AGRI Biz

I've been on record saying that I am a fan of the deal that brought Javier Vazquez to the Yankees for Melky Cabrera, Michael Dunn, and Arodys Vizcaino. Yes, giving up Vizcaino hurt, but Vazquez is a top-notch pitcher so it was worth it to give up real talent for him. You have to give up value to get you value in return. Add in the fact that the Yankees could ...

This morning, Joe over at River Avenue Bluesápointed out a few things about the Yankees' left field situation. In short, he suggested that the Yankees will be signing someone to complement the outfield and not necessarily take Brett Gardner's starting spot. The Yankees should in no circumstances go into the season with Jamie Hoffmann as their fourth outfielder, so it really is essential that they add another player. Reed Johnson is ...

By now, you have all heard about the Yankees deal foráJavier Vazquez . Around the blogosphere,áeveryone has thoroughly analyzed Javier Vazquez and what we can expect from him. The general consensus is that the guy is pretty damn good, so I'll spare you my analysis. Instead, I'd like to take a look at what the Yankees gave up and how much value that package had. The most notable name involved in ...

The Rule 5 Draft has come and gone, with the Yankees adding Jamie Hoffmann and losing two relievers in the process. The first pitcher taken was Zach Kroenke by the Diamondbacks, a left-handed reliever who spent the entire 2009 season in Triple-A and pitched well there. He was actually taken by the Marlins in last season's Rule 5 draft as well. Kroenke has gotten good results in the upper minors over the ...

With the first pick in the 2009 Rule Five Draft that the Yankees received in return for Brian Bruney, they selected Jamie Hoffmann, an outfielder in the Dodgers' system. Hoffmann will be 25-years-old for the 2009 season, stands 6-3, and weighs 220. Interestingly enough, he was undrafted and found by a scout who convinced him toásign with the Dodgers, even though he had primarily been playing hockey (he was drafted by ...

  The Yankees unloaded Brian Bruney to the Nationals and received a player to be named later in the deal that happened to be whomever the Nationals take with their first overall pick in the Rule 5 draft. The draft takes place at the winter meetings tomorrow. It is quite possible that the Yankees trade this pick , since they don't usually take part in the Rule 5. I would still like to see ...

As I discussed right after the trade went down, the Yankees haveáacquired Curtis Granderson from the Tigers. Granderson's past few seasons have been very interesting. He peaked in 2007 with a 7.4(!) WAR season and has since regressed to seasons of 3.8 and 3.4 WAR in '08 and '09, respectively. The no-doubt biggest concern with Granderson is his awful platoon split. Over the course of his career (619 AB), Granderson has ...

According to Jon Heyman, the deal isápretty much done. Last I heard, the Yankees are giving up No. 2 prospect Austin Jackson, lefty reliever Phil Coke, and Ian Kennedy for the All-Star center fielder.á The Arizona Diamondbacks will be giving up Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth in the deal and receive Ian Kennedy and Edwin Jackson in return. The Tigers will obtain Scherzer, Schlereth, Jackson, and Coke in the deal. Curtis Granderson had ...

Adam Foster of Project Prospect thinks so , and heaps a ton of praise on the 20-year old. He says that, "we see Jesus Montero as a potential once-in-a-generation hitter. And to us, that gives him the edge over Santana and Posey, even though Montero is a poor bet to stick at catcher." That last note is the only reason this is debatable. If offensive talent is all that is being discussed, ...

The arbitration deadline is midnight, so every team has to decide which players it will offer arbitration to and which it won't. It is an interesting day because it hints at what the team's offseason plans are. I touched on thisáback in October but have since changed my mind. I predicted that the Yankees would offer Andy Pettitte arbitration, but not Johnny Damon. There was only a month of baseball after I ...