TINO MARTINEZ SPEAKS OUT

Give props to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. He got the interview with Tino Martinez and why he resigned from the Marlins.  According to Tino, it was all about picking up the balls after soft toss.  Apparently some of the Marlins thought they were "too big" to do that petty job.  The full Tino interview is HERE, but I took some key parts of it and they are below... it's pretty good!

Here's Tino:

“Do you realize I’m out of baseball basically because a couple of players didn't pick up balls in the cage when I asked them to? As a coach, when I asked them to pick up the balls, why didn’t they just say, ‘Absolutely, no problem, I’ll do it right now.’ ”

“I started thinking about it, thinking I’ve got to say something, not just let it go away. I’ve had a great reputation in this game for years. I walked away from the game with integrity. But now, to have a couple of kids try to ruin my name, I felt I had to say something and fight back.”

“If Bernie Williams is hitting in front of me and I’m waiting with Paul O’Neill or whoever, there are no questions asked... You help pick the balls up, and the next guy hits. Whoever is hanging around helps pick the balls up. It's standard.

"One day I told Juan Pierre, ‘One of these days, he’s going to help us pick up the balls. He’s a 27-year-old journeyman. You’re a 15-year big leaguer. He will help us pick up the balls,’ ... So finally after about a month or so goes by, I decide I’m going to tell him something: ‘Hey Chris, help us pick up the balls.’ And he goes, ‘Why should I? I didn’t hit ‘em.’ And I said, ‘Pick up the balls, you’re part of this team.’ And he goes, ‘But I didn’t hit ‘em.’ So, I got in his face and I said, ‘Pick up the f------ balls. You’re part of this f------ team.’ I got in his face and said it kind of angrily. And he picked up the balls."

"Chris", is infielder Chris Valaika.  Now, not to compare this to little leaguers, but it's about respect for your coach and your team. When my son's little league team finishes soft toss, the coach yells, "Pick 'em up!!" and these kids pounce. It should be no different in the Major Leagues, it's a team building exercise. Sure, you may not want to do it, but you should do it.

I side with Tino on this one... I must say.

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WALKING THE GIANCARLO STANTON TIGHTROPE

Oh Stanton, how we love to write about you here at BYB….and how I love to daydream about placing you in right field. How glorious it would be to be the envy of the other 28 teams in all of baseball land. But alas, as great as you could be for our beloved Yankees, you could also hurt us in the long run.  It’s a fine line I find myself balancing on lately.

Despite the huge fire sale that the Marlins had in November, the Marlins claim that Giancarlo Stanton is “off limits.” I can see why they would say that to a point. If they get rid of him, what reason would fans have to go to their games? Honestly….there really wouldn’t be. It’s just frustrating for me as a Yankee fan to constantly see articles like this one HERE:  saying his is available and then 2 minutes later I see this post from Jon Heyman HERE saying otherwise. I get it, this is baseball politics in action. Seriously, this is like dangling a carrot in front of a hungry horse’s mouth…it’s just cruel! I’m already salivating and chomping at the bit here as it is.

I like the idea of Stanton in right field, many do and we continue to talk about it, read that HERE. The Marlins aren’t going to be a force to reckon with this season. The signings of Placido Polanco, John Maine, and Juan Pierre are not going to be enough to make them compete so why not start from scratch, Marlins? There’s no doubt that a young talent like Stanton would be a HUGE pick up for our team. He is exactly what we are looking for right now. 

• We want to get younger: Check! 
• We want to trim down payroll. Check again!
• We also want youngsters on our team that we can keep on the books long term. Another Check! 

He sounds perfect….time to get that dialing finger warmed up!

The Marlins made a hasty move in my opinion, but there loss could be our gain. They aren’t so crazy that they are going to sell Stanton off for peanuts and a beer. He will cost us, but not in dollars….talent. The Marlins want to rebuild and right now the Yankees don’t have enough “major league ready” talent in the upper divisions. We have good prospects, but they are down in the ranks. Any trade talks are likely to start with any or all of the following names:

• Slade Heathcott: OF. If they give up Stanton, they will want someone else to groom into that position. He also offers a powerful bat, and he has speed. If he gets on base he causes headaches. I watched him during the Arizona Fall League and was pretty impressed. Jack Curry of YES Tweeted that Damon Oppenheimer, the Yankees scouting director believes that Heathcott could be playing in the bigs in 2013.  Where? That remains to be seen.

