Tagged: Rafael Soriano
Transaction Review of 12/7 – 12/22
The Transaction Review is back my fellow bloggers and sorry about that 2 week absence. Over the 2 weeks there have been many big, big deals and we have them all just in a different twist then you normally see here at YANKEEHOLICS
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YANKEES TRADE BRIAN BRUNEY TO NATIONALS FOR A
RULE FIVE DRAFT PICK (Jamie Hoffman)
CURTIS GRANDERSON TO THE YANKEES, MAX SCHERZER, AUSTIN JACKSON, PHIL COKE,
DANIEL SCHLERETH TO THE TIGERS, AND EDWIN JACKSON AND IAN KENNEDY TO THE
DIAMONDBACKS
BRAD PENNY SIGNS WITH THE CARDINALS
IVAN RODRIGUEZ SIGNS WITH THE NATIONALS
KEVIN MILLWOOD AND CASH TO THE ORIOLES, CHRIS RAY AND A PLAYER TO BE NAMED TO
THE RANGERS
RANDY WOLF SIGNS WITH THE BREWERS
LATROY HAWKINS SIGNS WITH THE BREWERS
MATT LINDSTROM TO THE ASTROS, ROBERT BONO, LUIS BRYAN AND A PLAYER TO BE NAMED
LATER TO THE MARLINS
RAFAEL SORIANO TO THE RAYS, JESSE CHAVEZ TO
THE BRAVES
RICH HARDEN SIGNS WITH THE RANGERS
PEDRO FELIZ SIGNS WITH THE ASTROS
BRANDON LYON SIGNS WITH THE ASTROS
JASON KENDALL SIGNS WITH THE ROYALS
BOBBY CROSBY SIGNS WITH THE PIRATES
HIDEKI MATSUI SIGNS WITH THE ANGELS
JOHN LACKEY SIGNS WITH THE RED SOX
MIKE CAMERON SIGNS WITH THE RED SOX
MIKE GONZALEZ SIGNS WITH THE ORIOLES
GARRET ATKINS SIGNS WITH THE ORIOLES
JUAN PIERRE TO THE WHITE SOX, JOHN ELY, JOHN
LINK, AND A PLAYER TO BE NAMED LATER TO THE DODGERS
ROY HALLADAY, PHILLIPE AUMONT, TYSON GILLIES,
JUAN RAMIREZ TO THE PHILLIES, CLIFF LEE TO THE MARINERS, KYLE DRABEK, BRETT
WALLACE, TRAVIS D’ARNAUD TO THE BLUE JAYS, AND MICHAEL TAYLOR TO THE ATHELTICS
BRANDON LEAGUE TO THE MARINERS, BRANDON MORROW
TO THE BLUE JAYS
JAVIER VAZQUEZ AND BOONE LOGAN TO THE
YANKEES, MELKY CABRERA, ARODYS VIZCAINO, AND MICHAEL DUNN TO THE BRAVES
Jason Marquis signs with the Nationals
Top 3 biggest
trades
3. YANKEES GET JAVIER VAZQUEZ AND BOONE LOGAN.
BRAVES GET MELKY CABRERA, ARODYS VIZCAINO AND MICHAEL DUNN: This trade is HUGE
for the Yankees. They get a very good pitcher in Javier Vazquez who finished 4th
in the NL CY Young voting and a young talented lefty in Boone Logan. The Braves
got a very reliable outfielder with a strong arm and a clutch bat in Melky
Cabrera. They got Arodys Vizcaino who was the Yankees number 2 prospect after
showing of a 2.13 ERA in Class A. Though this sounds amazing and is, we don’t know
how Vizcaino would play on the big stage. Finally the Braves also get Michael
Dunn who has a good arm but never really proved himself in the Majors. Again,
we will never know if he will succeed in the big leagues.
