Meet the 2019 Yankees: Domingo German

The New York Yankees caught some lightning in a bottle last season when the team called up a young started named Domingo German to make some spot starts for the team. German was consistently inconsistent, but when he was on the Yankees young right-hander showed flashes of absolute brilliance and dominance at the Major League level. If German can put it all together and pitch like that 25-30 times a season the Yankees starting rotation may be borderline unfair, in the very best way possible, so let’s meet the man that will look to take that next step this season towards greatness. Domingo German, come on down.

Domingo German, 26-years old, is a right-handed starting pitcher inside the New York Yankees organization that relies on five pitches to keep opposing hitters off-balanced. German possesses an 82 MPH curveball, a 95 MPH four-seam fastball, a 95 MPH sinker, an 88 MPH changeup, and a rarely thrown 93 MPH cutter. German’s curveball is a 12-6 curveball that generates a ton of swings and misses on the pitch. German is prone to giving up the flyball, and subsequently the home run ball inside Yankee Stadium III, but also strikes out enough to get by when he is on.

Domingo German Polanco was born on August 4, 1992 in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic where he was signed as an international free agent in 2009 by the Florida Marlins. German made his professional debut in 2010 and was selected to represent the Marlins in the All-Star Futures Game in 2014. After the 2014 season the Marlins, along with Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Jones, traded German to the New York Yankees for Martin Prado and David Phelps. German would not pitch for the Yankees in 2015 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and was promptly non-tendered after the season. The Yankees signed German to a new minor league deal following the season and added him back to the 40-man roster following the 2016 season.

The Yankees promoted German to the Major Leagues on Jun 10, 2017 and watched as he made his MLB debut the next day against the Baltimore Orioles. German pitched out of relief for seven appearances for New York in 2017, posting an 0-1 record with a 3.14 ERA. German was back on the Major Leagues on May 6, 2018 as a starter against the Cleveland Indians, pitching six no-hit innings while allowing two walks and striking out nine. German made 13 starts for New York in 2018 and posted a 2-6 record with a 5.68 ERA before being optioned to Triple-A on July 21.

German will look to pitch much better in 2019 and could be an integral part to the Yankees bullpen and rotation going forward this season. We want “good” German in 2019, and not the German that seemingly struggled in every other start and appearance that we saw last season. Baby steps, I’m not worried and I am totally confident that we will see just that this season. Good luck!

Yankees Interested in David Phelps, AJ Ramos

The New York Yankees are said to be interested in adding to their bullpen during this year’s July 31^st trading deadline and the team’s search for bullpen relief may lead them to the Miami Marlins and a familiar face. According to reports the New York Yankees are said to be interested in both David Phelps and AJ Ramos of the Miami Marlins.

According to that guy that blocked us over at the New York Post because we broke a story before him and then requested that he at least mention us or credit us in his article the Yankees have been in connection with Miami regarding Justin Bour, which we knew and have reported here on the blog, but the Yankees have also been poking around asking about both Phelps and Ramos as well. Both Phelps and Ramos are under team control through the 2018 season.

Phelps should be familiar with New York and the atmosphere here as the righty pitched in the Bronx for three seasons before being traded to the Miami Marlins in the Martin Prado deal back in December of 2014.

Heading into the break here are the stat lines for both Phelps and Ramos from Baseball Reference:

There’s no speculation or reports on what it would take to land either of these arms, Bour or Martin Prado who the Yankees have also been linked to and I don’t pretend to know much about the status of the Miami Marlins farm system. It seems like Miami is destined towards another rebuild though and fire sale this July so that opens the door to a plethora of prospects options, something the Yankees have plenty of finally. Stay tuned as this develops, we’ll have it here. 

Yankees in Talks w/ Marlins for Martin Prado and Justin Bour

Earlier this week The Greedy Pinstripes declared the Miami Marlins open for trades and even went as far as to predict a fire sale by the team in South Florida. Now I personally don’t have any inside information or sources that will back that up, although I have a sneaking suspicion that many of the “insiders” that claim to have those sources really don’t either to be honest, but instead of relying on click baits, false information and “sources” I personally prefer to rely on history as an indicator and common sense when laying out my plans and posts here on the blog. When the team traded shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria to the Tampa Bay Rays in a weak National League East Division I knew more was to come and that “more” may include a Martin Prado reunion back in the Bronx.

According to reports that are circulating online the New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins are at least discussing and kicking the tires on a potential trade that would bring the third baseman and utility player back to the Bronx after the Yankees traded him three seasons back along with David Phelps for Nathan Eovaldi, Garrett Jones and prospects. For what it’s worth that same report stated that the Boston Red Sox have also called Miami to talk about Prado which could create an expensive bidding war between the two teams. It is also worth mentioning that the Yankees asked about first baseman Justin Bour as well although Bour doesn’t exactly make me want to jump up and down and do a happy dance at the thought of his acquisition, I’m just saying.

