OTANI & WHETHER OR NOT THE YANKEES SHOULD BITE

BYB did a piece about the newest pitching sensation out of Japan in Shohei Otani the other day and how he will no doubt be a huge investment for any team in the MLB if he were to post and bail on the Japanese league. Read THE NEXT BABE RUTH for more of that.

The Yankees have had their share of luck and disappointment with Japanese pitchers before, going back to Hideki Irabu to guys like Kei Igawa and Masahiro Tanaka.  We finally got it right with Tanaka, and with the Yankees in need of solid pitching, many wonder if the Yankees would ever go after Otani. 

There's a great article from Tanya Bondurant from Pinstripe Alley today and it says just that...

"The Yankees find themselves finally on a path to getting younger, but their rotation leaves a lot to be desired...With money coming off the books this offseason, it would be a great time for the Yankees to reload their rotation. The problem with that is that there are no good starting pitchers available on the free agent market. It’s really bad out there. Brian Cashman could use some of the improved farm to make a trade, but the kind of pitcher the Yankees need to get would come at a very high cost. Parting with a top prospect or likely multiple top prospects would sting.

The saving grace for a team in search of pitching may come in the form of Shohei Otani from Japan. The 22-year-old right-hander is the best pitcher to come out of Japan since Tanaka or Yu Darvish. The catch is that his team has not yet decided to post him yet. It’s not a sure thing that they will. However, if Otani is made available, the Yankees really need to do whatever it takes to get him."

Yes, ultimately, this is just a waiting game now, but with money being freed up, and if the timing is right and Otani does post, Tanya and I agree... it's something the Yankees should definitely pursue.

What do you think?

 

THE YANKEES ROTATION IS NO LONGER OLD

You now us here at BYB.  We will rank on the Yanks for being old and the need to bring up the kids. That's important to us.  Well, I was reading LoHud, and Chad Jennings had a terrific piece out about how the Yankee rotation isn't that old anymore. Reading through it, I didn't realize it, but I gotta tell you, it made me smile... Damn you Jennings!

Anyway, check this out:

"The Yankees have plenty of rotation issues, but age really isn’t one of them. Aside from CC Sabathia, the Yankees don’t have a starting pitcher in his 30s. Really, their rotation is built around four guys who are 26 or younger (counting Masahiro Tanaka, who turns 27 next month). That’s not to say the Yankees have a rotation as good as the Mets, only to point out that the Yankees’ rotation is probably younger than it seems...

Luis Severino -- 21
February 20, 1994

Noah Syndergaard — 23
August 29, 1992

Steven Matz — 24
May 29, 1991
 
Nathan Eovaldi — 25
February 13, 1990

Matt Harvey – 26
March 27, 1989
 
Michael Pineda – 26
January 18, 1989

Masahiro Tanaka – 26
November 1, 1988

Jacob deGrom – 27
June 19, 1988

Adam Warren – 28
August 25, 1987
 
Jon Niese – 28
October 27, 1986

CC Sabathia – 35 
July 21, 1980

Bartolo Colon – 42 
May 24, 1973"

Look, it's just one of those things that I needed to point out to our audience. I mean sure, there were some championship Yankee teams where rotations were old and more experienced than above, but in the realm of youth and "building" again so to speak, it's interesting and refreshing to see.  Check out our 1999 Yankees rotation in comparison for instance:

Orlando Hernandez-- 33
David Cone-- 36
Andy Pettitte-- 27
Roger Clemens-- 36
Hideki Irabu-- 30

Ages were much different, older, but experience was key for that 1999 team.  All I'm saying is we have a good thing going with youth coming up Yankee fans.  Like we see with the Mets for instance, if the Yankees allow time for growth for these young pitchers we have, there is a huge opportunity for us in our future. And you know what?  It's damn exciting.



 
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THE BIG JAPANESE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

I’ll tackle this bad boy!  I’ll say it.  My concern with Masahiro Tanaka goes deeper than his partially torn elbow ligament...that will or won’t need surgery at some point in his career.

No, what troubles me is that I can’t think of one highly touted Japanese hurler that panned out to be the game changer he was rumored to be before making the trip across the Pacific.

I have a buddy who has bought Volkswagen Jetta after Volkswagen Jetta.  Yet every time he gets one he will complain to me that, “As soon as the warranty is up it sounds like I have a tea set under the hood.”  Basically he is saying that the car is a headache in the making after the 5th oil change…and yet he buys them as if he didn’t have any other choice!  Maybe he should go with a BMW or Range Rover…maybe an Acura or Kia…or maybe…BUY AMERICAN!

