Melky, Shelley Drop AppealWill Miss Two Games

According to the Star Ledger, Melky Cabrera and Shelley Duncan have both dropped their appeals and will sit out the next two games. The penalty for each player has been reduced from the original three game suspension:

Center fielder Melky Cabrera and first baseman Shelley Duncan dropped their appeals of their three-game suspensions for the bench-clearing incident between the Yankees and Rays in spring training. Both players had their suspensions reduced to two games, and Cabrera will serve his tonight and tomorrow, with Duncan serving his Sunday and Monday.

We'll see if this quells any possible confrontation during the Tampa Bay series this weekend.

Sour Grapes From Toronto Columnist

Richard Griffin, a biased frustrated reporter from the Toronto Star voiced his displeasure over the appeal situation which allowed Melky Cabrera to play and star in last night's game. I find it hard to believe the Blue Jays players and coaching staff were in the locker room throwing up their arms before the game, incensed that a juggernaut such as the Melk Man would be permitted to play through his suspension:

Cabrera’s suspension stemmed from a fighting incident on March 12 vs. the Rays at spring training. That’s 21 days ago. Appeals are heard in the offices of Major League Baseball in New York. We are in New York. The hearing on the appeal should have been held Monday, or at least yesterday morning. It’s ridiculous.

Anyway, the way major league rules work, Cabrera had the right to appeal and, thus, was allowed to play in the opener. He will probably wait for this weekend against the Rays or when the Yanks travel to Kansas City and drop the appeal, immediately serving his three days against an inferior opponent. Baseball justice?

Had it been Alex Rodriguez shirking a suspension for sucker punching an ump or Derek Jeter skipping a penalty stemming from a corked bat incident, then it would be believable. As it stands, the writer sounds like he's chomping down on some serious sour grapes.

Melky, Shelley's Appeals Update

From Ed Price of the Star Ledger:

Melky Cabrera's appeal of his three-game suspension will be heard Monday, along with Shelley Duncan.

Both players were suspended for their parts in an April 12 altercation with the Tampa Bay Rays. It started when Shelley Duncan spiked second baseman Akinori Iwamura with a slide, and Cabrera is alleged to have thrown a punch as the benches emptied.

Tampa Bay's Jonny Gomes was suspended two games, and his appeal is set for Friday.

Fans will pray for an eighth inning in which Joba Chamberlain takes the mound against Gomes. He could ask Kevin Youkilis for advice.

Happy Hangover Links

[Rhona Mitra, star of the new horror flick Doomsday, helps spice up a lazy Sunday afternoon]


- The Yankees added lefthanded reliever Billy Traber to the 40-man roster. Traber has pitched very well this spring, striking out five and allowing zero runs in four innings of work. He does not have dominating stuff but shockingly throws strikes and flashes a serviceable breaking ball. Joe Girardi likes what he's seen thus far through Spring Training, though Traber could just as easily become a relief version of last year's Chase Wright emergence.

From LoHud:

This not necessarily mean that Traber will be on the man roster on March 31. But don’t bet against it. He has appeared in five games this spring. His line: 4 3 0 0 0 5. Opponents are hitting .167 against him.

“Very intriguing,” Joe Girardi said.

In Other News . . .

• Joba Chamberlain is not having a great Spring, but don't overreact says Pete Abraham.

• Roger Clemens [and Brian Cashman] helped ease the heartache for a family who lost their son during the tragic events of 9/11.

• Shelley Duncan will appeal his three-game suspension. So will Melky Cabrera.
  
  
• Bill Madden says the young Yankees pitching faces some daunting history.
  
  
• Murray Chass wonders if the AL East is becoming a four team derby?
  

Cabrera, Duncan Suspended 3 Games

Both Melky Cabrera and Shelley Duncan have been suspended three [regular season] games stemming from Wednesday's incident in which Duncan spiked a Tampa Rays player. Jonny Gomes was suspended two games for his weak dance move shove attempt after riding in from rightfield.

