Yankees Potential Trade Partners This July

The heat has been turned up and the month of July is now beyond the halfway point meaning the July 31^st trading deadline is drawing closer and closer by the minute. Surely the New York Yankees have done their homework and have identified the potential sellers already at this year’s July 31^st trading deadline but just in case they haven’t I have compiled what is probably an incomplete list. Also, since some still wonder if the team will buy or sell before the deadline, I will also include some potential buyers for the team as well. You know, because they read my content and I know it. Enjoy Cash and make sure to bookmark this for safe keeping. 

If you need any more proof that the Chicago White Sox are sellers than the team unloading Jose Quintana to the Chicago Cubs for four prospects then I don’t know what to tell you. The White Sox have more they may unload including, but not limited to, third baseman Todd Frazier and first baseman Jose Abreu. The Detroit Tigers will also be sellers along with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Oakland Athletics. Sonny Gray is still being seen as a gamble which is keeping his price tag low for the Athletics while the asking price for Gerrit Cole of the Pirates is said to be “enormous.” The San Diego Padres have a couple relief pitchers that are likely to be traded this July including Brad Hand while the San Francisco Giants are already said to be fielding calls for third baseman and former Yankee Eduardo Nunez. The Phillies will trade Pat Neshek before the end of the trading deadline while they may also trade first baseman Tommy Joseph to really jumpstart the rebuild in Philadelphia. 

The Chicago Cubs are obvious buyers after getting Jose Quintana from the Chicago White Sox but after the four prospect haul they already sent off they may not be serious buyers. The Cubs may buy-low on some players but I think their heavy lifting is done. The Washington Nationals also look to be buyers at this year’s trade deadline and will once again be in the market for a closer after losing Mark Melancon to the San Francisco Giants this offseason. Sean Kelley isn’t cutting it and I could have told you guys that was going to happen. The Miami Marlins have also told teams that they are open for business so expect Justin Bour and basically anyone not named Giancarlo Stanton to at least be available. 

The Yankees lead the “undecided” vote as the team may be waiting to see how this weekend series with the Boston Red Sox goes while the Milwaukee Brewers may also look to stand relatively still at the trade deadline despite their strong first half and lead in the NL Central Division. The Arizona Diamondbacks are also unlikely to do much as the team seems unwilling to trade key prospects out of the farm system while the Colorado Rockies may make a trade for the Reds Zack Cozart and call it a day. The Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays are unlikely to do much at this year’s trading deadline while I also, and this is my pure speculation, cannot see the Minnesota Twins dipping their feet into the deep end of the trade market either. 

The next couple weeks are going to be fun and I truly can’t wait to watch it all unfold. 

Back to Work Friday!...

Aw shucks, do we really hafta?...

I have to admit the break was very nice.  I took full advantage of it and enjoyed every minute.  But alas, all good things must end.  Time to get back to baseball and hopefully what will be a very productive second half for the Pinstripers.  

I am glad the Chicago Cubs laid the Jose Quintana rumors to rest.  It was a serious overpay (in my opinion) and I don’t think the cost was worth the top prospects in the organization.  So, congratulations to GM Brian Cashman for his restraint.  There’s no doubt we need pitching but we’ll just have to find another well, and hopefully a less costly one.  The long term view is still the best view in the house.  I am sure teams will now move to other rumored trade targets, ramping up the cost for guys like Yu Darvish or Gerrit Cole (should they be placed on the market).  I’d rather see Chance Adams get a chance at some point rather than his inclusion in a trade for an older, more established pitcher.  

Credit:  Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

With less than three weeks to the trading deadline, Thursday should just be a slight preview of the days ahead as teams jockey for position.

I thought yesterday’s trade for first baseman Garrett Cooper was a chance worth taking.  Why not?…the Yankees do not have anything to lose.  By trading Tyler Webb, it was an indication that he didn’t fit into their long-term plans.  Plus, he tied up a valuable 40-man roster spot which will be a premium in the off-season when the Yankees have to decide whom to protect and whom to potentially expose to the Rule 5 Draft.  Every move made today has ramifications on the off-season so I am sure that Cashman is being both near- and far-sighted at the same time.  Ji-Man Choi has had a couple of nice home runs but I am not sold on him as a Major League first baseman.  If he falters, it is nice to know that Cooper is waiting in the wings.  He probably represents an upgrade over Mike Ford (currently on the DL for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre).  

Stay tuned as I am sure we’re in for a ride.

I honestly did not think Aaron Judge would win the Home Run Derby last Monday.  The win didn’t surprise me and I certainly loved watching the incredible show as much as anyone.  But there was so much hype about him going into the Derby, I felt the weight of expectations would be too much.  Between Judge and Gary Sanchez, I thought Sanchez would be the one to persevere.  So, my apologies to Aaron and congratulations on the tremendous win.  Now, in one of those bottom of the 9th at-bats when the Yankees are trailing and you represent the tying or winning run, please feel free to mix in a tape measure, Statcast-blowing blast instead of the usual strikeout.  I am not trying to be critical of Judge and I am very appreciative of his consistent contributions game by game...but...outside of Clint Frazier’s recent walk-off, the bottom of the 9th at Yankee Stadium has generally meant three outs in recent weeks.

No All-Star Game recap from me, but it was tough to see a “formerly” beloved ex-Yankee hit the home run to win the game and another “probably still” beloved ex-Yankee save the win.  Robinson Cano hurts more than Andrew Miller since the added measure (salt in the wound) was that Cano on the team as an injury replacement for current Yankee Starlin Castro.  The losses of Cano leaving via free agency and the trade of Miller (not his fault) still sting.  If Cano was still a Yankee, we’d probably be talking about the potential future retirement of his number.  Now, Gary Sanchez gets the honors and Cano has a career that you primarily only see through box scores unless you live in Seattle.

