Looking Forward to St Patrick's Day...

Photo Credit: AP (Rick Scuteri)

Patrick Corbin should be at the forefront for the Yankees…

So many possibilities, where do the Yankees go? November is always a tough month for the Hot Stove League. Lots of talk but not really much action. There’s always the chance for a major trade but we generally have to get much closer to the Baseball Winter Meetings in December for the flurry of activity, then the quietness returns until the start of training camp. I don’t expect this year to be any different.  

No doubt GM Brian Cashman is laying the groundwork for potential trades. He’s talked with the Cleveland Indians, he’s reached out to the Seattle Mariners, and has surely had talks with teams we’ve heard nothing about. The talks now will hopefully yield fruit later, but rest assured, if the Yankees are successful in obtaining Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco or James Paxton, it WILL hurt. For a team on the cusp of a championship, now is not the time to “prospect-hug”. The team must be prepared to pay the price, whatever it may be, to bring in a top of the rotation arm.  

Of the names mentioned, I probably like Kluber the best. He would immediately became the team’s ace, which we clearly need, and his presence would help take pressure off Luis Severino. Less pressure on Sevy would only enhance the chances for him to become the best he can be. But if the Yanks can’t get Kluber, Carrasco would be a welcome addition. I really like James Paxton and I think his name has been mentioned frequently in the past by TGP’s Daniel Burch. My only concern, like many others, is health. Paxton has not proven to be a durable pitcher. But if the team has the opportunity to add Paxton and the price is reasonable, they should do it.  

Photo Credit: USATSI

Regardless of how the trade market plays out, I hope the Yankees do not lose sight of free agent starter Patrick Corbin. He will be costly but I am very fascinated with how his left arm and pitching arsenal would play in Yankee Stadium. He grew up as a Yankees fan and wore #46 in Arizona out of respect for Andy Pettitte. He is a ground ball pitcher with five legitimate pitches although his deadly combinations are the slider, four-seam fastball, and sinker. He’s been praised for his work ethic and the signs show he will be an elite pitcher in his 30’s. Corbin might slot into the third or fourth spot in the rotation depending upon what the Yankees do on the trade market, but he’d ensure the starting rotation is a strength in 2019 compared to its achilles heel in 2018.  

Despite the rumors of so many names, Corbin remains my number one target this off-season.  I hope the Yankees see it the same way. Paired with an ace acquired via trade, or added along with the return of a guy like J.A. Happ or Nathan Eovaldi, the starting rotation will be better next year with Corbin in it. 

Photo Credit: USA Today Sports (Mark J Rebilas)

The Bryce Harper/Manny Machado talk has reached absurd levels. I am anxious for the guys to get their $300 million plus contracts to end the excessive chatter about the two young superstars. I think the Yankees would be foolish to pass on at least one of the rare “young” superstars but it’s not my money. I see the advantage of Bryce’s left-handed bat in the Yankees lineup and I see Manny’s role in bridging the gap at short and eventually providing a superior defender at third. My personal preference may be Machado as I’ve long admired the player but I would shed no tears with the signing of Harper. Still, the Yankees can win without either so if they go big with the starting rotation and bring in a guy like Marwin Gonzalez or Daniel Murphy to help the infield, it will not be the end of the world. I like the chances better with Harper or Machado, but the 2019 Yankees will contend for the World Series regardless of how this plays out. “Go big or go home” applies now more than ever.  

I want the Yankees to end the reign of the Boston Red Sox next season so I am in favor of whatever moves the team has to make to improve. I’d hate to see Miguel Andujar, Estevan Florial, Justus Sheffield, or Albert Abreu leave, but if it improves the team, so be it. Championship windows do not remain open for extended periods of time. You have to take advantage of the opportunities when they present themselves. I am ready for the pain for the greater glory. In Cashman we trust…

Photo Credit: AP (Gregory Bull)

For those keeping score, the Yankees have made some moves this off-season. They’ve re-signed Brett Gardner and CC Sabathia to one-year deals. They re-signed minor league free agent third baseman and defensive-whiz Giovanny Urshela and they signed a minor league deal with former Pirates catcher Ryan Lavarnway. Lavarnway was once a heralded top prospect for the Red Sox, although, now in his 30’s, he has settled into a journeyman role.  He provides much needed catching depth at the upper levels of the farm system. Lavarnway is one of those guys I hope the Yankees don’t need to use but he’s there to help if it becomes necessary. Milwaukee’s Erik Kratz has proven it is never too late to make a significant contribution.  Welcome to the Yankees Family, Ryan!

