Pettitte Unhappy With Negotiations

Ken Davidoff of Newsday is reporting that Andy Pettitte is unhappy about how negotiations have transpired with the Yankees and may be re-thinking returning to the Houston Astros. Negotiations are still on going though as both sides seem to want to come to a resolution.

Pettitte's issues are three fold, and not unexpected:

1. Show me some appreciation. Sorry, Andy this worked last time, as so eloquently illustrated by Mrs. MM yesterday, but doesn't fly this time.

2. The Yankees aren't hurting for more based on the contracts recently handed out. It's a valid point, bu that's not the reason for the cut.

3. He thinks his 2008 season was not as bad as the Yankees are making it out to be. You get props for pitching while hurt, but you were pretty mediocre overall.

Davidoff also confirms that the Yankees are looking to deal Xavier Nady, to lower salary.Nady has one year remaining prior to free agency. To us it makes no sense to trade him. Play him, offer him arbitration after the season, and get the draft pick(s). The Yankees have also gotten calls about Nick Swisher, but the 3 years left on his contract could make him a less desirable target.

What do you think about the Andy Pettitte situation? Take our new poll! Our compromise is to give him $10 million guaranteed with incentives that could pay him another $6 million or more.

UPDATE - THE POLL IS WORKING AGAIN, SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE

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The Daily Yankeeland - 12/18

Yankees Set up Initial Meeting

CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett got their official introduction to Yankeedom this afternoon in a rather brief, boring press conference. As Mike Francesa commented afterwards on the FAN, "this could have been done on a teleconference".

Yanks PR guy Jason Zillo did an intro, followed by another intro from VP/sleaze Randy Levine, Brian Cashman's usual boring words, and some short statements and Q/A with the two guests of honor. Joe Girardi's little girl Serena also presented the two new Yankees wives with a gift.

Both sounded confident and were happy to be part of the "Yankees family". Sabathia said the Yankees were always "part of the mix" and there was no bias against the east coast. He did acknowledge though that had a western team made the offer the Yankees did, he probably would have ended up out there.

For Burnett, being in Pinstripes is "a dream come true". As for his past health problems (even joking to Warner Wolf that he didn't need to recount how many times he was on the DL), Burnett feels like he has turned a corner, and takes much better care of his arm and body than he did when he was younger.

Sabathia will wear his customary number 52 while Burnett will don number 34. Hopefully they'll make a powerful 1-2 punch in the Yankees rotation in '09.


Posada Coming Along

Jorge Posada is now throwing from 60-ft as he continues his rehab from off-season shoulder surgery. Posada threw three sets of 25 throws and felt good afterwards.


Full Time Joba

It's been an odd off-season for Joba Chamberlain. He's stupidly decided to drink and drive which led to an arrest on suspicion of DUI. (His arraignment has been rescheduled to next month.) Tuesday he received an athlete of the year award in Manhattan from...the Police Athletic League ("Isn't it ironic?")


What'chu talking 'bout Willis?

CC Sabathia's first minor league pitching coach has nothing but great things to say about his former pupil. Carl Willis, who was a teammate of Paul O'Neill's in Cincinnati, coached Sabathia in the minors as well as the big league level with the Indians.

Willis’s phrases came quickly from his home in Durham, N.C., touching on the pitcher and the person. He called Sabathia a terrific pitcher,a better teammate, a loyal person, an underrated athlete and a diligent worker. After 10 minutes, Willis apologized for being so effusive. But then Willis kept chatting like a public relations man.

“He cares about the team,” Willis said. “Not just him winning, but the team winning. That smile you see when he’s in the dugout is genuine.”

Miscellaneous

Aaron Boone, the hero of game 7 of the 2003 ALCS (and one of the goats of that year's World Series) signed a one year deal with the Houston Astros.

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The Weekend Yankeeland - 12/14

Shat or Get off the Pot
What's on Andy Pettitte's mind this Sunday morning? He met with Brian Cashman on Thursday, presumably so Cashman could appeal to his sense of "Yankees pride". Translation, "we're not paying you $16 million. Take a pay cut or take a walk. Ben Sheets will be glad to take your place." The ball is now in Pettitte's court.

