So it Seems Chance Adams Got Called Up, Who is Next?

If you have been reading me for the past two seasons or so then you are well versed in my thoughts on Yankees right-handed starting pitching prospect Chance Adams. To sum it up, I absolutely love the guy and I love what he brings to the table now and what he could bring to the club in the future. The future may not be too far off now after the Yankees organization promoted Adams to Triple-A Scranton leaving him just a phone call and a shuttle bus away from the Major Leagues and Yankee Stadium leaving me to wonder who is next. Which Yankees prospect or prospects are making their case to be the next to take the big step closer or to the Major Leagues?

Tyler Wade is probably Major League ready right now, and I say probably because one never truly knows until the bright lights are on them along with 40,000 sets of eyes, and he is making it hard for the Yankees to justify keeping him down on the farm. Wade is slowly becoming the Yankees answer to super-utility player Ben Zobrist but the young right-hander has seemingly found a bat to go with his defensive versatility. In Wade’s first 34 games in Triple-A this season the 22-year old is slashing .319/.394/3447 with 12 extra base hits and 12 stolen bases. Wade has played shortstop, second base, third base and all three outfield positions along the way and he would leave a smile on Yankees manager Joe Girardi’s face every single morning when he woke up if he and his versatility were on the big league club. That day may be coming very soon.

While Wade’s path to the Major Leagues seems like an obvious and simple one that cannot be said about Dustin Fowler. Fowler has been absolutely tearing the cover off the ball while playing a stellar center field for the Scranton RailRiders but the Yankees outfield is already congested enough as it is. Adding Fowler to the mix of Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks is just going to be a really tough sell barring a trade, which is unlikely to happen if the Yankees are competing, or an injury to an outfielder, which in the words of Joe Girardi is not what you want.

The path for Daniel Camarena seems more obvious than Fowler’s as the Yankees seemingly need a left-handed reliever out of their bullpen and Camarena can be just that. Camarena has split time between Double-A and triple-A this season and has pitched exceptionally well posting a 2.52 ERA combined, a 2.15 ERA since joining Triple-A, along with a .236 batting average against. Can you say LOOGY? Tommy Layne better watch out because Camarena may be coming for his spot, well as soon as he gets off the disabled list with this shoulder injury. It isn’t considered to be serious but no timetable has been announced for his return at the time of this writing.

So there you have it, three names to keep an eye on as the season drags on. Enjoy your day. 

World Series 2016: Corey Kluber vs. Cubs Offense

Jon Lester and the Cleveland offense had their fair share of trash talking this morning when we looked at what Michael Brantley and company had done against Lester in their career's so it's only fair that we take a look at what Corey Kluber has been able to muster up in a small sample size against the explosive offense of the Chicago Cubs. All stats are courtesy of ESPN.com.

How Did MLB Trade Rumors Do on Their Predictions?

Quite often on this blog I have shown how humble I am when not only showing my predictions before major dates around Major League Baseball like the season, the award winners and the World Series predictions but I have also not been afraid to show how terribly bad I am at these predictions as well. I don't want to be the only one being shown with egg on my face so I decided to recap MLB Trade Rumors Top 50 Free Agent Predictions post now that most of the major free agents are now off the board. SEE HERE for the complete and original post on MLBTR.

I won't go through all 50 free agents, you can click the link and see that for yourself, but what about the Yankees related predictions and the rest of the Top 25? Sounds good to me.

1. David Price - Cubs (Red Sox)
2. Jason Heyward - Yankees (Cubs)
3. Zack Greinke - Dodgers (Diamondbacks)
4. Justin Upton - Nationals (Tigers)
5. Chris Davis- Cardinals (Orioles)
6. Yoenis Cespedes - Angels (Mets)
7. Jordan Zimmermann - Blue Jays (Tigers)
8. Johnny Cueto - Red Sox (Giants)
9. Alex Gordon - Royals 
10. Ian Desmond - Mets (NOT YET SIGNED)
11. Jeff Samardzija - Giants
12. Mike Leake - Giants (Cardinals)
13. Wei-Yin Chen - Tigers (Marlins)
14. Kenta Maeda - Diamondbacks (Dodgers)
15. Matt Wieters - Nationals (Orioles)
16. Dexter Fowler - Mets (NOT YET SIGNED)
17. Daniel Murphy - Angels (Nationals)
18. Scott Kazmir - Orioles (Dodgers)
19. Ian Kennedy - Angels (Royals)
20. Yovani Gallardo - Tigers (NOT YET SIGNED)
21. Ben Zobrist - Yankees (Cubs)
22. Howie Kendrick - White Sox (NOT YET SIGNED)
23. Byung-Ho Park - Rockies (Twins)
24. John Lackey - Cubs
25. Hisashi Iwakuma - Mariners

46. Chris Young - Yankees (Boston Red Sox)

MLB Trade Rumor predictions with actual team they signed with in parenthesis. Bolded = correct.

Fantasy Baseball: Who Are the Chicago Cubs?

Fantasy Baseball is just around the corner and it’s never too early to start doing your homework on your league and your team specifically. We went over a team already that I personally thought many wouldn’t know in the Atlanta Braves so I wanted to go back into your comfort zone with today’s team, the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs added a few key pieces to an already young and stacked team as they look to not only compete in the National League Central Division but as they look to break that Curse of the Billy Goat. 

You know the names of Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist and what they bring to the table but what about the rest of the team? There’s plenty of talent on this Cubs team that you may want to draft but one pitcher you may want to stay away from, at least early on, is John Lackey. Lackey pitched brilliantly in St. Louis last season posting a 2.77 ERA with the Cardinals but the peripherals and other stats paint a different story. Lackey left an amazing 82.6 percent of his batters on base last season and is not likely to duplicate that in 2016, especially with the smaller dimensions inside Wrigley Field and especially with the wind blowing out during all those day games. Lackey also posted the lowest strikeout rate in his last three seasons in 2015 and will be entering his age 37 season in 2016. Stay clear unless it’s late. 

