Outside of the rotation and who wins the last bench spot there isnt much in the way of drama this Spring Training. Ivan Nova, Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon, Sergio Mitre, David Phelps, Andrew Brackman, DJ Mitchell and Hector Noesi will battle for the last 2 rotation spots. Eduardo Nunez, Kevin Russo, Brandon Laird, Eric Chavez, Greg Golson, Justin Maxwell, Ramiro Pena and Ronnie Belliard will battle for the last 2 bench spots.
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Projected Opening Day Roster:
C. Russell Martin
1B. Mark Teixeira
2B. Robinson Cano
SS. Derek Jeter
3B. Alex Rodriguez
LF. Brett Gardner
CF. Curtis Granderson
RF. Nick Swisher
DH. Jorge Posada


1. CC Sabathia
2. Phil Hughes
3. AJ Burnett
4. Ivan Nova
5. Freddy Garcia



1. Sergio Mitre
2. Boone Logan
3. David Robertson
4. Pedro Feliciano
5. Joba Chamberlain
6. Rafael Soriano
7. Mariano Rivera




1. Andruw Jones
2. Francisco Cervelli
3. Ronnie Belliard
4. Ramiro Pena
-----
Some of the interesting subplots will be if A-Rod, Jeter, Burnett and Tex can rebound to varying degrees, the peformance of Hughes after the huge increase in innings last season, how Martin and Gardner come back from injuries and how long it takes Cashman to make a move for the rotation.

The offense and bullpen should be the strong points this year and among the best in baseball. Which should equal plenty of wins in the regular season.

nooooooooooooooooooo not again

Jon Heyman said Joba looks really fat.

Sadface.

He always does in Spring Training. The pitchers usually lose 5-15 pounds in camp.

Fuck Boston.

Okay, that's out of the way. I don't mind the lineup. The only real question marks I guess would be Martin and Posada. Other than, it's not too bad. That middle relief is a little concerning though.

Hey, hopefully I'm wrong. But Joba still scares me and so does Mitre a little bit. Wasn't he hurt most of last year though?

I DO like them grabbing Feliciano though. He could be a great left-handed addition coming in at tough spots.

Joba sucks.

I AM BURNS! HEAH ME ROAH!!

Mitre is the long reliever. AKA up big or down big. He wont be put in a position to cost us any games. And Joba/Robertson had some of the best stats among relievers last season in the AL. Obviously Jobas ERA didnt show that, but he will be fine in middle relief. Robertson is very underrated.

Man, you are just relentlessly positive.

I think Joba will have a good year, actually. He basically has zero pressure on him with Soriano here.

Its just Heyman trying to stir the pot. He shows up to camp overweight every year. Just like Beckett. But he ends up losing most of it by the end of camp and the early part of April.

If he showed up weighing 275+ then I'd be miffed.

I agree about Robertson. He had a really solid year AND performed amazingly in the playoffs during 2009 when he got put into some really tough spots. I just don't like seeing Joba come in in the seventh or eighth with a one or two-run lead and not be able to get anyone out. That happened way too much last year.

Doesn't Robertson have one of the highest K/9 in the league? He's pretty damn good.

I've missed these threads. Fuck you!

The Bleacher Report once again randomly throwing shit against the wall to see if it'll stick with a story about a possible Texeira for Pujols trade.

I think one of the major baseball writers suggested that. Either Olney or Rosenthal.

That idea is absurd to me, and it seems like a whole lot of people trying to talk about ANYTHING involving the Yankees because their spring training is going to be pretty pedestrian.

Why would St. Louis do this? That deadline was a self imposed deadline. They can decide to re-up the contract at any point, minds can be changed during the course of a season. Then of all teams, why the Yankees? So you can ship him off somewhere that he falls in love with and decides not to come back?