Through Prado’s first 83 at-bats this season the 33-year old is hitting .277 although the sample size is down due to the righty missing time with a hamstring injury. Prado hit .305/.359/.417 over 153 games for the Marlins in 2016 though and brings with him about 14 defensive gloves, a slight exaggeration but probably not by much, and an absolute ton of defensive versatility. Prado has played every position during his 12-year MLB career with the exception of center field and catcher, I think the Yankees have those two positions handled pretty well thankfully.

Bour, although I did state earlier that acquiring him doesn’t give me the biggest warm and fuzzy feeling, is having the best season of his young MLB career in 2017 hitting .298 with a .365 on-base percentage, 18 home runs and 50 RBI. Those numbers are great but Bour is a left-handed hitter, which makes having both him and Greg Bird on the same team a bit redundant to me, and has three-plus seasons of team control left making him potentially expensive. If Bour had more than 258 games of experience to base the decision off of, and around 70 games of experience this season where he is hitting so well, the decision may be a bit easier for New York but as it stands now there seems to be more questions than answers at this point.

This trade, like all trades, will come down to the price tag for the Yankees. Acquiring Prado and his two-years and $28 million will likely keep the price tag down for New York but Bour won’t reach free agency until the 2021 season. Not only would Bour block Greg Bird or potentially take at-bats away from him but I also can’t see Miami simply giving him away with that much team control left. Having Bour’s left-handed swing inside Yankee Stadium, yes I know every left-handed swing is just “made” for Yankee Stadium, and in the middle of the Yankees lineup would be a huge upgrade over what the team has gotten from first base though, I admit that, but at what cost? What does the team do with both Bour and Bird when Bird returns healthy in 2016 and beyond? Again, I go back to the word “redundant.”

Whatever the Yankees and their GM Brian Cashman do remains to be seen but it seems like we once again have proof that those guys are reading what I write. I suggest going after Prado, they go after Prado a couple days later. I suggest starting to look at the July 31^st trading deadline and potential acquisitions early and here we are a month almost to the day in advance talking about New York already having discussions with other teams. They read me dammit, they really do! That may or may not be sarcasm, only time will tell.

Stay tuned and Happy Friday!

Is it Finally Time for Domingo German?

The youth movement is in full effect here in the Bronx and the team is only going to get younger and more homegrown as this year and next year pass. Out with the old and in with the new is the ultimate saying and as the Alex Rodriguez’s and the Mark Teixeira’s retired last season we saw the emergence’s of Greg Bird, Aaron Judge, Tyler Austin and others. Now as CC Sabathia inches towards an end to his Yankees tenure and many others begin their downhill climb towards free agency or retirement the Yankees will need some fresh arms to fill the void. Is one of those arms potentially, and finally, going to be Domingo German?

If you don’t remember Domingo German he was one of the prospects thrown into the deal that sent Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Jones to the Yankees while Miami got Martin Prado and David Phelps. For a long time this was considered to be a “lost” trade for the Yankees but two years later and with German finally healthy it seems like the Yankees are ready to turn that trade around just a bit. German missed the entire 2015 season with Tommy John surgery and was non-tendered before being re-signed eight days later to a new minor league contract. In 2016 German returned to the mound on June 26^th and finished the season with a 3.12 ERA and 1.047 WHIP between Single-A Charleston and High-A Tampa.

German had his doubters coming through the system and I can even remember reading that his 2015 Tommy John surgery would likely be the end of his career but somehow German has come back stronger and better than he has ever been. German, listed at 6’2” and 175 pounds while capable of throwing in excess of 95 MPH, has worked on a curveball and a changeup to compliment his powerful fastball and many scouts think this can explain the sudden growth from the right-hander.

German may be far away but he is on the team’s 40 man roster so a call up is not completely out of the question this season. It may be as a September call up or it may be in an emergency but this season we could totally see German. I won’t be the one to count him out.

The 2017 Ex-New York Yankees Opening Day Roster…

Credit:  Jason Miller, Getty Images

As training camp nears its final days, I was thinking about former Yankees (or players that spent time in the Yankees organization) and thought that I’d try to take a crack at an All Ex-Yankees Team using players that are currently on other teams’ 40-man rosters.  So, for my pool, I did not include any non-roster invitees.  For manager, the pool was only open to current MLB managers so Joe Torre was out of the mix.

Admittedly, this is a very subjective roster and I had to tweak some positions due to a limited pool of players.  I am sure that I left off some good ex-Yankees and you might not agree with this starting lineup but it was my thoughts based on the available player pool.

STARTING LINEUP

C- Russell Martin

1B- Steve Pearce

2B- Robinson Cano

SS- Eduardo Nunez

3B- Yangervis Solarte

RF- Carlos Beltran

CF- Curtis Granderson

LF- Melky Cabrera

DH- Brian McCann

BENCH

OF: Chris Young

INF: Martin Prado

INF: Stephen Drew

OF: Ichiro Suzuki

STARTING ROTATION

SP: Jose Quintana

SP: Rich Hill

SP: Ian Kennedy

SP: Ivan Nova

SP: Bartolo Colon

BULLPEN

RP: Shawn Kelley

RP: Boone Logan

RP: Justin Wilson

RP: Arodys Vizcaino

RP: David Robertson

SU: Andrew Miller

CL:  Mark Melancon

MANAGER  

Don Mattingly

Mattingly never managed the Yankees but he’s a Yankee by birthright.  There was no way that I was going to hire Buck Showalter to manage my team.  

