Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers 4/2

The time has come, it is game time here in the Bronx between the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers. Game Five of the young 2019 season for the New York Yankees, let’s get to it. The Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound to face off with Jordan Zimmermann for the Tigers. The game will be played at 6:35 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and can be seen on the YES Network. You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV and on WFAN with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. Enjoy the game and, as always, go Yankees!!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers 4/2

The New York Yankees have been through the rotation once, technically, and will turn the rotation over for the first time tonight here in the Bronx. In the middle game of their three-game set with the Detroit Tigers, the Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound for his second start of the young season. Opposing Tanaka will be Jordan Zimmermann who was almost unhittable in his first start of the season. It should be an interesting matchup to say the least, so let’s get to it here in the Bronx.

Tanaka ripped the Opening Day monkey off his back here in 2019, limiting the Baltimore Orioles to just two runs, one of them earned, over six hits in 5.2 innings pitched. The Yankees won the game while Tanaka became the first Yankees starter to record at least five strikeouts without a walk on Opening Day snice Catfish Hunter.

Zimmermann was equally as strong on Opening Day in Toronto against the Blue Jays, pitching 6.2 perfect innings before giving up a hit. Zimmermann has pitched well inside of Yankee Stadium lately including a streak of 12 innings without giving up a run over the last two seasons.

The game will be played at 6:35 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and can be seen on the YES Network. You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV and on WFAN with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. Enjoy the game and, as always, go Yankees!!

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers 8/31

And just like that it is game time here in the Bronx between the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers. In the second game of this four-game weekend set in the Bronx the Yankees will send Luis Severino out to the mound to face off with Jordan Zimmermann of the Tigers. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network. You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV, with the MLB At-Bat app and by tuning into the Yankees radio broadcast on WFAN with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.

Follow us on Twitter, @GreedyStripes, and “Like” us on Facebook, The Greedy Pinstripes, to keep up with us and the team all season long. Enjoy the game, Sevy goes for 18, and go Yankees!!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers 8/31

The Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees will continue their four-game weekend set tonight with the second game of the series in the Bronx. In the start tonight the Yankees will send Luis Severino out to the mound to face off with Jordan Zimmermann. The Yankees starting rotation, not to look too far ahead, is set up nicely to have Happ (last night’s starter) pitch the AL Wild Card Game if it came to that with tonight’s starter, Severino, pitching a potential Game One of the ALDS. I like it, so let’s get to it here in the Bronx.

Severino has won each of his last two starts and has shown at least glimpses of being able to fix what has ailed the right-hander for much of the second half of the season. In Severino’s last start the righty allowed three runs, two of them earned, across 5.2 innings en route to his MLB-leading 17^th victory of the season.

Zimmermann has also struggled since the All-Star break this season posting a 2-5 record with a 5.50 ERA. Let’s hope tonight does not mark his magical turnaround this season. Zimmermann may see the Yankees as just what the doctor ordered judging by his career 3-1 record against the Bombers with a 3.09 ERA.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network. You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV, with the MLB At-Bat app and by tuning into the Yankees radio broadcast on WFAN with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.

Enjoy the game, play every game from here on out like it is a playoff game, and go Yankees!!

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Detroit Tigers 8/23

And just like that ladies and gentleman it is game time in Detroit as the Detroit Tigers and Comerica Park play host to the New York Yankees in the middle game of their three-game set. In the matchup tonight the Yankees will send Luis Severino to the mound, the future and the now, while the Tigers will counter with Jordan Zimmermann. The game will be played at 7:10 pm ET inside Comerica Park and can be seen on WPIX Channel 11 and MLB TV. You can also follow along in your cars and on the radio by tuning into WFAN with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.

