Movin' On from Aaron Hicks...

  

Aaron Hicks (Photo Credit: AP)

Long-time Yank is designated for assignment…

In an unexpected move, the New York Yankees designated outfielder Aaron Hicks for assignment on Saturday to make way for the re-acquisition of outfielder Greg Allen who had been toiling away in Worcester (WOO-stuh!), Mass for the top Red Sox affiliate.

Most Yankees fans have recognized that time had passed for Hicks with the Yankees. By placing Hicks on waivers (he almost certainly will not be claimed), the Yankees will be on the hook for the remainder of his salary except for minimum wage when another team signs him once he has been released. Just like the Yankees erred in tendering a contract to Gary Sanchez in December 2021, they made a mistake not trying to trade Hicks in the off-season when they could have gotten another team to absorb part of the contract.  I guess it becomes a question of how talented of a prospect(s) would it have taken to get a team like the Minnesota Twins to pay half of Hicks’ contract. We will never know. Teams can now try to sign Hicks for MLB’s minimum salary of $720,000 as soon as he clears waivers.

The Yankees owe Hicks the remainder of his 2023 contract, which was $10.5 million for the season, and in 2024 and 2025, they must cover his $9.5 million annual salary. There is a $1 million buyout attached to 2026. 

For his eight-year career with the Yankees, Hicks hit .230/.329/.384 (.713 OPS) with 81 home runs and 278 runs batted in.  He played in 651 games for New York. 

The Yankees acquired Hicks on November 11, 2015, from the Minnesota Twins for catcher John Ryan Murphy.

Unfortunately, Hicks lost his job just as he was starting to hit in recent days, but it was time. There was nothing Hicks could have done to recapture the trust of the fan base. He may be well-liked in the Yankees clubhouse, and I bet he is fantastic to play golf with, but if anybody needs a change of scenery, it is the 33-year-old Southern California native.  Hicks’ frustrations with part-time play are well documented, and the purge clears some negativity from “The Room”. 

I am not sure if Greg Allen is an upgrade, but the Yankees only need short-term outfield help. They seem to enjoy stopgaps. Allen knows his role, and like Matt Carpenter last year, will be ready regardless of the role he is asked to play. Maybe not this year, but Jasson Dominguez, Spencer Jones, and Everson Pereira will be knocking on the door soon. Three players who have an opportunity to be exceptional Major League talents. Jake Bauers has a short window to prove his worth, but left field seems it will garner attention at the trade deadline for GM Brian Cashman and his team of nerds. I had thought playing Giancarlo Stanton in the outfield was a good way to engage him in games, but the latest IL-stint reinforces the need to keep him at designated hitter.

Allen wore #22 during his prior Yankees tenure, but the number has since been taken by centerfielder Harrison Bader. For his latest number, Allen will be rocking in classic David Robertson (30). A great number, 31, goes back into circulation. For me, the number is forever David Mark Winfield. Admittedly, it would have been tacky if Allen had chosen 31 before Hicks’ corpse was cold.  But somebody in the future will be the beneficiary of a strong number choice.

I wish Hicks the best for his next opportunity.

For today’s series finale in Cincinnati, the Yankees have activated Luis Severino for the start. He replaces Jhony Brito, who was optioned to Triple-A after yesterday’s game. Sevy will be missing the big bats, hopefully for both teams, as Aaron Judge gets the day off.

As always, Go Yankees!

This Day In New York Yankees History 3/23: Howard Spira Arrested

On this day in 1990 Howard Spira was arrested for extorting money from George Steinbrenner, the former Yankees owner. The Yankees owner paid Spira $40,000 in January to dig up dirt on outfielder Dave Winfield.

This Day in New York Yankees History 3/19: The YES Network Debuts

On this day in 2002 as the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network, more commonly known as the YES Network, makes its debut as a regional cable TV channel. The Yankees owned network will televise Bronx Bombers games as well as covering the then New Jersey Nets games in the NBA.


On this day in 1989 the Yankees traded catcher Joel Skinner and a minor league player to the Indians for outfielder Mel Hall. New York was looking to replace the injured Dave Winfield after the future Hall of Fame outfielder missed the season due to back surgery.

This Day In New York Yankees History 12/15: Ron Guidry

On this day in 1981 the Yankees continued their spending ways when they signed Ron Guidry to a four year deal worth $3.6 million to keep him in New York. Gator averaged nearly 17 wins per season during the four year contract for perennial terrible Yankees teams.

Also on this day in 1980 Dave Winfield became the highest paid player in Major League history and the history of sports at the time when the New York Yankees handed him a 10 year deal worth $16 million. Makes Robinson Cano turning down $175 million into perspective on where the game has come from in the last 30 years.

