Fallout: The Nady/Marte Deal

Goodbye Tabby...

A great trade for the Yankees? Absolutely.

A gut-punch for many Yankees fans? Definitely.

Like the old adage goes, when making an important trade each team should feel some pain once the deal is done. This one was no different.

Though the original reported trade was incorrect, the the actual deal announced today is as follows:

Yankees get: LHP Damaso Marte and OF Xavier Nady
Pirates get: OF Jose Tabata, RHP Ross Ohlendorf, RHP Dan McCutchen and RHP Jeff Karstens

The last two names were in place of RHP George Kontos and LHP Phil Coke.

While I am no scout by any means, I was fortunate enough to see every one of the six mentioned Yankees prospects in person. It hurts to lose a kid as talented and projectable as a teenage Tabata because the Yankees really sold low on him. However, having control of Nady until after the 09 season and more importantly, having Austin Jackson [who leapfrogged Tabata as a prospect this year] marginalizes the hit.

I still believe McCutchen could be a mid-rotation starter or [through his versatility] could come out of the bullpen in the late innings to help a ballclub. And I love his make-up and bulldog persona; they don't call him "Danimal" for nothing. He has thrown a couple of complete games at AAA, shows an ability to consistently throw strikes [evidenced by his low walk rates] and is not afraid of anything on the mound.

However, trading guys like McCutchen, Ohlendorf and Karstens [all RHP's] is dealing from a position of absurd strength for the Yankees. Consider this, the Yankees still have guys like Melancon, Horne, Betances, Brackman, [soon Cole], McAllister, Heredia, Cox, Patterson, Sanchez, Marquez and a host of other righties in their system. With the lack of lefthanded pitching in the system, it's encouraging that a currently surging Coke - the only legitimate upper level lefty prospect in the system - will remain a Yankee. Though, with the Jarrod Washburn talks still ongoing, it is uncertain if that will remain true.

Though Keith Law's take on the trade is generally agreeable - the ESPN writer says it's win-win for both teams - I feel he truly undersells Kontos and particularly Coke in saying they would "never" contribute to the Yankees' big club anyhow. Law states that Kontos throws 90-92 and that Coke utilizes a fringe-average fastball.

When I saw Kontos, he touched 96 mph with his fastball and, though I agree with Law that his command is at times shaky, the Northwestern product possesses a big league slider, decent curve and serviceable change. In my mind, Kontos could have a lot of value if/when he moves to a bullpen role in that his fastball which is characteristically 91-93 may jump up to the mid-90's to compliment a consistently hard slider.

Coke, who has come from out of nowhere to lead the Eastern League starters with a 2.60 ERA, struck out 109 [over 114 innings] to just 38 walks and has been absolutely dominant. Furthermore, the southpaw has seen a jump in velocity of late and is now throwing 91-93 mph and touching 94. For an already cerebral lefty, that type of power fastball is extremely impressive considering his original billing as a crafty southpaw type. If nothing else, Coke offers the Yankees a starting option from the lefthand side or a future LOOGY should one become necessary behind Marte.

To say the Yankees were given Nady and Marte for nothing is an absolute joke. Tabata, until this season, had hit .300 or better at every level and more often than not was the youngest hitter at each respective stage of his development. His power element could at any time reveal itself, especially once his wrist injury is fully healed following offseason hamate surgery and he learns to pull the ball to left. Tabata's off-field problems could return or he may never reach his full potential, but make no mistake, the kid is a legit top prospect who's had a terrible season [again, at age 19] on and off the diamond.

Considering the Yankees' need for an impact bat with the uncertainty surrounding Jorge Posada, Hideki Matsui and even Johnny Damon, and due to the fact that the team has zero lefthanded relievers in the already excellent bullpen, the trade made sense. Now, the team can more effectively absorb losing Posada for the season and will offer a versatile setup man to bridge Mariano Rivera in the ninth.

However, the Pirates did not hurt themselves either, picking up a blue chip positional prospect to compliment future star outfielder Andrew McCutchen as well as two young versatile right handed pitchers in Cutch/Ohlie who can provide power in the rotation or out of the pen.

Though it'd be tough to see Tabby eventually turn into Man-Ram lite, the Yankees have undeniably pushed their chips into the center of the table and can now chuckle at the clueless sportswriters decreeing this a transitional year in which the Yankees would not chase a postseason berth.

