Growing Tired of Andy Pettite

Andy Pettite and the Yankees have been on this same basic contract of 10 million since well November. What month is it now, January? Well to correct my first statement the Yankees have raised their offer to Pettite to 10.5 million, to most people that would be a lot of money but this is baseball so 500,000 extra dollars won't make a difference. I just wish this whole situation would come to a close regardless of the outcome. Andy should realize that he is not worth 16 million anymore or even 13 million dollars. Pettite is more of a back end starter at this point in his career. That doesn't change the fact that he is a great competitor and a bulldog on the mound and that's why I believe he deserves 10 million next season. However his statistics last season tell a different story (14-14 4.54 ERA), and unless Pettite saw greatness that we clearly did not see then he himself should know he does not deserve more than 10 million. For the most part pitchers who put up numbers similar to Pettite last season usually make around 7 to 8 million dollars. Somebody just wake me up when this whole situation is over with, if you ask me if I believe the Yankees are better with Pettite?Then I must say yes, however at this rate I wouldn't mind giving one of our prospects a shot at the rotation. The Yankees will be fine either way. Andy is stupid I despise his way of negotiating!

Journalism Internship

I will likely be doing a journalism internship in the next month, hopefully this will help me craft my skills as a writer thus becoming the next Peter Gammons/ Michael Kay. Of course that is a long shot but I can dream :). However I do realize that I need to be able to hone my skills better in all areas of journalism and I believe this is a step in the right direction. During this time I will try my best to keep up with all Yankee related news and my opinions on Yankee topics. The past week has made it difficult to update my blog because of final exams, essays and the SAT. I'm dedicated to this site, its not shutting down anytime soon eventhough I don't have any fans.

SAT

I am taking my SAT's tomorrow sadly that doesn't stand for anything that will be fun. Getting up at 5 in the morning and hopefully out of the house a little after 6, followed by breakfast then testing for 4 hours. Sounds amazing doesn't it?

I don't think there is anything that I have to state, nothing big has happened in the passed week besides Freddy Garcia signing with the Mets. Nothing else happening but I need to get some sleep for my exam tomorrow. January is a hard month for seniors but I think I have done a fairly good job at keeping up with my blog. Goodnight

Cardinals Interested In Cano?

Here is a report from Brian Hoch a professional writer for the New York Yankees:

"The St. Louis Cardinals called the New York Yankees to inquire about the asking price for second baseman Robinson Cano, according to a report published Sunday in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Yankees' response: Adam Wainwright."

I laughed when I read this, like myself the Yankees still think very highly of Robby Cano. The fact is that Cano is an extremely talented hitter and one off year isn't going to change that. He is a pure .300 hitter and will be a 25 plus homerun guy soon. If your question is if I am shocked by the Yankees demands? My response is no , not at all. Cano isn't going anywhere, Cardinals keep dreaming.

News on Nady and Swisher

As many of you might already know Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher are on the trading block but that doesn't neccesarily mean either one will be traded. Nady is likely to draw more interest because of how much he will likely make in 2009 and his talent level. The teams reportedly interested in both Nady and Swisher are the Braves, Giants, Reds and the Nationals.

If the Yankees can get a top prospect that is capable of playing a quality outfield then I say trade Nady. My preference is an athletic young player that can play any of the outfield positions but can also hit. I like the idea of instilling youth into the Yankees and if they can start off in 2010 with Austin Jackson in centerfield, Nick Swisher in rightfield and a top prospect from another organization in left field I'd be more than happy. Right there you would have a young Nick Swisher probably entering his prime at 29 years of age, Austin Jackson the top Yankees prospect at the age of 22, and another young guy from another organization likely below the age of 24. I think that the infield is locked down for a while especially with Texiera and A-rod likely in New York for almost another decade. Damon, Matsui and Nady's contracts all expire after 2009 so I think this is the right way to go. A young athletic outfield to go along with a more veteran infield. Of course some fans may argue that Matt Holliday will likely be a free agent after 2009 but why lock down another 30 year old plus player to an already aging roster. Youth is a cheaper, more flexible way of winning and the Yankees will always have the money to make adjustments. I'm personally excited about getting another top prospect into the Yankees organization, hopefully the Yankees would be as well.

