Frankie Montas or Bust...

 

Frankie Montas / Photo Credit: Chris Carlson, AP

Prized Target Castillo heads to the Upper Northwest…

Time will tell if Luis Castillo is sleepless in Seattle, but the Mariners added firepower to their playoff chances with the acquisition of the pitcher from the Cincinnati Reds. Most Yankee fans had wanted to see Castillo in Pinstripes, and there were times where we felt it might happen but as it usually goes, we never get the top pitching target. Too many of us have been through the days of Greg Maddux, Cliff Lee, and Gerrit Cole (when he was a Pirate), to name a few.

The fans have immediately turned their attention to Frankie Montas of the Oakland A’s who many have rated as second only to Castillo among available pitchers. That is probably debatable, but there is no doubt Brian Cashman, and his herd of analysts have their sights set on certain pitchers (including names that have not made the headlines). We know they have liked Montas in the past, and there are rumors they tried to acquire him during the Spring. GM Brian Cashman will never make the obvious move. The recent Andrew Benintendi is a rare exception. A player long rumored connected to the Yankees who actually ends up there. More than likely, Cash is working on potential pitchers who might surprise us in addition to rekindling his talks with the A’s Billy Beane. I wanted Castillo but I tried to temper my expectations for this exact scenario. I would be pleased to acquire Montas, Pablo Lopez of the Miami Marlins, or, with trust in the front office, any pitcher they deem to be a solid number two to slot in behind Gerrit Cole.

The Mariners paid a high price for their new ace. Four prospects which included three of their top five according to MLB.com. For the Yankees, that would be sending three of Anthony Volpe, Oswald Peraza, Jasson Dominguez, Austin Wells, and Ken Waldichuk. I recognize that the value of a team’s top five varies from team to team and the Yankees were said to have made an offer to the Red that nearly rivaled the Mariners in quality. It would have been wonderful to get Castillo, but it did not happen, and we move on. One starting pitcher is not going to be the reason the Yankees do not win the World Series. There is something special about the 2022 Yankees (despite the lackluster July results) and if they can get quality reinforcements elsewhere, I like the team’s chances in October.

Like Castillo, the Yankees have been long connected to Montas. By Tuesday, we will either have a new starting pitcher or we will not. It is not the end of the world. I have no desire to see Domingo German pitch again even if he was better last time out. I would rather see JP Sears or Ken Waldichuk given a shot before rolling German out there again. Waldichuk, a 24-year-old lefty, is 6-3 in sixteen starts for the Somerset Patriots and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders this season with combined 2.60 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 72 2/3 innings pitched. He absolutely dominated Double-A after six games which forced his promotion to Triple-A. Waldichuk is a better pitcher than former Yankees prospect Janson Junk who shut out the Kansas City Royals for six innings earlier this week to win his Major League debut with the Los Angeles (Anaheim) Angels. Waldichuk is nearing his time if he is not traded for Montas or another starter.

Ken Waldichuk / Photo Credit: NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

I remember when fans did not want young prospect Andy Pettitte starting for the Yankees. Everybody must start some time. It is not like you make your Major League debut as a seasoned Major League veteran. Not that I think Waldichuk will be as good as Pettitte, but he deserves a chance to prove who he is or who he can be. I am not trying to go down the path of let’s start Waldichuk over an acquisition of a top starting pitcher, but the point is, have faith in GM Brian Cashman. Regardless of what happens, the Yankees will be okay, and we WILL be playing in October.

Welcome to the Yankees, Andrew Benintendi. I know many fans wanted outfielder Ian Happ of the Chicago Cubs. It would have been nice to pair Happ with his former World Series brother Anthony Rizzo, but since he is not a true rental like Benny, the cost would have been higher than the three pitching prospects who went to Kansas City. I like Benny. It is frustrating to watch Yankee fans who are already turning on him after a couple of games. He needs more time to show who he is. I would never hold the Royals series as the standard for whether he can make it in New York. Players are human and there are emotions involved. He is suddenly thrust into playing against the guys he has gone to war with the last couple of years. He flew on the Royals team plane to New York on Wednesday night thinking he would be playing against the Yankees, not for them. There is pressure to perform well. So many variables that create challenges to a hot start. As he settles in, he will perform, this I am certain.

Andrew Benintendi / Photo Credit: Jason Szenes, NY Post

After five years in Boston, Benny was traded to the Royals in February 2021. He has not faced the Red Sox since the trade. The Yankees head to Boston in a couple of weeks so it will be interesting to see what kind of reception he receives from the Red Sox Nation sporting the Yankees’ gray away uniform. Boston manager Alex Cora had interesting words to say when he was asked about Benny the Yank. “Good for him,” Cora responded when asked about the trade. “He worked hard the last two years to make adjustments and get back to the hitter everybody envisioned in the past: .300 hitter who will get on base and is a good base runner. Defensively, he’s been amazing in Kansas City.” The words within the words read like: ‘He sucked in Boston.’ Cora added, “For the person, I’m very happy. For the player, we’ll leave it at that.” I do not know the reasons that led Boston to trade Benintendi. I was surprised at the time for no other reason than Benny had been a thorn when playing against the Yankees. It is obvious that he has worked hard, making the necessary adjustments to become a better player. The recent All-Star selection is confirmation. Benny does not need to hit homers (he only has three this season), although I would expect him to run into more than three with the short porch in right. If he is getting on base and moving runners, all is good. I am glad that the future of the 2022 Yankees left fielder is not an automatic out at the plate like it has been.