McCutchen Getting Close

"Danimal" McCutchen is starting to knock on the major league door with a little more authority after another solid performance Thursday night.

As of today, McCutchen has 10 starts at the AAA level and is posting an impressive 3.32 ERA. It will sound excusatory, but in nearly every one of his starts for Scranton, McCutchen's struggled and surrendered runs in one particular inning while dominating before and after.

During the five starts listed below, McCutchen has been able to avoid the one bad inning syndrome which blew up his ERA from what would have been an even more impressive number in the 2.00's. Excluding one poor start on June 20th, here are the last five outings for Cutch at AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre:

July 10th.. 6 innings, 7 hits, 2 ER, 6 strikeouts, 1 walks

July 5th.... 9 innings, 5 hits, 0 ER, 10 strikeouts, 0 walk

June 30th. 6 innings, 6 hits, 1 ER, 5 strikeouts, 1 walk

June 25th. 6.2 innings, 7 hits, 3 ER, 3 strikeouts, 3 walks

June 14th. 9 innings, 6 hits, 0 ER, 4 strikeouts, 0 walks

Over these five starts, Cutch piled up 28 strikeouts over 36.2 innings and walked only five. The 28 to 5 strikeout-to-walk ratio speaks to his excellent control, but more importantly, it highlights that McCutchen's command is improving as well. Over those five starts, Danimal's WHIP is just under the 1.00 mark, which also supports the idea of a spike in command.

While he hasn't been Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain dominant, the Danimal has been consistently very, very good in the minors. Just go back and take a look at his numbers the past two years at Tampa, Trenton and now Scranton and remember he holds a 2.63 career minor league ERA over 284 innings-pitched. On a year split between AA and AAA, Cutch has a 2.97 ERA with 102 strikeouts to just 28 walks and 112 hits over 118 innings.

Look out Rasner/Ponson.

McAllister Surpassing Betances,Cutch Shuts Out Syracuse

Zach McAllister is quickly [and surprisingly] leaving Dellin Betances in the dust.

The pair of 20 year-olds were expected to spend 2008 together in Charleston dominating Sally hitters alongside Jairo Heredia. Unfortunately, while McAllister is keeping up his end, Betances hit a period of shoulder soreness recently and is still working his way back into the Charleston rotation.

In the mean time, McAllister was promoted to High-A Tampa on May 31st, has already started seven games there and is posting a very impressive 2.47 ERA against the next level of minor league hitters.

Though Betances oozes the projectability and raw stuff that makes scouts take notice, McAllister has shown the maturation, versatility and maintained health teams love to see in a young prospect.

Thus far this season split between Charleston and Tampa, McAllister has logged 106 innings, with a 2.46 ERA while striking out 85 [to only 13 walks], allowing 103 hits, a promising 1.62 groundball to flyball ratio and a .252 opponent batting average.

The 6-foot-6, 235 lbs. Illinois product has only had one bad outing at the High A level which came in his Tampa debut. That poor start was the only time McAllister did not give his team a quality start - and Yesterday's start may have been McAllister's best outing yet at Tampa as he pitched 8 innings, struck out 9 batters, walked zero, and allowed two runs on five hits.


- IN SCRANTON

Tonight, Dan McCutchen posted his second complete game shutout for Scranton this season, allowing just five hits, zero walks and striking out 10 on 109 pitches [with 77 for strikes].

According to Chad Jennings, the Danimal "was hitting 93 consistently in the seventh." That's more than enough velocity to work with - and the new addition of a slider to compliment his curve, change and plus fastball makes for a solid arsenal for Cutch.

After a pedestrian start to his AAA campaign, McCutchen's latest shutout lowered his ERA to a very respectable 3.36 for Scranton. The shutout was his second at AAA since June 14th, which could be an encouraging sign of things to come.

Should that be the case, McCutchen may supplant the mediocre Jeff Karstens as the next internal rotation option should Darrell Rasner's downward spiral continue. The fact that Alan Horne is currently on the DL and Ian Kennedy has yet to again earn a spot in the big league rotation helps him as well.

And, if the Yankees swing a trade for a starting pitcher [in a deal not including him], McCutchen has the versatility to move to the bullpen and contribute there if necessary. Though this appears to be a long shot right now.