Is anyone reading?

I started this blog in early January and am beginning to wonder if anyone besides myself is reading it. There has to be a way to get my blog noticed or at least have a few people who find it interesting. In a lot of ways I don't believe that my blog is bad, it's just unnoticed amongst fans and bloggers. I hope to have a decently respected blog in a few months and the only way to do that from the looks of it is to advertise my blog some way. Of course I am an unpaid blogger (amatuer) but I still believe that I am decent writer with more knowledge about baseball than most. If anyone is reading this blog besides myself please leave a comment and let me know that it isn't just me.

Why Resort Only To Pettite?

In the past few hours I have been thinking about what to write, once i figured it out it was obvious, I will write about why we should trade Xavier Nady and what they should trade him for. Thirty minutes passed and I wondered why wasn't their any words on my blog yet. After I figured it out it was obvious that I didn't have a sincere interest in writing about Nady at the moment instead my mind was on a fifth starter. Which makes me think of why does it seem like the Yankees aren't looking into Jon Garland or giving Freddy Garcia a real chance? I am growing impatient with Andy Pettite and am starting to realize that there are still a lot of players on the free agent market.

Freddy Garcia can be attained fairly easily if you think about it. Garcia can get an incentive based deal and will come at a cheap price regardless. He is a low risk, high reward type of guy, look at the Redsox they know what they're doing (I hate saying that) with the signings of Smoltz and Penny. Garcia was a very good pitcher in the past, maybe he can be a decent or very good pitcher now. Either way he is worth taking a chance on.

Jon Garland is another pitcher that I think the Yankees should look into if they no longer have an interest in Pettite. Garland is coming off a bad year but is clearly still talented enough to have an ERA somewhere in the 4.10 range and give 200 innings. Which is what I think Pettite will bring to the table but at a higher price. Of course Garland's numbers could just continue to decline next season but I don't see that happening. Hopefully the Yankees take a flier on him and then pay me a few thousands for coming up with the idea, it's not like it would hurt their pockets. Getting back on topic the Yankees should sign both Garland and Garcia, they are both inexpensive and are pretty good risky players and the both of them combined would probably cost less than Andy Pettite. Pettite will then cry and sign with the Yankees at the cost of a minor league contract because he will want to play on this great team (that would be cool, or at the very least funny).

Enjoy the post I am out to get some sleep it's 3:00am.

Todd Drew passed away yesterday, yankee blogger

Todd Drew a Yankees blogger succumbed to cancer yesterday at the age of 41. He did work on Yankees for Justice blog and on Bronx Banter. I've read his material and can tell he was a true fan of baseball. Of course being new to the blogging world I've never spoken with Todd but I pay my respect to anyone who is a blogger and a baseball fan. This is a tragic loss, may you rest in peace Todd Drew. Here is the link to his last blog http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2008/12/22/shadow-games-baseball-and-me/

Who Is The Next Rising Star For The Yankees?

With the offseason seemingly coming to close (for the Yankees at least) there isn't much to talk about. In this case journalist and bloggers have to improvise. Which makes me think who is the next rising star for the Yankees? I think it's an interesting topic being that I like prospects more than proven stars since there's a lot more upside and you never know exactly how they'll pan out. Joba Chamberlain, Phillip Hughes (21 starts in the majors), Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera are all excluded due to how much major league experience they all have.

Austin Jackson-CF AAA Scranton, Projection year: 2010
An obvious choice for the next rising star in New York since we will likely have a vacancy in center field next year. Jackson is still a raw talent and is starting to learn to use his tools better. He has plenty of potential and is a five tool player. With 9HR 65RBI 285BA last season i think Jackson is a year or two away. He's only 21 so there is no rush but I do not know if he is the next star in New York, I'd say there is a good chance, if he can reach his potential then I have no doubt he will be great.