I wasn’t crazy about putting Granderson in center but I needed to get Melky Cabrera into the lineup.  Outside of Martin Prado, I am not thrilled about the bench at all.  Brian McCann at DH is my backup catcher so that’s the only reason that I did not add Francisco Cervelli.  I suppose that if I made McCann a DH only, I’d drop Suzuki to add Cervelli. 

If I had to pick a closer between Andrew Miller and Mark Melancon, I’d easily take Miller.  But for the purposes of my roster, Miller has the most flexibility so he was the best fit in the setup role.  I like David Robertson but at this point in his career, he is behind both Miller and Melancon. 

This exercise does tend to show you that the Yankees have done a very good job evaluating talent.  Very few superstars have gotten away.  Robinson Cano and Jose Quintana are probably at the head of the class with no return for the Yankees, but at least Andrew Miller brought in top prospects Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield. 

Yangervis Solarte and Eduardo Nunez stand out as two players that have performed better than I expected they would when they left New York.  Man, I how I would love to have Martin Prado back.

It was tough to leave Mike Dunn off the bullpen list.  I also wanted to put Phil Hughes in the starting rotation but his health has been too unreliable for me.  David Phelps was another strong candidate for the #5 spot in the rotation.

I doubt this team would win the World Series but it would certainly win a few games.

I know it's just spring training and we shouldn't read too much into stats, but I thought Jordan Montgomery did an excellent job on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays.  He pitched 4 1/3 innings, giving up three hits and two runs.  He struck out eight.  When he departed, he had only given up one run, but he left a runner who subsequently scored against an ineffective JR Graham.  Thanks to heads up base-running by Tyler Wade (he stole third and scored on a throwing error by Rays catcher Michael McKenry) in the top of the 9th, the Yankees came away with a 5-5 tie after trailing most of the game.  Mighty Mouse (Ronald Torreyes) also homered in the game.  

Montgomery has firmly inserted himself as a finalist for a spot in the rotation.  I would not be disappointed to see Bryan Mitchell and Montgomery take the final spots, with Luis Severino on an outbound bus for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  

With the tie, the Yankees' spring record is 19-7-1 although no one seems to be reporting the tie in Grapefruit League standings.  I know it's not a real game but it did happen!  Didn't it?...

Have a great Friday!

Bring Back Peter O’Brien

The New York Yankees are in the midst of a youth movement so wouldn’t it make sense to bring back one of the young guys they traded away not too long ago? I mean, it makes sense to me as there is no such thing as a bad minor league deal so what are the Yankees waiting for? Bring back Peter O’Brien.

O’Brien was the Yankees second round pick back in the 2012 MLB First Year Players Draft and he toiled around in the Yankees farm system until the 2014 season when Yankees GM Brian Cashman traded him to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Martin Prado deal. Prado was nice for the half-season he was in the Bronx but O’Brien was full of potential with his heavy bat and impressive batting average numbers in the minor leagues so losing a talent like his hurt a bit.

O’Brien destroyed Triple-A pitching in 2015 which led to his MLB debut with the Diamondbacks and continued to crush minor league pitching in 2016 but for whatever reason that never translated into much success at the MLB level. Sure in eight games in 2015 he finished with a .400 batting average but in 2016 the former catcher and third baseman managed just a .141 batting average with a .571 OPS with five home runs in 64 at-bats leading to the team designating him for assignment this winter.

O’Brien’s numbers at the MLB level are ugly, no one can deny that, but he’s still just 26-years old and won’t be 27-years old until the heat of the summer in 2017 leaving some upside for the former Yankees prospect. With O’Brien having experience at the catcher position as well as first base, third base, right field and left field the Yankees may want to keep him around at the Triple-A level just in case an injury or three happens this coming season. The Yankees, and specifically manager Joe Girardi, love flexibility and versatility and O’Brien brings a ton of both with his heavy, power-hitting bat.

What’s the worst that could happen with a minor league deal with an invite to spring training? He flops? So what? Now what’s the best thing that could happen? Well he could beat out Tyler Austin for one of the final Yankees bench spots and he could take advantage of the small dimensions inside Yankee Stadium giving the Yankees a legitimate power hitting threat off the bench. All for a minor league deal and potentially $507,500. Sounds like a win-win to me. Get it done.

This Day in New York Yankees History 12/19: Enter Eovaldi

On this day in 2014 the New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins hooked up for a trade that would change the face of both franchises for the 2015 season. The Yankees sent RHP David Phelps and second baseman Martin Prado to the Miami Marlins in exchange for RHP Nathan Eovaldi, outfielder Garrett Jones and RHP Domingo German.