Next Up:  Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, Boston, MA…

The Yankees get a very quick and hard test to open the second half.  They’ll travel to Boston to play the first place Red Sox for four games in three days.  The break, outside of Chris Sale, gave the Sox the opportunity to reset their pitching rotation.  With Sale pitching Tuesday’s All-Star Game, he’ll take the mound on Saturday.  But we’ll see the top 4 pitchers in Boston’s rotation for this series.  So no fifth starters this go-around.  The Red Sox are starting to play like everyone expected although they did lose their most recent series when they were beaten by the Tampa Bay Rays, the team currently tied with the Yankees for second place in the AL East.  If Boston finds a solution for their third base problem and perhaps more arms for the pen, they’ll be a formidable team although at this point, I’d have to say the Houston Astros are the likely winners of the ALCS regardless of who they play.

By catching closer Craig Kimbrel in the All-Star Game, I am hopeful that Gary Sanchez picked up a thing or two to use during his at-bats.  I think he was surprised at the movement of Kimbrel’s pitches from the catcher’s point of view.  Very weird to see a Yankee catch a Red Sox pitcher.

The Red Sox can be beaten but not by the Yankees team we saw the last couple of weeks.  They’ll need to rise to the challenge.  I hope that Dellin Betances can right the ship once and for all.  The same goes for Masahiro Tanaka.  I only hope that we are not forced to use Tyler Clippard in a critical situation.

As of this post, the Yankees had not announced their scheduled starters.  Boston's starters will be:

FRIDAY:  Drew Pomeranz (9-4, 3.60 ERA)
SATURDAY:  Chris Sale (11-4, 2.75 ERA)
SUNDAY-GAME 1:  Rick Porcello (4-11, 4.75 ERA)
SUNDAY-GAME 2:  David Price (4-2, 3.91 ERA)

Final Notes…

As expected, the Yankees have sent Starlin Castro to Double-A Trenton on a rehab assignment.  They also released Chris Carter after he cleared waivers so there will be no Carter Experiment III.  

Have a great Friday!  Let’s start the second half off right with a win in Beantown!  Let’s Go Yankees!

REPORT: White Sox Want Torres AND Frazier for Quintana

Oh, hey guys. Sorry for all that empty space, I didn’t know this thing was on and I have been dying laughing for the last 30 minutes after reading the report that the Chicago White Sox want not one but both of Gleyber Torres and Clint Frazier for left-handed starter Jose Quintana. Yeah, no.

According to Jon Heyman the White Sox are “believed” to have asked New York for shortstop Gleyber Torres and Clint Frazier in a trade for LHP Jose Quintana. Don’t get me wrong, Quintana may be worth two top prospects seeing as he has pitched well the last several seasons and is under team control on a team-friendly deal for a couple more seasons but I don’t think the Yankees should necessarily be the one to pay that kind of price.

Long story short, no. I would be reluctant to give up one of them for Quintana although I understand you have to give something to get something. I would definitely not give up them both. Not in any deal. Period.

What are your thoughts? Would you give up both Torres and Frazier for Quintana? Leave your thoughts below in the comments sections.

Two Additional Arms Enter the Trade Rumor Spotlight

The Yankees are not entering the All-Star break the way the team had hoped after storming to the top of the American League East less than a month ago. The team is seemingly in a bit of a free fall after being ravished by injuries and as the temperature rises the team is cooling down overall. In the words of manager Joe Girardi “it’s not what you want” but there is hope for the Bronx Bombers and their fans. More prospects are on the way and the July 31^st trading deadline is just around the corner so brace yourselves, reinforcements are coming. Here are two more arms for the Yankees to potentially look at during the trade deadline in 2017.

The Yankees bullpen is a mess right now and the need for another shutdown reliever has never been so obvious. While the Yankees have been great about developing power arms in their bullpen if the team wanted to look outside the organization they could look no further than Sean Doolittle of the Oakland Athletics. Doolittle is a 30-year old left-handed relief pitcher that has battled injuries over the past couple of years, which again is not what you want, but has looked healthy since coming off the disabled list on June 10. The price tag for Doolittle will presumably be down because of this although Doolittle is under team control for the 2018 season as well, so who knows what the Athletics will end up asking for him. I do know one thing, the A’s are in last place and they aren’t making the postseason thus making a 30-year old relief pitcher who has been the model of consistency over the past few seasons a valuable trade chip before the deadline. Doolittle won’t lead the Yankees to the World Series on his own but he almost has to be better than Tyler Clippard has been, right?

The Yankees may need a starting pitcher to go along with a bullpen acquisition if they want to make it to that World Series and while it’s nice to dream about acquiring Jose Quintana, Gerrit Cole or Johnny Cueto the truth of the matter is the team is not likely to part with the prospects to do so making arms such as Lance Lynn all that more attractive to the team. Lance Lynn is currently wearing a St. Louis Cardinals uniform in his age-30 season and while the Cardinals are in contention in the National League Central Division we have heard all season long about the plethora of pitching prospects they have ready to come through their system. Moving a 30-year old consistent arm like Lynn could clear the way for one of those prospects to make the big jump to the Major Leagues without too much pressure of a pennant race. Lynn would give the Yankees innings, let it be known that Lynn would be no more than a fourth-or-fifth starter in the Bronx, and could help give the bullpen a partial night off every fifth day. That’s valuable if the Yankees can get Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda right. 

The Tyler Clippard Award Goes To...

White Sox 4, Yankees 3...

