Hideki Okajima, Yankees agree to minor league deal

The Red Sox signed an ex-Yankee earlier this offseason in Mark Melancon, now the Yankees have agreed to a deal with a former Red Sox player, tweets David Waldstein.

Hideki Okajima had a 3.11 career ERA in five seasons with the Red Sox, but spent most of last year in Triple-A with Pawtucket, where he had a 2.29 ERA in 51 innings. Okajima was shaky with the Red Sox in 2010, and his general upward trend in ERA indicates that he's lost his deceptiveness with major league hitters.

Nate’s Takes: A-Rod, lefties, OBP, Andruw Jones, Brett Gardner, David Robertson

It wasn’t a great week for the New York Yankees as they dropped some heartbreakers to the weakest teams in the League. They now sit 1.5 games out of first place as they once again try to win a series against the Red Sox.

The Yankees are facing two main questions. Can they enter the playoffs healthy? And who will start behind CC Sabathia in the playoffs? The Yankees are showing signs of wear and tear and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Yankees used the expanded rosters to give some players extended days off. With a midweek rivalry series hours away here are my takes:

Nate’s Takes: Jesus Montero, Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova, Sergio Mitre, Joe Girardi’s dog

After an anti climatic All-Star Game the Yankees got off to a rough start in Toronto. Before that, Robinson Cano brought the Home Run Derby crown back to New York after his teammate Derek Jeter was bashed for making the first mistake in career full of perfection. In the past couple of days, CC Sabathia showed why he should be the front-runner for the AL Cy Young award and Brett Gardner showed why he should replace Jeter in the leadoff spot.

The Yankees right now find themselves in an interesting spot. With the trade deadline looming it’s hard to find a legitimate trade target that makes sense for them. The signing of Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon have worked out well so far, but who knows if they can keep it up. While the bullpen has suffered injury after injury, they still remain one of the best in baseball. While the lineup has had its ups and downs the Yankees feature one of the best lineups in baseball and have very little room for an acquisition.

One trade target the stands out is Ubaldo Jimenez. While the name sounds good, Jimenez has struggled for almost a year now. The Rockies would want a huge package in return starting with at least Jesus Montero. With the trade deadline approaching here are my takes.

Rosenthal: Yankees to pursue relief help at trade deadline

Via Ken Rosenthal:

The Yankees, knowing that the trade market is thin in quality starting pitching, likely will pursue relievers aggressively after suffering numerous injuries in their bullpen.

The report mentioned Padres closer Heath Bell, who is having another stellar season.

Rosenthal is right, kind of. The Yankees have had the worst luck with injuries to their bullpen this season. Losing Rafael Soriano, Joba Chamberlain, Pedro Feliciano and Damaso Marte for extended periods of time hasn’t made it easy for the Yankees. Plus, the trade market for starting pitchers will likely be incredibly thin.

Injury bug has stung Yankees hard

The Yankees’ injury list gets longer by the day. Derek Jeter went down with a Grade I calf strain yesterday that might put him on the disabled list, Bartolo Colon and Amaury Sanit landed on the DL on Sunday, Russell Martin is battling a tight back, and Joba Chamberlain is headed for Tommy John surgery. This list doesn’t even include important names like Rafael Soriano, Damaso Marte and Pedro Feliciano, relievers who aren’t expected back anytime soon, Eric Chavez and Phil Hughes.

This season is beginning to remind me of the Red Sox’ 2010 campaign. Speaking of the Sox, they are in the middle of a nine-game winning streak and hold a comfortable two and a half game lead over the Yankees in the AL East.

Nate’s Takes: Joba, D-Rob, Jeter, rotation

When I last posted a week ago, the Yankees were in great shape. They were a game up in the AL east and were about to take on the Red Sox at home. A week later, the Yankee season is on the verge of falling apart.

