Thursday, June 27, 2013

Gary Sanchez Has Been Traded For Pedro Ciriaco


We learned today that Yankees #1 prospect  Gary Sanchez has been traded for Pedro Ciriaco. Both players are under contract in the Dominican Winter League and that is where the trade went down, not between the Yankees and the San Diego Padres. I didn't scare you guys, did I? Gary is still a New York Yankees player and we did not trade him for a guy that was recently designated for assignment and picked up by the Padres from the Boston Red Sox.

Curtis Granderson Injury Update


Curtis Granderson is healing and is ready to rehab from that broken pinky on his left hand but is not yet ready to start swinging a bat. The hand is considered to be fully healed but Curtis still has some strength building exercises to get through before he starts swinging a bat, even dry swings or under water. The problem with this news is this puts us right at or around the trading deadline by the time Grandy comes back so we either put all of our stock into Granderson not getting a third freak injury this season or we make a trade and have a log jam in the outfield.

The Bronx Is Burning Part Two Continues W/ A Rod


Alex Rodriguez and the drama behind his hip, Biogenesis, his Twitter account, and so much more is seemingly taking a new twist or turn every day now and today is no exception. Alex Rodriguez has told the team that his hip is not ready for rehab games contrary to what his doctor and his now famous tweet said. Speculation has already begun that A Rod plans to begin a rehab and retire from the game of baseball because of the hip avoiding a suspension from Major League Baseball and so he can collect the entire amount of his contract that is still pending. If Alex retires due to a medical reason that keeps him off the field he will get the entire $114,000,000 owed to him whether he later gets suspended or not by MLB.

The Yankees have insurance on the Alex Rodriguez contract that was originally for 10 years and $275,000,000 with incentives allowing him to reach a maximum of $320,000,000 which would cover roughly 80% of his contract if he should retire from baseball. Alex Rodriguez knows that he is not going to the Hall of Fame and while I doubt that he actually needs the money I can see why he would want to collect everything he can from Major League Baseball and the New York Yankees before he is basically banished from it. Maybe that is why he got the twitter account in the first place because he knew he was going to have some time on his hands really really soon.

I really hate writing about this and I really hate reading about this but this story is just beginning and this will not go away any time soon unfortunately. This is going to get ugly and is going to be a distraction for this team, I mean how could it not? I just hope the best comes out of it for everybody whether that includes A Rod retiring from baseball or coming back to give a big middle finger to everyone like he did in 2009.

Baseball Prospectus Top 50 List Includes Gary Sanchez


Baseball prospectus has released its mid season Top 50 prospects list and one Yankee made the cut and that was Gary Sanchez. Gary is currently playing for the High A Tampa Yankees but looks to be promoted to Trenton to play AA ball for the Thunder any day now. Sanchez ranked #26 on BP's list which is a huge jump from ranking #47 in the preseason list from BP. Sanchez is currently sporting a .265/331/.473 triple slash with 11 home runs for the Tamp Yankees.

Game Thread: Rangers @ Yankees 6/27


The Yankees and the Rangers play an afternoon game in their finale of their three game set right now at Yankees Stadium. The Yankees will head to Baltimore to play the Orioles who they are in a dog fight with in the AL East. Phil Hughes is on the mound for the Yankees looking to keep the ball in the park and the Yankees in the ball game. Tune in to MLB Network and YES to watch the game.

Follow us on Twitter by following @GreedyStripes to keep up to the minute with us and the New York Yankees all season long.

Looking At Another Trade Target

Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com mentioned a few Phillies that he thought would be of interest to the Yankees. Philadelphia is three games under .500, and currently sits seven games in back of the NL East leading Atlanta Braves, so I was a bit skeptical. 

And there's something about the Phillie Phanatic that doesn't seem right. I mean... what is that?

For starters, I don't believe the Phillies are a team that would really be interested in salary relief. They have the third highest payroll in Major League Baseball, which shows they aren't the must budget conscious team in the league.