This Day in New York Yankees History 4/30: 51 Saves in a Row for Mo

On this day in 2010 Mariano Rivera ties Eric Gagne's major league mark when he saved his 51st straight game at home in as row in a 6-4 Yankees win over Chicago. Rivera also struck out two batters to move ahead of Roger Clemens for 10th place on the Yankees all-time list with 1,015 K's.


Also on this day in 1989 the Toronto Blue Jays traded outfielder Jesse Barfield to the Yankees for pitcher Al Leiter. Barfield led the American League with 40 home runs in 1986 but would only bat .231 with 62 home runs in four seasons in the Bronx. Leiter would finish 26-24 in seven years in Toronto.


Also on this day in 1988 Dave Winfield ties the major league RBI record for April with 29 RBI's. Winfield was on base for every single game that April and tied the Dodgers Ron Cey in 1977 and Dale Murphy for the Braves in 1985.


Also on this day in 1939 Lou Gehrig's iron man streak comes to an end at Yankee Stadium. Gehrig's final game would be a 0-4 against the Washington Senators and the streak would come to an end at 2,130 consecutive games played. Gehrig finishes with a career .340 batting average and 490 home runs in 17 seasons, all with the Yankees.


Finally on this day in 1903 the New York Highlanders, which 10 years later would be renamed the New York Yankees, would play the first game ever played at Hilltop Park. The Highlanders would beat the Washington Senators 6-2. The Highlanders would finish in fourth place but would have a 41-26 home record in their first season which is very impressive.

This Day In New York Yankees History 3/23: Howard Spira Arrested

On this day in 1990 Howard Spira was arrested for extorting money from George Steinbrenner, the former Yankees owner. The Yankees owner paid Spira $40,000 in January to dig up dirt on outfielder Dave Winfield.

This Day in New York Yankees History 3/19: The YES Network Debuts

On this day in 2002 as the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network, more commonly known as the YES Network, makes its debut as a regional cable TV channel. The Yankees owned network will televise Bronx Bombers games as well as covering the then New Jersey Nets games in the NBA.


On this day in 1989 the Yankees traded catcher Joel Skinner and a minor league player to the Indians for outfielder Mel Hall. New York was looking to replace the injured Dave Winfield after the future Hall of Fame outfielder missed the season due to back surgery.

Other Than Babe Ruth the Potential Milestones for Alex Rodriguez in 2016

Alex Rodriguez has the opportunity to tie and pass a Yankees legend this summer if he can replicate the production and successes that he had in 2015. Alex sits just 27 home runs behind former Yankees, Red Sox and Boston Braves icon and legend Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list which we spoke about earlier today but that's not the only milestone he could potentially reach in 2016.

Alex tied Hank Aaron for the most 30-home run seasons in MLB history last year with 14. If he can do that again in 2016 he would not only pass Aaron in that category but absolutely pass Ruth as well.

Alex is also just 40 hits away from 20th place on the all-time hits list. The 40 hits gives him 3,110 for his career and ties him with former Yankee Dave Winfield.

The final milestone Alex could reach in 2016 is the runs scored milestone after passing a couple of legends in 2015 in Derek Jeter, Stan Musial and Cap Anson. Rodriguez finished the season sitting on 2002 career runs scored with the next three in front of Rodriguez being Willie Mays (60 behind), Pete Rose (163 behind) and the Babe Ruth/Hank Aaron combo who both sit at 2174 runs scored.

Well he could also strike out 86 more times and tie Sammy Sosa for fourth all-time but we don't need or want to talk about that, do we?

2016 is a Leap Year & the New York Yankees

If you didn't know the year 2016 is going to be a bit of a special one. It's Leap Year where every four years, basically, we have 366 days in our year instead of 365 days like in a traditional year. The reasoning behind this is because, and you can Google the exact numbers if you'd like but for the purposes of this post they are really just irrelevant, the year on the calendar is roughly 365 days and five hours and change. If we didn't do the leap year the calendar would simply get farther and farther behind the longer the timeline. Anyway, I said all that to say this. It's Leap Year, what does that mean for the New York Yankees?

Well if history is any indicator of the future the 2016 season may be a good one for the New York Yankees. In recent memory, recent memory being any year I have been alive, we have seen a leap year in 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. How did the Yankees fare in those seasons?

Let's ignore the 1988 Yankees. They finished with just an 85-76 record and finished in 5th place within the AL East Division. They were terrible and George Steinbrenner was just about to be suspended. Billy Martin and Lou Piniella were the managers and the team was stocked full of talent including Dave Winfield and Rickey Henderson. It just didn't work out.

