Filling The Holes

     Even with the addition of the Japanese right-hander Masahiro Tanaka, the Yankees are still not complete. The Yankees still must fill the remaining holes in their infield and pitching staff. With still much to be done what can they do? They have already done so much with spending about half a million dollars in free agency. But must they look into signing more people, or should they look at the trade options?


       With adding Masahiro Tanaka to the Yankees starting rotation, it looks much better than when they started off. But the entire starting rotation is still a bunch of what ifs. For instance can Tanaka handle the MLB and do well? Can CC Sabathia return to his former glory? Will Hiroki Kuroda be able to handle an entire season? Will Ivan Nova have a steady season like in 2013? And will Michael Pineda be able to come back from his injury? This is the main problem with not only their pitching staff, but the entire team. Derek Jeter, Jacoby Ellsbury, Mark Texeria, and Carlos Beltran are the big offensive what ifs. It could be a 2013 season all over again where everyone got hurt. But who do they have as backups that could start? Ichiro Suzuki, Brendan Ryan, Kelly Johnson? They cant have another team made of utility players, it just won't work.

       Not only that, but what are the Yankees doing to address their bullpen? Will they at least pickup someone like Fernando Rodney if David Robertson can't get the job done as a closer. Also the infield, I think they should pick up someone like Stephen Drew, or attempt a trade for Chase Headley so they wouldn't have to platoon two infield positions. There is so much to be done still, so don't be surprised if they Yankees are not a postseason contender in 2014, but there is still a good chance.

Which Pitchers should the Yankees Pursue?

         It is very obvious that the Yankees very much need to add to their pitching staff. Even with their additions of Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann, and Brian Roberts they would not be a playoff contender if they do not land Masahiro Tanaka or another starting pitcher.

        As once before the Yankees offensive lineup is deadly again. Assuming that they can all stay healthy that part of the team should be okay for the most part. But if the Yankees go into the 2014 season with CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova, and Michael Pineda, they stuggle with winning games and being able to get to the postseason; adding Masahiro Tanaka would add some depth as a number 1 or 2 pitcher in the rotation. It has already been rumored that the Yankees have given Tanaka an offer north of $100 million. The biggest risks with Tanaka is that he has never pitched in the Major Leagues before, and being only 25 he has already pitched 1315 Innings in Japan. So if Tanaka were to be a total flop, it could officially be the worst deal the Yankees have ever made. However it is not expected, being that he shows similar traits to Yu Darvish, the Rangers CY Young finalist.

What Would Help the Most?  

           The biggest help would definitely be adding multiple starting pitchers, the main obviously being Masahiro Tanaka. But who could be brought into the Yankee rotation to fill the number 4 or 5 to add depth to the rotation. My favorite option would have to be Ubaldo Jimenez; though he has had a very up and down career, he has made many improvements and had a great 2013. Homer Bailey would also be a good option, especially if he could be obtained in a trade with Brett Gardner.

Have an opinion on the article? Leave a comment saying what you think.

Trading for Chase Headly the Best Option for 3B?

Trade for Chase Headley?

      Chase Headley and other Options. 

           With the Yankees in desperate need of a 3rd baseman, would offering the Padres a trade for Chase Headley be their best option? Currently the Yankees are planning on platooning the position along with SS and 2B with players such as Kelly Johnson, Brendan Ryan, Brian Roberts, Eduardo Nunez, and possibly Scott Sizemore. But the main person to be at 3B is supposedly Kelly Johnson, if a trade were to be made for Chase Headley it would make it so Johnson could move to 2B and less spread out their utility players.

         Right now the Yankees are the weakest positions at their starting rotation, 2B, SS, and 3B. The free agent market doesn't have enough to cover the Yankees needs in their positions, well actually it does but are the Yankees willing to go over their $189 million mark to fix those problems?

Who are the options?

         Chase Headley: Acquiring Chase Headley would fix a major issue with the Yankee in field, though I don't like him, Alex Rodriguez might have been the best option for the Yankees at 3B. Now Kelly Johnson will be spread out between 2B and 3B as i said before. Headley is a great defensive 3rd baseman and adds some pop to the bat, not only that but he would be able to play the majority of the season. Which obviously is better that switching off between utility players.

        Michael Young: Michael Young is an older player (age 37) but can still play the game well at 3rd. In the 2013 season he played 147 games hit .279 with a .335 OBP. He can be signed at a lower cost and take the pressure of the Yankee utility players.

      Stephen Drew: Drew would be more expensive and would have more range being able to play 2B and 3B. An excellent defender and an okay offense would solve most of the Yankees infield problems.

Trading For Headley?

      Trading for Headley really would not be as difficult as it might seem, a straight up trade, Brett Gardner for Chase Headley would almost benefit the Padres due to the difference in their salaries with Gardner only making under $2 million this both being their last year under contract. Though the Yankees would still add a prospect such as Gary Sanchez, Mason Williams, or JR Murphy.

