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Andys Back in Pinstripes!
Photo by Getty Images
Brian Cashman was a busy man yesterday acquiring Curtis Granderson, and today he finalized a deal to bring Andy Pettitte back to the Bronx. The contract is rumored to be a one year deal worth $11.75MM. We are all glad to see you back Andy!
UPDATE: 1:38 PM: Brandon here. I like the move for both sides. Pettite gets a ton of money to return to the Bronx and the Yankees get a solid #3 or #4 starter. I was sort of hoping that he would give the Yankees some kind of a discount….but no.
Prediction: Pettite goes 12-8 with a 4.35 ERA. He does not go on the DL at all.
Impact of the Marco Scutaro Signing
Photo by APThey found their seats had all been sold
McGreevey led the charge into the park
Stormed the gates and put the game on hold
The Rooters gave the other team a dreadful fright
Boston’s tenth man could not be wrong
Up from “Third Base” to Huntington
They’d sing another victory song ♫
–Dropkick Murphys
On Thursday the Red Sox agreed to a 2 year $12.5MM deal with middle infielder Marco Scutaro, who spent the last two seasons with Toronto. When analyzing exactly how much will Scutaro impact Boston’s upcoming season one major aspect has to be looked at. Since Nomar left Boston after the ’03 season Boston has had 5 different starters at SS over the last 6 seasons (Pokey Reese, Edgar Renteria, Julio Lugo, Alex Gonzalez, and Nick Green + Jed Lowrie spliting time with Lugo in ’08 makes it 7). Scutaro gives them a reliable SS who now at 34 years old is actually seemingly improving, last season he had the most ABs of his career and put up the best stats. Scutaro’s power is not overwhelming but his 12 HR equal the HRs put up by Lugo, Green, and Gonzalez last season combined. Scutaro may be able to use the wall to his advantage and put up another double digit HR season which would be the first by a Boston SS since Nomars 28 HRs in 2003. Scutaro can also fit into many spots in the lineup and actually started in 5 different spots in the lineup during his time with the Blue Jays (led off all of ’09). He is also a very polished defender who rarely makes costly mistakes in the field. Overall I consider this a very intelligent pick up by Theo Epstein and this could even wind up being a major steal.
Figgins Signs with the Mariners
Getty Images
“Hello Seattle, I am a mountaineer
In the hills and highlands
I fall asleep in hospital parking lots”
I don’t know if Chone Figgins falls asleep in parking lots but I do know Mr. Figgins is now a member of the Seattle Mariners. Figgins has signed a 4 year $36MM preliminary deal with Seattle. Not a huge change of scenery for Figgins, a new town, a new jersey, and a lesser club, but he will be playing the same opponents he always face with the Angels (except now he gets to verse his old club). In his career Figgins has hit over .290 and averages 48 SB per year and is a sparkplug to the Seattle lineup behind the biggest sparkplug in baseball, Ichiro. Figgins will be replacing Adrain Beltre, who posted five decent seasons in a Mariner uniform. Seattle is the 3rd organization Figgins will play for after spending about five years in the Rockies System, and all his time with the Angels. Im sure Angel fans will miss him greatly and he will get an overwhelming reception when he returns to Angel Stadium this coming season.
Free Agent Spotlight: Justin Duchscherer
If he has truely gotten himself in a good place mentally he can be a huge FA steal along with Ben Sheets and Rich Harden if they stay healthy. Duchscherer has even more value because of the fact he had three very successful seasons as a reliever and then was a shut down starter in 2008 with the Athletics. In fact Justin Duchscherer may just fit perfectly into the Yankees plans. They could most likely get away with paying him much under his value and he is a slot guy who can pitch in relief or start depending on what happens with Hughes and Chamberlain. Overall I think Duchscherer will come away with about a 6MM contract filled with incentives that could make his deal worth up to about double whatever the contract ends up being for (if 6MM then 12MM). Duchscherer will be 32 at the start of the 2010 season and definitely has the potential to be the Zack Greinke of 2010. After all he has gone through I wish him much luck, unless he signs with Boston of course.
Ross Ohlendorf: Yankee, Pirate, and…Government Intern?
Photo by AP/J. Scott Applewhite
Talk About Something All Yankee Fans Appreciate…
PHOTO BY JACOBSON/NEWS
Sources are saying that the Yankees longtime PA announcer Bob Sheppard has officially called it quits and is retiring. Sheppard took the helm as Yankees PA guy in 1951, and is known as “The Voice of God” amoung the Yankee Universe. Yankee stadium hasn’t been the same without him in the recent seasons, and it would’ve been nice to have heard him at the new Yankee Stadium. Mr. Sheppard is one of the greatest Yankees who ever lived and even at 99 years young we wish him another long 100 years. We have held at hope he’d come back but now reality has set in and a new era will have to begin.
Shelley Duncan Becomes a Free Agent
Reported by MLBTradeRumors.com: MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch posted on his twitter account that NY Yankees utility man Shelley Duncan has elected free agency after being outrighted to the minors the other day. Shelley a fan favorite during his few stints with the Yankees will likely not return to the club and we hope he finds success wherever he may land!
Vance Wilson is still in the MLB?
A report by MLBTradeRumors.com mentioned MLB.com’s Dick Kaegel said the Kansas City Royals have REsigned catcher Vance Wilson. I must be honest y’all I wasn’t even aware the ex-Metropolitan was still playing baseball.
Just sayin’.
The Nick Swisher Rumor
Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty ImagesBob Nightengale of USA Today posted on his twitter the other day that the Yankees were making Nick Swisher available, and this morning Yahoo! Sports Rumors said the Yankee brass are claiming Swisher is not on the trading block. Mark J. Miller who wrote the Yahoo! Sports Rumors article also mentioned some people thought Swisher would be in a package deal for Roy Halladay. Personally I can’t see Toronto taking any package that includes a player 29 years of age. Either way my question to the fans out there is: Can you at all justify any trade of Nick Swisher?
The Roy Halladay Discussion
No Doubt about it all fans of the MLB know the simple fact is that Roy “Doc” Halladay is an absolute beast. His career numbers pitching on a team that has never been able to get over the hump are outstanding, 148-76 with a 3.43 ERA. All teams in baseball would love to have him, but only a select few can steal Halladay from Toronto. Our beloved Yankees are one of those teams. What exactly should the Yankees brass look at when discussing bringing over Halladay? Here are the important numbers:
- Highest ERA in a season with 16 or more starts: 4.20
- ERA under 3.80 for 5 straight seasons
- Less than 50 BB in every season but 1999 and 2002.
- 200+ Ks under 40 BB last two seasons
- WHIP under 1.40 since 2001
- ERA career Home/Away: 3.23/3.64 (Unlike most Yankee Starters who are only good home or away not both)
- A slightly slow starter, 4.12 ERA in April, but under 4.00 in every other month and under 2.50 in September.
- vs. BOS: 14-14 4.28 ERA, 4.09 ERA @ Fenway (Better than most)
- vs. NYY: 18-6 2.84 ERA
- vs. TB: 12-11 3.67 ERA
- vs. BAL: 20-4 2.89 ERA
- 6’6” 230 (We saw this season what big pitchers can withstand)
- My favorite: Still only 32 and you know he has years left in that tank
So the evidence is there, and I was even surprised by some of the dominance. It seems essential the Yankees find away to swipe Doc up, and more importantly keep him far far away from Red Sox Nation.
The Pinstriper 
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