Well, my fellow Damon fans, the sad fate we knew we were likely facing has come to fruition. The Yanks signed fellow - but much cheaper - veteran Randy Winn today for $2 million to be their fourth outfielder, shutting the door on any hopes of a Damon return. Joe Girardi confirmed the news on Mike Francesa's radio show tonight, saying he called Damon to wish him well and that he "is going to be missed".

As I explained last week, with an already incredible lineup and Brett Gardner available to play left field, investing in a pricey free agent like Damon really didn't make much sense. For just $2 million, Randy Winn actually fits the bill for the Yanks pretty well. He's a switch-hitter with a career .286 batting average (although he had a wretched 2009 - let's hope that was a fluke),, can run okay, and will almost certainly mis-play 90% fewer balls than Damon.

And if he sucks, Gardner will still be there.

In short, signing Winn was a generally wise move: why pay big bucks for a star when others are available to do 70% as good a job for 20% of the price?

I'm not a huge fan of change when it comes to my Yanks, particularly when the status quo is working just fine and dandy, but it came as no surprise that after winning the World Series in November the Yanks basked in the glory of their 27th championship for about 36 seconds before beginning their quest to improve the team for a bid for #28. While I personally would have been content to watch the exact same team trot back out there in 2010 and try to repeat their successes, I understand the need to capitalize on free agency (by both letting some dead weight go and snapping up some available players from other teams) and lucrative trade offers, and I must say the Yanks have done a bang-up job tweaking the team thus far this off-season. They've steered clear of all the blockbuster-type players many assumed they'd be in the market for (Lackey, Halladay, Holliday, etc), instead focusing their energies on making minor changes that cost relatively little in terms of both money and prospects. Is it possible that the Yankees might make it through an entire off-season without blowing $3028023091283 or shipping off their entire farm for one player? The winter's not over yet, so there may be a big move still up their sleeves, but the 2010 team is shaping up quite nicely without the need for major moves. Let's review what the Yanks have done so far to prepare for 2010:

No hard feelings, Hideki: Despite having a very productive 2009, capped off by an MVP-worthy World Series performance, the Yanks let Matsui walk away rather than re-signing him. I like Matsui and appreciate everything he's done for the Yanks (and I'm sure the Steins appreciated the Japanese advertising yen he brought in), but there was really no need to keep him around at this point. He is not able to play defense anymore and his knee is hanging on by a thread - keeping him around strictly as DH is silly when there are other candidates available who can offer more for a lower price.

...But we'd rather have Nick Johnson: I loved NJ when he was first with the Yanks, and I'm thrilled to have him back. His services won't be needed at first base very often (Teixeira took a grand total of about half an inning off last season), so he's likely to spend just about all of his time in the DH spot, but that is precisely where he should be with his .400+ OBP and potential for a bunch of right-field cheapie homers in the new stadium. I'm not always keen on teams signing someone strictly to be a DH, but the Yanks' infield is set in stone and they've already got a plethora of outfielders, so NJ it is!

You better learn how to dance, Curtis: The Yanks already had about 678 outfielders, but when they agreed to a 7-player three-way trade with the D-Backs and Tigers that landed them centerfielder Curtis Granderson I was excited all the same. He's got speed and power and is a good all-around dude to boot - which, as we saw from Nick Swisher last year, can add a lot to a team. For Cano's sake, though, let's hope he can dance a la Melky...

No mas Melky, bring back Javi: The writing was on the wall for Melky once CG was signed - as mentioned above, how the hell many outfielders does this team really need? Still, seeing him traded to the Braves for Javier Vazquez was bittersweet all the same. Javi is obviously much more valuable to the Yanks than Melky, however, and will hopefully fill out the rotation quite nicely. Whether he can repeat the incredible performance he put together in '09 seems unlikely when you factor in the league change and the park he'll be pitching in, but he's just what the doctor ordered to back up CC, AJ, and...

...Dandy Andy!: Bringing back Pettitte was a no-brainer - he's affordable (relatively) and you know exactly what he'll be bringing to the table.

