/ NBA
Lakers 86
Utah 95
FINAL
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
apple gets slapped aging
as we all know apple failing big time there problems keep coming apple had ok stuff never really great stuff
there iPhone are like iPod touch but make for ppl that can't use a regular smartphone
Apple get hurt good http://m.techcrunch.com/2012/11/07/u-s-court-orders-apple-to-pay-368-million-damages-for-facetime-patent-infringement/
Yankees talking
While speaking with reporters tonight, Brian Cashman mentioned that Michael Pineda has started throwing off flat ground as he rehabs from shoulder surgery. “He’s just flat ground throwing,” said the GM to Chad Jennings. ” I think it’s best for us to pretend he’s not even there and then have him sneak up on us. And I hope he does, but I’m not going to count on him. I don’t think that’s going to be fair … He’ll be ready when he’s ready, and we’ll be happy to take him. But to count on him would be wrong.”
A few weeks ago Cashman said the 23-year-old Pineda likely won’t be back until June of next season, which he reiterated tonight. The Yankees aren’t going to count on him and they shouldn’t; it was a major surgery and there’s some chance he may never be the same pitcher again. For at least next season, it’s best to proceed as if he’s a non-option all together and just treat anything he provides as a bonus. Regardless, it’s still very good news that he’s started throwing and his rehab is progressing.
hurtline
| Yankees | Date | Status | Due Back | Injury | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Herndon, David (P) | 07/28 | Out for Season | 2013 | Recovery from June 2012 Tommy John surgery | Underwent season-ending surgery June 19. |
 | Jeter, Derek (SS) | 10/20 | Out for Season | Likely Spring Training 2013 | Recovery from October 2012 left ankle surgery | Fractured ankle during ALCS Game 1; underwent surgery Oct. 20. |
 | Pineda, Michael (P) | 07/30 | Out for Season | 2013 | Right anterior labral tear | Underwent season-ending surgery May 1. |
 | Sabathia, CC (P) | 10/26 | Out Indefinitely | 2013 | Recovery from October 2012 left elbow surgery | Underwent surgery Oct. 25. |
Yankees thinking
The Yankees need to bring in a starting-caliber outfielder this winter and while free agency is the easiest way to satisfy that need, it’s not the only way. Brian Cashman has used trades to plug outfield holes three times in the last five years (Xavier Nady, Nick Swisher, and Curtis Granderson) and could very easily do it against this winter. Outside of Swisher, Josh Hamilton, and Torii Hunter, the free agent outfield market really isn’t all that appetizing.
One player who could easily wind up on the trade market this offseason is Shin-Soo Choo of the Indians. Cleveland is in perpetual rebuilding mode and Choo, a Scott Boras client who is unlikely to sign with the team long-term, will be a free agent after next season (MLBTR projects a $7.9M salary for 2013). Reports this summer indicated that GM Chris Antonetti will (again) listen to trade offers for his club’s top outfielder after making contract extension offers “multiple times” in recent years. The 30-year-old appears to be a perfect fit for the Yankees on paper, but let’s dig a little deeper…
The Pros
- Choo fits the Yankees’ mold of power and patience from the left side. He hit .283/.373/.441 (131 wRC+) this year (131 wRC+ over the last three years as well) with an ISO (.159) and walk rate (10.6%) that were a bit below his career norms (.176 and 11.4%). Progressive Field is one of the most neutral parks in baseball, so he was neither hurt nor helped by his home stadium.
- Choo can really hit to left field. His 205 wRC+ the other way was the ninth highest in baseball this year and sixth among left-handed hitters. Since 2010, his 194 wRC+ to the opposite field ranks seventh in baseball and fourth among left-handed hitters. Here are his spray charts from 2012 and 2010-2012 so you can see for yourself.
- In addition to the power and patience, Choo will provide value with his legs. He’s stolen 20+ bases three times in the last four years, including 2012. He’s surprisingly adept at stealing third base as well, making it six times in seven attempts over the last two seasons.
