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Via Hardball Talk, C.C. Sabathia is in good shape; Hideki Okajima is not.

Oh, and according to Buster Olney, A.J. Burnett is this close to being a Pirate.

And Jon Heyman reports that Ibanez and Chavez are going to play in the Bronx this year.

Categories:  1: Featured  Spring Training  Yankees

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32 comments

1 Chyll Will   ~  Feb 17, 2012 12:17 pm

Crap! You have to have a twitter account to even view the link on a Blackberry?

2 Alex Belth   ~  Feb 17, 2012 12:20 pm

Here is the comment about Hideki:

David Waldstein (N.Y. Times)

Hideki Okajima failed his physical, according to MLB official who knows about it. Looks like his short Yankee career is over.

3 Alex Belth   ~  Feb 17, 2012 1:07 pm

Details to be worked out, but the deal is done: http://bit.ly/wnf57B

4 rbj   ~  Feb 17, 2012 1:22 pm

So what's the final detail, is it between a bag of new balls vs. a bag of used balls?

5 thelarmis   ~  Feb 17, 2012 2:15 pm

Cobra!

according to mlb trade rumors, we're getting a right-handed pitching prospect named Diego Moreno. who knows who else...

we're eating $20 mil, buccos taking on $13.

i'll be glad to get rid of ol' tattoo boy...

6 BobbyB   ~  Feb 17, 2012 2:37 pm

I know I'm in the serious minority and there's no doubt the Burnett haters have plenty of reasons to want to see AJ rot in Pittsburg but I still think it's a bad move. You can never, and I mean never, have enough pitching and he's still got electric stuff in his arm (unfortunately he's got a dead battery between the ears). Hope we don't find we still need another pitcher sometime this season. We would not have won the WS in 2009 without him so I'll wish him well wherever he ends up.

7 Alex Belth   ~  Feb 17, 2012 2:39 pm

6) I can appreciate your take. Absolutely. The one thing I disagree with is how electric his stuff really is anymore. Yes, he's got that breaking ball that can still be tough, tough, tough. But he doesn't throw 95-97 anymore. Not that he can't still be effective at 92-94. I just wonder how great his stuff is compared to four, five years ago.

8 BobbyB   ~  Feb 17, 2012 2:47 pm

He had a great curve-ball but looked like he abandoned it for whatever reason the last two seasons. Must have lost confidence in it and so everyone waited on the fastball that moved in on the right-handers. It stayed on the same plane, moved over the center of the plate and regularly was crushed.I saw a couple of games where he was consistently 94-95 but that was all he threw on those days. paying 20 million of his salary must hurt, Ouch. Too bad he nixed a trade for Abreu. I'd like to see him back and CHavez, too.

9 Jon DeRosa   ~  Feb 17, 2012 2:51 pm

[8] Harder to get people to chase a curve in the dirt if they're not cheating to catch up with plus-plus gas.

10 Sliced Bread   ~  Feb 17, 2012 3:33 pm

Yeah, I wish AJ well, and thank him for 2009.
All things considered he was a good Yankee.

I don't know anything about the prospects we're getting, but I think the Pirates are getting AJ at a good price. I'm surprised there weren't more takers of the $20m subsidy.

11 Ara Just Fair   ~  Feb 17, 2012 3:41 pm

Exicardo Cayones is the 2nd prospect according to Lohud. That's a damn fine name. Good luck, AJ. You big friggin' lug. Cashman must have the Pirates on speed dial.

12 monkeypants   ~  Feb 17, 2012 3:44 pm

[6] You can never have too much pitching, except where do you put everyone? If AJ could reasonably be expected to stay sharp as the last man out of the BP, then maybe you keep him.

13 monkeypants   ~  Feb 17, 2012 3:46 pm

It's just too bad the money saved is going to be frittered away on Raul Ibanez.

14 monkeypants   ~  Feb 17, 2012 3:48 pm

[10] I'm surprised there weren't more takers of the $20m subsidy.