A Frickin' Winner
Belated congrats to Tony Kubek as this year's Ford Frick Award winner by the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kubek made a name for himself on the NBC weekly telecasts with Joe Garagiola, and his broadcasting work included Yankees game in the 1990s. In 1994, tired of life on the road and dissatisfied with the state of the game, the former Yankees shortstop walked away with 2 years left on his contract.

Kubek's playing career ended pretty much the same way. He retired at age 30 after 9 years in the majors. He also, unfortunately, helped turn around the 1960 World Series for the Pirates, when Bill Virdon's bad hop grounder hit him in the throat, forcing him from the game and keeping a Pittsburgh rally alive.

We were never big fans of Kubek's broadcast work, though he grew on us during his stint with the Yankees. He was never afraid to criticize the home team like some other broadcasters and we respected that.

Kubek will be honored in Cooperstown on July 26 along with former Yankees Joe Gordon, elected to the hall by the veterans committee, and Rickey Henderson, who will enter the hall as a member of the Oakland A's.

Queme a Bebé Bernie
Bernie Williams never officially retired and though he may not want to play in the majors next season, he does want to play for his native Puerto Rico. So the guitar man is headed to Puerto Rico to play winter ball for the Carolina Giants. How long before Mike Francesa says the Yankees should bring him back (about 2 seconds after campaigns AGAIN for Joba to go back to the pen)?

Rich or Poor, It's Good to Have Money
In case you are interested, Richard Sandomir of the NY Times explains how the Yankees can afford players like CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett.

We laugh at those headlines that say the rich got richer. The rich haven't won anything in 8 years.

Caller, are you there?
Mark Feinsand of the News reports that Johnny Damon and A-Rod made recruiting calls to Burnett. A-Rod promise tickets to a Madonna concert and 2 free Kaballah sessions?

Don't Let the Door Hit Ya...
Midnight Friday or is that Midnight Saturday..no 12:00 AM as it became Saturday..oh never mind. That was the deadline for non-tendering players. Not many players were let go that will have a major effect on any teams, but the Rockies let speedster Willy Taveras go and the Astros parted with infielder Ty Wiggington. The Yankees have displayed an interest in Wiggington in the past and would probably be interested him as a utility player. However, Wiggington could probably get a starting job, or at least a back up job where he would play more, rather than signing with the Bombers.

Play by the Rules
The Yankees got their pockets picked in Friday's Rule V Draft. Reegie Corona (Sea), Zach Kroenke (Fla), Jason Jones (Min), and Ivan Nova (SD) were all taken in the major league phase of the draft.

Andres Santos (Pit) and Josue Selenes (Oak) then went in the Triple-A phase to make it 6 Yankees prospects selected. Amazing that some baseball "experts" claim the Yankees don't have good prospects.

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Tuesday Hot Stove

Don't Do as I Say
We could use an umbrella to keep the rain off the stove. The Red Sox could use a swift kick in the ass. We don't want to hear any more garbage out of Boston about how the Yankees did this or did that. First it was complaining about how much money the Yankees spent and then the Red Sox started doling out huge deals. Now comes word the Red Sox are about to sign Japanese amateur Junichi Tazawa, violating an age old verbal agreement that the Major Leagues would not raid the Japanese amateurs.

The Yankees may have been looking into a deal as well, but publicly Brian Cashman stated it was a mistake for teams to take such an approach. The fall out from all this of course is that Japanese leagues could disrupt the US amateur draft by making huge offers to US college and high school kids.

Bing Stays Healthier
If the A's can reel in Rafael Furcal, they'll look to deal oft-injured, underachieving shortstop Bobby Crosby. The A's are said to be willing to pick up a good chunk of Crosby's $5.25 million salary.

You Can Never Have Too Many
Left-handers that is. The Cardinals are still finalizing a deal with reliever Trever Miller and have now made an offer to fellow free agent Arthur Rhodes. The Yankees will be disappointed to see him out of the AL.

Making a Pitch
The LA Times reports that the Angels have shifted focus from re-signing Mark Teixeira to addressing pitching needs. Translation - CC Sabathia.

You'll Look Great in Black and Orange
That may be one of the pitches the Orioles make towards free agent pitcher A.J. Burnett now that Baltimore is in the mix.

The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
The Mets have received the X-Rays from Francisco Rodriguez's medical records as they decide whether or not to spend big money on a closer.

