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The New York Yankees have completely rebuilt their rotation with the signings of CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett this offseason. Are these two pitchers enough for them to overtake the best rotations in the East?
Don’t miss this fun read on understanding Jon Lester’s stuff using PITCHf/x on Driveline Mechanics!
Well, in case you missed it, it is now official – Mark Teixeira will be a New York Yankee for the next eight years. Just when I was beginning to think it was possible for us to win. GM Brian Cashman played this one close to the vest, and swooped in to land their third major free agent prize in two weeks. The Red Sox were standing firm on their offer of 8 years, $168M, and New York trumped them with a $180M offer over the same term. Teixeira’s new deal comes with full no-trade protection.
Rocco Baldelli, a talented right-handed hitting outfielder from Rhode Island, would make an excellent addition as a fourth outfielder, but the Red Sox have hesitated to sign him, as he was diagnosed with a rare mitochondrial disorder which may severely limit his playing time. Now it seems that the diagnosis is not as bad as initially thought, and Baldelli is drawing interest from several teams. He is an athletic defender who can play all three outfield spots and hit with some power. I project him to hit roughly .262/.303/.462 in 2009.
Free agent prize Mark Teixeira wanted to have a deal done by Christmas, and it’s almost time. I’ve said all along that the Red Sox would sign Teixeira only if the price was right. The free agent market has been surprisingly deflated due to the unstable economy, and players are not signing for the premium numbers they once did (apart from some notable exceptions, like CC Sabathia). Now with the Angels bowing out of the chase for Teixeira and the Yankees showing lukewarm interest, this deal may actually be happening. Let’s take a look at the current situation and the potential impact on the team.
In the first round of the Rule 5 draft, the Red Sox selected 24-year old RHP Miguel Gonzales out of the Angels organization. SoxProspects.com already has a page on him; he throws in the low 90s with good command, mixing a slider and a changeup. He has worked as botha starter and a reliever at Double-A, but missed all of 2008 with a knee injury. He seems to be fully recovered, as he played well in the Mexican Winter League. According to Rule 5, he must stay on the Major League 40-man roster all year, or else be sent back to the Angels.
The Red Sox tendered an official offer to Jason Varitek yesterday, according to agent Scott Boras, but Nick Cafardo is now disputing that. Boston’s offer is purportedly for two years and an unknown dollar amount. It’s beginning to look like Varitek will re-sign in Boston after all.
Theo Epstein and his cohort have arrived in Las Vegas, and are taking part in the GM Winter Meetings for the next three days. Is there something big in the works? All the signs point to a pretty big free agent signing, and I suspect it will be a young starting pitcher.
With the Winter meetings less than a week away, the Boston front office is humming with activity. Could there be a big move or two in store after this relatively quiet start to the offseason?