Luis Severino pitched magnificently, Yankees took the lead, but the bullpen ingredients of Domingo German, Tyler Clippard and Dellin Betances handed the Chicago White Sox the walk-off win.

Severino allowed just one run on six hits over seven innings.  He struck out a career high 12 batters, and issued no walks.  You could not have asked for better, but unfortunately, on the other side, it was a very strong night for White Sox starter, and oft speculated trade target, Jose Quintana as he held the Yankees to only two hits and no runs in 6 1/3 innings.

Credit:  Armando L Sanchez-AP

The White Sox scored the game's first run in the third inning when Jose Abreu laced a run-scoring double to right.  Chicago's 1-0 lead held up until the eighth inning.  Tyler Wade, making his Major League debut, pinch hit for Rob Refsnyder and walked against White Sox reliever Tommy Kahnle.  Jacoby Ellsbury followed with a single as Wade advanced to second.  After Chase Headley struck out, Aaron Judge singled to center, scoring Wade while Ellsbury moved to second.  Game tied.  Gary Sanchez doubled, bringing home both Ellsbury and Judge, as the Yankees took the 3-1 lead.

Credit:  Jonathan Daniel-Getty Images

It felt like it was going to be a magical night for Severino with the stellar pitching and the late runs to potentially give him the win but thanks to the Yankees bullpen, it was not to be.  Manager Joe Girardi brought in Domingo German to pitch the eighth, but he had control problems and was lifted after walking the first two batters.  Tyler Clippard (Egads!) entered the game and was able to get three outs but not before two more walks had pushed another run across for the Sox.  3-2, Yankees.  All things considered, I guess, you'd have to say that this was a better Clippard than we've seen lately.  He escaped a bases-loaded situation with no outs, giving up only one run, so it could have been much worse.

Credit:  Associated Press

The Yankees had runners at second and third with two outs in the top of the 9th following a passed ball by White Sox reliever Dan Jennings, but Chase Headley struck out to leave the runners stranded.  As it turned out, the Yankees could have used those insurance runs.

The Yankees brought in Dellin Betances to pitch the ninth.  He had worked the previous two games but had thrown only a total of 25 pitches.  Aroldis Chapman was not available, having worked the preceding two days combined with his recent activation off the DL.  Betances (3-2) earned the Tyler Clippard Pitching Award of the night when he walked Kevan Smith and Alen Hanson, and hit Yolmer Sanchez with a pitch to load the bases.  He was able to retire former Yankee Melky Cabrera on a fly ball, but Jose Abreu came up and delivered a single to left, scoring the winning runs as the White Sox walked off with the 4-3 victory.

Credit:  Armando L Sanchez-Chicago Tribune

With the loss, the Yankees (41-34) fell one game behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.  The Red Sox, looking like a team that wants to win, beat the Minnesota Twins, 9-2.  The Tampa Bay Rays also won (4-2 in extra innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates) so they are just two games behind the Yankees.  I know it's only June and it is just one game, but right now the gulf between the Yankees and the Red Sox seems much, much greater.  The Red Sox are a team ready to kick it into another gear, whereas the Yankees just keep slip, sliding away.  It was difficult to watch a game that was freely given to the White Sox.  The final 3 of their 4 runs were walked batters that came around to score.  It was not pretty and Severino's gem was wasted.

Next up, Masahiro Tanaka.  If he pitches like he did against Yu Darvish, I like our chances.  If he pitches like the guy we saw prior to the All-Japanese confrontation, it is going to be a very long night.  

Trade Speculation Heats Up...

Trade speculation and theories are starting to heat up as the calendar prepares to turn to July.  Between now and the July trading deadline, I am sure that we'll be hearing plenty of possibilities for how the 2017 New York Yankees can make upgrades.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com posted "3 potential Yanks-Mets trades that make sense" yesterday.  In his column, he proposed the following trades:

1.  Lucas Duda for Austin Romine.

2.  Jerry Blevins and/or Addison Reed for Dustin Fowler.

3.  Curtis Granderson for Tyler Austin.

My immediate reaction was "I wouldn't trade my guys for them".  Later in the day, Feinsand tweeted:  Love the response to my trade column.  Yankees fans:  "I'd never trade those guys for that!", Mets fans:  "I'd never trade those guys for that!".  Seriously, and nothing against Kyle Higashioka, I wouldn't trade Romine for Duda.  With the belief that Greg Bird can still be a solid first baseman of the future, I'd take a less costly route to find an alternative for Tyler Austin if it comes to that.  I certainly wouldn't trade a valuable outfield prospect for a reliever that could have been had on the free agent market last off-season.  Curtis Granderson?  Been there, done that.  

In a column that appeared on NJ.com (written by Joe Giglio), it was reported that MLB Network Radio Host Jim Bowden (former GM of the Cincinnati Reds and one-time Yankees employee during the brief reign of Syd Thrift) floated his idea of how to build a super rotation in the Bronx.  Bowden indicated that he'd trade for Gerrit Cole now and sign Yu Darvish as a free agent in the off-season.  His third and fourth starters would be Luis Severino and Jordan Montgomery, while the fifth spot would go to Yankees prospect Chance Adams.  With this rotation, Bowden believes "In 2018, it's about what kind of champagne we can put on ice".  I can't say that I disagree with this one.  I like both Cole and Darvish.  Severino and Montgomery have both proven they belong in 2018 and the "time is now" is rapidly approaching for Adams.  Sign me up for this possibility...I'm on board.

Odds & Ends...

