NoMaas offseason idea #11
Read why Lane Meyer thinks Pavano should be changing uniforms: CLICK HERE.
12.09.2005 1-year deal
NoMaas offseason idea #10
It would cost no draft picks or prospects. Get it done.
Clemens:
"I want to come back to the Yankees so much, I'll even shave my armpits."
12.01.2005 If cheap, why not?
NoMaas offseason idea #9
He has missed a ton of time in the past couple years. He has no leverage in negotiations. But, is it possible that he can still rake? Sign Nomar to a cheap 1-2 year deal and rotate him around to different positions. It could be a steal.
Utility
guy
NoMaas offseason idea #8:
Coming into the 2005 season, this pitcher had a career ERA+ of 92 and a career ERA of 4.90. Suddenly at the tender age of 33, he has a career year with an ERA+ of 139 and an ERA of 3.20. Did this pitcher suddenly learn how to become an effective pitcher or was this an out-of-context year? We think the latter. The Yankees should leverage his recent success and trade him.
11.20.2005 Don't sleep on Dotel
NoMaas offseason idea #7a
Nov. 19: "Dotel, 31, is rehabilitating his right elbow from ligament-replacement surgery in early June. He and his doctors expect him to be able to throw in spring training and to be game ready around opening day, his agent said. Dotel was Oakland's closer at the time of the surgery, which has obviously altered the kind of contract he can command. Dotel's representative Friday confirmed the Cardinals had called." (Source)
Cash,
don't let someone else scoop him up on a low-base, high-incentive deal.
11.09.2005 Da Pen, cont.
NoMaas offseason idea #7:
About a month ago, we targeted the bullpen as an area where the Yankees could cut costs, get younger, and become more efficient. We recommended utilizing cheap minor league talent (i.e. Colter Bean, Jason Anderson, etc) to fill certain spots, rather than signing higher-priced mediocre veterans.
We still want to see that. However, there are some free-agent veterans who could be sprinkled in that would make sense from an economic and baseball standpoint.
1. Octavio Dotel - coming off an injury, his annual salary would probably be low and might sign to an incentive-heavy deal. Career 125 ERA+, .562 OPS Against vs. righties over the past 3 years, averaged at least 10 K/9 from 2002-2004.
2. Mike Myers - made $600k this season in Boston. Devastating vs. lefties with a .409 OPS Against (.198 OBP) in 2005. From 2002-2004, he held lefties to a .595 OPS Against. Great value if signed to a 1 year, $600k-$900k deal. Left-handed specialist.
3. Bobby Howry - made $900k last year in Cleveland. Very solid since being injured in 2003. 166 ERA+ in both 2004 & 2005. OPS Against righties over the past 3 years was .558. OPS Against lefties over the past 3 years was .658. Effective overall.
For the right price and contract length, these veterans could be very useful in addition to the younger guys in the pen.
Mo,
BJ Ryan, Dotel/Myers/Howry, Bean, Anderson...solid pen, cost-effective.
10.30.2005 Hire DePo as Cashman's assistant
NoMaas offseason idea #6
"Twenty months after hiring a general manager who was the standard-bearer for an innovative approach to player evaluation and team building and giving him a five-year contract to implement his philosophy, the Dodgers aborted that plan.
GM Paul DePodesta was fired Saturday by owner Frank McCourt, who called it "a difficult decision" but one he had to make." (Source)
A
great baseball mind
10.22.2005 Trade Sheff for a CF? Scratch that idea.
A week ago, NoMaas advocated the idea of signing Brian Giles and then trading Gary Sheffield for a position of need, particularly CF. Forgetaboutit. A better option may have presented itself.
We still are 100% behind a Brian Giles signing. He is simply a beast, one of the best hitters in all of baseball. However, if we acquire Giles, there may not be a need to trade Sheff for a CF. Why? We like problem-child Milton Bradley.
The Dodgers appear to be fed up with his antics and "that almost certainly is going to lead to Bradley being traded or non-tendered this winter." (Source) Bradley is arbitration-eligible this year.
Before you call the NoMaas staff poo-poo heads for suggesting such an idea, let at the numbers:
Age
27
OPS+*
over the past 3 years: 151, 108, 121
OBP
over the past 3 years: .421, .362, .350
Zone
Rating over the past 3 years (CF defense): .897, .907, .881
2005
salary: $2,500,000 and not likely to increase that much in arbitration
*OPS+ is OPS that is league and park adjusted, 100 being average, the higher the number the better)
Yet, he does have injury history and he is supposedly a maniac. If the Yankees sign Brian Giles, the injury problem can be avoided by moving Matsui to CF, Giles to LF, and Sheff to RF. In regards to his alleged instability, I think Joe "The Don" Torre would handle him just fine. As much as NoMaas critiques Torre, he does command respect among the players.
The
Dodgers appear to be dumping Bradley and if the Yankees could acquire him
on the cheap, he could be a signficant addition and Sheffield would not
need to be traded. The Yankees could have one of the best lineups
in MLB history.