I am happy Benny is a Yankee. I wanted him even if Alex Cora did not. I saw the benefit of Ian Happ, but I like the retention of top prospects for a possible acquisition of a top starting pitcher. I was hoping those prospects could be used for Castillo as stated earlier, but there are other options that might not have existed if the Yankees had moved top prospects for Happ. Also, while I do not expect the Yankees to acquire Juan Soto, you can never say never until Ken Rosenthal, Jack Curry or Jeff Passan are reporting that he has been traded elsewhere. My take all along has been get a top starting pitcher and a lesser outfielder (than Soto). We have the outfielder, now we need the pitcher. If we get Soto too, great. I will run out to buy my new Soto Yankees jersey. If we do not, I am sorry, but we move on as we always have.

If Benintendi performs well in Pinstripes, I would like to see the Yankees try to bring him back this off-season when he hits free agency. The Yankees will be focused on re-signing Aaron Judge (as they should, as they must) and there are times it seems like the Yankees can only focus on one thing at a time so time will tell if Benny’s Yankee career can be measured in years or only in months. I wish him well and hope he succeeds as a New York Yankee.

Rotating relief pitchers. Ryan Weber has had an interesting Yankees career. Signed to a minor league contract, added to the Major League roster, designated for assignment, refusal of outright assignment, and re-signed to a new minor league contract. Rinse and repeat. He has now done this about three or four times. Shane Greene just completed his first cycle and is back with the RailRiders, along with Weber, on his second minor league contract. They await the next call, so does former Pittsburgh Pirates/Atlanta Braves reliever Richard Rodriguez.

Richard Rodriguez / Photo Credit: SI.com

It will be a surprise if the Yankees do not acquire a strong reliever between now and Tuesday. David Robertson seems to be the reliever most discussed which, of course, means it probably will not happen. It does seem like there is a better chance D-Rob winds up in Queens. Losing Michael King hurt, although I think Clarke Schmidt can step up and has already. Aroldis Chapman is pitching better, and I continue to have faith in an improved Jonathan Loaisiga. The Yankees need to quit rolling at Wandy Peralta at the end of games. It worked out last night but with a six-run lead, it was not exactly a pressurized moment. Wandy is better in the middle innings. Keep him there.

Aaron Judge, MVP. I seriously hope we are not watching the end of Aaron Judge’s Yankee career. It is bittersweet with every home run that this could be it for his time in New York. He is New York. He should be a Yankee for life, and he should be Captain of the New York Yankees. It would be beautiful to see the Yankees re-sign him to a long, mutually beneficial contract, with Hall of Famer and former Captain Derek Jeter performing a ceremony at home plate to anoint Judge as the team’s next Captain.

Aaron Judge w/Meredith Marakovits / Photo Credit: MLB.com

When Judge hits the free agent market, if the San Francisco Giants were to offer Judge the same dollars and years as the Yankees, would he stay with his loyalty to the team or would he head home to the West Coast to play for the team he cheered as a child. The Yankee players who were fans as children always get attention. It would be tough seeing Giants fans capturing one of their own. I want Judge to stay. It will be devastating to watch him leave. Like anything, we would survive but it would be painful. I think if another team steals Judge away from the Yankees (and there are plenty of crazy owners who could do it), it would make an apparent inability to acquire Juan Soto that much more hurtful. While I get not giving up the players it would take to acquire Soto, the Yankees must keep Judge. Hal, please hear our words and loosen your death grip on your wallet.

Lastly, be kind to Joey Gallo. I am tired of the harsh words about Gallo. Lindsey Adler wrote a beautiful piece about Gallo in The Athletic this week, and I agree with her thoughts. Joey Gallo has worked hard to become a better player, but it has not worked out in New York. The team recognizes it, or they would not have acquired Andrew Benintendi. It is probable when the sun rises on Wednesday morning, Gallo is no longer a Yankee. I liked the guy and I genuinely wanted it to work. It did not work but you can never say it was not for the lack of trying. He wanted to succeed. Gallo is a good man, a great clubhouse influence, and a wonderful teammate. I am convinced he will thrive in a market without the heavy expectations of New York.

Joey Gallo / Photo Credit: @TheAthleticMLB on Twitter

I thank Joey for trying and wish him the best wherever he lands in the coming days.

As always, Go Yankees!

MLB Focus Begins to Shift to 2021...

 

Life after the Pandemic and the Cheating Scandal…

Now that it has been a few weeks since baseball ended its strange, shortened season, it is time to look forward to the upcoming season next Spring. There’s probably reasonable doubt the regular season as we knew it until this year is probably still a couple of seasons away. I am not really expecting a full unaltered schedule in Spring Training and the regular season. Granted, we probably won’t have any specific details until early next year, but I truly hope we have more than 60 games. My general expectation at this point is at least 154 games but that’s assuming we can get a handle on the pandemic sooner than later. Although it is possible, I am not sure we’ll make it to a full 162 games with adjustments that will need to be made. Maybe I am totally wrong and next season returns business as usual. Not likely in my opinion but certainly possible.  Realistically, I see somewhere between 120 to 154 games, plus or minus. Or to better hedge my bet, somewhere between 1 and 162 games.

