2013 Baseball Season/Off-Season Discussion

[tim_m]

8 suspensions from the Dodger/D-back brawl including Kennedy for 10 games aka 2 starts. Correct call imo. You just can't throw at someones head.

[tim_m]

Scary moment in Tampa today. Alex Cobb took a liner off the side of the head and is hospitalized. He never lost consciousness thankfully.

[GeorgeSteele]

Promising first start for Zack Wheeler last night, 6 scoreless, 7 Ks and picks up the W, not bad. 

[faldor]

Promising first start for Zack Wheeler last night, 6 scoreless, 7 Ks and picks up the W, not bad. 

At least Mets fans have Wheeler and Harvey to look forward to for years to come, and other pitching prospects waiting in the wings.  Unfortunately, the positional prospects aren't anything to write home about.  And they sure could use some help in the offensive department.

[GeorgeSteele]

Promising first start for Zack Wheeler last night, 6 scoreless, 7 Ks and picks up the W, not bad. 

At least Mets fans have Wheeler and Harvey to look forward to for years to come, and other pitching prospects waiting in the wings.  Unfortunately, the positional prospects aren't anything to write home about.  And they sure could use some help in the offensive department.

Sadly true.  There's been talk of trading the "other pitching prospects" for bats, but Wheeler and Harvey are off the table.  So not sure how good of a bargaining position you have when you say 'we're offering our young pitchers, just not the really good ones'.

Mets' scouting has been epic shit.  The last position player they drafted to appear in an All-Star game was David Wright and that was 2001.  If all continues to go well with Harvey, he'll be the first pitcher they drafted to become a bona fide ace since Dwight Gooden (drafted 1982).  Still to early to say if the Alderson regime's drafting has been equally horrid.

[tim_m]

Joe Torre's daughter catches baby
Updated: June 20, 2013, 1:55 PM ET

NEW YORK -- The daughter of former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre is getting props from her dad for catching a baby boy who had tumbled off a second-floor fire escape in Brooklyn.

Torre said in a statement Wednesday that he was "very proud of my daughter Cristina's actions today during an incident in Brooklyn involving a small child."

Torre is now Major League Baseball's executive vice president of baseball operations.

"I didn't really know what was going to happen. ... You just move into action -- you don't really think about it," Cristina Torre told the Daily News of New York.

She was having coffee at a cupcake shop when bystanders saw the 1-year-old dangling from an awning of a frozen yogurt store next door.

"I'm talking to him saying, 'Don't come down, stay there,'" she said. "He helped himself with his arms. He was dangling. I knew he would be flipping very soon."

She said the child "literally landed in my arms." Torre credited her father for her "good hand-eye coordination."

According to police, the child somehow climbed onto the fire escape. He was in stable condition.

The parents were arrested and charged with reckless endangerment.


Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press


Wow!

[Falcon]

I apologize in advance for linking a column written by Jon Heyman but thought Tim and Pilf would be interested since it's Yankee/Cano centric.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/jon-heyman/22498842/yankees-cano-not-talking-increasing-odds-allstar-tests-free-agency

The Torre daughter story was awesome by the way, thanks for linking.

[tim_m]

It was definitely a cool story. I'm glad she was able to catch the baby. I hope the parents are bitchslapped though.

[AxlsMainMan]

How 'bout 'dem Blue Jays?

[pilferk]

I apologize in advance for linking a column written by Jon Heyman but thought Tim and Pilf would be interested since it's Yankee/Cano centric.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/jon-heyman/22498842/yankees-cano-not-talking-increasing-odds-allstar-tests-free-agency

The Torre daughter story was awesome by the way, thanks for linking.

Says the Boras shill who's still butt hurt his buddy got fired.

http://www.yankeeanalysts.com/2012/02/heyman-by-the-numbers-38590

Seriously...Jay Z JUST got his licensure approval like a week ago.

Since the changes, the word out of both camps were that they weren't even going to talk until Jay Z got his official approvals, with all the i's dotted and t's crossed, because doing so would violate the MLBPA agreements.  Most reports were saying that this would likely happen after the all star break, given it's proximity to the approvals being complete.  I know Creative artists was "riding herd", but all the rumors said that was just a place holder so Jay Z could sign Cano while going through the process of getting his approvals.  No real contact was actually going on (or being attempted) from either side.

