Saturday, August 6, 2016

Recent & Notable August Trades in MLB


Just because the August 1st trade deadline has come and gone does not mean that the trades are done around the league. Trades can still happen, in fact trades can happen until the very last day of the season, but they get a little more complicated from here on out. Players must now pass through revocable waivers and can be claimed, and ultimately pulled back, or they can pass through waivers and be traded to any team. It gets complicated but it's not impossible so to end our Saturday night here on the blog I figured I would go through and touch upon some of the more recent and notable August trades in Major League Baseball history. Enjoy and we'll see you back here tomorrow.


  • In 2003 the Pittsburgh Pirates sent one of their best players on the team, Brian Giles, to the San Diego Padres for a pair of prospects. You may recognize some of the names that were traded for Giles, Oliver Perez and Jason Bay.


  • On this day in 2008 the Toronto Blue Jays acquired a player who was not even on the Major League roster at the time. The most notable player at the time of the trade was the Pittsburgh Pirates newest player Robinson Diaz but the clear cut winner was Toronto who acquired some dude named Jose Bautista.


  • In 2000 the New York Yankees acquired a familiar face to complete their dynasty years, the team sent a prospect to the Pittsburgh Pirates for infielder Luis Sojo. Sojo was a big member of the 1996-1999 Yankees before leaving for Pittsburgh via free agency. Sojo was acquired for the playoff and World Series run and did just that with a four-hit game and the game winning hit to clinch the 2000 World Series over the New York Mets. This isn't exactly a notable trade as much as it was a stretch to include the Yankees on the post. We're a Yankees blog afterall.


  • And who could forget the mega-deal between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox where over $250,000,000 in dollars changed hands overnight. The Dodgers sent James Loney, Allen Webster, Ivan De Jesus, Rubby De La Rosa and Jerry Sands to the Boston Red Sox for Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett.

The USA Today Ranks All 30 MLB Stadiums


The USA Today’s Ted Berg did something I wish I could do this week, he ranked all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums in the league. Now sure, I could rank them all day long but he has actually visited all 30 and that is the key component to my jealousy and to what makes this list unique and great. Make sure to visit the link to check out his write up’s on all 30 MLB stadiums and see where he ranks them but for the purposes of this post I will sample the Top 10 stadiums and the write up for good ole’ Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Enjoy.

1.       Petco Park – San Diego Padres
2.       AT&T Park – San Francisco Giants
3.       PNC Park – Pittsburgh Pirates
4.       Wrigley Field – Chicago Cubs
5.       Dodger Stadium – Los Angeles Dodgers
6.       Kauffman Stadium – Kansas City Royals
7.       Coors Field – Colorado Rockies
8.       Fenway Park – Boston Red Sox
9.       Target Field – Minnesota Twins
10.   Citi Field – New York Mets

25. Yankee Stadium – New York Yankees:


Credit the Yankees for eschewing the typical new-old look popular when their stadium opened in 2009, but not for producing a ballpark that looks more like a Las Vegas casino version of a stately building than the actual stately building they intended. The giant videoboard is great and the sight of the 4-train rumbling past is very cool, but the Yankees play within a couple of miles of some of the best Italian food on this great planet and somehow dare to unironically serve Papa John’s Pizza at their ballpark. You have to admire the chutzpah, really. — Ted Berg


Kluber Out-duels Sabathia , 5-2, Evens Series

A day after putting up a 13-spot on the Tribe, the Yankees were held to just two runs as they felt to the Indians in game two of the weekend series. The 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner C.C. Sabathia took the ball for New York this afternoon and struggled, as he allowed two homeruns in a game for the third consecutive outing. For Cleveland, 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber absolutely dominated the Yankees today, improving to 11-8 with his gem of a performance in the Bronx.

Both former Cy Young Award winners held their opposition scoreless in the first, but it was the bottom of the second inning that saw the first scoring action of the game. With one out, Starlin Castro lofted a single into left, coming around to score when two batters later rookie Gary Sanchez plugged the gap in left-center with a two-out double, his third double in his first four games. After a sharp single to right field by Aaron Hicks that advanced Sanchez to third, Cory Kluber threw a wild pitch to Ronald Torreyes that missed the target by 2-3 feet that allowed Sanchez to score, widening the Yankee margin to two.

