The hot stove season has been pretty quiet so from the Yankees’ perspective (with nothing much going on since the Freddy Garcia signing), but things may be starting to heat up. The spending sprees by the Angels and Marlins have been the story of the offseason so far, but a few big storylines remain. Around the league, some new occurrences may start to set the pieces in motion for the Yankees as they look to fill out their roster. Here are some recent rumors and events that may have implications for the Yankees.
Darvish situation awaits resolution
While many people believe that the Toronto Blue Jays are the likely winners in the Yu Darvish posting sweepstakes, recent rumors that the winning bid exceeds the $51+ million paid for Daisuke Matsuzaka do raise some questions about the involvement of an infamous “mystery team.” The Jays were rumored to have come up with a bid in the $49 million range, but no other team has been linked to a number that high. If both rumors are true, then it would be likely that the Rangers, rather than Toronto are the high bidder. There is also a non-zero chance that despite rumors of a low Yankees bid, Brian Cashman pulled a ninja move and outbid the competition.
It is believed that the winning bid will be announced early next week, which will allow the team with the winning bid 30 days to negotiate with Darvish, and the teams who placed losing bids to move on with their offseason. For the Yankees, losing out on Darvish will likely cause them to shift focus to other pitching options, possibly including a 1-year deal that they might be pursuing with Hiroki Kuroda.
Update: Per Marc Carig, the Yankees believe that they will not be getting Darvish, so barring a surprise I guess that ship has sailed.
Blockbuster San Diego-Cincinnati trade
Yesterday, the Padres and Reds pulled off what will likely be the biggest trade of the offseason. The Padres dealt young ace Mat Latos to the Reds for a haul of players, including 1b prospect Yonder Alonso, catching prospect Yasmani Grandal, RHP Edinson Volquez, and pitching prospect Brad Boxberger. Latos is a young, cost-controlled starter who has shown frontline ability, making him one of the more valuable commodities in baseball, and the Reds paid accordingly.
Alonso and Grandal are both top prospects with experience in the upper minors (and in Alonso’s case, early success in the majors), Volquez is a pitcher who has flashed frontline talent but also inconsistency, and Boxberger is a power arm who likely profiles best as a reliever. This haul is bigger than any recent pitching trades that I can think of, which illustrates the value that teams place on youth, affordability, and years of control remaining.
From the Yankee perspective, this trade is illustrative of the soaring cost of young pitching. Latos is a stud no doubt, but he has some warts (some injuries and makeup questions) that prevent him from being a flawless commodity. With the price on Latos as high as it was, it is almost unfathomable to imagine the cost of acquiring somebody like a Felix Hernandez or Clayton Kershaw in this market.
After the trade news was announced, I tweeted that the equivalent package for the Yankees would be something like Jesus Montero, Gary Sanchez, Phil Hughes, and David Phelps. Mike Axisa had a similar assessment in a post yesterday at River Ave Blues, setting an equivalent package as Montero, Austin Romine, Hughes, and Adam Warren. In either case, it’s a hefty price to pay, which is why it is so important for an organization to be able to develop its own frontline starters.
Yoenis Cespedes Encore
Cuban superstar Yoenis Cespedes is back with another silly highlight video, and Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus has the breakdown. This video is a little longer than the original, and has more actual footage of Cespedes doing baseball-related activities (though there is still a fair amount of workout footage). Cespedes’ impressive tools are on display in the video, as he hits a 500+ foot homer in one clip, runs a 6.41 60-yard dash, and makes some strong throws from the outfield.
Plus there is footage of dozens scouts and executives from various organizations (including Tony Pena and Billy Eppler from the Yankees) attending the showcase, which demonstrates the strong interest that teams have taken in Cespedes. And of course, there are some random (former NFL RB) Ahman Green sightings that are somwhat strange out of context, but provide some levity.