Follow us on Twitter by following @GreedyStripes and enjoy the game. Need a win, get a win. Go Yankees!!!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Detroit Tigers 8/23

The New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers are back at it again tonight inside Comerica Park with the middle game of their three-game set. In the matchup tonight the Yankees will send their new ace and arguably their best pitcher this season in Luis Severino to the mound while the Tigers will counter with Jordan Zimmermann who has struggled for much of the 2017 campaign. This seems like a winnable game for the Yankees on paper so they need to win it. No excuses, period. Need a win, get a win.  

Severino has been a winner in five of last six outing with the one blip on the radar coming a couple weekends back against the Boston Red Sox. Over that time period Severino has allowed just 10 earned runs and 29 hits in 36.1 innings pitched. Severino will be on a bit of extra rest tonight as the last time the right-hander took the mound was on August 17 against the New York Mets.

Zimmermann has given up seven runs in back-to-back outings which is a trend that hopefully continues tonight against the Yankees. Before these two horrific starts Zimmermann looked to be turning around a tough season as he threw three straight seven-inning quality starts but has since regressed to his earlier season struggles.

The game will be played at 7:10 pm ET inside Comerica Park, home of the Tigers, and can be seen on WPIX Channel 11 and MLB TV. You can also follow along with the game in your cars and on the radio by tuning into the WFAN broadcast with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. Enjoy the game, need a win so get a win, and Go Yankees!

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers 8/2

Afternoon baseball in the Bronx, it truly doesn’t get much better than this. Happy Wednesday and Happy Tanaka Day ladies and gentleman. The New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers will cap off their three-game series this afternoon in the Bronx with what should be an entertaining pitching matchup that includes Masahiro Tanaka taking the mound for the Yankees and Jordan Zimmermann toeing the rubber for the Tigers. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV. You can also put in a headphone at work or follow along in your cars by tuning into the WFAN broadcast with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. I know I will be.

Follow us on Twitter by following @GreedyStripes and enjoy the game. Work needs to understand that this is the year for New York and the prospect of the playoffs is much more important than anything they can possibly be needing you to do right now. Tell them Daniel Burch said so. Also tell them I said “Go Yankees!!!”

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers 8/2

Good morning Yankees family and happy Wednesday to you all. If it feels like the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers just played a game it is because, well, they did. The good ole day game after a night game here in the Bronx, you have to love it. In the series finale between these two clubs the Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the Yankee Stadium mound while the Tigers will counter with Jordan Zimmermann. Dare I say Happy Tanaka Day Yankees family? Ask me again in a few hours and I’ll tell you. Enjoy the game.

Tanaka set a career high in strikeouts last time out against the Tampa Bay Rays when he struck out 14 opposing batters. Tanaka went eight innings in the start allowing just one run on two hits setting the tone for a huge series win for New York. Is Tanaka finally back to being Tanaka?

Zimmermann was the subject of many trade rumors before the July 31^st trading deadline which may have explained why he was pulled after just 80 pitches and seven innings pitched in his last start against the Houston Astros on Friday. Zimmermann did allow three runs in the contest but ultimately made it through the deadline still a member of the Tigers.

The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV. You can also follow along with the game in your cars, on the radio and at work (SHHHHH) by tuning into John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN. Enjoy the game, the hell with work and Go Yankees!!!

Translating Hal Steinbrenner’s Statements Through George Steinbrenner’s Mouth

Hal Steinbrenner channeled some of his inner Steinbrenner this week when he released a bit of a sound bite regarding the Yankees this season. To paraphrase, because by now we’ve all heard the quotes and listened to the news broadcasts all over, Steinbrenner said the Yankees players were not living up to their potential offensively and the team is not playing as well as they should. Steinbrenner praised the Yankees coaching staff and manager Joe Girardi in the statements which left many wondering “what would George do” if he were here so I decided to take the exact quotes from the Hal interview and translate them in George’s words here on the blog.

Hal:

“The first five weeks were disappointing, frustrating, particularly looking at the offense. Clearly not living up to their potential [the offense]. When you look at a guy like Mark Teixeira, clearly, he’s not playing to his potential with the bat.”