The 1992 Yankees is the team that started to show the fans some glimmer of hope. Buck Showalter was the manager, Bernie Williams was coming through the system, J.T. Snow was showing promise and the team looked like they far outplayed their 76 victory season.

In 1996 and 2000 the Yankees won the World Series. During the 2004 season there was a strike and the rest of the ALCS and World Series was cancelled despite the Yankees being up 3-0 over the Boston Red Sox an the Yankees missed the playoffs completely in 2008. This was the first time the Yankees had missed the postseason since the 1994 strike-shortened season. The 2012 Yankees made it all the way to the ALCS before Derek Jeter broke his ankle and the Yankees were swept away by the Detroit Tigers.

In closing the Leap Year Yankees is a very mixed bag of results here. The team could miss the playoffs entirely, suffer devastating and historic losses in the playoffs, or win the World Series. Nobody knows, that's why we play the games.

Disclaimer. The Yankees could go out and lose 162 games next season. They could also win 100, this post was for fun and hopefully you all treat is as such. Thank you. 

This Day In New York Yankees History 12/15: Ron Guidry

On this day in 1981 the Yankees continued their spending ways when they signed Ron Guidry to a four year deal worth $3.6 million to keep him in New York. Gator averaged nearly 17 wins per season during the four year contract for perennial terrible Yankees teams.

Also on this day in 1980 Dave Winfield became the highest paid player in Major League history and the history of sports at the time when the New York Yankees handed him a 10 year deal worth $16 million. Makes Robinson Cano turning down $175 million into perspective on where the game has come from in the last 30 years.

This Day in New York Yankees History 4/30: 51 Saves in a Row for Mo

On this day in 2010 Mariano Rivera ties Eric Gagne's major league mark when he saved his 51st straight game at home in as row in a 6-4 Yankees win over Chicago. Rivera also struck out two batters to move ahead of Roger Clemens for 10th place on the Yankees all-time list with 1,015 K's.

Also on this day in 1989 the Toronto Blue Jays traded outfielder Jesse Barfield to the Yankees for pitcher Al Leiter. Barfield led the American League with 40 home runs in 1986 but would only bat .231 with 62 home runs in four seasons in the Bronx. Leiter would finish 26-24 in seven years in Toronto.

Also on this day in 1988 Dave Winfield ties the major league RBI record for April with 29 RBI's. Winfield was on base for every single game that April and tied the Dodgers Ron Cey in 1977 and Dale Murphy for the Braves in 1985.

Also on this day in 1939 Lou Gehrig's iron man streak comes to an end at Yankee Stadium. Gehrig's final game would be a 0-4 against the Washington Senators and the streak would come to an end at 2,130 consecutive games played. Gehrig finishes with a career .340 batting average and 490 home runs in 17 seasons, all with the Yankees.

Finally on this day in 1903 the New York Highlanders, which 10 years later would be renamed the New York Yankees, would play the first game ever played at Hilltop Park. The Highlanders would beat the Washington Senators 6-2. The Highlanders would finish in fourth place but would have a 41-26 home record in their first season which is very impressive.

Some of the Better Mustaches in Yankees History

Brett Gardner is leading a mustache growing team building movement inside the clubhouse of the New York Yankees which got me thinking about the history of the Stache' on the Yankees. As we know the Yankees still ban any facial hair besides a well kept mustache and that rule looks here to stay for at least the considerable future but that hasn't stopped some notable Yankees from growing some pretty incredible mustaches. This is not all the mustaches these are just some of my personal favorite, what are yours?

Randy Johnson

Joba Chamberlain

Jason Giambi

Goose Gossage

Jared Burton

Nick Johnson

Jeff Nelson

Reggie Jackson

Wade Boggs

Phil Hughes

Tom Selleck

Dave Winfield

Don Mattingly

This Day In New York Yankees History 3/23: Howard Spira Arrested

On this day in 1990 Howard Spira was arrested for extorting money from George Steinbrenner, the former Yankees owner. The Yankees owner paid Spira $40,000 in January to dig up dirt on outfielder Dave Winfield.

This Day in New York Yankees History 3/19: YES Network Debuts

On this day in 2002 as the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network, more commonly known as the YES Network, makes its debut as a regional cable TV channel. The Yankees owned network will televise Bronx Bombers games as well as covering the then New Jersey Nets games in the NBA.

On this day in 1989 the Yankees traded catcher Joel Skinner and a minor league player to the Indians for outfielder Mel Hall. New York was looking to replace the injured Dave Winfield after the future Hall of Fame outfielder missed the season due to back surgery.