Nomo, Dice K, Irabu, I’d say Igawa, but…well, you know that story.  They come over, make big money, have one good year and then the Major League hitters time that leg hitch or odd delivery and tee off like John Daly after 4 or 5 Bloody Mary’s. And yet…MLB GM’s still feel the need to pay top dollar for players that just might not be that good.

Look, I really like Tanaka.  He seems like a class act.  He is humble and works hard.  His spilty is NASTY…but puts tremendous strain on the elbow.  What happen when it goes “POP”?  Then he will rely on a hittable fastball and possibly have to learn some different breaking stuff…while collecting crazy money to be a number 4 or 5 starter.

I am not looking to bring doom and gloom to the otherwise happy days in the Yankee Universe.  This is just something I have wanted to get out there for discussion.  Masahiro is good…but he probably won’t be great…and hopefully won’t join the list of Japanese heroes that transform into Major League zeroes.

Food for thought….

** Yeeeah, Chuck!  Tell ‘em what time it is Bhoy! **




 
--Mike O'Hara Senior "Features" Writer
Twitter: @mikeyoh21


 




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PEOPLE HAVE TO STOP OVERTHINKING MONUMENT PARK

This year the Yankees announced that they would be putting plaques into Monument Park to honor Yankees who have done their duty while in pinstripes.  They chose, Goose Gossage, Paul O'Neill and Tino Martinez. I didn't blink. In fact, I was happy to see that they were doing it. O'Neill and Tino both contributed alot during the Yankees run in the late 90's and Goose did his thing better than any closer before that.

After all, it wasn't like they were retiring numbers, they were simply honoring them. I embraced it.  Many Yankee fans did too.

I remember at the time, some, including Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk was all over Yankee brass as if to suggest they made a stupid mistake.  I responded (not that he cared), with my own piece titled BE PROUD OF OUR YANKEES. DON'T MOCK THEM. In it, I wrote that after the announcement...

  
" It was then followed by every half-clever writer making jokes about who else should be honored by the Yankees. Names like Bobby Meacham, Hideki Irabu, Mariano Duncan and I'm sure the name Andy Stankiewicz was mentioned.  It was in a silly, mocking tone, read HERE and my question is why? What does it matter what the Yankees do and who they honor? Plus, why shouldn't they honor Tino, or Paulie or Goose or Torre?  It's their franchise and the guys they chose were pretty great Yankees.  Why a non-Yankee fan like Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk has it all figured out is beyond me. Craig, don't worry about it... "

Not that I changed him mind (because I didn't), but yesterday Craig wrote this:  "I scoffed a little bit at that when the news came out, but after the weighing-in by some Tino fans and a month or so worth of reflection, I’m feeling cooler about it. Indeed, if this is truly a move by the franchise to come down off its “Only The Titans Are Worthy” stance toward its history, I’m all for it."

Nice. But now Sweeny Murti  thinks more should be done, writing: "We could add dozens more names if we wanted to, and maybe we will.  But I’d like to start with two — Willie Randolph and Graig Nettles."

He goes on to make his great argument for why they belong, and I don't disagree, but the point is, isn't there other things to worry about? The Yankees history and it's players are fruitful.

The Yankees have had great players over the years.  The best part of these great players is, when the time comes each year, the Yankees will sit down and decide who gets honored. When they do that, and a name pops up you love, you will once again, pay money to go see them get honored.  The Yankees are a machine. This idea was strategic... don't over think it.  The best part is, these players come back to the stadium, they get a proper honoring and then if they are worthy, they also get a plaque. It's the new Yankees.  Sure, the retired numbers are running out, but that's not what this is about.  This is about giving the nod to other great Yankees... just not great enough to have their number retired.  It's an acknowledgment. It's a "Thank you"... and I love the idea.

And yes, for all you wondering, they'll be in the same park as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig and the retired numbers of Don Mattingly and Yogi Berra will be there too. But it's an "atta boy"... it's a "Thank you for doing a good job in pinstripes". We don't need lists. We don't need to debate who should go in next and why they are better than someone else. Over time, all the greats will eventually be acknowledged.