George:

“Mark Teixeira, you’re benched. Bye Felicia!”

Daniel Burch and @GreedyStripes on Twitter:

“Mark Teixeira Sucks!!”

Hal:

“The coaches are doing a good job.”

George:

“Where is Billy Martin when you need him? Oh yeah, I fired him.”

Daniel Burch:

“And he’s dead, God rest his soul.”

Hal:

“These are professional athletes. They’re the best baseball players in the world, and sooner or later it comes down to them, on the inside, to push through whatever it is they’re going through and to persevere.”

George:

“Hello (fill in the blank with a team name) GM, what do you want for (fill in the blank with star name). Would you take (fill in the name of any top prospect) as compensation?”

Daniel Burch:

“The Yankees suck!”

Hal on Michael Pineda:

“All these strikeouts, and yet he’s given up these runs. Whatever technically is wrong with the delivery, Larry [Rothschild, pitching coach] is going to work on, but the rest is up to Pineda to figure out. He’s a professional, and that’s what we expect from him, and that’s what his teammates expect from him.”

George:

“To the bullpen with you. Good thing I signed Zack Greinke, David Price and Jordan Zimmermann this winter.”

Daniel Burch:

“Michael Pineda sucks!”

This post was all in fun, treat it that way. Have a great rest of the day Yankees family. 

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Detroit Tigers 4/8

Ladies and gentleman it’s game time between the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers have enjoyed their home Opening Day ceremonies inside Comerica Park and Jordan Zimmermann, the Tiger’s new toy in the starting rotation, is set to take the mound to make his debut for his new team against Luis Severino and the New York Yankees. The game will be played at 1:10 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

Sigh, yet another game that comes on while I am at work. Yet another game I will miss. Early season baseball, it’s so bittersweet. Anyway, I digress. Click the Yankees tickets link at the top of the site to have your tickets, your real cardboard tickets of course, in hand when the boys return home to the Bronx and Yankee Stadium.

Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Detroit Tigers 4/8

The New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers kick off the second round of series in this young 2016 season this afternoon inside of Comerica Park. Both teams will get to show off some new, shiny toys this afternoon as the Yankees send their rookie sensation that burst onto the scene in 2015 in Luis Severino to the mound to face off against recently acquired Jordan Zimmermann for the Detroit Tigers.

Severino will be making his 12^th career start for the Yankees this afternoon after the Tigers’ home Opening Day ceremonies are completed. Severino looks to build on an 11-start rookie campaign in 2015 where he made eight quality starts, none of those 11 were against the Tigers though unfortunately.

Zimmermann makes his first start for his new team after leaving the Washington Nationals and joining the Detroit Tigers this offseason. The Tigers haven’t had a pitcher make his debut for his new team in a home opener since Mark Redman did so in 2002 so there will be a ton of weight and pressure on the shoulders and right arm of Zimmermann today in Detroit.

The game will be played at 1:10 pm ET inside Comerica Park and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. Let’s welcome Zimmermann to the American League the best way that we know how, rudely. Lots of offense and a victory. Get it done. Go Yankees!

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.

Attention All Parents: Teach Your Kids How to Pitch

As a parent to two future MLB All-Stars and hopefully two future members of the New York Yankees I consider myself to be one of the most blessed individuals on this planet Earth. Whether they grow up to be baseball players, doctors, lawyers or business executives (five bonus points to the first person to get the reference) I will be proud and honored to be their father as long as they are happy and as long as they do it the right way. That doesn't mean I won't slightly nudge them as early as I can and as often as I can towards the baseball goal, especially after this offseason. Growing up I was always a shortstop with little interest in playing any other position but I may start teaching my children how to pitch.

