boone yankees

What Went Right: Boone Logan’s first half

By Eric Schultz in Players. Tags: Boone Logan, What Went Right · Comments(4) ·

(Nick Laham/Getty Images)

It was a year of two halves for Boone Logan, the Yankees’ polarizing southpaw reliever.  As a founder of the Boone Logan fan club on Twitter and a frequent defender of his, I believe I might be of service in this discussion.  I have always viewed Logan as useful bullpen piece: lefties with his power fastball-slider combo don’t grow on trees, and at times he is not entirely useless against opposite-handed hitters.  He doesn’t have the consistency or command at this stage in his career to be a Matt Thornton type who is deadly against both righties and lefties, but he is a solid contributor in the Yankee ‘pen.  In the first half of 2012, Logan at times looked like he was taking the next step and becoming the kind of shutdown lefty that the Yankees have been fruitlessly seeking for many years.

Logan got off to a strong start to 2012, giving up just one run in the first month of the season, and striking out about 13 batters per nine innings (though with a walk rate approaching 5/9 innings).  May was a rougher month ERA-wise as he gave up five runs in 9 2/3 innings, but his peripherals were vastly improved — he walked just one batter the entire month.  June saw him give up just two runs, though his strikeout rate dropped somewhat.  Overall in those first three months of the season, Logan’s line was: 28 innings, 37 strikeouts, eight runs (2.57 ERA), 11 walks, and two homers allowed while being used very heavily by manager Joe Girardi.

In a post I wrote earlier in the year for TYA, I wondered what was the cause for Logan’s early success.  One area that I highlighted was a change in Logan’s pitch mix, where he was throwing more sliders than in previous years, and fewer fastballs.  He was also getting vastly improved whiff rates on the slider, indicating that he was not losing effectiveness by throwing it more often. There was some tangible evidence suggesting that the big first half was legitimate improvement and not a small sample size fluke.

While it was only three months, Logan’s first half performance was very important for the Yankees.  Their bullpen depth was shortened due to injuries/ineffectiveness of several guys ahead of him on the depth chart.  He often worked in a setup role rather than just as a specialist, and he handled himself quite nicely.  While the Yankees obviously still missedMariano Rivera and Joba Chamberlain, Boone’s early effectiveness did help to cushion the blow.  Logan’s heavy workload in the first half (where he was among the league leader in relief appearances) may have taken a toll on him later in the season, but there is no question that he answered the bell when the team needed him early on.

sandman Yankees

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. -- From a distance of 60 feet and six inches, it took Mariano Rivera all of six tosses to scatter splinters of lumber, a familiar accomplishment for the mortal enemy of Louisville Sluggers everywhere.

But there were no hitters and no catcher as Rivera climbed back atop a mound for the first time since his season-ending injury. His tosses were part of a commercial shoot, during which he gleefully destroyed a wooden camera shield.

"I'm feeling good," said Rivera, who made about 25 throws on the Hackley School's snow-covered diamond. "The rehab has been great; it's been tough, but at the same time, I'm seeing good results. I can't wait to continue and stay 100 percent. A day at a time, like I always tell you guys. A day at a time."

Rivera, who turns 43 later this month, flashed his smooth, iconic form as he tossed prop baseballs toward a protected cameraman, showing no ill effects from a torn right anterior cruciate ligament, an injury that truncated his season in May.

One week ago, Rivera told general manager Brian Cashman that he decided to continue pitching in 2013. Currently a free agent after the expiration of his two-year, $30 million deal, Rivera is leaving negotiations in the hands of Cashman and agent Fernando Cuza.

"Like I told you guys before, I didn't want to go out like that," Rivera said. "At the same time, we haven't discussed anything. We're talking, so hopefully we'll finalize everything."

Rivera had told Cashman in an earlier conversation that he wasn't sure about his plans for 2013, and the game's all-time saves leader had contemplated retirement in the past.

But the memory of writhing in pain on the warning track of Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium is luring him back to change the ending.

