Since the Yankees let Hideki Matsui go after his 2009 World Series MVP performance, he hasn’t been quite the same. The Angels, Athletics, and Rays all gave him opportunities, but he never performed the way he did in pinstripes. Yesterday, … Continue reading
Mark Teixeira has always been slightly better hitting from the right side, but his rapid decline from the left side the past three seasons has merited great concern. He’ll be 33 in April: is age an issue? What about his … Continue reading
After Nick Swisher joined the Indians this past weekend, he became the fourth offensive piece from the 2012 roster to leave. While Russell Martin, Raul Ibanez, and Eric Chavez all were positive contributors with the bat, nobody’s production will be … Continue reading
Russell Martin’s departure obviously leaves the Yankees weaker at catcher. Martin was respectable offensively and had the reputation of being a good defensive backstop. Although pitch framing metrics are still in their infancy, most reports agree that Martin excels at … Continue reading
After discussing what life might be like without Robinson Cano, let’s focus on the second baseman’s reported contractual demands and what he realistically can obtain. There isn’t a question that Cano will beat Ian Kinsler‘s 5 year $75M deal from … Continue reading
With an ownership mandate to have a payroll below the $189M competitive balance tax (CBT) threshold, the Yankees are positioning themselves for a fascinating offseason next year. This fall/winter has not and likely will not bring any prize free agents … Continue reading
We always hear how certain players are “models of consistency” or tend to “hit their home runs in bunches”, just to cite a few examples of when we talk about performance volatility. Today, Bill Petti of Fangraphs.com quantified this concept in … Continue reading
Take a look at the two players below, performances 2011-2012: Do you want either of these two players on your team? No way. Both are terrible offensively, while player Y has advantages in BB% and power and player … Continue reading
A little less than a year ago, the Yankees and Mariners essentially agreed to swap top prospect Jesus Montero for rookie sensation Michael Pineda. The trade was unconventional in that one very young and promising player was dealt for another … Continue reading
Today, a report from Jon Heyman indicated that the Cubs are willing to eat $26M of the $36M remaining on Alfonso Soriano’s contract in exchange for the “right” prospect. If this is true, it’s worth investigating. Alfonso Soriano is no … Continue reading