Going Shopping...

Well Black Friday always marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, and it usually marks the beginning of the Baseball Offseason as well. Let's get caught up on what's going on.

Derek Jeter
Well, these negotiations have pretty much turned "messy" as Hal Steinbrenner forewarned. Word around town today is that he wants $150 million (cue Dr. Evil pose). That's much much more money than Jeter (or anyone else for that matter) is worth at this point. The Yankees have drawn the line in the sand with $45 million for 3 years. I don't understand why they don't sign a reasonable player contract and then do one of those personal services contracts for when he retires. I think, no matter what, Jeter's probably going to be laughing all the way to the bank.












Mariano Rivera
There had been talk about Rivera pulling an Andy Pettitte and going year to year, but now he apparently wants a 2-year deal. I don't see why the Yankees don't sign him to that contract right now. The second year is probably tied to the chance to pass Trevor Hoffman on the All-Time Saves list. This deal will probably get down soon, and with hopefully less drama than Jeter's deal.





Cliff Lee
And now we move on to the biggest non-Yankee target the coveted left hander Lee. There are conflicting reports on whether an official offer has actually been made, but Cash Money (Brian Cashman, not the rap label) went down to Arkansas to visit with him and his family. It's probably more a matter of years at this point, because Lee's going to want about 7, but he's 32 so he's probably going to have to settle for less.







So that's it for now. But as more news develops, we'll keep you updated.

SEE YA!

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Who do the Yankees want to face in ALDS?

Right now the Yankees are 2.5 games ahead of the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Rays are 6.5 games ahead of the Red Sox in the Wild Card. So barring a Mets-like collapse that would end in me taking a long walk off a short bridge, the Yankees should make the playoffs. The only question now is whether they go in as the AL East Champ or the Wild Card.

I'm working under the assumption that the Twins will win the Central, and the Rangers win the West. Let's take a look at the scenarios:

If the Yankees win the AL East, and the Rays win the Wild Card:

• Yankees play the playoff team with the worst record, the Texas Rangers.
• Rays play Minnesota, with Minnesota having home field advantage.
• If Yankees advance to ALCS, they will have home field advantage, regardless of who they are playing.

If the Rays in the AL East and the Yankees win the Wild Card:

• Rays play the playoff team with the worst record, the Texas Rangers.
• Yankees play Minnesota, with Minnesota having home field advantage.
• If Yankees advance to ALCS, they will NOT have home field advantage, regardless of who they are playing.
  

So which is a better situation for the Yankees?

Twins:

• The Yankees won the season series 4-2
• Yankees outscored Twins 24-21.
• Likely playoff rotation: Baker, Liriano, Duensing, Slowey.
• Record since Aug 1: 25-11
  

Rangers:

• The Yankees lead season series 4-1 (with a 3-games to play, starting tonight)
• Yankees have outscored 27-16.
• Likely playoff rotation: Lee, Lewis, Wilson, Hunter.
• Record since Aug 1: 16-20
  

So this question might be easier to answer on Sunday after the 3 game set against the Rangers, but I'm asking now; who would you rather play?

Case for wanting to play the Twins:

1. You don't have to face Cliff Lee in a short series
2. Sweeping the Twins in the ALDS is an annual right of passage for the Yankees
3. Starting rotation is kind of weak.
4. Not a powerful lineup, especially if Justin Morneau doesn't return the season.

Case for wanting to play the Rangers:

1. They've struggled down the stretch.
   
2. Pitching staff behind Lee isn't anything special.
3. The away games are in Texas, where average early October temps are between 60-80, instead of Minnesota, where average early October temps are between 40-60.
4. Playing the Rangers means the Yankees finished strong, and have good momentum going into the playoffs, and will have home field advantage in both ALDS and ALCS.
   

So as the next three weeks of the baseball season wind down, these situations are going to be talked about a lot. Only time will tell which one comes to fruition.

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Swish Stops Sweep

With one swing of the bat, Nick Swisher put a halt to the Yankees 3 game losing streak and prevented the lowly Baltimore Orioles from sweeping a series in the Bronx for the first time since 1986.

If the Yanks had gotten swept by the Orioles this late in the season, that would have been horrible. Losing 2 out of 3 to the O's this late in the season is still pretty pathetic, but obviously not as bad as getting swept.

As of 4:15 PM, the Yankees are 2 games in front of the Rays in the AL East. The Yankees have an off day tomorrow before heading to Texas to take on the Rangers. Just so you know Cliff Lee will start in Sunday's game against Dustin Moseley, as the Yankees are skipping over Phil Hughes in order to keep his innings under the limit.


