Comments on: Heard any good rumors lately?

By: Dan M

Dan M — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 10:13:33 +0000

36. I'll stand by my position: it's great that Ruben is a friend, watch-dog, mentor, etc. to Cano. But Ruben has had - and continues to have - bad habits at the plate. I don't want Cano to fall into those habits. That's all I'm saying - period. I've never advocated trading Cano (and think it would be crazy to do so), so I don't know where that came from, singledd. As for Cano's OBP/plate discipline, yes it could improve. But we said the Sori a few years back.

By: Jen

Jen — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 00:04:01 +0000

35. I wouldn't be surprised if we see Nomo in pinstripes by the weekend.

By: uburoisc

uburoisc — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 23:21:41 +0000

34. Soriano has very quick bat speed and can often get around on pitches that would strike out other hitters; he often hits these pitches into the seats. He also strikes out an ungodly number of times in doing this--both during the season and in the playoffs. His OBP is so-so and his defense is about the worst in the AL. He has skills, and has the tools to be one of the best players in the game, but he has the brain of a pea. By and large, against good pitching Soriano is a bust (with the occational HR off a pitch out of the zone). The 2003 series convinced me that he has been largely figured out. I'm sure he was told, whatever happens, take the first pitch; and he promptly swung over his head. He has hitting weaknesses that he has not bothered to correct because he figures he is going to hit 35 HR's and who would care. I think his best seasons are behind him. And I'm sure you all saw the single he hit off the wall in the last Texas series. Cano has a lot of upside, is a fine hitter, shows solid D, and can be had for a very modest salary.

By: rilkefan

rilkefan — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 21:04:28 +0000

33. Giambi's OBP is going to go to about 0.900 if he keeps hitting in front of Bernie, Tino, and Flaherty.

Bad day to face RJ.

By: singledd

singledd — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 20:17:29 +0000

32. Dan M....
I don't know why the attitude on Ruben.
Years ago, Torre all but threw him off the club. Now he likes and respects the guy. What does that say? How about Cano's numbers? And his poise and attitude? If he has been under Ruben wing now for a while, I say keep it up.

Having a friend, confident and mentor that speaks your language (literally) is a great thing for a kid. It's not like Joe and Mattingly aren't there. The only issue is getting this kid to be patient, and work on his OBP. Hopefully, once he fully has his Major League legs, this will happen (and he won't pull a Sori).

I don't know why we fans always assume the worst. This kid looks like he could be a core player for a while (along with Jetes, Matsui, Giambi and ARod). I like that. I wouldn't trade him for anybody.

By: singledd

singledd — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 20:02:44 +0000

31. Sori - .283 .322 .504 .826 Lifetime (7,500,000)
Cano - .307 .330 .489 .819 Lifetime (cheap cheap)
I really loved Sori, but I think we are doing pretty well right now

By: singledd

singledd — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 19:55:17 +0000

30. A few thoughts:
1) To trade Cano for Willie Mantle Mays still leaves us with a hole to fill. It makes no sense to gain one position and lose another unless it is a GIANT upgrade.

2) When is the last time a Yankee rookie had a better first year? Jetes? Nick? Sori? What we are seeing in Cano is pretty rare.

3) A high quality 2nd baseman is harder to find then a high quality outfielder.

4) Since Matsui can (and prefers) to play CF (at little loss), we don't need a CF... any outfielder that fits our needs will work.

5) For this year, Bubba or ANY guy who can catch slightly above average or better will due. We don't really need another bat.

6) If we get Willie Mantle Mays for free, we are not that much better off in terms of winning in the PS, as long as we have our current pitching staff.

7) We would be be better off using whatever trade bait we have to get ONE high quality pitcher. Starting would be best, but a quality pen guy would be a tremendous upgrade for the team.

I don't know why we are obsessing about CF. Willie Mantle Mays would be NICE, but we don't readlly NEED a CF to win.
We need PITCHING and a decent defensive guy in CF. I'm told Budda is al least average, or not above average with the glove.

Forget the outfield until the winter. Give Melka or another youngster a shot in the outfield. We need PITCHING.

What are the 3 golden rules in Real Estate?
Pitching, Pitching and Pitching.

It may seem crazy, but for ONE YEAR only, for THIS year only, paying an unGodly amount for a pitcher might get us to the PS.
Are you listening Roger?

