When he learned that he had been traded to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for right fielder Paul O'Neill, Roberto Kelly wasn't surprised. He had his theory about the trade. "If you look at it, left field is open," said Kelly. "I think they're looking to build up the team and win right away. Left field is open and I think they can afford to buy Bonds. He's out there for them." Kelly wasn't alone. Many in the media held the same position. The Kelly for O'Neill trade occurred on ...
With the additions of Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda, the New York Yankees have a nice problem on their hands, and that is the fact that they have too many starting pitchers. For the fifth slot in their rotation, it comes down to A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia.General manager Brian Cashman has already stated he's looking to further tweak the roster, meaning the extra starting pitching he has won't last long. So who is most likely to be dealt?Garcia was just signed to a one-year deal this offseason ...
About one hour before the approach of the 1996 trading deadline, the New York Yankees acquired Cecil Fielder from the Detroit Tigers. In return, Ruben Sierra and minor league pitcher Matt Drews joined the Tigers. Fielder had been complaining that he wanted to play for a contending team. The Yankees were leading the second place Baltimore Orioles by 10 games entering August. "I'm just happy to have the opportunity to go somewhere with someone in contention and I'll try to help the New York Yankees win the pennant and the World ...
Like most other years, the Yankees will be among the top teams in the AL. With stars up and down the lineup, it should be an exciting year once again.The Yankees will look to add to their trophy case in the upcoming season, and with the recent offseason shake-ups, they should be in the mix as usual.In the following slides, I will predict the stats for each Yankees starter during the 2012 season.Begin Slideshow
It's always easy to get caught up in all the sentimental hoopla when a beloved player retires or moves on. There is no doubt that Jorge Posada is one of the most popular Yankees of our generation, and being one of the home-grown "core four" along with Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte makes him even more special in the eyes of Yankees fans. But don't think with your heart instead of your head! Posada, an excellent player on the Yanks' championship run in the '90s, is NOT a ...
When it comes to the New York Yankees, people usually don't think twice about tossing around the phrase "World Series favorites" on any given year. Somehow, someway, the Yankees almost always seem to vault themselves into the playoffs by season's end, and 2012 will be no different.The Yankees seemed like a sure-fire second-place team in 2011, with the potential to fall to third place if the pesky Rays could manage to keep winning. Those Rays did in fact keep winning, against all odds, but the Yankees were not the team ...
George Steinbrenner was willing to trade Jorge Posada in an attempt to acquire either San Diego's Rickey Henderson or Boston's Mike Stanley. General manager Bob Watson refused to knuckle under to the Yankees owner that was once willing to trade a young Ron Guidry. On July 31, 1997 the New York Yankees had the majors third-best record and were leading the wild-card race. Watson wasn't convinced that there was a need for either Henderson or Stanley. The Boston Red Sox wanted 25-year-old Jorge Posada, 25-year-old Ramiro Mendoza and four highly ...
Last week, Cole Hamels avoided arbitration with the Philadelphia Phillies and agreed to a one-year, $15 million contract for the 2012 season.Hamels' agent, John Boggs (no relation to Wade) remarked: "We're happy we've concluded the one-year portion of this...and at the appropriate time, I'm sure we'll have dialogue with the Phillies and continue talking about a multiyear deal."On the surface, that sounds like an agent who knows that his client's first choice is to remain with the only team he has played for following the 2012 season.But the ...
January is coming to a close, and free agency is wrapping up.Players like Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, CJ Wilson, Jonathan Papelbon, Gio Gonzalez and Jose Reyes have new homes, while some players like Matt Kemp and CC Sabathia decided to stay at home.Every team and player wants to come out of the offseason better than when they went in, but not everybody can. There are always winners and losers, but who were those teams this offseason?Let's find out.Begin Slideshow
Earlier today, New York Yankees now-former catcher Jorge Posada announced that he would be retiring from baseball after 17 seasons in pinstripes. Posada announced that he would not rejoin the Yankees at the end of the season, and when nobody seemed interested in picking him up, he decided it was time to retire. When a man like Posada, who had success in baseball, retires, the question arises: Is he a Hall of Fame catcher? In my mind, I believe that Posada is a Hall of Fame catcher without a doubt. One ...