10.19.2005 Let Gordon walk, take draft picks
NoMaas off-season idea #4:
Tom Gordon has done an excellent job for the Yankees during his service time. One could argue that Gordon to Rivera was the best 1-2 punch in baseball over the past two seasons. In 2004, Flash registered an ERA of 2.21 and had an ERA+ of 204. In this past year, he put up a 2.57 ERA with an ERA+ of 173.
(From Hardball Times: ERA+ = ERA measured against the league average, and adjusted for ballpark factors. An ERA+ over 100 is better than average, less than 100 is below average)
Flash is now a free agent. With him turning 38, a declining K/9, and BJ Ryan on the market, it would be in the Yankees best interest to let Gordon be acquired by another team. In doing so, the Yankees would acquire 2 picks for the next MLB draft. Here is how it works:
"Teams receive compensation in the form of draft picks based on the free agents they lose, according to the rating system established by Elias Sports Bureau: a Type A free agent ranked among the top 30 percent of major leaguers at his position, a Type B free agent ranked among the top half (but not the top 30 percent) of major leaguers at his position, and a Type C free agent ranked among the next 10 percent of major leaguers at his position.
A team that loses a Type A free agent gets the first-round pick of the team that signs the free agent and a supplemental pick after the first round. A team that loses a Type B free agent receives only the signing team's top pick.
In both cases, a team selecting in the first half of the draft rotation cannot lose its first-round pick. Such a team would instead lose its second-round pick."
Due to Gordon excellent performance over the past two years, it is safe to assume that he would be a Type A free agent. Thus, the Yankees would acquire two early draft picks.
With
David Stern's new dress code, Gordon will not be able to cover his entire
face with his hat.
10.17.2005 Look at the minors to fill bullpen
NoMass off-season idea #3:
One of the biggest problems with the Yankees is fiscal inefficency. George and Co. have developed a reputation for overpaying mediocre, replacement level, and sub-replacement level talent. To name a few, just look at Paul Quantrill, Felix Heredia, Tony Womack, Jaret Wright, and Ruben Sierra. The list could continue.
The Yankees need to run their organization like a corporation. They need to eliminate waste and run a tighter book. By allocating resources properly, the Yankees can become the dominant machine that they should be.
One of the areas that we believe could be streamlined is the bullpen. Nearly the entire bullpen is up for free agency. Instead of re-signing or acquiring higher-priced veteran players who will provide average or below-average production, the Yankees should look to their farm system for cheap alternatives that will offer equal or better performance.
Why pay Felix Heredia $1.8 million a year when you can call up Colter Bean ,who has put up ridiculous minor league numbers, and pay him the major league minimum.
What about Jason Anderson, who had a 2.66 ERA at Columbus this year?
Plus, if minor league starters aren't going to crack the rotation, what about converting those starters to relievers? Try Sean Henn as a left-handed specialist if he isn't going to get a chance to start at the major league level.
It makes no sense paying veterans million dollar contracts, when the Yankees can get similar or better production from cheap minor league talent.
This
will allow the Yankees to allocate more money to other areas and/or competitive
situations like BJ Ryan.
10.17.2005 Let these guys go
NoMaas off-season idea #2:
Tino
Martinez (FA) - $2.75 million for a .767 OPS
John
Flaherty (FA) - $800,000 for a .458 OPS
Tony
Womack (trade or release) - $2,000,000 for a .556 OPS
Ruben
Sierra (FA) - $1.5 million for a .636 OPS
10.15.2005 Trade Sheff for a CF, sign Brian Giles
NoMaas' first of several off-season ideas:
Gary Sheffield is a NoMaas favorite. However, there are glaring weaknesses that the Yankees have that Sheffield could be used to address. Sheff is entering the last year of his 3yr-$39 million deal, with some of the money being deferred until a future date. Although he will be 37, Sheffield remains one of the game's superior hitters (132 OPS+ in 2005). With one year left on his deal and still being a very productive hitter, he is probably one of the team's most tradeable assets.
With the Yankees possessing a gaping hole in CF, Sheff could be used to solidfy that position for the next few years, or at least until Melky Cabrera is ready. Names mentioned recently have been Toronto's Vernon Wells (age 27) and Chicago's Aaron Rowland (age 28).
Vernon Wells would be our choice, only if the Yankees do not have to part with a top prospect.
Wells only has two years left on his deal for a total of $9.9 million. He plays excellent defense and has a decent bat (108 career OPS+, .811 OPS).
Trading Sheff would create a hole in RF and also weaken the offense. Thus, the Yankees should target free-agent Brian Giles, who is a beast at the plate. In fact, one could argue that he would be more productive than Sheffield.
Giles vs. Sheffield in 2005:
148
OPS+ vs. 132 OPS+
.326
EqA vs. .314 EqA
65.1
VORP vs. 56.6 VORP
.423
OBP vs. .379 OBP
Giles also led the NL in BB and is nearly 3 years younger than Sheffield. If the Yankees can acquire Giles, Sheffield should become expendable.
Even if the Yankees can't find a fair deal for Sheff, Giles should still be a target. Sheff & Giles could split time at DH/OF.
Hopefully
Sheff doesn't look at NoMaas.