By: Dan M

Dan M — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 18:54:53 +0000

29. AP reporting that Brown and Pavano are scratched for Thursday and Saturday. Shawn Chacon here we come!

By: alasky

alasky — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 18:53:35 +0000

28. MANNY WANTS OUT, HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!

Boston.com

It'll never happen, but he apparently requested a trade. Listen, I'm not naive enough to believe this really matters at all; he'll hit like he always does and the team won't have to worry about him. They're not trading him and nobody would want that contract anyway. Still really really funny. Sheff won't report if traded, but the World Series MVP on a 1st Place Team wants out. HAHAHAHA!

By: JohnnyC

JohnnyC — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 18:36:24 +0000

27. Awww, c'mon, guys, Mel will fix 'em up. He's good. Won 4 World Series with him as pitching coach. Why, worked wonders with Jeff Weaver and Javy Vazquez. And ain't Carl Pavano been working out real good?

By: Shaun P

Shaun P — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 17:55:22 +0000

26. jedi, I'd say Millwood is a talented-enough pitcher. Redman too. Don't be fooled by their records. If the Yanks didn't give up any of the good prospects (Hughes, Duncan, even Henn) to get them, sounds OK to me.

You figure with RJ and Moose, what we really need is a 3rd/4th starter (presuming Wang can't come back, and Pavano is the other). I think either Millwood or Redman could fill that role nicely. And, FWIW, they both have postseason experience.

On the other hand, I agree completely on Chacon and Pineiro. I'd avoid both like the plague - both have had recent injury issues, and neither has shown anything this year (records aside, their stats are awful - and Pineiro plays in a pitchers' park!).

By: Dan M

Dan M — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 17:54:15 +0000

25. Alex, my main concern is that Ruben will convince Cano that he needs to hit more homers, and/or that he needs to pull the ball all the time, and that it'll screw the kid up. Just because Ruben has had a nice career, that doesn't mean that his approach was the right approach. If, however, he's teaching Cano about pitchers, or situations, then I have no problem.

By: jedi

jedi — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 17:24:03 +0000

24. If Joel Pineiro is the answer to our rotation problems we might as well stick Womack back in CF because this season is over.

I am praying and hoping none of these rumors are true (Pineiro, Chacon, Millwood, Redmond) and Cashman comes from no where (a la AROD) to bring us a talented pitcher to bring us through the stretch.

By: Nick from Washington Heights

Nick from Washington Heights — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 17:13:39 +0000

23. Re: Pavano and the trade clause. I might be reading too much into reports of communication problems between Pavano and the coaching staff and management (first, Mel expressed frustration over an inside pitch he made that ended up in the left field bleachers and a Yankee loss, and more recently his injury time table has been muddled because of apparent miscommunication between management and him), but I think he might be unhappy in the Bronx and willing to waive the clause. Maybe, he's expressed this to management and that's what leading to his name being dangled out there in trade rumors. The Mariner rumor is not the first one he's been involved in.

By: brockdc

brockdc — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 17:02:56 +0000

22. Speaking of Ruben, does anyone have an update on either his or Wang's injuries?

By: Alvaro Espinoza

Alvaro Espinoza — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 17:00:12 +0000

21. Meche and Villone are other SEA names being thrown around.

By: Alex Belth

Alex Belth — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 16:45:34 +0000

20. I don't know, he never was a great player, but Ruben has had a very nice career. If Cano is still playing when he's in his late thirties I'm sure he'd be happy. Plus, we have no way of knowing what he's teaching the kid.

By: Marcus

Marcus — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 16:43:59 +0000

19. I've heard Pavano to Seattle for Pinero and Winn, but Pavano reportedly has a no trade clause for this season, so I don't see a trade involving him likely. I think a lot of these rumors are coming out of the minds of Seattle sports writers.

By: Dan M

Dan M — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 16:42:52 +0000

18. "Mentor" is fine, but, as I've said before, if Ruben's Cano's "de fact hitting coach" as many close to the team say he is, then the kid could be in big trouble.

By: Ben

Ben — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 16:36:38 +0000

17. ESPN insider is reporting some kind of trade rumor involving Pavano. I don't subscribe to the service, anyone out there know if this is bubkis?