give him a chance. I assume he won't be ready by opening day, so I guess we're looking at a mid to later April return.

Could Pineda Open the Season in the Minors?

According to George A. King III, it's definitely a possibility:

Paperwork might determine what the Yankees pitching rotation looks like, and it's not out of the question Michael Pineda could start the season at Triple-A.

Wednesday, for the second straight day, manager Joe Girardi mentioned minor league options and how they may factor into the four-arm competition for the three spots left after CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda.

"That's a possibility,'' Girardi said about a hurler being sent to the minors to start the season. "Some of the guys have options if that's what we need to do. But if it makes us a better team putting them in the bullpen we might do it.''

Phil Hughes has one option remaining, as does Ivan Nova, and Pineda has all three options left, so they can be sent out with fear of being lost. Hughes has 4 years and 113 days of service time. When he gets to five years (in 67 days) he can't be reassigned without permission.

Pineda makes his third exhibition start Thursday against the Nationals and the Yankees will be looking closely to see if the large right-hander's velocity starts to climb.

The article did go on to mention that options might not even be an issue because the guy who doesn't earn the rotation spot could always be added to the bullpen. But options aren't the entire story either.

When 23-year-old Pineda arrived in camp and admitted he was 10 pounds above the 270 he ended last season, the Yankees weren't too concerned because they really didn't know him. Now, they are staying the course when it comes to arm strength, an issue with Hughes last spring that led to a nightmare of a season and may have been the reason he missed significant time with an inflamed right shoulder.

"Some guys are a little bit slower coming along than others,'' Girardi said. "We haven't had him in spring training to really know how he is. We don't want him to conserve but we also want him to be ready to throw 95 to 96 when he is doing it. I don't want him going out there and just airing it out just so he can hit 95, 96 on the gun.''

Girardi is taking into account Pineda's age and one year of big league experience that consisted of a strong first half last season and a drop off in the second.

"You have to see how a guy does and how he responds,'' Girardi said. "This is not a kid who is 27 or 28 years old. Some of these springs are uncharted for him, too. As long as he is going in the right direction, that's the important thing for me.''

It's very early so I wouldn't make THAT much of this. Girardi is probably just covering all his bases, it's spring training, it's what he has to do.

Garcia OK After Taking Comebacker Off the Hand

Freddy Garcia was forced out of today's spring training game after being hit on his right hand by an Edwin Encarnacion liner. He was taken for x-rays after the game and luckily for the Yankees they came back negative.

The Yankees are saying he has a right hand contusion and so far there is no word on how much time he'll miss, if any.

Resigning Cano and Granderson Remains Part of Yanks Plans

From Jon Heyman:

Seeking to diffuse any notion that the Yankees won't be able to retain their buggest stars and perhaps suffer a major talent deficit in 2014 when a payroll cut is planned, team president Randy Levine said, "The plan contemplates (Robinson) Cano, (Curtis) Gransderson and a full championship team.''

The Yankees have said they plan to decrease their payroll from the low $200 millions to below $189 million to get below the luxury-tax threshhold for 2012, thus significantly reducing their tax rate in future years and saving themselces tens of millions. With that in mind, some folks are starting to do their own little math and wondering how many stars can be retained considering the Yankees will still have three $20-million-plus per-year players (Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia) on gthe payroll in 2014, leaving themselves about $120 million to fill out the other 22 spots on the team.

With the contracts of Cano and Granderson up after 2013, folks specifically have wondered how the Yankees will squeeze those two big stars onto their payroll. But Yankees people remain confident publicly they can do that and remain a contender.

"We'll have a great team either way,'' GM Brian Cashman said. "At $189 million, we should,''

The Yankees say they will not entertain the idea of going above the $189-million threshhold and are committed to getting below that figure. "The new Basic Agreement has changed the landscape,'' Cashman said. "From a business perspective, we have no choice. Do you want to go over $1 million at the expense of an additional $50 million? We're going to be at or below that ($189 million) number. We will certainly find a way to do it.''

Personally, I have no idea how it'll be possible to retain those two and have a good roster around them. I guess we'll just have to take their word for it for now.