Addison Russell took over for Starlin Castro last season and will have the starting shortstop job until he loses it in 2016. Russell is just 22-years old and has a long way to go in his development but he did show signs of life in the second half of 2015 posting a .259 average with seven home runs in August and September alone. Russell has the potentially, maybe not necessarily in 2016 but soon, to his 30 home runs and steal a ton of bases. Who wouldn’t want that on your fantasy team, especially at the second base position? 

Adam Warren should get a ton of opportunities in Chicago both as a starting pitcher and as a reliever but how will he stack up in fantasy? Well he was easily the Yankees most consistent starter last season outside of Luis Severino and will presumably finally get a shot at a starting gig all season in 2016. For that reason alone Warren should see an uptick in his stats as he struggled in both the bullpen and rotation the first couple appearances after switching from the other. The Yankees tinkered with a pitcher and hurt his value in doing so? Joba, say it ain’t so. 

The final piece to the Cubs piece of the puzzle is right fielder Jorge Soler. Soler is not going to steal you 30 bases a season nor is he going to hit for a .300 average and knock in 120 RBI. He does have the power to hit 30 home runs though as he has shown an ability to hit the ball far when he makes contact. Soler won’t go in the first 10-15 rounds in my opinion unless it’s a pretty deep league so it might be useful to add his occasional power to the end of your draft to boost your team and power your way to another league victory. 

Those are the Chicago Cubs in all their glory. Can they help your team? Absolutely, just be smart about it though and don’t reach for the Soler’s, the Lackey’s or the Javier Baez’s too awful early and you should be just fine.  

Quick Hit: Robert Refsnyder the Yankees Version of Ben Zobrist?

Apparently I’m not allowed to suggest that the New York Yankees trade a second base prospect that is blocked for at least the next four seasons. What about potentially moving his position again and turning him into a super utility player? Is that suggestion allowed?

I poke a little fun here but I was serious about potentially moving Refsnyder around to a few more positions to increase his versatility. Refsnyder was drafted as a right fielder and was moved to second base due to concerns with his arm strength. You have to wonder if Refsnyder could handle third base specifically, especially after the Yankees traded away their closest and possibly their best third base prospect in Eric Jagielo.

Refsnyder is young and athletic and I truly believe, with some practice, he could learn the hot corner, maybe some first base and get reunited with the corner outfield spots in the Bronx. Would he be Mr. Versatile like Ben Zobrist but he could become a useful part that could force his way onto the Yankees roster rather than hope that Brian Cashman doesn’t block him again.

I wonder if the Yankees have thought of this?

Most Popular Article of the Week: The Road Towards Kenta Maeda

From Eliot Podgorsky SEEN HERE

The hot stove boiled over today in a big way. A brief recap below:

• Cubs sign INF/OF Ben Zobrist to four-year $52 million deal
• Cubs trade INF Starlin Castro to Yankees for Adam Warren and PTBN (reported to be INF Brendan Ryan
• Braves trade SP Shelby Miller and PTBN to Diamondbacks for OF Ender Inciarte, SP Aaron Blair and SS Dansby Swanson

While only the Cubs moves directly affects the Yankees, I provided this recap because the Miller move could impact the rest of the offseason. 

The majority of fans commenting on the Yankees Facebook page are excited

The Shelby Miller trade is one that I look to that could impact the rest of the offseason. I believe that the Braves got a haul for a Miller. Miller has been a great pitcher in his three full seasons, notwithstanding his win-loss record but last year when he recorded a career low ERA he also had a bit of luck with a home run rate that fell by half. He seems like a solid number two starter and slot in nicely behind the Diamondbacks new ace Zack Grienke but that is a lot to give up for a number two.

This trade puts the cost for young quality cost controlled pitching into the stratosphere. The satiating thoughts of Jose Fernandez in pinstripes should evaporate with the Miller trade. If the Yankees try to trade for a young pitcher without giving up untouchables they will have to target someone below the level Nathan Eovaldi was when they acquired him last year (too many hits, too few strikeouts). Eovaldi barely contributed before the 2nd half so someone below that skill level would be working in the minors. With the cost of young pitching untenable I think the Yankees go after Kenta Maeda.

Kenta Maeda

Last week news broke Maeda will be posted by his Japanese team the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. He was once considered the next great pitcher to come out of Japan a few years ago but the Carp never posted him. Now 27 going on 28 he will likely come stateside. With the posting fee capped at $20 million there are no concerns about a Daisuke Matsuzaka like fee. Maeda does have a lot of innings on his arm (1509.2) and the injury history for Japanese pitchers isn't great recently (Daisuke Matsuzaka, Yu Darvish, Masahiro Tanaka) but he his young enough where a 5-6 year deal would not saddle the Yankees with the downside of his career.

If the Yankees are waiting for money to come off the books before the become players in free agency the 2016-2017 offseason won't be a great one. Stephen Strasburg is the only notable starter to hit the market next year.

The Diamondbacks who were all over Maeda earlier in the offseason have said they are no longer interested. The Giants were the only other team with reported interest in him and it has been reported they too are out. With only the "mystery team" as competition I think the Yankees should target Maeda. A five-year deal between $55-$60 million seems like it could get it done. 

Scouts have said that Maeda is more likely a number 3-4 starter due to his lack of electrifying stuff and is more of a control pitcher like Hiroki Kuroda. Kuroda was pleasant and consistent rotation stalwart for three years and it would be great to add that to the rotation. In a world where J.A. Happ just got a three-year $36 million deal the contract I pegged for Maeda doesn't strike me as an overpay. Adding Maeda could allow the Yankees to trade Ivan Nova or move to a six-man rotation that could protect the arms of Maeda, Tanaka, Michael Pineda and Luis Severino. Kenta Maeda is an interesting target in the wake of the rising costs of free agents and trades. 

