Joel Sherman's Hardball

Joel Sherman's Hardball

TAMPA -- The Yankees saw a good deal and – budget or not budget – could not resist it. Late Sunday night the Yankees came to agreement on a $1.2 million contract with Chan Ho Park with $300,000... Read on

TAMPA -- The Yankees saw a good deal and – budget or not budget – could not resist it.
	 
Late Sunday night the Yankees came to agreement on a $1.2 million contract with Chan Ho Park with $300,000 possible in incentives, The Post has learned. The Yankees are not officially announcing the deal because it is pending a physical and Park was in South Korea when the accord was reached. Thus, the Yankees expect it will take several days for the 36-year-old righty to join spring training.
	 
The Yankees view Park strictly as a reliever, and not part of the battle for the fifth starter’s job.
	 
Essentially, the Yankees had $2 million remaining in their budget when Randy Winn was signed for a $1.1 million. But as Park’s price kept falling, Yankees GM Brian Cashman continued to lobby ownership to expand the payroll because the organization viewed Park as one of the top relievers on the market.
	 
And when the price fell further over the course of the week, from $1.5 million to $1.2 million, Yankees ownership finally approved the signing. Park had rejected a $3.25 million offer to stay in Philadelphia in the middle of the offseason, and his price has been steadily falling since then. The Cubs were among the teams hoping to sign him recently.
	 
The Yankees had traded Brian Bruney at the Winter Meetings because they felt he would be overpaid. He lost in arbitration last week and was awarded $1.5 million. The Yanks view Park as far superior to Bruney, which was another reason the $1.2 million price tag was too hard to ignore.
	 
This signing likely puts even more pressure on Cashman, however, to trade either Chad Gaudin ($2.95 million) or Sergio Mitre ($850,000) to bring down the payroll more to ownership’s liking.
	 
The Yankees see Park deepening what they already considered a strong bullpen. Mariano Rivera, David Robertson, Damaso Marte, Alfredo Aceves and the loser of the Joba Chamberlain vs. Phil Hughes fifth starter battle and now Park are pretty much guaranteed pen roles. The Yanks would love to see Boone Logan assume the other role to give Joe Girardi a second lefty in tandem with Marte.
	 
Even with the signing of Park, the Yanks are not currently considering sending the loser of the Chamberlain-Hughes battle to the minors to stay stretched out as a starter. But the presence of Park, at the least, can make the Yanks more comfortable with that option. Remember that in their best-laid plans, the Yanks imagine both Chamberlain and Hughes in their 2011 rotation, which would be easier if both stayed stretched out this year.
	 
Park had been on the Yankees’ radar for the past two years, but he really left a positive impression by throwing 3 1-3 shutout innings over four appearances in last year’s World Series. As a reliever, the Yankees noticed, Park’s stuff played up; his fastball reached 96 mph and his curveball remained crisp. The Yanks also liked that Park had a reputation as a good teammate who works hard to stay in shape. In addition, he has been in the playoffs each of the past two seasons, for Joe Torre’s Dodgers in 2008 and for the Phillies last year.
	 
Park was 3-3 with a 4.43 ERA last year in 45 appearances, including seven starts. But his ERA as strictly a reliever was 2.52.

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Hip surgery derails Delgado for four months

February 20, 2010 , ι JOEL SHERMAN

TAMPA — Free agent Carlos Delgado underwent hip surgery on Wednesday and will miss at least four months, his agent, David Sloane, told The Post. Delgado, 37, had been working out recently in an... Read on

TAMPA — Free agent Carlos Delgado underwent hip surgery on Wednesday and will miss at least four months, his agent, David Sloane, told The Post.
	 
Delgado, 37, had been working out recently in an attempt to sign with a major league team, but felt continuing discomfort in the hip that was operated upon last May when he was still with the Mets. Frustrated, he decided to seek the opinion of Dr. Marc Phillipon, who did Alex Rodriguez’s hip surgery last year.
	 
It was determined that Delgado needed surgery to reconstruct the labrum in the hip. The procedure was done by Phillipon at the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic in Vail, Colo. Delgado already is riding a stationary bicycle and plans to stay in Vail for about two months before completing a rehab back home in Puerto Rico.
	 