I figured that A.J. Hinch and Alex Cora would find jobs one day but admittedly I did not think it would happen so quickly. From the moment Alex Cora was fired as the manager of the Boston Red Sox, I felt strongly he’d be back. I never once thought Ron Roenicke was anything more than a one year “fill-in” even if the interim tag was pulled off his title early this past season. I’ve seen Red Sox fans upset that the team rehired a cheater. True. But with all honesty, from the moment the Detroit Tigers hired A.J. Hinch, it was only a matter of time until Cora got his next gig. While I don’t like Alex Cora, I do think he is a good manager and I say that with sincerity despite his active role in the Astros cheating scandal.  

As for Hinch, I guess you can probably say that his crime was knowing about the cheating tactics and doing nothing about it, versus Cora’s active participation. Is that better? Not sure as both men broke the rules and disgraced the sport. Yet, here we are, and both men hold jobs in Major League Baseball again after serving their respective one-year suspensions. Apparently other men adversely impacted by the Astros scandal have short memories. Hinch just hired former Los Angeles Dodgers coach George Lombard to be his bench coach with the Tigers. Lombard was coaching for the Dodgers in their World Series loss to the Astros in 2017.

There was a time I didn’t think former Astros general manager Jeffrey Luhnow would ever get a job in MLB again but now that Hinch and Cora were able to return so quickly, I think it is only a matter of time until some desperate MLB owner comes knocking on Luhnow’s door to help with a rebuild.

My hope is both Hinch and Cora have genuine regret for their prior indiscretions and cowardice, and they have recommitted themselves to preserving the integrity of the sport. Any future violations should result in immediate lifetime bans. They should literally be walking into the land of zero tolerance, not even a whisper of crossing the ethical line. If they prove they are worthy of redemption, they should get it. We are the land of second chances. I hope they do not abuse the privilege handed to them as members of Major League Baseball.

This is a big week for MLB. Rookies of the Year will be announced tomorrow (Monday, November 9^th). Managers of the Year will be November 10^th (as much as I dislike the Rays, I’d say Kevin Cash has to be the easy AL winner). Wednesday, November 11^th will be the AL and NL Cy Young Award winners, while Thursday, the 12^th will be the MVP’s for each league. November 11^th also represents the deadline for players, who received a qualifying offer, to accept or reject the offer. DJ LeMahieu is expected to reject the offer to dip his toe into free agency.

I really hope the Yankees re-sign LeMahieu. Even with the talk the Cleveland Indians have opened the bidding for Francisco Lindor, I’d prefer LeMahieu’s return. Lindor would be great, no doubt, but he will cost much in talent and dollars. LeMahieu is not as costly and I am not a proponent of moving him to first base. I do firmly believe Gleyber Torres will get better at shortstop. I am confident he is putting in the work as I type this post, and he’ll be better prepared for the starting shortstop role in 2021 than he was this past season. Maybe he is not the elite player Lindor is but I am perfectly fine with Torres and LeMahieu at shortstop and second base, respectively. If anything, I want dollars and talent to help improve the pitching staff behind Gerrit Cole and eventual return of Luis Severino. So, as much as I like Lindor, I do not feel he makes sense for the Yankees this point in time. 

Honestly, I think if the Yankees go after Lindor, it means LeMahieu won’t be back.

The Yankees should take a flyer on Corey Kluber if the price is right. There’s huge risk, no doubt, but great upside potential if he is healthy. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I know he is not the pitcher he once was, but even the great Pedro Martinez subscribed to the Toby Keith song with the lyrics, “I ain’t as good as I once was, but I’m as good once, as I ever was”. That “once” could easily be a big October moment.

I am not really expecting any major trade acquisitions or free agency signings this month. It could happen. James Paxton was a November trade a couple of years ago but I think this off-season will be slower to get started. It might never pick up with any acceleration as teams count their pennies after 2020’s lost revenues.  I think even this year’s Winter Meetings next month will be more somber than usual.

I guess I don’t follow the relationships of Yankees farm teams very closely. I was shocked to hear yesterday the Yankees had abandoned the Trenton Thunder as their Double A affiliate and have moved on to the Somerset Patriots in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey.

The Thunder will be offered the Patriots’ spot in the independent Atlantic League while the Patriots will move to the Eastern League replacing the Thunder. The move caused bitter reaction from Thunder ownership so there were obvious tensions between them and the Yankees throughout this process. Thunder owner Joseph Plumeri released a statement which included “While this community built the Yankees organization up and set minor league baseball attendance records, it seems the Yankees were only focused on trying to cut culturally diverse Trenton down in favor of a wealthy, higher socioeconomic area in Somerset”. Trenton had been the Yankees’ AA team since 2003. For some reason, I thought of the Boston Red Sox when I first heard the name “Somerset Patriots”. It must just be the team’s New England sounding nickname since they have no affiliation with Boston and of course Somerset is in New Jersey, not New England. The Patriots play their games at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater.

