October 30, 200322 yr Damn.... Soriano key to the puzzle Thursday, October 30, 2003 By PETE CALDERA STAFF WRITER The fundamental question of the Yankees' off-season is this: What to do with Alfonso Soriano? Keep him at second base, move him to the outfield, or trade him while his salary is relatively low and his value is high? As the Yankees' top brass continues to meet in Tampa, Fla., all options are being considered. The Yankees' winter realignment starts with Soriano. According to sources, the idea of moving Soriano to right field is gaining favor within the organization. That would free up the Yankees to trade or sign a second baseman who also could bat leadoff. Even before his postseason fade, Soriano's impatience at the plate and his strikeout-prone swing made him an ill fit as a leadoff man. And manager Joe Torre's preference for Derek Jeter in the No. 2 hole is apparent. Marlins' second baseman Luis Castillo, 28, is a free agent consideration, as is Cardinals' free agent Fernando Vina, 35, who could be a short-term solution. Either player would be a significant defensive upgrade from Soriano. With the acquisition of Juan Pierre last winter, Castillo (.314, six HR, 39 RBI in 2003) was pushed out of the leadoff spot. He stole 21 bases, but was caught 19 times as a No. 2 hitter. But Castillo's .381 on-base percentage was far better than Soriano's .338. Vina has a mediocre .350 lifetime on-base percentage, but was a Gold Glove winner in 2001 and 2002. Moving Soriano to the outfield would take the Yankees out of the running for free agents Vladimir Guerrero and Gary Sheffield, the top two available right fielders. The Yankees might consider dealing Soriano to Montreal in a deal for second baseman Jose Vidro and right-hander Javier Vazquez. And they could consider Kansas City center fielder Carlos Beltran in a trade. Meanwhile, the Yankees may soon make their interest known in Toronto right-hander Kelvim Escobar, a free agent. Escobar is seen as a better option than Sidney Ponson, and a better value than Bartolo Colon. In fact, Escobar would be a far more durable version of Colon. Escobar's fastball reaches 97 mph, and he's never had arm trouble (he had a slight problem in midyear with a split fingernail). The Blue Jays would be hard-pressed to re-sign Escobar (12-8, 3.92 ERA as a starter) who earned $3.9 million in 2003, since they're attempting to lock up probable Cy Young winner Roy Halladay to a long-term deal. The Mets also are expected to show an interest in signing Escobar. According to industry sources, the Yankees will explore signing pitcher Shigetoshi Hasegawa as a right-handed setup man. With the possibility of allowing Jeff Nelson to become a free agent, Hasegawa (2-4, 1.48), a control artist, could be a good fit. He has told friends he would like to pitch in New York. Twins' free agent LaTroy Hawkins actually might be seen as an expensive luxury by the Yanks, who expect Steve Karsay to be healthy for next season. Hasegawa also could be a less-expensive option as a Mets' closer. Besides former Cleveland Indians manager Charlie Manuel, the Yankees reportedly have an interest in Chili Davis and Paul Molitor as possible replacements for fired batting coach Rick Down. Today in Baltimore, first base coach Lee Mazzilli will interview for the vacant Orioles' managing position. Link
October 30, 200322 yr go ahead yanks, i think it is better than him going to the cards where he can hurt us more. won't wouldn't be able to keep him, neither should we. no second baseman like luis who doesn't run well or hit that wonderfully should be worth $8 million. the DP combo will survive, we just need to get a good replacement and keep Lee or put Conine, who has less errors than Lee in his career at first.
October 30, 200322 yr Author Yea Conine had less errors but Lee saved us more than he did. All those Diving plays and picks are something Conine Wont ever do.....
October 30, 200322 yr Is it just me or do you hate the thought of the Yankees signing ANY Marlin? And this is the 'I grew up with a family full of Red Sox fans' talking...The endless cash flow annoys me around this time of year when they buy every free agent possible and load the team up with superstars. Hopefully it will blow up in their face once again.
October 30, 200322 yr i hate the yankees. I believe my sig speaks for my taste for the yankees. I'm all for that Go Marlins
October 30, 200322 yr theres your problem though...... finding a replacement for castillo. i think the only other way to find a replacement would be a trade. i would look for the marlins to trade say a brad penny. i think they can get great value for penny. and by the way i dont think castillo will get 8 million unless its the yankees.......
October 30, 200322 yr Author Yea 8 Million is for a 2nd baseman that has power but Castillo isnt a power hitter. Unless its the Yankees of course
October 30, 200322 yr the DP combo will survive are you suggesting that Castillo will be back? he is vital to our team's success (that 1-2-3-4 in our line up this year carried the team for most of the time)
October 30, 200322 yr he is vital to our team's success (that 1-2-3-4 in our line up this year carried the team for most of the time) I've been saying that all along. I think it's more vital to keep Castillo than it is Pudge, to be honest. It would be easier for us to replace Ivan than it would be Luis (Castro/Redmond take over catcher, uncertain at second). With Pierre and Castillo batting 1/2, I believe almost anyone would have success batting third. I mean, the new #3 hitter would probably be Cabrera, and I think he would do better there next year than Pudge would. I mean, Luis had the best batting average, on-base percentage, and arguably the best glove of anyone on the team this season.
October 30, 200322 yr You do have a point, if you take out pudge you can basically keep everybody else on the team. the only problem is that the fans want pudge so its not as easy as it seems. i think pierre castillo pudge lowell MUST be on the team next year if we want to do what we did this year. that lineup is what carried us we can get rid of lee and encarnacion to get rid of salary (i like both of them but i feel that they are not as important as some and they will cost $ possibly 15 mills combined?)
October 30, 200322 yr how about going after JD Drew i think that would be a steal for the marlins and he can replace encarnacion
October 30, 200322 yr how about going after JD Drew i think that would be a steal for the marlins and he can replace encarnacion anything is possible
October 30, 200322 yr Why go after Drew? He costs virtually as much as Encarnacion. And why keep Juan or trade for Drew, when you can get more production out of a cheap Reggie Sanders?
October 30, 200322 yr castillo is not the type of player that the yankees usually get. i feel bad for him-if he does bad he's gonna get booed so badly-while if he does bad here-nothing really happens.
October 31, 200322 yr guys, i say stop worrying and let beinfest worry. at least he gets paid for it, we don't. we have so much time to go and you guys will go nuts by the time pitchers report.
October 31, 200322 yr It almost seems the FO might sacrifice having the best team on the field overall to keep Pudge...lets see...I'm somewhat on the fence for the Pudge v Castro subject...If his legal troubles were cleared I'd be all for dumping Pudge.
October 31, 200322 yr castillo has to be asking for around the 6 million range. I dont see how he can ask for more
October 31, 200322 yr dump castillo+lee=$14,000,000+enc(3.5)=17,500,000 15,000,000=VLADDY! + 2,500,000+DECENT 2ND BASEMAN!
October 31, 200322 yr dump castillo+lee=$14,000,000+enc(3.5)=17,500,000 15,000,000=VLADDY! + 2,500,000+DECENT 2ND BASEMAN! Is everyone so sure that 3 solid contributors (Enc, Lee, Luis) is really worth one super stud and 2 sub-par fill ins? I'm not.
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