Also on this day in 2006, in an absolute knee jerk reaction to the Daisuke Matsuzaka signing with the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees signed Kei Igawa. The posting fee was $26 million and Igawa would sign a five year deal worth $20 million to become AAA's all time wins leader in the Yankees system. The Yankees later admitted to not even knowing what pitches Igawa threw at the time of the signing. Live and learn.


Finally on this day in 2002 the New York Yankees signed 28 year old outfielder Hideki Matsui to a three year deal worth $21 million. Matsui is coming off a season in Japan where he posted a .334 with 50 home runs and 107 RBI's. Godzilla is a three time Japanese League MVP and turned down the Yomiuri Giants four year deal worth $33 million.

The Case For and Against Trading Nathan Eovaldi

If you’re going to trade Carlos Beltran this summer, and we made the case for and against any hypothetical or potential trade earlier today on the blog, then you also have to at least consider trading Nathan Eovaldi as well, right? Eovaldi is one of the few young, tradeable and attractive pieces the Yankees could potentially move this summer but a trade of the man some on this blog nicknamed the “Water Pistol” would come with some haters and some supporters like anything else. In this blog we will look to compile a list of pros and cons to trading Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Eovaldi this summer to see if it ultimately makes sense for the Yankees.

The case for trading Eovaldi:

Teams like the Chicago Cubs have reportedly already talked about acquiring Eovaldi and boy would I like to dip into their deep farm system. 

Eovaldi was also discussed in a trade this winter and I believe the right-hander from Texas could bring a substantial amount back with one-plus years of team control remaining. 

The Yankees aren’t going anywhere in 2017 with a team full of flaws. No matter how good the pitching is you can’t win a game without scoring a run. If Yogi Berra didn’t say that then he should have. 

The case against trading Eovaldi:

The Yankees are in the thick of things in a crowded chase for a second Wild Card spot in the American League. I don’t know about you but I’d rather be in the dance with a chance to catch fire at the right time than sitting on my couch watching in October. 

The Yankees admit defeat and admit they are rebuilding with this trade, something the organization has been seemingly unwilling to do to date. 

Unless New York turns Eovaldi into an absolute haul this makes the trade of Martin Prado, the suffering through of Stephen Drew, and the disrespect of Robert Refsnyder look all that more blatant. 

He’s still young enough to extend and build around when we have a new-look team in 2018 and 2019. 

Eovaldi is signed through 2017. 

I, as a fan, simply don’t want to trade him. 

If there is even a minute chance that the Yankees could make a second half run and get hot heading into the postseason I can’t bring myself to agree to trading Eovaldi. It may make the most sense, truth be told, but my fandom gets in the way of my writing sometimes. If there isn’t a chance this season or next then it makes too much sense not to trade him. I’m torn, what say you?

Most Popular Article of the Week: If Miami Needs a Second Baseman…..

Well the most popular article of the week was a posting wondering why Drew Bridges was shown on the Yankees 40 man roster and shown as being called up from Charleston  despite a .205 batting average in Low-A Ball. This was eventually discovered to be a "glitch" or "clerical error"  so I wouldn't feel right putting an inaccurate story up as the Most Popular Article of the Week so we go with the second most popular article of the week, the post that asked the question whether Miami needed a second baseman and would be willing to give up some starting pitching after losing Dee Gordon to suspension for 80 days.

I’m sure you’ve heard by now that reigning National League batting champion and current Miami Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon has been suspended for 80 games due to “unknowingly” taking steroids and/or performance enhancing drugs. If you haven’t then more on that later. One position that the Yankees seem to be absolutely stacked at is the middle infield leaving me to wonder if Miami needs a second baseman and the Yankees need some pitching help could these two teams hook up for a trade later on this season?


Just off the top of my head without doing too much research I can name you at least 10 middle infielders that the Yankees could deem as trade bait to send to the Marlins in a potential trade. The list starts with Robert Refsnyder, continues with Ronald Torreyes, wraps around Jorge Mateo and ends with some combination of Wilkerman Garcia, Chase Headley (move Martin Prado to second and Headley to third), Kyle Holder, Tyler Wade and a slew of others I could name but you likely already know by name anyway at this point.


What does Miami potentially have to offer in return? Well I don’t pretend to be an expert on the Miami Marlins and I’m especially not well versed in their farm system but I know a guy named Jose Fernandez! A guy can dream anyway, right? But in all seriousness the Marlins have to have something to match up with the Yankees. Maybe a Justin Nicolino? I really don't know, maybe someone can fill me in.



You get what you pay for, remember that, but if the Marlins need a second baseman and the Yankees need some pitching I think these two sides could work something out. Miami will likely ride things out without Gordon, it is only for 80 games, but this may be the perfect opportunity for Cashman to do what he does best. Sell from a strength and take advantage of what is going on around him to maximize the deal. He did it with Aroldis Chapman and gave up peanuts in terms of the return and he can do so again with Dee Gordon. But will he? Stay tuned.

If Miami Needs a Second Baseman…..