So, saying they're "far apart" when they haven't really even talked yet (sure..maybe some back channel chat...but that's not the same as real negotiation)?  Essentially, you have the Cano side saying "We want the moon" and the Yanks saying "we want to pay peanuts".  You know...the unrealistic expectations that preceed every contract negotiation, EVER?  This isn't news.  It's Boras trying to save face through his mouthpiece with a "See, changing agents didn't help Cano any...." so his clients (present and potential future, given this is draft signing time) don't start having second thoughts about using him.

Simple as that.

I would not be shocked to see Cano hit FA before he signs with the Yanks (or anyone else).  But it will have had nothing to do with Heyman's drivel in the above article.

[pilferk]

How 'bout 'dem Blue Jays?

They're on fire! 4 losses out of first is quite the run.  Certainly within striking distance.

We'll see how long they can keep this up.

[Falcon]

I always liked Brian Cashman, even more so now.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/9422957/brian-cashman-tells-new-york-yankees-alex-rodriguez-shut-up

"You know what, when the Yankees want to announce something, [we will]. Alex should just shut the f--- up. That's it. I'm going to call Alex now."

[pilferk]

I always liked Brian Cashman, even more so now.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/9422957/brian-cashman-tells-new-york-yankees-alex-rodriguez-shut-up

"You know what, when the Yankees want to announce something, [we will]. Alex should just shut the f--- up. That's it. I'm going to call Alex now."

Yeah, I agree with Brian.  Alex should keep his mouth shut, all things considered.

But, in some cases, I think Brian should take his own advice.  This is one of them.

Look, I get Brian isn't a big Alex fan. He hasn't been since the Steinbrenners went around him and, basically behind his back, signed Alex to an atrocious deal.  And I get that he's not happy about having to talk about Alex's flirting with fans, taking PEDs, and the rest of it. I'm sure it's frustrating to have to do positive PR, or "no comments" for a player you don't really like, and didn't sign (you'll notice Cash took similar shots at Soriano, during his tenure with the Yanks, when Soriano did stupid stuff (ex: Not being available for post game press after blowing saves), but you gotta do it...if not with a smile, at least with a modicum of decorum.

The fact is...Alex has quite a bit of time left on his contract, and the Yanks owe him quite a bit of money.  Brian, if he wants to be GM of the Yanks for the long haul, is going to have to have a professional relationship with him.  So...blasting him in the press just makes Cash look (in this one case) as bad as Alex does. 

In short, Cash really could have, and should have, handled that better. He's the GM...he has to be the professional one...the bigger man, if you will.  That's his job, and dealing with these guys in a professional manner, even when they are not being professional, is part (a big part) of that job.

Here are the rumors behind this:  Alex has been telling the Yanks he's ready for game action for a week or two.  The Yanks keep telling him there is a process he has to go through, for clearance.  Alex feels the Yanks are stalling his rehab process for their own internal reasons (because they want him on the DL as long as possible, so they can potentially collect  insurance money, and not deal with the circus side show he brings to the table...and because they want to look for any medical reason possible to potentially force him to retire or void (aka get the insurance policies to pay out) his contract).  The Yanks doctors continue to delay his clearance, so Alex got the doctor in charge of his surgery to examine him over this past weekend.  That doctor (not the Yanks own doctors) cleared him to play.  Alex essentially ended around the Yanks training staff...and Cash...to prove his point.  And then very publically tweeted about it when the Yanks refused to listen.  Also the wrong way to handle things, by a country mile.

FYI...other players have recently updated their rehab status (before the Yanks have made official updates):

    Curtis Granderson ‏@cgrand14 11 Apr
    Brace is finally off for non baseball activities. Another step closer! pic.twitter.com/ovS4XAlYjo

    Mark Teixeira ‏@teixeiramark25 17 Apr
    So happy that my rehab is going well. Started my swinging progression yesterday, slowly building up but it?s hard to be patient!

Not a peep by Cash when those went out...just sayin'.

Edit:
I think this article sums it up well...though the author gives Arod a bit too much of a pass:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/yankees/2013/06/25/alex-rodriguez-brian-cashman-shut-the-up-hip-surgery/2458543/

[AxlsMainMan]

The Blue Jays get Jose Reyes back today

[Falcon]

I always liked Brian Cashman, even more so now.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/9422957/brian-cashman-tells-new-york-yankees-alex-rodriguez-shut-up

"You know what, when the Yankees want to announce something, [we will]. Alex should just shut the f--- up. That's it. I'm going to call Alex now."

