POSITION PLAYER CHANGES THE YANKEES SHOULD MAKE

The Yankees must go through a few changes in terms of their offense and defensive allignment if they want to improve in 2012. I have a few changes in mind. Though some may be far fetched, a man can dream.

The Yankees should start by having Jesus Montero split time at the Designated Hitter slot with Alex Rodriguez. Montero would be the DH against right handed pitchers and Rodriguez DH against lefties.

The reason Jesus Montero wouldn't DH against lefties is because he would be converted to left field in place of Gardner, who hit a mere .233 against left handed pitchers last season while Montero hit .500. Also, Montero has a good arm and hasn't been a catcher long enough to have bad knees. I think Montero would make a competent left fielder.

Meanwhile, Alex Rodriguez, whose performance has begun to slip because of a recent string of injuries, needs to get some time off while staying in the lineup. Having him DH against lefties would be a perfect way to keep his bat in the lineup.While Rodriguez is the DH, Nunez would play third. I know Nunez made twenty errors this seasons, but only six of them  were as a third baseman.

Lineup vs RHP


1. SS Derek Jeter

2. CF Curtis Granderson

3. 2B Robinson Cano

4. 3B Alex Rodriguez

5. 1B Mark Teixeira

6. DH Jesus Montero

7. RF Nick Swisher

8. C Russell Martin

9. LF Brett Gardner

Lineup vs LHP


1. SS Derek Jeter

2. CF Curtis Granderson

3. 2B Robinson Cano

4. DH Alex Rodriguez

5. 1B Mark Teixeira

6. LF Jesus Montero

7. RF Nick Swisher

8. C Russel Martin

9. Eduardo Nunez

WOULD GREINKE AND WILSON MAKE UP FOR CC?

It would be great if the Yankees could get both Zack Greinke and CJ Wilson, but would it be worth losing ace lefty CC Sabathia? I say yes.

Sabathia will probably ask for something similar to his last contract, seven years-$161 million. It would be fine if it was a four or five year contract, but seven seems excessive.  He'll be 38 in seven years.

The Yankees should try to pry Zack Greinke, who went 16-6 with a 3.83 ERA, away from the Brewers by offering one of their two top pitching prospects, Manny Banuelos and Delin Betances, and sign him to a five year $80 million contract extension.

The Yankees should then sign Rangers lefty CJ Wilson, who went 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA, to a five year $70 million contract.

Here is what the Yankees rotation would look like:

1. RHP Zack Greinke

2. LHP CJ Wilson

3. RHP Ivan Nova

4. RHP Phil Hughes

5. RHP Joba Chamberlain

Something to think about: these proposed contracts add up to $150 million. In 2009, CC Sabathia signed a seven year $161 million contract. If both Greinke and Wilson get the contracts they deserve, the two contracts together still cost $11 million less then Sabathia.

JOBA BACK TO ROTATION?

Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain, who is currently recovering from Tommy John Surgery, may need to reinvent his pitching style if he ever wants to perform up to the level everyone expects of him.

I believe the best way to go about this is to have him work on his curveball and changeup instead of relying so heavily on his fastball and slider. He threw those two pitches a combined 85.6% of the time. If Joba can regain some of his velocity and can become a little more economical with his pitches, it might be worth giving him another shot in the rotation.

I know this may spark some strong feelings, but if Joba can successfully reinvent himself, it would be like a fresh start for a guy who might be better off in the rotation, pending his velocity.

If a pitcher throws his fastball at about 96-100 miles per hour, he can get away with more mistakes because of the extra velocity. On the other hand, if a pitcher's fastball velocity goes from 92-94 miles per hour, occasionally hitting 95-96, it is a lot easier to cath up to, and those mistakes fly over the center field fence.

I also believe that Larry Rothchild is the perfect pitching coach to help the twenty six year old righty change himself, seeing as he has worked with quite a few phenom pitchers who can't stay healthy (Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Carlos Zambrano, etc.)

ORTIZ TO NEW YORK?

For nine years David Ortiz has been the face of the Boston Red Sox, but will he be trading in his red socks for Yankee pinstripes? It's not out of the question.

 A few days ago, David Ortiz was interviewed by ESPN's Colleen Dominguez, and when asked about staying in Boston, he said "There's too much drama. I have been thinking about a lot of things. I don't know if I want to be a part of this drama next year." When asked about the possibility of joining the Yankees, Ortiz said "It's great from what i hear. It's a good situation to be involved in. Who doesn't want to be in a great situation where everything goes the right way?"

It may just be a negotiation tactic, but if Ortiz, who has the most home runs ever by a DH, is at all serious, he would a major asset to the Yankees lineup, which already features two MVP candidates in Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson, along with  slugging third baseman Alex Rodriguez and first baseman Mark Teixeira.