I’m sure you’ve heard by now that reigning National League batting champion and current Miami Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon has been suspended for 80 games due to “unknowingly” taking steroids and/or performance enhancing drugs. If you haven’t then more on that later. One position that the Yankees seem to be absolutely stacked at is the middle infield leaving me to wonder if Miami needs a second baseman and the Yankees need some pitching help could these two teams hook up for a trade later on this season?

Just off the top of my head without doing too much research I can name you at least 10 middle infielders that the Yankees could deem as trade bait to send to the Marlins in a potential trade. The list starts with Robert Refsnyder, continues with Ronald Torreyes, wraps around Jorge Mateo and ends with some combination of Wilkerman Garcia, Chase Headley (move Martin Prado to second and Headley to third), Kyle Holder, Tyler Wade and a slew of others I could name but you likely already know by name anyway at this point.

What does Miami potentially have to offer in return? Well I don’t pretend to be an expert on the Miami Marlins and I’m especially not well versed in their farm system but I know a guy named Jose Fernandez! A guy can dream anyway, right? But in all seriousness the Marlins have to have something to match up with the Yankees. Maybe a  Justin Nicolino? I really don't know, maybe someone can fill me in. 

You get what you pay for, remember that, but if the Marlins need a second baseman and the Yankees need some pitching I think these two sides could work something out. Miami will likely ride things out without Gordon, it is only for 80 games, but this may be the perfect opportunity for Cashman to do what he does best. Sell from a strength and take advantage of what is going on around him to maximize the deal. He did it with Aroldis Chapman and gave up peanuts in terms of the return and he can do so again with Dee Gordon. But will he? Stay tuned. 

New York Finally Has a Second Baseman

How convenient is it, spoiler alert it's not a coincidence, to make a blog post about the New York Yankees finally finding a potential second baseman not only for the present but for the future as well while the last second baseman the team thought that about is in town for a three game series? After just two weeks of the MLB season, and after many rants from myself a self-professed Robert Refsnyder fan boy and his biggest fan, it seems like the Yankees may have finally found their second baseman to finally replace Robinson Cano in Starlin Castro.

The Yankees tried multiple people at the position including Brian Roberts, Yangervis Solarte, Kelly Johnson, Martin Prado, Brendan Ryan, Jose Pirela, Dustin Ackley, Robert Refsnyder and Stephen Drew before finally settling on Castro after an offseason trade. The Yankees seem to be a fan of having Castro at the position and Cano himself does to as he revealed in an interview this weekend. Cano said Castro was "fun to watch" in an interview with Chad Jennings of LoHud.

Castro is still new to the second base position, I think a lot of people forget that defensively, and is still just 26-years old despite playing in his 7th MLB season in 2016. Castro already has surpassed the 1,000 hit plateau for his career and has already made three All-Star Games in his career with the Chicago Cubs. Castro may not even be into his prime yet and he currently sits here with some impressive stats and achievements already in his career.

Castro may be the second baseman of the present and he may be the second baseman of the future. He may grow out of the position and grow into the third baseman of the future and his bat seems good enough to possibly be the Alex Rodriguez type DH of the future. Either way Castro has a future and the Yankees may have finally found a second baseman after Robinson Cano left via free agency for Seattle and it's finally a beautiful thing to say out loud.

What If Chase Headley Cannot Remember How to Play Defense?

Continuing our “What If” series for the 2016 season we head out to Yankees camp to see what the team has in store and what the team has planned if Chase Headley cannot remember how to play defense in 2016.

It is not out of the realm of possibilities that Chase Headley can 100% forget how to play defense next season, we’ve seen it before in New York and there is no reason we won’t see it again in New York on a long enough time line. Headley was an elite defender at third base during his time in San Diego but when he came to New York he seemingly forgot how to make the routine plays and throws to first base. We’ve seen it before, remember Chuck Knoblauch in the late-90’s with the Yankees for a reference point, and the Yankees failed miserably at snapping Knoblauch out of his funk so what do they do if the same happens to Headley?

The Yankees plan to snap Knoblauch out of his defensive funk was to move him from second base to left field which proved to be an act in futility. The difference between Headley and Knoblauch though is that Headley has experience at other positions, the outfield, first base and even at shortstop as an amateur, where Knoblauch had none. Headley could conceivably be moved elsewhere but the only position you would truly want him at would be first base. If the Yankees have a healthy Mark Teixeira that’s not an option so what is Plan B?

Do you bench Headley thus opening the door for Starlin Castro at third and Robert Refsnyder at second? Ideally that’s not ideal but it’s a Plan B for a reason. Castro has about as much experience at third base in his professional career as I have a professional career in Major League Baseball, I don’t, so you would think having him take reps there in real game experiences would be somewhere down the priority list for the Yankees and Joe Girardi. You can’t play Refsnyder there either because he has less experience than Castro or you can’t call up a prospect unless it’s Tyler Austin, who hasn’t played third in quite some time, after trading away Rob Segedin and Eric Jagielo.