Similar to last night's game, the Indians took a few innings to chip away at the Yankee lead, but would eventually battled back to tie the game. Jason Kipnis launched his 19th homerun of the season into the stands in right field to lead off the fourth that made it a 2-1 score. In the top of the fifth, after Abraham Amonte walked, advancing to second on a Carlos Perez ground out, Rajai Davis hit a two-out single to left that scored Almonte and knotted the game up at two.

Sabathia's struggles continued in the top of the sixth as the Tribe took the lead and knocked the big lefty out of the ballgame. With one out, Mike Napoli torched a hanging C.C. slider way over the wall in right-center to push Cleveland ahead by one. Then, after allowing a single to Carlos Santana, Sabathia walked Brandon Guyer and was pulled for righty reliever Anthony Swarzak, who got Abraham Almonte to strike out to end the threat with no further damage.

The Yankees pitching staff was once again bitten by the longball as Rajai Davis hit a line drive solo shot about 10 rows deep in left off Swarzak to extend the Indians lead to 4-2.

Corey Kluber was a strike throwing machine this afternoon, tossing eight innings of two-run ball, holding the Yanks to just five hits while walking one and striking out eight.

Cleveland tacked on one more run in the top of the ninth before they sent out their new closer Andrew Miller to sit down his former teammates. And, may I say it really sucked to see him come in and mow Yankee hitters down the same way he did for so long in pinstripes. Miller allowed one hit to Gardner before striking out Ellsbury and Teixeira. Brian McCann grounded out to short to end the ballgame and tying the series at a game apiece.

Here's to hoping tomorrow's rubber game looks more like last night's game rather than today's contest, with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 PM/EST.




Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians 8/6


The New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in the Bronx, things don’t get better than this in my opinion. This afternoon in the second game of the three game weekend set the New York Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound with a tough task on his hands, limiting the Indians offense and outpitching the Indians ace Corey Kluber. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network locally, MLB Network nationally and MLB TV anywhere you are.

You have one more shot to see Andrew Miller one last time this season tomorrow afternoon before the Yankees off day on Monday and their series inside Fenway Park starting on Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox. Click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog to get yourself a pair of seats now and also be sure to click the TGP T-Shirts link to support the team while you’re at the stadium.


Follow us on Twitter by giving @GreedyStripes a follow or like us on Facebook, you know since you like us so much and all. Sabathia vs. Kluber. Here we go. Go Yankees!

Eat This, Not That: Yankees Youth Movement Edition


The youth movement has finally, and I mean FINALLY, begun in New York after Brian Cashman shook up the organization and traded away a ton of veteran talent before the August 1st trading deadline. The farm system is now restocked and many believe that the Yankees have the top farm system in all of Major League Baseball. If you don’t agree with that you have to agree that they at least have a Top 3 farm system in the league but all that gets you in the grand scheme of things is a whole lot of promise and not enough MLB talent paying dividends if you don’t use them like the Yankees have been known to historically do. The team did call up Gary Sanchez before Wednesday night’s game with the New York Mets at least showing a willingness to build from within and reward some of their own but you can’t stop there. Keep the youth movement, and the good times, rolling.

If the Yankees want to keep giving at bats to the youth (Eat This) instead of letting the contracts of aging and under-producing veterans (Not That) then here are a few options for Brian Cashman and company to consider for the remainder of the 2016 season.

Eat This: Tyler Austin
Not That: Mark Teixeira

We discussed this earlier today but I mean it. You guys came out and said you could eat the contracts of both Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira if you sold at the trading deadline, and you did just as an FYI, so why is Teixeira and his sub-.200 batting average still on the team? Especially considering Austin’s performance in Triple-A both with the bat and the glove at first base. Austin has more home runs in Triple-A than Teixeira may hit ever again throughout his career. A slight exaggeration but an exaggeration that needed to be done for emphasis because Austin 110% deserves to be here and Teixeira, despite what his contract says, does not.

