George Steinbrenner and the Ghost of Yankees Past Part III

This post was written on December 24, 2016. A lot has changed since these posts started being written, but unfortunately a lot has stayed the same as well. 

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Every good trilogy needs a good ending. Well, I take that back. Back to the Future didn’t have a great ending and if you want to count the Karate Kid movies when they had a female Karate Kid as a trilogy then that didn’t have a good ending either. Hopefully this will have a great ending though as I conclude my trilogy to my series entitled “George Steinbrenner and the Ghost of Yankees Past.” Merry Christmas everyone and enjoy the story.




When we last checked in with Hal Steinbrenner he was left on Christmas morning with his head hanging in shame. The empire and the organization that his father had built was crumbling. The Yankees had missed the postseason again after an embarrassing show the season before that resulted in the team limping into the postseason only to get shutdown in the AL Wild Card Game and in years past heads would be preparing themselves to roll. Not this year, not this regime. Not the Hal regime. In the Hal regime money has become the main focus of the team and its owners and winning has taken a step back from it all. When it comes to Christmas time though the Yankees and their fans want a shiny new toy each and every year. Has Hal learned anything from the past two seasons and should Yankees fans around the world expect something big to wake up to tomorrow morning? Keep reading.




Set the scene once again. Hal Steinbrenner sitting in his huge office that we have all grown accustomed to seeing this time of year. Hal, sitting at his desk, is nodding off as he shuffles through miscellaneous paperwork and reads through various emails when an all too familiar face appears behind him, George Steinbrenner. George Steinbrenner, the Ghost of Yankees past. Hal looks over at his father with a look that suggests he halfway expected to see his father show up at any time and he barely even acknowledges that there is a ghost standing beside his desk that is about three times the size that it should be. Hal looks over at his father with a sarcastic grin and asks “What did I do this time?” Without saying a word the two are off on another adventure that should last through the night and into the wee hours of the morning. Hopefully this time Hal and George can beat Santa Claus home.

The first stop on the magic adventure is back to the Burch house and to the home of the owner of The Greedy Pinstripes, Daniel Burch. The duo didn’t have to go too far back in time for this one, earlier in the same week Daniel was sitting at his desk frustrated, stressed out and trying to hammer out an apology letter to his readers, subscribers, friends and family about his lack of a presence on the site lately. Daniel had grown frustrated with the whole ordeal and with life and even typing out something from his heart had become troublesome. This was weird for Daniel as he has been able to pump out content left and right for the better part of four or five seasons now. You know what though? That’s not because of anything the Yankees, and specifically Hal Steinbrenner, had done for once. As Hal watches Daniel struggle through the article there is a flash the two flash back to the 2016 season where a much happier, less frustrated, Daniel is sitting in the same spot still violently typing away at 70-some words a minute. Instead of that discouraged look on his face the blog owner has a smile. Why? The Yankees have recently traded away Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller for top prospects while Dillon Tate and others were being fitted for uniforms after Carlos Beltran had also been traded. Gary Sanchez was getting the bulk of the playing time behind the dish for the Yankees and the youth movement was in full effect. The Yankees were out of the playoff race by the time the calendar changed to September but Daniel knew brighter, and much better days, were to come.




George smiled at the sight and that scared Hal. Hal wondered in his head, but wouldn’t dare say it out loud, why his father was happy that the Yankees were going through a youth movement, trading away veteran pieces and about to miss the playoffs again. He didn’t dare ask and before he even could anyway his father had swept him away to the second house on their tour. The house of the Yankees GM Brian Cashman.




It’s the Hot Stove season and despite Cashman declaring that the Yankees “heavy lifting” was over after acquiring Aroldis Chapman and Matt Holliday the Yankees GM was still working the phones and fielding calls, even on Christmas Eve. It’s unclear what GM that Cashman was speaking to or what player or players could potentially be traded in the deal but the discussion ends abruptly when Cashman is overheard saying “no deal” before quickly hanging up the phone. Hal didn’t catch the entire discussion but he did specifically hear the names Luis Severino, Clint Frazier and Jorge Mateo uttered. George looks at his son and tries to fill him in with his eyes, as George has still yet to say a word on the evening, but before he can the flash reappears and the two go back in time once again to sometime in the mid-2000’s. Cashman and George are sitting in an office having a heated discussion over control. Cashman wants more power and wants at least the power of the other 29 general managers around Major League Baseball while George wants it done “his way.” Phrases like “he’s just a prospect” and “trade ‘em all!!” are uttered before Cashman storms out of the room angrily. Again, back in the same office as before, Cashman is back on the phone with another GM but the mood is much lighter this time. Cashman is seemingly in the positon of need and not in the positon of power in this deal and simply asks the unnamed GM to “name his price.” Cashman agrees and hangs up after a “thank you, and great doing business with you” and the deal is announced. The Yankees have acquired another superstar for prospects, the farm system is barren and Cashman is once again unhappy.