Jesus Montero-C, A Tampa Yankees/ AA Trenton, Projection year: 2011-2012
Montero was seen as a catcher who would likely eventually move to first base due to his large body (6'5). However with the acquisition of Mark Texiera he will have to learn to be a better defensive catcher. I think he can do it with some more seasoning. He has a gun for an arm but his overall defensive skills are mediocre. The thing I love about Montero is his offensive potential on a 20 to 80 scale this guy is definitely an 80. When he becomes a better defensive catcher this guy has the potential to be the next Mike Piazza, that's how good he is. When the Yankees signed him out of Venezuela most scouts thought he was the best prospect to come out of there since Miguel Cabrera. This is my guy, if I had to bet who will be the next star. Baseball America ranked Montero as the number two prospect in the Yankees farm system next to Austin Jackson but I think Montero has a better chance of succeeding. Hold your horses though Yankee fans Montero is only 19 and is probably still at the very least 2 years away but I think 3 years is a more valid assumption.

Dellin Betances-SP AA Trenton/ A Tampa Yankees, Projection year: 2011-2012
My third and final choice would have to be Betances. He will only be 21 when the season begins. He's a pretty big guy at 6'8 which means It'll probably take longer for him to hone his control but I think he took great strides last season. Just take a look at the statistics. Betances had a 4.09 ERA allowing 40 walks and striking out 64 before the all-star break, but he he must have figured something out in the second half making great improvements with a 3.28 ERA and reduced his walk total to 19 while striking out more batters (71). Betances is the type of guy that doesn't have to max out his potential to be a good major league pitcher, but man if he does your talking about a high end power pitcher. We will just have to wait and see how Dellin pans out. Montero and Jackson are still ahead of him on the prospect charts, but with a great year he can pass both of them.

Other notable players would be Andrew Brackman, Austin Romine, Bradley Suttle. The Yankees have some very good prospects that will hopefully turn into very good major leaguers. Night everyone, enjoy the post.

Yankee news updates

I haven't been updating the website lately due to the fact that I've been sending out my applications for colleges. However i believe I'll be done by tomorrow which will help me update this blog more frequently like before.

In Yankee news Jorge Posada wants to play in the WBC for Puerto Rico. I find this extremely unlikely due to the fact that he is coming back from injuries and C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett are new to the pitching staff. Sadly for Jorge his best shot at playing in the WBC is in four years when the next one occurs.

Andy Pettite's chances are going lower and lower to come back to the yankees. I'm starting to think its not going to happen. Which would be shocking in my opinion. I don't understand why Andy Pettite wants to be grossly over paid. 10 million dollars for 1 year was a very reasonable offer, I guess thats what happens when the yankees over pay their star players. Worse case scenario we start the season with Phillip Hughes as our number five starter. Honestly I'm pretty sure most teams would be happy with that. Hughes has plenty of potential, with pitchers like CC, Wang, and AJ there will be a lot less pressure on him as well.

The redsox signed Takahashi Saito the other day to a 1 year deal worth 1.5 mil with 1mil in incentives. Whatsup with Boston signing all of these guys coming off injuries? Brad Penny, John Smoltz, Rocco Baldelli and now Saito at a total cost of around 15 million. Theo Epstein (redsox GM) isn't stupid, if even two of these players pan out to their potential the redsox would made great deals at a cheap price. Nothing more to be said I'll be updating tomorrow.

Redsox sign John Smoltz and Rocco Baldelli

The Redsox have signed John Smoltz a 20 year veteran coming back from injuries. Smoltz has spent his whole career with the Atlanta Braves, so this is quite shocking to me. The Redsox got involved when the braves couldn't seem to come to an agreement with the Future hall of famer. If Smoltz can come back healthy he can help Boston as a starter or maybe as a reliever. Congratulations to the redsox for their first serious signing of the offseason. I like this signing because it gives the redsox some options for that fifth starter spot and worse case scenario you move Smoltz to the bullpen, he has proven he can do either.