Coaching staff, including Joe Girardi were not suspended but fined for what appears to be nothing. Early word from the "brawl" fallout reveals Girardi instructed his players not to go crazy in looking for retribution toward the Rays. It's unclear if the Yankees can or will appeal the suspensions, especially because of the substantial length of time before the season starts.

"Leche, usted es flaco, hermanito."

Callis Chats: Guess Hughes Back

I forgot to post a few Yankees morsels which Baseball America's Jim Callis spoke on during his last two ESPN chats. Topics include how Phil Hughes will fair in 2008, a comparison of Melky Cabrera and Carlos Gomez, a comparison of Jacoby Ellsbury, Adam Jones and Austin Jackson and more:

SprungOnSports (Long Island): For 2008: Hughes, Myers, Ubaldo, Francis?

Jim Callis: Phil Hughes. Let's give him 16 wins and a 3.65 ERA.


Marc: Commack NY: Will we see the real Phil Hughes this year... im talkin big time curveball, and 92-94 on the gun?

Jim Callis: Yes.


Jay (Madison,WI): Carlos Gomez or Melky Cabera?

Jim Callis: Wow, two guys I don't like as much as other people do. Gomez has more upside, Cabrera has more polish . . . it's a tossup on which way you want to go. I'd take Melky, I guess.


Max, (NY, NY): Pure speculation at this point but...who ends up having the better career: Austin Jackson or Adam Jones?

Jim Callis: Adam Jones. I want to see Austin Jackson have more than one strong half, but I do like him.


Jarrett (Medford, MA): ellsbury or austin jackson

Jim Callis: I'd take Ellsbury. Jackson has the higher ceiling but Ellsbury has a nice ceiling too and is much more of a sure thing.

Granted, Callis is admittedly more in love with Ellsbury than many other prospect gurus, but he still has a fair take on A-Jax. Interesting that - though he isn't very high on either - Callis selects Cabrera of Gomez. Callis' take on Hughes has been consistent since last September when he wrote Hughes would not be "right" until the 2008 season.

Melky's Sigh Of Relief,A Visitor To Thurman's Locker

Brian Heyman of the Journal News caught up with Yankees centerfielder Melky Cabrera and was able pull some quotes regarding his inclusion in a trade package which would have sent him to Minnesota in exchange for Johan Santana.

"I was a little worried about getting traded because I wanted to stay with my teammates," Cabrera said through an interpreter last night at the Marriott Marquis, where he was among the honorees at the 28th annual Thurman Munson Awards, a dinner that benefits the AHRC NYC, which works with the developmentally disabled. "I'm really happy the trade didn't go through."

As a footnote, Heyman described a special visitor making her first trip to the hallowed locker kept empty in honor of Thurman Munson following his tragic passing.

Diana Munson has never seen her late husband's locker at Yankee Stadium. It has been kept empty with the No. 15 over it since his death in 1979. But she hopes to come this year on a day when no one is around to take a look, since this is the ballpark's final year of existence.

"To me, it's very touching," she said. "I want this to be a private moment in my life and in the lives of my children."

The article also has some updates on stories which broke yesterday afternoon, including a resolution to Derek Jeter's tax predicament:

According to The Associated Press, Derek Jeter has settled his problems with the state's Department of Taxation and Finance, although the numbers weren't released. The tax people believed Jeter should have paid taxes for 2001-03 as a resident of the state because he had an apartment he owned in Manhattan. Jeter said he was a resident of Florida.

As well as Don Mattingly's bizarre encounter with his drunken estranged ex-wife:

An AP report stated that Don Mattingly's estranged 45-year-old wife, Kim, was arrested on Saturday at his home in Evansville, Ind., and charged with public intoxication and disorderly conduct. Police said she wouldn't leave the premises. She posted $50 bond and appeared in court on Monday, the same day the ex-Yankees player and coach was granted a protective order.

Not Much Going On This Offseason

If this is a hot-stove, people in Russia must be freezing.

Maybe if today's trade had happened six years ago, it would be considered a blockbuster.

Instead, the Cardinals get a third baseman who did steroids for a third baseman who could use some in a trade swapping performance enhancer Troy Glaus for oft-injured Scott Rolen. The deal is complete, pending physicals, which is the largest roadblock of the entire move.

