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Yankees and Sox interested in Mike Gonzalez


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Which kind of shows how good Gonzalez has been. To keep an ERA that low for a young kid shows that he's very good on a consistent basis which his WHIP might contradict because it's worse than the league average.

Well, the way I look at it is that he is the type of closer who rarely has a 1-2-3 9th, but makes it "exciting" for a while. How? By letting runners on base, but not letting them score.

If he was a setup guy, and let runners on base, that most probably would knock in some inherited runners. A closer rarely faces any inherited runners, as he usually starts the final inning himself. So, in Gonzo's case, he may not be all that effective as a setup guy. That's all I'm saying.

BTW - I still would take him. I have seen bits of him over the past couple of years, and he does look good.

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I know.

I was just impressed that you pulled that name out of a hat. He is not exactly a "household" name around Yankee lore. ;)

A lot of guys from that time frame are unknowns to a lot of Yankee fans. Remember Marcus Lawton (Matts brother)? Man was he bad too. Switch hitting outfileder who could run and that was about it.

Jerry Royster?

Luis Aguayo?

Lenn Sakata?

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A lot of guys from that time frame are unknowns to a lot of Yankee fans. Remember Marcus Lawton (Matts brother)? Man was he bad too. Switch hitting outfileder who could run and that was about it.

Jerry Royster?

Luis Aguayo?

Lenn Sakata?

I remember all of them

Royster had some good season in the NL though.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/R/Jerry-Royster.shtml

Nothing great, but decent. I remember that I did not like that trade with the White Sox to get him, since i liked Patterson. But Royster did well in his short time here. Yankees released him at the end of spring training the next season, so he was here for only 1 month or so.

Sakata was signed as a free agent, but hardly ever played. I think he was from Baltimore. Never more then a role player. He was here for 1987 only, I believe.

There are a lot of guys from the 1985 - 1991 time frame who were here for short periods of time, and never did much. Afterwards, when Steinbrenner was suspended, and Stick took over, we built the Farm System, and off we were.

Cashman is doing the same thing now. Finally.

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I remember all of them

Royster had some good season in the NL though.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/R/Jerry-Royster.shtml

Nothing great, but decent. I remember that I did not like that trade with the White Sox to get him, since i liked Patterson. But Royster did well in his short time here. Yankees released him at the end of spring training the next season, so he was here for only 1 month or so.

Sakata was signed as a free agent, but hardly ever played. I think he was from Baltimore. Never more then a role player. He was here for 1987 only, I believe.

There are a lot of guys from the 1985 - 1991 time frame who were here for short periods of time, and never did much. Afterwards, when Steinbrenner was suspended, and Stick took over, we built the Farm System, and off we were.

Cashman is doing the same thing now. Finally.

Yep, I became a fan in '87 when I was 11 years old so from there on I remember A LOT of the scrubs that most fans don't recall. I even remember the solid players who I thought were great when I was a kid. Remember Bob Brower? Outfielder they got from Texas...I really thought he was going to be great but I guess when you're 11 or 12 it just takes one or two diving catches to think a player is headed for greatness.

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Barton, If you bothered to watch Cardinal and NL baseball, you will realize what happened with teir team:

They lost their best hitter, and close to teh best hitter in baseball for a period, and he was hampered as well late.

They lost their closer mid-Season, and had to prompt a rookie into the spot.

They lost one of their best starters mid-season.

While they did not have the mosty wins, thayt can not preclude them from having the best TEAM. Which they did. You win a 7 game series, you are the best TEAM most times.

As far as "luck" and a dynasty. Barton, if I had a die in my hand, conceivably I could call that I would roll a "one" on that die in 3 consecutive roll, and even do it. That would be luck, but it COULD happen.

If you want to call the Cardinals winning "luck" I am forced to call teh Yankees dynastry "luck"

i don't believe it, but by your convoluted way of looking at things, it is conceivable

The Mets had tons of injuries, most importantly to their #1 pitcher, and they still won, what, 97 regular season games? Injuries arent a good enough excuse, esp when you play in the NL where there are only 2 or 3 solid teams and garbage throughout. Cardinals have an easy schedule and still won just 86 games.

And good luck trying to get anyone with a brain to think winning 4 out of 5 WS is "luck" to the same as just winning it once.

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About this deal, I only like it if we can spin it off into LaRoche, cause Melky isn't the power hitter that we need, not yet at least. On your side, in the end, you're just improving on proctor by getting gonzo, which I agree wouldn't be a good move to make. Considering how thin you guys are, you should really be looking to add that piece instead of just improving on a guy.