The best part is, this type of honoring can go on forever. Why are we rushing it Sweeny? Why do you care so much Craig? Enjoy life. There are a ton of great things going on outside. Then, when the Yankees send out their press release... we will all hear who comes next.  Maybe it WILL be Randolph, or Posada, Williams or Nettles.  All apply, but it's not up to us... it's up the the Yankees organization, and trust me... they won't blow this.

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THE ARTICLE ON SABATHIA THAT GETS IT WRONG ON PURPOSE

So what do we know about CC Sabathia and his knee injury? We know that it is a degenerative injury and that he had fluid in his right knee and it was drained. It was also examined by Dr. James Andrews who injected stem cells in it and hopefully, HOPEFULLY, that will do the trick, for alittle while, but there is no official timetable on when CC will return.

But I find it to be mildly offensive and sad the way some in the media are trying to expose CC as being the biggest disaster in sports history. Really?  Did you see Business Insider today? Read the headline, don't click.

Here's the headline:

CC Sabathia's $142 Million Contract Is Turning Into A Complete Disaster For The Yankees

Wait... a DISASTER? I don't get it.  The sinking of the Titanic was a disaster.  How in the world do you call CC Sabathia, a guy that already has a World Championship with the Yankees, a guy that won 91 games in 6 years with the Yankees (19 wins in 2009 and 2011 and 21 wins in 2010), a disaster? In short, you can't. In fact, the Business Insider has it wrong.

 Carl Pavano, was a disaster.  Hideki Irabu was a disaster.  CC Sabathia is having an off year and has an injury. That's it, sorry that wasn't sexy enough for Business Insider.

Here's what Business insider writes, and tell me this isn't written by a 9th grader trying to "make it" in the business:

"Sabathia is 33 years old, has a history of knee problems, his fastball has disappeared, and the Yankees still owe him $90.6 million... "

Wait... Sabathia has a history of knee problems too? When did this happen?  We know he had surgery on his right knee at the end of the 2006 season with the Indians, but you're kind of using "history" alittle loosely, aren't you? Eric Chavez has a "history of injuries" and that would actually be accurate. CC has fluid on the knee and a surgery almost 10 years ago.

Also, for the record, why not actually inform the readers that other pro baseball players have had the same type of injury that CC has had, like Hideki Matsui and Randy Johnson and both came out of it fine, Read HERE.

I don't mind the opinion, but state some facts, something this article did NOT do.  In fact, I encourage you all to NOT click on their story. It's silly and doesn't give you an accurate report on what's really going on with CC... it's just a bash fest... I don't play that way.

Back your player Yankee fans. CC has an injury and you know what? He'll recover sooner or later. It's baseball, it's sports, it happens.

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BE PROUD OF OUR YANKEES. DON'T MOCK THEM.

It was announced today that the Yankees will be honoring Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez, Joe Torre and Goose Gossage with plaques in monument park.  That was tweeted by Jack Curry of YES:

Joe Torre, Paul O'Neill, Goose Gossage and Tino Martinez will be honored w/ plaques in Monument Park. Torre's #6 will be retired, too.
— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) May 8, 2014

It was then followed by every half-clever writer making jokes about who else should be honored by the Yankees.

Names like Bobby Meacham, Hideki Irabu, Mariano Duncan and I'm sure the name Andy Stankiewicz was mentioned.  It was in a silly, mocking tone, read HERE and my question is why? What does it matter what the Yankees do and who they honor? Plus, why shouldn't they honor Tino, or Paulie or Goose or Torre?  It's their franchise and the guys they chose were pretty great Yankees.  Why a non-Yankee fan like Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk has it all figured out is beyond me. Craig, don't worry about it...

And what about Yankee fans? Why is everyone so concerned about their favorites... Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada being ignored? Trust me... it's coming ladies and gentlemen.  But it doesn't take away from the fact that there is a lot of bashing going on.  The Yankees can't win, can they? Even if they DO honor a player, there's criticism.  What the hell happened to Yankee fans or baseball fans just enjoying our past in this great game? What's the big deal anyway?

 

And just to clarify, no one except for Joe Torre is having their number retired.  All that's happening here is they're going to have a ceremony for the 4 guys and thank them for their service in pinstripes.  They are plaques ladies and gentlemen. They will be displayed in monument park.  They were good Yankees and they deserve it.  And most likely the Goose, Tino and Paulie will NOT have their numbers retired, but this is the next best thing. That's my opinion on what the Yankees are thinking by the way.  Look, as far as I'm concerned, all the haters should chill, because it makes no sense as to why you should criticize.

