Sliding Into Home: A Yankees Blog

So Long Shelley

2009-11-20T23:10:00.003-05:00

Chad Jennings is reporting that Shelley Duncan has said that if he clears waivers he will not accept his assignment to triple-A Scranton.

“I’ll wait and see,” Duncan said. “I might clear on Monday or something, and if do, then I’ll become a free agent.”

Good luck Shelley.

Friday Night Open Thread: Awards For Girardi

2009-11-20T19:45:00.002-05:00

- Joe Girardi may not have won AL manager of the year but he was able to snag a couple other awards. Girardi was named the March of Dimes Sportsman of the Year and will be honored at the 26th annual March of Dimes luncheon on December 2nd. Venus Williams was named sportswoman of the year.

- The New York Knicks also named Girardi the winner of the Sweetwater Clifton “City Spirit” Award for November.

The award, named in honor of Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, the first African-American to play for the Knicks, recognizes individuals who have made a significant difference in the lives of others. Each month, a winner is chosen by members of the Knicks front office staff and honored at center court during a Knicks game with a $2,000 donation in his or her name made out to a charity of their choice.

The award was given to Girardi for stopping to aid a woman who was in an accident on the Cross County Parkway in Westchester County the night the Yankees clinched the World Series. He will accept the award on Sunday during the Knicks-Celtics game at Madison Square Garden.

- The Hall of Fame will be receiving many items from the Yankees most recent championship run. For a full list of the items check out this article on MLB.com.

- Steve Lombardi takes a look at a recent Bill James article on Jorge Posada's chances at having as good a 2010 season as he did this year. The conclusion is that Posada is the least likely player in baseball to improve next year.

- The folks over at Baseball Intellect tells us everything we need to know about Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman. It's definitely worth the read.

40-Man Roster Updates

2009-11-20T18:07:00.003-05:00

With the Rule 5 draft coming up next month the Yanks made several adjustments to their 40-man roster today, here are those changes:

Pitchers Hecton Noesi Ivan Nova and Romulo Sanchez, infielders Reegie Corona, Eduardo Nunez and Kevin Russo, and outfielder Austin Jackson have been added to 40-man.

Shelley Duncan has be outrighted to triple-A.

The Yankees updated 40-man roster now has 39 spots filled, so expect some more changes to the roster later this offseason.

11/20 Demolition Update

2009-11-20T12:54:00.004-05:00

These pictures come from WCBS 880's Tom Kaminski. For the entire gallery click here.

Images used with permission from WCBS880.com.

(click to enlarge)

For the main demolition page click here.

Will Wang Reunite With Torre?

2009-11-20T11:00:00.001-05:00

From Diamond Notes (hat-tip to MLB Trade Rumors):

Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang, a non-tender candidate, told Taiwanese reporters Thursday that his first choice was to remain with New York. But if the Yankees cut him loose, Wang said he would not be opposed to going to the Dodgers.

“Not bad,” Wang said of the scenario presented by reporters that would have him going to Los Angeles. The two-time 19-game winner indicated that he would feel comfortable playing for a manager in Joe Torre who knows him well. Wang also went to middle school with Dodgers reliever Hong-Chih Kuo, and the two remain friends.

If the Yankees don't decide to bring him back, this kind of move wouldn't surprise me at all. Either way, I still think the Yanks should give him a contract.

AOL Fanhouse's Top 50 Free Agents

2009-11-20T10:20:00.004-05:00

With the free agent market officially open AOL Fanhouse has listed their top 50 free agents. Toping the list is John Lackey.

You can find all the characteristics of an ace in Lackey. He has the big-game experience, has thrived in that environment, and the ability is obviously there. You can bet all the usual suspects will be in on the action for the 6-foot-6 right-hander. This isn't a guy you need to worry about falling flat after he signs either. Lackey is a pitcher who isn't afraid of adjustments. He knows how to change things on the fly and fight through his struggles.

Here's the rest of the top 10: 2. Matt Holliday, 3. Jason Bay, 4. Andy Pettitte, 5. Chone Figgins, 6. Rich Harden, 7. Randy Wolf, 8. Johnny Damon, 9. Jose Valverde, 10. Aroldis Chapman. The rest of the list can be viewed here.

UPDATE: YES has a list of their top 20 free agents. Holliday tops their list.

See The Premiere Of The 2009 World Series Video

2009-11-20T08:43:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I posted the trailer to the video, this morning here's some info on where you can see a special premiere screening of the film.

On Monday, November 23rd at 7:30 p.m. there will be several screenings throughout the area. If you're in Manhattan you can attend the event at the Ziegfeld Theatre located at 141 west 54th street. There will also be screenings in many other theaters in New York and New Jersey. Here's the full list. Tickets to the event are $30.