The Attack of the Tylers.  It's hard to believe but 16% of the Yankees active roster is now loaded with dudes named Tyler.  With Tuesday's call-up of Tylers Webb and Wade, there are four Tyler's with Clippard and Austin already on the roster.  I wanted to name my son Tyler but given my last name ends in "ler", his mother didn't want a kid named "ler-ler" so I had to ditch any ideas of using the name.  I went with Kyle instead (as if there weren't enough Kyle's already in the world).  Making room for the two Tyler W's were the placement of Starlin Castro on the disabled list and the demotion of Jonathan Holder to Triple A.  It kind of feels like all of these Tylers should be using Aerosmith for their walk-up music...

The results of Castro's MRI came back with a Grade 1 strain of the  right hamstring.  He's expecting to be ready when his time on the 10-Day DL is up.  

Have a great Wednesday!  Hopefully Tanaka will help get us over the hump!  Let's Go Yankees!

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Chicago White Sox 6/27

The New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox are ready to begin the second game of their four-game set to kick off the week in Chicago with a great pitching matchup. In the contest tonight the Yankees will send Luis Severino to the mound to square off with potentially a future teammate in the White Sox Jose Quintana. The game will be played at 8:10 pm ET inside Guaranteed Rate Field and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. You can also follow along on the radio and in your cars by tuning into the WFAN broadcast.

Follow us on Twitter by following @GreedyStripes and enjoy the game. As always, Go Yankees!!!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Chicago White Sox 6/27

The New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox kicked off a four-game set last night and will continue that series tonight in Chicago inside Guaranteed Rate Field. I miss Comiskey Park and I hate these, in my opinion, sell out type stadiums. Oh well. In the second game of the series the Yankees will send Luis Severino to the mound, good news, to face off with the White Sox ace Jose Quintana, bad news potentially. Could the Yankees be scouting the lefty in person as they approach Chicago in a potential buy-low type situation? Who in the world knows any more. On to the game.

Severino will make his 15^th start of the season tonight in Chicago fresh off a rough outing against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In the start Severino allowed six runs, five of them earned, which was the most runs he has given up in a single start all season long.

Quintana has been great during the month of June after a rough start to the season in May. In four June starts the White Sox lefty has a 2.25 ERA including a stellar start last time out against the Toronto Blue Jays where he threw 6.2 shutout innings allowing just five hits.

The game will be played at 8:10 pm ET inside Guaranteed Rate Field and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. You can also follow along on the radio and in your cars by tuning into John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman’s broadcast on WFAN. Enjoy the game and Go Yankees!!

Unfortunately It Looks Like Tanaka or Bust in 2017

The New York Yankees, despite the well documented struggles of their ace Masahiro Tanaka, are in first place in the American League East Division and rolling right along. With the July 31^st trade deadline looming you have to think that some fans are hoping that the pitching problem at the top of the Yankees rotation can be solved with a simple trade but looking at the potential list of available starters New York may be in a bit of a predicament. It is looking more and more like it is Masahiro Tanaka or bust for the Yankees here in 2017.

Doesn’t it just figure that when the Yankees finally have not only the prospects to land an ace-type pitcher but have a surplus of prospects to land an ace-type pitcher that there isn’t many to be found on the trade market? Bad timing I guess for the Yankees because looking around this is looking like a barren wasteland for reliable and effective starters.

Gerrit Cole has struggled for the Pittsburgh Pirates and has struggled more and more since his 19-8 breakout season in 2015, but before I get called out for riding both sides of the fence I will reiterate that I would love to still have him here but it obviously and always will come down to the price needed to acquire him, leaving more question marks than answers surrounding him right now. The Yankees have enough question marks, they need certainty and they aren’t going to get certainty (talent, yes) by acquiring Cole.

Quintana is another pitcher we have talked about a ton here on the blog and all that talk has yielded me nothing but a big ole foot in the mouth. At the time of this writing Quintana is currently sporting a 2-7 record with a 5.30 ERA in a weak American League Central Division.

But the Atlanta Braves suck and they have Julio Teheran! Yeah, Teheran has a 5-4 record with a 5.40 ERA while giving up home runs faster than Masahiro Tanaka in possibly a weaker National League East Division. Teheran gets to face a pitcher three-to-four times a night too. Again, he’s talented just like Cole but the Yankees need certainty… not more question marks or hopes that a change of scenery will help.

So what do the Yankees do? All they can do is really stick to the plan and continue the youth movement. Call up Chance Adams when he is ready, hope that Luis Cessa continues to pitch out of his mind, keep throwing Luis Severino and Jordan Montgomery out there every fifth day and simply hope for the best. It is Tanaka or bust for the Yankees in 2017 so let’s hope Larry Rothschild, Tanaka and his translator (screw you Jerry Remy) get it figured out. And fast. 

How Far Away Is The Trade Deadline?

"My wallet's in my pocket, why do you ask?"

Recently Hal Steinbrenner has made comments that lead us to believe the Yankees be buyers at the trade deadline, which is not really a surprise. Any team that's in contention for a postseason berth is going to try and improve. But I'm not 100% sure where the team will look to get better.

Sure, Chase Headley is not going to get any All Star votes, at least outside of those Yankees fans that will simply vote for Yankees players. But Headley is not that bad. His OPS+ of 98 this season tells us he's pretty much average at the plate, and he's basically average in the field too. So the team could certainly improve here, but I just don't see it happening.

The team has also gotten below average production from the first base spot. But with Greg Bird healing up I doubt we see anything happen there, either.

The only place I can see the Yankees looking to improve would be in the starting rotation. And when I say that I'm not talking about them looking to acquire a starter that's simply "good". Michael Pineda, Luis Severino, and Jordan Montgomery are "good". At the same time I still believe Masahiro Tanaka will turn things around and be ace-like. CC Sabathia? Meh, he can at least eat innings.

