ICYMI: Are the Yankees & Angels Now Trade Partners Again?

Just a quick hit and a little bit of me thinking out loud here. The New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were thought to be potential trade partners for much of the winter with zero trades getting done when all the ink was dry. Are these two teams potentially trade partners again just a few weeks into their spring training schedules?


All winter long many of the fans wondered if the Angels would part with some of their young starting pitching to acquire the Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner. The Angels were looking for some outfield help to replace the traded Josh Hamilton and were able to find it elsewhere leaving Gardner back in the Bronx presumably for another season. Now the Yankees, who looked for starting pitching much of the winter, may have an extra starter or two on their hands while the Angels are stuck looking for at least one heading into the season.


The Angels have already lost a pair of starters this spring in Jered Weaver, who is dealing with chronic neck pain, and C.J. Wilson, who is struggling with his shoulder after injuring it last season. There is no word on when Weaver will continue throwing this spring but all signs point to Wilson being on the disabled list on Opening Day 2016 so is it time to make a deal?


The Yankees seem extremely impressed with what Luis Cessa has been able to do this spring and it almost seems like the ultimate “hype him up and sell him high” scenario that Brian Cashman is becoming known for. Would the Angels GM, and former Yankees assistant GM, Billy Eppler bite on Cessa or would he rather a commodity that he is already familiar with. A commodity like Ivan Nova or Bryan Mitchell perhaps?


I don’t pretend to know what the state of the Angels system is, their strengths and weaknesses, but if New York could turn Cessa into a nice prospect or two that would go a long way in making the Justin Wilson trade not hurt so bad. If the Yankees could sell even higher on Nova, who has also looked great this spring by the way, and fetch two or three starting prospects in his contract year then even better. If not then it may be another season without the postseason for the Angels and frankly, either would suit me just fine.

Are the Yankees & Angels Now Trade Partners Again?

Just a quick hit and a little bit of me thinking out loud here. The New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were thought to be potential trade partners for much of the winter with zero trades getting done when all the ink was dry. Are these two teams potentially trade partners again just a few weeks into their spring training schedules?

All winter long many of the fans wondered if the Angels would part with some of their young starting pitching to acquire the Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner. The Angels were looking for some outfield help to replace the traded Josh Hamilton and were able to find it elsewhere leaving Gardner back in the Bronx presumably for another season. Now the Yankees, who looked for starting pitching much of the winter, may have an extra starter or two on their hands while the Angels are stuck looking for at least one heading into the season.

The Angels have already lost a pair of starters this spring in Jered Weaver, who is dealing with chronic neck pain, and C.J. Wilson, who is struggling with his shoulder after injuring it last season. There is no word on when Weaver will continue throwing this spring but all signs point to Wilson being on the disabled list on Opening Day 2016 so is it time to make a deal?

The Yankees seem extremely impressed with what Luis Cessa has been able to do this spring and it almost seems like the ultimate “hype him up and sell him high” scenario that Brian Cashman is becoming known for. Would the Angels GM, and former Yankees assistant GM, Billy Eppler bite on Cessa or would he rather a commodity that he is already familiar with. A commodity like Ivan Nova or Bryan Mitchell perhaps?

I don’t pretend to know what the state of the Angels system is, their strengths and weaknesses, but if New York could turn Cessa into a nice prospect or two that would go a long way in making the Justin Wilson trade not hurt so bad. If the Yankees could sell even higher on Nova, who has also looked great this spring by the way, and fetch two or three starting prospects in his contract year then even better. If not then it may be another season without the postseason for the Angels and frankly, either would suit me just fine. 

Mark Teixeira Isn’t “OK” With Anything

When I saw the now “infamous” article and tweet stating that the New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira would be “OK” with waiving his no-trade clause to facilitate a deal this winter I can’t lie, I got a little bit excited. I didn’t bother to check the source, I thought maybe a responsible site like Yanks Go Yard would have done that for me (and that was not tongue in cheek, the site is responsible and a friend of The Greedy Pinstripes) but after doing some research and digging around one thing is clear, at least to me, and that is that Mark Teixeira isn’t “OK” with anything.

This is slowly becoming old news now, the story broke late in the week last week, but I wanted to wait this one out before I began to write about it. Why? Sometimes the little guys, no matter how much Joel Sherman doesn’t want to admit it, get the news first. I bring up Sherman specifically because we here at TGP had the Curtis Granderson to the Mets deal not only first, but 100% correct, days before Sherman stole the show. Sherman was credited for it and when I linked him to my blog post and tweets day before asking for accountability I was blocked and I am still blocked on his Twitter to this day. So with this instance I wanted to wait around to see if anyone would pick up on it, maybe even speculate on it, but I have seen nothing. Absolutely nothing. When you see smoke there is usually fire but in this case there isn’t a stick of wood to be found.

When no one is talking about something or none of the beat writers or experts are even talking about, trying to confirm, trying to fact check etc. that usually means it looks like a duck and walks like a duck and sounds like a duck. This is a duck! Mark Teixeira did not give the Yankees the green light to trade him and he definitely isn’t going to follow Billy Eppler to Los Angeles to play for the Angels alongside the monster contracts of CJ Wilson, Albert Pujols (who is also a first baseman) and Josh Hamilton (who is playing for the Texas Rangers).

This is a duck and it’s not happening. 