Let the Free Agency Black Friday Deals Begin

Thanksgiving is over. The turkey is cooked, the ham is eaten and the stuffing has me stuffed. What better way to follow up a day of gluttonous eating and showing our thanks for everything we have in this world than to trample over people in a retail store for our own greed and pleasure. In America we call this “Black Friday” where you can risk your life and get in a fist fight over some cheap and flimsy Wal Mart towels all to save a couple hundred bucks. Me personally, I prefer to stay home under the covers and do all my Christmas shopping online, something that many teams around the league are likely doing right about now in free agency.

The first major free agents have yet to fall off the board this season and with the family functions over and the endless traveling back and forth for this dinner and that dinner the wheeling and dealing (you know, to burn calories and such) can begin. We’ve all seen these offseason’s before, it just takes one of these major free agents to pick a destination and the rest of the league scurries to grab up the remaining talent before it’s gone. Free agency is just like Black Friday, and these deals could be going fast.

Ben Zobrist is likely the most highly sought after 34-year old on the entire free agent market. When teams like the New York Yankees and the New York Mets are interested in your services you can understand why the switch hitting utility player is taking his time but until Zobrist comes off the board you are unlikely to see Howie Kendrick, Alexei Ramirez, Ian Desmond or any of the middle infield free agents specifically come off the board.

The Yankees are dangling Brett Gardner out in any and all trade offers this offseason and may have log-jammed the entire outfield market. Until Gardner is secure either in the Bronx or elsewhere it may be a while before we see a Denard Span or a Dexter Fowler come off the free agency board.

The Cincinnati Reds know how to get us all worked up just to let us down as fans. Last season we all thought Aroldis Chapman was going to be traded before the deadline and he wasn’t. Then recently a report surfaced that Chapman was going to be moved again and by that weekend. Chapman is still in Cincinnati which means no one is looking at trading for the Yankees Andrew Miller or any other closer until Chapman’s 2016 home is secure, even if it’s still inside the Great American Ball Park.

David Price despite being older than and presumably more expensive than Jordan Zimmermann is likely going to set the tone for the starting pitching market this winter. Until Price comes off the board Zimmermann, Johnny Cueto and others may simply sit by and wait idly while the left-hander makes up his mind.

And finally the relief pitching department, as fickle as it can be, may be at a standstill until former Baltimore Orioles right-hander Darren O’Day makes up his mind. O’Day is likely the best and most sought after free agent in the bullpen that’s not already a closer and is said to have much of the league interested in his services. Tyler Clippard, Ryan Madson and maybe even Joakim Soria continue to sit in limbo until someone grabs O’Day off that Black Friday pallet and brings him home this Christmas.

I hope everyone had a great and Happy Thanksgiving, an even better and a safe Black Friday and a great weekend.

Yankees to Pass on Zobrist and I Say…. Good!

Ben Zobrist, often imitated but never duplicated. Zobrist has been the epitome of money ball for multiple seasons now because he’s a switch hitter that can get on base and play multiple positions in the field on defense. Versatile, flexible and you can’t really shift on him or bring in a specialist relief pitcher against him. Any team would love to have him and often time’s teams try to acquire or develop talent like him. For the first time since finally being recognized for what he’s done all along Zobrist hits the free agency market thus giving teams the opportunity to not trade for a player like him, to not develop a player in his shadow but to acquire THE Ben Zobrist. According to recent reports though one of those teams will not be the New York Yankees and if you ask me, that’s good.

Sure Zobrist adds a lot to any team and would be especially helpful on this team. As I said he’s a switch hitter so he would help manager Joe Girardi stack up lefties against right-handed pitching and he could also help the team’s biggest flaw, hitting left-handed pitching. Zobrist plays good defense everywhere in the outfield and the infield (with the exception of catcher) but his natural position is second base, a position the Yankees face some uncertainty at going forward and Zobrist can hit anywhere and on the biggest stage, see his performance in the 2015 World Series. Zobrist has a laundry list of pro’s but the con’s may outweigh them all.

Zobrist is 34-years old and turns 35-years old in May. That would be fine on a short term deal, one or two years, but Zobrist is likely to want the final big contract of his career. Zobrist could be in the market for around four-years and $60 million this offseason after hitting 13 home runs and posting a .809 OPS between the Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals. In a world where the importance of versatility and flexibility are key you may want to spend $15 million annually for Zobrist’s age 35-39 seasons but thankfully it looks like the New York Yankees will not. 

Brian Cashman’s Plan to Rebuild the Franchise

Disclaimer: I know going in that this article is not going to be a popular one. Brian Cashman could give 99% of his assets to charity and people would want him to give the other 1%. Cashman could win 160 games and some fans would wonder why the team lost the other two. Brian Cashman could be hounded to hold onto his prospects rather than trading them for 30-something’s (Ben Zobrist) and then when he does get hounded for standing pat and only acquiring Dustin Ackley. There is no winning for Cashman, it’s a tough crowd out here. With that said I believe I have deciphered Cashman’s master plan to not only rebuild the team but rebuild the franchise and I know going in that not many people are going to agree… and that’s okay.

One commenter here on the site specifically has said that the New York Yankees have no farm system to speak of. I disagree, New York just uses their farm system differently. For many years it was to simply acquire the next big thing on the trade market with all eye’s set on another World Series championship. Now that the system is actually beginning to produce talent, finally, Cashman is taking full advantage of that. Cashman is not a talent evaluator, and he’s not paid to be but if he were paid to be he would be terrible at his job, he is a GM that like almost any other GM relies on the scouting reports and the word of his scouts and trusted advisers. Those advisers have led to, just to name a few, the trades that sent Shane Greene out and brought Didi Gregorius in. Trades that sent David Phelps out and Nathan Eovaldi in. Trades that sent John Ryan Murphy out and sent Aaron Hicks in.

