Winter Blues: 2012 Official Offseason Baseball Thread

[lgna69xxx]

Sorry merlot, but i will welcome Hafner to the house that Jeter built and that short porch in right with open arms! Go get em Cashman! (and if not, he will find the role players like he has been doing for several years now, benny-boy take note) :thumb:

 

[Doc Holliday]

Bosch injected A-Rod

Very interesting article & video. I believe it will be very difficult for Alex Rodriguez to play for the Yankees (or anyone else) again. My guess is that he probably will be suspended once he's ready to play again.

All of the other players named have already been suspended 50 games, except for Nelson Cruz.

PED clinic operator personally injected Alex Rodriguez

p.s. Travis Haffner is now with the Yankees? Wasn't he retired?

 

[Joe.t]

Bosch injected A-Rod

Very interesting article & video. I believe it will be very difficult for Alex Rodriguez to play for the Yankees (or anyone else) again. My guess is that he probably will be suspended once he's ready to play again.

All of the other players named have already been suspended 50 games, except for Nelson Cruz.

PED clinic operator personally injected Alex Rodriguez

p.s. Travis Haffner is now with the Yankees? Wasn't he retired?

Low risk, high reward, another brilliant move by Cashman who never ceases to amaze, if he hits 20 HR(which I fully expect with that short porch in right) he will be the steal of the year in MLB.

Again, Mathhew Leach from MLB.com absolutely loves this aquisition.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Low risk, high reward, another brilliant move by Cashman who never ceases to amaze, if he hits 20 HR(which I fully expect with that short porch in right) he will be the steal of the year in MLB.

Possibly. I was caught by surprise when i saw the news that he was signed by the Yankees since i was almost certain that he had retired a year or two ago.

By the way, i always suspected he was juicing himself when he was with Cleveland. In his last few years with the Tribe, he looked like the Incredible Hulk!

 

[EagerBeaver]

The only problem with Travis Hafner is he is a "pure DH" who can't play the field. The Yankees were able to use Ibanez in the outfield last year and although he certainly was no great shakes defensively, he did not embarrass himself. The trick with signing the usual excellent hitters who hit the late stages of their careers is to get guys who can still play a competent outfield. I recall that when the Yankees got guys like Chili Davis, Dave Justice and Ruben Sierra they were borderline as to whether they could occasionally be spotted in the outfield. A few years ago the Yankees signed Marcus Thames as the righty DH and although he handled DH duties well, he badly embarrassed himself when the Yankees tried to play him in the OF. I think Hafner probably is never going to see grass and frankly the Yankees will probably have a couple guys as 4th or 5th outfielders and late inning defensive replacements unless they try to play Nunez in the outfield on occasion.

Regarding A-Rod it is too early to speculate but if he gets an MLB suspension that is good news because the Yankees are freed up of $10 million in salary and that "new money" can then be possibly used to absorb someone's contract at the trade deadline next year, depending on where holes need to be plugged. However it may be a while before the MLB investigation is done. Since A-Rod is not likely to play in 2013 one can therefore properly root for a suspension, the effect of which (I believe) is to open up salary that can be paid to others that will not count against the cap.

Getting back to Hafner, if he is healthy and finally freed of onerous defensive duties, he could be a very productive player as 35 is fairly young for a Yankees DH. The Yankees have had some quality aging DHs over the years. They seem to do a good job of getting guys who still have a little bit left in the tank. The one exception I can think of was Randy Winn who had zero left in the tank and was released in early May of the year they signed him. Otherwise the judgment of Cashman has always been very good. It is on the little signings where Cashman has repeatedly excelled for the past 15 years now. He would not have been Yankees GM for the past 15 years if he had not had some very good judgments.

 

[Joe.t]

Possibly. I was caught by surprise when i saw the news that he was signed by the Yankees since i was almost certain that he had retired a year or two ago.

By the way, i always suspected he was juicing himself when he was with Cleveland. In his last few years with the Tribe, he looked like the Incredible Hulk!