The Yankees also gave the axe to Charleston, South Carolina, ending their relationship with the Class A River Dogs. They will be replaced by Hudson Valley Renegades. The Renegades play their games at Dutchess Stadium in Wappinger Falls, New York. The Renegades also replace the Tampa Tarpons as the Yankees High-A affiliate. The Tarpons are still in the family but move down to Low-A.  The moves certainly put the three most critical Yankees farm teams in close proximity to the greater NYC area. Maybe that’s the grand design. The Renegades were most recently the Class A Short Season affiliate for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Welcome to the new cities joining the Yankees family! While we will miss Trenton and Charleston, it will be fun to see players create new memories in Bridgewater, New Jersey and Wappinger Falls, New York as we move forward.

Congratulations to DJ LeMahieu for winning a 2020 AL Silver Slugger Award after a season with a .364 batting average (.364/.421/.590, 1.011 OPS). Yet another reason we need to keep this guy as if we really needed a reminder.

Thank you to Erik Kratz. After his long career, spent mostly in the minor leagues, the mini-Yankees celebrity this past season has announced he won’t be playing in the 2021 season. The 40-year-old Kratz almost certainly has a very bright coaching career ahead for him if he decides to stay in the game. I can easily see him as a MLB manager one day.

I am relieved that J.A. Happ is no longer a Yankee. He had some good moments as a Yankee and I appreciate his time, for the most part, in Pinstripes but I was so ready to move on. Of course, the Yankees need to ensure that they find suitable replacements for the loss of Happ and possibly Masahiro Tanaka and James Paxton but giving Happ’s spot to Clarke Schmidt or Deivi Garcia is an easy call. Not sure that I want to go into 2021 with both Schmidt and Garcia as starters but at least one should make the cut. I prefer experience for the other open spots.  I expect Jordan Montgomery to be better in 2021 as he further distances himself from Tommy John surgery and the Yankees should get Luis Severino back by next summer. I’d love to see the Yankees bring in Trevor Bauer if they choose not to bring back Tanaka and/or Paxton.  I think some question if his personality would fit with team chemistry but there should be no question he carries major talent in his right arm. I think he’s one of those guys you hate when he’s not on your team but you love when he is. 

This has been a weird year and I hope everyone has managed to stay healthy. One of my former employees, only in his 40’s with young children at home, lost a month-long battle with the coronavirus this past week. It’s a reminder it can happen to anyone so please be safe.

As always, Go Yankees!

Manfred Tosses Softball to Red Sox...

Commissioner proves his ineptness, again…

It’s been awhile since I’ve sat down to write a post so I guess I should get to it. Admittedly, with the stay at home orders in effect for the COVID-19 Pandemic and  the absence of Major League Baseball, there’s a general sense of disconnection with our favorite sport, at least for me. 

Since the COVID-19 Pandemic began, I’ve relocated 1,100 miles from Denver, Colorado to the warmer confines of Orange County, California. I know, not the best time to make a cross-country move. Three weeks ago, I endured cold temps and a snowstorm as I was preparing to leave Colorado. Yesterday, the temperature reading outside was 99. Winter to Summer faster than DJ LeMahieu can scoop up a hard grounder off the bat of Xander Bogaerts. Oh well, it only means that I’ve seen my last snowfall and that’s a good thing.

The news of the week was obviously the commissioner’s announcement of the penalties (very loose use of the word, sorry) handed down to the Boston Red Sox for their involvement with cheating activities during the 2018 season. Frankly, I expected the punishment to be very light. Like many, I’ve reached the conclusion that Rob Manfred is a weak commissioner and I didn’t expect him to take a stand against the Red Sox. Even if we felt Houston got off easy, I didn’t think MLB would come close to the penalties assessed on the Astros for Boston. Unfortunately, I was right. Probably my biggest surprise was how easy former Red Sox manager Alex Cora emerged from the penalty phase despite dishonest tactics that contributed to World Series championships in two consecutive years for him. Since it was so light (he was basically penalized for 2017 but not 2018), I fully expect him to return as Red Sox manager at some point. I know Boston removed the “interim” tag from current Manager Ron Roenicke, but I think his tenure will be short. The surprise for me will be if Cora does not return as Red Sox manager.  

Photo Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

As frustrating as it may be that Boston was only forced to forfeit a second round draft pick (and the video replay-operator was suspended), I am glad to put the entire cheating scandals behind us. If the Red Sox cheated, I never felt they did it as openly and dishonestly as the Astros. I am not trying to condone what the Red Sox did but I am ready to move the game forward in a positive light and put the misdealing’s of two Major League clubs in the archives. I hope, if those two teams, or any teams, are subsequently found to be guilty of further incidents of trying to cheat to win, the penalties and will be swift and severe. Granted, the hammer should fall harder on the Astros and Red Sox with multiple offenses to their record, but really no team should get off as easily as the Red Sox did.  

Yankees manager Aaron Boone pretty much echoed those words in a recent interview which appeared in The New York Post:

“I’m glad that we’re kind of through those situations,’’ Boone said. “Hopefully, as I’ve said all along and I do believe this, hopefully just as a sport we’ll be better moving forward knowing that you mess around and they’re coming for you. And I think that’s a good thing.”

