MARK MONTGOMERY: ANOTHER DAVID ROBERTSON?

One of the strengths the Yankees don’t get much credit for over the past five years is their bullpen. Since 2008, the Yankees have posted the third-lowest bullpen ERA in the American League, coming in at 3.56, and second-highest strikeout rate in the AL at 8.4 K/9. A reason why the bullpen has been elite over the past few years is because of David Robertson. In fact, there could be another David Robertson in the Yankees’ farm system that is just a phone call away from the bigs, and that is Mark Montgomery.

Since being drafted by the Yankees in the 11th round of the 2011 draft, Montgomery has rocketed through the system. He’ll start the 2013 season in AAA, and everywhere he’s been he has flourished. In his minor league career, which spans 72 games and 92.2 innings, Montgomery has posted a 1.65 ERA and 30 saves to go along with an outstanding 14.6 strikeout per nine rate. He even pitched to a 2.61 ERA in the Arizona Fall League a few months ago while recording 10 strikeouts in 9.1 innings pitched.

Fair or unfair, Montgomery has received a lot of David Robertson comparisons because he is a reliever who picks up a lot of strikeouts with a nasty breaking ball. However, contrary to Robertson’s wipeout curveball, Montgomery fools his opponents with a devastating slider. Below is a video of Montgomery showcasing his slider against Arizona Fall League competition.


Yankees Vice President and Director of Amateur Scouting Damon Oppenheimer also praised Montgomery by saying he has a “really sick” swing-and-miss slider, while also having the makeup to close games, according to Jack Curry (HERE). Now, one can say that Oppenheimer is saying that to try to pump up the value of Montgomery so they can flip him in a trade, but at the same time it’s always nice to see the higher-ups in the organization praising someone who can contribute in the near future.

The sky is the limit for Montgomery. You don’t strike out nearly 40% of the batters you face in the minors on accident. The comparisons to David Robertson might be going a little overboard, but I truly believe that there’s at least a slight chance that Montgomery reaches his ceiling. Dominant, late-inning relievers like the potential Montgomery has don't grow on trees, and because of that the Yankees could have a pretty special pitcher on their hands.
 


--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse



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WANNA REPLACE RAUL IBANEZ? TRADE FOR JASON KUBEL

A lot of Yankee fans were disappointed when Raul Ibanez bolted the Yankees to go back to the Seattle Mariners. However, I was not one of those fans. I felt Ibanez had a good run in New York, but it was time for the two sides to part ways. He hit some insanely huge home runs in both the regular season and postseason, but other than that he was pretty average. Average is something the Yankees don’t need, the Yankees need a middle-of-the-order bat that still has plenty of gas in the tank, and one target the Yankees could go after is Jason Kubel.

Kubel, 30, has quietly been a very solid player for the last several years with the Minnesota Twins and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Over the last six years (five with Minnesota, one with Arizona) and 3115 plate appearances, Kubel hit .270/.337/.474 with 124 home runs and 486 RBI. With ARod out for who knows how long, it would be great for the Yankees to fill the void with a power bat like Kubel, who could really benefit from the short right field porch in Yankee Stadium. Also, with Arizona recently signing Cody Ross, there are already reports that Kubel could be on the move.

Teams that have been linked to Kubel include the Yankees, of course, via Buster Olney, HERE. There’s no word whether the Yankees have asked the D’Backs about Kubel, but with Ibanez signing with the Mariners, I’d have to think Brian Cashman would at least ask Arizona about Kubel if he hasn't already. Kevin Towers is the D’Back GM, and in fact, he was in the Yankees’ organization just a few years ago as a scout. Perhaps he likes some of the minor league players the Yankees have and they could work out a deal. Either way, Kubel shouldn’t come at a lofty price; he’s a DH with one year remaining on his contract, so it’d be hard to imagine the two teams not coming up with a deal, unless Towers asks for the moon in return, or if Cashman completely low-balls an offer.