In 2002, Rolen had 31 homers and 110 RBI while Glaus had 30 and 111. Last year, Rolen picked up 8 HR, 58 RBI and Glaus hit 20 HR, 62 RBI.

Meanwhile . . .

Erik Bedard still in a Orioles uniform? Check.
Johan Santana still in a Twins uniform? Check.

The flavor of the week involves the Mets "closing in" on a trade which would swap four or five prospects for Santana. I haven't seen this many rich guys pursue a Santana without closure since record executives tried to pry away Carlos Santana's head stash. And after this week began with rumors exulting Omar Minaya as the winner of the Santana sweepstakes, it's only fitting that it ends with reports that the Mets are not close to acquiring the lefty ace.

Senor Prognosticator, Bill Madden, may be right for a change when he suggests the Mets and Sox - like the Yanks - may decide the stakes are too high. For the Yankees, this is particularly true, as no other team has been willing to surrender a top prospect the likes of Phil Hughes. [No, Jon Lester would not suffice and until Boston's offers prove to be anything more than a smokescreen, I will stick by this contention.]

Pursuing Santana with the most rumored Yankees offer - Hughes, Cabrera, Marquez, Hilligoss - could present an ominous scenario in which Phil Hughes may emerge a frontline starter in 2010 at the cost of a couple million while Santana struggles to live up to impossible expectations in New York at potentially $750,000 per start.

Furthermore, with names like Andruw, Rowand and Cameron off the free agent landscape, imagine watching an outfield over the next few years bereft of Melky's armstrength and anchored by Damon in center, Abreu in right and Matsui in left. All the Brett Gardners in the world won't erase Bobby Abreu's fence-aphobia, Johnny Damon's puny arm or Matsui's, well, averageness.

The conclusion: call Boston's bluff and hope Santana ends up in free agency or Flushing. If you can sign Santana next winter - which is still a big if - thereby avoiding a top prospect swap, it makes the contract much more valuable and protects Johan from the resentment of a fanbase who always wanted Hughes more.

Keeping Melky is not as sexy an argument, but with no current alternative available to sign or promote, his value is much greater than his critics would have you believe.

Sure, a line of .273/.327/.391 is not going to have fans confuse Cabrera with Mantle, but consider a few facts first. Keep in mind that Cabrera is a #9 hitter on the Yankees and is not asked to lead off very often. Going into September Cabrera's batting average was closing in on the .300 mark, and if it were not for an abysmal final month which saw his average drop 20 points, his 2007 statistics would appear much more respectable. However, hitting .297 on September 2nd does not erase a putrid final few weeks of the season.

The 22 year-old did knock in 73 runs and is always able to put the ball in play - whiffing only 68 times in 545 at bats. Cabrera also flashes a strong, accurate arm, finishing tied for third in the AL with 16 outfield assists, up from 14 in 2006. To go along with his arm is a very good - though not elite - glove in the outfield which is accompanied by the versatility and willingness to play left or right as well. His youthful exuberance and camaraderie with the veteran players helps bring energy to a ball club often times accused of complacency.

Do any of these factors provide proof Cabrera will someday become a perennial all star? Obviously not. It does, however, show the Melkman to be a valuable piece of a contending team who has the luxury of carrying his unimposing bat.


Notes:
· According to an Albany newspaper, "Mary J. Blige, rap musicians 50 Cent, Timbaland and Wyclef Jean, and award-winning author and producer Tyler Perry may have received or used performance enhancing drugs." Maybe it made 'em rap faster. That would paint Rakim as Maris and 50 as McGwire. Unbelievable.

· From the looks of a recent photo, Miggy Cabrera is staying true to his promise to shape-up this offseason. I wrote about Cabrera's weight prior to the trade which sent him to Detroit and I still stand behind him becoming the next Manny.

· Finally, for Hall of Fame fanatics, check this article out. According to it, no starting pitcher whose career began after 1967 has made it into the HOF. This criteria excludes pitchers like Dennis Eckersley, who started for half their career and closed the other half. Amazing stuff.

