The begining of the end

Tonight at 12:00 pm the calender will flip over to a new year, 2010. It will mark the end of a decade filled with Yankee memories, including two World Series Championships. Hoepfully the next decade will be even better, and it does look promising with all the young talent the Yankees are finally developing. Happy New Year!

Also, be sure to visit Riz’s new blog. You probably know Riz because he always comments on 161st Street, and I thank him for that. This is not Riz’s first blog, you should now. I’ve lost count of how many blogs he has. Anyway, I encourage you to visit Riz’s new “Yakkin About The New York Yankees” blog.

Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays to all the readers of 161st Street. I hope you all have a wonderful day, and enjoy time with your family and friends. Let’s all take a day off from baseball.

Happy Teixeira Day!

On this date one year ago Brian Cashman signed Mark Teixeira in a move that worked out very well. Let’s use this day to be thankful for Brian Cashman’s stealthiness and Mark Teixeira’s greatness.

Javy again?

Last night we heard tons of rumors about the Yankees making a trade for a pitcher. Today, we found out that those rumors were indeed true and the unknown pitcher is who else but Javier Vazquez. In exchange for Javy the Yankees sent Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn, and Arodys Vizcaino over to Atlanta. The Braves also sent Boone Logan, a left-handed specialist, to the Bronx. I haven’t really thought it out yet, but I have to say I’m not really liking this trade. Once it really hits me, I will go into further detail on the trade, for now let’s just hope it works out for the best. Maybe we need to pretend this Vazquez is a brand new pitcher who we’ve never seen before…

Is there still a chance Wang returns?

As you guys all know, Chien-Ming Wang is a free agent. I know many Yankees fan are still hoping he is resigned, and I definetly would love to see that. However, until today most signs pointed towards Wang being a goner. But today Nick Carfado of the Boston Globe reported that there are 15 teams interested in Wang, and the Yankees would “like to match any final offer” to the rehabbing righty. This makes sense because you can’t expect any team to offer him more than a split contract, just like the one the Yankees offered him not too long ago. I for one hope this report is accurate. Also Carfado notes that Wang is going to check up with Dr. Andrews on January 4th, so expect to hear some more on hear then.

Nick Johnson is back in the Bronx

According to Ken Davidoff, Nick Johnson and the Yankees have agreed on a 1 year 5.5 million dollar contract pending a physical. More thoughts to come…

Halladay and Lackey finding new homes. Matsui too?

A lot can happen in a short time in the world of baseball. Just over the course of one day there are rumors of three pretty big players finding new new homes…

Roy Halladay – It looks like he is going to the Phillies. Wait, it gets much more interesting. This deal does not just include the Phillies and the Blue Jays, the Mariners actually play a huge role in this trade. The Phillies will send recently acquired Cliff Lee to the Mariners in return for prospects. Some names thrown around as the prospects have been outfielder Michael Saunders and pitcher Brandon Morrow (he’s the guy who almost threw a no-hitter against the Yankees in 2008). Presumably then the Phillies would trade a mix of their prospects with some of the prospects they recieve from the Mariners to the Blue Jays for Halladay. Interesting trade to say the least.

John Lackey – He appears to be shipping up to Boston. The Red Sox and Lackey have agreed on a 5 year deal worth 85 million, similar to the deal A.J. Burnett recieved from the Yankees.

Hideki Matsui – Don’t worry he hasn’t finalized anything yet, but the he is on the “verge of a deal” with the Angels. Supposedly the deal would be for 6.5 million over one year. It would really sting to see Matsui go for such a small contract. The Yankees can obviously afford 6.5 million, but the problem is they probably would rather get Johnny Damon back and if the get Matsui that might close the door for Damon. So this could end up hurting the Yankees if he does indeed sign with the Angels.

Chien-Ming Wang – He hasn’t come close to signing a deal as far as I know. I just figured I’d update you guys on his status. As you know the Yankees non-tendered him the other day making him a free agent. Following that the Yankees offered him a split-contract meaning he would start out on a minor league contract, then when the Yankees deemed him healthy he would be on a major league contract. However, Wang declined this contract. Now Wang’s agent is saying that his client may not sign for a few months, which is a risky move on Wang’s part. It works towards the  Yankees favor though. If he doesn’t sign until Spring Training or even later, then the Yankees can monitor his progress in rehab without owing any money to him. Also if Wang truly intends to wait a few months before signing a deal, he must be pretty confident he will come back healthy, which is a good sign. I really hope the Yankees get him back.

"Only 66 more days until Pitchers and Catchers"

Yankees non-tender Wang

According to Joe Strauss the Yankees non-tendered Chien-Ming Wang, this means he will become a free agent. Now this doesn’t mean his career with the Yankees is over, they still could offer him a minor league contract with incentives, or even a major league contract with incentives. I really hope they bring him back. I may be biased because he has been one of my favorite Yankees since he first came up, but I just don’t think he is anywhere near the end of his career. What do you guys think?

So who is Jamie Hoffman?

When the Yankees traded Brian Bruney to the Nationals they received the first pick in the 2009 Rule 5 draft. And with that pick they chose Jamie Hoffman of the Dodgers. Now just in case you were unaware, the rule with Rule 5 picks is that the player must remain on the 25 man roster all year or be offered back to the team he was taken from. So if the Yankees don’t keep Hoffman on the 25 man roster all year, they have to offer him back to the Dodgers and they will likely take him back. So therefore I’d say Hoffman has a good shot at making the team out of Spring Training. But who is this Jamie Hoffman? Well if you would like a scouting report on him, Mike Axisa of RAB did an excellent profile on Hoffman. It is definitely worth a read.

Pettitte agrees to return

Andy Pettitte and the Yankees have agreed on a one year $11.75 million deal that will bring the veteran back for the 2010 season. Could this deal be any more expected? Most people knew it was just a matter of time before they reached a deal, at least it wasn’t dragged out like last season. Anyway, I’m glad he’s back, and he’s another issue out of the way. While I do feel 11.75 million is a bit too much for him, there is no way he would have settled for less, especially when the Cardinals way overpayed Brad Penny by giving him a 7.5 million deal that can be worth 9 million with incentives, I am forgetting who Brad Penny is? Oh, well. Welcome back Andy.