Maybe you have read this Kubel-to-the-Yankees rumor on other Yankee blogs, but BYB is throwing this idea out there because it makes sense. Though Christmas is around the bend and these two sides haven’t been linked yet, I’d have to think talks could heat up here pretty soon. Stay tuned with this one, Kubel could very well be your 2013 Yankee DH.




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse


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POSITIVE UPDATES FOR PINEDA, CAMPOS & OTHERS

Since signing Kevin Youkilis and Ichiro, news in Yankeeland has been relatively quiet. However, there is some positive injury-related news regarding pitchers Michael Pineda, Jose Campos, and Cesar Cabral, as well as top center field prospect Mason Williams, all courtesy of Chad Jennings over at LoHud (read HERE).

Let’s start off with Michael Pineda. Pineda, as you all know, has yet to throw a pitch in a meaningful game for the Yankees, as he’s recovering from a labrum surgery which he underwent back in May. We now get word that Pineda is continuing to throw from long distances off flat ground. Mark Newman, Vice President of Baseball Operations says, “We’re thinking May on these guys” (Newman also referring to Cabral. More on him in a minute). Jennings speculates that the timetable is still the same for Pineda as he’s on track to pitch in a game come June while May would be when he pitches in rehab games.

Next up is pitching prospect Jose Campos. Included in the Montero-for-Pineda swap, Campos appeared in only five games for Low-A Charleston before missing the remainder of the season with an elbow injury. Thankfully, Campos should be ready to go for Spring Training. He is currently throwing off a mound, and Newman says Campos will most likely start back to Low-A as he needs to “complete” that part of his development, though Campos did pitch very well before getting hurt.

Arguably the top prospect in the Yankees’ farm system is Mason Williams. After getting promoted to High-A Tampa last season, Williams lasted only 22 games due to a hyper-extension in his left, non-throwing shoulder. He is currently swinging a bat, and the original timetable was for Mason to be ready for Spring Training, and I’d have to think that’s still the case.

(In Photo: Mason Williams)
Last up is lefty reliever Cesar Cabral. Cabral, who was a Rule-5 pick by the Yankees last winter, suffered a fractured left-elbow last year towards the end of Spring Training before getting shutdown for the remainder of the year. Cabral is currently throwing off flat ground, though it’s not a guarantee that he’ll be ready for Spring Training.
 


--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse


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SHOULD THE YANKEES EXTEND PHIL HUGHES' CONTRACT?

With the signing of Kevin Youkilis, the Yankees need to find a catcher, a right fielder, and a right handed outfielder who can come off the bench before they can call it an off-season. The catcher vacancy could solve itself, as I could see a Francisco Cervelli/Austin Romine competition in Spring Training. The right field problem could be resolved here pretty quickly as the Yanks are closing in on signing Ichiro (read ICHIRO DEAL WITH YANKEES “LIKELY” ). The Yankees could then sign Scott Hairston, who would be a great fit off the bench as a righty bat, to conclude the off-season. Anyway, this post doesn’t involve just 2013, it involves the years beyond it.

Fast forwarding to 2014; I see only one starting pitcher on the current roster who is guaranteed to be in the starting rotation, and that is CC Sabathia. I’d bet that both Andy Pettitte and Hiroki Kuroda are gone after 2013, as the former could retire, while the latter could go back to Japan and pitch one more season there. David Phelps and Ivan Nova, like it or not, are still question marks. 2013 will be a big year for both guys. Finally, we have no idea how Michael Pineda will do coming off his shoulder surgery. For all we know, he could comeback and never be the same or not even pitch in 2013 altogether. So, this brings us to Phil Hughes. He is a free agent after the 2013 season, and with all the potential holes in the 2014 rotation, should the Yankees try to extend his contract?

2012 was arguably Hughes’ best season as a starter (You can make a case for 2010), as he led the team in wins with 16 while posting a decent 4.23 ERA. On top of that, he had very solid strikeout (7.8 K/9) and walk (2.2 BB/9) rates while logging a career-high 32 starts and 191.1 innings. However, the home runs are a concern, as he allowed 32 of them, third most in all of baseball. Hughes has also never put together back-to-back seasons like this – mainly because of injuries and/or ineffectiveness – and he’s yet to really pitch a full season in which his overall results stand out to the point where everyone clamors for his contract to get extended, so you can say it would be a bit of a risk if the Yankees do end up extending his contract.