AJ's partial no-trade clause may have severely limited the number of potential suitors. As for the prospects, their names are $5 Million and $8 Million.

15 Sliced Bread   ~  Feb 17, 2012 4:00 pm

[14] that's definitely a good way of looking at it, and I'm with you on Ibanez.
I'd prefer the money to go toward younger, more versatile players (heh, like Damon?!)

16 monkeypants   ~  Feb 17, 2012 4:08 pm

[15] RAB is running a post headlined Burnett Heads to Pirates in Salary Dump Trade. It sort of blows my mind that the Yankees are on the dumping end of a salary dump trade!

17 Sliced Bread   ~  Feb 17, 2012 4:29 pm

[15] strange, indeed. I can't remember the last time the Yankees were on this side of the dump, but the price of dispensing mediocrity in decline sure has gone up.

18 OldYanksFan   ~  Feb 17, 2012 4:36 pm

Well.... AJ kept the Hot Stove HOT! for a few weeks. My guess is one more move for an oldfart DH and we're done.

But you never know when your GM is a fuckin' NINJA!

19 monkeypants   ~  Feb 17, 2012 4:43 pm

[18] Yeah, I'm still holding out hope for a little ninja magic before the season starts...the kind of magic that turns Ibanez or Damon into something more interesting.

20 Chyll Will   ~  Feb 17, 2012 6:11 pm

[19] ...perhaps even something more Linteresting? {ducking}

21 Mr OK Jazz Tokyo   ~  Feb 17, 2012 6:12 pm

[13] It better not be..
[11] I am SO hyped for the Exicardo Cayones Era!

AJ..really nice, kind dude. Be fun to drink with him am sure. Just glad we don't have to watch him pitch again.

23 OldYanksFan   ~  Feb 17, 2012 7:22 pm

Does anyone remember going into the Winter after the 2008 season, how horrid our SP was looking? And aside from our 'Tres Aces', how thin the farm was? How downright old our team was getting?

I know I really like the dude, but really.... hasn't Cashman transformed this team... without really raising payroll?

The Ninja deserves a toast.

24 Chyll Will   ~  Feb 17, 2012 7:31 pm

[22] Tough crowd...

25 Alex Belth   ~  Feb 17, 2012 8:12 pm

Jon Heyman reports that once the Burnett deal is official, the Yanks will sign Ibanez and Chavez.

26 Mr OK Jazz Tokyo   ~  Feb 17, 2012 8:28 pm

[25] Ah, just what the roster needs. Another aging, DH only veteran!

27 Mr OK Jazz Tokyo   ~  Feb 17, 2012 8:28 pm

[24] Hey, this is Capital City! That stuff may work in Springfield but not here!

28 Alex Belth   ~  Feb 17, 2012 8:39 pm

26) I have heard that between Ibanez, Damon and Matsui they liked what Ibanez could give them in the field, if need be, better than the other two.

29 Mr OK Jazz Tokyo   ~  Feb 17, 2012 8:46 pm

[28] Jayzus..I like you or I could do on D compared to those two. I LOVE JD and Matsui but seriously, is there no one in AAA who can be a late inning defensive replacement, maybe pinch-run some too?

Listening to Baseball Today podcast on ESPN the last few years, host Eric Karabell (big Phillies fan) was saying Ibanez was done in 2010..seems a waste of $.

30 Chyll Will   ~  Feb 17, 2012 9:35 pm

[29] Seems to me Cash always has a roster spot on reserve to waste on OPP players every season.

31 Boatzilla   ~  Feb 17, 2012 10:43 pm

[29] I agree. IBANEZ CAN NOT FIELD. He was known to be a horrible fielder back in his Mariners days. I can not understand what they see in him. Makes no sense to me. Let's hope someone, anyone steps up in spring training.

32 lroibal   ~  Feb 18, 2012 9:30 am

When AJ was on, his stuff was nasty. Too bad he couldn't be more consistent. I wish him well in Pittsburgh.

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