I saw some criticism of Boone for his words, but I get it. We need to move on. I think the toughest part for any of us is wondering when that may be since it is all contingent upon when MLB play can be resumed. Shortened season, no fans in the stands, limiting games to certain states…we’ve seen plenty of alternative options discussed but realistically the cancellation of the entire season remains in play. I don’t think anyone wants to see the season wiped away, particularly not the owners and their need for greed. But until clear vision for how to restart the season emerges, the possibility of no season exists. 

I am saddened that we could potentially lose one of Gerrit Cole’s prime years. There’s little question he’ll be much less effective in the latter half of his contract so the worth of his huge contract is literally dependent upon his successes in the early years, much like CC Sabathia a decade ago.

Photo Credit: Frank Franklin II-AP

On the bright side, there is probably a good chance that both Giancarlo Stanton and James Paxton (and possibly even Aaron Hicks) will be ready depending upon when/if the season is resumed.  

It’s been good to have the NFL Draft the last couple of days to give us some degree of Sports in our universe. My TV has tuned into ESPN for the first time in a long time. I had to figure out what channel it was even on since I hadn’t ever watched it during my very short time in Southern California.  

Still wondering if the Los Angeles Angels will refund me for the tickets I bought for the Yankees’ three-game series in Anaheim over Memorial Day Weekend or if they’ll just apply them to future games. In advance of my move, I had bought tickets to multiple baseball games and two concerts over the summer and there’s a chance none come to fruition. Wasted money at this point. 

As much as I want the World to return to some sense of normalcy, I am concerned about doing too much, too soon, and bringing the arc of the coronavirus back up. I miss baseball and the distraction it creates for our daily lives (a much needed and therapeutic distraction, I should add). I look forward to watching baseball games on TV and in person. I know we’ve been given many options to watch games of years gone by but it’s not the same. I want to see Giancarlo Stanton smash a massive home run far into the outfield crowd or depending where the games are played, far over the outer reaches of the ballparks…in real time. I want to watch Gerrit Cole dominant his opponents, and see him annihilate his former Houston teammates. One day, some day…

I hope everyone is healthy and safe. For those of you who have been adversely impacted by the deadly coronavirus, we stand with you and keep you in our thoughts and prayers. We’ll make it through this, and we will stand united again in our love of baseball and the Yankees.  

As always, Go Yankees!

A Hinch In Our Step...

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Hinch makes first public appearance...

A.J. Hinch will get another opportunity to manage in Major League Baseball.

This is not an endorsement or a belief he said the right things during his interview by Tom Verducci of the MLB Network. In fact, the interview might have raised more questions than answers but I do feel it was the critical first step for Hinch as he tries to rebuild his image and position himself for a job in 2021. 

There is no doubt Hinch is still very protective of his Astros players even though he is no longer their leader. On one hand, it’s an admirable trait that he’s willing to be the sacrificial lamb for his guys but on the other, his players showed no respect for their manager when they continued their deceitful and illegal practices despite Hinch’s displeasure as evidenced by his use of a baseball bat to two monitors. Hinch should have said something, done something (beyond taking batting practice on the monitors), but I am glad to know he was not in favor of the cheating. His inaction to stop the cheating is not an honorable quality. 

I am not really trying to dissect Hinch’s interview. I’ve never been a big fan of his and the perspectives of the fans will be based on our own individual biases. When I think of the smug answers he gave at Yankee Stadium during the ALCS last fall, it does infuriate me. Yet, on a human level, it’s hard to watch a man stripped of the game he loves. I don’t know if he has the proper remorse. He said the things he needed to say to take responsibility and accountability, which I appreciate. However, there are many unresolved questions. Ultimately, it comes across as ‘I am sorry I (we) got caught’. 

The 2017 World Series Championship is forever tainted. There is nothing that can be said or done that will absolve the Astros of the sins they committed to take away a potential championship from two teams that, as far as we know, played the game the right way…the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees. Championships are very hard to come by and we were deprived of the joy and excitement of potentially winning the World Series in 2017. 

When the one year suspension is over, I am confident Hinch will be given consideration for a MLB job. Maybe he has to serve as a bench coach first but eventually he’ll be given a managerial post again. I’ve wondered if the opportunity could present itself with the team that fired him, the Houston Astros. There is nothing in the rule book that says he can’t manage the Astros again. Dusty Baker may be the current manager but there’s really no doubt he does not represent the long-term future as the team’s leader. He’s on the last stop of his long career, armed with only a one-year contract. He serves a purpose today, but it could open the door for Hinch’s return. The upcoming season gives owner Jim Crane a year to say they did the right thing by parting ways with Hinch and GM Jeffrey Luhnow but a year from now, there will be talk about how Hinch has served his punishment and his time away has given him the necessary introspection and redemption to resume his role as the Astros manager. If the Astros have a winning season this year without the trash can banging and other illegal practices, it helps Hinch’s case to return. I am not defending Hinch. This is just the reality of the situation. I firmly believe that he’ll see a Major League dugout again regardless of what we think or feel. 

I want to see the Astros players take accountability. So far, only former Astros Mike Fiers, the whistleblower, and Dallas Keuchel have stepped forward. Houston pitchers report to Spring Training next Thursday, and the players (the heart of the conspirators) report a week from Monday. We’ll be watching closely as the players are asked about their involvement and I think it behooves the Astros organization to hold a press conference with key team players to address the elephant in the room sooner than later. 