Now, if the Yankees take the risk in trying to extend his contract, what is a deal that could work? I was thinking something in the range of three years at around $12 million per year. Maybe add an extra year and a few more bucks, but you get the idea. With this hypothetical extension, you’re covering years 2014-2016 and ages 28-30, so you’ll likely get peak seasons out of him at a reasonable salary. Of course there are two sides to contract negotiations, and Hughes can simply choose to wait this out until next year, but then it’ll be fair game for everyone to try and sign him.

If Phil does become a free agent, I can totally see him ending up in Southern California as an Angel or a Padre. Hell, you can’t count out the Dodgers these days with free agents, so I suppose they’d be in the mix as well, though their rotation seems to be set for the next couple of years. Either way, he's from Southern California, those first two teams have needs in their respective rotations while those some teams sport fly ball-friendly ballparks, something Phil could benefit from. Anyway, with the question marks in the Yankee rotation come 2014, it would be nice if the team could solve one of those problems by taking a risk and re-signing Hughes while he’s still relatively cheap and theoretically has his best seasons ahead of him.
 


--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse

 

WHAT IF THE YANKEES FAIL TO SIGN KEVIN YOUKILIS?

The Yankees left the 2012 Winter Meetings with more questions than they did when they arrived. Other than missing out on potential free agent targets, the only newsworthy item during the meetings was that Alex Rodriguez would require left hip surgery, thus giving the Yankees yet another hole to fill. The team has reacted by reportedly offering Kevin Youkilis a one-year, $12 million contract. However, the Cleveland Indians have reportedly offered Youkilis a two-year, $18 million deal. So, the question is: What will the Yankees do if they don’t sign Youkilis?

Before the Yankees had to turn to the Kevin Youkilis option, I felt they had a good chance at plugging the third base hole by signing Jeff Keppinger (who has now recently signed with the White Sox for three-years and $12 million) and re-signing Eric Chavez (who instead signed a one-year $3 million contract with the Diamondbacks). The Yankees would then have a pretty formidable third base platoon, but of course now that won’t happen, so they turn their focus to Youkilis.

Kevin Youkilis will turn 34 before Opening Day, and he’s coming off one of his worst seasons in his career. He posted a career-worst slash line of .235/.336/.409 in 122 games with 19 homers and 60 RBI with the Red Sox and White Sox. The average and on-base percentage are the lowest marks of his career, while the slugging percentage was the second-worst mark of his career since becoming a regular in 2006. This could be just a blip on the radar, or a start of a downfall for him, but with the other third base alternatives in mind, it might be worth the risk to sign him anyway.

(In Photo: Jack Hannahan)
Who are the third base alternatives after Kevin Youkilis, you ask? Well, there’s Jack Hannahan. Reportedly, the Yankees were interested in Hannahan, according to Jon Morosi (HERE), but now word on the street is that an “MLB source” suggests that Hannahan will sign with the Reds (read HERE). Either way, I won’t lose sleep if the Yanks miss out on Hannahan. He’s a good glove, but the bat is left to be desired, and we need bats at the moment.

Along with Hannahan, the Yanks have also been linked to Mark Reynolds, as they’ve visited with his agent, according to Bryan Hoch (HERE). Reynolds is far from an ideal candidate since he’s near the top in strikeouts every year, and he was so bad defensively at third, the Orioles made him move over to first during the season. However, the upside is very good. We saw first-hand late in the season, that when Reynolds’ bat is hot, he is one of the toughest outs in the game.

(In photo: Asdrubal Cabrera)

The rest of the free agent crop is pretty weak (HERE, take a look for yourself), so the Yankees could explore a trade if they miss out on Youkilis and if they miss out on/don’t want Hannahan and Reynolds. They could trade for Asdrubal Cabrera of the Indians, who of course is a shortstop and would need to move to third. In fact, there reportedly was a team that had a deal in place with Cleveland to land Cabrera. That deal would’ve included “one big-league pitcher and two high-level prospects.” The team acquiring Cabrera would then have moved him to shortstop. However, the deal fell through because Cleveland wanted an extra high-end prospect as well, according to the Plain Dealer (HERE).