Yes, I know they are only two and a half games out with plenty of games to go, but the injuries just keep piling up. After getting beaned, blasted, beaten and swept by the Red Sox, the Yankees also lost some key players. Joba Chamberlain is out until mid 2012 leaving the Yankee bullpen in a state of desperation. With Rafael Soriano, Damaso Marte and Pedro Feliciano all months away from actually throwing a pitch, David Robertson has become the most important Yankee reliever. With Bartolo Colon injured, the Yankee rotation is as shaky as its been since 2004.

The Yankees are in trouble and eventually this all has to go back to Brian Cashman. Now I understand he tried to get Cliff Lee and failed, but since 2003 he has failed over and over to put together a good rotation that stays in place.

If I were C.C. Sabathia, I would leave after this year, the Yankees are going to have a hard time finding anyone to upgrade this rotation anytime soon and eventually might have to give up a good hitter like Cano in order to get the all important second ace. With all that said, here is my take on the week:

Poll Results: LOOGY is ‘important’ to ‘pen

You might be asking yourself, what in the world is a LOOGY? Well, it is a creative acronym for Left-handed One Out GuY. For reference, Pedro Feliciano, Damaso Marte and Boone Logan all are classified as LOOGYs. In my latest poll, the majority of voters said LOOGYs are important, but not vital to a bullpen. Twenty-seven percent voted the LOOGY is overrated.

Feliciano and Marte are both on the disabled list, and, sadly, will likely be out of baseball until next spring.

Yankees sign Feliciano for 2 years, $8MM

The Yankees signed LOOGY (Lefty One-Out GuY) Pedro Feliciano for two years, $8 million with an option for a third year. Feliciano pitched the first eight years of his career with the Mets, and he led the majors in appearances the last three years.

Yankees show interest in Feliciano, Upton

The Yankees expressed interest in left-handed reliever Pedro Feliciano and outfielder Justin Upton today.

I know the Yankees won’t have Damaso Marte back from surgery until the second half at the earliest, but I don’t think the Yankees need to invest in a free agent lefty. I trust Boone Logan and whoever the farm has in store.

As for Upton, I don’t see him fitting at all. The Yankees already have three outfielders and are possibly pursuing a fourth in Carl Crawford. Upton is 23 years old and would have too high an asking price.

If I were you, I’d listen to Brian Cashman:

Cashman: Don’t expect much this week [LoHud]

Did you hear what the Tigers are doing next year? And what they’re not doing?

The Tigers had two interesting news items about ex-Yankees yesterday.

1. They are planning on using Phil Coke as a starter next year.
2. They are not going to re-sign Johnny Damon.

On Coke:
This move should upset Yankees fans. The Yankees shouldn’t have given up their top lefty reliever in a trade for Curtis Granderson last offseason. Coke posted another solid line for the Tigers and will be tested as a starter next year. Don’t get me wrong, Boone Logan had a fine year as well. But with Damaso Marte on the DL now and most of the year, the Yankees could’ve used a better second lefty than Royce Ring (who isn’t guaranteed to be on the postseason roster).

On The Idiot:
Last month I thought I caught Damon hinting at wishing he were still a Yank. A week later he came out saying he loved Detroit, but doesn’t know whether he’ll be back with them next year. Will he be a Yankee next year? I don’t think so. The bridges have been burned.

Sherman: Sabathia, Pettitte, tag-team for playoffs

Joel Sherman suggested in his column this morning the Yankees should “ride CC Sabathia, hope Andy Pettitte gets healthy and then turn every other game into a tag-team of pitchers.”

I absolutely agree.

No starter on the Yankees is pitching great right now. Sabathia and Pettitte are clearly the most reliable on the staff, even though Pettitte hasn’t pitched since July. The rest of the staff is too inconsistent to favor one over the other, so why not use tag-teams?

Originally, I didn’t think Ivan Nova would make the postseason roster, but now I do since Damaso Marte is out for the year. This likely leaves the Yankees with four unused starters for Games 3 and 4 (A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes, Javier Vazquez & Nova).