That just about sums up what's been going on in Yankee-land since November, but I'm sure there's more on the horizon - will Damon settle for a one-year deal eventually after all? Will a reliever of some sort make his way into the Bronx? What's going to happen with Nady? Stay tuned: per my (somewhat late) 2010 resolution, I assure you I shall be here to discuss all the goings on this year!

Generally speaking, I'd say that approximately 87% of my blog posts contain at least one or two cogent thoughts, whether I'm explaining the consequences of some sort of devastating injury or my thoughts on an awesome trade (sorry, Farnsworthless). Today, though... no such luck. The season has spiraled downhill in such a ridiculous fashion (it actually has the potential to be comical, if it weren't so sickening) that I find myself incapable of retaining any semblance of rationale, calm, or writing ability (do you like how I imply that I usually DO possess some ability? Ha!).

That said, let's take this post in a direction more akin to free-floating hostility and stream of consciousness reporting...

...I know that lamenting the fact that the Yanks may not make the playoffs sounds very spoiled, but what fan doesn't want their team to make the post-season - regardless of how many times they've been there before? What, am I just supposed to sit back and console myself with the fact that they DID indeed win a lot over the past 15 years and be happy for other teams? The YCBF (a dirty dirty Mets fan) seems to think so. False.

...I guess I am sort of happy for the Rays. They're a fun team to watch and they've been working on their roster for years, sans big bucks. No such love for the Angels or Red Sox.

...Has anyone else noticed that this team has essentially become the Braves, making the playoffs every year and FAILING? The hell?

...At least the Jeet has returned to good form. As usual, he's doing his best to carry his team through tough times.

...Johnny Damon in center is driving me absolutely batty. I don't even hold his disgusting defense against him personally. He shouldn't be out there in the first place. I understand that Matsui has to be the DH, leaving no other place for JD but in the field, but that doesn't make it any easier to watch. Tis a sad state of affairs.

...I am so disappointed in Cano. He is so much better than this. Did he just give up? Was his performance over the past couple years due solely to the hugs of Joe Torre?

...The fate of Joba seems like a cruel joke. How often is it that a reliever turns into a starter with essentially ZERO adjustment time - no pathetic outings, the ability to go deep in the game, etc?

...Speaking of cruel jokes, what the F is wrong with Hughes and I-Ken? I know it's rare that even a top prospect ends up living up to his hype, but we were led to believe these dudes were sure things. I honestly expected at least ONE of them to contribute SOMETHING this year. I don't think there's a Yanks fan amongst us that didn't think exackle the same thing. The fact that neither of them was even seriously considered to pitch on Saturday speaks volumes about the lack of confidence the Girardino et al have in them.

...While I'm not exactly thrilled about the great C-Pav making a return to the mound, I'm trying to remain positive - I've even brought back the seldom-used "Pavano Must LIVE" tag. We have zero other options. He's worked hard (allegedly). I'd say there's a decent chance he pitches well. Plenty of pitchers come back from Tommy John surg raring to go, no?

...Does anyone else find themselves rooting for the Dodgers a bit now that Torre and Mattingly are at the helm of that ship?

...Perhaps I'm just living in a state of denial, but I'm not ready to give up just yet. Let's give them a couple more weeks. They might still have it in them.

Good news, peeps: Matsui and his busted knee are back to attack and in the lineup TONIGHT. He hasn't played in almost 2 months, but he was playing pretty gosh-darned well before the Injury Gods struck him down, hitting .323 with a .404 OBP. He only narrowly avoided surgery, which worries me a tad - a sore knee (possibly still partially full of some nasty fluid) could certainly preclude the hitting of a bunch of homers or stretching a single into a dub. He'll be occupying the DH spot (the Damster will be in CF), so at least we won't have to worry about fly balls sailing over his head, or worse yet, an aggravation of the current injury.

Let's all cross our fingers/toes/miscellaneous other appendages that he brings a spark to the team. If we can't win in Toronto and Baltimore, the already slim chances of a playoff spot are going to look mighty dim.

Oh, and Justin Christian was the casualty of the Matsui activation. Fare thee well.

As I mentioned the other day, I've been one busy chickadee, spending approximately 29.7 hours per day doing homework and working like a responsible citizen. All this hard work leaves me with less time than ever to focus on my beautiful yet FAIL team, and it is a rare day in this wild time that I have a spare moment to read more than a headline or two of any news that isn't related to technology - it's truly a sad state of affairs, peeps.