I personally have given up caring about juicing, let's face it, everybody does it, just look at the Red Sox 2004-2007 circa.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I personally have given up caring about juicing, let's face it, everybody does it, just look at the Red Sox 2004-2007 circa.

I also don't really put too much importance into the matter since there will always be players who will find ways to avoid detection in the use of PED's. I'm also pro-HGH, if someone can afford to use it. HGH is very expensive as compared to regular steroids. Trust me, i checked. HGH is as close as someone can currently get if there is such a thing as 'fountain of youth'. I'd also recommend testosterone intake in order to keep your levels at their peak.

I see threads where viagra and cialis are discussed. Many people who need those drugs to 'perform' wouldn't need them if only they'd exercise & watch what they eat and drink. I'd recommend talking to their doctors about possibly getting something to increase their testosterone levels. I'd even get my blood pressure regularly checked since high blood pressure often leads to impotency.

I just read that they're very close to testing for HGH in NFL football. Many would say that it's about time. I'd even go as far as saying that a very large majority of NFL players have all used HGH at one time in their life and many still use them in order to get bigger & still maintain their athletism. There is no way that most of those guys (e.g. Ray Lewis) can get as big as they are without 'help'.

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

The only problem with Travis Hafner is he is a "pure DH" who can't play the field.

Well, there is another problem, Beav. He's spent at least half the season on the DL four out of the last five years. The fifth year, he only spent two months on the DL.

Regarding A-Rod it is too early to speculate but if he gets an MLB suspension that is good news because the Yankees are freed up of $10 million in salary and that "new money" can then be possibly used to absorb someone's contract at the trade deadline next year.

WRONG!! The only way the Yankees can get that money freed from the Luxury Tax threshold is if he's suspended for life. He's not going to voluntarily retire and walk away from $114 million. Even if they were to find a doctor to commit insurance fraud so that they could collect on their policy, the salary would still count against the threshold.

Possibly. I was caught by surprise when i saw the news that he was signed by the Yankees since i was almost certain that he had retired a year or two ago.

That's probably because he's spent considerably more time on the DL the last five years than on the field, Doc.

 

[Merlot]

I personally have given up caring about juicing, let's face it, everybody does it, just look at the Red Sox 2004-2007 circa.

Hilarious,

Some people have always thought juicing should be allowed. I don't agree, but at least those people believed in their view at stuck by it. Now you as one of the biggest accusers give up because the boys on your team keep getting caught, and you want to dismiss cheating as something "everybody does". EXCUSES EXCUSES EXCUSES. That's EPIC BS!!!
...and the evidence and names start to pour out....

Report: Alex Rodriguez was personally injected by clinic chief

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...inic-performance-enhancing-drugs-mlb/1883861/

New York Yankees All-Star Alex Rodriguez agreed to pay $12,000 monthly for the next four years to receive performance-enhancing drugs, according to the Miami New Times, and had been receiving injections from the director of a wellness clinic, according to ESPN.

Anthony Bosch, who operated the Biogenesis of America clinic in Coral Gables, Fla., personally injected Rodriguez with performance-enhancing drugs at his mansion on Biscayne Bay every few weeks, a source told ESPN. Bosch, who has publicly denied servicing Rodriguez, spoke openly about his relationship with Rodriguez, which the Miami New Times originally reported Tuesday.

Rodriguez again Friday, denied the allegations through a spokesman.

Bosch was operating one of several wellness clinics in South Florida that Major League Baseball investigators targeted in the last eight months. Major League Baseball, frustrated by not having subpoena power, turned over its findings to the Drug Enforcement Agency, according to a high-ranking MLB official.

The Miami New Times, obtaining records and documents by a former employee, also reported that Melky Cabrera of the Toronto Blue Jays, Gio Gonzalez of the Washington Nationals, Nelson Cruz of the Texas Rangers, Yasmani Grandal of the San Diego Padres and Bartolo Colon of the Oakland A's also received performance-enhancing drugs from Bosch. Cabrera, Grandal and Colon all tested positive last year and received 50-game suspensions.

