THE EXTRA LEFTY THE YANKEES NEVER HAD

Boone Logan is the Yankees lefty specialist. He’s the lone lefty in the Yankees pen who has good days and bad days, mostly bad, but lately decent. That being said, one things for sure in my opinion, Logan can’t do it alone. There are some times where the Yankees could really use another lefty out of the bullpen, yet, things don’t seem to be working out and I’m not sure why.

The lefties the Yankees hoped to be there with the team have amounted to nothing. Let me rephrase that. Damaso Marte, who is expected to pitch in the Gulf Coast League today had an amazing playoff run in 2009. That’s right... 2009! He's been hurt more than he's played. Pedro Feliciano was signed to give us some extra lefty support, but he’s been out with injury too and hopefully this Thursday he’ll also join Marte, that's the word from ESPN at least. Read HERE. Who knows if we’ll see them this season, I doubt it.

It’s not like there weren’t lefties available at the deadline, it’s not like we don’t have lefties in the farm system, they’re around. In fact, for some strange reason, the Yankees never even gave JC Romero a shot when they signed him to a minor league deal. He was later released and signed immediately with the Rockies. The Yankees picked up Aaron Laffey. He came in, pitched in 1 game and was designated for assignment. Hmm. What’s going on here?

Then comes this report suggesting the Brian Cashman doesn’t want to bring up Manny Banuelos this season...read HERE, another lefty who I believe is worth giving a shot. Yes, I understand Cashman’s mentality here, but let’s just see what the kid has, right?

There was talk of Sean Burnett from the Nationals, but that ship has sailed as well. John Grabow from the Cubs? No... nothing.

Now, if fairness, the Yankees bullpen is clearly the best in baseball and they are shutting down the competition. Is that Cashman’s thinking? Is Cashman thinking that because we’re so good out of the pen right now, the need for an extra lefty in the pen to help Boone Logan is not needed? What do you think? Do you think that Boone Logan should be the only lefty out of the bullpen for New York? Should we bring up Manny Banuelos to help? Should have held onto JC Romero? Aaron Laffey? Vote in our poll, I’d love to get your thoughts on this, because, as you can see… I’m confused.

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BYB YANKEE TRADE RUMORS: PART 2

It's that time of year again. The trade deadline. The Yankees are looking to gain an extra piece or two that can push them over the top. You can read part one titled BYB YANKEE TRADE RUMORS: PART 1 here.

Here's some intriguing players that the Yanks could acquire:
Randy Choate: Choate is by far the best LOOGY (lefty one out guy) in the game. This season for the Florida Marlins he has appeared in 47 games and has a 1.31 ERA, while allowing just 10 hits in 20.2 innings pitched. But, since he's a LOOGY, it's all about how he does against left handed batters. Against lefties, Choate has held them to a .121 batting average in 58 at bats. He's also struck out 23 of the 58 lefties he has faced. Not to mention, this season Choate has inherited 41 base runners this season, and he's only allowed just four to score. That's under 10% which is fantastic. But, there is one catch with Choate. He signed a cheap two-year, $2.5M deal before this season with the Marlins, so the frugal fish won't be looking to unload him just yet although they're clearly out of the race. You can read that story HERE.

John Grabow: Although the lefty Grabow hasn't had a great season overall, (5.19 ERA in 44 games) he's been pretty solid against left handed batters. This season against lefties he has held them to a .238 average, and has allowed just one homer to a lefty. Compare that to a .297 average and six homers allowed to righties. With that in mind, you know he can be valuable as a lefty specialist for the Yankees if used correctly. Remember, I wrote a piece that included him earlier. You can read that HERE.Ricky Nolasco: This season Nolasco has pitched pretty well for the Florida Marlins. He has a 7-7 record with a 4.04 ERA. But he's struck out just 106 in 140.1 innings and has allowed 152 hits in those 140.1 innings of work. The Yankees have been linked to Nolasco of late, but according to a report which you can read HERE, the Marlins aren't looking to move Nolasco just yet. The Marlins did sign Nolasco to a three-year contract extension following the 2010 season. You can read that HERE.

Personally, I think that the Yankees just need a good number two starter, and another lefty reliever. But Nolasco, or anyone else that could be available, may not be the answer as the number two starter. And honestly, I think guys like A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes, Bartolo Colon, or Freddy Garcia can step up and be a number two starter going forward. As for lefty relievers, the Yankees have J.C Romero stashed in AAA Scranton/Wilkes Barre. In AAA, Romero has a 1.17 ERA in six games. He has also allowed opposing lefty batters to hit just .083 against him.

Stay tuned for more Yankee Trade Rumors here at Bleeding Yankee Blue.



--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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WHY I SMELL A TREND

Quick, what do Ivan Rodriguez, Jerry Hairston Jr., Eric Hinske, Austin Kearns, Kerry Wood, and Lance Berkman all have in common? If you guessed that they are former Yankees, you're correct. If you guessed that all of those guys were acquired by the Yankees near the trade deadline over the last three years you would be correct as well. But, there's one thing you may not have guessed, and that is all of those acquired players were on their respective final years of their contracts when they got traded. With the trade deadline just over a week away, I smell a trend. The Yankees like to trade for players who are free agents to be. In other words, they like to get rental players.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the upcoming Free Agents HERE.