Maybe Torre "wore out" villone and nearly proctor because he didn't have anyone else in the pen that he could count on. Good luck going into next year if he only has one guy other than rivera that he feels he can count on. I guess rivera can expect to continue to see a good number of 2 inning appearances.

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Huge interest in Gonzalez

Dec 15 - The interest in Gonzalez is heating up, and at least six teams have been talking to the Pirates about a possible trade, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The most interested parties appear to be the Braves, Red Sox and Phillies, but GM Dave Littlefield is hoping to get a left-handed power hitter in return, according to the Post-Gazette.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that the Diamondbacks dangled Chad Tracy for Gonzalez, but Arizona has apparently shifted its interest toward the Rangers' Akinori Otsuka.

The Braves nearly had a deal with the Pirates that would send first baseman Adam LaRoche to Pittsburgh, but that deal was pulled. The closest player Boston has to fitting Pittsburgh's profile is Eric Hinske, a platoon player who's hit with little power since his rookie year.

The Pirates rejected an offer from the Phillies that would have included right-handed starter Jon Lieber. The Yankees have also looked at Gonzalez, but it's not known what they'd send in return.

The Indians reportedly inquired about Gonzalez as well, but they backed off when the Pirates asked for switch-hitting catcher Victor Martinez in return.

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The latest out of Pittsburgh:

Baseball sources indicated Friday that Yankees are willing to part with left-handed hitting outfielder Melky Cabrera straight-up in a trade for Gonzalez. But the Pirates reportedly want a second player included, though the Yankees are highly unlikely to put right-hander Scott Proctor into the deal.

The Boston Red Sox also have interest in Gonzalez. The Red Sox reportedly want more than just Gonzalez in any trade for outfielder Coco Crisp and their need for relief help lessened Friday when they signed left-hander J.C. Romero as a free agent and traded with the Los Angeles Angels for right-hander Brendan Donnelly.

Meanwhile, it appears the Pirates now have almost no shot at trading for Atlanta first baseman Adam LaRoche, who they tried to acquire last week during the winter meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Pirates, Braves and Yankees had talks about a potential three-way trade earlier this week but the possibility of that happening now appears dead.

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The latest out of Pittsburgh:

Baseball sources indicated Friday that Yankees are willing to part with left-handed hitting outfielder Melky Cabrera straight-up in a trade for Gonzalez. But the Pirates reportedly want a second player included, though the Yankees are highly unlikely to put right-hander Scott Proctor into the deal.

The Boston Red Sox also have interest in Gonzalez. The Red Sox reportedly want more than just Gonzalez in any trade for outfielder Coco Crisp and their need for relief help lessened Friday when they signed left-hander J.C. Romero as a free agent and traded with the Los Angeles Angels for right-hander Brendan Donnelly.

Meanwhile, it appears the Pirates now have almost no shot at trading for Atlanta first baseman Adam LaRoche, who they tried to acquire last week during the winter meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Pirates, Braves and Yankees had talks about a potential three-way trade earlier this week but the possibility of that happening now appears dead.

Is boston serious? They want to trade a worthless player in Crisp and they want MORE then gonzalez? LOL
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If it's just Melky for Gonzalez thats a hard trade to turn down but i still think that 1B is the yankees biggest need.

This deal for Gonzalez could very well lead to Proctor being shipped out for a 1st baseman.

Melky for Gonzalez is a no-brainer. There are how many LHed relievers as good and throw as hard as Gonzalez? For the next 2 yrs, Melky wont be starting for us, and corner outfielders can be easily replaced in free agency, I have always said that.

Melky for Gonzalez. Then we can consider moving Proctor + additional player for a 1st baseman, maybe Nick Johnson!

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I don't understand this deal, there has to be more to it than this. We need a lefty 1B or RF that can protect Jason Bay. Melky Cabrera isn't that player, so I don't see why we would like this deal if there wasn't something else to it.

And if we traded Gonzo and someone else for Coco Crisp, then I am taking bids to be the hitman that I pay to kill our GM. I wouldn't even trade Marte for Crisp.

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The Cubs still need a closer.

If they are seriously thinking of GIVING AWAY Gonzalez for Melky, Hendry should test the waters, at the very least.

Pie + Dempster could probably net quite a bit from the Buccos, judging from their GM's history of giving us players in exchange for complete ****.

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If it's just Melky for Gonzalez thats a hard trade to turn down but i still think that 1B is the yankees biggest need.