Photo Credit: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Matt Freed)

The end is within sight for Jacoby Ellsbury. He only has two more years on his contract before the Yankees can exercise their buyout. Ellsbury is owed $42,285,174 for the next two seasons, and the Yankees can then buyout his contract for an additional $5 million. Realistically, I don’t expect Ellsbury to wear the pinstripes again or at least I hope not, but I am glad we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve seen some suggest the Yankees should trade Ellsbury for another dead contract (like Miami’s Wei-Yin Chen, owed $58 million for the next three years, or Seattle’s Robinson Cano, owed $120 million over the next five years). No, thanks. I don’t think the Yankees should take on more money to rid themselves of Ellsbury. I like Cano and he might help but financially it makes absolutely no sense. He is clearly on the downhill slide and he’s entering the really ugly side of his ridiculous contract. If the Yankees can finally move Ellsbury even if they have to pay the bulk of his remaining contract, that’s the way to go. If I was a GM for another team and I was convinced that Ellsbury was finally healthy, I’d take a chance on him for no more than a $5 million per year commitment. That’s a lot of money for the Yankees to eat, but it would be worth the investment (addition by subtraction). I am done with Ellsbury and don’t want to see him pull on the pinstripes again.

Yesterday saw two notable names in the game announce their plans to retire. Hats off to Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins and Chase Utley of the Los Angeles Dodgers for long, distinguished careers. Both are names I’d like to see stay in the game in some capacity. I am not sure what their plans are for the future but I wish both the very best as they enter the next phase of their lives. Mauer’s departure certainly opens an opportunity at first base for former Yankee Tyler Austin unless they decide to go in a different direction for new manager Rocco Baldelli. 

Is Sonny Gray still a Yankee? Count me among those who think Cashman will bring a better than expected return for the failed Yankee. I am certain he’ll get at least a strong prospect with upside. We’ll see. Hopefully Gray’s Yankee career is over by this time next month. It would  be great if he could take Luis Cessa and A.J. Cole with him.

As always, Go Yankees!

This Day in New York Yankees History 11/3: Enter Paul O'Neill

It was on this day in 1992 that the New York Yankees finally acquired right fielder Paul O'Neill. The Cincinnati Reds traded O'Neill and minor league player Joe DeBerry to the Yankees for Roberto Kelly. This trade works out for the Yankees as O'Neill was an integral part of four World Series championships before retiring after the 2001 season.

Also in this day in New York Yankees history that we probably don't want to remember a pair of World Series milestones happened against the Yankees in the World Series. On this day in 2001 in Game 6 of the World Series the Arizona Diamondbacks collected 21 hits in the first six innings establishing a new record for most hits in a World Series game. Also on this day in 2009 Chase Utley tied Reggie Jackson's 1977 record with his 5th home run of the World Series.

Dodging Their Way to Game Seven...

Credit:  LA Times - Robert Gauthier

2017 World Series 

Dodgers 3, Astros 1

Series tied, 3-3

The Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers, okay I am not quite that old...the Los Angeles Dodgers...forced the first World Series Game 7 in Dodger Stadium history with their win over the Houston Astros in Game 6 on Tuesday night. We're a week into this World Series and we now stand in the month that Derek Jeter made famous. Who will be the latest November hero?  We'll find out later today.

The game was expected to be a pitching duel with veteran ace Justin Verlander pitching for the Astros against the resurgent Rich Hill for the Dodger Blue. Unlike the slugfest the broke out between Dallas Keuchel and Clayton Kershaw match-up, Verlander-Hill did not disappoint.  

Credit:  LA Times - Robert Gauthier

The Dodgers started the game by having former Dodgers greats Tommy Lasorda and Orel Hershiser, champions in 1988, throw out the first pitches. Hershiser is regularly seen by Dodgers fans on SportsNet LA but it was wonderful to see Lasorda on Dodger Stadium turf again. It's always good to see the legendary Lasorda whenever he makes an appearance. I didn't love the guy back during those World Series against the Yankees in the late 70's, but he grew on me over time and I appreciate his role in Dodgers history.  

Credit:  Los Angeles Daily News:  John McCoy/SCNG

Once the game began, it was a scoreless affair until George Springer's solo shot to right into the front row seats with two outs in the top of the 3rd broke the ice. On a team with multiple offensive stars, Springer and teammate Alex Bregman have really stood out for the Astros. If the Astros ultimately win this World Series, there's no doubt that one or both of these guys will be in the thick of the action. 

Credit:  LA Times - Wally Skalij

Bregman followed Springer's homer with a sharply hit ball to short that Corey Seager booted but Seager was able to recover quickly with his throw just beating Bregman to the bag for the final out.

While Verlander was cruising through the early innings, allowing only a meaningless single by Yasiel Puig in the second inning, the Astros finally got to Hill in the top of the fifth. Brian McCann led off the inning with a single to deep right which Yasiel Puig cut off in the corner. Marwin Gonzalez was next and he doubled down the left field line into the corner, moving the huffing and puffing McCann to third. After Hill struck out Josh Reddick and Verlander, Springer was intentionally walked to load the bases. 

Credit:  LA Times - Robert Gauthier

Much to Hill's disappointment, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made the call to the bullpen and brought in reliever Brandon Morrow who had imploded during his previous outing in Houston. The day of rest helped for the former Blue Jay. He was able to get Alex Bregman to ground out to short, through the runner's legs, on the second pitch of the at-bat to end the inning with the bases overflowing with Astros.  