"I didn't want to go out like that," he said. "I felt like I have something left, and [I should] give it a shot. Why not?"

Manager Joe Girardi mentioned this week that Rivera was admonished during the season for trying to throw sooner than advised, using the incident as evidence that he believed all along that Rivera planned on returning for another big league season.

But with months to go until the Spring Training report date for pitchers and catchers, Rivera is in no hurry to push his rehab to the next level, no matter how good it might have looked to see him back on a mound.

"I have a long time to go. I'm not rushing," he said. "I just have to make sure that my knee gets stronger. It does. It's getting stronger and stronger every day. I'm happy with that. I just have to continue what I'm doing."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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gone for Yankees

Kuroda, Soriano & Swisher all decline qualifying offer

By Mike Axisa

As expected, Rafael Soriano, Nick Swisher, and Hiroki Kuroda have all declined their qualifying offers. The first two guys made their intentions known last night, but there was still a small chance that Kuroda would accept the one-year, $13.3M contract by today’s deadline. He’s generated enough interest so far that finding more money shouldn’t be an issue.

The Yankees are now entitled to draft pick compensation whenever one of these guys signs with another team. That pick will be a supplemental first rounder, though they won’t receive the other team’s first round pick as with the old rules. Based on last year’s slot system, each of these compensation picks will carry a seven-figure slot value, which will really help the draft pool situation. Of course the Yankees will have a hard time replacing all three of these guys if they sign elsewhere, so the pick is little more than a consolation prize. · (4) ·

bad service for USPS aging

i have a on going problem with USPS and stamps not picking up for my business today was one more
 bad service saying they picked up at 10:59am lie i still have not got a pick up i call at 1:15pm 11-9-12

COIT

3400 COIT RD
PLANO, TX 75075-9998

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and was told they was going to send the person back out to do pick up still haven't

 

well only means one thing we need to bill USPS for this .

https://twitter.com/thundercatsnyy/status/267007228064722944

bad service saying they picked up at 10:59am lie @usps @oigusps@uspsconnect http://twitpic.com/bbshpg 

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By big k @thundercatsnyy

bad service saying they picked up at 10:59am lie @usps @oigusps @uspsconnect
this Shi'ite Thank you for shipping with the U.S. Postal Service.This is to confirm that a successful Carrier Pickup was made as requested: nope still here 

Yankees lost a gm

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) -- Lee MacPhail, the longtime baseball executive who ruled in the celebrated Pine Tar case and later became part of the only father-son Hall of Fame pairing, has died. He was 95.

He was the oldest Hall of Famer, and he died Thursday night at his home in Delray Beach, Fla., the shrine said Friday.

''There's not much I haven't done off the field other than commissioner,'' he said during a 1985 interview with The Associated Press when he retired after 4 1-2 decades in the sport.

In the second generation of one of baseball's most foremost families - his son, Andy, also was in the front office for several teams - MacPhail's most well-known moment in baseball came in 1983. He upheld Kansas City's protest in the Pine Tar Game against the New York Yankees, restoring a ninth-inning home run to Royals slugger George Brett - also a future Hall of Famer.

''Lee MacPhail was one of the great executives in baseball history and a Hall of Famer in every sense, both personally and professionally,'' Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. ''His hallmarks were dignity, common sense and humility. He was not only a remarkable league executive, but was a true baseball man.''

With MacPhail's death, Bobby Doerr at 94 becomes the oldest living Hall of Famer.

''Baseball history has lost a great figure in Lee MacPhail, whose significant impact on the game spanned five decades,'' Hall chairman Jane Forbes Clark said. ''He will always be remembered in Cooperstown as a man of exemplary kindness and a man who always looked after the best interests of the game.''

Lee MacPhail was the son of Larry MacPhail, a top executive with the Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees.

Born Leland Stanford MacPhail Jr. in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 25, 1917, he was general manager at minor league Reading, went on to work for the Yankees in 1949 and spent a decade as farm director and player personnel director, with players he developed winning seven World Series titles.