Keep in mind, too, that the Yankees are not going to get under the Luxury Tax threshold this season. Therefore, it's quite possible they acquire a fairly expensive rental at the deadline. But seeing what Cashman and Co. have done lately I believe they will look at this season as well as the future.

The Yankees starting rotation after this season will, yet again, be a big question. Michael Pineda and CC Sabathia will be free agents, while Masahiro Tanaka will likely opt-out of his contract and join the free agent market as well. I suppose Tanaka could be re-signed if the Yankees don't have another top of the rotation starter going into 2018. Pineda may be re-signed if he continues to be as effective as he's been. CC Sabathia? Again... "meh". To be blunt, I wouldn't count on any of those three wearing Yankees pinstripes in '18.

When it comes to free agency the Yankees will have nearly $95 million come off the books after this season (joining the aforementioned three in free agency will be Alex Rodriguez, Matt Holliday, and Tyler Clippard), so the team can actually spend without worrying about going over the Luxury Tax threshold again. But Tanaka and Pineda may actually be the best two starters on the market, seeing as how Jake Arrieta looks lost on the mound anymore and Yu Darvish has battled injuries lately (most notably having Tommy John surgery in 2015).

Even though the starting rotation for the Yankees seems just fine for now, I think they'll look to deal for a starter to pair with 'Hiro at the top of the rotation to make a strong postseason push. Of course that leaves the question of which of the five starters would be removed from the rotation, but that stuff tends to work itself out.

Looking at teams that may very well be selling at the trade deadline, five pitchers stuck out to me. Now, I'll admit ahead of time that some of the names listed are far from surprises or bold predictions, but I believe they are real possibilities so I wanted to put it out there.


1. Jose Quintana - Chicago White Sox
Yeah, yeah, yeah... We've all read and heard all there is to know about Mr. Quintana.


2. Gerrit Cole - Pittsburgh Pirates
Gerrit is just 26 years old and won't be a free agent until after the 2020 season. Even with the elbow issues he faced last season, Gerrit still posted a sub-4.00 ERA thanks to nice strikeout and walk rates. I felt stronger about Cole being dealt before Jameson Taillon was diagnosed with testicular cancer, as Jameson would be the Pirates' new ace. But it's not like Pittsburgh doesn't have other nice pitching prospects like Tyler Glasnow and Mitch Keller.

"Okay, I'll become a Yankee this time, but I'm still not going to cut my hair."

3. Sonny Gray - Oakland Athletics
Gray is a year older than Gerrit Cole, but he too won't be a free agent until after the 2020 season. Between his debut in 2013 and 2015 Sonny's ERA+ was an outstanding 133. Unfortunately his 2016 season was riddled with injuries to his trapezius muscle and forearm, leading to him starting this season on the disabled list as well. But if Gray can get healthy I could easily see him earning "ace" status in MLB.

Plus, Oakland is stacked with young pitching talent in Jharel Cotton, Sean Manaea, Kendall Graveman, Jesse Hahn, and Andrew Triggs. So it's not like they should feel the need to hang onto Sonny Gray.


4. Julio Teheran - Atlanta Braves
We've heard Julio's name come up in trade rumors before, and I'm guessing we'll hear that name come up just as much this time around as well. Teheran is 26 years old, and like Cole and Gray won't be a free agent until after the 2020 season (that's shaping up to be a very nice starting pitcher class).

The fact is Julio is as dependable as they come. He's started 30 or more games in each of the past four seasons, posting solid strikeout and walk rates, while also limiting the long ball.

The Braves may be willing to deal Teheran away, thanks to them having some top of the line pitching prospects coming up. Sean Newcomb is killing it at AAA, while the team also has Koly Allard, Mike Soroka, Ian Anderson, and Max Fried in the pipeline too.

But Atlanta would likely want a dependable starter for 2018, as they are set to lose three of their current starters to free agency (Bartolo Colon, RA Dickey, and Jaime Garcia). That could mean at least including guys like Luis Cessa or Bryan Mitchell in a trade. Then again, those losses wouldn't be a real problem IMO.


5. James Paxton - Seattle Mariners
Paxton is a little older than others on this list, but at 28 he's not what I'd call "over the hill". And even though he's older, James won't be a free agent until after the 2021 season. I'm not sure Seattle would be willing to deal Paxton, but he will be arbitration eligible for the first time next season so they may want to save money. If so, the Yankees should take a hard look here.

James Paxton's strikeout rate of 9.2 per 9 innings in 158.2 innings since last season shows he's very good at missing bats, and he is good at limiting the home run too. Mind you, his ground ball rate has dropped this season, but that seems to be more of an anomaly than a trend.

And the Mariners may be open to trading away Paxton thanks to a handful of good to very good pitching prospects that includes Andrew Moore and Ryan Yarbrough, both of whom are in AAA and could join the big league rotation as early as this year.


Okay, seeing that it's only May 18th it's probably way too early to even be thinking about the trade deadline, but after hearing Hal Steinbrenner I couldn't help myself. I should note, too, that Hal has said he isn't looking to trade away any top prospects. That means Clint Frazier and Gleyber Torres should still be in the Yankee farm system come August.

"Yes! I love those guys!"

I'd love to hear about other pitchers, or hell... anybody for that matter, that you think the Yankees could acquire to make a strong run in the postseason. If anything, we can say we mentioned certain players first. And who doesn't like to brag?

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Chicago White Sox 4/17

Game time ladies and gentleman as the New York Yankees play host to the Chicago White Sox in the first of a three-game set here in the Bronx this week. The best news about this series is what you ask? Well if it’s not the fact that the Yankees will be missing Jose Quintana this week, although he didn’t pitch all that well over the weekend to be completely honest, then I don’t know what it is. One pitcher they will be seeing though is Derek Holland who takes the bump for Chicago while the Yankees counter with Jordan Montgomery who is making his second MLB start. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV while you can also follow along on the radio with WFAN.