SEE YA!

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Best Win of the Season?

So I heard on ESPN Radio today refer to last night's game as "the best win of the season for the Yankees." And you know what? I think I agree. Let's look at the drama the game had:

Down 6-1 in the fifth and Cliff Lee is appraoching double-digits in strikeouts you're starting to think, guess not today. Then, Derek Jeter hits a triple and narrows the gap to 6-2 by scoring on a wild pitch. Suddenly Lance Berkman hits a ground-rule double, and the Yankees have runners on second and third and it's a 6-3 game and Cliff Lee seems human.

But the two heroes of the game last night were Marcus Thames and Mariano Rivera. Thames helped inch the Yankees closer, hitting a solo home run in the eighth, making it a 6-5 game. Then in the top of the ninth with the game tied, Thames, who was batting in the third spot with Teixeira out of the lineup, singled in the go-ahead run, capping a five-run comeback and giving the Yankees a 7-6 lead.

But the drama didn't end there. One night after Mariano Rivera suffered his first loss since May 18, Elvis Andrus led off the ninth with a triple. Rivera had to face Michael Young, Josh Hamilton, and Vladimir Guerrero with they tying run on third, on the road, and nobody out. And he got them all out with ease.

If that's not enough drama for you for that to be the best win of the season, I don't know what is. The Yankees needed to win that game. They had already lost a series to potential ALCS foe Tampa Bay Rays, and were staring at a two-game sweep by another potential ALCS opponent in the Texas Rangers. But the Yankees showed why they are the defending champs and scored in the last four innings for what was, the best win of the season.

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Lee to Rangers, Not Yankees

Joel Sherman and Ken Rosenthal are both reporting that the Seattle Mariners stepped away from an agreement with the New York Yankees to trade Cliff Lee and instead are trading him to the Texas Rangers for Justin Smoak, Mark Lowe, three others and cash.

So the good news, Cliff Lee is probably not pitching against the Yankees tonight. The bad news, is the Yankees appeared to have Lee in their hands, only for the Mariners to back out the last second and now he's on the NL West-leading Texas Rangers.

I really do not think it was necessary for the Yankees to acquire Lee. They still have the best record in the majors and one of the best pitching rotations without Lee, and will probably sign him in the offseason.

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Cliff Lee To Yanks Nearly Done Deal (UPDATE)

ESPN's Buster Olney is reporting that a deal is near done and in agreement to send Cliff Lee to the Yankees in a deal setup around Yankees prospect Jesus Montero. The deal would mean somebody, most likely Javier Vazquez, will be dealt as well. Or, maybe the Yankees push Phil Hughes back into the bullpen to limit his innings. Yet that doesn't seem to make much sense.

In fact, I'm not sure if I can make much sense out of any of this. The Yankees pitching has been doing very well lately, they have the best record in baseball, and they haven't even hit their stride yet in terms of how good they can be, and if Cashman trades Montero it goes against every reason why he wouldn't deal for Johan Santana, CC Sabathia, and Roy Halladay.

So it's a little puzzling and I want to hear more about this trade, but that Queen from Cleveland is taking over ESPN so I just have to keep refreshing MLB trade rumors. And if Lee does in fact come to New York, well, we may just take a break from the blog until October when things really start to heat up.

UPDATE: It now appears that talks have stalled and that the deal looks to have died when Mariners became concerned about David Adams's health, the second baseman who the Yankees were offering in the Montero package. ESPN also reports it's possible another team has came in with a better offer. But right now, Lee is a Mariner.

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Yanks Take Back-to-Back Ace Kickings

Two games. Two aces. Two losses. The Seattle Mariners put Cliff "Yankee Killer" Lee and "King" Felix Hernandez on the mound in back-to-back games and the Yankees faltered in each to back-to-back complete-game efforts. Lee dominated everyone but Nick Swisher Tuesday in a 7-4 loss while Hernandez absolutely dominated the Yankees, pitching a complete-game shutout and striking out 11 batters while only allowing two hits.

Many can look at these games and complain about the Yankees offense, but this is how Seattle drew it up in the beginning of the season, that Lee and Hernandez would be a dominant duo, however, it is just the second time they've followed one another with victories this season.

What is a little alarming is the fact that the Yankees have given up seven runs the last two games to an inept Mariners offense. Phil Hughes had the extra rest and you could use that as an excuse and Javier Vazquez didn't pitch awful, but he did not pitch well either. And the bullpen did not help as they were unable to stop the bleeding and keep the Yankees in the game.