The Astros threatened again in the top of the 6th, while Verlander was still pitching a one-hitter at that point. With two outs, Yuli Gurriel singled to center off Morrow. Dave Roberts then made a double switch, bringing in former Pirates closer Tony Watson to replace Morrow and second baseman Chase Utley to replace Logan Forsythe. Watson promptly hit Brian McCann with a pitch in the back of the right arm that I am sure was not part of the plan. Runners at first and second. Fortunately, Marwin Gonzales hit a liner to second, with Chase Utley jumping up for the catch, for the final out. Another missed scoring opportunity for the Astros (bummer for them, for me...not so much). 

In the bottom of the 6th, Austin Barnes led off with a single to left. Chase Utley, batting in the pitcher's spot thanks to the double switch, was hit by a pitch on his right foot with a bouncer in the dirt. Chris Taylor, who probably makes Mariners GM Jerry DiPoto lose sleep everytime he revisits that trade in his head, came up big...again...when he doubled to right, scoring Barnes and advancing Utley to third. The game was tied.  

Credit:  LA Times - Wally Skalij

Corey Seager hit a high fly to right that died in front of the wall but it was deep enough to score Utley on the sacrifice. Verlander was able to get Justin Turner to foul out on the first base side and he struck out Cody Bellinger, but the Dodgers had taken their first lead of the game, 2-1.  

The Astros made noise again for the third consecutive inning in the top of the 7th. After Tony Watson walked the lead off hitter, Josh Reddick, Dave Roberts took the ball from him and brought in Kenta Maeda to face Evan Gattis, pinch-hitting for Justin Verlander. Gattis hit into a fielder's choice at short that erased Reddick at second but the Dodgers were unable to turn a double play. Gattis clearly reached first base before the throw but the Dodgers challenged and lost the play at second when they argued unsuccessfully that Reddick had purposely tried to take out Chase Utley (on the appropriately named Chase Utley rule). Mets fans were probably snickering as they recalled the time in the 2015 NLDS when Utley  slid into Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada rather than the base, breaking Tejada's leg and sending the shortstop's career on a downward trajectory. Not snickering because of Tejada but because Utley was the victim of an aggressive play. 

Credit:  Pasadena Star-News:  Keith Birmingham/SCNG

George Springer hit a grounder to short but the ball got by Corey Seager and rolled into left field. Gattis moved to second and was replaced by pinch-runner Derek Fisher. Alex Bregman flied out to center, with Fisher tagging and moving to third. It brought Jose Altuve to the plate. Altuve hit a hard grounder to third, but Justin Turner made a great play in throwing the ball to first for the out to end the inning.

Joc Pederson added an insurance run in the bottom of the 7th when he took reliever Joe Musgrove deep with a solo blast to left. There was some initial doubt if he had hit the ball far enough but it carried over the wall much to the excitement of Pederson and his teammates.  

Credit:  LA Times - Robert Gauthier

From there, the Dodgers not to take any chances and brought in ace closer Kenley Jansen for the top of the 8th to get the six-out save. He easily retired the three batters he faced to send the game to the bottom of the inning. The Dodgers had a chance for more runs when they had two on with two outs for Cody Bellinger, but Clay's son struck out swinging in an extended 9-pitch at bat against Francisco Liriano (who was making his first appearance in the World Series).

Kenley Jansen came back out for the top of the 9th (obviously). Marwin Gonzalez had the first chance to get the Astros back into the game. He popped out to first baseman Bellinger in shallow right. Next up, Josh Reddick. He struck out, swinging and missing the last two pitches. One last man stood between the Dodgers and victory...former Yankees slugger Carlos Beltran. Jansen threw a 94 mph Cutter with the count at 0-2 in favor of the pitcher. Beltran took a big swing  at the high pitch and missed. 

Credit:  Houston Chronicle:  Michael Ciaglo

Game over. Dodgers win!

Credit:  LA Times - Gina Ferazzi

Dodgers Legend and Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax was in attendance as a spectator, looking like he could be the Game 7 starter if necessary.  Of course, it's Los Angeles so there were more than few celebrities in the house, such as former Los Angeles Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Credit:  Houston Chronicle:  Karen Warren

I have no clue who is going to win the World Series, but it comes down to one game. Winner take all. The matchup will feature Lance McCullers, Jr on the mound for the Astros. He'll face Yu Darvish. If the game was to be the played in Houston, you'd have to like the Astros chances. But we are not at Minute Maid Park anymore. Darvish will have the support of the partisan crowd and Chavez Ravine will be rocking tonight. It should be another World Series classic.  

Credit:  Pasadena Star-News:  Keith Birmingham/SCNG

Editor's Note:  This writer is pro-Dodgers (if you didn't notice already).

Odds & Ends...

It was sad to read the words of Ken Rosenthal's interview with former Yankees manager Joe Girardi on yesterday's The Athletic. I refuse to pay a subscription fee to Rosenthal but fortunately the article was available in full. Girardi clearly sounded like a guy who wanted to be a part of the next great Yankees era. I was glad to read that Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner left the door open for Girardi's eventual return to the organization in some capacity if he so chooses. I personally doubt Girardi returns, but I thought he handled his first interview since the dismissal with style and grace.