Follow along with us all game and season long while interacting with us as well on Twitter by giving @GreedyStripes a follow. Have fun and as always, Go Yankees!

Free As A Bird…

The slump is over.

On a night the Yankees completed their seventh consecutive win (sixth straight at home for the first time since 1998), thanks largely to another good pitching performance by Michael Pineda, the star of the game, for me, was first baseman Greg Bird.

After Aaron Judge’s apparent home run in the second inning was ruled a triple due to fan interference, Bird smashed a 'no-doubt-about-it' 444 foot homer to right, scoring Judge.  The Baseball Gods smiled.  Mystique and Aura were alive and well, and dancing throughout the Stadium.  

Bird was 3-for-3 for the game with two runs scored and the two RBI’s courtesy of the long homer.  He raised his batting average by 100 points (from .038 to .138).  It was a beautiful sight to see.  Bird’s bat is instrumental to the long term success for the team so it was great to see the strong offensive explosion.  Maybe he did take my slump-busting advice after all (reference to Mark Grace's infamous slump buster quote).   

A week ago Saturday, when the Yankees stood at 1-4, it was hard to be optimistic.  Now, at 8-4 and just a half-game behind the AL East leading Baltimore Orioles, the glass is half full once again.  If not for the Orioles (8-3 in one less game), the Yankees would be tied for the best record in all of Baseball.  

Michael Pineda delivered a very solid pitching performance, allowing only two runs in seven innings of work.  He did allow six hits (including Yadier Molina’s home run in the seventh) but he walked only one and struck out six.  I was thinking to myself that the Yankees pitchers, excluding Masahiro Tanaka (so far), seem to be playing a game of ‘one-up-manship’.  But then I came across a Jordan Montgomery quote.  “Yeah, well every staff I’ve been a part of, (when we) get rolling like this, we’re all just trying to beat the last guy that were out there.  Kind of one-up him, and one-up and then one-up.”  Yep, he one-upped me.  Now, if Masahiro Tanaka could join the One-Up Party.

Hats off to Ronald Torreyes.  He was not my choice for starting shortstop when Didi Gregorius but the so-called “Toe” has been a great fill-in.  He drove in two with a ground rule double in the eighth inning to push his team-leading season RBI total to ten (two more than the Aarons who both have eight).  I am looking forward to the return of Gregorius, but Torreyes has impressed.  He’s doing his best to ensure that Ruben Tejada never puts on the Yankee pinstripes at Yankee Stadium.  

I hate to say that I was nervous with a 9-2 lead in the top of the ninth inning but I gotta admit that Bryan Mitchell had me a little worried.  The inning did not start well with a double by Eric Fryer.  A wild pitch advanced Fryer to third, and Mitchell ended up walking the next batter (Jedd Gyorko) on four pitches.  Randal Grichuk then hit a ball toward third which Torreyes made a great stop but then hurriedly threw the ball to second baseman Starlin Castro for a force out attempt.  The throw was too low and Castro couldn’t come up with it, and Torreyes was charged with the throwing error.  Fryer scored on the play. A home run at that point could have brought the score to 9-6 (too close for comfort).  Fortunately, Mitchell settled down and got the next three batters out by strikeout and two fly balls, and it was game over.

I felt bad for Matt Holliday as he missed his second game with the lower back stiffness.  So it wasn’t much of a reunion for Holliday with his old mates, and he finished the series with his Friday night performance (0-for-4, three strikeouts).  Per Manager Joe Girardi, he was available to pinch-hit so hopefully that means he’ll be back in the saddle tonight against the Chicago White Sox.  Of all the things I want to see with the Yankees, Jacoby Ellsbury as the clean-up hitter has not been one of them.  Hopefully, Girardi is able to pencil in #17 for the clean-up spot tonight.    

Playing the Chicago White Sox brings a few former Yankees back to the Bronx.  Starting pitcher Jose Quintana, Closer David Robertson, relievers Tommy Kahnle and Anthony Swarzak, and outfielder Melky Cabrera.  Friday night, in a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins, the White Sox made “Garcia” history when every starting outfielder was named Garcia.  Willy in left, Leury in center, and Avisail in right.  Quintana pitched on Saturday in a 6-0 loss to the Twins and will not be available this series.  I’ve already read a few ‘trade for Quintana’ articles this morning.  Stop it.  Forget Quintana and move on with life.  You're going to upset Bryan Van Dusen.

Have an awesome Monday!  Eight would be great!

My Thoughts on Masahiro Tanaka, Opt-Out Clauses and Conflicting Reports

Holy conflicting reports Batman. At the beginning of the day yesterday I read that if Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka opted out of his contract after the 2017 season that the New York Yankees would not pursue him only to read a complete 180 by the time I went to bed. One news publication has it that the Yankees won’t pursue and another, albeit by citing Randy Levine of all people as their source, says the Yankees haven’t made that decision and never said they wouldn’t pursue the Japanese-born right-hander. So which is it? Here are my thoughts on the matter.

Tanaka signed a huge deal worth $155 million when he came to the United States from Japan that included the opt-out clause after the 2017 season as a safety net for Tanaka. No one knew if Tanaka would like playing in New York or if he would rather play on the West Coast like many Japanese-born players do since it is closer to their homes in Japan so the Yankees gave him the opt-out clause that likely sealed the deal for his decision to come here. In Tanaka’s first season after signing the monster deal the righty suffered a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow that would normally require a season-ending and potentially career threatening Tommy John surgery. The Yankees, under the advice of many doctors and specialists including Dr. James Andrews, decided a rest and rehab program would be the best route to handle it and the team and Tanaka did just that despite varying degrees of criticism.