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 6/29

The Yankees are finally out of Houston and have arrived in Anaheim ready to begin their three game series with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Yankees have an off day in sight on Thursday and a big series looming with the team they are chasing in the American League East, the Tampa Bay Rays, so let's hope they don't get caught looking ahead in this series. Tonight this series begins with CC Sabathia facing off with CJ Wilson for the Yankees. The game will be played at 10:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

After tonight you have three more days including the off day to get your Yankees tickets for the big series with the Rays this weekend. Click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog to get those tickets through our friends at Ticket Monster, it supports the blog and gets you in the door for cheap. If you can't make it live then that's not a big problem, simply jump on Twitter (@GreedyStripes) or the comments section of the blog to interact with us during each and every Yankees game.

That's enough rambling out of me it's this guy's bedtime, I'll try and stay up as much as I can though, so I leave you with a "Go Yankees" and a goodnight!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 6/29

The New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will begin a three game series on the west coast tonight after the Yankees recently completed a four game series with the Houston Astros. The Yankees have three more games in Los Angeles before traveling on an off day Thursday and before returning home on Friday to play host to the Tampa Bay Rays. First thing is first though as the Yankees send CC Sabathia to the mound to face off with CJ Wilson for the Angels. The game will be played at 10:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

• Sabathia is fresh off his third straight no-decision this season when he did not factor into the decision against the Philadelphia Phillies. CC allowed six runs on right hits and did not last five innings in the game for the Yankees. 

• Wilson has been more than effective lately as he has posted a 2-1 record with a 3.93 ERA and 20 K's in his last three starts. Wilson did have his shortest start of his season last time out though lasting just 3.1 IP in a start against the Houston Astros. This will be the second time this season Wilson faces the Yankees after allowing six runs in seven innings in his first start.

You always want to begin a series with a win and end a series with a win so let's hope the Yankees are paying attention to this post and start off tonight with a victory. It won't be easy but the Yankees have had their successes against Wilson in his career so it is definitely far from impossible. With that said, Go Yankees!

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 6/7

For the final time this weekend the New York Yankees will make the trip out to the Bronx to play host to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim inside the great Yankee Stadium. The Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound to face off against a familiar face for the Angels in CJ Wilson. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

The Yankees will play host to Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer and the Washington Nationals at Yankee Stadium next week with Masahiro Tanaka taking the ball for the first game for New York. You are going to want to head out to the Bronx to see the Tanaka vs. Scherzer pitching matchup so get your Yankees tickets right here on the blog by clicking the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog. If you can't make it then simply jump on Twitter and follow @GreedyStripes to interact during the game because it's almost like being there.

That's enough out of me because it's game time ladies and gents. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 6/6

Two games down and one more to go between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim inside the legendary Yankee Stadium. The Yankees bullpen imploded late in the game on Friday night but New York still held out for a victory and head into the Bronx looking for another tonight. The Yankees will send CC Sabathia, not Michael Pineda who's start has been skipped in order to save some innings on his arm, to the mound to face off with the Angels lefty CJ Wilson. The game will be plated at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

• Sabathia is replacing Michael Pineda in the rotation as the Yankees are skipping Big Mike's start. Sabathia has given up 11 runs across 8.1 innings in his last two starts so you definitely want him starting this afternoon against the Angels rather than facing off with Bryce Harper and the Washington Nationals. 

• Wilson is coming off a start in which he allowed five runs to the Tampa Bay Rays in a loss for the Angels. Wilson admitted to too many walks and too many hit batters in the loss, a trend that hopefully continues this afternoon in the Bronx.

The Yankees will stay home for a quick two game set with the Washington Nationals inside Yankee Stadium next week with a day off on Monday and Thursday before the team heads to Camden Yard to face off with the Baltimore Orioles. New York is also preparing for the 2015 MLB First Year Players Draft that goes down tomorrow night on MLB Network so be sure to tune in for that. Go Yankees!

Game Thread: Yankees vs. Angels 4/23

The New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will start a three game weekend series tonight at Yankee Stadium with Hiroki Kuroda heading to the mound for the Yankees. The Angels will counter with CJ Wilson who has a career 2.58 ERA in 38.1 IP in his career in Yankee Stadium. The Yankees will need to get to Wilson early and get into that weak and full of holes Angels bullpen. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, on the computer with MLB TV, and on the radio with WFAN.

Join the discussion on Twitter and talk with us during the game by following @GreedyStripes. If Twitter is not your thing then you can always drop us a line in our comments section of the site. Joining and signing up is always free and we won't email you or anything like that, unless you want us to of course. You can also get all your Yankees tickets needs while your here commenting without even leaving the blog. Don't forget that it's not too late to join our mega prediction game where we have been wagering points on whether the Yankees will win or lose all 162 games this season.

Enjoy the game Yankees family and I hope you all have a great weekend.

Preview: New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels 4/25

The New York Yankees will host the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim this weekend at Yankee Stadium for a three game set. The Yankees will send Hiroki Kuroda to the mound to face off with CJ Wilson for the Angels tonight. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network, on the computer with MLB TV, and can be heard on the radio with WFAN.

Hiroki Kuroda struggled a little with his command and effectivness last time out against the Tampa Bay Rays in a Yankees loss. Kuroda pitched 5.2 IP and allowed seven hits and three runs on 99 pitches. Kuroda struggled with command all night long but only walked two and struck out two. Kuroda will look to improve on that last start tonight against the Angels.

CJ Wilson struggled in his last outing against the Detroit Tigers giving up four runs, albeit only three of them earned, on seven hits and three walks in only five innings pitched. Wilson is a bit of a Yankee killer though, especially at Yankee Stadium, sporting a career 2.58 ERA in 38.1 IP in New York.

Go Yankees!!