Baldelli is a player i wish the yankees looked into more. When healthy he's a plus outfielder with some pop and speed. He would've been an upgrade over Gardner and Cabrera. Baldelli is still only 27 years old fairly young for a free agent and has plenty of upside. It's not always the stars that win you championships, these are the type of signings that can go a long ways to winning championships as well. I can keep raving about the redsox signings but thats not something that gives me any type of excitement. However I do applaud the redsox for these smart signings.
It's only a matter of time till the redsox come up with a catcher solution. When they do so I'll give a full analysis (player by player breakdown etc) of each of the contenders in the East (yankees, redsox, rays). It'll be long and detailed analysis be sure to check the site when the redsox attain their catcher, likely Varitek or Saltalamachia of the rangers.

No Yankee news, lets get creative

No there isn't any serious yankee news, but there has been some other free agent signings around the league including the A's signing of Jason Giambi for 1 year and 5.25 million with a club option for 2010. I wish Giambi the best of luck with the new look A's, the one-two punch of Matt Holliday and Jason Giambi is a big upgrade for a club with a miserable offense last season. Thats all for now. Be back later with more news.

School

Apparently I'll be introducing my blog site to my college writing class today. Sadly i didn't have anything to write for the occasion. I hope you enjoy the site , its new but with some work I'm sure I can make it into something good.

Texiera introduced and Andy Pettite rejects $10million dollar offer

Mark Texiera is now officially a yankee and will be taking Jason Giambi's no.25 as well. There's a feeling in the yankees brass that Texiera will do well in pinstripes and he will not be as bothered by the media as past players have. Maybe they're right but well find out soon enough when the season starts. Mark is a .256 hitter in April and with the contract he commanded yankees fans will be quick to become critics and shower him with boos. Even if this happens in April Texiera seems to be a true professional of the game, atleast thats what I believe. I don't think he will have too much of a problem striving in New York.

Andy Pettite has rejected the yankees 10 million dollar offer. Anyone else believe that making 16 million the past two seasons had anything to do with it? Taking almost a 40 percent paycut isn't in his interest especially after seeing the yankees sign C.C., A.J. and now Texiera to mamoth deals. This reminds me of the yankees not giving enough to players who have worshiped this organization, Bernie Williams was offered to fight for a job in spring training the year he retired (well not officially retired) and Joe Torre didn't get the respect he deserved and signed with the dodgers. I hope the yankees fix this and offer Andy around 11.5 mil with a few incentives, I dont think he's worth 16 million anymore but whats a couple of extra millions gonna hurt? You are the New York Yankees after all.

Joba Chamberlain starter or setup man?

Here we go again is Joba Chamberlain more valuable to the yankees as a starter or a setup man. Am I the only one that thinks this is a waste of time? Joba has proved he can be dominant as a reliever ( 2.30era last season) but he has also shown he can dominate as a starter (2.76 era in 12 starts). Now which would you rather have a dominant starter or reliever? I'd choose a dominant starter for several reasons. Joba Chamberlain can be an ace and is likely the future ace of this staff. In fact after this season he may be the best pitcher on this staff even with guys like CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Chien-Ming Wang thats how good he is. Another note that is useless to say is that 200innings of great pitching is better that 70 innings of greatness. He has not yet showed that he can be good as a starter over a whole season but Joba is'nt just any other pitcher, in fact I am very confident that he can have atleast an ERA under 4 this season. His fastball and slider destroy hitters, oh and sometimes we forget he does have a plus curveball and changeup. It is only a matter of time before we talk about Joba being a Cy Young candidate maybe not this year but I'm sure if he stays a starter he will win atleast one, with several years of being considered for the award in the future. It is so hard to come by great pitchers nowadays that it would be stupid for the yankees to waste his value as a reliever. Why do u think the yankees signed CC or AJ? Every team wants pitchers who can average 200 strikeouts and 200innings a season, it's not as though these type of guys come by everyday. Relief numbers like Joba's are easier to find. (not easy but easier).