So what do the Yankees do if Headley can’t play defense, and keep in mind his bat isn’t going to carry him or justify his place in the lineup and on the field either, and they feel like they need to make a move? Are we ready for the Ronald Torreyes era at third base? The Donovan Solano era? Do we make a trade for Martin Prado, again, and hope for the best, again? I truly don’t know but I know one thing, I truly am worried. Hopefully Headley used the offseason to clear his head and get out of his own way because if he can’t play defense in 2016 then the entire team is in a world of hurt. 

Meet a Prospect: Domingo German

Domingo German was the fifth piece to move in the trade between the New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins on Friday that saw the Yankees David Phelps and Martin Prado and the Marlins Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Jones change teams. German is an intriguing prospect, although is likely to start in High A Ball in 2016, after coming out of the Marlins and Mariners systems as a highly touted right hander.

When Seattle traded him to Miami he was their 6th best prospect in their system and when Miami let him go to New York he was considered to be their 8th best prospect in the system. German, a native of the Dominican Republic, showcased his talent's in this years Futures Game where he threw a perfect frame as he continued to build on a strong season in Low-A as a starting pitcher. German is 21 years old and entering his age 22 season is likely headed to Tampa with the Tampa Yankees.

German hits 94 MPH with his sinking fastball and compliments it with a slider he is working on and what is considered to be an above average changeup. German posted a 9-3 record last season with a 2.48 ERA in 25 starts and 123.1 IP while striking out 113 and only surrendering 25 walks.


German missed the 2015 season with Tommy John surgery and looks to come all the way back in 2016.

TGP Prospects Night Open Thread featuring Nathan Eovaldi

Our fellow BYB Hub friends from ScoutingTheSally.com bring you some video of Nathan Eovaldi when he was still in the minor leagues. As you probably remember Eovaldi was traded to the Miami Marlins in the deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers that brought then shortstop Hanley Ramirez to Dodger Stadium. Eovaldi was said to be the center piece of the deal and he has since been traded to the New York Yankees in the controversial deal that involved Martin Prado, David Phelps and Garrett Jones. 

Eovaldi started out the 2015 season sluggish with the Yankees but seemingly got better and stronger as the season went on in New York before an elbow injury ended his season prematurely. Before Eovaldi was a 14-game winner for the biggest franchise in Major League Baseball history though he was a lonely prospect in the South Atlantic League, better know as the Sally, and we watch some of his work here tonight. Enjoy. 

Remembering 2015: Nathan Eovaldi

Every Significant Brian Cashman Trade…. Ever

We did this last year so I thought it would be worth it to do it again with a bit of an updated list for the Brian Cashman lovers and haters alike. How has he done? I will reserve my judgement this time around, I got killed on the last one although it did kick start our comments section... ah what the hell I can take it. Blue equals a win, red equals a push and black equals a loss IN MY OPINION.

February 6, 1998 traded Cristian Guzman, Eric Milton, Brian Buchanan and Danny Mota to the Minnesota Twins for Chuck Knoblauch

§ February 1, 1999 traded Mike Lowell to the Florida Marlins for Ed Yarnall, Todd Noeland Mark J. Johnson

§ February 18, 1999 traded Homer Bush, David Wells and Graeme Lloyd to the Toronto Blue Jays for Roger Clemens

§ December 22, 1999 traded Hideki Irabu to the Montreal Expos for Ted Lilly, Jake Westbrook and Christian Parker

§ June 29, 2000 traded Ricky Ledee, Jake Westbrook and Zach Day to the Cleveland Indians for David Justice

§ July 12, 2000 traded Ed Yarnall, Drew Henson, Jackson Melian and Brian Reith to the Cincinnati Reds for Denny Neagle and Mike Frank

§ March 21, 2001 traded Wily Mo Pena to the Cincinnati Reds for Drew Henson and Michael Coleman

§ December 7, 2001 traded David Justice to the New York Mets for Robin Ventura

§ July 1, 2002 traded Scott Wiggins to the Toronto Blue Jays for Raul Mondesi

§ July 5, 2002 in a 3 team trade sent Ted Lilly, Jason Arnold and John-Ford Griffin to the Oakland Athletics for Jeff Weaver from the Detroit Tigers

§ June 6, 2003 traded Marcus Thames to the Detroit Tigers for Ruben Sierra

§ July 16, 2003 traded Jason Anderson, Ryan Bicondoa and Anderson Garcia to the New York Mets for Armando Benitez

§ July 29, 2003 traded Raul Mondesi to the Arizona Diamondbacks for David Dellucci, Bret Prinz and Jon-Mark Sprowl

§ July 31, 2003 traded Brandon Claussen and Charlie Manning to the Cincinnati Reds for Aaron Boone

§ July 31, 2003 traded Robin Ventura to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Scott Proctor and Bubba Crosby

§ August 6, 2003 traded Armando Benitez to the Seattle Mariners for Jeff Nelson

§ December 13, 2003 traded Jeff Weaver, Yhency Brazoban and Brandon Weeden to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Kevin Brown