There are two problems I see with signing David Ortiz. One being that it would mean letting catcher Russell Martin walk because Jesus Montero would have to be moved to catcher as the DH slot would be filled by Ortiz.

Also, it might be wise to move the oft injured third baseman Alex Rodriguez to designated hitter, which could make the difference in terms of his health, which could carry over to his performance.

EPSTEIN FOR CASTRO OR CASHNER?

If recent reports are true, Theo Eptein will be the Cubs next general manager. This would put the Red Sox in a position to ask for something big in return. If I were the Red Sox I would ask for Starlin Castro, the Cubs young shortstop who led the National League with 207 hits.

Castro, who would add to an already stellar Red Sox lineup, might even get better because he would be able to hit balls off the green monster. Also, his defense will improve over time, which will make him a five tool threat in whatever lineup he's penciled in to.

If this option fails, then the Sox should ask for Andrew Cashner, the Cubs twenty five year old, hard throwing righty, who could either become a top of the rotation starter or a top notch reliever.

His talent became apparent when he posted an ERA of 1.69 in seven games for the Cubs last season.

As for the Cubs, if they want to end their 103 year drought, Epstein is the gut to put that championship team together.

MOVES THE YANKEES SHOULD/SHOULD NOT MAKE

SHOULD

1. RE-SIGN CC TO A 7 YEAR, $165 MILLON, FRONT LOADED CONTRACT: There is no question that the Yankees must resign their lefty ace, who won 19 games or the third straight season, but it will cost them. Sabathia will definitely want more years, which means more money. If they front load the contract, giving him most of the money in the first four years, they won't have to pay him for the end of his career, which will allow them to potentially trade him, or move him around in the rotation.

2. SIGN CJ WILSON TO A 4 YEAR $80 MILLION CONTRACT: Wilson would make a great number two starter behind Sabathia. Also, he is a lefty, which is always a good thing when the major competition is  the lefty heavy lineup of the Boston Red Sox.

3. SAY GOODBYE TO POSADA: Jorge Posada can no longer catch, and has proven that he doesn't have the power to be a Designated Hitter.

4. PICK UP OPTION ON NICK SWISHER: I think he deserves another shot. He has been consistently good for the Yankees and is good for 25 home runs and 85-90 RBI.

5. BRING BACK MARTIN: Though Russell Martin is not an offensive star, he is competent with the bat, and is a great defender.

SHOULD NOT


1. TRADE JESUS MONTERO: Even if the Mariners change their mind about trading Felix Hernandez for a package centered around Jesus Montero, I would say no. Jesus Montero looks like the righty hitting Adrian Gonzalez to me because of his opposite field power. He could be a force in the middle of the Yankees lineup for years to come.

2. SIGN YU DARVISH: I don't see much of a difference between Darvish and Dice-K. Also, do you remember Kei Igawa? Enough said.

AS THE BASEBALL SEASON WINDS DOWN...

I will be discussing Hockey related topics. I hope everyone enjoys it.

HOW TO STAVE OFF ELIMINATION AGAINST DETROIT

In order to win tonight the Yankees must score early off Detroit starter Rick Porcello. The only comfortable  scenario is if the Yankees have a five or more run lead by the seventh inning stretch. This would be a great time for Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez's bats to come to life, and hit every pitcher that the Tigers throw at them.

Not only must the offense perform, but AJ Burnett has to command his fastball while mixing in his curveball on 0-2 counts.

Also, Girardi must keep Burnett on a SHORT leash. If Burnett has any trouble in the early innings, Girardi must replace him with Phil Hughes.

If the Yankees can stave off elimination tonight, they will not only be heading back to New York for game 5, but they will have the momentum as well

TONY PENA SHOULD BE THE NEXT RED SOX MANAGER

I believe the best guy to replace Terry Francona is Yankees bench coach Tony Pena.

He is a former catcher, who seems to know how to reach the Yankees players, as he's helped the careers of Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, Melky Cabrera, etc. 

Though he's only managed once in the major leagues with the Kansas City Royals, he won the 2003 manager of the year. In 2003, he had a team that had lost 100 games the previous year. The Royals were built around Center Fielder Carlos Beltran, Left Fielder Raul Ibanez, and rookie Short Stop Angel Berroa (who would win the American League Rookie of the Year). Their rotation had only one pitcher with an ERA under 4.00, Darrel May, who's ERA was 3.77 and was the only pitcher to win ten games, (the next lowest ERA was Runelvys Hernandez's 4.61). Kansas City's closer was nothing to brag about either. Mike MacDougal had an ERA of 4.08 with 27 saves while blowing 8.

This wasn't a very good team, but Pena managed to lead them to an 83-79 record while capturing the AL Manager of the Year Award, and the respect of his players.

If a new voice is what the Sox want, Pena is the perfect man for the job.