Could that have been the Yankees that were involved in that scenario? Maybe, maybe not. If it was, maybe the two clubs could revisit talks if the Yanks are still searching for a solution at third, but it will most likely come at a hefty price. The point is, like it or not, signing Kevin Youkilis is the best option right now, and if they don’t do so, they’ll continue having trouble filling the vacancy at third. 



--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse


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A SHOUTOUT DESERVES A SHOUTOUT!

It’s always great when someone recognizes your work. When you do something that you like to do (and in this case, I mean me writing for BYB), and someone else notices and shares a post you've done, you feel pretty great. What am I talking about? Well, the other day I wrote a post titled WANNA REPLACE RUSSELL MARTIN? TRADE FOR CARLOS SANTANA. What then next was something you strive for in this industry...recognition. Another fantastic Yankee blog, “An A-Blog for A-Rod” gave me and my post a shoutout! Thanks guys, much appreciated.

Though I haven’t been here at BYB the entire way, our blog has grown from a very small blog with just Casey by himself to somewhat of a force in the Yankee blogosphere and our tight knit family continues to crank out material full of opinion, news and humor.  Sure, there are dozens and dozens of Yankee blogs all over the Internet, spreading the news and opinion...but I write for BYB, and I couldn't be happier. At the end of the day, when someone notices my work and passes it on to everyone to another audience, well, let's just say I feel grateful. Thanks again!




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse


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WANNA REPLACE RUSSELL MARTIN? TRADE FOR CARLOS SANTANA

Once Russell Martin agreed to a two-year, $17 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, I was very upset. In fact, I hadn’t been upset about a Yankee-related free agent signing since Cliff Lee chose to take less money to go back to the Philadelphia Phillies prior to the 2011 season. I really believe the loss of Russell Martin will hurt, unless if they make a splash for, say, Carlos Santana.

Before I make my case for trading for Carlos Santana (No, not musician Carlos Santana, the catcher currently with the Cleveland Indians), I just want to elaborate how the loss of Martin hurts. People who wanted to replace Martin continued to point at his low .211 batting average. Now, the low average is certainly not a good thing, but in his time in New York he did everything else moderately well. Over the last two years, Martin posted a solid .224/.317/.405 batting line while catching at least 125 games in those two seasons. In that span, only six catchers hit more homers than he did (39), while just 10 other catchers posted higher walk rates than he did (10.7%). Add that to the fact that he’s a good defensive catcher, while the pitchers enjoy pitching to him, the Yankees will certainly miss him if they end up settling with a downgrade.

Since all the in-house/free agent options either don’t fit the bill or are just plain awful, the Yankees really don’t have a choice but to look at the potential trade market if they are intending to upgrade at the catcher position. This is where Carlos Santana comes in. Now, before I continue I want to caution everyone that this is pure speculation as of right now. Personally, I have no idea if the Indians are willing to let go of Santana.

They seem to be shopping guys like Shin-Soo Choo, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Justin Masterson around, so maybe if the price is right they could do the same with Santana, and with the Winter Meetings just around the bend, anything can happen.

Acquiring Carlos Santana would be an instant upgrade at arguably the most important position on the field. In his young career, Santana, 26, has batted .247/.363/.443 in three seasons and 1459 PA’s while hitting 51 homers and driving in 177. He has suffered from knee issues in 2010, but since then he has been able to catch at least 95 games behind the plate in the last two years. Perhaps the Yankees could increase his workload to around 110-115 games and DH him in some of the others he’s not behind the dish. As for the pieces it’ll take to get him, I’d have to think catcher Gary Sanchez would be included. Cleveland also needs pitching, so I’d have to think either David Phelps or Ivan Nova would be in a trade as well, and that’s probably just a starting point, so who knows how much the Yankees will be willing to give up. Finally, money shouldn’t be a problem as he’s owed just a little over $18M over the next four years with a $12M club option for 2017.