In anticipation of the game today, I made a quick journey over to Peter Abrahams blog (lo siento, work... I swear it was like 37 seconds) to check the lineup and see which of our losers were playing today as is my gameday routine and noticed Gardner was there in place of the Melk Man; I assumed Girardi had had enough of the beast's seemingly endless disappointments and took him out of the lineup again for some more benchwarming. HOWEVER! Upon scrolling down for some more quick updates (ok... make it 97 seconds) I found the truth: Melky has been demoted to AAA.

While I was a bit surprised (this team [and the fans] seem to have a love affair with the Melk Man), I must say that I found the news to be a huge relief. Let's face it, the dude sucks this year, and TIME IS RUNNING OUT. Quickly. There is simply no room in the lineup for automatic outs (except, apparently, for Jo-Mo, but at least he contributes defensively). With the fabulous Nady trade, the Yanks have plenty of outfield options - they will not miss him. Cano is out of a dance partner and carpool buddy, but perhaps he'll be scared straight by his BFF's fate.

In lesser news, SexsNO was cut loose. He will not be missed either. I look forward to more Giambi ABs.

The Yanks have already made their big splashes this summer trade-wise, bringing the Pudgester, Nady and Marte onto the team, but they made one more little move yesterday, shipping former Jeter replacement (when he was stuck at the DL Resort and Casino) Alberto "Attorney General" Gonzalez off to National-ville (have fun not contending... ever) in exchange for 22-year old AA reliever Jhonny "Oops! My parents spelled my name wrong!" Nunez.

J-Hon was 1.13 ERA in five relief appearances with Double-A Harrisburg, striking out eight and walking six in eight innings.

The Attorney General played in 28 games with the Yanks, batting .173 with two doubles and an RBI in 52 at-bats.

Yanks win this one.

With the top of the AL East suddenly not out of sight, the Steinbrothers and Cash Man are pulling out all the stops to give the team the best shot possible to make it to the playoffs again. They already filled a couple holes with the great Nady and Marte deal (and BTW: I'm getting more excited about the X-Man with each passing day [and with each sweet RBI dub, of course]) and yesterday they made sure the trade deadline didn't pass them by before they could address another major need.

The move today was a surprise - and a GREAT one. The Tigers reportedly just started reaching out to teams looking for takers for Pudge Rodriguez and the Yanks jumped at the chance, thanks to the Jorgie Porgie's season ending surgery and Jo-Mo's inability to do much more than stand immobile at the plate. The best part?? All they wanted in return for this 14-time All Star catching gem: Kyle Farnsworthless.

Here's the deets on our new catcher:
Career numbers: .302/.340/.477. 47% caught steeling record (!!) 14 All-Star games, 1 MVP (1999), 13 Gold Gloves, 7 Silver Sluggers
2008: .295/.338/.417. 5 HR, 32 RBI, 6 SB. 36% caught steeling record.

Much as I despise Farny, I'll admit that he's been having a decent year: 44.3 IP, 43 K, 17 BB, 3.65 ERA. I'm not fooled, though. We all know he sucks.

For the most part, everyone seems excited about the deal. Pudge says he's ready to move on from Tigerville and would even like to stay once his contract is up at the end of the year (he's got an option on the contract) and is looking forward to working with the likes of the Jeet and the Moose. As for Farny... there were tears, which made the hyper-sensitive YC ALMOST feel bad for him (until I remember how much I hated him and was able to get myself under control). Girardino was getting verklempt himself - he loves the boy and has been pulling for him all season. They'll get over it as soon as Farny realizes he won't be booed as much in Detroit (at first, anyway) and Girardi realizes Pudge is an awesome replacement for Jo-Mo and especially poor Moeller.

Speaking of Moeller... see ya on the bench!

BTW, there's still a few hours left. Are more trades to come? Jarrod Washburn packing his bags yet?

Sorry, Pirates fans: you lost this one.