•  Mason Williams: OF. Another outfield candidate. He can hit for average, he gets on base and can steal. He is everything the Yankees could want to spark some extra offense….so why wouldn’t the Marlins?

•  Tyler Austin: TBD. The Yankees have moved Austin around quite a bit. Originally drafted as a catcher, then moved to third base and then moved to right field even faster. The Yankees can’t seem to make up their mind about him. With Alex Rodriguez out of play for a while they have toyed with the idea of moving him back to third. Austin has a powerful bat that could be promising to the Marlins that could become more lethal if given a permanent position to play in regularly.

•  Gary Sanchez: Catcher. He could be the next great homegrown Yankee catcher. His defense has impressed many at a young age. He can control the game, he just needs the experience. Catchers are hard to come by, you can never have too many….right? I think we have all realized that recently so he would be attractive to the Marlins too.

If I'm Jeffrey Loria and I have Brian Cashman on the phone I am pulling out all of these names. Some may be saying, “so what? With a talent like Stanton you pull the trigger.” Normally, I might agree. I am even inclined to do it! However, looking at the bigger picture here none of these guys have had significant time at or above the AA level…and if we give up these guys we might be taking a step backwards. If we lose these guys for one big name we are hurting our farm system for years to come. Right now we need to be adding young guys, not subtracting. Then again, I know how special he is and I want Stanton in the outfield! 

I’m still pounding that Giancarlo drum….but you have to wonder, how much is too much? I don’t know. I leave that up to Brian Cashman. At the end of the day I am just a girl who loves to watch baseball and talk about the Yankees....I don't get paid the big bucks to figure out all of these complex issues. Now I get to sit here and anxiously watch how all of this plays out!

Stay tuned on this one...

--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Writer and Editor

Twitter: @NyPrincessJ


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BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE PLAYER TRACKER #10

Billy Butler: The latest out of Kansas City is that the Royals are listening to offers for Billy Butler and Eric Hosmer.  Very interesting considered Butler was considered one of those guys that really brought new life to the Royals and has a passionate stable of fans supporting him.  You can read that rumor HERE.

Kevin Russo: Not 24 hours after I had written MAYBE THE GROOMING OF YOUNG YANKEE TALENT AIN'T WORKING   and stated that Russo never had a true shot in New York, he was signed to a minor league deal by the Detroit Tigers, read HERE.  Wow, goodbye Kevin Russo apparently. Watch, he'll come up and bite us in the ass in 2013 and I'll be sure to re-post my prospect post.  Good Luck to Russo.

Zack Greinke: Greinke could be on the move and according to the Boston Herald, the Los Angeles Dodgers appear to be the team to do it. Read HERE.

Juan Pierre: Pierre has signed with the Miami Marlins. In an off season that has imploded for the city of Miami, this signing is not exactly something spectacular.  It's my opinion that they pulled the trigger on Pierre so it at least looks like Loria and Samson did SOMETHING. Besides, Pierre is a former Marlin, but in reality, this signing means nothing, except to Pierre who has a job. Read about the signing HERE.

BJ Upton: It appears Upton has been approached by the Washington Nationals, read HERE.  No doubt Upton's outfield ability is appealing so I'd be curious if they make a big run for Upton. Stay tuned on this
one.

Ichiro Suzuki: Back in the end of October, Ichiro expressed interest to come back to the Yankees.  They are a good fit, read HERE. There are also suggestions out there that the Detroit Tigers or the San Francisco Giants should indeed reach out to Ichiro for his services.  We'll have to see. I hope the Yankees snatch him up.

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LAST MINUTE TRADE OPTION FOR THE YANKEES

The Trade Deadline clock is about to strike midnight, folks. There are only several hours to go until the non-waiver trade deadline ends and the Yanks have some holes to fill. Teams are scurrying to their phones, calling up various GMs to see what’s available. In fact, there may be trades going down right now, so let’s quit wasting time and get to the scoop…

Carlos Ruiz: OK, this one’s a little more far fetched, but hear me out. The Phillies seem to be in sell mode, and the Yankees could definitely use a catcher. Ruiz has been incredible this season for the Phils, as he’s hitting .342/.407/.569 on the year. The Yanks would likely have to give up a top prospect or two (Think Mason Williams or Manny Banuelos) to acquire the services of Ruiz, though it’s definitely worth it. Ruiz would be the primary catcher in place of Russell Martin, and that would be pretty nice. This trade likely won’t happen, but we’ve seen stranger things before, right?