The Cardinals have been preparing for this day for years. They have the money. Pujols isn't going anywhere. At the very least he plays through the season and signs right back to them for some ludicrous contract, that again, the Cardinals have been saving for. The idea of Albert playing anywhere else is crazy talk.

I might also be wrong but I THINK it was olney on ESPN radio who was saying the Cardinals will never let Albert go anywhere.

What? I think you've got it backwards. Pujols had said "if a contract wasn't signed by Tuesday, I'm definitely going to free agency," I thought. So, they'd want to trade him to get SOMETHING before he takes a $7T/yr offer from New York or Boston.

Enough. How would the Yankees or Red Sox sign Pujols? Both teams have young first basemen that they have committed over $150 million to.

St. Louis, Anaheim and Chicago(Cubs).

Don't take that too personally. I was jotting it off because I thought SATS had it backwards. I thought about throwing in Anaheim but decided I wanted to grab a snack. Relax.

Even still, it was self imposed. There's nothing stopping Pujols from changing his mind (except the rumored union pressure)

Again, you don't trade him because you don't want him to leave and get used to the idea of not being a Cardinal. Unless the relationship between the Cardinals and Pujols gets so ugly that you know he isn't returning, you don't trade em.

I also don't buy into the union pressure thing. This isn't some kid, it's Albert Pujols. He'll sign a contract that will have him, his family and his kids families live comfortably no matter what he does and oh yeah, he'll get to play baseball.

What could the union possibly do to a superstar like Albert, give him dirty looks the rest of his career? What are they going to go after his agent? I still don't see how that would affect Albert. He starts getting pressure and he threatens to walk. Albert is his biggest contract.

He can veto any trade.

Fat Joba:

Why is every Yankee off season turning into "Which one of our pitchers got fat?"

I donno, but we have at least three fat pitchers going into spring training. Colon, Sabathia, and Joba the Hut.

I was just coming to this thread to jokingly ask "Did Joba lose any weight yet?" Personally, I think with the way the season seems to be heading, ALL our pitchers should get ginormously fat. It could be our thing.

Bartoro Coron aint got shit on me.

Who is that fat ,pussie ,toad?

Sabbathia no longer applies. He came into camp 25 lbs lighter than last yr.

He still weighs 290 pounds.

Not only does he look fat, but he looks hungover too. Probably hanging out with David Wells who is in camp as an "instructor"

Reports are that Joba was really hitting the zone today. Unfortunately, it was the p'zone at a Tampa area Pizza Hut.

(Nothing but fat Yankees jokes for the next thirty days.)

Bartolo Colon gave his first press conference today. "I'm really happy with this club," he reportedly said. He then proceeded to eat a footlong turkey and bacon sandwich for the next twenty minutes.

fixed

Productive day for Joba Chamberlain at camp, as he reportedly spent the day working on sliders ... plate after plate of them at a Tampa Fuddruckers.

Joba nibbled the corners before putting them away.

Listen, don't blow the "fat baseball players" jokes in the first weekend. Baseball doesn't open for another six weeks. I'm not sure how long we can milk the material.

Yaah Know, There was a Fat-Boy named Wells and one is at 290 now both hefty Lefties done pretty good, Don't Ya Think That aside Joba ain't a Lefty

I thought of that...but I had no self control and dug in anyhow

... like the Yankees pitching staff at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

"CC said popcorn is OK if someone else feeds you"

This is the subject that we Yankees fans should agree not to discuss this season.

You Yankee fans can agree to do that all you want...

This post comes off as Avery warning the opposing team during the pre-game skate

"Do whatever you want, but you know its coming"

Joba Chamberlain had a lot of sizzle in the early morning workouts. Unfortunately it was from the pound of bacon that he was broiling in the clubhouse.

Play ball!

I just turned it on and they did a flyover!

When did Leedsy start writing for the Onion?

Colon is looking good so far in camp.

EDIT: And Cervelli is out 4-6 weeks with a broken foot. Look for Montero to make the team to start the season.