The trade deadline is still a few days away, but the Yanks have addressed their needs and made a sweet move to fill some gaps in their roster. The Pirates and Yankees have agreed to a deal that will send right-handed outfielder X Nady and lefty reliever Damaso Marte to the Bronx in exchange for Ross Ohlendork, Jeff Karstens (remember him?), Dan McCutchen, and the one true loss for the Yanks, OF prospect Jose Tabata.

Here are the deets on our two new players:

Nady: 89 games, 327 AB, .330 avg, .383 OPB, 13 HR, 2 E and 10 assists from RF.

Marte: 47 games, 46.7 IP, 3.47 ERA, 1.157 WHIP, 16 BB, 47 K.

The Yanks really scored with this one. The bullpen has been amazing, but getting another strong lefty out there is going to be a huge help when Farnsworthless starts really sucking and Jose Veras gets tired. With Matsui out and Damon better off as a DH, Nady can play left field on a near daily basis and provide power and average in what is at the moment a super-pathetic bottom third of the lineup. Giambi has been doing fine at first base, so he can continue to play there and free up the DH spot for Damon.

I guess Brett Gardner is out of a job.

ESPN is reporting that the Yanks have a "tentative" deal to bring Richie SexsNO to the Bronx as early as Saturday.

Is he really better than Better Mint? I'm assuming that's whose roster spot will be usurped. He actually hits pretty well against lefties - .344 average this year - which I admittedly did not realize when I first proclaimed my disdain for the very thought of bringing him on the team, so I suppose there is an outside chance that he can do something for the team. They only have to pay him a prorated chunk of the league minimum $390K, so even if he winds up being miserable at least they wont have wasted much dinero on the perdador.

Thoughts?

As we're all well aware, winter meetings are underway and I'm sure you're all just as frenzied with anticipation as I. Day one has come and gone, and while no bombshells were dropped in the way of Santanamania or Danny-Boy Haren trades, the Yanks did bid adieu to one old friend and signed on a decent backup catcher that can hopefully serve as a viable back up for Old Man Jorgie Porgie as he further advances into his twilight years (of playing... not of life). Jose Molina, who joined the team in the middle of last year to replace poor sweet Wil Nieves, is 32 years old with a lifetime "backup catcher batting average" of .243 and hits an average of, oh, a whopping 3 or 4 homers a year, will be sticking with the team for two years. Sure, he is no power hitter and he's not going to be working walks like Giambi, but he is a solid defender and seemed to get along with the team swimmingly last season, so for a backup catcher - which everyone needs, particularly teams who sign 36-year-olds to 4-year contracts (not that I'm knocking that contract, I'm all for it and have been from the get-go) - we surely could have done much worse (sorry, Kelly Stinnet). As for that "adieu" I mentioned, sadly that was bid to Andy Phillips as he was DFA'd to make room for Bengie Yadier Jose. I doubt I am alone in having a soft spot in my heart for AP, but logistically it made the right sense. While no one wants to see Giambino manning first base all year, it is surely much easier to plug that hole (throw Posada in there sometimes, Damon if Melky is still on the team, one of the youngsters like Alberto Gonzolez....) than one behind the plate.

Big Stein may be leaving the world in the lurch for the time being when it comes to the fate of the Torremeister, but he and his cronies have made at least one decision about the 2008 Yanks already: the "what will Joba's Job(a) be?" question. Joba came to the Yankees' rescue in August by filling a gaping hole in the bullpen evacuated by injuries and Farnsworthless' ineptitude, his 24 near-scoreless (save for 1 lone solo homer) innings, setting up Mo for many a save and keeping the Yanks in the game (and in the post-season hunt), but before being called up he had spent his career as a starter in college and in the brief time he was down on the farm. Even though he was brought up as a bullpen boy, the Joba Master Plan was set to shift him right back into starter-ville as soon as the season was over. After seeing the way he was able to shut down batters in tight situations and simply overwhelm his opponents without showing even the slightest inkling of feeling intimidated, though, a lot of folks began to think that perhaps he could be even more valuable in the 'pen than he could be even as a top starter. This week Big Stein & The Gang (similar to Kool and his Gang, yet not as inclined to sweet, sweet disco-funk) announced that he, along with P-Hughes*, would be heading to Spring Training in '08 as a starter. The benefit to having Joba start, of course, is that the team will (barring a visit from Pavano's Patented Pain Plague) likely get at least twice the number of innings out of the kid; the downside, then, is that the Yankees bullpen essentially adds up to a barren wasteland with a little Mariano oasis (assuming he comes back, but that is an issue about which to be blogged another day). Since Big Stein has already proclaimed that Joba will indeed be a starter and we know all too well that what Steinbrenner says goes it is a moot point to even discuss the possible merits of keeping Joba in the 'pen, but let's do it anyway.