If the Yankees don’t end up trading for Santana, which might be the case, it’ll be just about impossible to upgrade the overall game Martin brought to the Yankees the last two seasons. The Yankees being unable to pay Martin $17 million is pretty telling, as they aren’t kidding around with this $189 million plan set for 2014. Though I’d love to trade for Santana, I have an awful feeling the Yankees will settle with signing a one-year downgrade instead.




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse


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THE RETURN OF MARIANO RIVERA

Weeks after informing the Yankees he’d like to return following conflicting thoughts, Mariano Rivera and the Yankees appear to be close to hammering out a new contract. In fact, a new deal could happen as soon as this week. This comes from Ken Rosenthal, and you can read that HERE.

When Rivera made his final decision, the Yankees were thinking about giving him a pay cut. It makes sense, I suppose, since he’ll turn 43 on Friday, and he’s coming off major knee surgery. In 2012, Rivera got paid $15 million, and in that Rosenthal tweet, the Yankees are thinking about paying him a little more than $10M. Long story short, expect Rivera to sign a one-year, $11-14M contract in the coming days, if not the coming hours.

The Rivera signing is obviously huge, as the Yankees will bring back the greatest closer of all time, thus they won’t have to scramble and overpay for Rafael Soriano to return. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather pay Rivera for one year coming off serious knee surgery than overpay for three or four years of Soriano, since it appears that the Yankees would get either one or the other. Anyway, if the Yankees lock up Rivera, as well as Andy Pettitte, they’ll be able to focus on further upgrading the team during the Winter Meetings, which take place on December 3-6 in Nashville, Tennessee.




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse



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BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE PLAYER TRACKER #7

Josh Hamilton: Add the Phillies to the Josh Hamilton sweepstakes. The Phillies don’t mind paying Hamilton a boatload of money, it’s just they’re not sure how many years they’re willing to commit to him. This is coming from Buster Olney, HERE.

Torii Hunter: The Tigers appear to be the frontrunner for Hunter’s services, read HERE. They’re willing to offer Hunter a two-year deal as it appears the Yankees will only offer him a one-year contract.

Russell Martin: There are five teams, including the always dangerous mystery team, that are interested in Russell Martin. Those teams include the Red Sox, Rangers, Pirates, and Mariners, to go along with the Yankees. Read that report from Andrew Marchand HERE.

Mike Napoli: After the Red Sox showed interest in Mike Napoli (Read BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE PLAYER TRACKER #6), the Yankees have appeared to jump in the Napoli sweepstakes, according to Bob Nightengale HERE. We don’t know how interested the Yankees are, but this could be an interesting back-and-forth between the two rivals.

Cody Ross: Along with Hamilton, the Phillies are also interested in outfielder Cody Ross, read HERE.

Jeremy Affeldt: Lefty reliever Jeremy Affeldt and the Giants are close to a three-year contract that’ll pay Affeldt $18 million through the duration of the deal (read HERE) The deal is so close, it may be completed by the time this post is published.
 


--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse



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BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE PLAYER TRACKER #2

BYB is going to do its best to keep everyone in the know with all the rumors, signings, and trades going around in Major League Baseball. In case you missed it, read BYB’s first player tracker piece titled BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE PLAYER TRACKER #1.

Zack Greinke: The Greinke rumors are beginning to pick up. The Texas Rangers are reportedly high on him (Who isn’t?) after offering Hamilton just a 3-year deal, read HERE. In that post, Jon Heyman notes that the Angels are still the favorite to re-sign Greinke. The Nationals could also be in on Greinke as General Manager Mike Rizzo asked “What’s not to like?” in regards to the 29-year old right hander. Read HERE for that.

Nick Swisher: Swish recently declined his qualifying offer, via Mark Feinsand HERE, which is no surprise whatsoever if you’ve been following the situation. Now the question is where will Swish end up? In that tweet, Feinsand also mentions the Rangers and Mariners as possible suitors. Jon Heyman, on the other hand, notes that the Orioles, Phillies, Giants, Braves, and Nationals are also interested. Read more right HERE.