This Day In New York Yankees History 12/15: Locking Up Guidry

On this day in 1981 the Yankees continued their spending ways when they signed Ron Guidry to a four year deal worth $3.6 million to keep him in New York. Gator averaged nearly 17 wins per season during the four year contract for perennial terrible Yankees teams.

Also on this day in 1980 Dave Winfield became the highest paid player in Major League history and the history of sports at the time when the New York Yankees handed him a 10 year deal worth $16 million. Makes Robinson Cano turning down $175 million into perspective on where the game has come from in the last 30 years.

Remember When Dave Winfield Killed A Seagull?

This could have easily been a "Can't Predict Baseball" kind of post because this was as likely as the time when Randy Johnson killed a bird with a pitch. On this day in 1983 Dave Winfield accidentally killed a seagull at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto while throwing a warm up pitch prior to the fifth inning. The Yankees would ultimately win the game but the celebration would be short lived as Winfield would be arrested by the Ontario police and was charged with animal cruelty.

That sure was a fowl ball that Winfield will never forget. Winfield was charged and allowed out on bail for $500. The bat boy in Toronto insisted that this was done on purpose and obviously Winfield denied purposely hurting the animal. Winfield faced up to six months in jail but thankfully for the Yankees outfielder the charges were dropped the very next day.

What would a bizarre incident like this be without a quote from the great Yankee manager Billy Martin?

"They say he hit the gull on purpose? They wouldn't say that if they'd seen the throws he'd been making all year. It's the first time he's hit the cutoff man." 

Nine years later Winfield would join the Blue Jays to complete the full circle.

This Day In New York Yankees History 7/27: Three Errors On One Play & Tommy John

Never in the history of Major League Baseball have we seen a pitcher commit three errors in one play until the Yankees Tommy John did so on this day in 1988. Tommy John throws the pitch to Jeffrey Leonard grounds the ball back to the pitcher that John bobbles for the first error. In an effort to get Leonard at first base he rushes the throw and throws the ball past the first baseman to Dave Winfield in right field for the second error. Winfield retrieves the ball and fires home and John cuts the ball off and throws home wildly for the third error allowing two more runs to score. John, 45 years old, still gets the victory in a Yankees 16-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Personally I blame his new ulnar collateral ligament but maybe it's just me.

Also on this day in 1968 Mickey Mantle's career batting average dipped below the .300 mark. It took Mantle 7926 at bats and 2734 hits for his average to fall to .2995 and it would stay under .300 before he retired at the end of the season. Mantle finished his 18 year career with a .298 batting average and will often admit that his biggest regret in his baseball career was finishing below .300.

This Day In New York Yankees History 4/30

On this day in 1903 the New York Highlanders, which 10 years later would be renamed the New York Yankees, would play the first game ever played at Hilltop Park. The Highlanders would beat the Washington Senators 6-2. The Highlanders would finish in fourth place but would have a 41-26 home record in their first season which is very impressive.

On this day in 1939 Lou Gehrig's iron man streak comes to an end at Yankee Stadium. Gehrig's final game would be an 0-4 against the Washington Senators and the streak would come to an end at 2,130 consecutive games played. Gehrig finishes with a career .340 batting average and 490 home runs in 17 seasons, all with the Yankees.

On this day in 1988 Dave Winfield ties the major league RBI record for April with 29 RBI's. Winfield was on base for every single game that April and tied the Dodgers Ron Cey in 1977 and Dale Murphy for the Braves in 1985.

On this day in 1989 the Toronto Blue Jays traded outfielder Jesse Barfield to the Yankees for pitcher Al Leiter. Barfield led the American League with 40 home runs in 1986 but would only bat .231 with 62 home runs in four seasons in the Bronx. Leiter would finish 26-24 in seven years in Toronto.

On this day in 2010 Mariano Rivera ties Eric Gagne's major league mark when he saved his 51st straight game at home in as row in a 6-4 Yankees win over Chicago.Rivera also struck out two batters to move ahead of Roger Clemens for 10th place on the Yankees all time list with 1,015 K's.

This Day In New York Yankees History 3/23

On this day in 1990 Howard Spira was arrested for extorting money from George Steinbrenner, the former Yankees owner. The Yankees owner paid Spira $40,000 in January to dig up dirt on outfielder Dave Winfield.

This Day In New York Yankees History 3/19

On this day in 1989 the Yankees traded catcher Joel Skinner and a minor league player to the Indians for outfielder Mel Hall. New York was looking to replace the injured Dave Winfield after the future Hall of Fame outfielder missed the season due to back surgery.

On this day in 2002 as the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network, more commonly known as the YES Network, makes it's debut as a regional cable TV channel. The Yankees owned network will televise Bronx Bombers games as well as covering the then New Jersey Nets games in the NBA.