I say Joe Girardi should pair Burnett and Hughes for Game 3, and if the Yankees are ahead in the series go with Vazquez and Nova for Game 4. If they’re behind, bring back Sabathia on short rest. Ideally, they’ve already won and Sabathia can start Game 1 of the ALCS, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

The one thing I don’t want to see Joe Girardi do is use one of the Yankees starters late in a game (unless it’s in extras). Why? Because the Yankees’ bullpen is the best in the American League, and lately, the best in baseball.

BBD: Hughes to be skipped, Aceves and Marte done for 2010

Bronx Baseball Daily, the Yankees blog I used to write for, has a few news updates on the Yankees you need to know (via the Daily News).

Phil Hughes will be skipped one start in the Yankees rotation to limit his innings, Joe Girardi said before Wednesday’s series finale against Baltimore. Dustin Moseley will start Sunday in Texas, and Hughes will return to the rotation next Wednesday in Tampa.

Also, Girardi said Alfredo Aceves (back) will not return this season, and Damaso Marte (shoulder) will “probably not” be back in 2010.

Hopefully Moseley can come through for maybe just one more time.

Too bad about Aceves and Marte; they would have been nice to have for the postseason.  

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If you have some free time, be sure to check out BBD. Rob Abruzzese and his crew have created a quality Yankees blog that offers plenty of unique links.

Yankees playoff roster projection

I really hate counting out the Red Sox as early as I am, but I took the hint from their series loss to the Rays this past weekend. The Yankees and Rays remain tied with the best record in baseball and are heavy favorites to make the playoffs, so it’s time to start thinking about what their playoff rosters are going to look like.

Since I’m a Yankees blogger, I’m want to show you what I have in mind for them. By all means, make your case for players I reject. But please hear my cases for the fringe guys first!

The No-Doubters
Hitters (12)
Jorge Posada
Francisco Cervelli
Mark Teixeira
Lance Berkman
Robinson Cano
Derek Jeter
Alex Rodriguez
Brett Gardner
Curtis Granderson
Nick Swisher
Marcus Thames
Austin Kearns

Pitchers (8)
CC Sabathia
Andy Pettitte
Phil Hughes
Mariano Rivera
Joba Chamberlain
David Robertson
Boone Logan
Kerry Wood

I think it’s safe to say the Yankees will carry 14 hitters and 11 pitchers, so that leaves spots for two more hitters and three pitchers. Here we go:

The Fringe Guys
Ramiro Pena — I’ll take him over Eduardo Nunez as my backup infielder. Pena has far more major-league experience than Nunez and is better defensively at more positions. I think it’s a no-brainer right now, but this could change in September.

Greg Golson — This might come as a shock to you. He has five at-bats with the Yankees this year and I have him on their playoff roster. I think the Yankees would benefit more from a speedster off the bench than a third catcher because I see Marcus Thames and Lance Berkman sharing DH duties when Francisco Cervelli catches.

A.J. Burnett — I think he’ll make the roster, but I’m not sure if he’ll be in the rotation. Another poor start or two and I think Joe Girardi will kick him out to the bullpen (where I happen to think he could be great). He’s really the biggest question mark on the whole staff.

Javier Vazquez — Like Burnett, I don’t know whether he’ll be a starter or reliever, but I think he’ll make the roster. If he’s in the rotation, that means he’s back to mid-season form. If he’s still in the pen, then maybe Girardi doesn’t want to mess with what’s working. We’ll see. Ivan Nova is the guy I’m rejecting here.

Damaso Marte — Oh how much a big game in the World Series can mean for a player. Such is the case for Marte. There hasn’t been a lot of good news about his rehab, but if he can make a few appearances in late September I think that’s more than enough evidence for Girardi to choose him. Plus, Girardi loves left-handed relievers. Who doesn’t?

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There you have it. I’ll post an updated version when late September rolls around, but until then you can feast on this. And if you’re really hungry, take a look at another perspective from a fellow Yankees blogger.

Guest Post: The Yankees’ non-existent strategy of keeping top prospects

Hey, I’m Ryan Kantor. I write a blog with my friend Tommy. Our blog is about sports, music, and politics, but we’re both Yankee fans and Lenny was nice enough to let me make a guest post on his wildly well-read Yankees Blog. So first of all, I want to thank Lenny for letting me do this and then I want to correct an incorrect perception.