The Astros play their first Spring game on Saturday, February 22^nd in West Palm Beach, FL against the team they share FITTEAM Ballpark of The Palm Beaches, the defending World Champion Washington Nationals. It will be interesting to see what type of reception they receive from the crowd. It’s too bad the Astros don’t come to Steinbrenner Field for any games during the exhibition season. The first regular season road crowd the Astros will face is the Oakland A’s on Monday, March 30^th (they open the season at home against the Los Angeles Angels). I really hope the Oakland crowd, not one to hold back their feelings, lets the Astros players have it with their vocal displeasure. 

Photo Credit: Scott Strazzante, San Francisco Chronicle

Baseball continues to sit in limbo with the Mookie Betts trade. I feel badly for the players involved. Spring Training opens this coming week and Mookie has no idea if he needs to head for Arizona or Florida. On Tuesday night, it was reported the Boston Red Sox had agreed to send Betts, a free agent next off-season, and part of David Price’s contract (with the pitcher attached to it) to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In return, the Red Sox would receive young Dodgers outfielder Alex Verdugo and Minnesota Twins pitcher Brusdar Graterol. For Graterol, the Dodgers dealt pitcher Kenta Maeda to the Twins. Standing behind this pending trade is the Dodgers’ pending trade of outfielder Joc Pederson and pitcher Ross Stripling to the Los Angeles Angels for infielder Luis Rengifo and prospects.  Four days later and the trades have yet to be finalized due to Boston’s concerns about Graterol’s health. The Dodgers got to go to arbitration to make their negative arguments against Pederson on Thursday, winning the case, so it’s hard to think Joc has warm, fuzzy feelings about his present/former team after a week of limbo and negativity.

The Red Sox, based on Graterol’s medical evaluation, are pushing for additional compensation. The Twins are resisting and the Dodgers do not seem willing to send any of their prospects to close the deal. It seems like the deal will eventually go through, perhaps as soon as today with the Player’s Union and agent Scott Boras coming out publicly to demand closure. So long as the Twins did not “hide” any medical knowledge about Graterol, I think the Dodgers should step up and send a quality prospect to Boston if they truly want Betts.  In no way should they send a top prospect like second baseman Gavin Lux, catcher Keibert Ruiz, or pitcher Dustin May, or even the well-named infielder Jeter Downs, for only a year of Mookie.  But a prospect with some potential makes sense.

When the trade finally goes down, the Red Sox, for the short-term, will be worse. Perhaps they’ll be stronger for the long run. The elimination of a significant chunk of Price’s contract and the money owed to Betts for the 2020 season will allow them to reset luxury tax penalties.  For me, it’s hard to fathom trading one of the game’s best players. I get the fear of losing a top player to free agency without a quality return but you have to look no further than the Washington Nationals to see a team that kept star players through the end of their contracts in two successive years, only to watch them leave (Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon). For the Nats, it paid off with the latter who helped deliver a World Series championship to the Capitol City.  Not that the Red Sox are a legitimate World Series contender this year, with or without Mookie, but it does seem odd when a big city team screams small market poverty. 

There’s a chance the Betts trade could fall apart altogether. I doubt it and it would be very awkward if Mookie and Price have to show up in Fort Myers, FL.  Hopefully the trade gets done today or tomorrow at the latest. 

Based on MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s words this week, we should expect news of the Red Sox investigation before teams start reporting to camp on Thursday.  I am not expecting much in the way of penalties against Boston but I hope their former manager Alex Cora receives no less than a two-year suspension. A lifetime ban would be better. Unlike Hinch who did not support the cheating but did nothing about it, Cora was an active conspirator with the players, perhaps its ring leader, and the proven liar should receive harsher treatment than Hinch. How the Commissioner handles Cora’s involvement as an active participant in the cheating scandal sets the tone for MLB’s future tolerance of dishonest play. Be a man, Manfred. Eliminate the game’s cancer.

I guess I should touch on the Yankees since this is a Yankees blog. Like all of you, I was disappointed to hear the news about James Paxton and how the lower back surgery to remove a cyst will keep him out of action until late May or early June. It certainly shows why J.A. Happ, now sporting number 33, has remained on the Yankees roster. I had expected Happ to be traded before Opening Day but at this point, he will accompany the team to Baltimore for the March 26^th opener.  I have my doubts whether he’ll end the season as a Yankee.  I can’t see the Yankees allowing him to reach the milestone to kick in the 2021 option on his contract (165 innings pitched or 27 games started). I also can’t see the Yankees sitting Happ to keep him from reaching those milestones. I think they’ll find a way to move Happ at some point without sacrificing his ability to trigger the 2021 option. It makes too much sense to eliminate all or part of the money owed to Happ to create opportunity for younger, cheaper arms.

For the short-term, keeping Happ is fine. It opens the door for Jordan Montgomery to grab a spot in the rotation. If everyone was healthy and Happ still on the roster, it most likely would have meant a trip to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for Monty. But now, he seems to be the odds-on favorite to head north with the big league club. While it is possible that we’ll see Deivi Garcia, Michael King, and/or Clarke Schmidt make their Major League debuts this season, I feel their time will come later in the summer.