Stot Unemployed
With a new manager in Seattle, pitching coach Mel Stottelmyre, still one of our favorites from those old bad Yankees teams, is out of a job. Stot worked one season on the M's staff. Perhaps something will open up with Joe Torre in LA.

UPDATE 5:00 PM
Rockies Try Not to Laugh at Mets
The Rockies have reportedly turned down a deal that would have sent Aaron Heilman to Colorado for Huston Street. Street isn't what he once was or what anyone thought he would be, but he's still a lot better than Heilman.

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The Daily Yankeeland - 11/17

Hey! The Daily Yankeeland is back. Hope you missed it!

The Yankees aren't sure if they'll land CC Sabathia, but the Cleveland Cavs forward, and Yankees fan, LeBron James thinks it'll happen. "We're gonna get him. Absolutely."

Meanwhile Brewers GM Doug Melvin can't understand the reported $140 million the Yankees offered his left-hander.

"If the speculation is true that we've offered CC $100 million," Melvin wondered out loud in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "why would you offer $140 million? Why wouldn't you offer $110 million?

With all due respect to Doug Melvin, why would the Yankees want to get into a bidding war? They know Sabathia wants Johan Santana money ($137.5 million), so why should they bid $105 million and allow Sabathia to think they really aren't serious? The Steinbrenners and Brian Cashman want to wow the 2007 AL CY Young winner and this offer will certainly do just that.


Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto
Darrell Rasner is thanking his lucky stars and Japanese ownership for some financial security. The Yankees sold Rasner's contract to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles for $1 million. Rasner will make a guaranteed $1.2 million next season and could make as much as $3.5 million if his option is picked up for 2010.

"I'm going to, most of all, remember the last year," Rasner said. "This year was a special year with the closing of [Yankee Stadium]. To be a part of that was special for me, getting to start quite a few games. I wish I could have been better and a lot of things could have happened, but I know I did my best every time I went out there."

Really Peavy'ed
Despite the fact that Jake Peavy really doesn't want to pitch in New York, Brian Cashman has continued talks with Padres GM Kevin Towers in an attempt to swing a deal for the star right-hander. During the GM meetings, Towers said he was going to concentrate on the NL teams for the moment, but told Cashman he would come back to him. He's done just that. After a deal for Atlanta, that would have included young star shortstop Yuniel Escobar, fell through Towers expanded his search.

Without knowing all the details of the Braves talks, one would imagine the Padres would want Phil Hughes and Robinson Cano for starters. Of course, how much of Peavy's contract is picked up by the Yankees could alter what players would change hands.


Oldies but Goodies
Still no word from Mike Mussina on whether or not he'll return to the major leagues next season or call it a career. Meanwhile Andy Pettitte has not yet received an official offer from the Yankees, though it appears the two sides are far apart on what they think Pettitte should make. The left-hander reportedly is looking for money in the neighborhood of last year's $16 million, while the Yankees would like him to take a pay cut. "Hey Andy, here's $8 mill, take it or leave it."

Cubs Play, Cubs Play
It's official, the Chicago Cubs are coming to the city so nice they named it twice. The Cubs and Yankees will open the new Yankee Stadium with a pair of exhibition games April 3 and 4. The Cubs have only come to Yankee Stadium once, a 2005 interleague series, since the two teams met in the 1938 World Series.

"The Yankees organization is excited and honored to host the Chicago Cubs in two exhibition games to be played at the new Yankee Stadium," Yankees co-chairperson Hal Steinbrenner said in a release. "As we welcome our fans into the ballpark for the first time, it is fitting to showcase two of baseball's greatest and most historic franchises."

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The Daily Yankeeland - 10/28

Needless to say the conclusion of the World Series was put off until Wednesday night due to more crappy weather in Philly. And even that is in doubt, with a 20-30% chance of rain all day and a game time temperature expected to be 33 degrees.

Yahoo's Jeff Passan takes Bud Selig and MLB to task.


Meanwhile back on the Yankees, and ex-Yankees beat...

Brian Cashman spoke to MLB's Anthony DiComo about Joba Chamberlain's DUI arrest.

Ken Davidoff sat down with former Yankees coach Don Zimmer to discuss the surprising success of the Rays.

Mike Mussina's agent Arn Tellem says his client still has not decided whether or not to continue his career.


And around the rest of MLB:

The Cubs hot corner man Aramis Ramirez has won the Hank Aaron Award.

Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols garnered the Roberto Clemente Award.

The Angels picked up their 2009 options on Vlad Guerrero and John Lackey.

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Hank: Joba to Start

The Yankees began their annual post-season meetings today and the big news out of it wasn't really that big. Joba Chamberlain will probably start the 2009 season in the starting rotation. That per Hank Steinbrenner:

“The plan as of right now is Chamberlain is going to be a starter,” the Yankees co-chairman said Thursday after five hours of organizational meetings at the team’s spring training complex. “Everybody’s pretty much in agreement with that.”

“It was a productive day,” Hank Steinbrenner said. “We didn’t make any decisions today. We just covered all the things we need to fix. Everything is open. We’re willing to do anything that will improve us. It was more of a summary and quite a lot of discussion.”

In addition to the Steinbrenner boys and Brian Cashman, the meetings were also attended by Jean Afterman, Mark Newman, Lon Trost, Randy Levine, Gene Michael, Felix Lopez, Reggie Jackson, and Tino Martinez.

Why no Joe Girardi?

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Yankees Shake up the Staff

Bobby Meacham stunk as a player and we didn't think much of him as a third base coach. Apparently, the Steinbrenner boys didn't think much of him either. Meacham, along with special pitching instructor Rich Monteleone, were let go from the organization this afternoon.

It was thought that the S boys and Brian Cashman didn't like how much Girardi leaned on Meacham and bullpen coach Mike Harkey for advise and strategy, while ignoring the experienced Tony Pena. Word is they also felt players like Robinson Cano were not getting enough individual attention as they had when Larry Bowa was on the coaching staff.

"Whenever you lose a friend on your staff it's going to be tough," Girardi said in a statement. "However, as an organization, it was time to make a change. Bobby is a good baseball man, but moving forward we realize changes are going to have to be made in various areas of the club." Si.com

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Cashman Re-Ups

Brian Cashman said he still has a job to do. He's got three years to do it. The Yankees general manager signed a new, three year contract that will keep as the head honcho through 2011.

"I know I've said it before, but it's an incredible opportunity and honor to hold the title of general manager for the New York Yankees," Cashman said. "With it comes a great responsibility to ownership, the people who wear the uniform and our fan base. I've got a job to finish here. That's the bottom line."

The Steinbrenner boys were happy to have Cashman back in the fold.

"Before we could move forward as an organization this offseason, we needed to come to a resolution on the person who would hold the important position of general manager and allow us to make another run at a 27th world championship," Hal and Hank Steinbrenner said in a joint statement released through the team.

"We are thrilled that Brian has accepted to renew his commitment to this organization for at least three more years."

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Bobby Murcer, King George Immortalized in Paint

Bobby Murcer is now a permanent fixture in the Bronx as is George Steinbrenner. They are both now part of a commemorative mural that sits outside of Yankee Stadium. The portraits were unveiled this afternoon. Among the attendees were Bobby's widow, Kay, and their children, Todd and Tori, Joe Girardi, Rey Negron, Brian Cashman, and Willie Randolph. NY1 has some video of the event.

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The Daily Yankeeland - 9/13

The Yankees are just under way as Mike Mussina tries to run the table to get 20 wins. Sidney Ponson goes tonight in the back end of the day-night doubleheader. Alex Rodriguez was scratched from game one with a stiff neck.

Andy Pettitte will be getting the final start in the Stadium.

Derek Jeter is chasing Lou Gehrig for most hits at the Stadium.

Brian Cashman doesn't want to talk about his future.

Last night's weather reflected the Yankees season.

The Yankees have recalled Phil Hughes and David Robertson, and Hughes could start on Wednesday.

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The Daily Yankeeland - 9/3

Bad year, but Hank still wants Brian Cashman back next year.

Cashman says Joba will likely start '09 in the pen.

There's a possibility that Sidney Ponson, utterly horrendous in his last two starts, will be replaced in the rotation by Al Aceves on Saturday against Seattle.

Johnny Damon has been nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award for his work with the Wounded Warriors Project.

Wally Matthews thinks the Yankees have to return to their days of spending sprees. How do you think they got in this mess in the first place Wally? Giambi, Pavano...

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The Daily Yankeeland - 8/29

The Yankees open a tough three game series with the Blue Jays tonight at the Stadium. What makes it tough is facing A.J. Burnett and Roy Halladay in two of the games.