BJ Upton: As expected, BJ Upton declined his qualifying offer he received from the Rays, read HERE. There hasn’t been too much word on where he could end up next year (He’s not expected to comeback with Tampa), but there are some rumblings that the Phillies could be a player for Upton as they’ve talked to his agent already, read HERE.

Mike Napoli: Napoli did not receive a qualifying offer from the Rangers, so it won’t cost a draft pick when someone signs him. A team that has Napoli on their radar is the Boston Red Sox. Read HERE. The Yankees could also target Napoli if Russell Martin walks, but I’m skeptical.

David Ross: Ross was eyed by the Yankees recently, per Ken Rosenthal HERE. Ross is regarded as the best backup catcher in all of baseball, and at age 35, that’s all he is: A backup.

Jason Bay: Bay and the Mets agreed to a deal to part ways, read HERE. Bay will be owed his entire $21 million salary, although some of that is deferred. The Red Sox could be a possible destination for Bay, as reportedly the 34-year old left fielder is “very interested” in rejoining the team. Read HERE for more.




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse



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SOLVING THE RIGHT FIELD PROBLEM: SHIN-SOO CHOO

Nothing is certain but death, taxes, and Nick Swisher playing elsewhere in 2013. All jokes aside, it does appear that Swish is a goner, thus the Yankees will need to find a replacement. There are plenty of options that have already been floated around, but one that needs some serious consideration is Shin-Soo Choo.

The other day I wrote about how Anibal Sanchez is a short and long-term solution in the starting rotation. (Read ANIBAL SANCHEZ: THE SHORT AND LONG-TERM FIX in case you missed it.)  With the impending $189 million budget set for 2014, it would behoove the Yankees to find their long-term solution as soon as possible so they don’t have to scramble for one at the last minute. There are some nice stop-gap alternatives, like Torii Hunter, for example.

But that’s all Hunter is; a stop-gap, and we need more than that. Choo has been very valuable for the Cleveland Indians after coming over from the Seattle Mariners in 2006 via trade. The table below will illustrate that. Take a look:

As you can see, we have over 630 games and nearly 3000 plate appearances worth of evidence suggesting that Choo is absolutely worth replacing Swisher in right field, and then some.

Of course Choo has had his bumps in the road in this five-year period, including 2008 when he had to undergo Tommy John surgery. 2011 was a pretty rough year for him as well as it started off with him getting charged with a DUI in early May, (Read HERE). Thereafter he underwent left thumb surgery after getting hit by a pitch in June followed by a pair of oblique strains that shelved him for more than 30 games. Off-field troubles and injuries aside, Choo is one of the best right fielders in the game.

(In Photo: Mason Williams)
Obviously the Yankees would need to work out a trade with the Indians to land Choo, and that is no walk in the park. I’m no GM, but I would have to think that it’d take one of outfield prospects like Mason Williams, Slade Heathcott, or Tyler Austin, and perhaps a young pitcher like Ivan Nova or David Phelps. 2013 is the final year of his contract, so maybe it’ll take less than that to acquire him. Who knows. He’s 30 years old, so signing him to say, a five-year contract, would also cover some of his decline years, though he has the skillset to be a very good-very productive player for the duration of his possible tenure in New York. Finally, Choo is a Scott Boras client, thus it’ll be tricky to extend his contract before he becomes a free agent. It won’t be easy working out a deal, but it’s certainly possible, as the Yankees have the pieces to get it done.

Choo isn’t the only long-term option, but he’s the wisest long-term option that’s available. There are guys like free agent Josh Hamilton, as well as Arizona Diamondback Justin Upton. Personally, I do not want Hamilton for multiple reasons, and the Diamondbacks will most likely ask for too much in a trade for Upton. A ­while ago I teased that I’d fit Ichiro into this plan as well, but I’m running out of time, so I promise I’ll talk about him at a later time. However, just know that Choo is an absolute upgrade in right field that solves short-term and long-term issues.

--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse



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