Now, most of you can agree that the Yankees will look into starting pitching, although they have six major league starters (with Ivan Nova in AAA), but like the old saying goes, you can never have enough pitching. So, let’s look at the starting pitchers who are free agents to be, here are some intriguing names that would make sense:(Photo: SI)

Mark Buerhle and Edwin Jackson (Chicago White Sox)

Right now the White Sox have six major league starters with Buerhle and Jackson along with Phillip Humber, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, and Jake Peavy--but they're currently 4.5 games behind Cleveland and Detroit in the AL Central. The White Sox rank 10th in the American League in runs scored, so that's an area they do need to improve on if they want to make the playoffs. They'll be looking for a good bat in return for one of their starters. Both Buerhle and Jackson would be a good fit but I would take Buerhle over Jackson because he is a veteran, and has pitched in big games before. Jackson doesn’t have quite as much experience, although he's younger and he has nastier stuff.
(Photo: Getty)

Hiroki Kuroda(Los Angeles Dodgers) and Jason Marquis (Washington Nationals)

Realistically, both the Dodgers and Nationals are out of their respective races, and are already looking forward to Spring Training next year. The Dodgers have Hiroki Kuroda, and the Nats have Jason Marquis. Both of these guys are veterans and can get the job done, but personally, I like Hiroki Kuroda because he throws harder. His average fastball is about 92 mph, whereas Marquis throws a fastball averaging around 89mph. You can check out Kuroda's stats HERE here: and Marquis' stats HERE.

Ultimately, I think the Yankees really need an elite number two starter, like Ubaldo Jimenez, but the price is too high for him. Cashman is always a little reluctant to part with his prospects in a blockbuster trade. We'll see.

Now, most of you believe that the Yankees may need a reliever. Personally, I think the Yankees only need another lefty, and they probably have that guy in their organization with J.C. Romero. But, for kicks and giggles let's take a look at some of the upcoming free agent middle relievers who could be intriguing:

• John Grabow- Chicago Cubs

• Kerry Wood- Chicago Cubs

• Michael Wuertz- Oakland A's

This season, Grabow hasn't had a very good year he has a 5.36 ERA in 42 games, but he's been solid against lefties--holding them to a .238 batting average. Boone Logan has a .250 opponent batting average against lefties this year, and this used to be a lot higher. However, if used correctly Grabow could be a nice addition. Kerry Wood and Michael Wuertz are both quality setup men, but they're not better than what the Yankees have right now. Everyone remembers Wood last year with the Yankees, 0.69 ERA in 24 games and Michael Wuertz has 437 career strikeouts in 408 innings pitched.

All three of these guys aren't significantly better than what the Yankees have right now. Luis Ayala and Cory Wade both have ERA's in the 1's right now, and the Yankees have the second best bullpen ERA in the American League behind Oakland, with a 3.09 ERA. They also have David Robertson, who has been tough as nails, and Rafael Soriano (remember him?) who should be back in the near future.

What I really think the Yankees could use is a versatile bat off the bench. Eric Chavez may be coming back soon, but he's always injury prone and one more injury could very well finish his career. So with that in mind, let's take a look at some intriguing names:

• Juan Rivera (Los Angeles Dodgers)

• Jerry Hairston (Washington Nationals)

• Scott Hairston (New York Mets)

• Omar Infante (Florida Marlins)

I wouldn't mind having any of these guys. Obviously, none of these players stand out, but what bench player does? Juan Rivera and Jerry Hairston are both former Yankees, so it would be easy for them to be reintroduced with the team. Rivera can play corner outfield and first with some pop, while Hairston can play just about every position except catcher and pitcher, and he provides speed. Scott Hairston and Omar Infante are both very versatile options as well.

More to follow, stay tuned to Bleeding Yankee Blue.



--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer






--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Associate Editor




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WHY YANKS ARE EYEING A SORIANO REUNION

If you had an opportunity to bring back Alfonso Soriano’s bat, would you? The Yankees are looking at a few options coming out of Chicago, the Chi-town connection that always seems to run deep between Joe Girardi and the Cubs (Read THE CHI-TOWN CONNECTION.) This time, it's not talk about Carlos Zambrano. Instead, there is talk about former Yankee Alfonso Soriano coming back to the New York Yankees to help out with some hitting help in the DH slot for their run at the playoffs. I have mixed feelings about this, money being part of it.

Alfonso Soriano has enormous power and plays a good outfield but the Chicago Cubs still owe him about $65 million on his contract through 2014. To me, I can’t imagine the Yankees paying that full amount and even if the Cubs pay say $40 million of it, that’s $24 million still owed on a home run hitter that also strikes out an awful lot.

That being said, the reunion could be fun and be truly effective if the Yankees want to make a serious run and bury the Red Sox in their division after the All Star break.

Soriano was loved during his time in pinstripes and after the 2003 playoffs, Soriano immediately was on Steinbrenner’s radar. Next thing you know, Soriano went to the Texas Rangers for none other than Alex Rodriguez. I remember it well, I was on my way home from a signing with Bucky Dent and Mike Torrez and heard it on the radio. It was a bittersweet day. Clearly I loved Alex on the Yankees, but seeing Soriano go was hard. The next few years Soriano went from the Rangers to the Nationals and then to the Chicago Cubs where he signed that monster deal.

Clearly the talent is there, and clearly Soriano is not the only player in baseball that strikes out a lot, yet delivers great numbers each year. If the Yankees can be smart about it, and still pick up some lefty relief and maybe even an extra starter too, I have no problem with this. The other part of this is the big question; Would Soriano go back to the Yankees? He doesn’t have to, he can veto the move, but I would imagine he would rather be with a contender than a loser. But look, this is all just talk at this point, I don't want to get ahead of myself.

The Yankees are looking at 2 other Cubs as well, Aramis Ramirez and lefty reliever John Grabow according to SB Nation. I’d be curious if they can snag someone like Soriano and Grabow. Again though, Soriano has a lot of money owed to him, that will be tricky. I know one thing, as a New York Yankees fan, I ‘ve seen it time and time again... when they need a bat, or a pitcher, they go out and get it. Why? Because they can, they’re the God damn New York Yankees, so while this might just be talk... it fun to think about the reality of this. Stay tuned.

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