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COFFEE JOE’S CANDOR
Credit Joe Girardi for coming clean in a way that was uncomfortable to watch in the aftermath of Sunday’s non-intentional walk to Kendry Morales. The good news for Girardi’s conscience is that the blast didn’t lose the game, it simply put it out of reach. The question is why he second-guessed his decision in the first place. Marte used to be the kind of lefty who could do more than spot work, but that doesn’t seem to be the case after his injuries. Morales, a switch-hitter, is a better hitter from the left side than the right, and normally you would want to turn him around. The forgoing should be inoperative when turning him around means letting him face a lefty who is no longer prepared to retire right-handed hitters regardless of their

 Now we know. The Yankees have dealt Melky Cabrera, Michael Dunn, and prospect Arodys Vizcaino to the Atlanta Braves in return for old pal Javier Vazquez and journeyman southpaw Boone Logan.

The Yankees have had a fascinating winter, and this deal adds yet another facet. The Yankees get to take another crack at exploiting Vazquez, who was far from at his best when the Yankees last saw him in 2004. He returns coming off the best year of his career, a season in which he reached a career-best strikeout rate, walked only 44 in 219.1 innings, and allowed only 20 homers, the last especially notable since he is a fly-ball pitcher and thus generally inclined towards the home run. The righty is also durable, having made no fewer than 32 starts in a season since he was

Steve, it's always been obvious that you think Cabrera is limited offensively, but please don't ignore the positives. Accidentally or on purpose. Why ignore his production during the last 1/4 of last season? Production that illustrates his improvement. In the past you always made a point of emphasizing his horrible Septembers. Why not shed some light and admit he had a good one? In fact, his productive finish this past season encompassed roughly the last 38 games. That's more than just September. That's very close to 1/4 of a season. He batted .298, with 22 runs batted in during that period. You can twist and distort any way you want, but those are clearly positive numbers and to an objective observer would certainly illustrate progress and improvement. He's not 28. He's 25. There's room

A few quick thoughts on the balance between offense and defense prompted by a comment on Tuesday’s entry, specifically, how can Melky Cabrera and Jacoby Ellsbury be assets in left field despite bats that are clearly too weak for the position?

Part of the difference is in defensive expectations. As Johnny Damon showed when he initially relocated to left field, a defensively stretched center fielder can really look overqualified when placed in a corner. Damon didn’t have the arm to make the big heave from the fence to the plate, or even the cutoff man, but he had a center fielder’s wheels.  Another player who comes to mind is Barry Bonds, who came up as a center fielder. Had he remained in center he probably would have been pretty good for awhile, but the Pirates had

I’m a day behind here as the Baseball Prospectus annual has done its usual job of turning my world on its ear; since the end of the World Series, the day of the week hasn’t mattered, the hour hasn’t mattered, it’s just book, book, and book some more, book around the clock. It’s not just the complete collapse of my circadian rhythms that has me in a sour mood today, but the latest news surrounding the Yankees and their rivals.

•    I remain convinced that the Yankees, in their eagerness to free up the designated hitter spot for a rotation, have made a mistake in pursuing Johnny Damon more avidly than they did Hideki Matsui. Matsui took the hit and got gone, reportedly signing a one-year deal with the Angels.  Despite his fragility, Matsui

MORE GRANDERSON MANSIONS
I don’t understand commentators not understanding the meaning of the Curtis Granderson deal in terms of its impact on the Yankees’ plans going forward. If I thought the Yankees had the same perception of the deal as some commentators, I would be truly afraid. Fortunately, as with last winter’s predictions that the Yankees absolutely, positively would not be in on Mark Teixeira, chances are that some of the latest predictions made are full of hot air.

Specifically, one analysis that’s floating about suggests that now that the Yankees have a power-hitting center fielder on hand they will not or can afford not to sign a quality left fielder or designated hitter, whether that means Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui or another team’s free agents.