Do you see a trend developing here? Cashman cannot simply draft Top 10 talent in the first round so he is acquiring everyone else’s young talent with his young talent. Truth be told most people overvalue Yankees prospects simply because of the caliber of the team, an opposing GM will ask for the Yankees top prospects, get denied and then settle for a much lesser package(on paper) elsewhere. For the longest time that kept Cashman from making the right deals and forced him, if he wanted to keep his job and the “World Series or bust” mantra alive, to overpay thus emptying the farm. Not anymore.

Now Cashman is trading someone, Greene, who never projected to be above a #3 starter and got an everyday shortstop out of it. Go try and find an everyday shortstop on the free agent market or at the trade deadline and then try to get an, at best, #3 starter and see which is easier to acquire. Now Cashman is trading a backup catcher with marginal defense, not my words but from the scouting report and keyboard of Mike Axisa who analyzed the trade for about 5,000 words over at River Ave Blues, for what could be (keywords, could be) an everyday outfielder with speed, elite defense and occasional pop. Now Cashman is trading pitchers who were bounced around back and forth between the bullpen and the rotation and never projected to be more than a 5^th starter or long relief pitcher for an evolving starting pitcher that could, my opinion, be a #2 starter at the current rate of development and projection.

With drafting high and acquiring players who were drafted high you’re always going to have a risk involved with any deal. You don’t want to whiff on high draft picks and when you do you don’t want to trade them too early before they realize their potential. When the team who drafted this high draft pick or acquired this high-end projected talent, most recently Hicks who was a first round talent for Minnesota, you’re also taking a risk. The risk is much less obviously after two or three subpar seasons but the risk is there nonetheless. What Cashman is doing is not just using the quote that is showcased on the Statue of Liberty to take your tired, your poor and your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Cashman is taking you’re high end talent that have played for bad teams and lost the drive to be great, the players that haven’t seen their true potential for whatever reason (late bloomer, no protection in the lineup, bounced back and forth between Triple-A and the Major Leagues, rushed in the minor leagues, small sample size etc.) and is giving them the freedom to breathe free…. Just in New York.

If you’re an opposing GM and you’re reading this, watch out. Brian Cashman is coming for your young talent and he’s going to make them his own. That’s the plan anyway, until someone else catches on. 

Ryan Raburn vs. Chris Young for 2016

The New York Yankees Hot Stove is already heating up with Brian Cashman telling reporters that he's already gone to work. Cashman, in his words, is "open to anything" and is looking to be aggressive and get creative this offseason to improve the team in 2016. The issue with Cashman and the 2016 team is that most of the positions and roster spots on the team are already filled on paper, but not Chris Young's spot from 2015. Young basically played against left-handed pitching in 2015 while giving Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran days off but could the Yankees actually improve on that in 2016?

Enter the Cleveland Indians outfielder and infielder Ryan Raburn. Raburn, while he isn't the defensive wizard and Ben Zobrist type player that he used to be, would give the Yankees the left-handed masher they need that would be used as a late game defensive replacement and pinch runner for Beltran while also giving some infield depth. Raburn is listed as an outfielder, second baseman and third baseman according to Baseball Reference but the problem for New York may be his age. Raburn is 34-years old and will be 25-years old shortly after Opening Day 2016 but playing a bench role and a part-time role may eliminate those concerns for the Yankees.

The biggest question for New York would be this. Would Raburn be worth the contract or should the Yankees simply bring back Young for a third season? Well according to the Baseball Reference projections for 2016 Young would get more chances in New York and would put up better stats overall:

Raburn:

Year	Tm	Age	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	Proj.	35	322	36	72	18	11	43	1	28	74	.252	.325	.437	.762

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Young:

Year	Tm	Age	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	Proj.	32	415	52	86	21	14	45	7	35	89	.232	.303	.414	.717

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Both smashed lefties once again in 2015 with Young slashing .327/.397/.575/.972 with seven home runs and 24 RBI while Raburn slashed .325/.415/.589/1.004 with eight home runs and 25 RBI but Raburn gives the Yankees some versatility that Young does not provide. Young cannot back up Chase Headley giving the Yankees opportunities to keep him fresh and healthy and Young does not give the Yankees yet another option at the second base position if Dustin Ackley and Robert Refsnyder proves to not be enough in New York. I love Chris Young and I appreciate everything he has done for the team over parts of the last two seasons but if Raburn is willing to accept a one-year deal as a part-time player I think I have to give him the job. Then again I'm not Brian Cashman.

Imagining a Lineup w/ Heyward & Zobrist

Zobrist's reaction when he learned the New York Yankees signed him. 

Earlier today and also earlier this week we announced here on the blog that MLB Trade Rumors predicted three free agents coming to the New York Yankees this offseason, Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist and Chris Young. Young would fill his old role from the second half of the 2014 season and the entire 2015 season while Zobrist would presumably be the team's starting second baseman. You have to think with Young in the fold and a couple of no-trade clauses attached to the contracts of Carlos Beltran and Jacoby Ellsbury that Heyward would be playing left field on Opening Day 2016 for the Yankees. What would that Opening Day lineup look like for New York is the team was to sign these two men this winter?

Hopefully a little something like this:

Ellsbury
Heyward
Rodriguez
Teixeira
McCann
Beltran
Zobrist
Headley
Gregorius

MLBTR: Top 50 Free Agent Rankings & Predictions

MLB Trade Rumors has released their top 50 free agent rankings with a short prediction of which team the crew over there thinks the Top 50 players will sign with. According to MLB Trade Rumors the Yankees are signing three free agents this offseason in the Top 50 in Jayson Heyward, Ben Zobrist and Chris Young.

To be honest these may be two of the best all around players in the league and two or three of the best fits for THIS team. MLB Trade Rumors don't get these correct as often as you'd think so if you're not a fan of Heyward or a 10-year deal don't jump off the edge just yet.