Cabrera began receiving performance-enhancing drugs from Bosch since 2009, according to the Miami New Times.

Also, in an explosive letter obtained by the Miami New Times, Bosch claims Cabrera owes him $14,000 -- including a $5,000 bonus for making the All-Star team. Cabrera was named MVP of the game.

The letter was addressed to Juan Nunez, a consultant who worked for agents Sam and Seth Levinson of ACES. The Levinsons still are under investigation by MLB, but were cleared by the MLB Players Association.

"Anyone who knows us, knows that it is absolutely ridiculous to think that we would ever condone the use of performance-enhancing drugs,'' Seth Levinson said in a prepared statement. "We have represented many hundreds of players over 25 years, and our track record makes it perfectly clear that we do things the right way. ACES long ago stopped using Juan Nunez as an independent contractor, and he plays no role whatsoever in ACES' ongoing representation of any professional baseball player."

Nunez, fired from ACES, has declined to comment publicly to USA TODAY.

Gonzalez and Cruz also have denied the Miami New Times' story.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who spoke to Outside the Lines, was asked if A-Rod will be a Yankee when he returns from the disabled list:

"He's a Yankee. There's no doubt about that. He's signed a contract as a member of the New York Yankees. In terms of the pure facts as we know them today, there is nothing that changes that. ... If there is a situation that impacts anybody's player that Major League Baseball finds, everyone will focus on what that means to them individually as well as team-wise. It's business as usual right now."

2009, the year of the Yankees last World Series...ahem..."win". :crazy:

This is CHEATING, Joe. There's no excuse for it. Just Greed, Ego, and Cheating.

truly,

Merlot

 

[lgna69xxx]

The Captain Speaks (and is on track for game #1 of the 2013 season)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Yankees captain Derek Jeter plans to wait until teammate Alex Rodriguez addresses his latest off-the-field controversy before commenting on the matter.

The Miami New Times reported last week that Rodriguez bought human growth hormone and other performance-enhancing substances during 2009-12 from Biogenesis of America LLC, a now-closed anti-aging clinic in Coral Cables, near Rodriguez's off-season home.

The new public relations firm for the three-time AL MVP issued a statement denying the allegations.

"I don't comment on anyone until they speak first," Jeter said Monday. "Let him address his situation before I comment on it. Let him speak first and then we'll talk about that."

Rodriguez admitted four years ago that he used PEDs from 2001-03. He had hip surgery last month and is expected to be sidelined until after the All-Star break.

Jeter started his second week of workouts on a baseball field after breaking his left ankle last October. The 38-year-old fielded 55 grounders on the grass in front of the infield dirt at shortstop at the team's minor league complex. He also hit in a batting cage.

The 13-time All-Star expects to start in New York's opener against Boston on April 1. He plans to start running later this month at spring training.

"Everything's been good," Jeter said. "Everything's right where it needs to be. The goal is April 1st, that's when we start our season. I'm right where I need to be. I've been progressing just fine."

Jeter broke the ankle lunging for a grounder in the AL championship series opener against Detroit on Oct. 13, and had surgery a week late

http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/story/?id=415225

 

[EagerBeaver]

4 Yankees In Keith Law's Top 100 Prospects in Baseball

4 Yankees Led By Lefty Manny Banuelos:

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/ya...aws-top-100-manny-b-is-no-23-m-williams-no-34

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

Actually, Beav, Banuelos, who will miss this season with TJ surgery, is on nobody's top anything list. Nor is Dellin Betances, whose prospect status has faded totally.

Now go back and look at the article again. How much things have changed since last February when that article was posted.

BTW, Beav, here's a name for you: Mark Montgomery. He is completely off the radar, but there's a real good chance that he'll be the Yankees' closer within the next few months. Check out his numbers.

