The Sommer Frieze

The only wonder was if it would be unanimous. It wasn’t, but Cliff Lee (22-3, 2.54, ERA+ 175) of the Indians was the winner of the 2008 American League CYA in a landslide. Roy Halladay of the Blue Jays got the four first-place votes that did not go to Lee and came in second. K-Rod came in third.

The Yanks today made a deal for a first baseman. The New York Yankees acquired OF/1B Nick Swisher in a trade with the Chicago White Sox. The Yankees traded infielder Wilson Betemit and minor league pitchers Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez to Chicago in exchange for the switch-hitting Swisher and minor league pitcher Kanekoa Texeira. (From ESPN).

To the Yanks:

1B/OF Nick Swisher. Turns 29 soon, so IN HIS PRIME. Good. .219-24-69 last year, OPS+ 92. Bad year. 162 game average for his career? .244-28-86. Ok, the BA isn’t that great. But that average also includes 91 walks, 143 K a year. 112 OPS+. He walks, has pop. Good. Wish the BA goes up. Let’s hope it does.

P Kanekoa Texeira (so close to a certain 1B). This one intrigues me. I’ve felt for years that Cashman is slowly putting together a bullpen of young guys (and having young guys for trades) that’ll be something. 22, RHP, relief. 6-3, 21 saves between A and AA this year. 61 IP in 51 games. 60 K. Minor league record, 11-5, 2.24 in 113 games. He may start at AA and go to AAA in 2009 but you have to think…Melancon, Robertson, Texeira….Coke (if left in the bullpen)…Whelan… The backend appears to be Mo/Marte/Bruney. Long man? Maybe a battle between Aceves/Rasner/Giese. I haven’t mentioned Veras, Edwar, Mt. Britton, Albaladejo, J. B. Cox… and others. There is more depth from which to work from or make a deal. There is bullpen youth. I like the way the bullpen shapes up. Now to get those two starters.

Leaving the Yanks:

Betemit is the departed Wilson that Tom Hanks isn’t going to miss.

Wilson Betemit. I defended the guy in 2007. I admit my mistake. I had to see the guy over a full year and not just 84 ABs. Hey, sometimes you bleep up. I thought 24 RBI in 84 AB wasn’t bad. It isn’t. But seeing him for the whole year revealed the faults I didn’t see in 2007. He wasn’t good enough defensively no matter where he played. Versatile, but not an expert anywhere. Some pop, but 273 AB as a Yankee yielded 10 HR, 50 RBI (not bad) but 12 walks and 89 strikeouts (very bad). OPS+ mid 80s. .253. Age 27.

Jhonny Nunez. Picked up from the Nats in the Alberto Gonzalez deal. With the Yanks, had only 8 games at AA Trenton. Jhonny, we hardly knew ye. Turns 23 later this month.

Jeff Marquez. Won 15 at AA Trenton in 2007 (3.65) but struggled this year at AAA (6-7, 4.69 there, where he spent most of his 2008 time). 8-8 overall, ERA around 4.47.

Pete Abraham adds: Jeff Marquez was on the 40-man roster while Jhonny Nunez would have required Rule 5 protection. Kanekoa Texeira does not require such protection. The side benefit to this move is roster flexibility.

When I first heard about the trade, I thought, ok, a 1B, and if the Yanks sign Mark Teixeira, then maybe Swisher goes to CF and you trade either Melky or Gardner. But in reading Abraham’s report from a conference call the press had with Cashman about the deal, Swisher is the 1B. Period. Some days he may play a corner position in the OF to give Damon or Nady a day, wherein Posada may play 1B (My Note to Jorge: learn to like it, you 37 year old catcher coming off shoulder surgery. Love ya, but it’s time to get real…). So as of now, CF looks to be a Melky/Gardner spring training battle. In talking about Swisher and the OF, Ca$hman specifically ruled out CF except in emergency.

Which means Teixeira (Mark that is, not to be confused with Kanekoa, the pitcher above) is not Bronx-Bound for megabucks. That megabucks will be used for pitching. Specifically two starters. How high the moon? How high will the “blow them out of the water before they even bid” bid will the Yankees make? Bids can go out starting at 12:01 a.m. Friday morning. Then we’ll see how high the Yanks go for C. C. Joel Sherman of the Post states that Yankee insiders suggest the initial proposal may not be the final offer C. C. sees (C. C. sees…I like that) but that the opening bid will make a statement. One that a Yankee exec says “will separate ourselves” from the pack. Tomorrow we may see the movement on Pettitte that Mark Hale of the Post says has been lacking so far (and why he says beware the Astros….again….something I don’t buy). Hale also states that Mussina’s agent says to check back next week regarding what Moose may do.

I have to give Sherman credit. In this morning’s paper, he wrote, “They (the Yankees) are not nearly as interested in Teixeira or Manny Ramirez as has been portrayed in some arenas. But they do want another big starter with Derek Lowe and A. J. Burnett their next choices.”

(after C. C., of course). Gotta say, regarding Teixeira, Sherman nailed it, and you know how much I do NOT want Manny.

We see the emphasis so far this offseason. Pitching (Texeira above, C. C. and Lowe/Burnett to come), getting younger (Swisher is just 29…letting Abreu and Giambi go), and defense. Shoring up (Marte) and building up (Texeira again) the bullpen. The offseason has just started and so far it looks like a busy one for the Bronx Bombers.

You have to love this from Pete Abraham’s blog. From Carl Pavano: “I look back at those four years with the Yankees, it was exhausting.” Pete replies, “Of course it was. He made 26 starts over those four years after all. And that doesn’t even count all the minor-league rehabs.” Way to go, Pete!

Exhausting. Sheesh.

I thing I continue to dislike is when Pete mentions about Swisher’s contract and that in three years the Yanks may need Posada or Jeter at 1B. I will argue until I turn blue in the face against a Jeter to 1B move. In three years, Jeter would then be a 37 (about to be 38) year old ex-SS playing 1B. That works if you are Ernie Banks. Banks was moved to 1B at the age of 31. Banks also had 512 career HR and when 38 had 23 HR and 106 RBI in 1969. It doesn’t work if you are Derek Jeter, who may have 8-10 HR and 60-70 RBI at that age. As I’ve written, .280-8-60 doesn’t and won’t cut it for an A.L. first baseman.

Lastly, I do wonder what this will mean for people like Shelley Duncan and Juan Miranda. Just wondering who will be the backup first baseman. Swisher is a switch-hitter, so it wouldn’t be a platoon at 1B. Miranda currently is at .310-3-12 in 58 AB in the Arizona Fall League.