George still doesn’t speak as they flash back into the present, Cashman still sitting in his office looking at his computer. He’s likely reading The Greedy Pinstripes blog for ideas but neither George nor Hal can see his screen, just his concentrating face. This time George says, again with his eyes, that maybe this was not the best way to handle that situation. George knows that he handled the situation poorly and by the time he had tried to rectify it he was too late in his life for the scars to heal and the feelings to be mended. George’s biggest regret, presumably, was leaving the world with people still disgusted by the mention of his name. George wanted to be loved by all and wanted nothing more to win, and sometimes the two don’t go hand-in-hand. George knows that now and by the look on Brian Cashman’s face he may know that now as well. Cashman wanted to keep two of his top five prospects plus Luis Severino and he did despite the fact that this deal would make the team an immediate contender for a postseason spot in 2016. It’s Cashman’s world now though and the tyrant is long gone. Austerity, youth and the future now control the lay of the land in the Bronx.




Hal is still confused as to what his father is trying to show him but before he could even think of asking the two are swept away to the third and final stop on their journey for the evening. As the two fly into the house of Ken Hans the world as they know it begins to erupt. One minute they are in Ken’s house, the next they are in patrick (always with a little “p”) Walsh’s house, then Ken Reed’s house, then Daryl “he who have no last name’s” house, then Jeff Levin’s house, then Kip Raymo’s house and the so on and so forth. The duo spent just a few minutes in each house getting just a glimpse what they were doing in each before being shifted away with another bright flash. Some were happy with the direction of the team, some were still angry with the direction of the team or they felt like what the team had done was inadequate and one in particular just wanted to see one last World Series title before the good lord took him home. Screams of “This is a $3.4 billion franchise” and “Yay we got Chapman” and “Dammit I’m too old for this” ring out as the flashes increase in speed and brightness until everything goes white….






George finally speaks.






“Son, do you know why I brought you to these specific places and showed you these specific lives and stories?” Before Hal could answer George, in a way only George knows how, continued to speak as if the question was rhetorical. “I took you to Daniel Burch’s house because the young man is frustrated now but he is happy overall in what you’ve done. You’ve committed to a youth movement, even on the fly, after years of begging from him and I think he has a voice that many Yankees fans can relate to. Despite not seeing a youth movement in my entire time as the Yankees owner I have to say that losing for a season or two will be a flash of someone’s memory if and when the team creates another dynasty. Well done on that front.”






George continues.

“I was never the best human being but my heart was always in the right place and I think, well more so I hope, people knew that and accepted that in my final days. When I demanded things of my managers, my general managers, my employees, my players, my family and friends it was always out of a good place in my heart. Good plan, bad execution is what I always used to say and unfortunately it was a motto that I could live by. I treated people like crap, son. People didn’t adore me like I thought they did, not until after I calmed down and after I was gone. They were scared of me. They hated me. You have a long way to go to win over the fans, the toughest fans in the world to win over, but you’ve done well with Cashman I think. I can tell.”









And George concludes.






"Hal, I couldn't be more proud of you. I take that back, I could be more proud of you. You've done a lot of good things for this team, the fans and the organization in your short time calling the shots but there are also a lot of things you still haven't quite grasped yet. Ticket prices are too high. You've run the families out of the stadium and most of the Bleacher Creatures including Bald Vinny Milano. You can't print tickets at home anymore and it's no longer fun or feasible to take the family out to the ballpark a couple times a week just to watch the Yankees play no matter who the opponent was. No matter what we're still the New York Yankees, dammit. We are a $3.4 billion franchise, no scratch that. We are a $3.4 billion EMPIRE. Start acting like it Hal!!!!"




As soon as George finishes his sentence he's gone. Another flash. Hal is back in his office and it's one minute before midnight. As the clock strikes 12 it is officially Christmas Day 2016. Hal decides to finish off a glass of wine and head to bed but not before he sends out a text message to Brian Cashman, his GM. It reads "Merry Christmas Brian, best wishes from your friend Hal. Also, and no this is not the egg nog talking, we need to talk on Monday. It's time to start acting like the Yankees again. Hope you're well. - Hal."




The scene fades out from Hal as he enters his bed for a slumber and fades into a close up on George Steinbrenner and the Ghost of Yankees past....