Secondly, we're not talking about a team that's known for being okay with rebuilding. At least as of late. Philadelphia hasn't finished worse than 3rd in the National League East since 2000, and they actually won that division five straight times between 2007 and 2011. So after missing the playoffs last season, and there being a good chance they miss them again this season, I can't believe they would just give anybody away in a trade. 

Let's face it, with the lack of big-time prospects to offer in a deal (at least in the upper minors), the Yankees will be relying on a team that's looking for salary relief and doesn't plan on contending right away next year. The Phillies don't fit that mold.

But what the hell? Why not at least take a look at the guys Salisbury mentioned as players the Yankees might be interested? 

The first player brought up was Chase Utley. Utley is currently hitting .266/.335/.462 with 8 home runs. Those aren't horrible numbers by any means, but they don't really grab your attention and make you jump out of your chair yelling "BUY, BUY, BUY!" Perhaps I would bother to delve a bit deeper into what he's done lately if it wasn't for the fact that he just doesn't fit the team's needs. Chase has played exclusively as Philly's second baseman since 2009, and hasn't started more than 6 games at any other position (1B) since 2005. So unless the Yankees were to move Robinson Cano to a different position, which is highly unlikely seeing as how Cano has played all but 1 inning of his MLB career at second, then there's no point in giving Utley another thought.

Moving on...

"Really? Are you sure?" - Chase
"Yes" - Me

Michael Young was mentioned by Salisbury as well. The 36 year-old third baseman has played a decent amount at first base, including a couple starts there this season and 40 starts there for the Rangers last year. As a right-handed hitter I can see where the Yankees may be attracted to Young, as he could not only play third base regularly, but could play first base in place of Lyle Overbay when facing a left-handed starter (I don't recommend looking up Lyle's numbers against LHP, as they are pretty ugly). As for what Young can do with the bat, over the past 3+ seasons he's had a really good batting average (.297), decent on-base percentage (.341), and some power (.426 SLG while averaging double-digit home runs per year). Seeing as how Young's contract is up after this season, and therefore we don't have to worry about a guy that will turn 37 in October (the 19th... same birthday as mine!) being around another year or more, I can see him being of interest to the Bombers.

But it's the final player that was mentioned that intrigued me the most... Carlos Ruiz. 

Now let me get one thing out of the way before I go any further here. I'm not concerned about the 25-game suspension Ruiz served due to testing positive for the banned amphetamine Adderall before this season. While doing an interview in Spring Training, Carlos broke down crying due to how bad he felt. Phillies manager, Charlie Manuel, backed up his catcher and said that he was confident Ruiz had learned from his mistake. I don't know the guy personally, so I can't tell you whether he and Charlie are simply full of it or not, but at this point I'm really not concerned when it comes to this subject.

What I am concerned about is whether or not Carlos Ruiz can play. A quick look at his batting line so far this season may make you say "no" right away, which I can understand considering that triple-slash is currently .273/.310/.299. But if you keep in mind that this is a guy that hit .325/.394/.540 last season, and has hit .303/.388/.454 over the previous three years, then it wouldn't surprise you when you see what Ruiz has done lately. In his past 7 games, Carlos is hitting .346/.357/.346. The power still hasn't come around, but I have reason to believe it will. 

Carlos is hitting a lot more balls on the ground than he normally does (about 54% ground balls, as opposed to hitting about 45% throughout his career), while hitting the ball just as hard (20% line drive percentage, just over his career number of 19%). The fact of the matter is this... a batter is going to have a really hard time hitting home runs, or more than a couple extra-base hits, if he's not getting the ball up in the air. 

Besides the fact that Ruiz is a pretty good hitter, we have to consider the fact that our current crop of catchers are just not getting it done. Yankee catchers this season have hit a combined .231/.298/.336. Many Yankee fans can't wait to get back Francisco Cervelli, but if they think he's going to come back and continue to bat .269/.377/.500 then I'd recommend they visit a neurologist and get their heads checked. Sure, Frankie may be able to keep up that batting average, as he's hit .271 in his MLB career, but he won't get on base that often (.343 OBP in 201 MLB games), nor will he hit for that much power (.367 SLG in those 5+ years). And you can't discount the fact that he fractured a bone in his throwing hand, which is surely going to have some effect on his game.