You probably know about a lot of the young talent we’ve moved over the years (Mike Lowell, Ted Lilly, Jake Westbrook) but since we decided not to trade Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain for Johan Santana (great decision) there has been a perception that Brian Cashman is keeping all of our top prospects and aggressively building the farm season, and that just isn’t so.

In 2008 the Yankees moved a big package of talented prospects for just a little bit of major league talent. New York shipped talented outfielder Jose Tabata, and right-handed pitchers Daniel McCutchen, Jeff Karstens and Ross Ohlendorf to Pittsburgh. Tabata is now Pittsburgh’s young productive No. 2 hitter, and Ohlendorf has been a consistent arm in their rotation (I’d take him over A.J. Burnett and save the $16 million). The Yankees received Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady. Marte is currently on the DL while Nady is now on the Cubs.

This offseason, we moved another group of talented prospects in Phil Coke, Ian Kennedy, and most notably Austin Jackson for Curtis Granderson. Granderson’s struggles in New York and Jackson’s torrid start to the season have made some wonder if this was a wise move for the Yankees.

The point is not that Cashman is making bad trades and giving away prospects for nothing. Rather, it’s quite the opposite.

They gave up quite a lot for Marte and Nady. Nady only played in 66 games for New York, while Marte contributed a 5.40 ERA in 2008 and a 9.45 ERA in 2009. That being said, do you remember when Coke stopped getting people out in the 2009 postseason? Joe Girardi turned to Marte and he came through for them time and time again. Would we have won the World Series without him? Maybe, but who knows. Does the shiny set of rings justify the trade? Absolutely!

The Granderson trade looked pretty bad when Granderson was struggling and Jackson was raking, then Granderson went on the DL and it looked even worse. That said, would you rather have a rookie center fielder with two home runs and the AL lead in strikeouts or a 29 year old with some pop up at the plate in a meaningful October game?

The Yankees are at a point with their roster where it’s time to go all in. Exactly as the Los Angeles Lakers seem to recognize, Cashman and the Yankees know their core can only win 100+ games and add to the Yankees collection of World Series flags for another year or two. With Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriquez, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte at the end of their primes and CC Sabathia, Burnett, Mark Teixeira, and Nick Swisher already deep into their primes, what will this team look like in three years?

A lot goes into being a great GM, knowing what your team needs is critical, but knowing when they need it most may be just as important. This could be their last shot to win it all before entering rebuilding mode, so Cashman is going all in and I applaud him. The Yankees are placing their bet on themselves, and giving it one or two more shots with Jeter, Posada, Rivera, and the classic Yankees we have come to know and love.

Here’s to #28!

Thanks, Ryan! Great stuff. Make sure to check out Ryan’s blog for more of his commentary.

Mitre assumes starting role in place of Pettitte

Looks like my call was on the money (not that I’m happy about it). Andy Pettitte will miss 4-5 weeks and be placed on the DL shortly, while Sergio Mitre will make Pettitte’s start Saturday against the Royals.

Some may have wanted Ivan Nova to make the spot start Saturday to give Mitre time to work his way up to a full starter’s pitch count, but Cashman felt otherwise.

"We just felt Sergio is more suited to make the start,'' Cashmna said. "He was one of the candidates for the fifth starter's job and he outpitched Chad in spring training so were going to roll him out there on Saturday.''

I have no problems with the decision. Meanwhile, Pettitte will be missed, especially if A.J. Burnett continues to struggle.

Also, if you are wondering why you saw Boone Logan today, it’s because he was called up to replace Damaso Marte, who was placed on the DL yesterday.

Yankees pitchers midseason report cards

I wasn’t so nice to the Yankees hitters in their report card, but the pitchers are a whole different story. At least the starters are.

The Yankees sport the second best ERA in the American League at 3.81, only trailing division foe Tampa Bay.

