TMS wrote:Rays just signed Manny & Johnny Damon

And the clocks on clubhouse chemistry cancer and injury watch both start at the same time...
moving this up because I hate to see the mets thread above this one...

jrodmc wrote:

TMS wrote:Rays just signed Manny & Johnny Damon

And the clocks on clubhouse chemistry cancer and injury watch both start at the same time...
moving this up because I hate to see the mets thread above this one...

haha.. well I love these signings. These two aren't as good as what the Rays lost and I love that it'll rub the salt into Red Sox Nation

BigSm00th wrote:CC
hughes
burnett
nova
colon/freddy garcia/possibly kevin milwood/possibly andrew brackman, dellin betances, or manny banuelos

yikes

Wow, this team is so screwed. We have the highest payroll and are gonna struggle not to finish 3rd in our division.

And Yikes is right BigSmooth.

http://www.prosportsdaily.com/articles/eric-chavez-will-try-to-earn-spot-with-yankees-461446.html

Eric Chavez will try to earn spot with Yankees
February 5
San Francisco Chronicle

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"After a dozen seasons with the A's, Eric Chavez is heading to the Yankees on a minor-league deal, hoping to back up New York star Alex Rodriguez at the position where Chavez has earned six Gold Gloves.

Chavez also can play first - where the Yankees have All-Star Mark Teixeira - and he can DH, a spot held by Yankees fixture Jorge Posada.

"Obviously, they've got the best third baseman in the history of the game, and they have one of the best first basemen right now," Chavez told The Chronicle by phone on Friday evening. "I'm not going in worried about playing too much (of the time)."

Chavez said that with numerous injuries the past three years, this might be a good situation if he makes the club."

TAMPA, Fla. – Phil Hughes had a breakout year in 2010, but he spent most of this winter dwelling on the second half of the season when his performance dipped.

"The wins were there, but I fell off big time in the second half," the Yankees pitcher said Monday morning after throwing a bullpen session. "I was disappointed with that. It's one thing to kind of have a slow start and have a good second half. You think about all that success in the offseason. When you have a bad second half, all I thought about was those bad games because there weren't very many good ones mixed in there."

Yankees pitchers and catchers are not scheduled to begin spring training until Feb. 15, but Hughes has been at the Yankees' minor-league complex for the last two weeks getting a head start.

The 24-year-old came into last spring battling for the No. 5 starter's job, which he won. He got off to a fast start, made the All-Star team and finished the year 18-8.

Hughes said when he looks back on last year, he thinks he did not throw his changeup enough early in the year. The development of that pitch was a big story last spring and a reason he won the spot in the rotation. But when the season began, Hughes did not throw the pitch very often because his other pitches were so good. When he tried to go back to the pitch later in the year, he had trouble throwing it.

"I felt like that might have hurt me a little bit, just not having it," he said. "Then, maybe when fatigue set in and I really needed that changeup to help me get through these games it just wasn't there."

Hughes' role on the Yankees gained importance this winter when the team missed out on Cliff Lee and Andy Pettitte retired. Now, Hughes will be viewed as the team's No. 3 or No. 2 starter, depending on where you slot A.J. Burnett.

"Every time we needed a big start from a guy, [Pettitte's] been the guy," Hughes said. "Obviously, we're going to miss that but that's the nature of the game. Guys retire, no one stays around forever. I feel like it's one of those things we have to move on from. Obviously, the talk this year has been our rotation isn't really deep right now. Things always tend to work themselves out. With the offense we have, we're going to win a lot of games. I learned that last year, throwing out some duds that I got Ws from. It's just one of those things. I think we'll be fine."