- Choo has one of the very best outfield arms in baseball, so he’s capable of making throws like this and this. His 30 outfield assists are the seventh most in baseball over the last three years, but more importantly, he’s prevented runners from taking the extra base an above-average 48.2% of the time since 2010.
The Cons
- Choo is a pure platoon bat. Against left-handers he hit just .199/.318/.286 (78 wRC+) this year and .239/.329/.318 (86 wRC+) over the last three years. His strikeout rate (21.9% overall, 24.8% against lefties) is not awful but it is worse than the league average. He wouldn’t bring any significant contact skills to the offense.
- Despite the stolen base totals, Choo is basically an average baserunner. He’s gone 55-for-74 in steal attempts the last three years, a solid but not stellar 74.3% success rate. He’s also taken the extra base just 40% of the time during these last three years, for all intents and purposes equal to the 41% league average.
- The various defensive metrics just hammered Choo this year, bad enough that his three-year stats (-8.9 UZR, -4 DRS, -17 TZ, -0.4 FRAA) are all in the red. He generally graded out as average or better in 2010 and 2011 but apparently was just brutal this year.
- It’s not the ugliest medical history you’ll find, but Choo is no stranger to the DL. He missed about a week with a hamstring issue this year (related to the poor defensive numbers?), about three months with thumb (surgery required) and oblique problems last year, and most of 2007 and 2008 with elbow problems that eventually required Tommy John surgery.
- This doesn’t really matter to me, but Choo has never played in the postseason. He was also arrested for DUI in May 2011 and admitted to pressing at the plate afterwards in an attempt to redeem himself. The Yankees value makeup, so who knows how they’ll feel about that. Choo did apologize to his teammates one-by-one and face-to-face following the incident, however.
Cashman and Antonetti have gotten together for a handful of trades in recent years, most notably the Kerry Wood and Austin Kearns swaps. The two teams aren’t division rivals or serious head-to-head competitors, so there shouldn’t be anything superficial like that standing in the way of a potential trade. The Indians are reportedly seeking starting pitching this winter and figure to target a young, controllable starter in any deal involving Choo.
The Josh Willingham and Dan Uggla trades give us a decent framework for a deal involving one year of an above-average but not superstar caliber player. Both Willingham (two prospects) and Uggla (Omar Infante and a prospect) required two pieces in return, one of which was an MLB-ready reliever. The real question is which starter do the Indians want?Ivan Nova? David Phelps? Adam Warren or Brett Marshall? All should be available in the right deal, but given the club’s general lack of starting pitching depth at the moment, I’d be loath to give up Nova or Phelps (plus a second prospect) without getting more than Choo in return. Maybe the Tribe could kick in a second player (or prospect) to even things out.
It’s important to consider that the Yankees already have two left-handed hitting outfielders in Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson, so Choo would give them a third. He definitely needs a platoon partner and you can make a strong case that both Granderson and (moreso) Gardner do as well, so offensively the outfield construction would be far from ideal. I’m sure playing in Yankee Stadium would improve Choo’s output and his arm would be a welcome addition to the defense, but he’d be useless against top AL East pitchers like David Price, Jon Lester, Matt Moore, and Wei-Yin Chen. That has to be a consideration. Choo’s a very good outfield trade target, maybe the best among guys who will be realistically available, but he’s not a perfect fit for the Bombers.
Yankees dip
Baseball America published their annual list of the offseason’s minor league free agents today, a collection of 549 total players. Here are the players the Yankees are losing to the open market…
RHP: Jason Bulger (AAA), Kelvin Castro (R), Manny Delcarmen (AAA), Grant Duff (AA), John Maine (AAA), Ronny Marte (HiA), Jon Meloan (AAA), Tim Norton (AAA), Ramon Ortiz (AAA), Kevin Whelan (AAA)
LHP: Lee Hyde (AA), Mike O’Connor (AAA), Josh Romanski (AA)
C: Jose Gil (AAA), Gustavo Molina (AAA), Craig Tatum (AAA)
3B: Kevin Russo (AAA)
SS: Doug Bernier (AAA), Walter Ibarra (AA), Ramiro Pena (AAA)
OF: Edwin Beard (SS), Cole Garner (AAA)
Pena, who has spent parts of the last four seasons in New York, headlines the crop of mostly older, veteran players. Losing the three Triple-A catchers is part of the reason why the Yankees claimed Eli Whiteside yesterday. Someone needs to sit on the bench and be the backup in Scranton. Whelan and Russo had very brief stints with the Yankees a few years ago, and Garner made some noise early in Spring Training this year. Duff and Norton have already transitioned to coaching within the organization.