Friday - Carl Pavano (1-0, 5.40) vs A.J. Burnett (16-9, 4.58)
Saturday - Darrell Rasner (5-9, 5.03) vs. John Parish (1-0, 4.05)
Sunday - Andy Pettitte (13-10, 4.37) vs. Roy Halladay (16-9)

Veteran outfielder Matt Stairs was dealt earlier today to the Phillies for a player to be named. The Blue Jays are calling up their top hitting prospect Travis Snider, who has played at three different levels in the minor leagues this season.

A Joba Chamberlain update from the Post.

Joel Sherman begs YES not to make yesterday's game a "Yankees Classic".

Hank says don't blame Girardi. He's also monitoring the initial boys- CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett.

Brian Cashman falls on the sword.

Two Yankees prospects in the Dominican Summer League are going to sit 50 games for PED.

Mike Ashmore has an interview with the newest Yankee, Al Aceves.

The NY Times has a profile on Cody Ransom.

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Results of Pirates Trade Poll

Not counting the horrendous outing by Damaso Marte last week, this deal has looked good thus far. Xavier Nady's 6 RBI Sunday afternoon certainly helped that out.

The top vote getter was "Great job by the Cashman", which coincides with our feelings. Next up was a good deal for all, followed by the Yankees getting a steal.

There were 9 of the 90 votes that felt the Yankees gave up too much. We're thinking some of those votes were after Nady's initial oh-fers and Marte's meltdown.

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Hump Day Rumors - 7/23 Edition

Things are starting to heat up as we get closer to the July 31st trade deadline. Locally the Yankees are taking a look at Seattle's Jarrod Washburn, Pirates' lefties Damaso Marte and John Grabow, the Reds' Bronson Arroyo (yech), and the Rockies' Brian Fuentes. The Denver Post reports that a team source said the Rockies have asked for Rays Double-A starter Wade Hendrickson, the Yankees' Ian Kennedy, the Red Sox's Clay Buchholz or Mets minor-leaguer Jon Niese. The Yankees have even talked about the Jays A.J. Burnett.

The Post's George King reports that the Yankees have also sent a scout to watch the Dodgers' Derek Lowe, who becomes a free agent after this season. The Yankees are also looking at hitters Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, and others.

Many of the decisions regarding the Yankees plans will be made this Thursday when the front office meets in Tampa. According to the Daily News' Mark Feinsand, the Yankees will be going for it.

The meeting will include co-chairmen Hank and Hal Steinbrenner, president Randy Levine, general manager Brian Cashman, special adviser Gene Michael, pro scouting director Billy Eppler and senior VP Felix Lopez. Manager Joe Girardi isn't expected to be at the meeting, but he is expected to have some input.

A source with knowledge of the situation said that the Steinbrenner brothers have been pleased with the team's recent play, so they want to show the players that they are committed to winning this year by making moves to bolster the roster.

"They're ready to do whatever they need to do at the deadline," the source said. "They want to make a run this year."

A couple of minor trades did go through yesterday. For some reason the Houston Astros acquired left-hander Randy Wolf from the San Diego Padres for minor league Chad Reineke. Perhaps the Astros will look to re-deal Wolf since they aren't coming close to sniffing a playoff spot.

The Diamondbacks strengthened their bullpen by getting setup man/part-time closer Jon Rauch from the Washington Nationals for infielder Emilio Bonifacio. The Dbacks now have two of the tallest players in baseball in Rauch and Randy Johnson.

Okay, enough fact, back to rumor. The Cardinals, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch are looking for a left-hander. They've expressed interest in Orioles All-Star closer George Sherrill, who has 29 saves and a 3.83 ERA, Rangers set up man Eddie Guardado. The Brewers are said to be eyeing Sherrill as well.

According to the Baltimore Sun, the Brewers are close to signing former Orioles outfielder Jay Gibbons to a minor league contract. The oft-injured outfielder couldn't find a major league job after being named in the Mitchell Report last Fall. He's been playing this season for the Long Island Ducks in the Atlantic League.


UPDATE 3:15 PM EDT

Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports is reporting that the Yankees are looking for an offensive upgrade at catcher with Jorge Posada not expected to be able to play the position the remainder of the season. The Yankees have reportedly contacted the Texas Rangers about Gerald Laird and the Kansas City Royals about Miguel Olivo.