I wouldn't do this deal straight up. If we trade Melky we lose our 4th outfielder (someone who can play ALL three spots in the OF, and has some serious potential as a hitter if he continues to develop). Melky hit .280 as a rookie, which won't blow anyone away, but its damn good. He also has the defensive skill and arm to play anywhere in the OF. Bernie still has a bat, but he's NOT going to be the 4th OF. He doesn't have the arm to play RF on any regular basis, and his play in CF is still headed downhill. Besides, we need to get younger.

1B is definitely a need. I don't think we need an all-star. Someone who can hit for a decent average and play good defense is all we need. We DO need bullpen help, but not badly enough to do this trade. We need guys who can pitch in the 6th and 7th innings, to keep Proctor and Farnsworth from killing themselves. Lets not forget that we now have 6 starters (Assuming we sign Igawa), so someone is going to be bumped to the pen.

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I wouldn't do this deal straight up. If we trade Melky we lose our 4th outfielder (someone who can play ALL three spots in the OF, and has some serious potential as a hitter if he continues to develop). Melky hit .280 as a rookie, which won't blow anyone away, but its damn good. He also has the defensive skill and arm to play anywhere in the OF. Bernie still has a bat, but he's NOT going to be the 4th OF. He doesn't have the arm to play RF on any regular basis, and his play in CF is still headed downhill. Besides, we need to get younger.

1B is definitely a need. I don't think we need an all-star. Someone who can hit for a decent average and play good defense is all we need. We DO need bullpen help, but not badly enough to do this trade. We need guys who can pitch in the 6th and 7th innings, to keep Proctor and Farnsworth from killing themselves. Lets not forget that we now have 6 starters (Assuming we sign Igawa), so someone is going to be bumped to the pen.

I'm really torn on how I'd feel about this trade. Melky is an up and coming player with the potential to be a 4 tool guy with some pop. I like the idea of the Yankees building from within but I guess it's not as bad because this wouldn't be a move being made to add another 40 something pitcher. Gonzalez is a legit young arm to add to the 'pen. I'd be a lot happier if we could package a couple of prospects for Gonzo as opposed to a young guy who has shown he can contribute now. I can't say I blame Pittsburgh for wanting somebody who's shown they can play in the bigs and carries a small price tag. I guess I'd be happy with either guy on the Yanks. Melky or Gonzo and both teams would be getting a very good young player so it's a win win IMO.

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I'm really torn on how I'd feel about this trade. Melky is an up and coming player with the potential to be a 4 tool guy with some pop. I like the idea of the Yankees building from within but I guess it's not as bad because this wouldn't be a move being made to add another 40 something pitcher. Gonzalez is a legit young arm to add to the 'pen. I'd be a lot happier if we could package a couple of prospects for Gonzo as opposed to a young guy who has shown he can contribute now. I can't say I blame Pittsburgh for wanting somebody who's shown they can play in the bigs and carries a small price tag. I guess I'd be happy with either guy on the Yanks. Melky or Gonzo and both teams would be getting a very good young player so it's a win win IMO.

The Pirates correctly asked for both Melky and Proctor originally.....Now it's TBD if they go stupid after the Yanks turned that down and take JUST Melky.

Nothing against Melky but LH closers who go 24-24 in save situations are 100x harder to find then the freaking Melky Cabrera's of baseball.

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Too small?....Maybe not.

That's the only knock I can see...just thinkin' it couldn't have hurt. Cant think of any other way to get his bat/speed in the line up regularly while filling a need without dealing him or another prospect.

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The Pirates are talking about a possible deal of Mike Gonzalez with the Yankees; Melky Cabrera would be involved. There are concerns about the condition of Gonzalez's pitching elbow, after he was unavailable for the last 5½ weeks, and he walked 31 in 54 innings last season.

But Gonzalez has excellent stuff, and nobody seems to do serious damage against him. Gonzalez allowed just one home run and six doubles last year: left-handed batters had a .256 slugging percentage, with a .163 average. Right-handed hitters? A .260 slugging percentage.