"The prognosis is that Carlos Delgado will be the Carlos Delgado of old in four months rather than an old Carlos Delgado," Sloane said.
	 
Delgado had played in the Puerto Rico winter league to try to show suitors, possibly even the Mets, that he was capable of playing. But scouts reported that his movement was still inhibited.
	 
Delgado was the first major league player to hit a home run into the Pepsi Porch at Citi Field. On May 18, 2009, the Mets announced that Delgado had a bone spur and a torn labrum in his hip, and he would have to undergo surgery. The Mets reported on May 19, 2009, that the surgery was successful and Delgado would be out for approximately 10 weeks, which would delay Delgado’s quest for 500 home runs. However, he did not play again in 2009.
	 
Delgado filed for free agency on Nov. 5, 2009. Delgado made his return to the PRBL for the 2009-10 season, registering a batting average of .364 and one home run in his first three games.
	 

	 
APCarlos Delgado

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3UP: Yankees Lineup, Jeter and Halladay

February 11, 2010 , ι By Joel Sherman

1. In today’s Post I wrote why Curtis Granderson should bat second for the Yankees against righty pitching. In talking to Joe Girardi on the subject of his lineup, he was saying the key was going to... Read on

1. In today’s Post I
	 wrotewhy Curtis Granderson should bat second for the Yankees against righty pitching. In talking to Joe Girardi on the subject of his lineup, he was saying the key was going to be figuring out the Nos. 2, 5 and 7 slots.

Against righties, I like a lineup that has Jorge Posada hitting fifth followed by Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher and Nick Johnson. Among the reasons I like it is that Cano, by far the least patient hitter in the lineup, would be followed by Swisher and Johnson, two of the most patient hitters in the majors. It would not concern me to have Johnson followed by fellow lefty Brett Gardner because Johnson has a history of being excellent against southpaws.

My issue with this lineup arrangement is having Cano and Swisher back-to-back because they are hitters you worry about producing in the clutch. But Girardi sounds like he is a big believer that Cano is going to blossom into a productive RBI man. That would be vital for the Yanks in replacing Hideki Matsui.

2. So what about a lineup against lefty starters. That is trickier for the Yanks. My gut tells me that Girardi will allow Granderson to play early in the year against southpaws as a show of confidence with the manager hoping that confidence – and work with hitting instructor Kevin Long – translates into acceptable results.

But it would be hard to have an 8-9 in the lineup of Granderson and either Gardner or Randy Winn. In the case of Granderson/Gardner, that could be easy pickings for a good lefty. And last year Winn was the worst hitter vs. lefty pitching in the majors. If he doesn’t show improvement then the Yanks will turn to either Jamie Hoffman or Marcus Thames against southpaws, but neither of them is exactly going to make Jon Lester or David Price shake

3. In Wednesday’s paper I
	 wroteabout Derek Jeter’s looming contract talks. I actually thought of a player who could serve as a model for the Jeter contract – Roy Halladay. When Halladay was traded from Toronto to Philadelphia, he met his two main criteria: To move to a contender and be with a team that had spring training close to his home in Florida.

With those two items met, Halladay agreed to a contract extension in which he did not demand the top of the market (think CC Sabathia and Johan Santana). Instead, he took a still very nice three-year, $60 million deal.

For some reason – maybe it is acid reflux – Halladay makes me think of Jeter. Both are incredibly well-respected both in their clubhouse and throughout the game. Both care about comfort. Jeter has put down roots in New York and Tampa.

I have no idea what Jeter will ask for from the Yankees. But I don’t think it is far-fetched that he will follow the Halladay model in which he accentuates his comfort. Heck, if it ended up a three-year, $60 million extension, too, it would not surprise me.

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3UP: The Core Four, Jeter's Contract and Jacobs

February 10, 2010 , ι By Joel Sherman

1. In my column in today’s Post I told a story that had not been made public before about the private dinner Brian Cashman had with Derek Jeter after the 2007 season, imploring his shortstop to work... Read on

1. In my
	 columnin today’s Post I told a story that had not been made public before about the private dinner Brian Cashman had with Derek Jeter after the 2007 season, imploring his shortstop to work on his agility to generate more range.
	 