2. Jason Heyward – Yankees. Ten years, $200MM. 

Since his 2010 rookie season, Heyward has quietly been one of the game’s best outfielders. He’s an excellent defender and baserunner with a solid on-base percentage and some pop. Heyward hit a career-high 27 home runs in 2012, but only 38 in the three seasons since. He doesn’t have the typical power output of a $200MM player, but his all-around game makes him a sabermetric darling with six wins above replacement this year. A very long term and an opt-out clause are on the table for Heyward because he broke into the Majors at age 20, and is now just 26. The Cardinals will try to convince Heyward to stay, but teams like the Angels, Yankees, White Sox, and Astros could make a play. For more on Heyward, click here.

21. Ben Zobrist – Yankees. Three years, $51MM. 

 Baseball’s Swiss Army knife would fit with more than a dozen teams, as he can handle second base and the outfield corners and even back up at shortstop. Offensively, Zobrist contributes a strong OBP and good pop, plus he’s ineligible for a qualifying offer because he was traded to the Royals. He’ll be vying for a fourth year, and Victor Martinez did get that, but with Zobrist turning 35 in May it’s still a tough sell. He remains a good fit for the Royals, while the Yankees, Orioles, Padres, Astros, and White Sox could also make sense.

46. Chris B. Young – Yankees. Two years, $12MM. 

Young is a lefty-masher who can play all three outfield positions. If the Yankees don’t bring him back, the Rangers could be a fit.

Complete List of All 155 Free Agents This Winter

All 155 MLB free agents that will be competing for a new job this winter have hit free agency as soon as the World Series ended. Today is the final day that their former teams have exclusive negotiating rights and tonight at 12:01 am the free agency free-for-all begins. Do you think the Yankees sign any of the below 155 free agents? Leave those predictions in the comments section below.



Atlanta Braves
Ross Detwiler
Edwin Jackson
Peter Moylan
A.J. Pierzynski

Arizona Diamondbacks
David Hernandez
Jarrod Saltalamacchia

Baltimore Orioles
Wei-Yin Chen
Chris Davis
Darren O’Day
Gerardo Parra
Steve Pearce
Matt Wieters

Boston Red Sox
Craig Breslow
Rich Hill

Chicago Cubs
Trevor Cahill
Chris Denorfia
Dexter Fowler
Dan Haren
Tommy Hunter
Austin Jackson
Jason Motte
Fernando Rodney

Chicago White Sox
Matt Albers
Gordon Beckham
Jeff Samardzija
Geovany Soto

Cincinnati Reds
Sean Marshall
Manny Parra
Brayan Pena

Cleveland Indians
Mike Aviles
Gavin Floyd
Ryan Webb

Colorado Rockies
Kyle Kendrick
Justin Morneau

Detroit Tigers
Alex Avila
Rajai Davis
Tom Gorzelanny
Alfredo Simon
Randy Wolf

Houston Astros
Scott Kazmir
Oliver Perez
Colby Rasmus
Tony Sipp
Joe Thatcher

Kansas City Royals
Johnny Cueto
Ryan Madson
Franklin Morales
Chris Young
Ben Zobrist

Los Angeles Angels
David Freese
Chris Iannetta
Matt Joyce
Matt Latos
Shane Victorino
Wesley Wright

Los Angeles Dodgers
Brett Anderson
Howie Kendrick
Jimmy Rollins

Miami Marlins
Don Kelly
Jeff Mathis
Casey McGehee

Milwaukee Brewers
Kyle Lohse

Minnesota Twins
Blaine Boyer
Neal Cotts
Brian Duensing
Torii Hunter
Mike Pelfrey

New York Mets
Jerry Blevins
Yoenis Cespedes
Tyler Clippard
Bartolo Colon
Kelly Johnson
Daniel Murphy
Eric O’Flaherty
Bobby Parnell
Juan Uribe

New York Yankees
Chris Capuano
Stephen Drew
Chris Young

Oakland Athletics
Edward Mujica
Barry Zito

Philadelphia Phillies
Chad Billingsley
Jeff Francoeur
Aaron Harang
Jerome Williams

Pittsburgh Pirates
Antonio Bastardo
Joe Blanton
A.J. Burnett
J.A. Happ
Corey Hart
Aramis Ramirez
Sean Rodriguez
Joakim Soria

San Diego Padres
Josh Johnson
Shawn Kelley
Ian Kennedy
Brandon Morrow
Bud Norris
Justin Upton

San Francisco Giants
Jeremy Affeldt
Alejandro De Aza
Tim Hudson
Mike Leake
Tim Lincecum
Marco Scutaro
Ryan Vogelsong

Seattle Mariners
Joe Beimel
Franklin Gutierrez
Hisashi Iwakuma

St. Louis Cardinals
Matt Belisle
Randy Choate
Jason Heyward
John Lackey
Mark Reynolds
Carlos Villanueva

Tampa Bay Rays
Asdrubal Cabrera
John Jaso
Grady Sizemore

Texas Rangers
Yovani Gallardo
Colby Lewis
Mike Napoli
Ross Ohlendorf
Drew Stubbs
Will Venable

Toronto Blue Jays
Mark Buehrle
Marco Estrada
Jeff Francis
LaTroy Hawkins
Munenori Kawasaki
Mark Lowe
Dioner Navarro
Cliff Pennington
David Price

Washington Nationals
Ian Desmond
Doug Fister
Denard Span
Matt Thornton
Dan Uggla
Jordan Zimmermann

Recently Opted Out or Released:

Burke Badenhop (Reds)
Skip Schumaker (Reds)
Joe Nathan (Tigers)
Chad Qualls (Astros)
Jeremy Guthrie (Royals)
Alex Rios (Royals)
Zack Greinke (Dodgers)
Cliff Lee (Phillies)
Jonathan Broxton (Cardinals)
Clint Barmes (Padres)
Casey Janssen (Nationals)
Nate McLouth (Nationals)
Alexei Ramirez (White Sox)
David Murphy (Angels)
Alex Gordon (Royals)
Ryan Raburn (Indians)

The Free Agency Royal Rumble Returns – Infielders

For the first time in Free Agency Royal Rumble history an incumbent member of the New York Yankees will have his job on the line as both Dustin Ackley and Robert Refsnyder will be in the rumble. Joining Refsynder and Ackley in the rumble will be the Kansas City Royals second baseman Ben Zobrist, the Los Angeles Dodgers second basemen Chase Utley and Howie Kendrick and the incumbent Yankees second baseman, Mr. Stephen Drew.

