Before talking about the exciting news here at TYA, I just want to extend a big “thank you” to you readers. Over the holiday weekend, we surpassed the one-million unique readers bar. So from all of us here to all of you out there, thank you so much for checking in with us each day. [...]
(The following is being syndicated from The Captain’s Blog). Before the steroid era forced his hand, former MLBPA chief Donald Fehr strongly objected to a comprehensive drug testing policy on the grounds of privacy. Most people snickered at his explanation, believing the union boss was using his concern as an excuse to cover for his constituents, [...]
I’ve had my disagreements with John Sickels in the past, mostly over how he judges some prospects, but I’ve always had a lot of respect for his rankings. I love that he’s a tough grader: his grades seem pretty evenly spread across a normal bell curve, where most legitimate MLB prospects are in the C- [...]
Perhaps the biggest surprise in the Yankees’ 2011 season was the emergence of Ivan Nova as a middle rotation arm and the Bombers second best pitcher down the stretch. Entering the season Nova wasn’t assured a spot in the rotation. He lost his job temporarily when Phil Hughes returned from the DL. Despite all that [...]
With Gio Gonzalez and John Danks off the table, the new hot item on the trade market is Cubs’ ace and former Tampa Bay Ray Matt Garza. Garza was pretty well known for his role in the emergence of the Rays as a contender, but he had his best season last year, posting a 2.95 FIP over 198 innings pitched and finishing sixth among all N.L. starters in fWAR.
Today, Jon Heyman of CBS reports that the derby for Garza is wide open:
There is “no real favorite” in the five-team Matt Garza sweepstakes, according to someone familiar with the talks.
The teams involved the derby for the 28-year-old Cubs righthander at this point are the Yankees, Blue Jays, Tigers, Red Sox and Marlins. With the Cubs seeking young pitchers, it would seem that the Yankees, Blue Jays and Tigers could hold an edge ultimately. The Yankees have Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances, the Tigers Jacob Turner and the Blue Jays several well-regarded prospects at the lower levels. The Cubs are hoping to improve their young pitching stock, and Garza is the most marketable player they’re willing to deal.
Buster Olney reported that the Tigers are indeed willing to trade Turner for pitching help which, if true, would be a pretty big deal. Turner is a top pitching prospect in the game, ranking 11th in Baseball America’s mid-season Top 50 in 2011.
Garza makes a ton of sense for the Yankees; he’s young, cost-controlled, won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2013 season, and for the people who put stock in this, he spent three years in the A.L. East. The Yankees also probably have the pieces to beat a Tigers offer, even if that offer includes Turner, but so far they haven’t shown an inclination to move those pieces. It will be interesting, and telling, to see what they do if the Cubs are willing to make a deal with the Yankees that doesn’t include Jesus Montero.
I’ve argued for a while that the Yankees are not going to make a big move this offseason and that the team doesn’t need to. My argument has been that there is no equivalent to CC Sabathia or Cliff Lee available this winter and the Yankees are currently good enough and have enough prospects in [...]
You might have missed this amongst the year end celebrations yesterday, but ESPNs Buster Olney tweeted a significant piece of news in the Matt Garza derby. He wrote: @Buster_ESPN Buster Olney Tigers have made it known to other teams that they are willing to trade Jacob Turner in a deal for the right pitcher. That’s [...]
From all of us here at The Yankee Analysts, I hope that all of our readers have a happy and healthy new year. 2011 was a great year for Yankee fans and TYA, and we hope that 2012 will be an even better one. We have some great things in store for 2012, and hope [...]
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