That decision has been vital. Jeter had his best defensive season in years last season, maybe his best defensive season in the majors. That is incredible considering that he was 35.
	 
Yankee rivals have marveled at how Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada have defied age and remained such high-level performers. And that will be a key again in 2010. Yes, the Yankees have diversified and are deep with talent such as CC Sabathia, Alex Rodriguez, A.J. Burnett, Curtis Granderson, etc.
	 
But the Yanks would have a difficult time repeating as champions if injury or diminished performance strikes the Core Four.
	 
The falloff from Jeter to Ramiro Pena, Rivera to either Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes, Pettitte to Chad Gaudin or Alfredo Aceves, and Posada to Francisco Cervelli remains pretty steep.
	 
2. Much of the column dealt with Jeter’s contract negotiations. I believe it is about a 98 percent certainty that Jeter will re-sign next offseason with the Yankees. Jeter knows that his legacy – and marketability on Madison Avenue – is closely tied with his career-long association as a great Yankee. The Yankees have never had a player reach 3,000 hits in their uniform and Jeter should be on the doorstep, and he also is the most popular player on the team.
	 
I think the two percent possibility for divorce is if the sides just have drastically different opinions of Jeter’s worth both in annual value and length. And however slim there is a chance of that.
	 
The Yanks very well may wonder how prudent it is to do a long-term deal with a player who would be 37 in the first year of a new deal, especially when the Yanks are already committed long-term to Alex Rodriguez at third base. The Yanks could put themselves in a financial box where the left side of their infield is decrepit and overly expensive.
	 
And the landscape for older players has changed in most negotiations in recent years. In general older players are finding it difficult to rustle up either significant dollars or multi-year contracts. So will the Yanks feel compelled to bring Jeter down from the $18.9 million he is averaging on his soon-to-expire, 10-year contract or the $21 million he is making this year? The Yanks have found the wherewithal in recent years to be hard-edged in negotiations with Bernie Williams, Joe Torre and this offseason Johnny Damon. I recognize Jeter is in a different – more special – category, which is why I think the chances of him staying are 98 percent.
	 
But what does Jeter want? Does he feel as if he should be treated similarly to how the Yanks dealt with Alex Rodriguez, who signed a 10-year extension that will not end until A-Rod turns 42. That would mean Jeter would want a six-year deal to get to age 42. A-Rod is making $27.5 million on average per year with a high of $32 million, which comes this season.
	 
Can Jeter make an argument that he has brought to the Yankees more honor, production, goodwill, historic importance and money to the coffers than A-Rod, and, therefore, deserves no less than what Rodriguez received?
	 
If he does, then, perhaps, we really could see a separation.
	 
3. As I
	 wrote earlier this week, I think the Mets needed to address lefty power and I believe that they should be pursuing free agent Russell Branyan. I also thought they should have been considering Adam Kennedy before he signed with the Nationals because Kennedy would have given them a lefty bat with a little pop who could play many positions and just might settle in at second base in place of Luis Castillo.
	 
Mike Jacobs is not as good an option as either of those guys (or probably Hank Blalock either), but at least after acting like the lefty power issue was a non-issue the Mets suddenly woke up to some degree. Jacobs strikes out too much, walks too little, is not a good first baseman and is not very competitive against lefty pitching. But he can still provide some power against righty pitching, so he becomes a pinch-hit option with the ability to spot Daniel Murphy on occasion. If he ends up the starter then the Mets would have fooled themselves into trusting Murphy again.
	 
More likely is that Jacobs, who is coming on a minor league deal, will have to beat out Frank Catalanotto and Russ Adams for the job of lefty bat off the bench. Neither Catalanotto nor Adams offers much power.
	 
Jacobs hit 19 homers for the Royals last year during an atrocious season. As I noted earlier in the week, the Mets currently have 11 players on their 40-man roster who either bat lefty or are switch-hitters. Those 11 players combined to hit 26 homers from the left side in the majors last year in 2,364 at-bats. And the power bat from that group with the best pedigree, Carlos Beltran, is going to miss at least the beginning of the season.