Howie Kendrick was taken out and backstabbed almost immediately by Chase Utley on an errant slide into the ropes leaving the field at five. Utley hurt himself on the slide, he is 37-years old after all, and was easily eliminated by Stephen Drew who was stat padding his stats in garbage time leaving the field at four. Ben Zobrist felt excited looking at the field remaining, especially considering he is not linked to draft pick compensation but the Yankees threesome quickly took advantage of his head in the clouds, and bulky contract that in my opinion he will never live up to at 35-years old and after all the hype he received in Oakland, and eliminated him.

In a shocking turn of events the Yankees Three, that’s what they are now calling themselves, left the ring hand-in-hand-in-hand leaving the Yankees with all three of them for the 2016 season. According to reports, reports I am making up for the purpose of this post and for fun, Drew will ride the bench and be the backup to Didi Gregorius and Chase Headley while both Ackley and Refsnyder will platoon at second base. When Refsnyder is at second Ackley will relieve one of the corner outfielders, especially Brett Gardner, to keep them fresh and prevent another second half letdown.

The Importance of the July 31st Trade Deadline

Major League Baseball’s own version of the Final Four is set with the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs battling in the National League to see who will face off with the American League winner between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Kansas City Royals. All four teams and their fans have waited a long, long time for a shot at winning a World Series, although Kansas City lost the World Series in Game 7 in 2014, and one of those teams will break their drought in 2015. All four of these teams were built from within the right way with a strong farm system and a good GM filling in the gaps with veteran talent either on the free agent market or the trade market. When all four of these GM’s saw an opportunity and a window in 2015 all four of them pounced on it as they went for it in 2015, something that may define Brian Cashman’s 2015 season and tenure as the Yankees GM.

We as Yankees fans are familiar with what the Toronto Blue Jays did this summer adding David Price, Troy Tulowitzki, Mark Lowe, LaTroy Hawkins, Josh Donaldson (last winter) and Ben Revere and they did while sparing no expense. The Blue Jays gave up their top prospect Daniel Norris and any other prospect opposing teams wanted in a trade because that’s the type of GM Alex Anthopoulos is. He’s not afraid to make the big deal and he won’t take no for an answer and we all see where it got him and the Toronto Blue Jays team he leads.

Their opponent in the Kansas City Royals traded away three big pitching prospects including Brandon Finnegan for the Cincinnati Reds ace Johnny Cueto and while the team did not get immediate dividends they received a gem of a start from him in Game 5 of the ALDS. Kansas City also acquired a versatile second baseman and outfielder in Ben Zobrist before the trading deadline came and went in a deal with the Oakland Athletics. Where would Kansas City be without these two key pieces this season? Not likely in the ALCS, I can say that much.

The Chicago Cubs team is made up of about 90% homegrown talent or young talent, which may be an exaggeration but not by much, but the team did make a few key moves before the trading deadline to solidify the team’s rankings in the National League. While the moves the team made were relatively minor, trades for outfielder Austin Jackson to fill out the bench and a separate acquisition of Fernando Rodney for the later innings in the bullpen, the team may not be where they are today and past the St. Louis Cardinals into the NLCS. That’s before you even mention the trade for Clayton Richard from the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Trevor Cahill giveaway sale from this season.

Finally the New York Mets went all in as well before the July 31^st trading deadline acquiring Yoenis Cespedes, after failing to acquire Carlos Gomez from the Milwaukee Brewers and after making Flores cry at second base, Tyler Clippard from the Oakland Athletics, Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe from the Atlanta Braves to solidify the team’s bench and infield.

If it were not for these moves I truly don’t believe that any of these four teams are where they are today, fighting for a World Series Championship. This just goes to show you that even the best teams or the teams that seem the most stacked on paper need a little bit of fine tuning by the time July, August and September come around. The teams that make the moves necessary to get them over the hump don’t always prosper, and the teams that sit on their hands don’t always fail, but I’d say if you looked back at the Championship Series from Major League Baseball in the last 10-15 seasons or so I would think the odds would forever be in the favor of the team pulling the trigger and not the team sitting by idling watching the others get better.

How Will Qualifying Offers Affect Yankees Free Agency Plans?

With the qualifying offer number set at $15.8 million and a laundry list of players that I predicted to receive said qualifying offer earlier today I wanted to take a stab at whether those offers would affect the Yankees free agency plans for 2016. Usually you can use the past as an indicator or a stepping stone for the future but honestly that won't help us here. Before the 2014 season the team wen't crazy on the free agent market surrendering draft picks for Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran and Jacoby Ellsbury while last year the team stockpiled draft picks in an effort to jump start and rebuild the farm system.

The Yankees are barely a season removed from their international haul that cost them $30 million for a crew of 16-year old international free agents and the team is also less than six months removed from adding James Kaprielian, Kyle Holder, Jeff Degano and others to the farm from the MLB Draft. With this season's free agency crop as deep as it has been in recent memory this may be the season that proves to be the first free agent market that's worth mortgaging the future for, especially with the Yankees picking at the end of the first round once again in the 2016 Draft. Below is a list of players that I feel like will receive a qualifying offer and the bolded players are players I believe the Yankees will be interested in, not necessarily sign.

