Monday, June 11, 2012
NY Times: Gardner’s Setback Leaves Yankees Bracing for Much Longer Wait
Gardner will visit Dr. James Andrews, the noted sports orthopedist, on Monday or Tuesday. Then, at his agent’s request, he will travel to Cincinnati to visit Dr. Timothy Kremchek for a third opinion.
The news was a blow to the Yankees, who were hoping that Gardner could return next week to re-energize the lineup. Gardner has been on the disabled list since April 18 with a bone bruise and a pulled muscle in his elbow.
“He’s had more than enough rest,” General Manager Brian Cashman said. “He should be fine by now. We’ll see what someone else sees.”
Maybe you should have done an exam when he first got hurt instead of resting him on the hope he would get better?
In other great news, the Yankees were outbid for Jorge Soler. I’m annoyed that I went to the trouble of creating a Jorge Soler tag for a grand total of two posts, but whatever.
At least the days when people would accuse the Yankees of buying a pennant appear to be over. They’re not buying anything these days. Seriously, what use could they have had for a 20 year OF prospect with great physical tools?
Fox News Latino: Yankees Making A Push For Cuban Defector Soler
New York, NY – After taking a back seat while other teams chased international stars such as Yu Darvish and Yoenis Cespedes, the New York Yankees are making a strong push to land Cuban defector Jorge Soler, sources confirmed.
Teams were expected to make their final bids Sunday night for the 20-year-old outfielder, with a decision expected to come as soon as Monday. He is expected to get a four-year deal that could be worth $20 million.
It sounds like the Yankees are making a pretty strong push for Soler. He’s probably at least two years away from being a contributor in MLB, but the Yankees certainly have a need for outfielders with Nick Swisher’s contract up after this year and Curtis Granderson’s up after 2013. Soler’s likely to be the last international free agent that will be signed before MLB’s newly imposed limit on signing bonuses for them takes place, so the bidding could get pretty high. The Cubs are considered the favorites from most of what I’ve read, but hopefully the Yankees snag him.
Here’s one scouting report on Soler, from Baseball Prospect Nation.
Body: Very physical (6-3, 200) with explosive strength and athleticism. Muscular but maintains flexibility and shows fast-twitch ability. Plus athlete.
Power: Arguably the highlight of his game. True plus-plus raw power to the pull side, along with the strength to drive the ball out the opposite way.
Arm: Classic right field arm. Gets rid of it quickly with plenty of velocity and good carry on all throws.
Summation: Truly classic right field profile. Offers plus-plus raw power that has a chance to translate if the hit tool comes together. Good athlete with an impressive body. Runs well in the outfield and should be a plus defender with a plus arm. Many of the nuances of the game are in various stages of development and he will require refinement for all his tools to play at once in the US. Raw ceiling could be a .275-.280 hitter with 30 home runs in the heart of the lineup, all with very good outfield defense.
Sounds good to me.
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