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3UP: Mets Money, Winn and Granderson

February 09, 2010 , ι By Joel Sherman

1. In my column in today’s Post, I recommended that the Mets should still be shopping in the discount rack for free agents. But I wonder if they can really do even that financially. When I spoke to... Read on

1. In my
	 columnin today’s Post, I recommended that the Mets should still be shopping in the discount rack for free agents. But I wonder if they can really do even that financially. When I spoke to Mets officials last week, they insisted that they are having no cash-flow issues.

I told Mets officials that during this offseason I have been besieged by angry Mets fans telling me either face-to-face or through e-mail that they were giving up their season tickets or partial plans; and that I have yet to have one person tell me that they were purchasing a package of any type.
	 
But Mets officials said that was unscientific and that they are doing just fine in selling packages, specifically partial plans.

I told Mets officials that I heard that the Madoff problem is not that the Wilpons lost money in the Ponzi scam, but that they had taken out profits over the years and that the government is determined to go after those profits – and there is a potential that we are talking about hundreds of millions in profits. But, again, Mets officials dispelled that theory, insisting that Madoff is not an issue.

But right now because of the economy – both nationally and in baseball – there are again a lot of free agents still available as spring training nears, and the prices are falling. And though the Mets have some obvious needs in the rotation, at catcher, with lefty power and with just general depth, they appear not to be active shoppers in any way. That feels like either negligence or money problems.

Plus, I was told that the Mets have recently re-engaged with Arizona about acquiring Chris Snyder. The Mets did figure out to stop offering up Luis Castillo in a dubious contract for dubious contract deal because the Diamondbacks were not obtaining Castillo under any circumstances. But what surprised Arizona officials was that the Mets essentially said the Diamondbacks had to eat the entirety of Snyder’s $4.75 million contract for 2010. Snyder has been working out regularly at the Diamondbacks’ facility and they feel he has managed his back problems and will be a full player this year. Thus, with starting catchers always in demand they are not in give-away mode with Snyder.

2. The five players I recommended the Mets take a strong second look at in the late stages of free agency are Rod Barajas, Russell Branyan, Kiko Calero, Felipe Lopez and Jarrod Washburn. I asked two front office executives and two veteran agents to guess-timate how much those five would cost in total. The low number was $8 million for all five and the high number was $14 million.

As I pointed out, the Mets were willing to spend about $12 million in 2010 if Bengie Molina and Joel Pineiro were willing to agree to their offers. So – in theory – the Mets should have some additional funds.

And just to repeat what I said in the column, I do not believe these are perfect players or that teams should spend for spending’s sake. It is just that the Mets are again falling for what I call the WWE referee trick. You know how in wrestling that the referee has to fall for the same stupid ruse every week so that the chair can get into the ring behind his back … Well, the Mets’ version of that is annually convincing themselves that all of their players will be healthy and productive and never really coming up with a suitable Plan B. And then being as surprised as that WWE referee when the chair is in the ring, or in their case when the injuries and bad seasons come.

When I talk to Mets officials now they are regaling with me with what great shape Oliver Perez is in and how Mike Pelfrey lost 20 pounds and is fully focused, and how the entire team has a chip on its collective shoulder about being humiliated last season and smacked around during the offseason.

It is at times like this I wonder if the Mets realize that every team is experiencing the fresh hope of spring right now. That throughout the sport bodies have healed and that players have recommitted to more detailed workout programs and that bonds of purpose are strong. In about 10 days every team will begin dealing with the chip, chip, chipping away of all that idealism as the rigors of spring training and the season begin deteriorating bodies and minds. Everyone is always ahead of schedule from their injury rehab now (except Carlos Beltran). Get back to me on March 20.

Look, the Mets have five elite players in Beltran (if he comes back any time soon), Jose Reyes, David Wright, Johan Santana and Francisco Rodriguez. So there are definitely scenarios in which they are going to be good to very good. But I still see holes and lack of depth just about everywhere, and so I wonder what happens if Beltran does not exactly hurry back or Perez isn’t as committed as the Mets think he is right now, etc.