I will give each pitcher a grade based on their expectations. A grade of ‘C’ is meeting expectations, ‘A’ and ‘B’ are above expectations, you get the picture.

Starters:
CC Sabathia: A- 
The first of three Yankees starters named to this year’s All-Star team. Sabathia finished the first half on an eight-game winning streak — all quality starts of seven innings or more — to lower his ERA by a full run to 3.09. His WHIP is at an astounding 1.14.

A.J. Burnett: C 
He’s right where I expect him to be. He got off to a hot start, but followed it up with a cold stretch heading into the break to even out his numbers. He has a 7-7 record and a 4.75 ERA with a 1.47 WHIP. Those stats are a little worse than his career averages, but he seems to be climbing back ever since Dave Eiland returned.

Andy Pettitte: A+ 
I expected him to pitch like a No. 3 starter, not an ace. He’s got 11 wins under his belt with a 2.70 ERA. The second All-Star of the rotation, at age 38, notched 14 quality starts in 17 tries. Not too shabby.

Javier Vazquez: B+
After April, this would’ve been a solid F. But if this was only since June 1, it would be a solid A. His hot pitching has helped him even his record at 7-7 and lower his ERA from 9.78 (May 1) to 4.45. If he continues to pitch like he has since June 1, the offseason trade will prove to be a huge success. You saw a couple days ago how poorly Melky Cabrera has been doing.

Phil Hughes: A-
The third All-Star in the rotation was on pace for a Cy Young and a start in the All-Star Game through May 12, but Hughes has stumbled through a rough patch recently. His team has puffed up his record a bit, offering him 7.61 runs per game for an 11-2 record. His ERA is up to 3.65, but his WHIP is still very low at 1.18.

Bullpen:
Mariano Rivera: A
In Mo’s spectacular 16-year career, he’s never posted a sub-1.00 ERA. This year he boasts a 1.05 ERA in 34-1/3 IP. He was selected to his 11th All-Star Game, but wasn’t healthy enough to pitch in it. Hopefully Mo can manage his health honestly and be prepared for another World Series title run in October.

David Robertson: B+
Robertson has been the second best reliever in the pen, but that’s not saying much. He has a 5.46 ERA, but has two outings of four earned runs inflating it. In his last 13 appearances, he’s allowed runs in only two.

Joba Chamberlain: D- 
When the Yankees opted to put him in the bullpen, I was excited that the Yankees would have a lockdown setup man for 2010. Joba has been far from a lock in the eighth inning this year, allowing runs in 10 of his 39 appearances. Most recently, he took the loss against Seattle after allowing a grand slam.

Chad Gaudin: C
Gaudin has been mediocre for the Yankees after getting off to a terrible start to the year with Oakland. In 17-1/3 innings, he’s allowed nine runs with a 1.39 WHIP.

Damaso Marte: C-
A 4.08 ERA is pretty atrocious for a lefty specialist. Against lefties his K/BB ratio is 3.67. Against righties, the ratio is 0.13 (8 walks, 1 strikeout). I don’t like that at all.

Chan Ho Park: D
Diarrhea man’s numbers are as rotten as his nickname. A 6.18 ERA in 27-2/3 IP is just not healthy. It’s only a matter of time before he gets DFA’d, in my opinion.

Sergio Mitre: A-
He’s been great, but only for 12 appearances. He’s been slowly recovering from an injury and is starting for Triple-A tonight. The Yankees really miss the Meat-Tray.

Boone Logan: C+
He’s having his best year in the majors in his fifth year, but he hasn’t been overly impressive. The southpaw has been just as effective against righties as he has been against lefties.

Alfredo Aceves: B+
I’m considering him because he has at least 10 appearances, but he hasn’t pitched since May 8 and isn’t likely to return this year.

Tex’s 3-run jack keeps Yankees surging

Mark Teixeira’s three-run homer in the fourth and A.J. Burnett’s second straight quality start propelled the Yankees to a 6-2 win over the A’s to complete the sweep.