How the Yankees Should Spend Their Extra Money With Projected Lineup

             With the Yankees being freed up of $25 million from Alex Rodriguez suspension, who should they pursuit to make their 2014 team the best it can possibly be? Which I will now show who should be the the Yankees top priorities.

        1. Masahiro Tanaka: This one is obvious with the Yankees in desperate need for starters Masahiro Tanaka is the best option that they have for a number 1/2 starter. Now Tanaka is in no way a sure thing, he has yet to pitch in the Major Leagues but he shows a lot of potential  with a 1.27 ERA and 24 wins and 0 losses.

         2.Grant Balfour: With a giant hole in the Yankee bullpen, Grant Balfour would fit perfectly in New York. He can handle the crowd he likes the energy, plus he is a great closer. Why shouldn't the Yankees go after him? He had a 2.59 ERA with 38 saves, this could fill the Yankees hole in the closer spot and keep David Robertson as their set-up man.

      3.Ubaldo Jimenez: If the Yankees could sign Masahiro Tanaka and add Jimenez to their starting 5 it could really add a lot of depth to their pitching staff. Almost fixing the problems the have with their starting 5. However Jimenez is a wild thing, last year he had a great season going 13 and 9 with a 3.30 ERA. His past 2 seasons he has had a 5+ ERA and the past 4 seasons he has had a 4.30+ ERA. I think that it was more of an issue of mechanics that have been fixed and that he would be a great pick-up for the Yankees.

     4.Eric O'Flathery: This is a guy that can really improve and add depth to the Yankees bullpen. Flathery did get hurt in the 2013 season but has been able to get the job done, he has a career 2.85 ERA with 245 strikeouts. Signing Flathery would very much improve the bullpen that they currently have.

     Now i will show the 2014 projected lineup, starting pitchers, and bullpen.

Projected Lineup                                             
1.Jacoby Ellsbury CF                                  
2.Derek Jeter SS
3.Carlos Beltran RF
4.Brian McCann                                                                            
5.Mark Texeria 1B                                            
6.Alfonso Soriano DH                                
7.Kelly Johnson 3B                                          
8.Brian Roberts 2B                                                                  
9.Brett Gardner LF

Starting Pitchers
1. C.C Sabathia
2. Hiroki Kuroda
3. Ivan Nova
4.Michael Pineda
5. Vidal Nuno
6.Adam Warren  
7.David Phelps

 Bullpen
1.Cesar Cabral
2.Prestine Claiborne
3.Matt Thornton
4.Dellin Betances
5.Jose Campos
6.Manny Benuelos
7.David Huff
8.Shawn Kelly SU
9 David Robertson C


                                                                 

Could Stephen Drew Fix all The Yankees Holes?

                We all know that the Yankees biggest hole besides pitching is their infield. The lack a 3rd baseman, Shortstop, and 2nd baseman. Sure they have Derek Jeter at SS but can he really play the field everyday, or even as a DH? With not even playing 30 games last season due to his injury and his age? Stepthen Drew could play SS and 3rd with Ryan taking the other spot, and Kelly Johnson/Brian Roberts switching off at 2nd. Sure he would be expensive but the Yankees will most likley past the $189 milion mark so why not blow past it anyways.

                  Not only do they need to stop with Drew but they could go after Masahiro Tanaka and say another starting pitcher to add depth to their pitching rotation. They really need a good reliever and a closer to strengthen their bullpen, great options such as  Eric O'Flathery or Joel Hanrahan.  For a closer they need to go after Grant Balfour or Fernando Rodney as well.
  

Should the Yankees Pursue Johan Santana?

Should Santana be a Yankee?

     Okay, we have heard news about Masahiro Tanaka, Matt Garza, and Ubaldo Jimenez. But with Johan Santana's past injuries, and a drop in performance in 2012 means that Santana would come cheap. Which would make it possible for the Yankees to sign another pitcher as well like Tanaka, Garza, or Jimenez.

     I think pursuing Santana is a no-brainer. He would not be very expensive, they could sign him to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. Just look at his past stats besides 2012. His last season before 2012 was in 2010 when he went 11-9 with a 2.98 ERA, and for playing on the Mets that's pretty impressive. He has played with the Mets since 2008 so it shows that he can handle the New York crowd, he is only 34 so a 1 year deal would be perfect, and he will definitely cost under $7 million a season.This would be a very good pick up for the Yankees, so why not take a chance on the former best pitcher in baseball?

Reasons Why the Yankees won't have Multiple Dominant Years

Top Yankee Prospect Gary Sanchez

      Now don't get me wrong I am a huge Yankee fan, but with their current club there are a couple reasons why the Yankees will not have the asserted dominance that they used to have.