That is why I pointed out the pieces still left in the shopping bin. Because Barajas is better than Omir Santos. Branyan is better than Daniel Murphy, Lopez is better than Castillo, Calero provides insurance for the uncertain duo of Kelvim Escobar and Ryota Igarashi, and Washburn could end up being as elevated as the Mets’ No. 2 starter. I know these guys are far from perfect. The problem is either are the Mets.

3. I can’t remember a team ever setting up bonuses tied specifically to one side of the plate the way the Yankees did for Randy Winn. I think it is very creative. Winn’s contract is for $1.1 million guaranteed. He can then earn an additional $900,000 by reaching various plate appearance levels starting at 50 and ending at 200 against lefty pitching.

In other words, if he earns playing time against lefties, he will make as much as $2 million. This essentially is Winn gambling on himself that last year was an aberration and the Yankees protecting themselves a bit in case it wasn’t.

After being capable against lefties throughout his career, the switch-hitting Winn fell to remarkable depths last year. He hit just .158 against righties in 125 plate appearances for the Giants.

That was 25 points worse than the second-worst mark against lefties (minimum 125 PAs) -- and wait for the drum roll, Yankee fans for who was second … It was Curtis Granderson at .183. So the Yanks might need a lot more than Marcus Thames to stop teams from employing as many lefties as they can find against them.

Winn’s .158 is actually the worst mark against lefties in the past five years. The second-worst mark in that time span -- and Yankee fans wait for the drum roll – was Curtis Granderson’s .160 in 2007. Did I mention that Marcus Thames might not be enough to stop opponents from digging up lefties to face the Yanks?

Obviously, the Yanks hope they pay the $900,000 because that would mean that Winn returned to at least competence against lefty pitching. And before last season, Winn did hit .287 with a .343 on-base percentage and a .444 slugging percentage against lefties. The Yanks would sign up for that in a snap.

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Yankees sign OF Thames

February 08, 2010 , ι By JOEL SHERMAN

The Yankees have signed OF Marcus Thames to a minor-league contract.Thames, who will earn $900,000 if he makes the roster, will compete for playing time in left field with Randy Winn and Brett... Read on

The Yankees have signed OF Marcus Thames to a minor-league contract.
	 
Thames, who will earn $900,000 if he makes the roster, will compete for playing time in left field with Randy Winn and Brett Gardner.
	 
“He has a great bat against left-handers,’’ Joe Girardi said of Thames, who was dealt from the Yankees to Rangers for Ruben Sierra in 2003.
	 
Thames broke into the majors with the Yankees in 2002 and homered off of Randy Johnson, then with the Diamondbacks, in his first major league at-bat. Thames played seven games in pinstripes before returning to the minors, then was traded to the Rangers.
	 
“He hits left-handed pitching well and we know him as a person so we will see where it takes us,’’ Brian Cashman said of the career .256 hitter with a .516 slugging percentage and 40 homers and 105 RBIs in 620 at-bats against lefties.
	 
Thames made $2.38 million last year, when he hit .252 with 13 home runs and 36 RBIs in 87 games for the Tigers.
	 
The Yankees today also officially signed Winn to his one year contract for a $1.1 million base with $900,000 available in incentives: $100,000 each for 50, 75 and 100 plate appearances, and $150,000 apiece for 125, 150, 175 and 200.
	 
The deal was reached in late January and brought an end to
	 Johnny Damon's time in New York.
	 
With George A. King III; AP

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3UP: Jeter, Beltran and Damon

February 08, 2010 , ι By Joel Sherman

The Super Bowl is out of the way, so there is nothing but clear field between here and pitchers and catchers – unless the slam dunk contest is just too much for you to resist. So I figured I would... Read on

The Super Bowl is out of the way, so there is nothing but clear field between here and pitchers and catchers – unless the slam dunk contest is just too much for you to resist.
	 
