On the Yankees beat

By Joe Pawlikowski

Yes, this is a cheesy Thanksgiving post, wherein I'll give my thanks to the New York Yankees organization. Hey, it's better than rehashing the same old hot stove rumors over and over again, full well knowing nothing will happen until the weekend at the earliest, and even then probably not until next week. That is, of course, unless the Angels pull another Thanksgiving eve move like they did last year with Torii Hunter.

* I'm thankful that we live in a market that makes it possible to spend money on good players.

* I'm thankful that ownership, whether George or his sons, aren't afraid to spend what it takes, even if that sometimes means overspending or spending in the wrong places.

* I'm thankful that Brian Cashman is our GM. I know many fans dislike him. But with the Yankees facing increasingly tough decisions, he's the guy I trust right now to make the right ones.

* I'm thankful for the rabid Yankees fan base. Blogging would be no fun without you guys.

* I'm thankful for Alex Rodriguez. Many of you are not. I appreciate that the guy is one of, if not the best player in baseball.

* I'm thankful for Joe Torre and the relative calm he brought to the clubhouse from 1996 through 2007. I'm also thankful for Girardi, but we got a first-hand look in 2008 of what Torre actually brought to the table.

* I'm thankful that Robinson Cano is working hard to improve on his 2007.

* I'll leave on a note of hope. What I hope for isn't a free agent signing or a blockbuster trade. Rather, my hope for the Yankees in 2008 is that they get a few bounceback years.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Joe Pawlikowski writes for River Ave. Blues and can be reached here.

By Benjamin Kabak

In the pages of Newsday today, Wallace Matthews posed a question upon which no Yankee fan really wants to dwell: What if CC Sabathia just doesn't want to play in the Bronx for the Yankees?

Matthews argues that Sabathia's silence speaks louder than the Yanks' lofty offer. By not responding to the contract, he writes, Sabathia is implicitly saying that he doesn't want to play in New York.

As is their collective wont these days, Yankee fans had latched on to this argument before Matthews expressed those fears today. But so far, all we know is that Sabathia prefers the West Coast. He's a native of California and hasn't hidden his love of both the West Coast and the NL. That doesn't, however, mean that he wants to pitch only on the West Coast. It just means that he prefers the West Coast. He may still be open to coming to New York even if he hasn't responded to the Yanks' offer.

Below the surface, Sabathia's silence could just be a very solid and strategic negotiating tactic. By making such a lofty offer, the Yankees are telling Sabathia that they really want him. They're willing to pay tens of millions of dollars more than anyone else for his services. So shouldn't CC try to get more out of them?

If the Angels come into play, as it seems they have, Sabathia could easily use that to his advantage. All his agent has to do is go back to the Yanks and say, "We have a $135 million offer on the table from the Angels. Can you significantly top that?"

The Yanks may then come back with an offer in excess of $150 million. Sabathia could become the highest paid pitcher of all time and one of the game's top earners. If not, the Yanks could look at A.J. Burnett, Ben Sheets or Mark Teixeira as a potential recipient of a very big deal.

Of course, this is all just speculation. We don't know what the Angels are going to do. We don't know what Sabathia wants. There is a chance that Matthews is dead on and that Sabathia will use the Yanks to get more money from the West Coast with no intention of ever coming to New York. In a few weeks, we'll find out, but as Yankee fans collective jump off bridges today, it's not the end of the world. It is just another turn of the Hot Stove League.

Benjamin Kabak writes for River Ave Blues and Second Ave. Sagas and can be reached here.

By Michael Axisa

While most fans only concern themselves with their favorite team's 25-man roster, team executives spend their time worrying about the big picture, namely the 40-man roster. Last Thursday was the deadline for teams to add prospects to the 40-man to keep them from being eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, which is held on the final day of the winter meetings. College draftees who have been in the system for at least three years and high school draftees who've been around for at least four years are eligible for the draft, which was created to help advance the careers of players stuck in particularly deep systems and/or established big leaguers. Armed with four free 40-man spots, the Yanks chose to protect three of their most Major League-ready relief arms in LHP Mike Dunn and RHPs Anthony Claggett and Steven Jackson, as well as high ceiling RHSP Chris Garcia. Claggett came over in the Sheffield deal, Jackson the Randy Johnson deal.

