With the trade deadline about a week away many people are wondering of the Yankees are going to be active in the trade market. I don't think they will be. I believe they have all the pieces they need to take the division and go deep into October.

The starting rotation seems pretty good at the moment but it might be a cause for concern once Joba Chamberlain reaches his innings limit, assuming the Yanks stick with it. I find it hard to believe they would take Joba out of the rotation in the middle of a pennant race. Chien Ming Wang might be lost for the season so after CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett the rotation is up in the air. Andy Pettitte will still be a contributor but I think he's not as reliable as he once was. So maybe picking up a no. 4 or 5 starter will be in the works.

The bench seems ok at the moment but there is room for improvement. Eric Hinske was added for some flexibility and some pop and he has been just that. Ramiro Pena is in the minors getting some outfield experience so if the Yanks choose not to add any bench help, Pena can fill in at mulitple positions and provide stellar defense.

The bullpen has also been steady in recent weeks. Adding another lefty could be something the Yanks do but with Damaso Marte returning soon, the answer might be within. Everyone has assumed a role in the bullpen and know their duties. Joe Girardi has done an excellent job establishing his bullpen and it shows.

The Yanks will be in the race until the very end and they have the pieces to win it all right now. A little tinkering here and there might not hurt but isn't necessary. They're playing well now and are at a season high with their games over .500 and with their lead in the AL East, that's not by accident. It's because they are that good and everyone is performing up to their standards (minus Wang). Look for a quiet week from the Bombers as the trade deadline approaches.




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Tags: AJ Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Baseball, CC Sabathia, Chein-Ming Wang, Damaso Marte, Eric Hinske, Joba Chamberlain, Yankees

As I was browsing the internet this morning I came across an interesting post by Peter Abraham. He questions the Yankees and their handling of injuries. He gave a few examples for his questioning, here's an excerpt:

Just wondering, but does anybody else question what is going on with the Yankees and their ability to properly evaluate injuries?

Damaso Marte went seven days without pitching then they decided to put him on the disabled list. Then we found out today that the injury he had in spring training never really cleared up. Meanwhile, he made seven appearances and got knocked around.

Chien-Ming Wang, as it turns out, had weakness in his injured foot and that led to atrophied hip muscles. How did this go unnoticed all spring and lead to his getting crushed for three starts?

A-Rod said his hip injury was an issue last June. Yet he played the rest of the year and it went undiagnosed until March. Then he needed surgery that has so far kept him out a month......

Look at Mark Teixeira, for instance. He has not been the same since he injured his wrist. What would be better for the Yankees, Juan Miranda playing first base or Tex going 2 for 27? Should he be on the DL?

It's worth looking at. The Yankees have so much pressure on themselves to win that they may be throwing injured stars onto the field to justify their big payroll and now, new stadium. By doing so, they are hurting their chances of being a competitive team. If Marte has been hurt since the WBC in March, he should've been placed on the DL. Alex's hip has been bothering since last season so why did it go unnoticed for so long? Maybe the Yankees knew and tried to dance around it and wanted to see if it would clear up during the winter. Who knows, but a healthy player is far better than an injured player.

The Yanks have been hit with the injury bug quick this year but continue to stay strong with an above .500 record. They did shut down Xavier Nady once they saw he injured his elbow so maybe they do know what they're doing after all. Brian Bruney's elbow is acting up again and may miss a good chuck of time, much like last year. Injuries are apart of sports and the best teams overcome them. For all the talk about how great the 2009 Yankees are, this is a time where we get a good indication of just how good they are. 1 MVP, 1 potential Cy Young, 1 All-Star, and 1 would be closer down and they are still above water. Let's see what happens when the Yanks are all fully healthy.


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Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Brian Bruney, Chein-Ming Wang, Damaso Marte, Juan Miranda, Mark Teixeira, Xavier Nady, Yankees

Indians 10
Yankees 2

What a great day for the Yankees Home Opener, I liked Kelly Clarkson singing the National Anthem the most lol because the game was good until the 7th then I got disgusted. Jose Veras and Damaso Marte forgot how to pitch, leading to a forgettable Yankee Stadium opener.




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Tags: Baseball, Cleveland Indians, Damaso Marte, Jose Veras, Kelly Clarkson, QuickCap, Yankee Stadium, Yankees

The great Joba debate begins again. With the recent free agent additions of CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett many have thought that Joba Chamberlain should be moved back into the bullpen to set-up Mariano Rivera. I disagree.

As enticing as Joba would be in the 7th and 8th innings I think he is more valuable as a starter, unless proven otherwise. Peter Abraham also is in favor of starting Joba. My fellow blogger Rob Abruzzesse also agrees with me. He points out a slew of opinions on the matter.

I liked Joba as the set-up man for Mo, but the fact is that with Joba he can be a dominant guy. He outdueled Josh Beckett in Fenway back in July 1-0, a sign of promise. Abraham notes that innings 1-6 are more important than the 7th and 8th. I'm with him on this. You need a guy to get you to the 7th in the first place, if he doesn't then the 7th and 8th innings don't mean much. To go with the arguement is that the Yankees have a pretty decent bullpen. They likely will use the combination of Jose Veras and Brian Bruney to set-up and manybe mix in Damaso Marte for lefties. So the need for Joba is in the rotation.

Joba surely won't be pitching 200 innings as the Yankees will limit him to around 150. His potential and talent can attribute to a 15 win win season, if not more. I could be wrong but I believe that's a fair assessment. For right now Joba's in the rotation, where he belongs.