Cervelli hasn't played regularly since his 2007 season with single-A Tampa, being the back-up catcher on each team since. So while I don't think it's imperative that the Yankees trade for a catcher, it's definitely something to consider. But with Cervelli returning, Curtis Granderson returning to give the outfield a bit more oomph, and Derek Jeter coming back to settle things up at shortstop, the team may want to give first and third base the majority of their attention.

"Ready to give me another look?" - Michael
"Perhaps." - Me

Trenton Thunder Send 4 Players To All Star Game


The Trenton Thunder will send four of their players to the Eastern League All Star Game played on July 10th. The Thunder players representing us will be Ramon Flores, Nik Turley, Tommy Kahnle, and Tyler Austin. You have to wonder if JR Murphy and/or Jose Ramirez would have made the team had they not been recently promoted to AAA Scranton. Good luck to these four guys and hopefully they will make us all proud and represent us well in the game!

Texas Rangers @ New York Yankees 6/27


The Yankees and the Rangers will finish their three game set this afternoon at Yankees Stadium in a day game after a night game. If the Yankees had any extra hands on deck we would expect a "B Squad" type lineup but we have been throwing that lineup out there since April. The Yankees will sen Phil Hughes to the mound to face off against left hander Derek Holland. The game will be televised at 1:05 pm ET on YES, MLB Network, and on MLB TV.

Brian Cashman Please Read Me Before Christmas


Okay so earlier I said I was not one to be negative or rant or such but I have really had enough of Brian Cashman this season. First he called out Kevin Long and now he calls out Alex Rodriguez for an insignificant tweet the other night about being ready to play in games. He didn't say he was cleared to play in games by the Yankees or that he rehab assignment started here and when, all he said was he was healthy enough to play. I digress I know everyone has heard the story and is probably already sick of it but I had to go to twitter and see what Brian Cashman was obviously missing. Tell me Brian, and anyone reading this is urged to also use the comment box to voice their opinions and will not to be told to shut the f*&k up, what is the difference between A Rod's tweet seen above and these below?


If Brian Cashman wanted your fans to know you got your brace off I think he would have a twitter account now wouldn't he Curtis Granderson?

Brian Cashman says when you can get back on the field, not you Mark Teixeira!





Did Brian Cashman approve this? Did he say you could come back Francisco Cervelli?

I probably missed it but I do not remember reading a press release from Brian Cashman regarding you starting a rehab assignment Eduardo Nunez so can we please stop telling your fans on a social media site what is going on? Thanks!

Once again Brian Cashman I think YOU are the one that needs to shit the f*&k up and get me a first baseman that can actually hit the ball and worry less about the third basemen that we need because of your lack of GM skills lately.

#EndRant2

Cashman Is A Prick, End Of Story, No Caption Needed


Now I am not one to be negative, bash my team or any of its players or personnel, or even really rant but this one is a long time coming. I try and be politically correct and an optimist not because I run a blog but because thats the kind of man and fan that I am. One thing I do not have a tolerance for is being a hypocrite though and that is all I can see when I woke up this morning and read Brian Cashman's "shut the f&*k up" comment. How quickly Brian Cashman forgets his comments about Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long when he commented on Mark Teixeira's wrist setback. I believe the quote was something like :

"Some people are better with the microphone than others, let's put it that way."

Now would a quote like this one qualify as him being better with the microphone then Kevin Long or do we have a little bit of a hypocrite on our hands?

"You know what, when the Yankees want to announce something [we will]. Alex should just shut the f*#k up. That's it. I'm going to call Alex now."


I used to love Brian Cashman and put my faith in "Ninja Cash" but this guy has lost his ever loving mind. When did Brian Cashman become George Steinbrenner or grow the balls to think that he could be? Brian Cashman has one job and that is to field a team that can compete and stay healthy on the field. While I believe he got lucky more than he did his job in the competing field he has not done a great job bringing durability, versatility, or depth to the team. Maybe Brian Cashman should make sure his kitchen is clean before he goes out talking about other peoples tidiness.