He moved to the Baltimore Orioles as general manager in 1959 and six years later returned to New York as chief administrative assistant for new baseball Commissioner Spike Eckert. He returned to the Yankees as general manager from 1967-73, and left after George Steinbrenner bought the team to become AL president in 1974.

A member of management's labor negotiating team along with NL President Chub Feeney during the 1981 midseason strike, he also headed the AL when it added the designated hitter for the 1973 season and expanded to Seattle and Toronto for 1977.

After he stepped down as league president following the 1983 season, he served two years as president of the owners' Player Relations Committee, overseeing bargaining during a two-day strike in 1985. He was elected to the Hall as an executive in 1998, 20 years after his father.

In the famed Pine Tar case, MacPhail overruled plate umpire Tim McClelland and crew chief Joe Brinkman and restored a home run to Brett. After Yankees manager Billy Martin argued that Brett's bat had excessive pine tar when he hit a two-run, ninth-inning homer at Yankees Stadium on July 24, McClelland called Brett out, the final out in a 4-3 New York victory.

Brett stormed out of the dugout, eyes bulging, in one of baseball's most replayed arguments. Four days later, MacPhail upheld a protest for the first time as league president, said the home run counted and ordered the game to continue from that point. When the game was completed Aug. 18, the Royals held on to win 5-4.

While the pine tar extended more than 18 inches past the handle, the limit set by baseball's rules, MacPhail said taking away the home run was improper.

''The umpires' interpretation, while technically defensible, is not in accord with the intent or spirit of the rules and that the rules do not provide that a hitter be called out for excessive use of pine tar. The rules provide instead that the bat be removed from the game,'' he wrote. ''Although manager Martin and his staff should be commended for their alertness, it is the strong conviction of the league that games should be won and lost on the playing field - not through technicalities of the rules.''

He retired at the end of that season.

Son Andy became GM of the Minnesota Twins, president of the Chicago Cubs and president of baseball operations of the Orioles. From the next generation, Andy MacPhail IV worked for the Cleveland Indians and is a scout for the Orioles.

The Hall said no services are planned and a memorial will be held later.

CNN Breaking News - CIA Director David Petraeus is quitting, citing personal reasons, a government source says

Los Angeles Lakers fire head coach Mike Brown after 1-4 start to the season, source says - espn http://t.co/HVge2JOP

mike brown been fired from Lakers today

AP sources: Navy SEALs punished for secrets breach - http://bit.ly/SA7CU6

bank of Texas lost in court

If you paid overdraft fees related to a BOKF, N.A.* debit card, check card, or ATM card, you could receive a payment or account credit from a class action settlement.

September 13, 2012 UPDATE: On September 13, 2012, Judge James Lawrence King granted final approval to the Settlement and issued a Final Approval Order and Final Judgment. If no appeals are filed, payments will be mailed to qualifying Settlement Class Members or credited to each qualifying Settlement Class Members’ BOKF, N.A. Account no later than November 16, 2012.

Case Background

The purpose of this website is to inform you about a proposed settlement of this class action lawsuit and about all of your options before the Court decides whether to give “final approval” to the settlement. This website explains the lawsuit, the settlement, your legal rights, what benefits are available, who may be eligible for those benefits, and how to get them.

If approved by the Court, this settlement resolves the cases known as In Re: Checking Account Overdraft Litigation, Case No. 1:09-md-02036-JLK; Terry Case v. Bank of Oklahoma, N.A., W.D. OK Case No. 5:10-00901-L, S.D. FL Case No. 1:11-cv-20815-JLK; Susan Eaton v. Bank of Oklahoma, N.A., et al., Case No. CJ-2010-5209; and Bryan Ramer v. Bank of Oklahoma,N.A., Case No. CJ-2010-05841.

