HEY YANKS... GO GET LINCECUM!

I know what you're thinking.  I'm just writing nonsense to get you to read Bleeding Yankee Blue.  I wish that was the case. Truth be told, this is an opinion piece and over the past few years, I have actually been known to make smart predictions that have helped the Yankees.  If the timing is right, there is nothing that won't stop a team like the Yankees gather "big name" players.  Over the years, it's done by having the team they are trading with pick up the bulk of the contract of that "big name" player, but that being said, they are trying at least.  Look at how they pulled off getting Ichiro Suzuki last season?  And remember... BYB had our dream about getting Ichiro, just days before it happened.... don't remember?

Read ICHIRO TO THE YANKS IS MY PIPE DREAM from July 22, 2012, only to be followed up with ICHIRO IS A NEW YORK YANKEE on July 23, 2012. I'm not saying we're geniuses... I am saying we're Team Awesome.

I have also written about my love for Tim Lincecum to be a New York Yankee 1 day. While we have written many pieces back in the day suggesting it could be a great thing for both the Yankees and Lincecum, We have recently floated it in  PITCHING FITS writing the following:

"Expect the San Francisco Giants in the mix. They have Matt Cain and Madison Bumgartner locked up, and would be foolish not to pick up the option on Ryan Vogelsong. The Giants will be losing a grip on Chad Gaudin, Barry Zito, and Tim Lincecum. It is hard to believe they will hang on to all of them. Zito should be avoided. Gaudin would be an improvement over Hughes. That leaves The Freak.
It’s hard to believe that the Giants won’t sign him, but if they don’t, the Yankees should take a good look at Lincecum. He will be expensive and there is a risk element to that, always, but Freak seems to be returning to big game form. Relocation to Yankee Stadium might just re-energize him."

Good timing... that's what we do here at BYB and a special thanks to our writer Chad MacDonald for nailing it! It turns out that Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayarea.com that Lincecum will in fact test the free agent market, this is according to sources. He writes:

"Lincecum can become a free agent five days after the conclusion of the World Series. The Giants have presented a two-year structure to Lincecum but talks haven’t progressed; assuming nothing gets done before the end of the World Series, the Giants plans to make him a qualifying offer (one year, almost $14 million) that would set them up to receive draft-pick compensation if he signs elsewhere... The Giants shifted gears to Lincecum after they re-signed outfielder Hunter Pence to a five-year, $90 million extension to prevent him from going to free agency. The Giants also want to re-sign left-hander Javier Lopez, preferably before he hits the open market."

The Yankees need pitching. The Yankees need to rejuvenate their starting rotation.  The Yankees need to pursue Lincecum.  He's not an old man and most likely he'll only need a change of scenery to get himself back to his old Cy Young self again.  And before you tell me that a National League pitcher can't hack it in the American League... I have 2 words for you... Hiroki Kuroda.

Hey... the Freak is someone to think about... I know I am.

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PITCHING FITS

The Yankees rotation next year will definitely include Ivan Nova, CC Sabathia, aaaaaand…

Oh my. Houston, we have a problem. What’s that Houston? The Astros are your problem? Okay, conceded.

 Not to be all doom and gloom here, but just who will be taking the mound for the Yankees next year? CC Sabathia isn’t going anywhere. Yeah, he’s had a bad year. But his contract and fat stats will keep him in Pinstripes. He will be a starter, and one can only hope he will improve on this season.

Ivan Nova has firmly re-gained his Starter status. He dropped his ERA almost two full points to 3.17 from his disastrous 2012 campaign, when it was 5.02. He has been a solid and confident presence on the mound, and has earned the trust of the team once more. He will be a starter after improving on last season.

Hiroki Kuroda will be lost to the Free Agent Pool, along with Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes. Three Yankee starters potentially gone. Kind of a big hole, don’t you think?

The price to keep Kuroda will most likely be too high for what he provides now. Hiroki has been very good during his time in New York. But cracks in his armor have been showing lately. This is not to say a deal shouldn’t get done. But it seems unlikely. It would have to be bottom dollar, and that’s hard to pull off in today’s MLB.
 

Phil Hughes. Fans have had their Phil of Hughes. They are calling for a Phil-a-buster. He is a Land-Phil of putrescence. Hughes has not been wonder-Phil, he has been disgrace-Phil. His stuff? Not so Phil-thy. I am Chock Phil of Hughes jokes.

So yeah, the one definite thing you can take from this article? Phil Hughes will not be back. No, he will end up somewhere else, find his talent again and win the Cy Young or something. Because that will make us all love him, right?