I have lost all respect for Brian Cashman after the off season that he had and now after calling out publicly not only Kevin Long but Alex Rodriguez. I know there is going to be people who take either side but I am definitely Team A Rod on this one. A Rod's tweet was harmless and he wanted to show his fans and his followers that he was making progress in his rehab because here's a reality check Brian Cashman thanks to you and your less than stellar general managing we NEED A Rod, like it or not. I'm sorry but if I am running this team, and this goes to you Hank and Hal Steinbrenner, you are handing in your time card at the end of the shift this afternoon. What happened to the days of Joe Torre when we handled things internally and not through the media? And while we are at it damn that A Rod for taking the moral high ground with this quote in response to Brian Cashman being a prick.


A Rod should have let him have it but A Rod showed maturity and a, faked or not, love for the game and for the New York Yankees. All Brian Cashman has done lately is show that he has no faith in the farm system, is still stuck in the ways of trading highly touted prospects for established players, and he seems like he does not give a crap anymore. If you're tired of the New York media and the pressure and having to find a way to win with $200,000,000 plus payroll then allow me to show you the door Mr. Cashman. Alex should shut the f*#k up? No Mr. Cashman I think it is your turn to shit the f*#k up, and I mean indefinitely.


#EndRant

Game 78 Lineup: Rangers vs. Yankees

It's the series finale with Phil Hughes on the mound. So after you read the lineup, please pray for Phil Hughes to perform well?

Ichiro Suzuki CF
Jayson Nix SS
Robinson Cano DH
Vernon Wells RF
Zoilo Almonte LF
Lyle Overbay 1B
David Adams 2B
Alberto Gonzalez 3B
Austin Romine C

Some Notes:

-- Brett Gardner was originally slated to be in the lineup but was scratched due to a head cold. It probably came at a good time since Gardner has played a lot lately.

Special Mariano Rivera New Era Hat For 2013


I do not know if you guys have heard or not but the greatest closer of all time Mariano Rivera is retiring after the 2013 season and in honor of him New Era is releasing a special edition Yankees hat in his honor. Above is the picture of the hat and it can be purchased anywhere Yankees hats or New Era hats are sold. Get one now because these are definitely limited edition.

Morning Bits

Good morning everyone!

The Yankees lost to the Rangers last night by a score of 8-5.

Andy Pettitte got knocked around in the fourth inning, loading the bases and then surrendering back -to-back two-run doubles to Adrian Beltre and A.J. Pierzynski.  That's three consecutive bad starts for Pettitte, who has only won two games since April 19th.

Joba Chamberlain's season of misery continues.  Chamberlain allowed a two-run home run to Nelson Cruz in the 7th inning after the Yankees had pulled to within one run of the lead.  Chamberlain's ERA is now 6.38.

After a two-run blast by Ichiro once again brought the Yankees to within one run of the lead, all hope was extinguished when Shawn Kelley gave up two runs in the top of the 9th inning.

The Yankees were also sloppy in the field with errors by Brett Gardner and Jayson Nix leading to unearned runs.

Today's game will be start at 1:05 PM ET and be broadcast by YES.

Phil Hughes(3-6, 5.09 ERA) and Derek Holland(5-4, 3.43 ERA) will be today's starting pitchers.

Now on to today's news links:

Wallace Matthews of  ESPNNY says A-Rod believes the Yankees didn't ever want him to return.

David Waldstein of the New York Times has this article about Hal Steinbrenner talking with A-Rod, Cashman's apology, and Mark Teixeira's season ending surgery.

Jason Gay of the WSJ writes about "The Jerk Store" calling the Yankees.

Have a great day everyone!

 

This Day In New York Yankees History 6/27


On this day in 1972 Wade Blasingame made his Yankees debut and what would be his last start of his major league career. The Yankees pitcher would give up three consecutive home runs in the first inning against the Tigers in a 5-2 loss in Detroit.