2. CURTIS GRANDERSON TO THE YANKEES, MAX
SCHERZER, AUSTIN JACKSON, PHIL COKE, DANIEL SCHLERETH TO THE TIGERS, AND EDWIN
JACKSON AND IAN KENNEDY TO THE DIAMONDBACKS: The Yankees finally get an
outfielder they are looking for that has speed, power, and is a very good
defender. He did hit .249 and only .183 against lefties, but we will see how
Kevin Long will change that. The Tigers are probably the winners of this trade
while acquiring young talent in Max Scherzer and Daniel Schereth from the
D-Backs. They go Phil Coke who is better than his almost 5 ERA last year and
has proven that he will be an innings eater from the pen. Austin Jackson was
the top Yankee prospect and is projected to have a nice career. We do not know
if Austin Jackson will produce in the Majors as well so maybe we should look
back on this next year. The D-Backs have one of the best rotations in baseball
now that they have Edwin Jackson. Jackson should fit behind Brandon Webb and
Dan Haren in the third spot with young pitcher Ian Kennedy taking the 4th
spot.
1. ROY HALLADAY, PHILLIPE AUMONT, TYSON
GILLIES, JUAN RAMIREZ TO THE PHILLIES, CLIFF LEE TO THE MARINERS, KYLE DRABEK,
BRETT WALLACE, TRAVIS D’ARNAUD TO THE BLUE JAYS, AND MICHAEL TAYLOR TO THE
ATHELTICS: This is probably going to be the biggest trade of the whole off
season unless the Yankees trade Alex Rodriguez or Derek Jeter which won’t
happen until the Earth plummets out of this Galaxy which will probably never
happen. The long wait for Roy Halladay to be off the market is finally over.
The Phillies get Roy Halladay and Phillipe Aumont who was one of the biggest
prospects in the Mariners organization. Roy Halladay is finally out of the AL
which means he won’t torture the Yankees. The Mariners get Cliff Lee which
means he is back in the AL but over in the West. The Blue Jays get Kyle Drabek
who was the Phillies top pitching prospect until he was traded. The Jays also
get huge prospect Brett Wallace which seems like an odd move for the A’s to
make. Lastly the A’s get prospect Michael Taylor from the Phillies to complete
the biggest blockbuster we have seen in a while.
Top 3 signings
3. RANDY WOLF SIGNS WITH THE BREWERS: The
Brewers get a good, reliable innings eater in Randy Wolf. Wolf went 11-7 with a
3.23 ERA in 34 starts with the Dodgers building his reputation as their staff
ace. The Brewers signed Wolf to a 3 year, 29.75 million dollar contract. Wolf
will likely be the ace and a mentor to young pitchers Manny Parra and Yovani
Gallardo.
2. HIDEKI MATSUI SIGNS WITH THE ANGELS:
Matsui did not wait for the Yankees to offer him a contract and instead started
negotiating with the LA Angels to replace Vladimir Guerrero as their DH. He
will for 1 year and 6.5 million dollars. It’s kinda odd to see the Yankees 2009
World Series MVP playing for the team that the Yanks played in the ALCS. He
also reunited with his dear friend Bobby Abreu and all Yankee fans loathe Brian
Cashman for not even offering him a deal.
3. JOHN LACKEY SIGNS WITH THE RED SOX: The Red
Sox have perhaps the best rotation in all of b-ball now that they signed John
Lackey for 5 years and 82.5 million dollars. They have Beckett, Lackey, then
Lester coming at you in a 3 game series and Dice-K coming at you as well in a 4
game series. Lackey was a pitcher that the Yankees had on their wish list
perhaps but they didn’t offer him a deal because 1) Lackey is too expensive and
2) He wouldn’t fit in a clubhouse with Nick Swisher and CC Sabathia and Curtis
Granderson.
That was the transaction review of December 7
– December 22. Any comments, questions, disagreements? Feel free to comment and
ask.
TRANSACTION REVIEW WEEK OF 11/30/09
This week’s transaction review is going to be quite long, because of the number of major trades that were made. So let’s get started.
CHRIS COSTE SIGNS WITH THE METS: The Mets signed catcher and first baseman Chris Coste for a one year contract. Chris Coste is coming off a rough 2009, in which he batted .224 with 2 homers and 18 RBIs with the Astros. He will help replace Brian Schneider, who signed with the Phillies earlier this week (SEE BELOW). Coste will provide some experience as a backup catcher (to Omir Santos) and backup first baseman (to Daniel Murphy), but you would have expected the Mets to have gone after Bengie Molina or Ivan Rodriguez instead, both who had better seasons than Coste. The Mets certainly have the money to sign a higher quality catcher than Coste.
