NYCurve Yankees Blog

Several reports show that the Yankees are close to a deal with outfielder Andruw Jones. Jones will likely be the 4th outfielder on the depth chart and as such, won’t play everyday. He is a good fit for what the Yankees need and hopefully, they can snag him at a good price. Seeing Jones in pinstripes will be interesting if it happens. Stay tuned to the blog for updates.

After missing out on the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, the Yankees managed to snag Rafael Soriano, the Rays’ reliever to a three year deal. The move immediately provides a huge boost to our bullpen and now gives us potentially the most lethal set-up man-closer combo in the bigs. It also gives the Yankees a potential heir to the throne of closer should Rivera retire soon and Soriano certainly is good enough to potentially be up for the role.

It will be interesting to see what the starting rotation ends up looking like though as Pettitte is not yet decided and Burnett might still be shaky as he tends to be. Hopefully Cashman can pull something together or Hughes’ can finally have the big breakthrough he needs.

The Yankees could not have had a better ALDS after finishing the sweep of the Minnesota Twins just moments ago. This not only gives us a great momentum boost after a weak ending to the regular season, but it gives our 3-man playoff rotation a chance to rest up before the next round of action. For now, it is time to sit back (at least for the fans) and see whether it will be the Rays or Rangers in the ALCS. Should be an exciting rest of the postseason as the Yankees chase a second straight title and the organization’s 28th in MLB history. Stay tuned to NY Curve for updates!

Just some recent Yankees news:

• Jorge Posada’s MRI yesterday showed that he has a hairline fracture in his foot that could keep him out for three to four weeks. Posada insists that it won’t take that long for him to return. While there has been some speculation about a call up for Montero or another minor league catcher, Girardi has said that Fransisco Cervelli will see most of the opened playing time. Looking at Cervelli’s stats thus far this year, we might just be fine.
• The Yankees suffered a 10-6 loss to the hot Rays last night, now falling back four games behind Tampa in the AL East with a 25-15 record. The Yanks still hold second in the AL (and the MLB.)
• The Yankees filed a protest to the 7-6 loss against the Red Sox a couple days ago as there was no indication of an injury to Beckett, which the Red Sox claimed there was and took the extra time to bring a reliever out.
• A recent poll by the Wall Street Journal shows that the Yankees are the more popular team, but Manhattan is split down the middle. The poll also showed that Mets fan are bigger drinkers than Yankee fans.
• A recent Forbes list shows that the Yankees have the most valuable brand in all of sports.

Spring training is not only a time to fine tune your team before the regular season begins, but also a time to finalize your starting pitching rotation before opening day.  The Yankees recently did just that when Joe Girardi named Phil Hughes their number 5 starter.  That makes the final rotation C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Chien-Ming Wang, and Hughes.

Hughes was previously locked in a battle with Joba Chamberlain, Sergio Mitre Chad Gaudin, and Alfredo Aceves to see who would earn the fifth and final spot in the starting rotation.  Girardi had previously been shuffling the five pitchers around like he was playing texas hold em poker in an effort to find the fifth starter.  In the end, the development of Phil Hughes’ changeup proved to be a big difference maker.

Girardi touched upon Hughes’ much-improved changeup by saying, “We evaluated the whole spring and we were very excited with the improvement in his changeup.  To me, that made a big difference in who he is.”  Girardi continued by talking about the tough decision he had to make and said, “You try to talk about every scenario possible and cover yourself in every scenario.  When we walked out, Phil Hughes was our guy.”

Hughes, who made several starts last season while Chien-Ming Wang was injured, is definitely prepared for the role.  He said, “I grew up a starter in high school, minor leagues, even my first couple partial seasons in the big leagues.  It was something that I really wanted and I feel like I’m ready for the challenge and ready for the season that lies ahead.”

After naming Hughes the starter, Girardi and the Yankees management decided to let Chad Gaudin go.  Gaudin was acquired from San Diego last August in the midst of their title run and he went 2-0 with a 3.43 ERA in six starts.  The decision to let Gaudin go will save the Yankees some money since they’ll pay him $725,410 for an early termination rather than the $2.95 million salary he commanded.

As far as Chamberlain goes, he will look to earn the 8^th inning relief role while Aceves should also have a spot in the bullpen.  Mitre definitely has some work to do in spring training to see if he’ll make the team.

With spring training in full progression, the MLB regular season is just around the corner. The Yankees come back with some new faces in addition to the champions that went down in history as the 2010 World Series winners. Among the additions are outfielder Curtis Granderson and the second-comings of starter Javier Vasquez and DH Nick Johnson. Among those who have left the Pinstripes are Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Chien-Ming Wang, and Melky Cabrera.

While it certainly seems like our outfield will improve drastically, some have raised questions on where the lost runs from Damon, Matsui, and Cabrera will come from. Granderson is bound to do well at the plate, but Gardner (who looks to be Damon’s replacement) hasn’t had much success at bat in the majors and some don’t see Swisher coming through again. Either way though, as long as the big guys can stay off IR and remain healthy, there shouldn’t be much to worry about. Plus, with some younger guys in the outfield with a new team, we may just see some changes in their stats as well.

In the rotation, things look even better this year with the addition of Javier Vasquez. The loss of Wang won’t be felt much as he missed most of last season any way, although he is a good pitcher either way. Rivera is expected to be Rivera and hopefully the rest of the pen can stay at it.

It will be an interesting season as the Yankees pursue a repeat title. We still have a dangerous team, but with some big changes in Boston and elsewhere around the league, nothing can be guaranteed. As a Yankee fan, I still place all my faith in our Pinstripes and will be eagerly awaiting October.

And there you have it- we’ve waited nine years and it has finally happened! The New York Yankees have won there 27th World Series! Certainly a great postseason and an amazing way to kick off our new stadium.

It is half way through August and almost two-thirds through the regular season and the Yankees are in stellar position. With a record of 74-43, the Yankees are currently leading the entire league with the best record in baseball. The AL East’s second place Red Sox are eight games behind and things are looking great. The team is on fire, with a record of 12-2 so far in August, which includes a 4-game sweep of the BoSox. The pitching has been solid, including relief thanks to Phil Hughes stepping up as a solid eighth inning guy as well as of course the revered Rivera. The offense hasn’t been shy either, with the some even comparing it to the 1998 team, one of the best in Yankee and baseball history. Everything really seems in place right now and hopefully the Yankees can continue dominating all the way through October and to that coveted 27th ring.