Credit:  Getty Images

As expected, Gabe Kapler was named manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. So the Yankees are the only team without a manager. Unless there is a secret deal already in place (probably), today brings an unsigned general manager too as Brian Cashman's deal expired last night. I think it's a given that Cashman will return but I'll be anxious to get his new contract behind us so that the Yankees can truly begin their off-season strategy and preparation to bring us their 28th World Championship.  

Have a great Wednesday! This is it...the final day of Major League Baseball for 2017. Let's Go Dodgers, but more importantly, Let's Go Yankees!

Meet a Prospect: Ruben Tejada

The New York Yankees have signed former New York Mets product Ruben Tejada to a minor league deal and will presumably have him in spring training camp this spring fighting for a job. While this signing is not on the same level as the Matt Holliday or the Aroldis Chapman signings this could be significant nonetheless, especially with the release of Dustin Ackley and other key losses in the infield both at the Major League and Minor League level. So let’s meet the guy that could be up in the Bronx with an injury or two or a strong showing this spring down in Tampa. This is Meet a Prospect: The Ruben Tejada Edition.

Ruben Dario Tejada was born on October 27, 1989 in Santiago de Veraguas, Panama to Ruben Sr. and Donaji Tejada. Ruben Sr. was a pitcher in Panama for the Los Indios de Veraguas and that mixed with the fact that Tejada Jr. grew up mere feet from Omar Torrijos Herrera Stadium in Panama the middle infielder was destined for baseball. Growing up Tejada idolized the likes of Derek Jeter and Omar Vizquel leading Tejada to sign with the New York Mets in 2006 as a 16-year old international free agent and prospect. 

Tejada toiled around in the Mets minor league system through the 2009 season and it was the year 2010 when Tejada was invited to Mets spring training camp. Tejada impressed the Mets enough to become the youngest position player to make the New York Mets Opening Day roster since Tim Foli in 1971. Tejada was a part-time player and a player that bounced back and forth between Triple-A and the Major Leagues until becoming a fill-time player in 2011 after an injury to third baseman David Wright moved then second baseman Justin Turner to third base.

It was business as usual for Tejada from 2011 through the 2015 regular season but Tejada was in the spotlight again during the 2015 NLDS when Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman ended his season and ultimately his Mets tenure with a slide into second base that broke Tejada’s right fibula. That broken fibula ended his season and in March of 2016 the Mets places Tejada on waivers before releasing him the next day. Tejada latched on with the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants in 2016 but neither resulted in long tenures back in the big leagues unfortunately for Tejada.  

Now Tejada is back in New York, this time with the New York Yankees, and once again back to fighting for his MLB career. Good luck to him and we are very happy to have him. Welcome to the family Ruben. 

This Day in New York Yankees History 11/3: Enter Paul O'Neill

It was on this day in 1992 that the New York Yankees finally acquired right fielder Paul O'Neill. The Cincinnati Reds traded O'Neill and minor league player Joe DeBerry to the Yankees for Roberto Kelly. This trade works out for the Yankees as O'Neill was an integral part of four World Series championships before retiring after the 2001 season.

Also in this day in New York Yankees history that we probably don't want to remember a pair of World Series milestones happened against the Yankees in the World Series. On this day in 2001 in Game 6 of the World Series the Arizona Diamondbacks collected 21 hits in the first six innings establishing a new record for most hits in a World Series game. Also on this day in 2009 Chase Utley tied Reggie Jackson's 1977 record with his 5th home run of the World Series.

Ruben Tejada, YAY or NAY

EDIT: This was written before Tejada declined a minor league deal from the Yankees. Let's assume this article is for a Major League deal to avoid any confusion.

Spring Training is good for more than a few things as far as Major League Baseball is concerned. It means that games that actually mean something and count are right around the corner and it’s also the last chance for teams to get their rosters in order before the season starts. Every year we hear about spring competitions around the league and we hear about “out of options” players who have to make their respective clubs or be forced onto the waiver wire and free agency. The New York Mets had one such “out of options” player just clear the waiver wire and hit free agency in Ruben Tejada, should the New York Yankees be interested?

Truth be told I believe the St. Louis Cardinals will snatch up Tejada and turn him into a .300 hitter and an All Star but for the sake of the post let’s debate whether New York would be interested in Tejada. The former Mets second baseman can play second base, third base and shortstop so his versatility is something the Yankees would presumably like but his bat leaves much to be desired. Tejada finished the 2015 campaign with just a .261 average with three home runs, 28 RBI and 23 doubles for the Mets before being taken out by Chase Utley of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the playoffs. For the $550,000 he will presumably sign for, the major league minimum, that’s sufficient production for a bench piece but he’s definitely not worth the $3 million the Mets were about to be on the hook for.

The Yankees needed a legitimate back up third baseman entering the spring but the move of Robert Refsnyder to third base may have alleviated that situation. If Refsnyder showed he couldn’t handle the position or if Tejada had one of those bats you have to make room for it would be a different thing but Refsnyder has done a lot to impress not only me, his biggest fan aside from his mother, but the Yankees organization as well. Tejada is a good player and will likely latch on somewhere and do well but I don’t think that will be back in New York and I don’t think it will be with the New York Yankees unfortunately. 