If this offseason has told us anything it's that if you can get guys out at a decent clip at the Major League level you are going to get PAID. Look at the numbers handed down this winter already. David Price set the tone with the largest contract ever handed down to a pitcher with $217 million while Zack Greinke got the highest average annual value out of his $206.5 million contract that allows him to pull in well over $30 million every calendar year. Jordan Zimmermann got $110 million after a down season in Washington while Johnny Cueto got $130 million with elbow concerns and seemingly an inability to recreate his dominance from the National League to the American League. Jeff Samardzija was possibly the worst pitcher in the American League in 2015 and will begin a contract in 2016 that will pay him $90 million over the next five years while Mike Leake will get $80 million for being a middle-of-the-rotation type starter. Wei-Yin Chen got $80 million also with a sixth year option deal with Miami while Ian Kennedy, who was home run prone in MLB's equivalent to Yellow Stone Park in Petco, got $70 million.

Owners are either crazy, desperate or out of control. Or maybe it's all three. There is an absolute ton of money coming into the game right now and these owners are not scared to spend it on starting pitching right now. If my son's want to play baseball, great. If they don't that's great too but if they do I am teaching them how to pitch, and pitch left-handed at that. I want an early retirement.

Jordan Zimmermann vs. Jeff Samardzija The Ultimate Showdown

Two of the top free agent starting pitchers have come off the board and a whole lot of money has been handed out. The two starting pitchers we will showcase today are Jordan Zimmermann and Jeff Samardzija as we try to analyze which team will get the most bang for their buck. Will it be Detroit who signed Zimmermann for just five years and $140 million or will it be San Francisco who signed Samardzija for five years and $90 million? You're immediate answer will likely be Zimmermann but you may be jumping the gun just a tad.

Neither of these arms are especially old and neither of these arms have an absolute ton of miles on them. Zimmerman is just 29 years old and has thrown 1094.0 IP in his career with the Washington Nationals. Including his postseason numbers, 12.2 IP total, you see that Zimmermann has thrown a total of 1106.2 IP and thrown over 200 IP just two times. Meanwhile Samardzija is 30-years old and has compiled just 991.2 IP in his career thanks to a career in College Football that delayed his entrance into Major League Baseball. Samardzija is raw but he gets the edge on both projectability and for the lack of miles on his arm. Samardzija could turn into an absolute ace and stud in San Francisco with that spacious ball park and speedy outfielders behind him or he could flame out and become the next bust of a free agent signing. It’s like buying a lottery ticket with Samardzija where as you basically know what you’re going to get with Zimmermann. His stats are declining at an alarming rate and I don’t believe switching from a division that sported three of the worst teams in MLB in 2015 (remember all the head-to-head matchups within the division) to the American League and the AL Central specifically is going to bode well for Zimmermann or the Tigers. If Samardzija is like buying a lottery ticket Zimmermann is like going to a dead end job with no chance of advancement, pay raise or rise in responsibilities. You’re going to go every day and you’re going to make ends meet but the price of gas is going to go up, insurance is going to go up, food prices are going to go up and there is nothing you can do to stop it or improve it, you’re stuck for life and you grow miserable by the day.

I may have been a little hard in my analogy for Zimmermann, and it’s no knock against him personally, but I can’t see the deal working out as well as the Tigers hope. The saving grace for Zimmermann is that his deal is only for five years but for the sake of this showdown so is Samardzija’s. Both teams had to sacrifice a draft pick to sign their man but the Giants will give up a first round pick for Shark, the Tigers first round pick (9^th overall) is protected and will only sacrifice a second round pick for Zimmermann. This means a lot in a league and in an era that has never been more reliant on cost-controlled players and the use of your farm system. Zimmermann lost in a big way in the last debate but he gains some of that back with the draft pick compensation. Also it is worth mentioning that Zimmermann is not trending downward, neither is Samardzija after having one of the worst seasons in the American League in 2015, at least not yet. One down or bad season is not a trend, if it repeats in 2016 and beyond THEN it’s a trend.

