Merry Texmas

It was a year ago today that the Yankees stunned the baseball world by signing Mark Teixeira to an eight year deal worth approximately double the GDP of Chile. I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank Mark and his wife, Leigh, for choosing New York and stepping on John Henry's penny-pinching dick.

I must say, this surprises me

After I bitched yesterday that the Yankees were boring me to death, I wake up to a flurry of (potential) activity this morning. MLB Trade Rumors lit up like a Christmas tree last night with rumors that the Yankees were on the verge of trading for a starting pitcher, though nobody could pinpoint who it was. This morning, however, Joel Sherman is reporting that the Yankees are working to re-acquire Javier Vazquez. That's right, Javier Vazquez.

This may be a little premature, but I will give an opinion anyway. A lot of Yankee fans will kill this (potential) move because of how Javy's season as a Yankee ended. He had a trainwreck of a second half in 2004, but we seem to forget the first half that he put up that year. The first half of '04 ended in his only career All Star appearance as he was solid through July. Granted, the wheels then came off and he ended the season as an afterthought in the bullpen, and ultimately contributed to the prison rape that was game 7 of the ALCS that year, but he wasn't entirely ineffective as a Yankee.

Plugging Vazquez into the 2010 staff doesn't worry me. He was dominant in 2009, albeit in the National League, but the Yankees aren't asking him to be there number one (or even number 2) starter. The current rumor, courtesy of John Heyman, is that the deal would be Vazquez and Boone Logan for Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn, and another prospect. As long as that prospect isn't named Jesus Montero or Austin Romine, this looks like a win for the Yankees. The Braves have been known to like Nick Swisher, and the fact that Cashman can (potentially) turn their eye to MELKY FUCKING CABRERA as the centerpiece of this trade is evidence that he is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though, because God knows this could change 5,690,876,543,456 times before getting done (if it even does).

Do Something Already

I would love to be posting more often, but there is absofuckinglutely nothing going on right now. Seriously, its just ma dn Sancho here at The Fowl Balls World Headquarters fucking staring at eachother. Yup. Just sitting here waiting for the news that the Yankees have signed Matt Holliday.

Welcome Back, Nick the Stick!

It looks as though the Yankees took my advice and are about to sign Nick Johnson, effectively ending Johnny Damon's time with the team.

There is a ton to like about this move. Johnson fits the Yankees lineup like a glove. A left handed, elite OBP guy to hit behind Jeter and in front of Teixeira is exactly what this team needed to make it go. Though Damon had a great year, he was not your typical 2 hitter. He got homer happy in the new Stadium, and his contact rates didn't benefit. Add to that the fact that he didnt hit a regular season home run over the last 5 or so weeks of the season, and you can really get an idea of why having a contact-oriented two hitter can benefit the machine that is the Yankee offense.

I have also heard the argument that Johnson has value tied to his glove. WILDLY inaccurate at the point in his career. His UZR/150 last year was -6.6. Terrible. He also made 12 errors at a position where Kevin Youkilis didn't make any two years ago.

In the end, this is just a savvy baseball move. A year of Nick Johnson at $5.5mm beats the shit out of 3 years at $30mm+ for a guy that was forced to leave the clinching game of the World Series with a fucking leg cramp. I know Johnson isn't historically durable wither, but being slotted in as the DH will help that, just as getting 30-40 games off to utilize the DH position as a "weigh station" for Jeter, A-Rod, Posada and the like will.

In short: Great move. Helps the team while saving that few extra dollars to make another sizable move **coughMattHollidaycough**.

500.

This is officially our 500th post here at The Fowl Balls. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the 5 to 6 people that read us on a regular basis, inspiring us to proceed with our futil;e efforts to educate the masses on Yankee baseball.

Welcome to New York, Curtis

(Now get off to a quick start or we'll boo you out of the fucking Stadium by May. Just kidding. Not really.)

Looking to 2010, Part 3: The Bullpen

Mariano Rivera
Damaso Marte
Joba Chamberlain
David Robertson
Alfredo Aceves
Mike Dunn

Now, keep in mind, that the Yankees have yet to make a move for another starter, but this bullpen is based off of my prediction for the 2010 rotation. Joba Chamberlain, as I said, is a long term starter - but solidifying the 2010 roster and moving him to the back of the rotation after Andy Pettitte retires is just fine by me. There have been a lot of named thrown around in connection to the Yankees, but I flat out do not see a reason to go outside of the organization for a bullpen arm at this point. Even if the Yankees fail to acquire Derek Lowe (or anyone else for the rotation, for that matter) I feel that Mark Melancon would deserve a shot the final bullpen spot.

There are a lot of blogs, writers, etc. that have pushed for the signing of Matt Capps, but I vehemently disagree. His splits against lefties are just terrible, and some other asshole is going to make him an offer to be there closer. In my mind, a righty specialist just isnt worth what Capps is going to make on the open market (plus, lets be serious, he just got non-tendered by the fucking Pirates for Christ's sake - there's a reason).

Yankees interested in Nick Johnson

In what looks to be another nail in the coffin for Johnny Damon, the Yankees have shown interest in Nick Johnson to be their DH. I have to say, it was only a matter of time before this happened. As I predicted in my proposed lineup for 2010, the Yankees need a true two hitter to hit behind Jeter - and Nick Johnson's career .402 OBP would do just nicely. Now, all that is left is for the Yankees to swoop in and steal Matt Holliday, and my master plan will be complete. Maybe Brian Cashman saw 6.29 runs per game and realized that I know what the fuck I am talking about.

Bargain Basement Pitchers

So yesterday was a pretty wild day. The Red Sox got an absolute steal with John Lackey, who is only getting A.J Burnett money. Plus there was the crazy ass 3 team trade that saw Roy Halladay go to the Phillies, Cliff Lee go to Seattle and a bunch of prospects go the Blue Jays. Personally, I'm glad that Roy Boy is out of the AL Beast, but with all this pitcher movement there is no dominant names left on the starter market. But there are still a number of of enticing pitchers who can be had for a low, low price.

Ben Sheets- The buzz around Ben right now is that he wants a contract in the $12 million range, which is absolutely insane. Once him and his agent stop huffing glue, they should try to land a contract around $3 million with incentives. Sheets would be a good pitcher to target.

Erik Bedard- Similar to Sheets, in that he is constantly injured but highly effective when healthy. The pros for Bedard are that he's a lefty with a track record of pitching good in the AL East, and is a high strikeout pitcher. The cons are He's an injury waiting to happen, and he is surly with the media. But still worth the risk.

Aroldis Chapman- The 21(?) year old Cuban phenom is expected to throw a pitching session today with teams such as the Yankees and Red Sox expected to attend. If all goes well, why not throw him a nice contract? He is young, throws gas and has a high upside. Seems like a worthwhile investment.

Justin Duchscherscherererscher- Justin D has experience as both a starter and reliever, making him a good fit for the Yankees. His versatility could net him a decent contract if he is injury free. He missed all of last season with an injury and depression. Well, a good cure for the blues is being paid to play for the Yankees.

Tim Redding- Just kidding. He's fucking terrible.

Check back later on as I take a look at some bargain hitters.

Bustabust is awkwardly smirking while shitting on my dreams

"sources say the Yankees have no intention of joining the bidding (on Matt Holliday) and cannot foresee a situation in which they do." - Buster Olney, 12/15/09

...but then again...

"(the Yankees) are pushing to cut their payroll in 2009, and they cannot sign Teixeira..." - Buster Olney, 12/22/08