That leaves the Free Agent Pool. It is silly to try and guess who will end up where. Instead, let us take the attitude that I have been granted a wish to be GM for a day, with unlimited acquisition powers. Who would I select to fill out the rotation and why?

James Shields will be the prettiest girl at the dance, so to speak. Shields has lived up to his nickname “Big Game James” this year with the Royals. He sports a respectable ERA of 3.38, has gone 11-9, and most importantly, has the ability to beat the Tampa Bay Rays consistently. That is something the Yankees definitely need from a starter.

The bad news on Shields is he ain’t going to be cheap. He is easily the most desirable starter on the upcoming market, and everyone will be after him. The Red Sox may let Jon Lester go in order to secure him. Kansas City will try to re-sign him.

Expect the San Francisco Giants in the mix. They have Matt Cain and Madison Bumgartner locked up, and would be foolish not to pick up the option on Ryan Vogelsong. The Giants will be losing a grip on Chad Gaudin, Barry Zito, and Tim Lincecum. It is hard to believe they will hang on to all of them. Zito should be avoided. Gaudin would be an improvement over Hughes. That leaves The Freak.

It’s hard to believe that the Giants won’t sign him, but if they don’t, the Yankees should take a good look at Lincecum. He will be expensive and there is a risk element to that, always, but Freak seems to be returning to big game form. Relocation to Yankee Stadium might just re-energize him.

The real prize in San Francisco is Vogelsong. Bookmark that guy and check on him a lot. There is amazing talent and potential there. Should the Giants loosen their grip on him, the Yankees should wrest Ryan Vogelsong away. He would be the one I would go after.

Ubaldo Jimenez will be available, and he should be left that way. He has proven to be inconsistent and unreliable. Jon Lester should also be left alone. Same with Roy Oswalt. If you are going to go for those guys, you might as well just bring back Freddy Garcia.

Then we have those pitchers who have, at one time or another pitched for the Blue Jays; Shaun Marcum, Josh Johnson, AJ Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang, and Ted Lilly. Stay away from everyone who has ever worn a Toronto uniform.

Except one.

Roy Halladay will hit the market in 2014, after missing much of the season due to injury. But he is on the mound again when most expected him to not pitch again this year. He is doing terribly. Doc is 3-4, with an un-Halladay ERA of 7.19. There are those who say he is old and tired. That he is done. They are wrong.
If the Yankees can get Roy Halladay, they should. This writer has seen Doc perform in Toronto many times.

The man is exquisite. He has a training regimen second to none. He is dedicated, focused, and an unquestioned leader. He would bring up the level of New York’s entire staff just with his presence.

Roy Halladay has not won a Ring yet. You know he wants one. He is straining for it. Doc would be the answer to many questions. Yes he would be a roll of the dice. But so was Andy.

So, were I GM for a day, and given the unlimited ability to sign whomever I wanted from the Free Agent Pool next year, my rotation would be CC Sabathia, James Shields, Roy Halladay, Ivan Nova, and Ryan Vogelsong. I think that rotation will scare everyone else.

And while I am wishing, I would like a pony.

 
Chad R. MacDonald
BYB Features Writer
Facebook: New York Yankees the Home of Champions
My Blog: ChadRants


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WHY THE YANKEES MIAMI VICE BEAT THE MARLINS

I don't even know what that title means, I do know this though, I just won $5 from my buddy Joe who told me there was no way I could work in Miami Vice into a title during the Yankees / Marlins games... pay up bro, I win. The Yankees won today against the Marlins in a pretty exciting game at the new Marlins ball park. The score was 10-8. You can read about it HERE. Highlights include the following:CC Sabathia allowed 4 hits and 3 runs in 4 innings. Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher each hit...they had 2 hits each actually and Robinson Cano had 2 RBIs. One of Swisher hit's was a homer. I love when Swish homers,and I hope he has a big season. Mariano Rivera gave a run...I know, shocking...and it was in his only inning today. It happens, don't get worried.Ricky Nolasco was pitching for the Marlins and pitched 5 2/3 innings, but gave up 7 earned runs on 8 hits. Jeter hit a double off of him on the game's first pitch which was nice. The Marlins tied the game in the 7th inning, but in the ninth inning, Bill Hall hit a double of Chad Gaudin and then Eric Chavez doubled. Oh Chad, gotta love the guy, he's still out there working year after year, you have to respect that. Overall, you can see the Yanks clicking now as they are really looking like a ball club! God, I love the Spring...and to think, Opening day is on April 6th in Tampa Bay. I can't wait for baseball! 