BRIAN SCHNEIDER SIGNS WITH THE PHILLIES: The Phillies signed catcher Brian Schneider to a two year contract. The 33 year old hit .218 with 3 homers and 18 RBIs in 59 games with the Mets last season. He will serve as Carlos Ruiz’s understudy, but again, you would have expected the Phillies to sign a higher quality catcher with the money they have.
RAYS TRADE PLAYER TO BE NAMED LATER TO THE INDIANS FOR KELLY SHOPPACH: The Rays were in search of a backstop ever since they declined their option on Gregg Zaun, and Shoppach might be a good replacement. In 2009 he could only manage .214 with 12 homers, but he has talent, as he proved in 2008 with 21 homers and a .517 slugging percentage. He might even getting the starting catcher’s position, as Dioner Navarro turned in a disappointing 2009, hitting .218 with 8 homers and 32 RBIs. Shoppach is only 29, so he has plenty of years ahead of him to improve. The Indians will probably give the catching job to prospect Lou Marson until massive prospect Carlos Santana is ready for the majors.
BILLY WAGNER SIGNS WITH THE BRAVES: The Braves signed closer Billy Wagner to a one year deal. The 38 year old will help bolster Atlanta’s bullpen since they just lost Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano to the free agent market. Wagner was brilliant after returning from Tommy John Surgery in 2009, posting a 1.72 ERA over 15.2 innings with the Red Sox and Mets. Though he’s always an injury risk, it is smart of the Braves to sign him.
PLACIDO POLANCO SIGNS WITH THE PHILLIES: The Phillies signed Placido Polanco to a 3 year, 18 million dollar contract. The ex-Tiger second baseman will move to third base with the Phillies. Polanco played with the Phillies from 2002-2005, and is replacing Pedro Feliz to make the Phillies lineup even more dangerous. In 2009, Polanco hit .285 after smoking .341 in 2008. The 34 year old will probably bat second in the lineup, and he makes the Phillies lineup arguably the best in baseball.
TAKASHI SAITO SIGNS WITH THE BRAVES: The Braves signed relief pitcher Takashi Saito to a one year, 3 million dollar contract. In another attempt to make up for the loss of Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano, Saito will serve as set up man to Billy Wagner. He should do pretty well; the 39 year old posted a 2.43 ERA in 56 appearances for Boston in 2009. He will help bolster the Brave’s bullpen.
HENRY BLANCO SIGNS WITH THE METS: An odd move by the Mets: they already signed veteran Chris Coste, and now they have gone and signed 38 year old Henry Blanco, who will probably be a backup catcher as well. It is a mystery to us all why the Mets feel the need for so many catchers, especially such low quality ones; Henry Blanco eke out .235 in 2009, with 6 homers and 16 RBIs with the Padres. And rumor has it that the Mets are still on the lookout for a more productive catcher. Only the New York Mets…
ATHLETICS TRADE JEFF GRAY, MATT SPENCER, AND RONNY MORLA TO THE CUBS FOR JAKE FOX AND AARON MILES: The main cog of this trade is Fox, who hit .257 with 11 homers and 44 RBIs in 216 at bats in 2009. The versatile 27 year old provides pop to the weak Athletics lineup, and will challenge Eric Chavez and Jack Chavez for at bats. Aaron Miles could only manage .185 over 157 at bats with the Cubs in 2009 and will probably serve as a backup infielder to second baseman Mark Ellis and shortstop Cliff Pennington. Matt Spencer is a good prospect who will provide some much needed power to the Cubs lineup when called up. Last season in the minors, he belted 19 homers with 91 RBIs. Jeff Gray, who managed a 3.76 ERA over 26.2 innings in 2009 will likely work in the Cubs bullpen. Eduardo Morla is a virtually unheard of 21-year old, who went 1-7 with a 4.86 ERA over 63 innings in the low minors last season. Seems like a pretty even but unimportant trade, as no truly talented prospects were traded.
MARCO SCUTARO SIGNS WITH THE RED SOX: The Red Sox signed shortstop Marco Scutaro to a two year contract. The 34 year old impressed in 2009, hitting .282 with 12 homers and 60 RBIs. He was the best shortstop on the market, and could prove to be the end of the Russian Roulette the Sox plays with its shortstops. He is above average both offensively and defensively, and a Red Sox fan will be quite happy with this move by Boston.