I think the yankees bullpen will be fine, not because I have confidence in guys like Phil Coke, Edwar Ramirez, David Robertson and so forth, most relievers are too inconsistent to be able to trully tell how good they are going to be every season. The only relievers that I have trust in for the upcoming season are Damaso Marte (very good and seasoned track record) and needless to say Mariano Rivera. In fact the only way you can assure having a good bullpen is by having a lot of arms down their (majors and minors). Which is something that the yankees boast, power arms at that. Look at this list and tell me why we should waste Joba as a reliever:

Bullpen

• Mariano Rivera
• Damaso Marte
• Jose Veras
• Edwar Ramirez
• Brian Bruney

Fighting for jobs in spring

• Phil Coke
• David Robertson
• Jonathan Albaladejo
• Humberto Sanchez
• Mark Melancon
• Dan Giese
• Steven Jackson

The yankees will be fine in 2009 bullpen wise. As for Joba hopefully his legacy is just begining. Stop by tommorow for AL East related information , enjoy.

Winter league update

Just keeping you up to date just incase you were wondering what your favorite yankees players or prospects were up to in the winter leagues.

Dominican Republic

Aguilas

Melky Cabrera -- .312 avg, .393 OBP, .409 SLG, 24 games, 12 RBIs, 19 runs, 13 BB,. 1 SO

Estrellas Orientales

Robinson Cano -- .267 avg, .333 OBP, .413 SLG, 19 games, 15 RBIs, 14 runs, 7 BB, 7 SO

Venezuela

Cardenales de Lara
Francisco Cervelli -- .250 Avg, .371 OBP, .346 SLG, 23 games, 3 RBIs, 9 runs, 9 BB, 13 SO

Edwar Gonzalez -- .360 avg., .402 OBP, .613 SLG, 28 games, 11 RBIs, 9 runs, 4 HR, 5 BB, 16 SO

Puerto Rico

Indios de Mayaguez

Jonathan Albaladejo -- 0-0, 15 games, 0.00 ERA, 17.1 IP, 11 H, 2 BB, 14 SO, 11-of-12 saves

Ian Kennedy -- 2-2, 6 games, 1.56 ERA, 34.2 IP, 19 H, 12 BB, 31 SO

Mexico

Tomateros de Culiacan

Ramiro Pena -- .263 avg, .290 OBP, .322 SLG, 33 games, 9 RBIs, 14 runs, 3 BB, 14 SO

Jorge Vazquez -- .348 avg, .416 OBP, .636 SLG, 54 games, 46 RBIs, 37 runs, 15 HR, 23 BB, 50 SO

Will Robinson Cano rebound after a horrid season?

Robby Cano didn't have a great year by any standards hitting for a .271 BA when he is a career .300 hitter. But he did'nt do as bad as many of us make it out to be atleast from a hitting stand point , he hit .151 in April which was his low mark but after that he hit much better hitting around .280 or better for most of the season.

Of course it wasn't a great year for a player with his potential. Coming off of two very good seasons before 2008 (2007 19HR 97RBI .306BA or 2006 15HR 78RBI .342BA) you should be expecting to see more of those type of numbers in 2009. I actually expect Robby to have a break out year with his off season conditioning going great and playing winter ball can only help him for the upcoming season. I still believe that even with players like Alex Rodriguez and the signing of Mark Texiera the yankees are going to need another power bat in their line up to help out the before mentioned. Cano can be that player.

I'm rooting for Cano and I hope he goes out and has the type of year the yankees were hoping for in 2008, actually i think he'll surpass that and have numbers that look something like this: 24HR 102RBI .325BA. This is a key season in his development where Robby will have to prove that he is one of the more elite players in the game and establish himself as an all-star and if he does'nt then he will just be seen as a player with missed potential.

I hope you enjoy the post it's the first I've ever written , hopefully their aren't any mistakes if their are feel free to correct me and give your take on the situation. Tomorrow I will talk about the Joba Chamberlain debate , starter or set up man? ( dont think its much of a debate in fact i think its stupid that people have this debate) but nonetheless I'll speak of it tomorrow hope you read.

Written by future sports journalist Angelo Roldan.

My first blog

I'm a senior in high school that is as obsessed about baseball as anyone that you will ever meet. Hopefully I can keep up with this blog and keep up with the yankees ( I don't think this will be a problem). I will probably write my opinions on players , give my take on how i think the season will play out and maybe try to be creative and write some funny stuff like the "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog, oh yea and give news on the yankees , if they make anymore signings and so forth. I hope people read my posts and give their opinions on what I write. I shall write my real first blog in a hour hope you like it.