A settlement has been reached with BOKF, N.A. about the posting of debit card transactions in order of highest to lowest dollar amount and resulting overdraft fees. The settlement offers payments to eligible people who paid overdraft fees to Bank of Oklahoma, N.A., Bank of Arkansas, N.A., Bank of Albuquerque, N.A., Bank of Arizona, N.A., Bank of Kansas City, N.A., Bank of Texas, N.A., and Colorado State Bank and Trust, N.A. from January 1, 2005 through August 31, 2011. BOKF, N.A., denies all of plaintiffs’ claims and says that it did nothing wrong.

BOKF, N.A. will pay $19 million to a settlement Fund to make payments to eligible Settlement Class Members as well as to pay attorneys’ fees, costs, expenses, and Service Awards.

Payments or credits will be automatically made to Settlement Class Members. Details on the formulas for determining payment amounts and other settlement benefits are included in the Detailed Notice and the Settlement Agreement, both available on the Documents Page.

If you would like further information about the claims asserted in this case, you can review a copy of the Settlement Agreement on the Documents Page.

* BOKF, N.A.’s subsidiary banks are: Bank of Oklahoma, N.A., Bank of Arkansas, N.A., Bank of Albuquerque, N.A., Bank of Arizona, N.A., Bank of Kansas City, N.A., Bank of Texas, N.A., and Colorado State Bank and Trust, N.A.

Important Dates:

• July 30, 2012
  Deadline to request exclusion from the settlement.
• July 30, 2012
  Deadline to Object to the Proposed settlement
• August 29, 2012
  Fairness Hearing
• September 13, 2012
  Final Approval Granted
• November 16, 2012
  Award payments made to eligible Class Members

http://www.bokfoverdraftsettlement.com/

tino hire

Front office defections: Marlins hire Tino, Pirates hire Livesey By Mike Axisa

The Marlins have hired Tino Martinez to be their big league hitting coach according to multiple reports. While we all remember him for his days as a player, Tino has been with the Yankees as a Specialist Assistant to the GM since 2008. He worked with the club’s minor league prospects down in Tampa throughout the year, and the Yankees had to give him permission to interview with the Marlins. Martinez also did some games on the YES Network but to be honest, I won’t miss him. He was always better seen and not heard, if you catch my drift.

In other news, the Pirates have hired Bill Livesey as a Senior Advisor to GM Neal Huntington. Livesey spent two stints and over 20 years in the Yankees front office, most notably drafting Derek Jeter while serving as the team’s amateur scouting director from 1991-1996. He most recently worked with the team as one of Brian Cashman’s most trusted pro scouts from 2008-2011. · (13

ffb review

Kevin's Corner: FFB Review: "CATSPAW ORDEAL" by Edward Ronns---Reviewed by Barry Ergang

mind slices by Glenn walker

Kevin's Corner: A new review of MIND SLICES-----WELCOME TO HELL ~ by Glenn Walker: Mind Slices by Kevin R. Tipple

time almost

Kevin's Corner: Lesa's Latest Contest--Christmas Mysteries

good medicine

Kevin's Corner: Book Review: "Good Medicine: A Return to Common Sense" by Carol Roberts, M.D.

/ NCAAF
Florida St 28
Virginia Tech 22
FINAL

/ NBA
Oklahoma City 97
Chicago 91
FINAL

/ NBA
Oklahoma City 97
Chicago 91
FINAL

DPWKND: Monster trucks, a Bodacious Bazaar and a reunion of The Killroos. More: http://vbs.cm/L072Uu

Thanks & Good Luck! Listen to iHeartRadio http://www.iheart.com for the next keyword and more chances to play and win.