The Yanks opted to leave some high profile names unprotected, specifically former first-round picks RHP Alan Horne and 1B Eric Duncan (Horne is a former Indians' first rounder), as well as ex-second rounder RHP J.B. Cox. Horne and Cox are coming back from shoulder and knee issues, respectively, but are expected to be ready for spring training. Duncan is on his last prospect legs and went undrafted in last year's Rule 5 draft. Those three may slide through without incident, however a small market club could take a flier on either one of the pitchers and try to hide them in the back of their bullpen all season. If they don't stick all season, they'll be offered back to the Yanks for half of the original $50,000 claim fee.

One player who won't sneak through is Zack Kroenke, who was Nebraska's ace until Joba Chamberlain showed up. Because he's lefthanded, breathing, and has experienced moderate success in Triple-A (albeit in very few innings), Kroenke should hear his name called in the first 10 or 15 picks. With Damaso Marte resigned and Phil Coke emerging, Kroenke isn't worth a precious 40-man spot. Righty Kevin Whelan (another piece in the Sheffield deal) may also hear his name called, although his bouts of wildness (120 BB in 198.2 IP) and injury issues should be enough for a team to disregard his unhittableness (108 H in those innings). Other than those mentioned, no one of consequence is being exposed in the Rule 5.

Now that the 40-man roster is packed to the gills, the Yanks have nowhere to put any free agent signees without making a roster move, and can't make a selection of their own in the Rule 5. The two most likely casualties if/when the Yanks add some free agents are Chris Britton and Shelley Duncan, both of whom have seemingly worn out their welcome in the Boogie Down and are easily replaceable. Danny Giese, despite being more effective than anyone could have ever imagined, might fall victim to the number's crunch and find himself looking for a job. If it comes to that, hopefully the braintrust is smart enough to try to bring him back on a minor league deal like Darrell Rasner in 2007. Cody Ransom is another candidate for the Rasner treatment.

One of the main drawbacks of locking big name free agents up to long-term deals is the decrease in roster flexibility. With the Yanks looking to add several big pieces this offseason, the roster manipulation has just begun.

Michael Axisa writes for River Ave. Blues and can be reached here.

Most 20-something Yankee fans probably don't know who Howie Spira is, but there was definitely a time when George Steinbrenner was the biggest villian in New York sports. Former long-time Newsday columnist Steve Jacobson reminds us what it used to be like around the Yankees in his column here.

By Benjamin Kabak

It's the middle of November. In New York, it's cold and gray, and for most people, baseball is a glimmer of spring far off in the distance. While many in the city are starting to whisper about an all-Meadowlands Super Bowl, it's never too early to play a baseball fan's favorite Hot Stove Game: What if the season started tomorrow?

For the Yankees, the idea of the season starting tomorrow is a scary one. As things with the team stand now, the Yanks are far from ready for the 2009 season, and the team's holes are both alarming and glaringly obvious.

Taking a look at the Yanks' organizational depth chart, we see that the Yanks' starting rotation doesn't inspire much confidence. With Mike Mussina's calling it quits and Andy Pettitte's remaining an unsigned free agent, the Yanks' rotation is low on experience. Chien-Ming Wang fronts the starting five, followed by Joba Chamberlain and his innings limit, Al Aceves, Phil Hughes and his innings limit and Ian Kennedy who hasn't had a quality start in the majors since the end of 2007. In this light, it's hard to underestimate CC Sabathia's value to the Yankees.

Of course, the season doesn't start tomorrow. The Yankees don't really need to get worried for a few weeks. Now that Moose has hung up his spikes, the Yanks will probably act quickly on Andy Pettitte. They have an outstanding offer on the table for Sabathia to consider; they will get involved in the bidding war that will soon encompass A.J. Burnett; they'll probably kick the tires on Derek Lowe. But the nagging "what if" is hard to ignore.

What if the Yankees don't land Sabathia or Burnett? What if Lowe is the only addition to the roster? Can the Yanks win with Wang, Joba, Pettitte, Lowe and a revolving door of fifth starters? Considering the age surrounding two of those pitchers and the innings limit on another, I doubt the team would be favored entering spring training.