Eat This: Aaron Judge
Not That: Alex Rodriguez

The Yankees have #TooManyDamnOFs right now and no clear way to fix it. Not unless you stick to your word and eat the remaining year and a half of Alex Rodriguez’s contract and bring up some right-handed pop to rotate in and out of the DH position. Gary Sanchez is already here to provide some depth but Aaron Judge needs to be as well. Let him get the at bats that Aaron Hicks was getting, and again not deserving of, and let him slide into the DH role every now and then and really kick start this whole rebuild thing instead of just talking about it all day.

Eat This: Ben Gamel
Not That: Aaron Hicks

Speaking of Aaron Hicks there is no reason to be here if Judge is going to get the bulk of his playing time. His defense is pretty good but his bat has been horrendous and his inability to perform fundamentals like laying down a bunt should be the final straw and the straw that breaks the camel’s back on this team.

Eat This: Pick Your Poison
Not That: Anthony Swarzak and Richard Bleier


Neither Swarzak nor Bleier have a future with the club and neither have been especially effective either so why have them both in the bullpen? Bring up a kid and let him get his feet wet. There are plenty to choose from, Tyler Webb for example and Chasen Shreve as another and recently acquired Ben Heller as a third, so pick one and call them up. Use the wash that is the 2016 season wisely and build from within.  

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians 8/6


The New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians will continue their three-game weekend set today with some afternoon baseball here in the Bronx. Before we get too involved in this game preview I just have to say this, Andrew Miller looks kind of weird in that Cleveland Indians uniform after wearing the pinstripes for what felt like so long. Doesn’t he? Anyway I just had to get that off my chest. Today the Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound to square off against the Indians starter and ace Corey Kluber.

Sabathia used to pitch for the Cleveland Indians and the Indians never let him forget that when he pitches against his former team. Sabathia has struggled throughout his career against the team that drafted him and brought him up to the Major Leagues and he has especially struggled against them in his last three starts posting a 5.65 ERA with eight walks and five strikeouts.

Kluber won an AL Cy Young Award two seasons ago and took a step back in 2015 but the ace has once again regained his form in 2016 for the Indians. In his last start Kluber threw seven shutout innings against the Oakland Athletics in a victory for Cleveland. Kluber allowed just five hits with 7 K’s in the contest.


The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV. I know the Yankees took three-of-four from these Indians before the All-Star break about a month ago but these are a different set of Indians and definitely a different set of Yankees meaning this weekend series could hurt. A lot. It’s already bad enough seeing Andrew Miller pitching on the other side of the field in the opposing team’s bullpen but at least we have Gary Sanchez to watch and a few more prospects to salivate over. All we need now is a win. Go Yankees!

Weekly Prospects Check In: Tyler Austin


If you read the blog yesterday you know that I now condone eating this, and not that, and when I say “this” I mean Yankees prospects. The first Yankees prospect that should come up and continue the youth movement and the rebuild is the showcase of today’s weekly check in post, Tyler Austin.

Austin has done more than enough to earn a shot at the Major Leagues after starting the season out in Double-A. Who could blame the Yankees for starting Austin down in Trenton after numerous injuries and a couple down seasons full on struggle but Austin was called up to Triple-A to play first base and he has absolutely made the best of the situation crushing the baseball and playing a good first base all while putting his name back on the radar and the prospects map.


Wouldn’t it make sense to not only reward your prospects for earning their chance at the Majors with a call up but to also try a young guy in the midst of a rebuild instead of an aging veteran who has shown to have little to nothing left in the tank offensively? Maybe it’s just me. 

YearAgeLevGPARH2BHRRBISBBBSOBAOBPSLGOPS
201624AAA-AA1024285910530177666298.290.393.519.912
201624AA5021022461042913046.260.367.395.762
201624AAA52218375920134753252.319.417.6381.055

This Day in New York Yankees History 8/6: Hank Aaron Passes Babe Ruth



We all know this is a New York Yankees website but we pay respect when respect is due which is why we honor the Braves slugger Hank Aaron today. On this day in 1972 Hank Aaron passed the great Yankees legend Babe Ruth for the most home runs hit with one team. Aaron hit his 660th and 661st career home run with the Braves to pass the Babe’s record with the Yankees.

The Yankees also traded away Bucky Dent four years after becoming Bucky "F'in" Dent and Armando Benitez for Jeff Nelson on this day but really today belongs to Hammerin' Hank in my opinion.