These past two games are the type of games where you want CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte on the mound, the guys who can go toe-to-toe with the opposing pitchers. But tomorrow things will be back to normal as the Yankees have the upperhand in the mismatch of Sabathia versus Ryan Rowland-Smith.

All in all, not to fret, things will return to normalcy tomorrow.

Note: The last time the Yankees lost back-to-back games to pitchers throwing complete games was in April of 2000 when Chris Carpenter and Kelvim Escobar defeated the Yankees as members of the Toronto Blue Jays.

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Will Yankees Go After Lee?

Today in the NY Post, Joel Sherman writes about the possibility of the Yankees making a move for Cliff Lee by the July 31 trade deadline. Sherman writes that it will be difficult because the Mariners will ask for Austin Romine or Jesus Montero. But Sherman throws in his own idea, which is trading Javier Vazquez to an NL team to get the prospects needed to make a trade work. Now, this is reminding me a little bit like the Roy Halladay situation last year because the Yankees don't need Lee...at least not this year. People will talk about the Yankees being involved but in the end, it won't happen. And here's why:

• Brian Cashman won't trade Vazquez to make room for Lee. Vazquez is someone who Cashman put a lot of trust and confidence in, and it was a risky move bringing him back. Why would he jump ship with him in just half a season? Plus he is pitching like the Vazquez Cashman expected he was getting, so I doubt he makes any moves for him.


• The Yankees have a 3.84 team ERA, which is third best in the American League. Once again, they don't need Lee right now.


• Cashman won't part with his top prospects. We've seen it before with Santana, and as recently as last year with Halladay. Cashman won't part with his top prospects. The Mariners asked for Austin Jackson last year for Jarrod Washburn and Cashman wouldn't do it, so you have to imagine the asking price for Lee will be high as well.


• Lee is a free agent after this season. The Yankees have shown they are patient and have the money to sign the pieces they need. Vazquez may be gone next year and Pettitte may retire (although he looks like he can pitch for five more years) which will mean the Yankees will look for another starter (preferably a lefty to replace Pettitte) during the offseason.

Basically, it's pointless for the Yankees to trade for Cliff Lee right now. Their pitchers are doing fine (although I'd like to see Burnett pitch a little better and CC beat someone other than the Orioles) and they are 2 games behind the Rays for first place. This wasn't the first time the Post wrote about the Yankees and Cliff Lee, and if they can't find anything else better to write, it won't be the last. Just don't expect anything to happen during the season unless a significant injury occurs.

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The Balance of Power shifts in the division...but which one?

Well, obviously there was a lot of news coming out of Major League Baseball today. Enough even to prevent SportsCenter to not mention Monday Night Football in the first 15 minutes of the show, which is almost unfathomable. Let's take a look at the deals:

Image via Wikipedia

Halladay" style="border: medium none ; display: block;" width="300" height="377">Image via Wikipedia

First, the deal that most directly affects the Yankees. John Lackey signs a five year contract worth more than the $82.5 million A.J. Burnett got from the Yanks last year. This doesn't really scare me that much. Yes, Lackey is a workhorse who has had success in the playoffs, but besides that what is he? He went 11-8 in 2009 and 12-5 in 2008 while missing time with injury. Boston's rotation, as of right now, is Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Lackey, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Clay Buchholz. I think the Yankees rotation matches up favorably to that, but I do have a biased opinion.

Now the big news: the Roy Halladay trade. The three team deal between the Phillies, Blue Jays and Mariners is still pending, and it is still unclear what prospects are headed where but the basics: the Phillies get Halladay, the Mariners get Cliff Lee, and the Blue Jays get prospects from both teams.

Now for the Phillies, they get the guy they've wanted for months now, but they have to give up Lee, who was their ace from this postseason. I literally just got off the phone with a friend of mine who is a Phillies fan who had just heard of the trade. He had only heard that the Phillies got Halladay and I was the one to break the news that they had to give up Lee in the deal. After assuring him that I was not trying to get back at him for the Giants-Eagles game last night by joking around, he was considerably less excited about the trade. Now, Halladay is an upgrade over Lee, but they Phillies would have been a lock for a World Series appearance next season if they had both.

But I think that the attention should be going to the Mariners. They added a front-line starter in an off-season where they already signed Chone Figgins and have been linked to players such as Matt Holliday and Jayson Bay to add to their lineup. They have taken advantage of the Angels losing some big names over the past few years (like Teixeira and Lackey) and have made an aggressive push to make themselves competitive. I think this deal affects the AL West more than the NL East or the AL East.

Well it's finals week, so there may not be too many posts, especially if no big news comes out of Yankee-land because, you know, priorities.