possible trade with san diego

Possible Trade Partner: San Diego Padres
Outside of the fact that they both lost a ton of players to injury in 2012, the Yankees have Padres have very little in common. They play in different style ballparks in different divisions in different leagues on different coasts, and they’re far apart on the roster age and payroll spectrums as well. Those differences also happen to make them pretty compatible trade partners, as each team’s surplus matches up with the other’s need.
Chase Headley is obviously the most desirable player on San Diego’s roster, but you’d be buying high following his monster second half. The time to get him was at the trade deadline, and besides, I don’t think the Yankees even have the pieces to swing a trade for the third baseman anyway. Instead, let’s look at some lesser but still valuable Padres who make sense for New York if the free agent market doesn’t swing their way in the coming weeks.
Will Venable
The 30-year-old Venable is one of those players who was so underrated that he’s actually become overrated. He’s been a consistent .252/.323/.411 (105 wRC+) hitter over the last three years, but his road numbers (120 wRC+) are substantially better than his homr numbers (89 wRC+). Petco Park is brutal on all hitters, but especially left-handed hitters. Venable does have a sizable platoon split (112 vs. 64 wRC+), but he plays strong defense in all three outfield spots and is a threat to steal 25+ bases. Although he will strike out some (20.0 K% in 2012), he deserves a lot of credit for working hard to get the whiffs under control in recent years…

San Diego is locked into big money commitments in left (Carlos Quentin) and center (Cameron Maybin), so right field is the only open spot for Venable, the underrated Chris Denorfia, James Darnell, and down the line, top Double-A prospects Edinson Rincon and Rymer Liriano. Venable is what he is at this point, but move him out of Petco and into Yankee Stadium could turn him into a 15-homer, 25-steal guy if platooned properly. He would be a bit redundant with Brett Gardner (and to a lesser extent Curtis Granderson), but he is a fit. Venable will become a free agent after 2014 and is projected to earn just $2.5M throughout arbitration next year.

(Scott Boehm/Getty)
Nick Hundley
The Padres gave their 29-year-old backstop a three-year, $9M contract last offseason, and he rewarded them by playing so poorly (29 wRC+) that he had to be demoted to Triple-A at midseason. Hundley hit a solid .259/.323/.435 (110 wRC+) from 2009-2011 however, which earned him that contract. Oddly enough, his performance on the road (85 wRC+) was far worse than his performance at home (135 wRC+) during those three years. The various catcher defense rankings (2010, 2011) have rated Hundley anywhere from average to a tick above in recent years, though it’s worth noting that he had minor elbow and knee surgeries in the last 18 months.
Yasmani Grandal posted a 144 wRC+ in 226 plate appearances this year to solidify his place as the team’s catcher of the future, turning Hundley in a pricey ($3M in 2013 and $4M in 2014) backup. If the Yankees (or any team, really) believe Hundley is fixable — ultra-low .196 BABIP and 4.7 HR/FB% in 2012 — he might be the best trade candidate should Russell Martin sign elsewhere. They’d certainly be buying low, that’s for sure.
* * *
Trading for Hundley got a little complicated yesterday because Grandal was suspended for 50 games, meaning the Padres will likely hold onto him for at least the first two months of the season. That doesn’t help the Yankees all that much. Venable still could though, as could the legions of relievers on San Diego’s 40-man roster if they want to expand the trade. The Yankees already claimed one Padres reliever this week, I’m sure there’s another one or two they’re interested in.
Anyway, by all accounts the Padres are seeking starting pitching this offseason, which is odd because usually they look for offense and just turn random arms into league average or better pitchers via their ballpark. The walls are coming though, so finding quality pitching won’t be as easy. The Yankees are short on starters themselves at the moment, but surrendering a Phil Hughes or Ivan Nova or Adam Warren or David Phelps would be easier to swallow if Hiroki Kuroda and/of Andy Pettitte return for another year. There are no indications that these two clubs are talking about a trade involving any of this players — or that the Yankees are talking trades with anyone, for that matter — but they match up fairly well if they want to get together for a deal at some point in the coming weeks.

Source: Red Sox have had preliminary talks with former Yankee Tino Martinez for the hitting coach job. #redsox.

/ NBA
Lakers 86
Utah 95
FINAL

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/

Game ended. Mavericks won!
TOR:104
DAL:109
F

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.

CC expects to be ready for Spring Training http://t.co/iSH7jlh4 #Yankees

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 Mike Axisa

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) ·

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.

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.

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.

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 Mike Axisa

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) ·