The Rangers are looking for young pitching in return for Laird, who is signed through 2010. The Royals are working hard to move Olivo, who would come at a lower asking price.

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The Future's so Bright, Hal Wears Shades

Barry Bloom of MLB.com recently sat down with the understated Steinbrenner boy, Hal, to discuss the new stadium and the future of the team. Though the Yankees last home game will be September 21 against the Baltimore Orioles, plans are in the works for a Stadium send off in November.

"There's going to be things at the actual game, but we're also looking to have a closing ceremony in November," said the 39-year-old youngest son of George Steinbrenner, the team's patriarch and principal owner since 1973. "We're strongly considering it and it will be a very nice event.

"We're working on it right now. We're talking to people and some big names in terms of what they want to do. And it may be music, it may be a comedian, it may be an emcee (can you say Billy Crystal?). There will certainly be a lot of videos and things like that. And, of course, bringing back the old Yankees. That's something we've always done."

Hank discussed his current responsibilities...

"My job, my responsibility to the family, to the partners, to the banks and bondholders is to consider the financial aspect of it," he said. "But make no mistake, this season is no different than any other. We all felt going into this year, and we all feel now that we have a championship-caliber team and we are excited about it."

About the growing concern for pricing out fans:

• To waylay any misconception, Steinbrenner said that going to the new ballpark will be affordable for the typical fan. He expects approximately 35 percent of the 53,000 seats to be priced at $25 or less, 50 percent at $45 or less and 80 percent at $100 or less.

"I see in the papers all the time about the 180 Legends Seats that are so expensive," he said. "But they don't talk about the fact that half of the seats in the stadium are $45 or less; that the entire top level is $20-$25 seats, and the bleacher seats are $12. We wanted to make sure that the average family can afford to go there and that's the way it's going to be."

On Revenue Sharing:

"My concern with revenue sharing from day one was that it would not be used in the way it was supposed to be used. The teams were supposed to take every cent they got and reinvest it in their payroll or their farm system. That's always been my problem with it. But now it's at least getting better."

And of course what would an interview be without discussing his own "Big Papi":

"He comes in just about every day, probably four days a week. Sometimes he comes in later than others, but he's in here all the time," Steinbrenner said. "We'll try to get him up there for the All-Star Game. Certainly, he's slowed down, that's no surprise, but I guess he's earned it. It's just his age. It's been an interesting year or two. He's really started to do what he has said for many years that he was going to do, which has been leaving it to the family."

Click here to read the entire interview.

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Giese for Now, Who for Later?

Dan Giese will step into Chien-Ming Wang's cleats (don't hurt yourself) this Saturday (we erroneously reported Sunday yesterday) against the Cincinnati Reds. But the question remains, will it be a long term solution, will the Yankees look inside the organization, or elsewhere. Let's take a look at the option.

Dan Giese: Let's start right with the guy who gets the first crack. Giese was a journeyman who had only appeared in 8 games last season with the Giants. But he blossomed as a starter (4-2, 1.98 in 13 games, 10 starts) this season at Scranton and that earned him the right to be Joba Chamberlain's back up for his first two starts. Now that Joba is ready to go out and throw 90-100 pitches, the plan would have been for Giese to be the long man out of the pen. Wang's injury changed all that.

Internal Options:

That guy incredibly bad import from Japan: We so don't want him back here we won't even mention him by name. But you know who he is and how bad he is. 'nuff said.

Ian Kennedy: Kennedy was tremendous last season, dominating at 3 levels in the minors and getting the notice of fans with an impressive September debut. But this year he has been just plain awful. He already made one very brief trip down to Scranton and then was DL'ed with a Lat injury shortly after his return. This is guy whose confidence has to be shaken right now since he has never had anything other than success prior to this season. At the moment he's a number 5 starter. With Wang out, possibly for the season, the Yankees need better than a number 5.

Dan McCutchen: McCutchen has made just 5 starts at the Triple-A level and from Brian Cashman's comments yesterday, doesn't seem like a viable solution for that precise reason. His numbers at Scranton have been decent (1-4, 3.62 21 K/4 BB) after an outstanding start at Trenton (4-3, 2.55 52 K in 53 IP).