To date, and I am knocking on wood as I type this, Tanaka’s elbow has been fine and the diagnosis from the doctors looks to be a good one but as we all know pitchers are fragile in nature. Any pitcher at any time could suffer a torn UCL and require Tommy John surgery without any signs or warnings, see the very durable Bronson Arroyo as a prime example of this, so it makes sense that the Yankees may be weary and decide to let his “ticking time bomb” of an elbow be someone else’s problem if he opts out but I still don’t buy it.

After the season Michael Pineda is already coming off the books and so is CC Sabathia so losing Tanaka as well would leave the Yankees with exactly zero reliable starting pitchers for the 2018 season. Zero. James Kaprielian cannot be relied upon as he is already battling a second round of elbow concerns this season after missing most of last season with the same injury, Luis Severino has been inconsistent as a starter at best as has Chad Green and Luis Cessa, and as much as I love them as a fan Jordan Montgomery, Bryan Mitchell and Chance Adams have yet to prove themselves at the Major League level just yet. Granted they haven’t been given a huge shot, or no shot at all in the cases of Montgomery and Adams, but they wouldn’t give even me the warm and fuzzy feeling if all three of them started out next season in the Yankees starting rotation. I’m sorry but it’s the truth.

The free agent market looks barren at best for starting pitchers next season, especially considering that the Yankees plan on getting under the luxury tax threshold after this season, and the trade market requires prospects that the Yankees and Brian Cashman just don’t seem willing to part with at this time. It’s a bit of a Catch 22. Do you save money by using your farm system at the Major League level only to get under the cap and blow everyone out of the water for the likes of Bryce Harper and Manny Machado or do you trade those prospects for proven, and more expensive, pieces like Jose Quintana and continue to rebuild while also trying to win? Honestly I’m glad I’m not the one making those decisions because I don’t truly know what I would do.

I have been on board with trading for Quintana all winter long and I won’t back away from that for obvious reasons. He’s been great, he is still young and his contract is extremely cheap for what you would get back from the lefty. The Yankees need to do it now though because he will only get more expensive, prospects wise, as the year goes on. If they are truly worried about Tanaka opting out then they need to pounce on Plan B now, to improve the team and to show Tanaka that they are serious about moving on if he decides to opt-out and hold the opt-out over the teams head for more money.

Ultimately I think I would bring Tanaka back because not every pitcher and player is made for New York but Tanaka has shown that he is. You can’t really put a number on that in my opinion. Sure there are concerns with his elbow but using history as an indicator of the future you could conceivably say that about any and all pitchers that the Yankees throw out there on a day-to-day basis. Some pitchers have never required Tommy John surgery after partial tears of their UCL like Tanaka (Felix Hernandez and Ervin Santana) while some pitched for what seems like forever (Adam Wainwright) before the problem popped up again so who really knows? The human body is an amazing, and yet very unpredictable, thing. It truly is.

Can We Have a 2013 Off-Season “Do-Over”?…

In a recent interview, GM Brian Cashman indicated that the Yankees should have traded 2B Robinson Cano at the trading deadline during his last year in 2013.  

I still don’t get the math…  

I would gladly take 10 years at $240 million for Cano’s continued production (despite the injuries in his first couple of years with the Seattle Mariners) over 7 years at $153 million for Jacoby Ellsbury.  Cano is still considered among the best at his position (a few notches below Houston’s Jose Altuve), whereas Jacoby Ellsbury is not on anybody’s top ten list (except maybe for prospective Disabled List candidates).  Ellsbury and Cano are linked because the Yankees opted to sign the former the year they wouldn’t budge from their offer for Cano and he subsequently signed with the Mariners with Jay Z’s help.  

A few more years of high productivity will place Cano into Hall of Fame consideration.  It’s too bad that he won’t do it in Pinstripes.  I don’t entirely blame the Yankees because there was fault by Cano too, but I do think they could have found common ground.  The Yankees never valued Cano like they did for the former Core Four players even though he remains a middle of the order bat.  

The ascent of Gleyber Torres to second base in the Bronx is probably the only thing that will ever ease the pain of Cano’s loss for me (assuming, of course, that Torres gets moved to second).  

I know it was only one start but Jose Quintana did not fare well with his first Opening Day start for the Chicago White Sox.  He gave up 6 earned runs in 5 1/3 innings in the loss to the Detroit Tigers.  One start does not a season make, but he is human.  Of course, if we base one start for the season, CC Sabathia should be the Cy Young Award winner!  Now, we know for sure that’s not going to happen.  I suspect that Quintana, the future Mr Astro or Brave, will be better the next time out.

David Schoenfield of ESPN identified his list of “Must Watch Players” on every major league team.  Surprisingly, he chose Greg Bird over Gary Sanchez.  Nothing against Bird, but I still find Sanchez to be the most intriguing player for his combination of offensive and defensive skills.  But Bird, in two games thus far, has showed more defensive prowess than I expected even if the bat has not come around to his Spring performance yet.  Schoenfield stated “he’s probably not the next Joey Votto, but maybe he could be?”.  No pressure.  It’s a little early to start comparing Bird to first base greats but I certainly feel that he has a chance to make a name for himself.  Maybe he’ll be the next Greg Bird?  I am confident that whatever version he turns out to be, it will be a good one.

Because of weather conditions, both Jordan Montgomery and Chad Green are scheduled to pitch in Tampa today in preparation for a possible start on April 16th as the fifth starter in the rotation.  Assuming that Bryan Mitchell is not the choice, the odds certainly favor Green considering he’s on the 40-man roster.  But if it was up to me, I’d make room to add Montgomery.  I think he brings so much more promise and potential to the rotation than Green does, and he adds the dynamic of being a second left-hander to go with CC Sabathia.