11/19 Winter Ball Report

2009-11-20T02:16:00.002-05:00

In the final game of their AFL season the Surprise Rafters defeated the Phoenix Desert Dogs 7-4. With the win the Rafters finish the AFL season with a 16-16 record. (Box Score-Recap)

Pitching:
Mike Dunn (W, 1-2): 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, pitches-strikes: 26-14, 4.35 ERA

(click on pitcher's name for PitchFX data)

Here's the final stats for all Yankees who played for the Rafters:

Colin Curtis: .397/.472/.731, 5 HR, 18 RBI, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 19 runs scored, 3 SB, 11 walks.

Brandon Laird: .333/.406/.633, 6 HR, 24 RBI, 9 doubles, 18 runs scored, 10 walks.

Austin Romine: .400/.438/.400 (6-for-15), 2 RBI, 2 runs scored, 1 walk.

Ian Kennedy: 7 games, 2-1, 4.25 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 29.2 IP, 30 hits, 14 ER, 5 BB, 28 K's.

Zack Kroenke: 11 games, 1-0, 2 saves, 5.28 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 15.1 IP, 15 hits, 9 ER, 4 BB, 14 K's.

Mike Dunn: 10 games, 1-2, 1 save, 4.35 ERA, 2.03 WHIP, 10.1 IP, 11 hits, 5 earned runs, 10 BB, 20 K's.

Grant Duff: 10 games, 0-0, 2 saves, 2.89 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 9.1 IP, 7 hits, 3 earned runs, 5 walked, 4 K's.

Thursday Night Open Thread: Bay Declines Boston's Offer

2009-11-19T19:42:00.001-05:00

- Jason Bay has declined Boston's first offer, a 4-year deal worth around $60 million. Here's more from Jon Heyman:

Boston's offer to Bay was believed to be for four years and "close to $60 million,'' according to sources. Bay thus will join star outfielder Matt Holliday and ace pitcher John Lackey as the biggest free agents on this year's market. The exclusive period for incumbent teams expires Friday at 12:01 a.m., when free agents can begin negotiating with other teams.

"Nothing will happen by day's end, but we'll keep talking," Bay's agent Joe Urbon said.

"It's not a surprise that a player that's gone this far wants to see what's out there,'' Red Sox GM Theo Epstein said by phone in Bay's regard, though Epstein declined comment on the team's talks with Bay.

- Derek Jeter is enjoying his time off. According to the NY Post, he's been spending some down time in a luxury beach house in St. Barts with girlfriend Minka Kelly. Things are good for the captain.... very good.

- Jayson Stark had this bit of info regarding the Yankees and their outfield plans: "Sounds as if the Yankees haven't ruled out bringing back both Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. But indications are that they're also going to take a hard line on both -- a one-year deal for Matsui, period, and no more than a two-year deal for Damon, with a preference for something shorter. At the moment, there are no signs the Yankees are in on either Matt Holliday or Jason Bay."

- Stark also wrote this article about the problems of revenue sharing.

- Andy Pettitte finally filed for free agency today. He was one of the last players to do so.

- Baseball America has the full list of Minor League free agents. The Yankees free agents are listed below:

New York Yankees (17)
RHP: Paul Bush (AA), Michael Gardner++ (AA), Justin Pope++ (AA), Humberto Sanchez (AAA), Jay Stephens (AA), Jose Valdez (AAA)
C: Brian Peterson (AAA), Chris Stewart (AAA)
3B: Eric Duncan (AAA), Carlos Mendoza+ (AA), Cody Ransom (AAA), Marcos Vechionacci (AA)
SS: Doug Bernier (AAA)
OF: Edwar Gonzalez (AA), Freddy Guzman (AAA), Richie Robnett (AA), John Rodriguez (AAA)

- Remember, teams can begin negotiating with free agents after tonight at midnight. So the real hot stove really begins tonight.

Yanks Interested In Soriano, Gonzalez?

2009-11-19T15:45:00.002-05:00

According to Ken Rosenthal via MLB Trade Rumors, he's been getting mixed signals from people around baseball.

The team, according to one rival executive, plans to pursue free-agent relievers Rafael Soriano, a right-hander, and Mike Gonzalez, a lefty. The Yankees have liked both pitchers in the past.

However, another source with knowledge of the Yankees' thinking says the team prefers to address any bullpen holes from within, using the same strategy that they employed successfully last season.

In 77 games, Soriano, 29, went 1-6 with a 2.97 ERA and 1.057 WHIP. He also picked up 27 saves and in 75.2 innings allowed 25 earned runs on 53 hits, walked 27, and struck out 102.

Gonzalez, 31, went 5-4, with a 2.42 ERA, 1.197 WHIP, and 10 saves. In 74.1 innings he allowed 20 earned runs on 56 hits, walked 33, and struck out 90.

They're both solid relievers, though they're both coming from the NL and we know what can happen to NL pitchers in the AL. Still, I wouldn't mind the Yanks taking a shot with either if the contract is fair.

There were reports from earlier in the week that said the Red Sox were interested in both pitchers and have asked to see their medical records.

Should the Yanks make a run at one or even both Braves relievers?