Yeah, I agree with Brian.  Alex should keep his mouth shut, all things considered.

But, in some cases, I think Brian should take his own advice.  This is one of them.

Look, I get Brian isn't a big Alex fan. He hasn't been since the Steinbrenners went around him and, basically behind his back, signed Alex to an atrocious deal.  And I get that he's not happy about having to talk about Alex's flirting with fans, taking PEDs, and the rest of it. I'm sure it's frustrating to have to do positive PR, or "no comments" for a player you don't really like, and didn't sign (you'll notice Cash took similar shots at Soriano, during his tenure with the Yanks, when Soriano did stupid stuff (ex: Not being available for post game press after blowing saves), but you gotta do it...if not with a smile, at least with a modicum of decorum.

The fact is...Alex has quite a bit of time left on his contract, and the Yanks owe him quite a bit of money.  Brian, if he wants to be GM of the Yanks for the long haul, is going to have to have a professional relationship with him.  So...blasting him in the press just makes Cash look (in this one case) as bad as Alex does. 

In short, Cash really could have, and should have, handled that better. He's the GM...he has to be the professional one...the bigger man, if you will.  That's his job, and dealing with these guys in a professional manner, even when they are not being professional, is part (a big part) of that job.

Here are the rumors behind this:  Alex has been telling the Yanks he's ready for game action for a week or two.  The Yanks keep telling him there is a process he has to go through, for clearance.  Alex feels the Yanks are stalling his rehab process for their own internal reasons (because they want him on the DL as long as possible, so they can potentially collect  insurance money, and not deal with the circus side show he brings to the table...and because they want to look for any medical reason possible to potentially force him to retire or void (aka get the insurance policies to pay out) his contract).  The Yanks doctors continue to delay his clearance, so Alex got the doctor in charge of his surgery to examine him over this past weekend.  That doctor (not the Yanks own doctors) cleared him to play.  Alex essentially ended around the Yanks training staff...and Cash...to prove his point.  And then very publically tweeted about it when the Yanks refused to listen.  Also the wrong way to handle things, by a country mile.

FYI...other players have recently updated their rehab status (before the Yanks have made official updates):

    Curtis Granderson ‏@cgrand14 11 Apr
    Brace is finally off for non baseball activities. Another step closer! pic.twitter.com/ovS4XAlYjo

    Mark Teixeira ‏@teixeiramark25 17 Apr
    So happy that my rehab is going well. Started my swinging progression yesterday, slowly building up but it?s hard to be patient!

Not a peep by Cash when those went out...just sayin'.

Edit:
I think this article sums it up well...though the author gives Arod a bit too much of a pass:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/yankees/2013/06/25/alex-rodriguez-brian-cashman-shut-the-up-hip-surgery/2458543/

Good stuff pilf, thanks for the viewpoint.

Outside looking in, it seems as though the Cashman and ARod (peacefully) coexisting isn't exactly a likely scenario moving forward.

Would it ever come down to a "him or me" situation?

Would the Yanks ever consider eating the bazillion $$ still owed ARod and if not, fire Cashman?

Would Cashman ever just say, "Fuck this, this organization is a zoo (blatant Bronx Zoo reference  ) and walk away?

[Falcon]

"Mark Teixeira to have season-ending surgery"

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/26/mark-teixeira-to-have-season-ending-surgery/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Tendon sheath surgery, yikes.

Same thing Mark DeRosa had done about 3 years ago, dude's never been even remotely close to the same.

I wonder if Cashman will tell him to "Heal the fuck up?"

[pilferk]

The Blue Jays get Jose Reyes back today

And the yanks lost tex for the rest of the season...

[pilferk]

I always liked Brian Cashman, even more so now.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/9422957/brian-cashman-tells-new-york-yankees-alex-rodriguez-shut-up

"You know what, when the Yankees want to announce something, [we will]. Alex should just shut the f--- up. That's it. I'm going to call Alex now."

Yeah, I agree with Brian.  Alex should keep his mouth shut, all things considered.

But, in some cases, I think Brian should take his own advice.  This is one of them.