Best of All: Nick Swisher made his final effort for the Final Vote count by falling a triple short of the cycle and scoring twice. You have until 4 p.m. today to vote him in, so keep on texting!

Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez each pounded two homers in this series. This could be bad news for the rest of baseball, just as long as the All-Star break doesn’t make them go cold again.

Worst of All: A-Rod was the only starter without a hit. Shucks!

Of course, now that the trade deadline is nearing, the bullpen will start pitching like Hall of Famers. Once again, no runs through two innings of work by Damaso Marte and Joba Chamberlain.

Coming Up: The Yankees begin a four-game road trip with the Mariners tonight. But the biggest news is Saturday’s 3-D debut in baseball, starting with these two teams. And then again on Sunday. I would say, “huddle around a 3-D television,” but, like me, you probably don’t know anyone who owns one yet!

Another M’s ace takes down Yanks alone

For the second straight night, the Mariners’ starter went the distance in a victory. Except tonight, Felix Hernandez tossed a shutout, one-upping Cliff Lee’s performance Tuesday night, for a 7-0 victory to clinch the series.

Best of All: Mark Teixeira and Colin Curtis were the only two Yanks to collect hits off King Felix — one apiece.

Javier Vazquez earned a quality start, but he couldn’t match up with Hernandez. He struck out eight while his record sunk below .500, once again, to 6-7.

Worst of All: The bullpen was not effective, but at least it didn’t matter in the end. Damaso Marte and Chad Gaudin allowed two earned runs each.

I don’t blame the Yankees’ offense. Clearly, Felix was on his game tonight and you can’t do anything about that. When he’s going right, he has some of the best stuff in the league.

Coming Up: The Yankees will try to avoid the sweep Thursday afternoon with CC Sabathia on the mound.

Kubel, Twins rock Vazquez to avoid sweep

Javier Vazquez allowed five runs, eight hits and a lot of hard-hit outs against the Twins, and Jason Kubel drove in five runs on two long homers to propel the Twins to an 8-2 win over the Yankees.

Best of all: Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano had two hits apiece. Cano drove in both of the Yankees’ runs.

Worst of all: Vazquez. I guess two good starts in a row is his max.

Also, the bullpen is in trouble. Chan Ho Park and Chad Gaudin looked awful and were awful tonight. Damaso Marte, the lefty specialist, was brought in after lefties Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau hit in the seventh. With Alfredo Aceves possibly out for the year, the bullpen is going to need some help.

Coming up: The return of Curtis Granderson! He’ll be in the lineup — we don’t know where yet — to start a series against the Indians in The Bronx.

Houston, the Yankee bullpen has a problem

I wasn’t worried about the bullpen heading into the year because I believed they had the best setup man and closer combination in the game. For most of April and early May I believe I was right.

However, in the past four games the Yankees bullpen has an ERA of 11.60 in 12 1/3 innings. That figure isn’t inflated either. All four starters have gone at least five innings. The team managed one win in this stretch, and that’s only because Jonathan Papelbon broke down.

Problems in the back end:
For a stretch of 13 2/3 innings Joba Chamberlain only allowed runs in one game, which resulted in a loss to the Angels. Still, in that span he collected five holds, two saves and a win. In the past two games he’s allowed six runs on six hits. Something is troubling him.

For a stretch of 11 innings Mariano Rivera didn’t allow a run, collecting seven saves in the process. In his past two appearances, he’s allowed four runs (two earned) and picked up his first blown save and a loss of the year. What’s wrong with him?

Boone the buffoon:
Boone Logan has allowed earned runs in four of his last five appearances. Damaso Marte has done well in May as the only other lefty in the pen, but Logan still has a spot on the roster somehow. I have no idea what Dave Eiland and Joe Girardi see in him.

International friends from the south:
Ivan Nova of the Dominican and Romulo Sanchez of Venezuela have a combined 6 2/3 innings in three appearances with the Yankees. They haven’t allowed a single run, and only six men have reached base. And for some reason … neither are on the active roster.

Hmmmmmmmm.