So I figured I would open this week with three questions on my post-Super Bowl mind:
	 
1. Does having Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Joe Girardi in their walk year matter for the Yankees? It probably will mean nothing. Jeter and Rivera are incredibly tough-minded players. If they falter, I am much more comfortable speculating that it will be an aged-related falter rather than anything having to do with being undermined by concentrating on their walk years. But I can see it rankling the proud Jeter and/or Rivera if they do struggle at all this year and fan/media conversation shifts to if it is worthwhile to bring the players back and/or bring them back on substantial multi-year contracts.
	 
As for Girardi, he is self-confident and also should know by now that he has the backing of both Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman. They do not have an itchy finger when it comes to getting rid of Girardi. The Yankees would have to endure an underachieving season and, even then, I think Yankees brass would still look for reasons to keep Girardi rather than to jettison him.
	 
2. When might Carlos Beltran get on a major league field? Beltran is furious with the Mets and how they have publicly handled his surgery. He wonders if he should have been playing last year (in other words, was he properly diagnosed?). More important, he pushed to initially play in pain and then rush back in a lost season.
	 
The Mets probably should not expect Beltran to prioritize the team this time around. He turns 33 in April. His contract walk year is 2011. So I expect that Beltran will take care of No. 1 and make sure he does not do anything to hurt himself for a 2011 salary-drive season.
	 
3. Will the departure of Johnny Damon hurt? I know that Damon has dominated Yankees thought because he is still a free agent, his saga has drawn on all offseason, and because there has been some animus exchanged between his camp and the Yankees about how the divorce went down.
	 
But when I consider this question, I think of it as a Damon/Hideki Matsui question. I totally get what Brian Cashman has tried to do this winter, notably get younger and more athletic wherever possible, keep the payroll stable and deepen the starting rotation.
	 
However, the Yankees are always designed with a World Series in mind and they just removed two of their most clutch hitters. Let’s put it this way: ninth inning, Fenway Park, Yankees down 3-2. How many other Yankees would you want up in that situation from the 2009 team before you would pick Damon and Matsui?
	 
Again, I understand the philosophy. The Yankees were very concerned about Matsui’s knees holding up. They did not want to endure an offseason-long negotiation with Damon/Scott Boras and either pay what they didn’t want to pay or be left without any suitable replacement as either a lefty bat and/or a No. 2 hitter; so they moved quickly on Nick Johnson.
	 
My gut just tells me that the Yankees – because of the expectations they constantly endure under – must have players who can thrive in the cauldron. It was obvious that Damon and Matsui could. Will Johnson? Will Curtis Granderson? Will Robinson Cano ever adapt to hit better with men in scoring position? Will Nick Swisher do better in those spots, as well? Is Brett Gardner even a major league regular?

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(38) Comments

3UP: F. Martinez, Hudson and Liriano

February 05, 2010 , ι By Joel Sherman

1. Fernando Martinez told MLB.com that he had hoped the injury to Carlos Beltran would create an opportunity for him to play center field, but that the acquisition of Gary Matthews Jr. has him uncertain of his spot with the Mets and
	 thinking he might have to leave the organization to prove himself.

Someone from the Mets might want to give Martinez a call and inform the youngster why Matthews was acquired. A Mets official told me that Matthews was obtained from the Angels simply to provide insurance to the injury-prone Angel Pagan, who is internally viewed as Beltran’s replacement regardless of Omar Minaya’s public statement that Matthews and Pagan will battle it out in spring training with the winner starting in Beltran’s place.

But here is the reality: If Martinez can ever show the ability to stay consistently healthy and produce to the level of what the Mets believe his talent is then they are not going to let either Pagan or Matthews block him. He not only will play, but the Mets will be thrilled to play him.

2. Orlando Hudson signed with the Twins and, thus, for a second straight offseason the Mets tried to trade Luis Castillo as a way to clear a path to Hudson, who according to friends wants to play in New York.

No doubt Hudson is a better player than Castillo and, thus, would have helped the Mets more. But Dodgers officials were actually disappointed in Hudson’s overall game and, remember, Joe Torre benched Hudson in favor of Ronnie Belliard late in the year. They were quickly surprised that Hudson was not faster with a few inside the organization derisively turning his nickname from O-Dog to Slow-Dog. They also came to believe that his defensive reputation was overinflated; that he was fantastic on pop-ups, but very ordinary on grounders.