Yanks Sign Lane, Chase Cameron

The Yankees signed Jason Lane to a minor league deal, according to the LoHud Yankees blog.

Brian Cashman said on YES tonight that the Yankees have signed Jason Lane to a minor-league deal.

A right-handed bat, Lane can play all three OF spots and a little first base. He’s 31 and coming off two hideous seasons. He did hit 26 homers in 2005.

Ken Rosenthal reported earlier that the Brewers were considering signing Mike Cameron. However, Rosenthal now believes the Yankees are competing with Milwaukee for the center fielder's services.

The Yankees are showing serious interest in Cameron, major-league sources say, figuring that they could trade center fielder Melky Cabrera even if they do not send him to the Twins for left-hander Johan Santana.

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is a supporter of Cameron's; the two were teammates with the Mariners in 2000. Cameron also has recent experience playing in New York; he was with the Mets in '04 and '05.

Cabrera, 23, is part of the Yankees' offer for Santana, but could fit for several teams that are in the market for a young, affordable, switch-hitting center fielder.

Damon would remain in center for the start of the season while Cameron serves a 25-game suspension for testing positive for a banned stimulant.

Cameron, 35, likely would sign a two-year deal, giving the Yankees time to continue developing their top center-field prospect, Austin Jackson, who split last season between Class A and Class AA.

The Cubs are on the fringe of the Cameron pursuit, and the Twins' interest could grow if they fail to land a center fielder in a trade for Santana. But Cameron is likely to sign with the Yankees or Brewers before the Santana question is resolved.

Interesting. As Rosenthal points out, signing Cameron does not necessarily mean Melky is heading to Minnesota as part of a Santana package. Other teams would be interested in Cabrera with the return probably being a decent prospect or two.

And Ken, A-Jax split his time between A-ball Charleston and A+ Tampa - not AA Trenton - though he did play one game at AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre before heading to Hawaii for winter ball.

Meanwhile... the Yankees offer

According to Jack Curry of the NY Times, the Yankees have offered Minnesota a package of Ian Kennedy, Melky Cabrera and one more minor leaguer. Curry speculates it could be Jose Tabata, but speculation is all that it is.

The Yankees have offered pitcher Ian Kennedy, center fielder Melky Cabrera and at least one minor league prospect, perhaps outfielder José Tabata. In the trade discussions, the Yankees have told the Twins that pitcher Joba Chamberlain is untouchable and that they do not want to deal pitcher Phil Hughes.

Because the Twins are insisting that Hughes must be a part of the package, the Yankees are mulling whether to make that concession. If the Yankees insert Hughes for Kennedy in their offer, they think it could be enough to obtain Santana. Of course, the Yankees, or any team that reached an agreement with the Twins, would then have the challenging task of signing Santana to a huge six- or seven-year contract in a 72-hour window.

In my speculation, a package beginning with IPK and Melky would also need another position piece and another high level prospect which would very likely mean Alan Horne or Humberto Sanchez.

* Jorge wants Santana in pinstripes.

Yankees Magic Number is "10"

Nope, not that magic number. Think of how many relievers New York needed. Or what inning Melky Cabrera decided to end it.

In what was one of the ugliest pitched games in franchise history, here's a quick recap:

• Another extra inning affair involving the Blue Jays.

• A walk-off single for Leche.

• Phil Hughes might've gone six strong had it not been for 20 bloop singles falling in.
  

• Franchise-record 10 Yankees relievers needed to "secure" a 12-11 circus of a ballgame.

• Farnsworthless still stinks just as much as he did after surrendering that grand salami to Houston.

• Edwar Ramirez either strikes out the side or cries in a corner.

• Alex Rodriguez owns the 9th inning... or any other inning where a crucial RBI is to be had.

• Michael Kay likes to talk about Michael Kay... a lot. Especially if Michael Kay has an upcoming theatrical appearance at an unknown middle school gymnasium.

• Robinson Cano does not like Doug Mienkiewicz hogging all the infield pop-ups.

• Ross Ohlendorf has nasty stuff.
  
  - Magic number is now just 3