This Day in New York Yankees History 11/3: Enter Paul O'Neill

It was on this day in 1992 that the New York Yankees finally acquired right fielder Paul O'Neill. The Cincinnati Reds traded O'Neill and minor league player Joe DeBerry to the Yankees for Roberto Kelly. This trade works out for the Yankees as O'Neill was an integral part of four World Series championships before retiring after the 2001 season.

Also in this day in New York Yankees history that we probably don't want to remember a pair of World Series milestones happened against the Yankees in the World Series. On this day in 2001 in Game 6 of the World Series the Arizona Diamondbacks collected 21 hits in the first six innings establishing a new record for most hits in a World Series game. Also on this day in 2009 Chase Utley tied Reggie Jackson's 1977 record with his 5th home run of the World Series.

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 Chase Utley Rule Already Exists

On Friday Daniel wrote about the Chase Utley Rule. This, of course, refers to the play the other night where New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada suffered a broken leg thanks to Chase Utley sliding into him while trying to break up a double play.

This was clearly a legal play *rolls eyes*.

Ultey was suspended for two games, which he is now appealing. This has caused some commotion among Major League Baseball, as they must now come up with a way to avoid such a thing happening in the future.

Daniel mentioned that MLB must protect the players, and I totally agree. While it's bad enough that the Mets will have to try and win during the postseason without Tejada, it would be worse if the same thing happened to Ben Zobrist of the Royals, who is more valuable to the Royals than Tejada is to the Mets. And could you imagine the outrage if something like that had happened to Derek Jeter during the any of the Yankees' postseason runs. You would never hear the end of it. EVER.

So putting a rule in place to keep this from happening again is not some insignificant thing.

But that's the problem... there has been a rule in place, which could have helped avoid Tejada's injury and so many others in the past, which is rarely enforced. It's in Rule 6.01, part (a) (7.09)...

Any batter or runner who has just been put out, or any 

runner who has just scored, hinders or impedes any following 

play being made on a runner. Such runner shall be 

declared out for the interference of his teammate;

When was the last time you saw a runner going from first to second slide outside of the basepath and into a fielder trying to complete a double play, and having it lead to the batter-runner being called out as well?

"I believe it was in the year 'NEVER'."
This isn't a case of Major League Baseball needing to implement a new rule. This is a case of a rule, already being in place, being made a point of emphasis.

I'm a basketball official. Every year a new rule book comes out, and in it some rules... which have been there for years... are made points of emphasis, meaning we are to work to enforce that rule more so than in the past.

That's all that MLB needs to do next season. Make sure the rule is enforced, so fewer runners will go beyond the basepath to try and break up a double play. If the batter-runner is automatically going to be called out, meaning there's no chance of him beating the throw, things like we saw happen to Tejada are less likely.

Note that I said "fewer runners", along with "less likely". I did that on purpose, because there are still going to be instances where runners are going to slide outside of the basepath in an attempt to break up a double play. It could be because they know the batter-runner is slow, so completing the double play is easy. Or that runner could just get caught up in the moment, and will try too hard in that situation to make a play. Heck, it could be yet another "brain fart" by that player.

The point is that plays in which a fielder could get hurt when a runner attempts to break up a double play will still happen. For such a matter a new rule is not necessary.

The rule book also says that "the league president is the league official charged with enforcing these rules, fining or suspending any player". There are only two rules in which automatic suspensions are required, and that goes for a pitcher throwing at the head of a batter or a player defacing a ball (both are ten games). For any other rule it is up to the league president on the amount of the fine or length of the suspension.

So again, there's no need for a rule change, unless the league wants to come up with an automatic suspension or fine for this infraction. However, I believe that is unnecessary. 

Like they do for me in basketball, just make the "breaking up the double play" thing a point of emphasis next season with MLB umpires. If the league wants to write a memo to teams and players, stating that there will be more fines and/or suspensions for this rule infraction, then that would be wonderful. 

Just keep in mind that doing that does not require dozens of people in MLB to approve anything. No hearings are needed. The rule is already in the book, and that same rule book has already given the league president the power necessary to hand down fines and/or suspensions.

By the way, when I say "league president", I'm not just talking about Rob Manfred. Manfred is actually the commissioner of baseball. As for the "league president", I refer you to this part of the rule book...

With respect to the Major Leagues, the functions of the League President pursuant to these Rules shall be carried out by the designees of the Commissioner of Baseball. The Commissioner may designate different officials to carry out different functions of a League President pursuant to these Rules.

"Where did he find this alleged 'rule book'?" 

It's time for Major League Baseball to take some responsibility and do the right thing before something like this happens again.