Alan Horne: Horne missed two months of the season with a bicep injury and has thrown only 18.1 innings this season. Cashman won't throw him into the fire.

Jeff Karstens: Karstens is a decent pitcher who can't seem to stay healthy. He looked like he was going to go north with the club out of spring training and got hurt. He was nearly done with his rehab and got hurt. Now he's coming back again, but we already know what he can do and its not fantastic.

Jason Jones: This would be a very long shot. Jones has spent a year and a half at the Double-A level and is having an outstanding season (8-2, 2.30), but Cashman doesn't like to rush the Yankees prospects and is unlikely to pull up a guy who hasn't pitched at Triple-A.

Outside Solutions:

Obviously the biggest name out there is the biggest guy out there, C.C. Sabathia. The left-hander is set to become a free agent after the season and, you would have to think, the Yankees would want a window to negotiate a new contract with him before approving a deal. Indians GM Mark Shapiro is also going to want a bundle for him. Brian Cashman would look foolish if he threw a package of Phil Hughes and others together to get him after turning down a deal for Johan Santana. At worst, the Indians will get 2 draft picks as compensation if Sabathia stays the season and leaves as a free agent.

Ben Sheets: Sheets will turn just 30 this summer, but has spent significant time on the DL. He hasn't made more than 24 starts since 2004. He's missed some time this season already with triceps stiffness. Sheets is off to a great start this season (7-1, 2.42), but the Brewers are scuffling after being in contention all of last season. Sheets will also be a free agent after the season.

Randy Wolf: Another pending free agent who will be starting tonight against the Yankees when the San Diego Padres come to town. The up side is that he's left-handed, the down side is that he's not fantastic. He's got a career ERA of 4.23 (5-4, 3.83 in '08) with all 10 years of major league service in the National League. We've seen how average NL pitchers do in the AL and so it doesn't make sense to us unless you can get him cheap. He also had Tommy John Surgery and missed significant chunks of 2005 and 2006. He also suffered from shoulder soreness last season.

Rich Harden and Joe Blanton: A pair of talented right-handers from Oakland. Harden is a free agent after the season while Blanton can't be a free agent until 2011. He is arbitration eligible. GM Billy Beane would surely command a king's ransom for either pitcher just as he has when he dealt Dan Haren, Mark Mulder, and Tim Hudson in the past. Harden, when healthy is fantastic (4-0, 2.53 67 K in 53.1 IP in '08), but that's a big if. He threw 72.2 innings combined in '06 and '07 and has spent time on the DL this year as well. Blanton has control trouble at times, but is still a very good pitcher. The biggest down side as we mentioned earlier is that Beane would want too many prospects back.

Freddy Garcia: Garcia is sitting at home right now, getting in shape for when the phone rings. He had 7 seasons of 200 or more innings and it seemed to catch up to him last year when he threw just 58 innings due to a shoulder injury. Whether he's got enough left in the tank remains to be seen.

A.J. Burnett: The much embattled, much injured right-hander has worn out his welcome in Toronto. GM J.P. Ricciardi publicly questioned his heart and guts and Burnett recently made comments that he wouldn't mind playing for the Cubs. He then threw grease on the fire by saying he didn't care what the fans reaction to his comments would be. The guy's got talent, no doubt, but his physical problems and mental toughness probably will make Cashman shy away (we already have Carl Pavano). He still has 2 years remaining on a 5-year, $55 million deal, but he can opt out of it after this season, which makes his departure from Toronto even more likely.

Gil Meche: He's in the 2nd year of a 5-year, $55 million deal with the Royals. After having an outstanding season in '07, he's been pretty mediocre this year and the Royals are floundering. His contract really isn't that bad by today's standards and the Royals need someone to put in the seats, so its not likely he would be available.

Erik Bedard: Would seem to be odd for him tobe on the market already, but the Mariners stink and there's a question of just how focused Bedard is on baseball. The Blue Jays were thought to be very interested in him, but have backed off.

There are other names (Jarrod Washburn, Livan Hernandez, Kevin Millwood, etc.) that we are sure will be bandied about, but none really intrigue us. We would give Giese the job for now, but would definitely take a look at how Garcia is progressing, and start making the rounds calling up about guys like Sabathia. With so many teams still in division and wild card hunts though, it's not likely that a major deal would get done too soon.


So what would you do? Please participate in our poll at the top of My Pinstripes.