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"The Baseball World's Been Turned Upside Down"

Okay, that is what my roommate (who's a red sox fan) just said in reaction to all the deals that happened today. Obviously that is what we call an overreaction. If you havn't heard the Red Sox signed John Lackey to a 5-yeard deal supposedly a little more than what Burnett's deal was.

But what has the rest of the baseball world talking is the deal that sends Roy Halladay to the Phildaelphia Phillies, Cliff Lee to the Mariners, and prospects to the Blue Jays. I'll have more of my opinion and two cents later... but thought these deals were kinda of important so I posted this.

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Yanks take 2-1 lead with win on The Streets of Philadelphia

Yankees 8 8 1
Phillies 5 6 0

WP: Pettitte
LP: Hamels

Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Alex Rodriguez broke out of his World Series slump by going 1-2 with 2 RBI's, a run scored and a home run. He was also plunked twice by Phillies pitching.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Andy Pettitte's RBI single to tie the game. How many times do you see an America League Pitcher get a hit in a key situation?

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: A-Rod's 2-run homer in the fourth inning that (after the umpires checked the replay) brought the Yankees within one run. It got the Yankees on the board, back into the game, and sparked the rest of the lineup.

GAME NOTES:

• Joba Chamberlain and Damaso Marte are really the only people you trust coming out of the bullpen besides Mariano right now. The two relievers threw two perfect innings against the meat of the Phillies line up.
  
• The Yankees took back home-field advantage with the win tonight. So if both teams hold serve at home, the Yanks will win in 7. I'm sure the Yankees would like to get it finished earlier than that, and quite frankly, I'm not sure if my nerves could handle a Game 7.
• Winning this 3rd game was important for a few reasons.

1. Obviously, it gives the Yankees a 2-1 lead in the series.
2. With CC on the mound in Game 4 against Joe Blanton, you feel confident about winning that game to go up 3-1.
3. With Cliff Lee going in Game 5, you don't necessarily feel confident about winning that game to wrap up the series.
   

• All-time, the Yankees are 2-0 in games that start on October 31st and end on November 1st. For the record, they are 1-0 in games on November 1st/2nd.
  
• Big day tomorrow for New York vs. Philly in sports. At 1 PM, the Giants face the Eagles in a battle for first place in the NFC East and then Game 4 starts at 7:57 PM.
  
• Make sure you push your clocks back so you don't miss that start time. In a few minutes here, it will go from 1:59 to 1:00 AM.

SEE YA!

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Michael Kay Quotes and Other Baseball Stuff

Today is a Yankee off day so there is not much to write about. First of all, please vote on our fan poll to the right on who you think would win a fist fight. Brian Bruney or K-Rod? Bruney is 6'3" 235 lbs. K-Rod is 6'0" and 195 lbs. Yesterday Jim and I were at the game and could not provide a Michael Kay Quote of the Game. However, I caught a couple innings on the YES Encore and heard one I thought was great. It went along the lines of this:

(talking about Mickey Mantle being in the booth during Al Leiter's MLB debut)
KAY: Wow. Mickey Mantle in the booth during your major league debut, that's a pretty neat story.
LEITER: Yeah it is.
KAY: It's tough for players today to have something like that.
LEITER: Well, now they get Michael Kay and David Cone in the booth.
KAY: That's not saying much, especially the Michael Kay part.

Also, Michael Kay reiterated on the Joe Girardi Show that he would NOT be starting a blog. He also said he does not like to be publicly embarassed.

On to some baseball notes:

• Brian Cashman discusses the trade market as well as Brian Bruney and Chien-Ming Wang to Newsday's Arthur Staple.
• Huston Street has been one of the Yankees targets for relief help. The Colorado Rockies won their 11th straight game yesterday. Yankee fans will have to hope for a losing streak if they want to land Street.
• Cliff Lee took a no-hitter into the 8th inning yesterday as he shut out the Cardinals 3-0.
• Yesterday's start by Johan Santana was the worst of his career, giving up 9 ER in 3+ innings.
• The Pirates and Red Sox are discussing a trade that would send SS Jack Wilson to Boston.
• In the United States, neither many players liked Bobby Valentine, nor management (Specifically, former Mets GM, Steve Phillips), but the fans in Japan are petitioning for his contract with the Chiba Lotte Marines to be renewed. Valentine's contract expires after the 2009 season and he has been told it will not be renewed.

That may be it for today. Our blog has been up for 2 full weeks now and we have had 430 visits and 770 pageviews. If you have any suggestions or questions just email us at michaelkayssuccessors@yahoo.com and if you are on twitter, follow us: http://twitter.com/KaysSuccessors.

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