LHP Wei-Yin Chen - Baltimore Orioles
1B/DH Chris Davis - Baltimore Orioles
C Matt Wieters - Baltimore Orioles
OF Jason Heyward - St. Louis Cardinals
RHP Jeff Samardzija - Chicago White Sox
OF Dextor Fowler - Chicago Cubs
RHP Zack Greinke - Los Angeles Dodgers (if he opts out)
OF Alex Gordon - Kansas City Royals (if he declines his player option worth $12.5 million)
RHP Hisashi Iwakuma - Seattle Mariners (They want him back anyway)
RHP John Lackey - St. Louis Cardinals
OF Justin Upton - San Diego Padres
RHP Jordan Zimmerman - Washington Nationals
LHP Brett Anderson - Los Angeles Dodgers
INF Ian Desmond - Washington Nationals
INF Daniel Murphy - New York Mets
OF Colby Rasmus - Houston Astros

The Yankees will not receive any draft compensation for their free agents this season, Stephen Drew, Chris Capuano and Chris Young, so any players signed that are attached to draft pick compensation will negatively affect the future of the farm system in my opinion. With that said I think the Yankees could target a David Price, a Mike Leake, a Ben Zobrist or a Johnny Cueto and avoid the draft pick compensation or the team may give up a pick for Justin Upton or Jordan Zimmerman. Other than that it looks like the Yankees will be picking somewhere around the #18-22 position next June for the 2016 MLB First Year Players Draft. There just isn't that's realistic enough to give up a draft pick for. Greinke is not coming to the Bronx, Zimmerman probably isn't either and Heyward is just a pipe dream that I will hold onto all offseason long.

Bring me Ben Zobrist

The Yankees are becoming more and more mainstream each and every season removed from the George Steinbrenner and Joe Torre era. The team has adopted defensive shifting, having a fireman in the bullpen, a LOOGY in the pen and have tried their hardest to add as much versatility and youth to the lineup as a team with the pressure of a constant “World Series or bust” mentality can. The Yankees lineup and 25 man roster is basically set for 2016 without Brian Cashman getting pretty creative in the trade market but one man on the free agency market is intriguing. The Yankees need stability at second base and will presumably need a fourth outfielder that can replace Chris Young, is that where the Royals Ben Zobrist comes into play?

Would the Yankees, and more specifically would Hal Steinbrenner, be willing to go $45-$50 million for a player with no real position on the team? Zobrist could be the fourth outfielder that the Yankees thought they were getting when they signed Chris Young, an outfielder that hits left-handed pitching consistently, and at the same time be the Yankees second baseman they have presumably been searching for since the departure of Robinson Cano.

Zobrist is versatile and a good player, WAR and other stats will tell you that, that switch hits and is generally the type of player that the Yankees covet. He can play almost any position well and hits well enough to stick at any and all of them. Any team would love to either have Zobrist or emulate Zobrist which is why his price tag is expected to soar. Is he worth $50 million or more? Honestly, probably not but if the Yankees can get him for that number or less on a contract similar to Chase Headley’s I don’t think I’d be too terribly upset personally. With that said I wouldn’t be opposed to Justin Upton in the outfield and Robert Refsnyder at second base either, I’m indifferent. 

FYI: Qualifying Offer Set at $15.8 Million for 2016

From MLB Trade Rumors:



The 2015-16 free agent season’s qualifying offer value has been set at $15.8MM, according to a tweet from Eric Fisher of the Sports Business Journal. That represents an increase, of course, but the rise isn’t nearly as great as it has been in the past.

The QO system used a $13.3MM number in its first year, which increased to $14.1MM and then to $15.3MM last fall. The qualifying offer value is determined by averaging the 125 contracts leaguewide that have the highest average annual values.

Here’s a quick refresher on how the qualifying offer system works: Teams can offer their departing free agents a one-year deal, at the established price tag, within five days of the conclusion of the World Series. Over the next seven days, players who receive the offer are allowed to talk with other teams and decide whether to take the single-season pact. If they reject it, then draft implications attach: their former team stands to gain a compensation pick in the following year’s draft, while a new signing team must give up their highest non-protected draft choice.

There are plenty of other elements of the system, of course, and you can check out thisold-but-good overview for more. For an understanding of why the qualifying offer matters so much, read this great explanation of why “avoiding the qualifying offer” is so important for a free agent’s value.

Players traded in mid-season are not eligible to receive a qualifying offer. So, for example, the Royals can make a qualifying offer to Alex Gordon but cannot extend one to Johnny Cueto or Ben Zobrist.

And remember: we still have yet to see a player accept a qualifying offer. While several QO-declining players have seemingly experienced market impacts after being saddled with draft compensation, the opportunity to test the open market in search of a multi-year pact has thus far proved compelling.

Coming To Terms After The Trade Deadline

The Toronto Blue Jays are better, the Kansas City Royals are better, the Los Angeles Dodgers are better, and the Texas Rangers are better. The New York Yankees are... pretty much the same team they were last week.

"That was a pretty boring week."

I'm not happy that Brian Cashman didn't find a way to improve the team, but I'm not convinced that something had to be done. Take the bullpen for example, where we heard rumors of Craig Kimbrel, Aroldis Chapman, or Carter Capps being traded for...

While it would have been incredible to have Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller, and Craig Kimbrel/Aroldis Chapman/Carter Capps in the bullpen, would that be necessary? Those three could take care of four innings, making the starters only have to throw for five. But Masahiro Tanaka has averaged 6.23 innings per start, while Michael Pineda has averaged 6.21 innings per start. That means, unless those guys have a bad game, one of Betances, Miller, or Kimbrel wouldn't even be used in a game. And a bad performance by one of the starters could very well mean the Yankees are losing more than half-way through the game. That's not good, especially against the Royals, Orioles, Blue Jays, Angels, and Astros... all of which have pretty good bullpens.