CHONE FIGGINS SIGNS WITH THE MARINERS: Third baseman Chone Figgins signed with the Mariners. Since Seattle third baseman Adrian Beltre is unlikely to return, this is a clever move by the Mariners. The 31 year old Figgins hit .298 last season with 5 homers, 54 RBIs, and 52 stolen bases. Figgins is a suitable replacement for Beltre, and though he won’t provide the same kind of power, the Mariners will be salivating at the idea of him and Ichiro Suzuki causing nightmares for opposing pitchers and catchers on the basepaths. Great move by Seattle.
GREG ZAUN SIGNS WITH THE BREWERS: The Brewers signed catcher Greg Zaun to a one year contract. The 38 year old, who hit .260 with 8 homers and 27 RBIs in 90 games for Baltimore and Tampa Bay, will serve as a suitable backup catcher and a veteran mentor to young backstops Mike Rivera, Angel Salome, and George Kottaras.
And that will wrap up this week’s trade review! There was a lot of player movement around baseball this week, and there will be a lot more as the off season progresses, and Yankeeholics will cover every inch of it. Join us next Sunday for another Transaction Review!
Questions, comments, disagreements? Feel free to leave us a comment!
Yanks have some pen pals…
Even a champion can improve and one of the Yanks biggest priorities this year is obviously the outfield. But what is the second biggest? Bullpen. The Yanks won it all but nobody was very happy with the relief pitching, especially in the post season. Hughes collapsed, Joba didn’t fare THAT well, Acevas was iffy, and the only people to rely on were Mo, David Robertson, and Damaso Marte. And Marte was only good in the World Series. So our Yankees are obviously looking at some of free agent relief pitchers including
LHP Mike Gonzalez Type A
RHP Rafael Soriano Type A
RHP Brandon Lyon Type B
RHP Fernando Rodney Type B
RHP Jose Valverde Type A
If the Yankees can get one of these guys it would be a step up. If they got one of the Type A then they would be 2 steps up. Who should the Yankees sign? We will go through that and tell why or why not.
Mike Gonzalez
Mike Gonzalez would be a very nice addition to the Yankees because of his 2.42 ERA in 80 appearances. He gave up wayyyyyyyyyyy less than a hit per inning, and picked up 10 saves from the 8th inning role. The only reason the Yanks will probably not get him is because they have lefties Damaso Marte and Phil Coke. Plus the Yankees would have to give up a draft pick to the Braves.
Rafael Soriano
Rafael Soriano had a so-so season last year after beginning the season o
n the DL. He racked up 27 saves but had a relatively high ERA for a closer with a 2.97 ERA. He also had 6 losses which is a lot from the closer role but right now he looks like the top candidate(out of relief pitching) for being a Yankee next year despite his down season.
Jose Valverde
Valverde had an injury filled 09 and still managed to put up good numbers. 27 saves, 2.30 ERA, etc. And remember this is just 1 year ago that Jose led the NL in saves back to back years. I personally would like to see Jose in a Yankees uniform next year.
Fernando Rodney
I personally would stay away from Fernando Rodney because of his really high ERA. If you have a 4.40 ERA from the closer role, that either means you started the season in the rotation, did horrible, then moved to the pen. But Rodney was in the pen for the whole year. He did get 37 saves though, but what does that matter if you have Mo? Also Rodney can get suspended and not for throwing balls at people.
Brandon Lyon
Brandon Lyon had a nice season but I would keep as probably a choice C or D. He had a 2.85 ERA in 78.2 innings, and saved 3 games. But he did have 5 losses which is a high amount for an 8th inning guy. Lyon also gives up 6.5 hits per inning which is not the best for a relief pitcher.
All of these guys (except for perhaps Fernando Rodney) would be a fine choice for the Yanks 8th inning role. The Yanks do have Phil Hughes or Joba as they’re 8th inning guy right now, but I think that will change. The Yanks need a bridge to Mo. They can’t do that with the Phil Hughes we had in the playoffs, can we?
Please feel free to comment and tell us who you would prefer.
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