Horne To Rejoin Scranton,Kontos, Melancon Dominate AA

Alan Horne will return to the Scranton rotation and, as a result, one of Karstens, Igawa, Giese, McCutchen or Marquez will be getting demoted or converted to the bullpen. Horne is now officially scheduled to pitch Sunday for Scranton.

Phil Coke's stay at AAA will be an abbreviated one as he is to be sent down to Trenton in order to make room for Horne. Though Dan McCutchen has been struggling during the start to his AAA campaign, the recent big league bullpen problems may call for converting Danimal to the bullpen.

It may have been the plan for McCutchen all along to become a major league bullpen contributor. And, considering someone must be moved to make room for Horne, now might be the opportune time for such a conversion. [This is merely spitballing on my part]

McCutchen's fastball, which regularly hovers above and below 92 mph, could receive a few extra ticks. The compliment of his changeup and curveball as potential outpitches could make him a valuable commodity out of the pen. Maybe most importantly is McCutchen's bulldog mentality on the mound and his eagerness to attack the strikezone.

Meanwhile in Trenton, George Kontos continues to flash dominance over AA hitters by tossing 7 innings of one-run ball, allowing 3 hits, striking out 7 and walking 2. Wednesday night's performance from Kontos lowered his season ERA to 3.01.

It's been a major turnaround for Kontos considering early April saw him pile up more walks than strikeouts. As of today, Kontos now boasts a very respectable 63 strikeouts to 25 walks over 68.2 innings. In his last five starts Kontos tossed 33 innings [going seven innings in four of five starts] with 30 strikeouts, 9 walks and 8 earned runs on just 19 hits.

Joining Kontos in AA dominance is Mark Melancon who tossed another three scoreless innings of work, earning his third victory of the year. Over the three frames Melancon struck out 2, walked zero and allowed one hit, dropping his ERA to 1.53 on the year. Through 17.2 innings at the AA level, Melancon has allowed just 10 hits and 2 walks while striking out 15 and limiting opposing hitters to a .169 batting average.

A promotion to AAA may soon be in order for the dominant Melancon should he continue such a high level of success. I would venture to guess Melancon will find himself pitching to AAA hitters by mid June.

McCutchen Promoted To AAA

George King can now put it in his column.

The New York Post writer initially jumped the gun last week, but now Dan McCutchen has officially been called up to AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre.

The promotion was well-deserved for Cutch who over 91 total innings at Trenton struck out 82 batters, walked 27, allowed 78 hits and pitched to an ERA under 2.50 and nearly an even 1.00 WHIP.

[Over his 222 career minor league innings, Cutch has a 2.43 ERA, a 6.97 h/9, a 1.02 WHIP, a 0.69 hr/9 and 2.19 bb/9]

In a corresponding move, Bo Hall has been sent down to Trenton.

On and off the field McCutchen is a hard-working, good guy who is certainly worthy of such success and movement.

McCutchen To Join AAA Stay At AA

UPDATE: Apparently George King of the Post was wrong about McCutchen's rumored promotion as Mark Newman told Chad Jennings of the SWB Yanks Blog that no such promotion is imminent. Shocking that King would get something 100% wrong.

The NY Post reports 25 year-old Trenton starter Dan McCutchen will be promoted to AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre.

I've met McCutchen multiple times and have heard nothing but good things about him off the field. On the field the Oklahoma product is a bulldog who has enjoyed great success since the beginning of last season.

This year has been no different. Cutch has dominated all season by throwing 50 innings to 38 hits, 46 strikeouts to 15 walks as well as a 2.50 ERA and .209 opponents batting average. His fastball is generally 91-93 and is complimented by a hard curveball and a potentially strong changeup.

Yankees organizational heads love McCutchen's versatility in that he could toss six solid innings but his stuff also plays well in a bullpen role. [His fastball may gain a few ticks on the radar gun if he comes out of the bullpen] His advanced age - 25 years old - also allows the Yankees to be a bit less calculated as they would be with guys like Phil Hughes.

Chad Jennings believes Alan Horne is very close to returning to the Scranton rotation. Horne had been working his way back from an arm injury suffered in early April. Horne's father said Alan threw to live hitters on Tuesday and his arm continues to respond well to the rehab. According to father Horne, his son will again toss to live batters tomorrow and "go in a game next Monday."