That being said the Twins – like the Mets with Castillo – needed to upgrade on Nick Punto, and Hudson is definitely an upgrade.

3. With a new home stadium opening this year, the Twins have expanded payroll to assemble a team that is now probably the AL Central favorite again with Hudson and J.J. Hardy forming a new and improved double-play combo, and Jim Thome added to upgrade offensive depth.

But perhaps the most important item of all is how good Francisco Liriano looked in Winter Ball. “Our scouts said he was as good as he was in 2006 when we all thought that he was the heir to Johan (Santana),” an NL executive said.

If Liriano has indeed returned to near that level, Minnesota might just have the kind of ace necessary to more than show up to play punching bag in a playoff series against a team such as the Yankees.

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3UP: Verlander, Free Agent Starters and Damon

February 04, 2010 , ι By Joel Sherman

1. The chances of finding a high-end, twentysomething starting pitcher in free agency over the next few years has been severely crippled over the past 12 months. Since the last week of January 2009,... Read on

1. The chances of finding a high-end, twentysomething starting pitcher in free agency over the next few years has been severely crippled over the past 12 months.

Since the last week of January 2009, Zack Greinke, Jon Lester, Josh Johnson, Felix Hernandez and now Justin Verlander have signed long-term contracts. I think you can make a pretty strong argument that those five plus Tim Lincecum represented the six best starters in the majors who pitched last season in their age-26 or younger season. So now that superb quintet will not be sprinkling out onto the free-agent market over the next few years while still in their mid- to late-20s.

There will still be some very good starters coming onto the free-agent market. But they will be mainly guys who already have reached 30, such as Josh Beckett and Cliff Lee, who currently project as the best starters available in next offseason’s market.

Of course, these young starters can be traded. I would think, in fact, that by as early as this trading deadline or next offseason we will begin to hear Greinke’s name in a lot of speculation. His deal is up after the 2012 season and he plays for a dreadful, small-market team that is unlikely to be a contender between now and the end of the 2012 season.

But what this slew of multi-year signings probably means is that if a team wants to add a difference-making young ace over the next few years, it is going to have to be via the trade market.

2. Once Nick Johnson signed with the Yankees during the third week of December, Johnny Damon’s tenure really was all but over, and here is why:

The Yankees’ road map this offseason was prioritize the re-signing of Andy Pettitte, determine how to handle the left field/DH spots with Damon and Hideki Matsui as free agents, and find an innings-eating starter – and do all of this and go no higher than the $200 million mark.

Pettitte was re-signed and Curtis Granderson was obtained, which filled one of the Damon/Matsui spots. Yankee officials insist that if Damon would have accepted something in the range of their two-year, $16 million overture that he – not Johnson – was the first choice; and then they would have tried to go less expensive on a pitcher, with Joel Pineiro a target of interest.

Yankee officials say that Damon was the priority for many reasons, including this one: The Yanks envisioned him being the primary DH, but with Brett Gardner as the likely left fielder, Damon could have been insurance if Gardner proved incapable of handling a full-time role. Meanwhile, barring injury, Johnson is unlikely to play much more than 10 or so games at first base in place of Mark Teixeira.

But, of course, matters did not move swiftly with Damon, and there has been a lot of reporting of late in which both sides blame the other. Johnson was signed for $5.5 million.

Yet even at that point, the Yankee brass re-convened, sources tell me, and discussed whether to reconsider the original philosophy and continue to go after Damon as the left fielder or to stick with the original idea of adding another starter. I am told that more than a half-dozen important decision makers had a vote and that it was unanimous to go after the starter.

The main reason is that Yankee executives are worried about if there will be a year-after slide for CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and/or Andy Pettitte after they carried such heavy workloads in 2009. Yankee officials just felt it was imperative to bring in a workhorse as protection, and in Javier Vazquez, the Yanks obtained the only pitcher in the majors to log at least 190 innings in each of the past 10 seasons.