The Chase Utley Rule is Coming

Ladies, gentleman and Justin Upton the Chase Utley rule is coming. Much like Major League Baseball, and specifically Commissioner of Major League Baseball Rob Manfred, vowed to protect the catchers in the game the league is now making strides towards protecting their middle infielders as well. We all know the back story by now, Chase Utley went hard and late into second base during the NLDS against the New York Mets sliding well past the bag in a play that resulted in a broken fibula for the Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada. The slide was dirty and it was late but the slide was no worse than any other in recent memory but despite all that Utley was suspended for two games, which he is appealing, for the play. The league, its fans and the players, Justin Upton I’m looking at you here, were immediately up in arms about the play voicing their opinions and those opinions have been heard.

The Chase Utley rule is coming. The rule likely won’t be called that but I think the nickname will stick. Manfred wants to meet with the owners, the players, the umpires and the unions to hammer out a plan to protect middle infielders before the beginning of the 2016 season. Manfred said he began contemplating a rule change as early as this summer, before the Utley and Tejada incident, before the Didi Gregorius and Jose Altuve incident, before the Jung Ho Kang and Chris Coghlan incident that also resulted in a broken leg for the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie and other incidents happened this season. The Utley and Tejada incident was just the icing on the cake for Manfred to work with the league to get a deal done in some capacity.

The league may be reactive instead of proactive here but with a union, the strongest union in the world mind you, and so many moving parts sometimes that can be impossible. Kudos to the league for doing something to protect their assets, MLB is a business first and foremost, and for protecting the young stars playing the game. Some may say the game is getting soft or following in the NFL’s footsteps (the No Fun League) but let them talk because Ruben Tejada’s not having any fun right now and neither is Chase Utley. 

If Tejada Isn’t Injured is Utley Suspended?

Hey looks it's the @mets David Wright "sliding" into Chase Utley. But that's none of my business...... @Dodgers pic.twitter.com/Z3wed7jvrz

— Greedy Pinstripes (@GreedyStripes) October 12, 2015

We all know what happened by now, even the ones living under a rock and the ones that don’t watch baseball surely know by now, Chase Utley slid late into second base on a play that resulted in a season-ending injury for Ruben Tejada. Joe Torre immediately reviewed the play and decided to suspend Utley, maybe for his own safety, for Game 3 and Game 4 of the NLDS that were to be played inside Citi Field in New York while Utley almost immediately appealed the decision and suspension. We have seen our fair share of late slides and “dirty” slides in Major League Baseball in our lifetimes but I can’t recall anyone ever getting suspended for it, did the suspension only come down because of the fact that Tejada’s postseason is now over due to the injury?

Look, the Utley slide was not only late but it was illegal as well but it was far from unprecedented. Take for instance the American League Wild Card Game from this season between the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros. Didi Gregorius was Chase Utley in this scenario sliding past the bag and making contact with Jose Altuve, or Ruben Tejada in this instance, but the difference here was that Altuve ate the contact and is still playing today. I couldn’t even find a link or a video to compare the two slides for you because that’s how insignificant the slide was to the general MLB fan base. Why? Because Altuve didn’t get hurt. The Yankees did the same thing just a week prior to the Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia without a comment made. Guess the rivalry gets a pass too.

I hate that Tejada broke his fibula and will miss what could be a deep and magical postseason run for the New York Mets, I do, but the rule is written pretty clear if you ask me. If you can make contact with the bag, which Utley did with his left hand, then the slide is legal. You’re allowed to disrupt the second baseman or shortstop to the point where you’re making “deliberate” interference, hence the whole touching the bag during the slide guidelines. The play was dirty, the slide was late and the injury was unfortunate but the suspension was complete and udder BS. If it works for one it works for all. If you suspend Utley you have to suspend everyone, and if you don’t suspend everybody then you can’t suspend Utley.

Just my two pennies, leave yours in the comments section. 

Will Rhymes, What Are Your Thoughts?

Much of the baseball world either went to sleep discussing or woke up to discuss the Chase Utley slide that ultimately ended Ruben Tejada's season for the New York Mets in the NLDS over the weekend. Utley slid late, bottom line, and whether the slide was dirty or technically in the rule book is being discussed around every water cooler this week but I'd prefer to focus on something else. As you remember when Jonathan Papelbon was seen on film choking Bryce Harper in the Washington Nationals writer and reporter CJ Nitkowski pooled many former and current MLB players asking their opinions on the situation in what quickly became a controversial article for Fox Sports.

I halfway expected to see a similar type article from someone out there either damning or defending Chase Utley and while I haven't seen a head-turner like CJ's I did see a tweet from a former member of the Washington Nationals organization, Will Rhymes. Rhymes hasn't seen the Major Leagues since the 2012 season but has been in the minor league system for Washington for the last two seasons and was one of the more vocal about the Utley slide.

Rhymes tweet can be seen above and his punishment would be pretty harsh if he were making the decisions, a suspension until Tejada is healthy again. Now in no way am I trying to compare the two instances, because they are different in almost every case, but I truly wonder what his opinion was on the choke of Harper. I asked him on Twitter but of course I have not received an answer as of the time of this writing.

Utley should be suspended until Tejada is healthy. In rugby they call it a duty of care for opponent. should be adopted by baseball.