I do hate the talk that James Paxton (and the suspended Domingo German) will be like ‘trade deadline acquisitions’. The team will be better when they return but they are not deadline acquisitions…just like Gleyber Torres is no longer 22. The downside or risk is potential injury to other starters before or when Paxton and German return, making them replacements instead of additional starters.  Paxton will easily slide back into the rotation (obviously), but German’s future probably depends upon how well Montgomery does. I am hoping Monty grabs his rotation spot and does not let go.

Photo Credit: Lynne Sladky, AP

As teams are scurrying to bring in veteran players on minor league deals, I thought the Yankees would be more active than they have been. The latest veteran receiving a MiLB deal from the Yankees with Spring Training invitation is former Cleveland Indians reliever Dan Otero. Not exactly a name to get excited about. With Paxton headed to the 60-day Injured List to start the season, it seems like now would be a good time to ink Taijuan Walker or Aaron Sanchez to a minor league deal. The bloom is off both pitchers but they once held great promise and are still young. Both are summer of ’92 babies, making them 27 years old to start the season. I like the upside potential, especially if they come to camp on a minor league contract. As The Greedy Pinstripes’ Daniel Burch likes to say, there is no such thing as a bad minor league deal.   

It was great to see Gary Sanchez, Adam Ottavino and Gio Urshela on The Michael Kay Show yesterday. I am ready to see our favorite Pinstriped players voice their words and thoughts from the grounds of Steinbrenner Field in Tampa and watch them prepare for the championship 2020 season. And, oh yeah, Gerrit Cole is a Yankee.

Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran, USA TODAY

As always, Go Yankees!

Help Wanted: Managers for Houston, Boston, and Queens...

Managerial Dismissals in Triplicate…

This has been quite the week in the Major League Baseball. I thought Januarys were for the ‘quiet calm’ before players begin heading to their respective Spring Training homes in Florida and Arizona next month. 

In the span of four days this week, three Major League managers had lost their jobs. 

Jim Crane, owner of the Houston Astros, fired manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow almost immediately after MLB announced the penalties on Monday against the Astros for their involvement with the electronic sign stealing cheating scandal. Like New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, who sat out the 2012 NFL Season as punishment for his role in the infamous bounty scandal, I thought Hinch would have a one-year vacation and return to the dugout in 2021. Fortunately, Crane stepped up to do the right thing. Sever ties. I have no doubt Hinch is a good manager, but he allowed cheating on his watch and that’s inexcusable. Perhaps he’ll get another shot to manage one day but for now, it’s time to pay the piper. 

Photo Credit: David Zalubowski, AP

On Tuesday, before MLB has completed their investigation of the Boston Red Sox for cheating allegations, the team announced they had mutually agreed to part ways with manager Alex Cora. Credit to the Red Sox for getting in front of this. Based on the MLB report, Cora was a ringleader for the electronic cheating conspiracy. Unlike Hinch, who simply knew about it and did nothing, Cora’s fingerprints were all over the ideas and actions that led to the cheating schemes. I will be very disappointed if Cora’s suspension does not exceed the one year suspension given to Hinch. Many are calling for a lifetime ban. I might not go that far but it should be for multiple years.  We do not yet know the details of how he implemented his dishonest policies with the Red Sox during their championship run in 2018 but clearly Cora has brought great shame to the game of Baseball. Say what you will about Red Sox owner John Henry but like Crane, I am glad he took action against a guy who was very popular with the Boston players and fans. Singling Cora out, his actions are worse than anything Pete Rose ever did and we know that Pete received a lifetime ban. I think Rose is a miserable human being but I guess if Cora does not receive a lifetime ban, MLB should perhaps reconsider their ban on Rose. Personally, I am okay if Rose, one of the best players I’ve seen play, does not make the Hall of Fame until the year after his death, but maybe this whole electronic cheating scandal is causing me to soften on my hardline stance against Rose. Cora is clearly the worst of the two.

Photo Credit: Jim Davis, Boston Globe Staff

For a couple of days, there was speculation about whether or not New York Mets manager Carlos Beltran would retain his job. Holding the position for only two months, I am sure Beltran had been so excited to go to Spring Training with the Mets as their new manager, achieving a huge professional goal for his post-playing career. By Thursday, it was over. In another “mutual” decision, the Mets and Beltran parted ways. Some believe that Beltran could have kept his job if he had come out publicly to explain his role in the cheating scandal and to plead for contrition and absolution. As much as I had admired Beltran, the player, I felt it was impossible for Beltran to continue in a leadership role. As the only player identified in the MLB report, he was heavily involved with Cora in developing the schemes that have compromised the integrity of the game. If a manager cannot uphold trust and integrity, there’s no place in the game for him. As such, I felt Beltran had to go. I am glad the Mets reached the same conclusion even if they somewhat bungled their telephone press conference in making the announcement.The Mets will be the Mets. On one hand, you do feel bad for Beltran who was stripped of a dream of a lifetime, but on the other hand, he is responsible for his own actions.