3. Damon could still end up on the Braves for a few million dollars, which obviously is way under the payday he was expecting this offseason. But he has a built-in face-saving mechanism to take the deal: He could say he was offered more elsewhere, but prioritized spending more time with his family because the Braves do spring training not far from Damon’s Orlando home.

But we also see the Damon camp trying to entice the Tigers by selling the importance of a rather small sample size of 189 plate appearances; that is how many Damon has generated in Comerica Park.

In those 189 plate appearances Damon has produced an on-base percentage of .412, which is third best in Comerica history (150 plate appearances minimum) behind only Joe Mauer (.456) and Carlos Lee (.433). He also has a .550 slugging percentage, which is sixth best behind David Ortiz, Joe Crede, Jermaine Dye, Miguel Cabrera and Lee.

Of course, if this small sample size argument is actually working then the Damon camp could inadvertently be selling the Tigers on Dye. Like Damon, Dye is a 36-year-old defensively challenged corner outfielder whose pricetag has plummeted this offseason. And in his 263 career plate appearances at Comerica, Dye has a .373 on-base percentage and a .584 slugging percentage.

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3UP: How to Use Hughes and Joba

February 03, 2010 , ι By Joel Sherman

In today’s Post I wrote this column about how Joba Chamberlain probably is destined to wind up back in the bullpen, in some large part because of how his confidence and best fastball returned in the... Read on

In today’s Post I wrote this
	 columnabout how Joba Chamberlain probably is destined to wind up back in the bullpen, in some large part because of how his confidence and best fastball returned in the playoffs when he was again a reliever.

If Phil Hughes does, indeed, become the No. 5 starter, the Yankees face a few different issues:

1. How many innings could Hughes pitch as a starter? Hughes pitched 105.1 innings last season between the majors and minors. By the formula the Yanks employed last year with Joba, Hughes would probably be allowed to add about 40-50 innings to that total. But as far back as 2006, Hughes pitched 146 innings in the minors. Will that count? Whatever the Yanks would decide, Hughes would almost certainly not be allowed to work without restrictions that keep him well shy of 200 innings.

2. So how would the Yankees deploy Hughes? In retrospect, they cannot love how last year played out with Chamberlain, who seemed confused and – at times – negatively impacted by rules that severely limited his pitch count and regularly either skipped his spot in the rotation or gave him extra days between starts.

Thus, the Yanks will have to decide the best path if Hughes is the No. 5 starter. He does have minor league options (as does Joba), so in theory he could be protected at the beginning of the season in the minors. But that would defy the Yankee promise to have the 11 or 12 best pitches on their staff. The Yanks could have Hughes and Chamberlain begin the year in the pen with an Alfredo Aceves, Chad Gaudin or Sergio Mitre making, say, 5-10 starts. Then Hughes could be slowly built up to be a full starter from thereafter.

Whatever they would do, the Yanks will know from experience with Chamberlain that there will be a lot of criticism.

3. Would this mean that Chamberlain is done as a starter? One Yankee official insisted it would not, that Chamberlain as a starter could be revisited again in 2011. And it is no myth that most Yankee officials believe that Chamberlain’s repertoire should make him a very good starter. Plus, the Yanks could very well need rotation help next year with Javier Vazquez in his walk year and Andy Pettitte contemplating retirement annually. He also would be still only 25 years old.

However, if Chamberlain does register a full season of relief in 2010, it would seem difficult to sell that transformation back to the rotation. Especially since Chamberlain would again not be in position to be a full-time starter in 2011.

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About the Author

JOEL SHERMAN Joel Sherman has been at the Post since 1989, serving as Yankees beat writer from 1989-95 and baseball columnist since 1996. His Hardball blog won a 2008 Best Sports Blog honor from the Associated Press Managing Editors Association. Joel’s books include "Birth of a Dynasty, Behind the Pinstripes with the 1996 Yankees." He served as a weekly baseball analyst on New York 1 from 2000-05, was a regular contributor on the MSG Network from 2000-08, and was part of the My 9 Yankees postgame show for the past two seasons. He graduated from NYU in 1985. Columnist Archives