There is not really anything in the way of game footage, but the video does serve to highlight what many teams find attractive about Cespedes: he is athletic, fast, powerful, and seems to have a tenacious work ethic. The Yankees are considered the frontrunners to sign the 26 year-old Cuban, though he has not been declared a free agent yet (and may not be until January). It is unclear what role he would fill on the current roster, and the determination of the Yankees as the favorite is likely because of their financial resources rather than intense interest in the player. If I had to bet, I would probably guess that the Miami Marlins would be the frontrunners for him (especially since Ozzie Guillen was featured so prominently in the video).
Rollins re-ups in Philly
Jimmy Rollins resigned with the only organization he has ever belonged to, getting 3 years and $33 million from the Phillies. That is a fair amount of money for a guy who is 33 and hasn’t topped a .750 OPS since 2009, but Rollins is a popular player, and with Jose Reyes signing in Miami, there is no viable replacement.
The Rollins re-signing is somewhat reminiscent of Derek Jeter‘s signing with the Yankees, albeit with less money and hoopla. Seeing the Rollins contract versus the Jeter’s (3 years, $51 million), there is no question that the Yankees overpaid for a player who was older than Rollins at the time of his free agency. Like Rollins, Jeter got paid for being a franchise icon with no viable alternative present to use as leverage. Jeter has been somewhat better than Rollins over the past few seasons, but I don’t think anybody would argue that he is $6 million per year better.
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4 Responses to Sunday afternoon news roundup
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TIQ IQ
Eric, just one comment about the Jeter/Rollins pay comparison. IF both players 4th year options are exercised. The difference over a 4 year period is $12MM or $3MM per. Still a difference but not nearly as big.
I don’t know about you guys but I’d trade Montero, Romine, Hughes, and Warren or Phels for Latos. He is very young and already shown himself to be a number 2 in almost any rotation in baseball, with the potential to be a real ace within the next couple of years. At his age, talent level, and years of control left I think it’s a deal that hurts but is worth it in the long run. I’d be more wary of giving up Montero, Hughes, Sanchez, and Warren or Phelps but I’d probably still do it. Getting Latos and being able to keep Banuelos and Betances would be a huge win for the Yankees in my opinion.
I know many are obssessed with Montero and his staying a Yankee but honestly he can be nothing but a DH for us for the next 5 years. While there is certainly value in that, and I do believe in his bat, a DH is simply not as valuable as a number 2 starter year in and year out.
Reports today are that “the Yankees are BIG on Cespedes”. It didn’t say anything about them being the outright favorites, but it seems like they are certainly in the mix. Though I suppose this could be agents talking up the Yankees interest to sources to up the overall price. I can go either way on Cespedes, but if he’s willing to accept starting out in the minors I have no problems with the money.
I’d have to think long and hard about making a deal like that. Montero is certainly not untouchable to me if he’s a DH long-term, but I’d want to make sure he was being dealt for a bona fide ace who would be a known quantity. Latos could fit that bill, but there’s a lot of uncertainty there.
I’m honestly not locked into the “bonafide ace or bust” group with Montero, I am willing to part with him for a bonafide number 2 starter under the age of 26 which is what Latos is right now. He would slot behind Sabathia for the next 4 years cheap, and would be the favorite to take over the number 1 slot in the rotation after that long term. It’s all for not now, though I was dissapointed to hear he was traded as I have been banging the Latos drum pretty hard all offseason.
I think all the questions surrounding Latos are maturity and arrogance related and I’m ok with that when you consider the clubhouse we have. We have tons of hard working veterans who have all proved themselves to be great, some Hall of Famers. You aren’t going to pull any ego trips on that group and not get checked, and Alex can make just about anyone more dedicated with his work ethic compared to his talent level.
I wouldn’t trade Montero in a deal for Gio, he’s young, but he’s not proven to me he’s a number 2 yet. I think he’s currently a 3 with upside beyond that depending on what he does with the walks. I would however trade Banuelos for him as I see their upside as similar, though the A’s would be foolish to deal him for a package headlined by a pitcher. They need bats