Photo Credit: Rich Schultz, Getty Images

The biggest losers of this mess might be the Mets. The Mets organization was not an active participant in the cheating scandal like the Astros and Red Sox. During the off-season, they had a chance to get a good manager in former Yankees manager Joe Girardi who preferred to stay in New York. But for whatever reason, they opted to take a chance on the inexperienced Beltran and now they’ve paid dearly for it. I’d like to see Mets bench coach Hensley Meulens finally get his managerial opportunity but Buck Showalter would be a great choice too. While I am 100% on Team Aaron Boone now, Meulens was the guy I had wanted for Yankees manager when it was announced after the 2017 season that Girardi and the Yankees would be parting ways. In retrospect, particularly with how this off-season has played out, I am so very glad that Aaron Boone is manager of the New York Yankees. But I digress. Meulens is a great baseball man and deserves an opportunity. I think he would be very good for the Mets or any other MLB team as their leader.

While I look back at 2017 as water under the bridge at this point, I totally get the fans who feel the Houston Astros should be forced to vacate their World Series championship. At this point, there’s no way to say the Yankees or the Los Angeles Dodgers should be anointed champions. It would be very hollow at this point. I feel bad for the guys who lost chances for a legitimate championship like CC Sabathia and Clayton Kershaw. Even Todd Frazier expressed regret this week for what could have been with the 2017 Yankees. But over two years later, there’s no way to settle a debate about who should have been the champions. At the very least, MLB should have taken the championship away from the Astros since it was dishonestly achieved. I know there is not a precedent in MLB for the removal of a championship, but this is a special circumstance that showed the Astros used an unfair advantage to claim the crown.  

I will be glad when MLB completes its investigation of the Red Sox and we can move on. I am hopeful MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred makes it clear that future violations will not be tolerated and will automatically result in lifetime bans. It is very important to bring the trust, confidence, and integrity back into the game. No man, no team is bigger than the sport. This has been the darkest chapter of Major League Baseball in my lifetime which is significant considering many of us lived through the era of PEDs and steroids. Baseball is better than this, and we shall overcome.

In other news, the report about the possible renaming of East 161^st Street for the one block in front of Yankee Stadium to Jeter Street received some buzz this week before all hell broke loose about the cheating scandal.  I am not sure what I think about this. There have been so many great Yankees. I know Derek Jeter ranks among the greatest Yankee legends but he’s not bigger than a few of the names. I also see him as the CEO of the Miami Marlins. I don’t really care to name a street after the CEO of another team regardless of what he did for us.  Jeter is going into the Hall of Fame as a Yankee.  His number is retired by the Yankees and he has his place in Memorial Park. It should be enough, in my opinion.

I still have my doubts that Jeter will be an unanimous selection like Mariano Rivera last year. He may be leading the vote with 100% right now, but I think the final votes will bring at least one voter opting to exclude Jeter. Sure, I get the decision to re-name River Ave after Rivera. He was the greatest closer in MLB history and the first unanimous Hall of Fame selection. However, let’s face it, Jeter was not the greatest to ever play his position. We owe him very much for the great years he gave us and what he meant to so many Yankee teams and championships, but I don’t feel that it extends to naming the street by Yankee Stadium after him. I know, I was never Jeter’s biggest fan and most of you feel that he is a God, but I simply feel the Yankees are more important than any single player. Jeter was great but today we have Gleyber Torres and Aaron Judge who both have chances to chisel their names alongside the great legends who have worn pinstripes. I appreciate what they mean today and can do for the Yankees going forward.  Are we going to name future streets after them when all is said and done? Where does it end? I already think the Yankees have retired too many numbers. 

Outside of signing Gerrit Cole and bringing back Brett Gardner, it’s been a very quiet off-season for the Yankees. LHP Stephen Tarpley is the latest ex-Yankee after he was designated for assignment when Gardy’s deal was officially announced and subsequently dealt to the Miami Marlins for third baseman James Nelson. Nelson has had a few disappointing years in minor league ball since opening some eyes in 2017. Last year, he hit .228/.279/.296 with four homers and 36 RBIs for the Marlins’ Class-A affiliate in Jupiter, FL. He may never amount to anything but the guy is only 22. I am interested to see if the Yankee instructors can help him tap into some of the potential he showed a few years ago. It’s not like the Yankee Farm System is overflowing with great third base prospects. I’d love for Nelson to achieve success with the Yankees. The organization has certainly been good for former Marlins prospect Michael King. I’d include Domingo German but for obvious reasons, I will abstain. 

Nelson was Miami’s 2017 Minor League Player of the Year but hasn’t been the same since he suffered a meniscus injury prior to the 2018 season. Nelson has ties to a former Yankee. He is the nephew of Chris Nelson who played 10 games at third base for the Yankees in May 2013. 

The Yankees get credit for the first full-time woman coach when they brought in minor league hitting coach Rachel Balkovec, but the San Francisco Giants one-upped them they announced the hiring of Alyssa Nakken as the first full-time female coach at the Major League level. Nakken and Mark Hallberg, who also was promoted by the Giants to MLB assistant, will not be in the dugout during games, but they’ll assist the other coaches during pre-game and will help foster “a clubhouse culture that promotes high performance through, among other attributes, a deep sense of collaboration and team”, according to Giants manager Gabe Kapler. Congrats to Alyssa and I look forward to the day that she is in uniform during games as part of Kapler’s staff if she proves to be successful in her role. 

As for former Giants player Aubrey Huff who criticized the team for Nakken’s promotion, STFU. I think this is a great step forward for MLB and I am excited to see what groundbreakers Balkovec and Nakken can do and hopefully open doors for others through their achievements.    

As always, Go Yankees!