The Yankees already re-signed four would-be minor league free agents to new minor league contracts a few weeks ago, most notably lefty Juan Cedeno and outfielder Abe Almonte. Andrew Brackman (Reds) is the most notable former Yankees farmhand cut lose by another team.
stuff meeting
Baseball’s annual GM Meetings kick off tomorrow in California and run through Friday, but don’t expect a crazy amount of hot stove news. The meetings are held primary to discuss various issues around the league, but GMs will meet with agents — Ken Davidoff and George King report that Brian Cashman will likely meet with Larry Reynolds this week, the agent for Torii Hunter and B.J. Upton — and each other to touch base in advance of the rest of the offseason. Three winters ago the groundwork for the Curtis Granderson three-team trade was laid at the GM Meetings even though the deal wasn’t completed for another month. It’s the first real event of the offseason, but it usually doesn’t yield much excitement.
Here is your open thread for the evening. There’s not much sports going on these days, just miscellaneous NBA action. I know the election was today, but please let’s curb the politics talk. There are plenty of places to discuss that stuff and a baseball site isn’t one of them. Thanks in advance. Enjoy the night.
Scott taking
Shocker: Scott Boras doesn’t like the Yankees’ 2014 payroll plan
By
Via Jon Paul Morosi: Scott Boras is not a fan of the Yankees’ plan to get under the $189M luxury tax threshold, and he even went as far as calling the tax a “reward” for clubs generating huge revenue. “Are you going to put your brand at risk, when your brand is having more superstars than anyone else? Superstars are good for business. Superstars make money for franchises and their television networks,” he added.
Of course, superstars also make money for Scott Boras, which is something he neglected to mention. The plan to scale payroll back theoretically takes away a potential suitor for Boras’ clients, which limits his negotiation power and by extension, his earning potential. That’s pretty much the only reason he doesn’t like it, he doesn’t care about the Yankees brand. I don’t like the idea of the team scaling back payroll, not with the New Stadium just opened a lucrative new television deals being signed, but it would be kinda awesome if it was just one big negotiating ploy. · (25) ·
Of course, superstars also make money for Scott Boras, which is something he neglected to mention. The plan to scale payroll back theoretically takes away a potential suitor for Boras’ clients, which limits his negotiation power and by extension, his earning potential. That’s pretty much the only reason he doesn’t like it, he doesn’t care about the Yankees brand. I don’t like the idea of the team scaling back payroll, not with the New Stadium just opened a lucrative new television deals being signed, but it would be kinda awesome if it was just one big negotiating ploy. · (25) ·
Yankees wants
The Yankees have a pretty long shopping list this offseason, a shopping list topped by an outfielder, a catcher, and a starting pitcher or two. There are other needs as well, but those three are by far the most pressing.
There are also things the Yankees don’t need this offseason, but as fans we like to rummage through the hot stove scraps for interesting names and potential bargains. We often come up with solutions for problems the team doesn’t even have. It’s part of the fun of the hot stove season. Barring something unforeseen like a trade or an offseason injury, here are three roster items the Yankees won’t spend much (if any) time addressing this winter.
Left-Handed Reliever
An awful lot of money was wasted on Pedro Feliciano and Damaso Marte these last few years, yet in 2012 the Yankees paid the duo of Boone Logan and Clay Rapada less than $2.5M for rock solid left-on-left relief work. Logan held same-side hitters to a .289 wOBA(31.6 K%) this year while Rapada was even better, holding them to a .238 wOBA (28.7 K%). Both are under team control next season and are expected to pull down less than $3.5M combined.