§ December 16, 2003 traded Nick Johnson, Juan Rivera and Randy Choate to the Montreal Expos for Javier Vazquez

§ February 16, 2004 traded Alfonso Soriano and Joaquin Arias to the Texas Rangers for Alex Rodriguez

§ May 15, 2004 traded Brian Myrow to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Tanyon Sturtze

§ December 3, 2004 traded Kenny Lofton to the Philadelphia Phillies for Felix Rodriguez

§ December 3, 2004 traded Felix Heredia to the New York Mets for Mike Stanton

§ January 11, 2005 traded Javier Vazquez, Brad Halsey and Dioner Navarro to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Randy Johnson

§ March 29, 2005 traded Bret Prinz to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for Wil Nieves

§ July 2, 2005 traded Paul Quantrill to the San Diego Padres for Darrell May and Tim Redding

§ July 28, 2005 traded Ramon Ramirez and Eduardo Sierra to the Colorado Rockies for Shawn Chacon

§ August 27, 2005 traded Justin Berg to the Chicago Cubs for Matt Lawton

§ November 16, 2005 traded Ben Julianel to the Florida Marlins for Ron Villone

§ December 8, 2005 traded Tony Womack to the Cincinnati Reds for Benjamin Himes and Kevin Howard

§ July 26, 2006 traded Hector Made to the Philadelphia Phillies for Sal Fasano

§ July 30, 2006 traded Matt Smith, C.J. Henry, Jesus Sanchez and Carlos Monasterios to the Philadelphia Phillies for Bobby Abreu

§ July 31, 2006 traded Shawn Chacon to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Craig Wilson

§ November 12, 2006 traded Jaret Wright to the Baltimore Orioles for Chris Britton

§ January 9, 2007 traded Randy Johnson to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Luis Vizcaino, Steven Jackson, Ross Ohlendorf and Alberto Gonzalez

§ July 21, 2007 traded Jeff Kennard to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for Jose Molina

§ July 31, 2007 traded Scott Proctor to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Wilson Betemit

§ November 10, 2007 traded Gary Sheffield to the Detroit Tigers for Humberto Sanchez, Anthony Claggett and Kevin Whelan

§ December 4, 2007 traded Tyler Clippard to the Washington Nationals for Jonathan Albaladejo

§ July 26, 2008 traded Jeff Karstens, Daniel McCutchen, Ross Ohlendorf and Jose Tabata to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady

§ July 30, 2008 traded Kyle Farnsworth to the Detroit Tigers for Ivan Rodriguez

§ July 30, 2008 traded LaTroy Hawkins to the Houston Astros for Matt Cusick

§ July 31, 2008 traded Alberto Gonzalez to the Washington Nationals for Jhonny Nunez

§ November 13, 2008 traded Wilson Betemit, Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez to the Chicago White Sox for Nick Swisher and Kanekoa Texeira

§ February 4, 2009 traded Chase Wright to the Milwaukee Brewers for Eric Fryer

§ May 16, 2009 traded Eric Hacker to PIT N for Romulo Sanchez

§ June 30, 2009 traded Casey Erickson and Eric Fryer to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Eric Hinske

§ July 31, 2009 traded Chase Weems to the Cincinnati Reds for Jerry Hairston

§ December 7, 2009 traded Brian Bruney to the Washington Nationals for Jamie Hoffmann

§ December 8, 2009 traded Phil Coke, Austin Jackson and Ian Kennedy to the Detroit Tigers for Curtis Granderson

§ December 22, 2009 traded Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn and Arodys Vizcaino to the Atlanta Braves for Boone Logan and Javier Vazquez

§ January 26, 2010 traded Mitch Hilligoss to the Texas Rangers for Greg Golson

§ July 30, 2010 traded Zach McAllister to the Cleveland Indians for Austin Kearns

§ July 31, 2010 traded Mark Melancon and Jimmy Paredes to the Houston Astros for Lance Berkman

§ July 31, 2010 traded Matt Cusick and Andrew Shive to the Cleveland Indians for Kerry Wood

§ November 18, 2010 traded Juan Miranda to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Scott Allen

§ March 25, 2011 traded Sergio Mitre to the Milwaukee Brewers for Chris Dickerson

§ January 23, 2012 traded Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi to the Seattle Mariners for Jose Campos and Michael Pineda

§ February 19, 2012 traded A.J. Burnett to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Exicardo Cayones and Diego Moreno

§ April 4, 2012 traded George Kontos to the San Francisco Giants for Chris Stewart

§ July 23, 2012 traded Danny Farquhar and D.J. Mitchell to the Seattle Mariners for Ichiro Suzuki

§ July 31, 2012 traded Chad Qualls to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Casey McGehee

§ March 26, 2013 traded Exicardo Cayones and Kramer Sneed to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for Vernon Wells

§ July 26, 2013 traded Corey Black to the Chicago Cubs for Alfonso Soriano

§ July 6, 2014 traded Vidal Nuno to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Brandon McCarthy

§ July 22, 2014 traded Rafael De Paula and Yangervis Solarte to the San Diego Padres for Chase Headley