Doom and gloom isn't a good trait for Yankee fans. We're used to the cockiness that comes with a fat wallet. We know that the team has the resources to buy the players they want, but sometimes, these decisions are out of the hands of the Steinbrenners and GM Brian Cashman. Sometimes, the Yankees want players that don't want the Yankees, and that's why Yankee fans have grown impatient with CC Sabathia.

In a week or two, Sabathia may be ready to make a decision. In the meantime, we'll just sit, wait and hope that the rotation, come Opening Day, looks a little more reliable than it does today in November.

Benjamin Kabak writes for River Ave. Blues and Second Ave. Sagas and can be reached here.

By Joe Pawlikowski

There is perhaps no more controversial Yankee than Phil Hughes. To some fans, he's the guy they chose over Johan Santana. To others he represents the future of the organization. Problem is, both of these mindsets placed an unrealistic level of expectations on the 22-year-old heading into the 2008 season. Things started off ugly, and got uglier when he hit the DL at the end of April, not to return to the majors until the end of September.

Because of the injury, Hughes's didn't reach his innings goal, setting him back a bit further than the Yankees had anticipated. To get him up to speed for next year, the team decided to send him to the Arizona Fall League. Despite his major league experience, Hughes was one of the youngest pitchers in the league. Still, the expectations remained high.

He started off strong, but had a few bad starts mingled with some strong ones. These bad starts were held under the microscope by the media, causing a rabble among fans. It came out that he had a problem with a fingernail, which added to his injury concern, but is a real problem for pitchers.

His last two starts in the league, including one yesterday, were the definition of solid On Nov. 14, he pitched the league-maximum five innings, striking out six and walking one while giving up just two hits and zero runs. Yesterday was even better: 5 innings, 10 strikeouts (!!), zero walks, zero runs, two hits. This left him with an even 3.00 ERA over his 30 AzFL innings. Take out those two clunkers, and he absolutely dominated the league.

Does this mean we can expect more from Phil in 2009? Let's try not to raise that bar. He's still very young, and has plenty of time to develop. The hope is that the Yankees can go into Spring Training with four solid starters, allowing for a fifth-starter competition, which would presumably include Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Al Aceves.

Thankfully for Hughes, it's tough to get worse than April 2008.

Joe Pawlikowski writes for River Ave. Blues and can be reached here.

MLB owners today approved the shift of control of the Yankees from George Steinbrenner to son Hal.

By Anthony Rieber

Just finished an interview with Yankees manager Joe Girardi at his Catch-25 foundation event at the Oyster Bar at Grand Central station. Here are some highlights.

Talked to any free agents?

"Not yet. I'll wait til we get a little further down the process as players start trying to make a decision between one or two teams. I believe we have a ton to offer with the new stadium, ownership group that does everything it can to win every year, the city. This is an exciting place to play."

CC?

"I know players like to a lot of times have things done before the holidays get here. I'm hoping things get done sooner than later. Sometimes players have a hard time making up their mind."

Mussina decided to retire?

"I have not heard that report as of today and I have not talked to him lately. He had led me to believe that that's what was going to happen at the end of the year. I wasn't quite sure in the sense that sometimes when you get away from it you really miss it. He talked about wanting to be home and if he does (retire) I won't be surprised. But if he comes back I won't be surprised either ... If he does decide to retire I believe most of it is based on family."

Burnett?

"A.J. Burnett has great stuff. I think he's matured a lot as a pitcher as well. Learned to control the running game a lot better. He attacks hitters. He gets hitters out quickly. Throws a lot of strikes. Fields his position. I think he's much more complete as a a pitcher."

Worried about Burnett's injuries?

"That's something that you look at. He was healthy last year, so to me that's a positive sign. There's risk in any longterm contract, but whoever we sign we'll do our best to keep them healthy."

Girardi also said Hideki Matsui was "ahead of schedule" and Jorge Posada was progressing well. He also said the Yankees were not ruling out outside help for centerfield.

Oh, and the oysters were delicious. So I'm told.

Mike Mussina is expected to announce his retirement, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark is reporting.

This should come as no surprise to the Yankees, as it was expected that Mussina would walk away after the '08 season.

Mussina, who is nearly 40, won 20 games in his last season with the Yankees, which was the first 20-win season of his career.