 

[Joe.t]

Looks like the Yankees have another Dave Robertson on their hands, that slider of his looks absolutely filthy.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121112&content_id=40260970&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

 

[EagerBeaver]

Yeah, I did not realize it at first but that link I posted is dated. The Yankees actually have 5 prospects in Keith Law's top 100 for 2013.
Gary Sanchez is 18, Mason Williams 35, Tyler Austin 52 & Slade Heathcott 57. RHP Jose Ramirez was somewhere from 101 to 110. In addition to Montgomery. I am still hoping the big guy they got from Seattle will pan out, he got hurt last year but is potentially dominant.

 

[lgna69xxx]

Sure does as does the future for the Yanks what with all the young good prospects they have down on the farm. Gary Sanchez is gonna be the next Posada only better! I expect good things from Dante Bichette Jr. as well

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/prospects/watch/y2012/#list=nyy

Looks like the Yankees have another Dave Robertson on their hands, that slider of his looks absolutely filthy.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121112&content_id=40260970&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

MLB.com has 3 Yankees in the top 100: Sanchez (36), Williams (41) and Austin (75). They have 6 Sox in the top 100: Bogaerts (20), Bradley (32), Barnes (38), Webster (71), Owens (94), Iglesias (96.)

BaseballHQ has Bogaerts (18), Barnes (31), Bradley (33), and Webster (93). They also have Sanchez (32), Austin (48), Williams (61), Banuelos (98).

The general consensus of what I've seen ranks the Sox 9 or 10, the Yankees 17 or 18.

 

[lgna69xxx]

And yet the rEd sox will still be fighting for 4TH place with the O's in 2013, and likely 2014 as well.

The general consensus of what I've seen ranks the Sox 9 or 10, the Yankees 17 or 18.

 

[Special K]

Did I hear that the barely serviceable, life long back up, Francisco Cervelli is also being implicated in PED's now? HOOOOLY FUCK, he better get his money back!!!!

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

Jay Jaffe is one of the handful of top baseball analysts. He has been writing for Baseball Prospectus for 10 year and he's also a staff writer for the premium Yankee blog, The Pinstriped Bible. This year he's also writing reviews of the winter doings of all 30 MLB teams. Here's how he rates the work of the Yanks and Sox over the winter. (Or is that, yAnks, whatever the fuck that infantile attempt at insult is supposed to mean.)

Winter Report Card:

Yankees: Grade: D+. At a weighted average age of 32.7 years, the Yankee lineup was the oldest in the AL by nearly three full years, and yet they seem to have taken steps to get even older this winter while leaving significant holes in their lineup. Without a few more fixes — fixes that should be easy given this team’s resources, but which are suddenly agonizingly hard to come by — this may well be the year where age catches up to them and leaves them on the outside looking in.

Red Sox: Grade: B. The Sox have been active this winter, but one can read their uneven work as a recognition that 2013 may not be their year. Still, they retain pieces that could help them bolster a contending bid if things break right.

Link: http://mlb.si.com/category/al-east/

 

[lgna69xxx]

Lots of if this and if thats on the red sox for 2013. Sure any team could have a miracle run and every player have a career year and win it all, then there is reality. While the red sox got rid of dead wood (at least playing in boston) like Beckett and Crawford (watch them light it up in LA) they have not exactly improved much, and kinda went sideways. I expect them to be a few games better than last season however. Meanwhile the Yankees are fundamentally sound at most positions and will contend as always, anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional or just sadly mistaken, or both.

The Jays are the wild card in all this by pushing the red sox and orioles to fight it out for 4th as what the Jays did this offseason was just too much for the lower 2 teams in the east to overcome in 2013.

Only a few days now til Pitchers and Catchers report.

Red Sox: The Sox have been active this winter, but one can read their uneven work as a recognition that 2013 may not be their year. Still, they retain pieces that could help them bolster a contending bid if things break right.