— Will Rhymes (@willrhymes) October 11, 2015

Are the two instances in any way, shape or form similar? Should Utley be suspended for his late slide and for injuring Tejads? Honestly I don't know. The Utley slide wasn't all that much worse than Didi Gregorius's slide in the AL Wild Card game but the difference was Jose Altuve was not injured on the play. That may be the difference and I truly think Rhymes, being a second baseman, is a little sensitive to the subject since it could have been him. Maybe I'm wrong and maybe he will clear that up for me. If he does I'll update the post.

@willrhymes What were your thoughts on the Papelbon and Harper incident? Should Papelbon have been punished? Punished more/less?

— Greedy Pinstripes (@GreedyStripes) October 11, 2015

Chase Utley, Could the Yankees Have Done It?

I think it's always interesting to watch sites like MLB Trade Rumors around the July and August months of the Major League season. It's always interesting to see who your team is going to acquire, who your rival is going to trade, who is going to clear waivers and when a big trade is pulled off for a player your team was interested in I think it's interesting to see if your team could have pulled off a similar trade. The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired a player the Yankees were said to be scouting and interested in on Wednesday night when the team sent prospects in exchange for Chase Utley and cash considerations. Could the Yankees have pulled this trade off?

This trade screams Brian Cashman special to me, a salary dump for an aging veteran and contract that will expire at the end of the season. The Dodgers acquired Utley and roughly $3.7 million in cash in exchange for minor league players Darnell Sweeney and John Richy. Richy, 23 years old, was the team's 3rd round pick in the 2014 MLB First Year Players Draft and was the team's 29th best prospect while Sweeney was ranked as the team's 13th best prospect.

Richy projects to be a back-end of the rotation starter while Sweeney looks to be a fringe prospect that has experience in the middle infield and in center field. The Yankees could have traded away one of Jake Cave or Ben Gamel, both of who need to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft in 2016, and one of many starting pitchers that no one would blink an eye at to acquire Utley. The real question is not whether the team could have acquired him or not, they absolutely could have, but it is whether he would have added that much to the team.

Utley was batting .217/.284/.333 at the time of the trade including an effective month of August where he slashed .484/.485/.742 in 31 plate appearances. Utley seems to be past the ankle injury that will keep his vesting option for the 2016 season from triggering and Utley seems like he, or anyone, would be an upgrade over Stephen Drew right now. It's hard to say whether he can keep up his batting line for the remainder of the season or whether he will fall back under the Mendoza Line but all in all this still looks like a good non-trade for the Yankees. Drew is superior on the defensive side and has much more power than Utley, 15 home runs for Drew vs. just five for Utley, making him the better option for the team... unfortunately.

Extend Trading Deadline, End Non-Waiver Trade Deadline

All around Major League Baseball every team is seemingly scrambling to either sell off their players or add players to their team before the July 31^st trading deadline. With the addition of a second Wild Card playoff spot in the both the American and National League’s many have been clamoring to extend the July 31^st trading deadline to give teams more time to determine whether they are contenders or pretenders and while this could easily be done on paper I personally believe something else would have to change. What I am suggesting here in this post is to push back the July 31^st trading deadline to August 15^th but I would also push to completely eliminate the August non-waiver trade deadline of August 31^st.

The August trade deadline is redundant in my opinion with not many notable trades get made during the month of August anyway. Pushing the non-waiver trade deadline back two weeks gives teams more than enough time to evaluate where they stand and evaluate which direction the team wants their organization to head in. Giving the team another month to try and pass players through waivers and unload hefty contracts does not add much to the sport and would likely spice up things before the new August 15^th trade deadline.

If a team knows they can’t simply wait to pass a Jose Reyes, a James Shields or a Chase Utley through waivers and trade them in August it will force the team to be more active before the deadline that counts. It also allows teams to evaluate what they have and where they are going before September call ups and before post season rosters and eligibility needs to be set. In my opinion this is a win, win for Major League Baseball all around.

This may never happen in my lifetime but I think it is something that Major League Baseball at least needs to consider. It brings more attention to the game for a longer period of time and may even get more people to watch and pay attention for longer, who knows. 

Chase Utley Clears Waivers

Sources: Utley cleared waivers. Can be traded to any club. Has right to veto any deal as player with 10 years service, five with same team.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 11, 2015

I was on the Vinny Brown Radio Show earlier today, and part of our discussion revolved around Chase Utley. The question posed was "should the Yankees deal for Utley?"

I said they shouldn't, because while the duo of Stephen Drew and Brendan Ryan are far from "good", Chase Utley is having a horrible season (.190/.262/.294) and wouldn't help. The fact is that Drew and Ryan are there for their defense, and that is going just fine. As much as we'd like to see a better hitter at second base, there's a chance that Utley could be worse.

However, Vinny made a good point about how different environments can change a player for the better. At one time Chase was one of, if not the best second baseman in the league. The guy knows how to play at an elite level. Will his body allow him to do that, or somewhat close to it, today? I doubt it, but I also think he can play better than he has.

Face it, playing for a contender in New York can certainly get the juices flowing. We've seen it before, like with Alfonso Soriano in 2013 or Ichiro Suzuki in 2012.

