Time for a Trade?

It’s not so much about the positions the Yankees need to fill, but rather about the players that need to go, and soon.

Melky Cabrera is battling for the starting center field spot with Brett Gardner. Right now, Gardner is hitting a bit better than he has in the past and his speed on the bases is making him the early favorite. Scouts seem to think that Cabrera has a higher ceiling, but last year he didn’t deliver. The problem is, Melky is out of options. If he doesn’t make the squad, he’ll likely be picked up on waivers. Is it worth a spot on the roster to keep him around as a back up outfielder? With Swisher, Nady, Damon, Gardner and Matsui there as well, probably not. So if the Yankees give the starting job to Gardner, Melky could be gone. Now might be the time to try and trade him for a prospect.

Ian Kennedy is candidate number two to be traded. He looked good at the end of the year in the minors and in the fall leagues but early results this spring have been poor. My instinct is that the kid could be a number five starter somewhere,  just not in New York. The Yankees might be able to trade Kennedy to a small market team in return for a prospect or possibly pair him with Cabrera in a package for something a little more substantial.

Other than center field, I don’t see a big hole for the Yankees right now and a trade would be more about moving players out than needing to bring someone in. For the record, Cody Ransom will be just fine at third until A-Rod gets back. There is no reason to trade anything of value to get a short term replacement third baseman. In all likelihood, Ransom is just about as good as anyone out there.

Another Ugly Loss

The Yankees couldn't get anything going at the plate. Melky Cabrera has turned into another Robinson Cano with a bat. He never could bunt, and it hurt the Yankees in the ninth inning when he grounded into a double play.

Internet minor league phenom Brett Gardner remains hitless in the big leagues this year, but was able to lay down a sacrifice bunt.

Derek Jeter sat out the game, and wasn't even called in to pinch hit in the ninth, when the Pinstripers had a man on first.

To confuse things even more, Girardi pulled Joba Chamberlain after 4.0 innings. Joba was pitching reasonably well, but had a 91 pitch count. In his last outing, the pitch count was well over 100 and it seems as if Girardi wanted to keep it lower today.

Long reliever Dan Giese was brought in again to pitch one inning. That's right, one inning. Girardi clearly doesn't believe in the concept of a long reliever. Except perhaps Ross Ohlendorf, who had a proven track record of failure with long outings.

Does this make sense to anyone? The purpose of a long reliever is especially for those instances when your starter comes out early and you now have a guy who can go three or four innings.

Instead Dave Robertson came in, pitched two solid innings followed by Veras, who threw a scoreless eighth.

Unforunately, Mariano Rivera had a bad night, giving up 3 hits and 1 run and giving Texas the go-ahead run.

Girardi baffles me sometimes with his roster moves (no Derek Jeter) his in game calls (leaving the slumping Melky in in the ninth) and his handling of pitchers. Despite all of that, I expect better from the offense. These guys need to score more runs plain and simple. They're just not getting the job done these days.

Rivera Gives Up Another

Mariano Rivera, who had been nothing short of dominating in the first part of the season, gave up another big run this afternoon, failing to maintain a tie game and eventually contributing to a loss. With every win coming with some difficulty, seeing the best reliever in the game let one get out of the park is disheartening. Once again Mo looked like he took it hard, but should bounce back.

Mike Mussina had one of his best outings, going eight innings and only giving up two runs with no walks. Moose was extremely economical and only threw eighty nine pitches on the day. I personally thought it was a tough call to not let him pitch the ninth, but with Rivera available, I think Girardi made the right call, despite the results.

The offense was cold for the most part, and it's frustrating watching this team have it's ups and downs. The Yankees were cheated out of a run by the first base umpire, who completely blew a call when Melky Cabrera bunted and clearly beat the throw to first. The first base umpire probably had a bad angle, but the replay showed Melky safe by a large margin. Derek Jeter later walked and Bobby Abreu grounded out to first for the final out, a hit which likely would have gotten a run in.

Girardi made an odd move of Pinch hitting Posada for Molina in the eighth inning. Jorge got a hit, and then quickly was replaced by Moeller as a pinch runner. I can understand the pinch hitting, but putting in the pinch runner was a mistake. The extra utility Moeller provides as a runner doesn't outweigh the fact that you'd have Posada's bat if you needed it later. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the Yankees last chance fell to...Chad Moeller. If Posada had  been left in he would have had a chance at winning the game for the Yankees.

Gotta Love Melky

Of all the players on the New York Yankees roster this year, has anyone been more exciting and fun to watch than Melky Cabrera? Melky is the new Shelley, or Bernie depending on how you look at it.