Finally, the projections. Does Baseball Reference expect either of these men to bounce back in a big way or will it be more of the same next season?

Samardzija:

Year	Tm	Age	W	L	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	WHIP	H9	HR9	BB9	SO9	SO/W
2016	Proj.	31	8	11	4.19	189.0	187	95	88	23	49	1.249	8.9	1.1	2.3	7.7	3.31

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Zimmermann:

Year	Tm	Age	W	L	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	WHIP	H9	HR9	BB9	SO9	SO/W
2016	Proj.	30	12	8	3.43	181.0	175	75	69	18	37	1.171	8.7	0.9	1.8	7.6	4.11

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Based on the projections alone it looks like Zimmermann has the edge here but at the end, who wins? Is it the man who is likely to suffer from the league switch, has more mileage on his arm and signed for more money? Or is it the raw starting pitcher that might have just proven why Zimmermann is not the ideal choice in 2016 after struggling in his switch from the National League to the American League? I honestly think, and this is my personal opinion and projection so bear with me, that Samardzija will benefit from the switch back to the National League. Some of Samardzija’s best seasons were with the Chicago Cubs in a small hitter-friendly ballpark. Can you imagine Samardzija not only facing the pitcher’s spot three times a game but facing the pitcher’s spot three times a game in one of the biggest parks in all of baseball? Zimmermann isn’t exactly pitching in a band box himself up in Detroit’s Comerica Park but I truly think the AL-to-NL switch will be more severe than Detroit had expected. I’m not saying Zimmermann is going to fall off the map but I didn’t say he was going to live up to his $110 million either.

Samardzija wins… by a hair… a lot of hair. 

Yankees Winter Meetings Priority Checklist

Here we are, we’ve almost made it to the first major milestone of the winter. The MLB GM Winter Meetings in Nashville, TN. This is where most of the activity usually goes down during the winter. This is where the trades are made and this is the week that most of the big-money free agents wait for before fielding or signing off on offers. David Price jumped the gun a bit and so did Zack Greinke but there are plenty of big names still left on the board for Brian Cashman and his brain trust to look at this week. Will Cashman bring in any talent either via free agency or via trade and does Cashman have a plan? Just in case he doesn’t I made him a little check list to carry around with him this week in Nashville.

Starting Rotation

The starting rotation should be the priority this week, either sorting the starting five or improving on the starting five. The Yankees conceivably have seven options vying for just five starting rotation spots, you know the names, and lots of young pitching is said to be available including Shelby Miller, Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco to name a few. I can’t see the Yankees making a free agent signing though, especially after the Ryan Zimmermann, Zack Greinke and David Price contracts.

Bullpen

The bullpen was an obvious strength in 2015 but it can be better in 2016 with another signing or two. The Yankees just don’t know what they will get out of Chasen Shreve heading into next season, the first half version or the second half version, so adding another arm or two (Darren O’Day por favor) would be ideal for New York. Well that and holding onto Andrew Miller.

Minor League Deals

There is no such thing as a bad minor league deal. The cost is relatively small in terms of dollars, years and commitment. Rarely do you see a multi-year deal for a minor league player and many of the deals have splits in them now paying a certain salary, usually the league minimum, for minor league time while the player can achieve an entirely new salary if he reaches the Major Leagues. These veteran Triple-A signings rarely have any bearing on the season but they don’t hurt to have, especially on an aging, veteran and injury prone team in recent seasons.

No Knee Jerk Reactions

Who cares what the Red Sox and Blue Jays are doing? The team is finally getting the contracts of CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran off the books. Don’t add more of them we’re going to regret later.