…There are only 12 games left to play?! (sidenote: what am I going to do with myself after the World Series?! There’s only so much NFL a gal can watch)

…The Yankees have not been this close to the Sox in the division (3.5 games out my babies!) since April 21st?

… A-Rod has tied his single-season best with 142 RBI… and there are still those aforementioned 12 games to go!

…1977 Yankee greats Graig Nettles and Mickey Rivers will be signing copies of ESPN's Bronx is Burning DVD when it is released next Tuesday, September 25th?
Here is the info:
WHO: Graig Nettles
WHAT: The Bronx is Burning DVD Signing
WHERE: Transworld - FYE Store #140
1290 Avenue of the Americas
(Between 51st & 52nd)
New York, NY 10104
WHEN: 6:00-8:00 PM

WHO: Mickey Rivers
WHAT: The Bronx is Burning DVD Signing
WHERE: Modell's Sporting Goods
51 East 42nd Street
New York, NY 10017
WHEN: 5:00-7:00 PM

…A-Rod is posed to win his 4th Hank Aaron award?

…The Yankees recalled poor Chase “I Gave Up 4-Straight Homers To The Red Sox On What Was Probably The Worst Day Of My Life” Wright?

…The Yankees have a better record than the Mets?

…A kid asked Shelley Duncan to sign a ball before the game on Sunday and he wrote “Red Sox Suck” on it?

...Shelley Duncan is now my idol?

The YCD (Yankees Chick Dad, obv [who incidentally happens to be Boomer's doppleganger in both appearance and afflictions!]) has been out on Mussina for years now, dubbing him "Pussina" and predicting a loss each and every time his turn in the rotation comes about, and after this past month I think we can all concur that the Moose has officially moved into the dunzo category. During his last 3 starts he gave up 19 earned runs in a laughable 9 2/3 innings, getting himself yanked in the 2nd inning last week and the 3rd on Sunday - an impressive feat in its own right - and now Torre and the Cash Man have finally decided to stop the bleeding with a good old fashioned call-up tourniquet. Moose's next start will be handed over to last year's first round draft pick Ian Kennedy, a 22-year-old USC alumnus who has blazed his way through the Yanks farm Chamberlain-style. He's been tearing up the minors, holding opposing batters to a ridiculous .182 average in 146 1/3 cummulative minor league innings, rockin a 1.29 ERA in 11 games with Class A Tampa, 2.59 in 9 starts with AA Trenton, and 2.08 in 6 starts down in Scranton.

With just 30 games to go and a trickier schedule to navigate than that of the Sawx (luckily, the Mariners will be having a similarly rough September playing the Angels and Tigers), I'm glad Torre and the Cash Man are realizing that forfeiting one of every five games by letting Moose play could very well be the difference between an October of baseball or one of golf. The option for Moose to pitch again after this start is skipped is still open as he remains on the active roster and Torre has not said definitively one way or the other, but I would imagine that decision would be based on Kennedy's performance on Saturday. As a newly faithful convert to the YCD's "Pussina" theory and a fan of the farm, I'm crossing my fingers that his debut will be akin to King Joba's or Price Philip's... and nothing like poor Chase Wright's.