Cabrera's numbers so far are similar to those of Yankee great Bernie Williams, but what really catches my eye is his enthusiasm on the field. At the end of an inning, Melky always has a spring in his step when he jogs toward the dugout. When the camera pans over to the dugout during a Yankee at bat Melky is frequently seen fist bumping a teammate or making a joke with a big smile on his face.

You have to love the enthusiasm shown by Cabrera on a regular basis. Even when the clubhouse seems to have a dour mood, you can count on the Melkman to deliver a few smiles.

I'm impressed with his play this year as well. He currently leads the team in home runs, has a solid bat and has delivered in the clutch. It's amazing how much ground he covers in center field and he definitely has an arm. It's quite a contrast from guys like Matsui who is probably better suited as a DH.

It's becoming more and more apparent why the Yankees didn't make the Santana deal and why they were reluctant to give up on their budding center fielder.

Yankees Win 1-0

Chien-Ming Wang was on top of his game today pitching 7.0 innings of 4 hit, scoreless ball. CC Sabathia was almost as good for Cleveland but gave up a solo dinger to Melky Cabrera for the only run of the game. Wang racked up 9 strikeouts and only walked 2.

Joba and Mo were perfect in relief, retiring all 6 batters in order in the eight and ninth innings. Chamberlain was throwing 98 mph heat and looks healthy.

Shelley Duncan hasn't produced at the plate and went 0 for 4 today.

Jorge Posada was scratched at the last minute although the Yankees refused to comment on the reason. The New York Times is reporting that he has a shoulder tear and might need surgery. We'll see if we get any definitive information after the game from the media-shifty Girardi. If Jorge can't catch the Yanks will have to bring back Moeller if he clears wavers, or else find another catcher. Chris Stewart might come up from AAA if they need a replacement before Moeller is available again. If no surgery is needed but Posada has to lay off throwing, there's a chance he could still DH or possibly play 1st base (although Jorge won't like that idea).

If another catcher has to be brought in (or up) I don't expect Shelley Duncan to stick around. Alberto Gonzalez is tremendously useful with his defensive skills and Ensberg can play first and third. Outfielders the Yanks have aplenty.

We'll have to wait and see what happens as there is no immediate report yet.

Yankees Return to Form With Win

There were quite a few things to encourage the Yankee faithful watching last nights game. Most importantly, the Yankees won the ballgame 6-1, avoiding a sweep by the Royals and moving back to .500.

The offense started to emerge from its slumber and the bombers were finally able to put some runs on the board. Melky Cabrera continues to deliver excitement, going 2 for 5 with a home run and an RBI single. Alex Rodriguez was 1 for 4, but was able to knock in two runs and hit a solo home run shot late in the game. A-Rods homer was followed by a solo dinger by Posada, hitting in the DH spot due to a sore shoulder. Morgan Ensberg had a nice night going 2 for 4.

Andy Pettite was the story of the evening in my book. Andy looked strong in 6.2 innings of work, giving up 5 hits and allowing only 1 run, walking 2 and striking out 1. This was the Pettitte pitching Yankee fans were hoping to see this year.

Pettitte still has a great pick off move. Andy was able to pick off Alex Gordon and held runners close to the bases. KC was unable to steal a base all night. Andy has always had one of the best moves to first in baseball, and it really helps at times, especially against speedy small ball teams like the Royals.

In the bottom of the 6th Pettitte had a line drive drilled inches to the right of his head. Andy ducked out of the way and managed to get his glove up for the out. It was a pure instinct play and most importantly Andy avoided injury. Catching the ball while hitting the ground was downright amazing. Molina and Rodriguez both came over to check on Pettitte after the play and Andy didn't look particularly happy at the time. Despite the close call he managed to strike out the next batter and get the following hitter to ground out for a 1-2-3 inning. Making great plays, getting shaken and coming back to dominate the next two hitters shows again why Andy is one of the best in the game.

Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera were their usual awesome selves in the final innings of the game, making a fantastic combination the Yankees haven't had since the Rivera-Wetteland days.

Hopefully the Yankees will continue this level of play both hitting and pitching. They've got their work cut out for them in the upcoming series with Boston.

AL East notes:

Edwin Jackson looked sharp again in Tampa's 7-0 win over Seattle.

Baltimore dropped 2 to Texas and may finally be starting their migration to the back of the pack.

Toronto lost to Oakland in 12 innings.

Boston outslugged Detroit 12-6 in a game that lasted 3:44. Both starting pitchers

Cabrera, Duncan Have Suspensions Reduced

Melky Cabrera and Shelley Duncan have agreed to drop their appeals of the suspensions given to them from an altercation with the Tampa Bay Rays in spring training. Both players will have their three game suspensions reduced to two games. Cabrera started serving his suspension this evening (Friday) and Shelley will start his suspension on Sunday.