YANKEE RUMORS & BYB: PART 23

Eric Chavez: The Yankees and Hirojuki Nakajima did NOT come to a deal by deadline, read HERE and expect the Yankees to immediately sign Eric Chavez now. It just makes sense. The Yankees will need to move fast on Chavez though because Jon Heyman writes HERE, that the Nationals, the Rays and the Padres are also interested in him. My opinion on Nakajima is simple thinking... the Yankees never needed Nakajima in the first place and Chavez is a former Gold Glover who can handle first and third base. Plus, he still can hit. Too bad he’s accident prone, but I’ll take him back in a second, the dude plays hard.

Chad Gaudin: An update on our favorite fall back relief pitcher, former Yankee Chad Gaudin. The guy was able to cling on to the Florida Marlins and sign a minor league deal with them.Good for him. Read about it HERE.

Hiroki Kuroda: It looks as though the Kuroda ship has sailed and the Yankees and Yankee fans do not seem particularly upset about it. It was a strange rumor any way. First he didn’t want to come to New York, then he did. Then the Yankees made him an offer, then they didn’t...read HERE. Then… it vanished. I wouldn’t offer this guy more than a 1 year deal, it’s just not worth it. It seems like he likes Los Angeles better any way.

Hideki Matsui: No one has even reached out to Matsui as far as I can see, except for the Dodgers, read HERE. To me, him getting picked up to help the Yankees bench just makes perfect sense. He still has a bat and sure, Matsui didn’t play much outfield in New York near the end of his tenure, but he did in Oakland and in a pinch, we could use him out in left field if necessary.This move is a plus if the price is right, a reunion is definitely in order.

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WHY JETER GETS CLOSER, BUT YANKEES LOSE

(Photo: NY Times)
The Yankees just had nothing in the tank tonight until the 9th and by then, it was too late. The Indians pitching was brilliant and the Yankees were flat. Is this any way to treat the Captain as he is about to embark on 3000 hits? Hmm. That's me dripping with sarcasm.

Look bottom line, the Yankees didn't have anything tonight based on great pitching by Cleveland and that's that. Turn the page. You can harp on this game all you want, but you shouldn't because it's over.(Photo: Reuters)
Tonight was Phil Hughes big night. To tell you the truth, if Justin Masterson wasn't pitching, Hughes may have gotten his first win of the year. The trouble was the Yankees just couldn't get it together, Masterson was lights out. Hughes had a tough first inning but it changed. He pitched 5 innings, held the Indians to 2 runs on 5 hits and walked 2. His fastball was between 92 and 93 MPH. He settled down and his velocity was up, that's what was important.(Photo: US Presswire)
The Captain is now 3 hits away from 3000. His hit tonight, a double, was a beautiful shot to right field and the world is watching Derek, so Derek, do your thing. I feel just as nervous as Derek must feel right now. Mikey Blue and I collected his rookie cards before Jeter ever stepped foot in Yankee Stadium back in 1992 and 1993. I have watched him his entire career, I love the guy and I love his leadership. Believe me, I watch him every at bat and while he looks cool as a cucumber, his nerves are going crazy, believe me. Now I understand why Roger Maris said he was losing hair during his run for 61. It must be nuts.

And can I ask you a question? Why is Sergio Mitre pitching in any game for the Yankees? Why? Sergio Mitre is probably a great teammate and a real nice guy. But I think he's done. Girardi's man crush for Sergio Mitre is at this point about to break worldwide on TMZ. It's ridiculous, he doesn't belong in a game for the Yankees. The Yankees are a team made up of contenders, not mop up guys. Never pitch this guy Joe, ever. Hell, I'd rather pickup Chad Gaudin again... seriously, I would.

Final Score tonight: Indians 5 - Yankees 3. It's Rays time tomorrow, get ready New York.

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WHY LAST NIGHT WAS IMPORTANT

I've read all about how certain pitchers in the Yankees bullpen needed to rest and I still don't understand what that means. The Rays are one of the hottest teams in baseball, not to mention now, the best team in baseball. This series against the Rays is like the playoffs. Play like it is. Manage like it is Jor Girardi. The only reason Mitre or Gaudin should be in a game against the Rays in September is because the Rays are winning by 10 runs. Last night's gem by Sabathia didn't need scrub pitchers being used as "filler" just to get to the Yanks top of the inning. Last night's gem needed to be treated like a gem, even after Sabathia.

Pretend it's Game 7. Go balls out. Robertson, Joba, Mo. Use them. You do that and we win the game or... at least we go down swinging.

Last night we played for the Wild Card. In my mind, it's Division Champs or bust. It isn't too early to have that mentality because if your resting guys for the playoffs and you keep losing like that, all you're doing is resting guys for a long, cold winter.