Ty Wigginton: The Phillies are clearly in sell mode. Hunter Pence, Shane Victorino, Jimmy Rollins, and Juan Pierre have all been linked in the rumor winds over the past several days, and you can add Wigginton to that list. The Yankees could sure as hell use a third baseman with ARod out for the foreseeable future. Wigginton isn’t that great (hitting .230/.300/.366 on the season), but he’s versatile and the Yanks could get him for table scraps. He would likely replace Jayson Nix, though that would be basically a lateral move as far as I’m concerned. I don’t know, I may be splitting hairs, but I have a feeling Wigginton would work out in the Bronx.

Edinson Volquez: Though most believe the Yankees need a starting pitcher due to Andy Pettitte’s recent setback, I’m on the other side of that fence. For now, I think the Yankees’ rotation is fine, though if there’s an upgrade out there the Yanks should at least look into the situation. Edinson Volquez is quietly resurrecting his career out in San Diego, posting a 3.30 ERA and strong home run (0.6 HR/9) and strikeout (8.2 K/9) rates, though he leads the National League in walks allowed (73), which is definitely a cause for concern.

  


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

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WHY DOESN'T CASH LIKE SPENDING CASH?

It seems like the only off season move that Cashman disagreed with this year is the one that has the most impact on the Yankees upcoming season. It's Rafael Soriano. He insisted on not giving up a first round pick, and of course Hal, with the George genes in full effect, decides to make the team better by picking up Soriano. Great player, great move as far as I'm concerned. Cashman is trying to preach patience, but at the end of the day, he forgets one thing...We are the New York Yankees, the team with the highest payroll for 10+ years running. We aren't the Pirates and we damn sure aren't the Royals. We go after the best talent and we don't wait for the after thoughts to approach us.

Look, New York has the smartest and most active fans of any city in the world. We expect a winner on the field every single year. It seems to me that since the beginning of 2009 when King George really started to lose it, there haven't been any major deals. Think about this for a moment; After the 2008 off season spending extravaganza of CC, AJ and Tex, the Yankees have traded for or signed Jerry Hairston Jr., Javy Vazquez, Boone Logan, Curtis Granderson, Austin Kearns, Kerry Wood, Lance Berkman, Rafael Soriano, Pedro Feliciano, and Russell Martin. 5 of these players are no longer with the team as a result of struggling teams getting rid of expiring contracts, and 3 of the 5 left on the Yankees are relief pitchers. Don't forget, a relief pitcher position is the position with the poorest contracts. That leaves us with Curtis Granderson, who we traded our top prospect Austin Jackson for, and Russell Martin. The Yankees have made no Free Agent or trading splashes since George left us mentally. And that is not meant to be disrespectful, that is fact. It doesn't look like the Yankees will be making any "splashes" this off season after losing out on Cliff Lee. Cashman is preaching patience, but with patience here are some potential moves that can be made mid-season, and in my opinion, should be made:

• Mark Buehrle: Chicago White Sox- He's getting up there in age and nearing the end of his prime, but is still one of the best in the game when his command is right and his pitches break.
• Chris Carpenter: St. Louis Cardinals- Former Cy Young award winner. Carpenter could bring some veteran leadership to the Yankees. 39 years old, but has not shown much of a decline since his Cy Young Season.
• Oliver Perez: New York Mets- Once one of the best prospects in the game. Looked great as a young Pirate, but the Mets ended up destroying another up-and-coming pitcher. Could seek a revival by hopping on the subway over to the Bronx. (I know The Mighty Casey disagrees.)
• Jose Valverde: Detroit Tigers- His windup and pitching style pisses me off as an opposing fan, but boy would I love to see those evil Red Sox look like little leaguers against his nasty change up. If we need some more help in the bullpen, he is the man to turn to.
• Juan Pierre: Chicago White Sox- "I used to run base like Juan Pierre, now I run the base high hat in the snare". Good line by our very own Jay-Z. Looks like other than Brett Gardner, the Yankees have been running the base high hat in the snare. We need speed.
• Jose Bautista: Toronto Blue Jays- Wow, would this be a splash! Last years MLB Home Run leader in the huge Rogers Center. Would he hit 60 in a year in the new Yankee Stadium? Perhaps.

These are some of the acquisitions I would recommend to the Steinbrenner's if I were the GM. This is based on the upcoming expiring contracts in the 2011-2012 off season. I like them, but of course I do, I picked them. What do you think?


Will Cohen BYB Freelance Writer




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