Last night marked a monumental occassion in baseball history as Balco B became the biggest douche to ever make the Yankees Chick tear up (don't even try to tell me you weren't getting a little misty-eyed when Barry choked up while mentioning his Pop), but rather than waste precious time and bandwidth rehashing a controversial milestone that I suspect most of us are already deathly ill of thanks to ESPN's non-stop playback and commentary, I feel it is imperative that we redirect our focus back to the Yankees. More so than any other time this year, they are right up in the thick of the post-season race - just a half game out of the wildcard and a not insurmountable 5 behind the Red Sox in the AL East. Big Stein and the Cash Man are keenly aware of the ground left to make up and the relatively short amount of time with which to work, and they are doing their best to craft the best possible 25-man roster out of all of their available resources. They've taken a number of steps to maximize the potential contributions of both the lineup and the pitching roster, and while it would be a lie of monstrous proportions to proclaim that anything truly ingenious has taken place in the way of roster moves, each change that has been made of late has made an impact. Philly Hughes' much-anticipated return from DL-ville upgraded the status of the starting rotation from an alarming "if one more of you morons gets injured the entire city of New York will simultaneously erupt into a violent rage" to a slightly more tolerable "well as long as you keep your collective ERA under 5 we will still cheer for you" (and as a sidebar, allow me to note that although he admittedly looked a tad shaky on Saturday, Hughes' credibilty among both the Yanks and the fans remains intact). Karstens was also activated from the DL and rejoined the team this time as a reliever, and last night Joba "How Fast Did You Rise Through The Farm System? Haha, Not As Fast As I" Chamberlain made his successful debut to the delight of Yanks fans and his teammates. Finally, Jason "Don't Bother Calling Me Giambino Anymore" Giambi returned to the lineup plantar fascia-free on Tuesday, and thankfully in a purely offensive capacity - Torre has no plans of allowing Jason anywhere near a first base glove anytime soon, thankfully. To make room on the roster for these boys, Mike Myers and Miguel Cairo were DFA, and Brian Bruney and fan favorite Kei Igawa (by "fan favorite" I of course mean "horrible, horrible signing by all accounts") have been busted back down to the farm.

As I mentioned before, since July 1st the Yankees have managed to cut the Red Sox's (grammar?) lead from 10.5 games down to 5, and they have gone from being 8.5 games out in the wildcard hunt to just half a game out as of today. I know that a lot of folks - BoSox fans in particular - wrote this team off long ago, but I think the Yanks recent performance has made many people rethink their opinion of this 2007 team. An especially irate Sox fan (aren't they all?) commented/shrieked on my last post about his/her utter lack of fear of the Yanks, but I truly do find it hard to believe that fans of Boston, Cleveland, Seattle and Detroit aren't getting nervous about the resurgance of the Yanks in the playoff mix.

That said... feel free to commence the hating in the comments section.

The trade deadline has officially passed, and unfortunately the 2007 trading era was not very thrilling for the Yanks. As much as a guy like Gagne or Teixiera could have helped the team and their (albeit relatively unlikely) bid for a post-season spot, I am much more upset about the fact that the Yanks didn’t manage to ditch any dead weight than I am disappointed about them not scoring an arm or a bat. After seeing Posada’s obvious disgust towards Farnsworthless this weekend, I held out hope that perhaps the Cash Man would amp up his efforts to pawn the man off on some even more desperate team, but apparently every other team has either had the misfortune of meeting him – which surely would cause even the most war-hardened front office folks to shake their heads ‘no’ after just 5 minutes in his presence – or just couldn’t afford our asking price of one roll of nickels. There were also vague rumors of Seattle being interested in Kei Igawa, but someone must have shown them footage of his pitching, because nothing came from that, either.

Lest you wallow in your sorrows too much, let me assure you that a trade was made today, as Dr. Scott “Please Torre Don’t Put Me In, My Arm Is Literally About to Detach From My Shoulder And Then Fall to the Ground in Flames” Proctor was traded to the Dodgers in exchange for utility man Wilson “Say My Last Name Really Fast, It Is Fun” Betemit. This decidedly anticlimactic move won’t really make much of a difference for the team (although it does essentially eliminate the possibility of another glove bonfire, unfortunately) this year, but it has caused some people to speculate that perhaps Betemit has been brought in as A-Rod’s replacement at third base in the likely event that he goes off in search of greener pastures after the season. Considering Betemit’s entirely un-A-Rod-like numbers and the amount of cash we all know Big Stein has at his disposal on can only hope that the Yankees have ever intention of locking up A-Rod as soon as the season is over, regardless of the price, and that their dreams for Betemit include nothing more than Cairo-esque utility work. Please.