I don't mean to be a hypocrite here. Yes... I was cool with the Yankees offering Jorge Mateo for Craig Kimbrel. I would have liked to keep Mateo, as you can never have too many middle infield prospects, but the facts are that Jorge is only in single-A, and Didi Gregorius has looked really good over the last month. So losing Mateo wouldn't be that bad. No, the bad part was Jed Gyorko.

The fact that Gyorko's OPS+ since the beginning of the 2014 season is only 77 wouldn't be that big a problem, especially seeing how the Yankees traded for Dustin Ackley and his OPS+ of 78 this season. The problem with Gyorko is that he's signed through 2019 for $32 million (plus a $1 million buyout of a team option for 2020). It's surely not an albatross contract like Sabathia's, but the idea of paying this guy $13 million in 2019 is ridiculous.

To sum up the bullpen, with the top two along with guys such as Chasen Schreve and Justin Wilson, a big upgrade was hardly necessary.

What about the starting rotation, which could use an upgrade at the top?

The Yankees were never close to acquiring an ace-type starter, and it turns out that doing so would have taken at least one of the big four... Aaron Judge, Luis Severino, Greg Bird, and Jorge Mateo. But even if Brian Cashman would have been okay parting with one or more of those guys, would doing that for somebody like Johnny Cueto be necessary?

Yankees starters are currently ranked 6th in the American League in FIP, and out of the five teams ahead of them in that category, the Houston Astros are the only team with a good chance at making the postseason (the other four are the Oakland Athletics, the Chicago White Sox, the Tampa Bay Rays, and Cleveland Indians).

Meanwhile, the Toronto Blue Jays did a good job of improving their rotation, adding David Price. However, the Yankees have destroyed Price recently, and the Jays' next best starter is Mark Buerle, who would struggle to strike out you or I.

Yes, a pitcher of the Mike Leake or James Shields variety would have been welcome, but there's no certainty that they would be any better than simply calling up Luis Severino. Not to mention that Adam Warren did a really good job in the rotation earlier this season, and he could be put back there. Then there's Bryan Mitchell, another fine starting candidate. Sure, Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda haven't been true #1 starters, but I still trust those guys. And Nathan Eovaldi has been fairly good lately.

Yeah.. anyway...

Fine, but Stephen Drew and Brendan Ryan are still our regular second basemen. Ugh!

That's true, and it's not good. However, there was never a solid rumor regarding an offensive upgrade. Plenty of people, myself included, brought up guys like Ben Zobrist or Martin Prado. Well, the Yankees' bats are already pretty good (2nd in AL in runs scored and wRC+), so I don't think a trade in this area was truly necessary. Bringing back Rob Refsnyder to be the team's regular second baseman over Stephen Drew may be all the team needs on offense.

What I find really funny is that, in the past, a number of fans spoke out against trading away all of the team's good prospects. Now that the team has changed gears when it comes to building from within, and we got through a trading deadline without losing a top 15 prospect, you'd think the fans would be happy. But no... they wanted a "big" trade to happen. Face it... Brian Cashman can't win.

I'm extremely excited about the team. Without possibly damaging the future of the team, they're six games in first place with 60 games to play. That may not be a lot, but it is hardly an easy hill to climb for the second place Blue Jays and Orioles.

We've been waiting to see Luis Severino get called up, and next week we're going to finally see it. And against the Red Sox no less. How awesome is that?

And as early as next season we could see the team's top prospect, and somebody the offense may be built around in the near future, Aaron Judge. Of course, that would mean delegating Carlos Beltran and his $15 million salary to the bench, but I don't think it's out of the question.

I've already talked about Rob Refsnyder being brought back up to permanently replace the combination of Drew and Ryan at second base.

Then there's Greg Bird, who may very well get a promotion to the big league some time next season, where he'll take his next stop towards taking over for Mark Teixiera at first base.

However, with how he's hitting homer after homer, and making plays like the gem last night, I'm not in any hurry for him to step down.

Finally, one of the best parts about not dealing for Craig Kimbrel, Cole Hamels, or others is that the Yankees are not obligated to pay a large chunk of money to another player. Nor are they on the hook for so many years of their contracts.

The New York Yankees are not the same team they were a few years ago. Maybe not even two years ago. If you're too young to remember when Don Mattingly played for the Yankees, then I can understand your frustration with the team not bettering their chances to win it all this year. But if you do remember Donnie Baseball, and the team's struggles prior to 1996, then building another Core Four like what Brian Cashman has said he's trying to do sounds pretty damn appealing.

Weekly Check In: Greg Bird

Greg Bird got a bit of a shot in the arm as far as confidence goes this week when the Yankees and GM Brian Cashman announced that Bird was one of the four “untouchable” prospects at this year’s July 31^st trading deadline. Bird joined the ranks of fellow RailRIders Aaron Judge and Luis Severino as well as Charleston Riverdogs standout Jorge Mateo in the untouchable department. Bird is likely thought to be as the first baseman of the future in the Bronx with the massive and lengthy Mark Teixeira contract nearing its conclusion.

Bird has done well in every stop in the minor leagues during his Yankees career with 2015 being no exception. His batting average is a little lower than you would like it to be for Triple-A and Double-A but when you look at his power numbers, RBI numbers and on base percentage he gets a pass. I hate to say this out loud, although I feel confident enough to since he was deemed untouchable, Bird would be the perfect player for Billy Beane to acquire in a potential Ben Zobrist trade. Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you look at it, we won’t have to worry about that this season.

Year	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2015	AA-AAA	69	299	36	68	20	9	40	1	33	48	.262	.355	.442	.797
2015	AA	49	212	29	47	16	6	29	1	24	30	.258	.358	.445	.804
2015	AAA	20	87	7	21	4	3	11	0	9	18	.269	.345	.436	.781

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table