Jordan Zimmermann is Why New York Won’t Sign a Starting Pitcher

The New York Yankees, no matter what the current makeup of the roster is currently, are always in on starting pitching on the free agent market. Whether they really are interested in these guys or if guys like Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman are just including them to get the biggest fan base in Major League Baseball to click on their articles remains to be seen but history would indicate that the latter is the more likely scenario. That brings me to this offseason and the Yankees “need” for a starting pitcher despite having six or seven options already inked on the roster. Sure the Yankees could get better via free agency, almost every team would have a better pitching staff with David Price leading it, but if the Yankees had any inkling of interest in any starting pitching this winter they may as well forget it. After Jordan Zimmermann got a $22 million AAV for drastically declining numbers that are sure to only get worse after a switch from the National League (in a division with three of the worst teams in Major League Baseball mind you) to the American League.

If the starting price for Zimmermann is $22 million annually, and by the way I love the fact that it was only a five year deal and I think that was a great move by Detroit in that aspect, can you imagine what the cost for Johnny Cueto is going to be? Or David Price? Cueto may get $25 million annually and Price may have a higher AAV than Clayton Kershaw, baseball’s highest paid pitcher. This is about to get out of control and these players are about to get very, very expensive. Zimmermann is a $22 million #2 pitcher behind Justin Verlander, not that Detroit has been shy about stockpiling pitching at any cost.

Zimmermann posted career-highs, although still solid numbers, in ERA (3.66), WHIP (1.20), hits allowed (204) and home runs allowed (24). Again, and this is worth reiterating, Zimmermann did this facing off against three of the worst teams in MLB almost 20 times each in the Miami Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves.

Zimmermann will cost Detroit their second round pick since the Tigers first pick, ninth overall, is protected. It’s a good deal but the Tigers and it’s a great deal for Zimmermann, it just sucks for the rest of the league that may have been interested in a deal or two on the free agent starting pitching market. That’s not happening anymore. 

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.

Taking a Stab at Predicting the Top 40 Free Agent Signings

As many of you know I like to take a stab at predicting free agency signings every single offseason. Usually I do the entire 155 or so player free agent class but it becomes pretty redundant to be honest. There are players on the list very few have even heard of and players that even fewer fans truly even care about. For that reason I think I will stick to the Top 40 free agents this year and predict where I think these free agents will land before Opening Day 2016. If you agree, or disagree for that matter, leave your comments below in the comments section. Thank you!

David Price – Chicago Cubs
Jason Heyward – Detroit Tigers
Zack Greinke – Los Angeles Dodgers
Justin Upton – San Francisco Giants
Chris Davis – Washington Nationals
Jordan Zimmermann – Boston Red Sox
Yoenis Cespedes – Chicago White Sox
Alex Gordon – Seattle Mariners
Johnny Cueto – Toronto Blue Jays
Jeff Samardzija – New York Yankees
Ian Desmond – New York Mets
Matt Wieters – Baltimore Orioles
Mike Leake – Arizona Diamondbacks
Ben Zobrist – Kansas City Royals
Daniel Murphy – Colorado Rockies
Yovani Gallardo – Texas Rangers
Wei-Yin Chen – Boston Red Sox
Howie Kendrick – Chicago White Sox
Dexter Fowler – New York Mets
Scott Kazmir – Los Angeles Dodgers
Hisashi iwakuma – Seattle Mariners
Colby Rasmus – Houston Astros
Denard Span – Chicago Cubs
David Freese – Atlanta Braves
Marco Estrada – Toronto Blue Jays
Ian Kennedy – Baltimore Orioles
Darren O’Day – New York Yankees
Brett Anderson – Los Angeles Dodgers
Joakim Soria – Boston Red Sox
Gerardo Parra – St. Louis Cardinals
John Lackey – Los Angeles Dodgers
JA Happ – Kansas City Royals
Austin Jackson – Cincinnati Reds
Asdrubal Cabrera – New York Mets
Tyler Clippard – Arizona Diamondbacks
Doug Fister – Houston Astros
Ryan Madson – Houston Astros
Alexei Ramirez – Minnesota Twins
Mike Napoli – Colorado Rockies
Steve Pearce – New York Yankees