An awful lot of money was wasted on Pedro Feliciano and Damaso Marte these last few years, yet in 2012 the Yankees paid the duo of Boone Logan and Clay Rapada less than $2.5M for rock solid left-on-left relief work. Logan held same-side hitters to a .289 wOBA(31.6 K%) this year while Rapada was even better, holding them to a .238 wOBA (28.7 K%). Both are under team control next season and are expected to pull down less than $3.5M combined.
Furthermore, the Yankees claimed left-hander Josh Spence yesterday and also intend to give 2011 Rule 5 Draft pick and fellow lefty Cesar Cabral another look in Spring Trainingafter he missed all of this season with a fractured elbow. Triple-A southpaw Juan Cedeno held lefties to a .303 wOBA (27.8 K%) this year and has already signed a minor league contract to return to the organization next year. The Yankees have two good lefty relievers at the big league level as well as solid depth in Triple-A, so a LOOGY doesn’t figure to be a priority this winter at all.
(J. Meric/Getty)
Backup Catcher
The Yankees are said to have interest in David Ross, the game’s best backup backstop, but they already have plenty of options for the position. Chris Stewartheld the job down last year and Frankie Cervelli the two years before that, plus Austin Romine will be just a phone call away in Triple-A. The Yankees alsoclaimed Eli Whiteside off waivers yesterday for even more backup catcher depth. Ross is an upgrade over all four of them and someone New York should pursue if the price is reasonable, but a backup catcher is hardly a pressing issue this offseason. A starting catcher is the focal point.
The Yankees are said to have interest in David Ross, the game’s best backup backstop, but they already have plenty of options for the position. Chris Stewartheld the job down last year and Frankie Cervelli the two years before that, plus Austin Romine will be just a phone call away in Triple-A. The Yankees alsoclaimed Eli Whiteside off waivers yesterday for even more backup catcher depth. Ross is an upgrade over all four of them and someone New York should pursue if the price is reasonable, but a backup catcher is hardly a pressing issue this offseason. A starting catcher is the focal point.
Pure DH
We all laughed earlier this year when the Yankees said one of the reasons they signedRaul Ibanez over Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui was his defense, but it turned out they were correct. All three are terrible outfielders, but Ibanez was the most equipped to play the position everyday. That came in handy when Brett Gardner went down with his elbow injury two weeks into the season.
We all laughed earlier this year when the Yankees said one of the reasons they signedRaul Ibanez over Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui was his defense, but it turned out they were correct. All three are terrible outfielders, but Ibanez was the most equipped to play the position everyday. That came in handy when Brett Gardner went down with his elbow injury two weeks into the season.
Given their DH rotation system, expect the Yankees to pursue a similar player this offseason. It could be another outfielder or maybe even a first baseman since Nick Swisherisn’t coming back, which rules out players like Jim Thome and Travis Hafner. They offer the left-handed power and patience the Yankees crave, but they also haven’t played a position even semi-regular in years. Every little sliver of value you can squeeze from a player is important these days, especially in the ultra-competitive AL East, even if that value is playing a DH in the field once or twice a week to rest other players.
Yankees pay cuts
Report: Yankees preparing to offer Rivera pay cut
By
Via Bob Klapisch: The Yankees are preparing a contract offer for Mariano Rivera, and it includes a pay cut from this year’s $15M salary. Exact details of the offer are unknown, but one team official said “there’s just no way” he could expect the same salary in 2013.
Rivera, 43 later this month, recently informed the team of his decision to return next season. The Yankees got Andy Pettitte to take a substantial pay cut following his subpar 2008 season, but incentives eventually pushed the value of that deal back up into his usual salary range. I suspect we’ll see something similar here. A lower base salary with a bunch of easily attainable incentives that could bring the deal back into the $15M range. · (4) ·
Rivera, 43 later this month, recently informed the team of his decision to return next season. The Yankees got Andy Pettitte to take a substantial pay cut following his subpar 2008 season, but incentives eventually pushed the value of that deal back up into his usual salary range. I suspect we’ll see something similar here. A lower base salary with a bunch of easily attainable incentives that could bring the deal back into the $15M range. · (4) ·
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