BA Likes McCutchen, Robertson

Baseball America's John Manuel likes Trenton pitchers Daniel McCutchen and Dave Robertson to contribute toward the Yankees late-inning bullpen spot vacated when Joba Chamberlain moves to the rotation this summer.

From Wednesday's ESPN chat:

Matt (PA): Melancon, Cox, Sanchez or Horne.. Who gets that call up first for the Yankees once Joba hits the rotation? So I guess around the all-star break.

John Manuel: Good question, but there are many other options--David Robertson is a sleeper who could be a factor, he's dealing at Trenton right now. Also Dan McCutcheon, who is a starter but could slide into a relief role with his stuff and aggressive approach. I actually like both those guys better for a middle relief role this year than those you mentioned except for Melancon. If Melancon is at full strength, he's the guy. Sanchez and Cox won't help the Yankees in New York this year, IMO.

Now serving as Trenton's closer, the 23 year-old David Robertson has already thrown 14 innings compiling a 0.64 ERA and 21 K’s. In 2007, his first year of pro ball, he went 8-3 flashing an 0.96 ERA over 84 innings with 113 strikeouts and only 32 walks.

As the closer for Alabama it was said Robertson possessed a 95-96 mph blazing fastball, but in the minor leagues scouts soon realized his fastball was really 89-92. However, the explosive late-movement on his fastball is so dramatic that it seems to be 3 to 4 ticks higher. Hitters simply cannot catch up with his fastball which, at its best, runs 90-93 mph. He compliments his riding fastball with a hammer curve which is his outpitch.

Also, don't forget about Scott Patterson who has struggled a bit at AAA after being robbed of a major league roster spot out of Spring training. Jose Veras and his mid-90s fastball also remain in Scranton Wilkes-Barre where over 9 innings he has struck out 15, walked 3, notched 5 saves with a 2.00 ERA.

McCutchen Sets The Record Straight. For those who don't already know, Dan McCutchen is a bulldog righthander from Oklahoma who catapaulted himself on the prospect scene after going 16-4 with a 2.59 ERA last year.

Splitting time between Tampa and Trenton, McCutchen was not merely facing the critical jump from Single-A to Double-A competition, he was also overcoming a 50 game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use in 2006. When news of the suspension first surfaced, McCutchen's local Oklahoma newspaper blared a large, loud headline reading "McCutchen Busted For Steroids."

However, had the newspaper spent any time discovering the details to his suspension, they would have learned McCutchen had tested positive for Adderall, a drug his doctor prescribed for his attention deficit disorder. McCutchen forgot to file the prescription with the Yankees and therefore a big misunderstanding became an unavoidable stigma.

"People assumed he had taken steroids, and that just wasn't true," said Jay Franklin, McCutchen's agent. "The paper printed a retraction that nobody saw because it was so short. It was a rough time for him and his family."

Despite [an elbow injury], the Yankees drafted McCutchen in the 27th round. He turned them down to accept a scholarship from Oklahoma.

McCutchen pitched well for the Sooners, getting drafted again in 2004 (28th round by the Rays) and 2005 (12th round by the Cardinals). He beat Nebraska 5-1 on April 28, 2005, handing a sophomore named Joba Chamberlain his first loss in college.

"He threw hard; he was good," Chamberlain said. "That game was on ESPN, and he just beat me."

Within the linked piece from the Journal News, McCutchen is depicted well as the ferocious mound presence he has been described as in several prospect guides. His Trenton Thunder teammates refer to him as "Danimal," and McCutchen admitted "I have a split personality when I get on the mound."

It's this tenacity which has helped push the 25 year-old into the mix for a 2008 promotion into the Yankees starting staff or bullpen. His versatility is a great value and GM Brian Cashman explains "He's a starter for now, but we believe he does have the ability to relieve."

McCutchen primarily throws a sinker 90-94 mph, but he also throws a straighter four-seam fastball which can hit 96. He also has a hard curveball thrown at about 80 mph which is his outpitch. McCutchen completely lost his feel for the curve in Trenton, forcing him to develop and rely upon his changeup. The pitch has come a long way because of it and makes his 2007 statistics even more impressive.