It has been reported that Derek Jeter is part of an ownership group interested in buying the Miami Marlins.  If successful, that would make him Don Mattingly’s boss.  One Yankees Legend reporting to another.  It would be odd, but Jeter has long desired to get into ownership.  Better that he does it in the National League and away from the Yankees.  

So, the Tampa Bay Rays series is over, and the Yankees depart Florida with a 1-2 record.  Masahiro Tanaka underperformed, CC Sabathia overperformed, and Michael Pineda pitched kinda like we’ve come to expect (3 2/2 innings, 8 hits, and 4 runs).  While he did strike out 6 batters, he was ineffective and continues to be the puzzle that is Michael Pineda.  Very disappointing.  Of course, Pineda wasn’t helped by Yankees offense.  The only run scored in the 4-1 loss was a second inning home run by Jacoby Ellsbury.  Outside of Ellsbury (3-for-4) and Chase Headley (2-for-3), the bats were very quiet.  The young Core of Gary Sanchez, Greg Bird and Aaron Judge was a combined 1-for-12.  So, even if Pineda had pitched a quality start, it was a night they probably would have still left with the loss.  

The Yankees now need to re-group as they head to Baltimore to take on the Orioles for a three game series that begins on Friday night.  Let’s hope that Luis Severino pitches more like Sabathia and less like Pineda.  The Yankees get another shot at the Rays next week when they open Yankee Stadium.  

Have a great Thursday!

Kill the Quintana rumors once and for all…

Just when you think the Jose Quintana rumors are finished, they raise their ugly head once again.  Even Peter Gammons on Saturday was tweeting that a package led by Clint Frazier for Quintana is “intriguing”.  At this point, I’d prefer to let the Atlanta Braves, the Pittsburgh Pirates or the Houston Astros overpay for Quintana.  I have reconciled myself to the fact that the cost is not worth the reward.

Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media floated a package consisting of Frazier, Jorge Mateo, Chance Adams and Dustin Fowler for Quintana.  I wouldn’t do it. 

There will be other Jose Quintana’s on down the road and perhaps a Chris Sale-type or two.  Who really knows?  There are surprises every year.  If all players simply played to their season prediction, it would be a very boring sport.  New diamonds in the rough will appear and it is GM Brian Cashman’s job to uncover the gems.   Life under owner Hal Steinbrenner is to maximize the return while minimizing the cost. 

It is time for the Yankees to see what they have with the young arms.  It is very possible that the Yankees will lose the top two pitchers in their rotation this fall.  Masahiro Tanaka could opt out of his deal and CC Sabathia is at the end of his long contract.  Another inconsistent season by Michael Pineda could signal the end of his time in the Bronx.  So, at this point, Luis Severino, Adam Warren, Chad Green, Bryan Mitchell, and Jordan Montgomery are not only fighting for the last two spots in the rotation, they’re fighting for the future of the entire rotation.  Converting Johnny Barbato to a starter is not the answer.

The day will come when the Yankees have to move a truckload of top prospects for pitching but let’s get closer to the potential arrival of Bryce Harper and/or Manny Machado after the 2019 season.     

As much as I would love for Jordan Montgomery to make the Opening Day roster, the realist in me believes that the Yankees will go with Luis Severino and Chad Green for the final two spots in the rotation.  If someone is removed from the 40-man roster to open a spot, I feel that it’s more likely it would be taken by someone such as Pete Kozma to temporarily replace Didi Gregorius.  Kozma can be jettisoned after Didi returns with no loss in value for the organization.  It would be terrific if I am wrong about Montgomery but I do not see the opportunity with the 40-man roster at this point given the stronger immediate need at short. 

Chad Green worked four innings on Sunday for Single-A Tampa in a game against Bradenton.  He gave up four hits and three runs, walking one, in four innings of work.  But he did strike out 8 batters, even if they were A-ballers. 

Manager Joe Girardi has stated his job is “to win now” which also leads me to believe that he fill the open spots with guys who have major league experience. 

This has to be a stressful week for the manager and the players, particularly those on the bubble.  Girardi will be faced with some difficult decisions and conversations.  I certainly do not envy his job. 

The Opening Day dream ended for three Yankee hopefuls yesterday, leaving ten men remaining to await the guillotine in the march to 25.  SS Ruben Tejada will probably exercise an opt-out after being re-assigned to minor league camp.  Also re-assigned to minor league camp were C/1B Wilkin Castillo and infielder Donovan Solano.  

Congrats to Gleyber Torres for receiving the 2017 James P. Dawson Award,  an  award given to the most outstanding rookie in training camp every year.  Veni, vidi, vici…

Interesting stat that this season’s 22-7-1 Spring record is the best since the Yankees went 24-10 in the World Series championship year of 2009.  I am not trying to draw any parallels and certainly do not mean to imply that we’re headed to the World Series.  But it’s been a fun Training Camp.  We have seen exciting performances from younger players like Gleyber Torres, James Kaprielian, Billy McKinney, Dustin Fowler and others.  Greg Bird has removed any doubts about his recovery from shoulder surgery.  Aaron Judge has reduced his strikeouts.  Aaron Hicks is showing signs that he might actually help this year.  Masahiro Tanaka and Aroldis Chapman have proved, again, the aces they are.  And Gary Sanchez is the face of a new era.

I am ready and excited for the new season.  The 2017 Yankees will give us a team to be proud of and one that puts a strong foot forward down the path to the eventual 28^th World Championship. 

Have a great Tuesday!