§ July 31, 2014 traded Kelly Johnson to the Boston Red Sox for Stephen Drew

§ July 31, 2014 traded Peter O’Brien to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Martin Prado

§ December 5, 2014 traded Shane Greene to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Didi Gregorius

§ December 19, 2014 traded Martin Prado and David Phelps to Miami Marlins for Nate Eovaldi, Domingo German and Garrett Jones

2015 Traded incomplete but listed for your reference:

Adam Warren and Brendan Ryan to the Chicago Cubs for Starlin Castro (really on the fence about this one. On paper it could be a win only because of the lack of quality, or close to it, starting second baseman opposed to the lack of #3 starters that can also be relievers, Trade still seems redundant to me though so it could be a loss)

John Ryan Murphy to Minnesota for Aaron Hicks (bench guy for bench guy but Hicks has more upside so push, but possible win)

Jose Pirela to the San Diego Padres for Ronald Herrera (a push at worst, a win at best)

Justin Wilson to Detroit for Luis Cessa and Chad Green (likely a loss)

Meet a Prospect: Domingo German

Domingo German was the fifth piece to move in the trade between the New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins on Friday that saw the Yankees David Phelps and Martin Prado and the Marlins Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Jones change teams. German is an intriguing prospect, although is likely to start in High A Ball in 2015, after coming out of the Marlins and Mariners systems as a highly touted right hander.

When Seattle traded him to Miami he was their 6th best prospect in their system and when Miami let him go to New York he was considered to be their 8th best prospect in the system. German, a native of the Dominican Republic, showcased his talent's in this years Futures Game where he threw a perfect frame as he continued to build on a strong season in Low-A as a starting pitcher. German is 21 years old and entering his age 22 season is likely headed to Tampa with the Tampa Yankees.

German hits 94 MPH with his sinking fastball and compliments it with a slider he is working on and what is considered to be an above average changeup. German posted a 9-3 record last season with a 2.48 ERA in 25 starts and 123.1 IP while striking out 113 and only surrendering 25 walks.


German missed the 2015 season with Tommy John surgery and looks to come all the way back in 2016.

This Day in New York Yankees History 12/19: Enter Eovaldi

On this day in 2014 the New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins hooked up for a trade that would change the face of both franchises for the 2015 season. The Yankees sent RHP David Phelps and second baseman Martin Prado to the Miami Marlins in exchange for RHP Nathan Eovaldi, outfielder Garrett Jones and RHP Domingo German.


Also on this day in 2006, in an absolute knee jerk reaction to the Daisuke Matsuzaka signing with the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees signed Kei Igawa. The posting fee was $26 million and Igawa would sign a five year deal worth $20 million to become AAA's all time wins leader in the Yankees system. The Yankees later admitted to not even knowing what pitches Igawa threw at the time of the signing. Live and learn.


Finally on this day in 2002 the New York Yankees signed 28 year old outfielder Hideki Matsui to a three year deal worth $21 million. Matsui is coming off a season in Japan where he posted a .334 with 50 home runs and 107 RBI's. Godzilla is a three time Japanese League MVP and turned down the Yomiuri Giants four year deal worth $33 million.

Yankees Re-Sign RHP Domingo German

As expected the New York Yankees have re-signed right-handed pitching prospect Domingo German to a minor league deal without, presumably, an invitation to spring training. The Yankees non-tendered the 23-year old last week in order to clear a roster spot on the 40 man roster and have brought him back for at least the 2016 season.

German was acquired last winter in the Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Prado, David Phelps and Garrett Jones deal before having to undergo Tommy John surgery and before missing the entire 2015 season. German was the Miami Marlins 6^th best prospect at the time of the trade.

Welcome back!

Domingo German and Signings Yet to Come?

The New York Yankees non-tendered right-handed starting pitcher Domingo German this week before the non-tender deadline officially making German a free agent. German is a 23-year old prospect originally out of the Dominican Republic that came to the New York Yankees via trade in the Miami Marlins deal that sent Nathan Eovaldi to the Bronx and Martin Prado to South Beach. German suffered a torn UCL and underwent Tommy John surgery shortly after the trade forcing him to miss the entire 2015 season. The Yankees are currently fighting a 40-man roster crunch and German got the axe to clear a roster spot, does this mean more moves are on the way for New York?

The Yankees didn’t necessarily have to open up a 40 man roster, and truth be told the team will likely bring back German much like they did with Slade Heathcott before 2015, so why did they? Just to have the flexibility of having an open 40 man roster spot? Honestly, and I think I know the Yankees and the way they operate pretty well, that’s not likely to be the case. Something is in the works. The trade front went awfully quiet on Brett Gardner and Andrew Miller and something is going down, call it a hunch.

If the Yankees do lose German on some off chance they would be losing a guy who has posted a 2.05 ERA as a reliever and a starter from 2010-2013 and a fire-baller that has a 142:66 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 170.1 innings. In layman’s terms, an up and coming relief pitcher that is going to be something special.