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Tags: AJ Burnett, Baseball, Brian Bruney, CC Sabathia, Damaso Marte, Joba Chamberlain, Jose Veras, Josh Beckett, Mariano Rivera, Yankees

The Yankees front office, Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner said a few days ago that they were going to be aggressive this offseason and would address all the teams' needs and issues. Over the last 48 hours they have made some moves to help the roster.

Marte Re-signs -----------


On Wednesday they re-signed lefty Damaso Marte to a 3 year contract with a club option for 2012. The Marte signing was bound to happen as there was no way the Yankees were gong to lelt him walk away from the team considering that lefties out of the bullpen are hard to come by these days.

“We looked at him over a broad range of his work. His stuff is there and finding a left-hander has been difficult,” Cashman said. “I can’t say exactly what his role will be, but he can pitch from the fifth inning through to the eighth.”

The Yanks haven't had a good lefty reliever since Mike Stanton back in the dynasty years. His last productive season was in 2002. I knew this deal was going to get done because the Yankees traded away 3 guys toget him. This was the great trade pulled off by Cashman in which he robbed the Pirates of Marte and Xavier Nady. Both men are now under contract for 2009.
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Yanks Get Nick Swisher ---------


The other move the Yankees made was acquiring switch-hitting first baseman/outfielder Nick Swisher and right-handed pitcher Kanekoa Texeira from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for infielder Wilson Betemit and right-handed pitchers Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez. Swisher addresses the need for a 1B for the time being. When asked who would be the starting first baseman if the season started tomorrow Cashman replied "Nick Swisher". Swisher can also play the outfield which adds to his value. I do have to question his overall value to begin with. He has power and can get on base but his average wasn't great last year and he doesn't look like he'll improve. A positive sign with Nick is over the last 4 seasons he has recorded at least 20 doubles and 20 homers, not bad, not to mention he's also a switch hitter. The addition of Swisher gives the Yanks a lot of flexibilty with just one guy. He can be your righty hitting first baseman or your lefty hitting centerfielder, how cool is that? If Nick can just hit around .270 the Yankees are a winner in this move.

“We’re excited with the addition of Nick Swisher,” said Yankees Manager Joe Girardi. “We feel he has a ton of upside. He’s a patient switch-hitter, adds versatility at a number of defensive positions, including first base and the outfield, and will be a positive presence inside the clubhouse.”

The Yankees were so impressed by how the Tampa Bay Rays won on the basis of being young and athletic. Swisher fits the bill on both. Swisher, 27, batted .219 (109-for-497) with 86 runs, 21 doubles, 24 HR and 69 RBI in 153 games with the White Sox in 2008, leading all American League switch-hitters in home runs and ranking 2nd in RBI.
He made 69 starts in center field, 47 starts at first base, 16 starts in left field and 11 starts in right field. The guy can move around.

I didn't expect this move by the Yanks but I like it. It gives them flexibilty at a few different positions and didn't cost them much. It saves the Yanks money by not throwing the checkbook at Mark Texieria (even tho that's still a possibilty). It appears that Cashman and the front office are clearing looking to get younger and athletic. As I mentioned the Rays made it all the way to the World Series on those two things. Sure there were a lot of other factors that got Tampa Bay to the dance but youth and athleticism got them a long way. Many organizations look to follow in those footsteps and now use Tampa's foundation as a model to go by.

The offseason of change has started and with Friday being the first day of free agency ANYTHING is possible. The Yankees and CC Sabathia watch will be on. Is it a matter of time before he's in pinstripes or will it take more than a blank check to lure him to the Bronx? We'll find out.

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Tags: Baseball, Brain Cashman, CC Sabathia, Damaso Marte, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, Tampa Bay Rays, Xavier Nady, Yankees

This 10-game road trip has been a disaster for the Yankees. They are 2-5 through the first 7 games, they have lost 3 games in the AL East to Tampa and 1.5 to Boston in the wild card. Not to mention, they lost their ace-to-be Joba Chamberlain.

What's interesting to note is that the Yanks had a lead in each of the 3 games against the Angels this weekend and could not hold any of them. Ian Kennedy got rocked again Friday night and said..

“I felt like I made some good pitches,” he said. “I’m not too upset about it. … What was it, a bunch of singles and three doubles? I’m just not real upset about it. I’m just going to move on and I’ve already done that.”

...wow, did he really say that? That earned him a first class ticket back to AAA Scranton. Good move by the Yankees. He later apologized for those comments, but come on you got to be smarter than that.

Saturday, Dan Giese pitched 6 solid innings giving up only 1 run, but the bullpen blew up thanks in part to an 8-run 8th inning. The first 6 runs came before the Yankees recorded an out. Ouch! Joe Girardi was asked how he felt watching that 8-run 8th unfold...

“What do you think? You think it’s fun watching that crap?” Girardi snapped. “Silly question.”

...I agree.

Sunday, the Yankees were again ahead in the score, but could'nt hold on. This time a baserunning mistake by Alex Rodriguez in the 7th ended a chance at a rally that could've broke a 3-3 tie and a walk by Damaso Marte in the 9th to the 9th place hitter set up the game winning single by Chone Figgins. Those two plays sealed the Yanks' fate this weekend.

"We had a lot of opportunities. We have to blame ourselves," said Abreu, who grounded to second with the infield in and a runner on third in the fifth inning. "I wish I had an explanation. I don't think we understand what's going on."

The Yanks have a chance to redeem themselves with 3 games against the Minnesota Twins. A team they trail in the wild card by 2.5 games. It'll be worth watching to see how the Yankees respond to being swept this weekend in Anaheim. 44 games left to go.


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Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Bobby Abreu, Chasing 800, Damaso Marte, Dan Giese, Ian Kennedy, Joba Chamberlain, Joe Girardi