He sometimes will have long innings, throwing a lot of pitches and putting runners on base with walks. But numbers from last season show he is pretty efficient: Mark Simon of ESPN Research asked the Elias Sports Bureau about how often Gonzalez generated 1-2-3 innings, and Gonzalez, compared to other closers with at least 20 saves, fared pretty well. Here's the list, highest to lowest, of the percentages of 1-2-3 innings:

PCT INN 1-2-3 Pitcher SV

.470 68.1 32 Nathan, Joe, Min. 36

.455 68.1 31 Papelbon, Jonathan, Bos. 35

.413 70.2 29 Street, Huston, Oak. 37

.410 78.1 32 Putz, J.J., Sea. 36

.410 78.1 32 Saito, Takashi, LA-N 24

.391 64.0 25 Jones, Todd, Det. 37

.389 54.0 21 Gonzalez, Mike, Pit. 24

.364 66.0 24 Ray, Chris, Bal. 33

.361 69.2 25 Borowski, Joe, Fla. 36

.349 63.0 22 Hoffman, Trevor, S.D. 46

.347 72.1 25 Wagner, Billy, NY-N 40

.338 59.1 20 Gordon, Tom, Phi. 34

.338 59.2 20 Otsuka, Akinori, Tex. 32

.333 75.0 25 Lidge, Brad, Hou. 32

.333 75.0 25 Rivera, Mariano, NY-A 34

.333 72.1 24 Ryan, B.J., Tor. 38

.328 73.1 24 Cordero, Chad, Was. 29

.301 73.0 22 Rodriguez, Francisco, LA-A 47

.293 75.1 22 Cordero, Francisco, Tex.-Mil. 22

.280 75.0 21 Dempster, Ryan, ChiN 24

Cabrera has quickly developed into a very nice player, a guy who matured greatly as a hitter last season and will continue to progress. If any team trades for Cabrera, at age 22, they're getting a guy who could be at the outset of an unspectacular but very solid 15-year big league career. The Pirates and Yankees have had trouble making trades in the past; we'll see if they get something worked out here.

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If the Pirates can't get a better player than Cabrera straight up for Gonzalez, then we should keep him. Like I said, we need a 4 or 5 spot 1B or RF lefty with power. Melky just doesn't have enough power for a corner OF, maybe he gets that power eventually, but its anybody's guess. You guys could afford that cause your other all-stars would pick up the slack, but we can't, imo. From what I'm seeing and hearing from other people, you guys are hyping him up a ton anyway. I looks to me like he only has a slightly above average arm and doesn't take the best routes. That Trot Nixon inside the park homerun was his fault. He's not worth Gonzo straight up.

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I am surprised that Gonzalez is this high up, based on our discussion regarding his WHIP.

So was I to be honest. I was starting to think he walked the bases loaded to start every inning from what I was being told about his WHIP being so bad. Apparently not.

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Ronny Paulino > Melky Cabrera. Just needed to say that too.

I won't say if the guy is or not because in all honesty I've probably seen him hit three or four times. That being said, I take a multi-tool player over a one dimensional player 9 times out of 10. Melky can run, he can hit for average, he can make the pitching staff better defensively, is a swith hitter, walks as often as he strikes out, and is likely to develop more power.

Looking at Paulinos numbers, it seems he hits for average and a bit of pop that isn't much more than what Melky brings. From what I've read on him defensively he's got potnetial but had a lot of passed balls and a below average fielding pct. Not sure how well he throws out runners but again, that would make him a 2 tool player at this point. I suppose it all comes down to what you're looking for in a player and what makes one "better" than the other. It just appears to me that at this point Melky brings more to the table.

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First rookie catcher since Mike Piazza to play in at least 100 games and bat at least .310, only 2 since 1969.

Paulino: .310/.360/.394, Bases empty: .317, Runners on: .300, RISP: .346, RISP w/2 outs: .367, Bases Loaded: .444

Cabrera: .280/.360/.391, Bases empty: .280, Runners on: .281, RISP: .305, RISP w/2out: .270, Bases Loaded: 450

Imo, Paulino stacks up better vs other catchers in the game than Melky does vs other corner outfielders. That makes him > Cabrera.

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First rookie catcher since Mike Piazza to play in at least 100 games and bat at least .310, only 2 since 1969.

Paulino: .310/.360/.394, Bases empty: .317, Runners on: .300, RISP: .346, RISP w/2 outs: .367, Bases Loaded: .444

Cabrera: .280/.360/.391, Bases empty: .280, Runners on: .281, RISP: .305, RISP w/2out: .270, Bases Loaded: 450

Imo, Paulino stacks up better vs other catchers in the game than Melky does vs other corner outfielders. That makes him > Cabrera.

Again, you're entitled to your opinion. I wasn't comparing Melky to other outfielders, I was comparing him to the player you compared him to. Melky is a four tool player at this point lacking only in power. Paulino is a one or two tool player. I'll take the player who brings more to the table. Again, it's all a matter of opinion but the bottom line is that they're both good young players.

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