With the Yankees, Goose Gossage has 151 saves in 7 years.  He was larger than life when I was a kid. Tino Martinez had 192 home runs in New York and 4 championships to boot.

Paul O'Neill was right there with him in the championship department and compiled not only the nickname "the Warrior", but had 185 home runs and a .303 average in 9 years. Obviously, we all know just how important Joe Torre was in all of this, plus he's a Hall of Famer. But again, TORRE IS THE ONLY ONE HAVING HIS NUMBER RETIRED. There isn't some mad dash to retired 42 Yankees this season or anything. It's about honoring and respecting some pretty great Yankees with a plaque... and it's also a hot ticket to see these greats if you understand true fandom and the business of Yankee baseball.  I'm not so sure the ticket is as hot if Mariano Duncan is getting a plaque...and that's not a slight at Mariano Duncan... it's just a fact.

Stop the hate ladies and gentlemen... this is a nice thing that the Yankees are doing. Enjoy it if you're a Yankee fan.  It's fun.

Oh, and P.S... I was concerned Bernie Williams would be ignored... but Jack Curry put me at ease with this...

In addition to Torre, Goosage, Martinez and O'Neill, Yankees say Bernie Williams will be part of recognition series in 2015.
— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) May 8, 2014

Nice!

Go Yanks!

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OH GOOD. NOW WE'RE COMPARING TANAKA TO AROD

Joel Sherman is the king of the provocative.  You can't fault the guy, he does it better than anyone... in fact, he and Bob Klapisch are a tie in my eyes. What am I talking about? I'm talking about the thread that suddenly runs through newly acquired Masahiro Tanaka to Alex Rodriguez and the big splash Alex made in the Bronx in 2004.  Suddenly... Tanaka is a bad idea... and Joel Sherman is a Debbie Downer...

Sherman writes in his NY Post piece today in reference to the ARod signing 10 years ago and Tanaka now:

"...The Yanks essentially held a group high-five. They not only had snared the best player in the game at 28, but had pulled him away from the clutches of the Red Sox. The theme was that they had Ruth-ed Boston yet again, assuring another eight decades of misery in New England, more parades in New York.

George Steinbrenner hailed this “a big, big one,” calling it another Reggie moment, praising Rodriguez as “an outstanding young fellow.” The general manager then and now, Brian Cashman, used the word “ecstatic”... 

 ...the Yanks have scouted Tanaka for several years, including every one of his home starts in 2013. Their analytics department broke him down mathematically and saw no shot at Kei Igawa II. Every overturned stone screamed the righty is uber-competitive, drawing favorable comparisons to Hideki Matsui and Orlando Hernandez for poise and self-assurance even in strange environs.

And he is 25. Boy did the Yanks love that. A chance to get the full prime of a player they project — whatever Cashman’s No. 3 public proclamations — as a top-of-the-rotation cornerstone.

So they acknowledge, yet mostly dismiss the other stuff. The absurd buildup of so many innings already in Japan. That he never has worked every fifth day. That he never has worked regularly with the bigger MLB baseball. That he never has faced lineups like he will face now. That you never know how $155 million truly will impact anyone or the fame or the pressure or the failure that is inevitable on such a stage...“This is big,” Cashman said. “This would make The Boss proud. This is Yankees big, this is Steinbrenner big.”

Now look, there's a much bigger picture to all of this.  Sure, thanks for stating that the Yankees big signings haven't always worked out Joel. No kidding. I mean, we all know that... Ken Phelps ring a bell?

Randy Johnson? Need I go on? The fact of the matter is, you never know what you're going to get.  Who knew that CC Sabathia would win 20 games for us 2 years in a row while AJ  Burnett would shit the bed?  Who knew Hideki Irabu would be one of the worst signings of the Yankees' history.  Who knew ARod would have been the biggest disappointment ever. You can all tell me you did now, but did you really then? Back then, the signing of ARod was a great idea and you know it.

Truth be told, when the Yankees signed Alex Rodriguez, they netted the biggest fish in baseball at the time. Not only that, they saw the All-Time home run record finally coming home to the Bronx. ARod was going to do it. Little did they know, or maybe they did, that PEDs would be a problem and the end for ARod.  Sure, he's now a disgrace years later, but teams don't know until the team is in it.