So if the Yankees can acquire Utley for little to nothing, then I say "go for it". Especially if they avoid those vesting options for 2016 through 2018.

The Chase Utley Rant You Should Have Known Was Coming

You guys know me by now, I love to rant and rave about my favorite baseball team the New York Yankees. I truly think I would be an asset to the front office and I believe I do a decent job in player evaluations for someone with two kids, a wife, two jobs and a blog (i.e. a guy too busy to read as many scouting reports or see as many games as I'd like to). The fact that the New York Yankees are interested in second baseman Chase Utley makes me not only question my own intelligence, because honestly I don't see why they would be, but it also makes me question my fandom because it continues to block my favorite prospect Robert Refsnyder.

Utley has been on the disabled list with an ankle injury that will likely keep him from reaching 500 plate appearances in 2015. That milestone is important because there is a vesting option written into Utley's contract for the 2016 season based on plate appearances. With Utley not reaching the milestone he is essentially a month and a half rental for any team that acquires him, why would New York though?

Eventually this little mini hot streak for Brendan Ryan and Stephen Drew is going to subside and they are going to come back down to Earth, why would you throw a monkey wrench into the middle of that during the hot streak for both players? Also this team is built on versatility and defensive consistency, neither of which Utley is at this point in his career.

Where is Jose Pirela? Where is Refsnyder? Could either of them do better then this stat line for Utley? In a word.... likely.

Year	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
2015	65	249	218	18	39	7	4	25	3	21	32	.179	.257	.275	.532	48

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

The Cole Hamels Deal That Makes Sense for New York

For much of the 2015 season I have been on the fence whether I thought the team should trade for a big name, and expensive, starting pitcher like Johnny Cueto or Cole Hamels. I have been especially adamant against Cueto simply because he is a two month rental but I have been overall indecisive about the potential acquisition of Hamels. Hamels would not come cheap and dealing with Ruben Amaro Jr. you know the Phillies would ask for Luis Severino and Aaron Judge, something I would not be willing to do, but I have also been very vocal that this is the window for New York, 2015. The team will remain pretty much the same in 2016 although key players will be a year older and a year less effective meaning that if the team is going to win before the bad contracts start coming off the books after 2016 and 2017 that this would be the year. Hamels would be expensive and wouldn’t necessarily fit in with those 2017 and 2018 but I may have found the perfect storm that brings Hamels to the Bronx and keeps the team’s top prospects.

Many teams won’t take on salary or don’t have the capabilities the take on hefty salaries but one team that does is the Yankees. Two contracts the Phillies are wanting out of are the contracts of second baseman Chase Utley and first baseman Ryan Howard and both come attached with AAV’s in excess of $25 million per season. While snooping around on Baseball Reference I noticed that Utley is potentially a free agent after this season although he has three season’s worth of vesting options for the 2016-2018 seasons. If Utley reaches 500 at bats this season his contract triggers for next season and so on for the next three seasons but it does not look likely that Utley reaches that plateau. We sit here about halfway through the season and Utley is a shade over 200 at bats which means he has an outside shot of reaching the plateau if he remains healthy… and then I read that he was placed on the 15 day DL with an ankle injury.

The ankle injury will presumably keep Utley out anywhere from two weeks to a month if all goes well which will really make reaching 500 at bats difficult this season. If the Yankees were to add on Utley and his contract to the Hamels contract the team could presumably pay lesser in terms of prospects and more in terms of dollars. Between the injuries and the Yankees ability to sit Utley multiple times a week they can find a way to keep him from reaching 500 at bats thus making him a free agent at the end of the season. This way the Yankees keep Severino and Judge, add Hamels to the rotation that already has Michael Pineda and Masahiro Tanaka, and the team can still plug in Robert Refsnyder at second base on Opening Day 2016.

This my friends is not only called getting creative, it’s called getting greedy. 

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies 6/23

The New York Yankees continue their three game set with the Philadelphia Phillies this week when they play host to Chase Utley and the Phillies for the second of a three game set tonight in the Bronx. The Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound tonight to face off with the Phillies starter Sean O’Sullivan. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

• Sabathia has faced off with the Phillies four times in his career in the regular season and owns a 2-1 record against them. Sabathia also faced them twice in the 2009 World Series taking the loss in Game One and the victory in Game Four. Sabathia is coming off a start against the Miami Marlins where he went six innings allowing three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts in a loss for the Yankees in Miami.

• O’Sullivan is coming off probably the best pitching performance of his 2015 season where he pitched five innings against the Baltimore Orioles in a victory. O’Sullivan struck out a career-high seven batters in the contest, a trend that hopefully does not continue tonight in the Bronx.

These are games that the New York Yankees need to take advantage of if they want to win the American League East division race in 2015. The Tampa Bay Rays are playing about as well as any team while the Toronto Blue Jays have seemingly forgotten how to lose making every winnable game for New York bigger than it should be for June baseball. The Phillies and teams like them, record wise, are teams that the Yankees absolutely have to pick off and take advantage of because that’s what good teams do. The Yankees are a good team, Go Yankees!