Look, I get Brian isn't a big Alex fan. He hasn't been since the Steinbrenners went around him and, basically behind his back, signed Alex to an atrocious deal.  And I get that he's not happy about having to talk about Alex's flirting with fans, taking PEDs, and the rest of it. I'm sure it's frustrating to have to do positive PR, or "no comments" for a player you don't really like, and didn't sign (you'll notice Cash took similar shots at Soriano, during his tenure with the Yanks, when Soriano did stupid stuff (ex: Not being available for post game press after blowing saves), but you gotta do it...if not with a smile, at least with a modicum of decorum.

The fact is...Alex has quite a bit of time left on his contract, and the Yanks owe him quite a bit of money.  Brian, if he wants to be GM of the Yanks for the long haul, is going to have to have a professional relationship with him.  So...blasting him in the press just makes Cash look (in this one case) as bad as Alex does. 

In short, Cash really could have, and should have, handled that better. He's the GM...he has to be the professional one...the bigger man, if you will.  That's his job, and dealing with these guys in a professional manner, even when they are not being professional, is part (a big part) of that job.

Here are the rumors behind this:  Alex has been telling the Yanks he's ready for game action for a week or two.  The Yanks keep telling him there is a process he has to go through, for clearance.  Alex feels the Yanks are stalling his rehab process for their own internal reasons (because they want him on the DL as long as possible, so they can potentially collect  insurance money, and not deal with the circus side show he brings to the table...and because they want to look for any medical reason possible to potentially force him to retire or void (aka get the insurance policies to pay out) his contract).  The Yanks doctors continue to delay his clearance, so Alex got the doctor in charge of his surgery to examine him over this past weekend.  That doctor (not the Yanks own doctors) cleared him to play.  Alex essentially ended around the Yanks training staff...and Cash...to prove his point.  And then very publically tweeted about it when the Yanks refused to listen.  Also the wrong way to handle things, by a country mile.

FYI...other players have recently updated their rehab status (before the Yanks have made official updates):

    Curtis Granderson ‏@cgrand14 11 Apr
    Brace is finally off for non baseball activities. Another step closer! pic.twitter.com/ovS4XAlYjo

    Mark Teixeira ‏@teixeiramark25 17 Apr
    So happy that my rehab is going well. Started my swinging progression yesterday, slowly building up but it?s hard to be patient!

Not a peep by Cash when those went out...just sayin'.

Edit:
I think this article sums it up well...though the author gives Arod a bit too much of a pass:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/yankees/2013/06/25/alex-rodriguez-brian-cashman-shut-the-up-hip-surgery/2458543/

Good stuff pilf, thanks for the viewpoint.

Outside looking in, it seems as though the Cashman and ARod (peacefully) coexisting isn't exactly a likely scenario moving forward.

Would it ever come down to a "him or me" situation?

Would the Yanks ever consider eating the bazillion $$ still owed ARod and if not, fire Cashman?

Would Cashman ever just say, "Fuck this, this organization is a zoo (blatant Bronx Zoo reference  ) and walk away?

Cash would lose that standoff...because arod is guaranteed his money. Cash isn't.

Nobody is taking arod. Not unless the yank agree to pay 95% of his money AND take nothing but low prospects for him. He's not productive enough to be with the hassles he brings.

Which means the yanks have him for better or worse.

Cash can not like him...he just has to be the bigger man and do it quietly. Because, honestly, where does cash go? Every decent team has a guy that's problematic, really. The gms job is to suck it up and be the pro, and let the player be the..and look like the...asshole.

[pilferk]

"Mark Teixeira to have season-ending surgery"

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/26/mark-teixeira-to-have-season-ending-surgery/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Tendon sheath surgery, yikes.

Same thing Mark DeRosa had done about 3 years ago, dude's never been even remotely close to the same.

I wonder if Cashman will tell him to "Heal the fuck up?"

Batista had the same issue..worse because it was a full tear..and ended up with surgery last year. He seems to have recovered ok.

[pilferk]

Cash is talking now. He is apologizing for his comment/attitude yesterday. Sounds like he got bitch slapped by Hal.

Hal talked to Alex(end a rounding cash), and asked that he allow them to "manage from the top down, not the bottom up". Supposedly, Alex apologized, chalked it up to being excited, and " got the message".