      The biggest reason of all is that their farm system is very weak. For once the Yankees need to stop being crowd pleasers and invest their money in their own players. The Yankees are to worried with their insane crowd of taking a dip for a couple seasons so they can make their own talent, and because of their lack for prospects they must keep pursuing top free agents and going over the $189 million mark. What happened to their great system that brought up players like the great Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, and as much as I don't like him Robinson Cano. Now their best prospect is Gary Sanchez and as good as he is he is ranked 27 in MLB prospects. They need to grow their own talent not only so they can improve from within but be able to trade for players such as David Price and Elvis Andrus.

     The other big problems is their entire pitching staff. Their current starting is very flimsy, CC Sabathia had a terrible 2013, you don't know what you are get out of him in the 2014 season. Hiroki Kuroda had a good first half, but completely fell apart in the second half. Personally I like Kuroda but he is not worth what they gave him. They signed a 40 year old pitcher to a 1 year $16 million contract. They need to stop overpaying their players, Matt Garza or Ubaldo Jimenez would have costed less than that. Especially since Kuroda is running out of gas. he will most likely retire before the season ends. Also their bullpen, one of the weakest in baseball, now sure they have David Robertson one of the best set-up men in baseball but what about their closer? Also the rest of their bullpen, most of their relievers have over a 4.00 ERA. These problems need to be fixed.

Taking a look at Masahiro Tanaka

Is he worth the it?

      Now sure Tanaka has amazing stats but looking more into to his career you need to ask the big question? Is he worth the risk?

      Now there is no doubt about it that he is an amazing pitcher as were many Japanese pitchers coming over that didn't seem to pan out in the MLB. Tanaka had a stellar 2013 season in the Japanese League, with a 1.27 ERA with 24 wins and 0 losses, and this is not his first good season either. Over his 7 year career he has posted a career 2.30 ERA with 95 wins and 35 losses.

The big question has come up before, is he better or worse than Yu Darvish. Now according to both of the players stats, Darvish would have to be assumed as the better pitcher. In the Japanese league he also played 7 seasons, posting a career 1.99 ERA with 93 wins and 38 losses. Now they are very close, but you wont know for sure till Tanaka starts in the 2014 season.

        Now there is a lot of upside to Tanaka including that he is only 25. But there is one thinng about Tanaka that should cause for concern. Being 25 he should have a lot of gas in his arm before it starts to wear down, right? Wrong, though he has not had any drop in his performance he has pitched 1315 innings with the Rakuten Golden Eagles. It can make you wonder how long does he have left before his arm starts to wear down. With the type of money teams are willing to spend it shows a lot of concern for him. Tanaka is expected to get over a $100 million dollar contract, big money for a pitcher who has pitched so many innings and no expectation of how he will pitch against MLB hitters.

Exploring the Closer Options

                     

         There are many different closer options for the New York Yankees. But  while the main proposition has been said to moving David Robertson the Yankees premier set-up man to fill Mariano Rivera's shoes it would mainly rob themselves of a great set-up man so that they can make him a decent closer. While instead of spreading out their bullpen lets look at some of the other closers that could make a fine addition to the Yankees.


        The person that I think would be the best possible option for a closer in the 2014 season would defiantly have to be Grant Balfour. Balfour can handle the crazy New York crowd and he has the energy to match it as well. Balfour finished the 2013 season with a 2.59 ERA and 38 Saves. The only thing that can arouse suspicion is he was originally to be signed by the Orioles but the deal was cancelled due to Balfour failing their physical. He has been tested by doctors after who claim that he is 100% fine, he seems to be okay but here is still room for worry.

         Fernando Rodney is also another person that would fit the Yankee crowd. Rodney had a decent 2013 season with Tampa Bay with having a 3.38 ERA and 37 Saves. The ERA kind of worries me being that it is considered high for a bullpen pitcher but the still gets the job done.

Free Agent Pitchers

          There are many pitchers in the 2014 Free Agent Market, however it has shown to be a very weak market. There are the obvious pitchers like Matt Garza, Masahiro Tanaka, and Ubaldo Jimenez,. But what about the smaller ones like Jason Hammel, Johan Santana, Suk-min-Yoon, and even James McDonald. Who is the best move?


        Lets start with Matt Garza, Garza is an average pitcher with a career 3.84 ERA. But while he would make a fine addition to the Yankees he is very injury prone. Having suffered many elbow injuries throughout his career. He would make a good #3 position starter I doubt he is worth the risk.

        Ubaldo Jimenez is another risky pitcher not due to injuries but on account on the fact that he has struggled for the most part of his career with having an over 5.00 ERA in 2012 and 2011. However he has had a great current season being 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA. However with the Yankees demand for pitching and not enough prospects to trade, landing Jimenez may need to be done.

       A couple of other great options would Johan Santana with offering him a minor league contract. Suk-min-Yoon being one of the top pitchers from Korea would be another suitable option though due to injury he has had shoulder injury in 2013 causing a big downfall in his stats. James McDonald should receive a minor league contract though he had a weak 2013 season he did well in 2012 with the Pirates.