 Enter Masahiro Tanaka, a signing the Yankees HAD to make.  Why? Because if Tanaka became Yu Darvish Part II with another club, Yankeeland, the fans, would have never forgiven them. We're Yankee fans... After last season, there was absolutely no excuse why Hal, Hank and company shouldn't sign every big name free agent out there.  It was now a necessity.  If the Yankees didn't do anything this off-season, there would be a mutiny; Fans not going to the ballpark, not watching the Yankees, not wanted to spend on a loser.  The Yankees needed to prove to the fans that we're winners... hence the spending.

Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann and Tanaka we all on the table, and you know what? The Yankees over spent, but trust me when I tell you, that if Masahiro Tanaka shits the bed, the Yankees, and us fans will need to suck it up because we believed the hype and rolled the dice.

But there's 1 more part of this, that Sherman refuses to address... What if Tanaka saves the Yankees?  What if he IS actually good and that workload on his 25 year old arm doesn't affect him? What if we become champions again? Will Sherman eat crow and say he was wrong, or will he just carelessly continue to write negatively and throw it the Yankees way?  He'll ignore it... because that's what he does. All I'm saying is it's way too early to insinuate that the Tanaka signing won't work... we haven't even started Spring Training man!

Let's wait and see what happens. In the end, the Yankees needed to do something, and yes, they overspent, but they did it to better the team and they did it for the fans... because last season was an embarrassment... and in Yankeeland... we can't have that.

On a side note... anyone want Joel Sherman becoming the Mets beat writer? I vote yes...

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

"I FEEL LIKE I BOUGHT THE WHOLE ALBUM AFTER HEARING 1 SONG!"

I had a great discussion with one of my writers today.  Let me rephrase... I spoke to pretty much all of my writers today in regards to the Masahiro Tanaka signing all were fun chats, but 1 conversation with Mike O'Hara needed to be published because the conversation was rich with nuggets, humor, concern and joy... all wrapped up into 1.  Truth be told, it's what Yankeeland is feeling right now and so, I wanted to share it.  Don't worry, Mike knows.  Check this out:

Mike O'Hara: "Tanaka was needed, but I hope he is the real deal and not in the Nomo, Irabu, Dice K, Igawa mold... One good year and then everybody times and tees off. 

And why not just call it a 4 year deal? The opt-out is almost always taken. We may have just begun paying for this kid. Fingers crossed. Still need some pen help. Lots of money and lots of questions."

Casey: "That's what my buddy Mike said. He said "I hope he doesn't suck." He needs to be great for 4 years and we need to win so he doesn't want to leave. The Yankees are banking on that.

Mike O'Hara: "Almost a billion and the only guy I am 100% sold on is Brian McCann. He is a bulldog, good defender, leader and the pop will meet the porch.  

The rest are "hope so" guys. Ellsbury has all the tools but aside from 2011, he isn't worth the dollars we're paying. Guess we'll see. Wish we could develop core again. The buying in the 80's didn't work on it's own. The mix that Stick created was the key.  George's dollars Michael's know how."

Casey: "Gotta stay positive now.  The Yankees did what the fans wanted. Now we have to live with it."

Mike O'Hara: "I am very happy that they were aggressive in trying to fix the problems. That is a positive. I just hope they aren't buying carelessly. Should be a fun season all the same."

Casey: "They are buying carelessly, you know that. It's George Part 2."

Mike O'Hara: "Haha. I don't see Hal & Hank as anywhere near George the Great, but I'll say this, they are trying."

Casey: "No. But my point is, they realized they blew it last year and they've now overcompensated. Who knows... Fingers crossed." 

Mike O'Hara: "On Tanaka, I just tweeted my friend "I feel like I bought the whole album after hearing 1 good song... let that record spin and hope it's a classic."

Now... that's honesty and real in the mind of a Yankee fan right now. Mixed emotions.  Look, we signed some great players this off season and yes, the word on the street is Tanaka is "lights out", so the bottom line was we needed to sign him.  I didn't want to go through the Yu Darvish "damn we missed out" crap. We needed to roll the dice on Tanaka, we needed to find out... that's the bottom line.

The Yankees made some very good moves this off season.  They also spent a lot of money.  It was money they had to spend after a disappointing 2013.  2014 is the year ladies and gentlemen. Yankee brass will not be humiliated again.  It was bad enough we didn't make the playoffs in 2013... but when the Red Sox won it all, it was clear, we blew it and they knew that. 

It can't happen again, hence, welcome to the Bronx Masahiro Tanaka.

Thanks for the chat today Mike and thanks for being a great help on Bleeding Yankee Blue... we're happy to have you.

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.