The Sommer Frieze

Pete Abraham has the story of who the Yanks have to make decisions on today regarding offering arbitration.

Some will be easy decisions. I agree with what Pete thinks would happen, but wonder what would have happened had Pudge Rodriguez done what we thought he’d do instead of being shockingly bad. I mean, Pudge had more SB for the Yanks last year than RBI! Granted Molina has this year on his contract and will backup Posada, but you wonder…Pudge had 96 AB, 33 games, with the Yanks. Had Pudge hit .280 with 16 RBI instead of .219-2-3, OPS 51 (Molina-like), would the Yanks have offered him arbitration? Would they have kept him as “insurance” against Posada’s comeback from surgery? The numbers Ivan Rodriguez put up make that point mute, but what if he had done well. Would the Yanks have brought him back as insurance until they got a good look at Jorge, then traded Pudge when they were sure Posada was ok? Would Pudge have accepted arbitration? Just a “what if”. We’ll never know.

What we do know is this: Rodriguez and Molina combined for 364 at bats last year for the Yanks because of Posada’s absence. Combined, the two drew 16 walks. Combined, .217-5-21, 4 SB (all, of course, by Rodriguez). OPS+ 52. By contrast, Posada, in just 168 AB last year, drew 24 walks, had an OPS+ of 106 and despite the decrease in power due to the shoulder injury, still went .268-3-22. About as much production in less than half the at bats. Defensively, Molina was superb, but offensively, what a dropoff. More proof of Posada’s value. It’s sad, then, to realize that only twice has Jorge received MVP consideration… 2003 when he finished 3rd, and 2007 when he finished 6th. He should have at least received some kind of vote in other years.

Dickey, Berra, Howard, Munson, Posada. No other team can put up five catchers of such quality. No one.

Pettitte is a problem. God forbid the Yanks get shut out on all of the “Big Three” free agent pitchers as George King calls them (C.C., A.J., and Lowe). The Yanks would like to cut Pettitte down from the $16M he made in 2008, when he was mediocre. If they offer Andy arbitration and Andy accepts by the 12/7 deadline, he is a signed player whose salary will be determined through arbitration and he most likely wouldn’t get a pay cut but a pay raise. Arbitration stinks, doesn’t it?

King goes on to state that if the Yanks don’t offer Pettitte arbitration, and he goes on to sign with another team (read: Dodgers and Torre), the Yanks will NOT receive two draft picks.

Pettitte has the Yanks over a barrel, especially after the Mussina retirement. The Yanks may have no choice but to offer Andy arbitration and bite the bullet on the salary. It stinks.

King and Abraham both think that the Yanks will offer Abreu arbitration. They wouldn’t mind him for one year, even though I wonder what they would do with the logjam. The only way to get Nady, Damon, Abreu and Matsui in the lineup at the same time is if JD plays CF, and I’m not happy with that. Defensively, JD in CF and Bobby in RF won’t help a staff. Since Abreu wants a multi-year deal, the Yanks may offer arbitration, hoping that Abreu turns them down because of his desire for the multi-year offer.

As Abraham writes:

Let’s say Mussina stays retired, Pettitte stays with the Yanks and Abreu signs elsewhere. That would give the Yankees two extra picks. They already have two extra picks in 2009, the compensation for not signing their first-round pick (Gerrit Cole) and second-round pick (Scott Bittle).

Of course, they also figure to lose their first-round pick for signing a free agent.

As for Giambi and Pavano, they aren’t going to be offered arbitration.

Lately we see a lot in the tabloids and gossip mags about A-Rod and Madonna. We can only hope that the “Material Girl” can help A-Rod’s stats but I wonder about that. Just what the Yanks need. A-Rod is a great player, and of course his clutch play can be (and is) questioned, but the Yanks don’t need this—and for how many more years? What they need are more grinders; the blue-collar types that helped Tampa Bay and the Phils to the World Series. Guys who aren’t doing too many commercials or getting into bed with one of the top female pop stars in the world (and that goes for another guy who once dated another pop star). Get back to baseball!

Which brings me to the Giants as a good example. While the Yanks are dealing with prima donnas making waves off the field, so are the Giants. But isn’t it interesting that the Giants are rolling now without them? As I said, blue-collar types. Shockey got hurt last year, no playoffs or Super Bowl, and the Giants won the Super Bowl without him. Then they traded that prima donna to the Saints. Now Burress. The Giants rolled yesterday to a win (and an 11-1 record) without the troublemaker, who now could face felony charges for carrying a concealed, unlicensed handgun into a club where he accidentally shot himself in the thigh. The Giants are doing better without Shockey and Burress (and, if I may add, Barber. Strahan wasn’t too much of a problem, but they aren’t doing too badly now without him either, are they?)

Nice to have blue-collar, low-maintainance types who just win, isn’t it? Any Yanks listening?

I’m a happy guy today after the Steelers defeated the Patriots 33-10 yesterday. 9-3, still one game up on the Ravens (who the Steelers defeated earlier this year). Four games left. Dallas @ home next Sunday. Cincy, Cleveland and Baltimore left. 2-2 would mean an 11-5 mark with the toughest schedule in the NFL. 3-1 would mean 12-4. Not bad. I’d love to get that #2 seed behind Tennessee.

Rain and cold all game long in New England. I’ve always been a running game/defense kind of guy, probably why I’m a Steelers fan. Just like the style of play. Air Coryell and the “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams did nothing for me. I’m not into airshows. I’m into tough D, good running game and smashmouth football.

Which brings me to the Big 12. Doesn’t anyone play defense down there? Every time I look, I see this: 45-35, 35-28, 37-35, 65-21, 61-41. Is this college football or (where I come from) high-school basketball scores?

Back later as we see what the Yanks did do today arbitration-wise.

A quick addition: No sooner did I submit this post than I see that Ian Kennedy had another good outing. He is now 2-1, 1.57 in the Puerto Rican Winter League. On Nov. 25th, he went 7 scoreless IP, 3 hits, 0 walks and 4 Ks. Yesterday it was a CG shutout. 3 hits, 1 walk, 7 Ks. Granted it isn’t the majors, but 16 scoreless innings, 6 H, 1 walk and 11 Ks in his last two outings is encouraging. Keep it up, Ian.