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Giese Likely to Get Wang's Start

Brian Cashman was on with Mike and the Mad Dog a short time ago. He confirmed Chien-Ming Wang's injury and stated that Dan Giese will most likely be the starter in Wang's place on Sunday against the Reds. We became ill when he said the second option was Kei Igawa. Book 'em Dan-o.

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Yankees vs. Tigers - May 11

Andy Pettitte and Nate Robertson are due to square off in today's rubber game of the Yankees-Tigers series, but the Mother's Day matinee matinee may be a wash. Heavy rains are called for in the motor city today. If there's no game today, the Yankees could skip Kei Igawa's start on Wednesday. Which also leads to the possibility of Ian Kennedy returning when that spot in the rotation comes up again. Kennedy is set to pitch for Scranton today.

Goose Gossage has decided to weigh in on the Joba Chamberlain celebratory response.

(Chamberlain's) response was immature and "bush," Gossage didn't hesitate to say, "I'm on Dellucci's side.

"That's just not the Yankee way, what Joba did. Let everyone else do that stuff, but not a Yankee," Gossage said by telephone on Saturday. "What I don't understand is, the kid's got the greatest mentor in the world in Mariano [Rivera]. He's one of the leaders of the team, so you'd think it wouldn't happen on that team.

"But there's no one to pass the torch anymore, no one to teach the young kids how to act. The Mets did a lot of that [celebrating] last year, and look how it came back to haunt them."

Okay Goose, get over yourself. Do you think you were a team leader when you fought in the shower with Cliff Johnson and broke your thumb, thereby helping to ruin the Yankees 1979 season?

Peter Abraham has a piece today on the various players, managers, and front office people who are on the hot seat. Brian Cashman and Jason Giambi are among those listed.

Phil Mushnick has a good feature on the ridiculous price of collectibles and takes a well deserved shot at Steiner Sports.

Tim Bontemps takes a look at pitching prospect Dave Robertson.

Steve Serby has a Q&A with Derek Jeter.

Mike "I am king of the world" Lupica has the latest on the Clemens-McNamee fray.

Here's today's lineup from Peter Abraham:

Damon LF
Cabrera CF
Abreu DH
Jeter SS
Giambi 1B
Duncan RF
Cano 2B
Molina C
Gonzalez 3B

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Building and Rebuilding

While the new Stadium goes up in the Bronx, there's rebuilding going on across the street in the House that Ruth Built. Yankees fans seem to have unrealistic expectations about this year's team. Like everyone else, we come into spring training excited about the new season and excited about our team's prospects. But realistically, anyone who wasn't concerned about the starting rotation, the bullpen, and some aging veterans, wasn't looking at the team unbiasedly. We've taken some heat for saying the Yankees would not be a playoff team this year.

Expectations were very high for the team's 3 young pitchers- Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy- based on last year's limited showing. Hughes' no-no in progress before his injury in May and his strong finish in September and October, Joba's dominance out of the bullpen, and Kennedy's showing in September gave everyone hope that the Yankees were poised to start another dynasty. But those limited experiences were just that, limited.

Hughes pitched poorly before a rib injury gave him the equivalent of a student being saved by the bell. Kennedy was beyond awful, and didn't help himself with the fans or media with his parting shots on the way to Scranton. And of course, Joba is human. As happened last night, he will get beaten. And as much as he may deny its a distraction, having the front office publicly bicker over his role, has to be disconcerting.

Injuries are part of the game, and when you have 2 of your key regulars out of the lineup it's going to hurt. But those injuries are magnified when players like Jason Giambi and Robinson Cano fail to pick up the slack.

Joe Girardi has had to juggle pitchers in the bullpen all season as he tries to figure out who goes where and if they belong. He thought he had his 7-9 innings worked out and then Brian Bruney suffered a devastating injury.

What this all boils down to is expectations aren't always met, and yes, sometimes they are unrealistic. Yankee fans have gotten very used to winning since 1996 and the impatience of some of us really shows. The things being said about Hughes and Kennedy (they're trash, gutless, etc.) makes us shake our heads in wonder. These kids are inexperienced rookies. Maybe they'll become stars and maybe they won't, but to write them off after a month is absurd. But unfortunately, that has become part of Yankeeland, where fans expectations have become as unrealistic as the owner's.

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