"I'm George Steinbrenner after all, you didn't think this was going to be ALL good... did you?"






Merry Christmas everyone! And if you don't celebrate happy holidays or happy Saturday for you as well! Hope everyone has a great day, stay safe out there. Much love.


Daniel Burch

The Puzzling Case of Pickles...

Photo Credit: Associated Press

Yanks Get Double Treat on Saturday…

The Yankees swept the day/night doubleheader in Baltimore on Saturday, and find themselves only seven games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East (just six games back in the loss column). The Yankees took the day game by a score of 10-3 behind the pitching of J.A. “Happer” Happ, his fifth consecutive Yankees victory, and then swept the doubleheader by defeating the O’s 5-1 in the nightcap, a win delivered courtesy of Sonny “Pickles” Gray.

Granted, Gray was facing the worst team in Major League Baseball and they weren’t playing at Yankee Stadium so he had the right conditions for a stellar game. The last time “Pickles” had faced Baltimore, he was pounded for seven runs in only 2 2/3 innings (a 5-7 loss to the O’s on August 1st but that game was in the Bronx. He pitched six scoreless innings of three-hit ball against the Orioles at Camden Yards on July 11th and has only given up one run to Baltimore in three Camden Yards starts this year. He clearly likes pitching in Baltimore even if he can’t pitch anywhere else so I temper Saturday night’s performance. Still, it was a win and that’s what matters most. Gray threw 79 pitches in 6 1/3 innings, limiting Baltimore to three hits and no runs.  He struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter until the final guy he faced in the bottom of the 7th inning.  

After the game, Gray proclaimed himself as “one of the best starting pitchers in this league” which I thought was a bit much. Maybe he was saying it for the benefit of O’s GM Dan Duquette (future trade possibilities), given his propensity for ‘elite-like’ games in Baltimore. His statement could not have been meant for Yankee fans because we know better. Good for Gray to have confidence, but he shouldn’t rush out to buy shelf space for a Cy Young Award.  

Perhaps the disappointment of the night game was the inability of reliever Tommy Kahnle to preserve the shutout for “Pickles”. It was a messy bottom of the ninth as Kahnle gave up three hits, the last one a single by Yankees castoff Jace Peterson which scored Trey Mancini with Baltimore’s only run. Manager Aaron Boone was forced to bring in Dellin “El Acido” Betances to get the final out with two runners on base. Fortunately, he struck out Caleb Joseph on five pitches to prevent an Orioles rally and gained his first save of the season. There’s no way that should have ever been a save situation and it reinforces why Tommy Kahnle has a long way to go before he can be a trusted member of the bullpen again.  

In the day game, I was a little worried when J.A. Happ gave up two runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning which gave the O’s a one-run lead. He has pitched so well for the Yankees since his acquisition in July and it is inevitable that the wheels will fall off. Happ is exactly the type of trading deadline deal you want to make. Acquire a guy who outperforms his time with his previous club and just wins down the stretch.  The Yankees other lefty July trade target, Cole Hamels, is doing a tremendous job for the Chicago Cubs, but I agree that Happ was the right choice given his AL East experience. Happ ended up with yet another quality start, holding the O’s to just those two runs on five hits over six innings for his 15th win of he year. Happ (15-6) walked a batter and struck out nine and is only a win behind Luis Severino. Luis Cessa, the 26th man, finished up the final three innings for his first save despite the blowout.  

Miguel “Papá ” Andujar, who has become everybody’s favorite choice for AL Rookie of the Year, hit his 21st home run in the first game with 4 RBI’s to pace the Yankees. Aaron “Hicksie” Hicks had three hits and 2 RBI’s. Luke “Louis” Voit got the start in the first game over Greg Bird, and delivered a run-scoring single. Brett “Gardner” Gardner also chipped in a couple of RBI’s and Gleyber “GT” Torres, with two hits, had an RBI as well.   

In the night game, Gardy, Hicks, and Giancarlo “G” Stanton all contributed an RBI, and Austin “Ro” Romine smacked an insurance-providing solo homer in the top of the ninth. Greg “Bird” Bird finally got the start after two successive starts by Luke Voit. He responded to the challenge for his position by going 0-for-3 with a strikeout. 

The Yankees (82-47) play the Boston Red Sox six more times with three games in New York and three in Boston. The New York series is Tuesday, September 18th through Thursday, September 20th, while the Boston series finishes the regular season on Friday, September 28th to Sunday, September 30th. It’s still an uphill battle but the division title remains within reach if the cards fall right for the Yankees. Getting everybody healthy is the first course of business.  

Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe had some interesting comments about the Yankees in his weekly Sunday Baseball Notes.  He stated the Indians and the Yankees “were exploring the possibility of (Andrew) McCutchen, who has cleared waivers and can be traded anywhere”. I find it hard to believe the Yankees would add McCutchen due to the luxury tax threshold limitations but I guess you can never underestimate GM Brian Cashman. I wouldn’t mind seeing McCutchen in pinstripes but then again, he’s a redundant luxury once Aaron Judge returns to good health. Cutch does have that “it” factor and could be capable of delivering huge hits when it matters the most even if he is no longer the player he once was for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cafardo also said the Yankees were in the hunt for Giants lefthander Madison Bumgarner at the July trading deadline but found the price too high. Bummer, I would have loved Mad-Bum on the Yankees. Of course, I have no idea what the Giants asked for. Handing over our ten best prospects probably would not have been a good idea. LOL! I doubt that was the cost but it probably wasn’t too far off.  

Congrats to former Yankee Matt Holliday for his return to the Majors with his original team, the Colorado Rockies. Holliday was unable to wear his original number (5) since it now belongs to long-time Rockie Carlos Gonzalez and the number he wore with the Yankees (17) is retired in honor of Rockies great Todd Helton. So Holliday opted for number 7 which of course is a hallowed number around here. Holliday went hitless in his Rockies debut on Friday after an absence of ten years in a Colorado uniform but he delivered a pinch hit homer yesterday against another one of his former teams, the St Louis Cardinals.  

The Yankees conclude their series at Camden Yards today. Luis Severino (16-6, 3.28 ERA) will face Dylan Bundy (7-12, 5.31 ERA) tonight at 8 pm ET before the team heads home (sleep?  who needs stinkin’ sleep!). It would be great if Sevy could pitch like he did in the first half. We need THAT guy hitting all cylinders for the sprint to the finish. Baltimore is going to lose 100 games this season with or without our help. We might as well move them one game closer. With the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers on tap for the seven-game homestand starting Monday, the Yankees must continue to put the pressure on the Beantown Bunch.  These are the games that we can and should win before we face the Wild Card contending Oakland A’s and Seattle Mariners on the the last West Coast trip of the regular season starting on Labor Day.  

Go Yankees!

Roll Call for Tampa...

The Smell of Spring…

Spring Training is just around the corner, with pitchers and catchers scheduled to report to Tampa within the next ten days (no later than Tuesday, February 13th). First workout will be on Valentine’s Day.  Yes, we love those pitchers and catchers, especially when they wear Pinstripes.  

Photo Credit: Newsday (J Conrad Williams, Jr)

Here is the complete list of the Yankees' 40-man roster plus non-roster invitees (identified below as “NR” in lieu of numbers). The numbers are according to the Yankees website through MLB.com. It appears that Austin Romine has taken Joe Girardi’s old number, thanks to his loss of #27. Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar have been given high numbers which means nothing will be handed to them, although, as it stands right now, both are projected to be on the MLB Roster on Opening Day or shortly thereafter.

PITCHERS

87 Albert Abreu

88 Domingo Acevedo

NR Chance Adams

68 Dellin Betances

NR Cody Carroll

NR Cale Coshow

85 Luis Cessa

54 Aroldis Chapman

NR Raynel Espinal

NR J.P. Feyereisen

62 Giovanny Gallegos

63 Domingo German

55 Sonny Gray

57 Chad Green

NR David Hale

61 Ben Heller

65 Jonathan Holder

48 Tommy Kahnle

NR Brady Lail

NR Wade LeBlanc

89 Jonathan Loaisiga

47 Jordan Montgomery

30 David Robertson

52 CC Sabathia

40 Luis Severino

NR Justus Sheffield

45 Chasen Shreve

19 Masahiro Tanaka

NR Dillon Tate

43 Adam Warren

NR Taylor Widener

CATCHERS

NR Francisco Diaz

38  Kyle Higashioka

NR Erik Kratz

NR Chace Numata

28 Austin Romine

NR Jorge Saez

24 Gary Sanchez

INFIELDERS

67 Miguel Andujar

26 Tyler Austin

33 Greg Bird

NR Danny Espinosa

90 Thairo Estrada

18 Didi Gregorius

NR Kyle Holder

NR Jace Peterson

NR Nick Solak

81 Gleyber Torres

74 Ronald Torreyes

39 Tyler Wade

OUTFIELDERS

66 Jabari Blash

70 Jake Cave

22 Jacob Ellsbury

NR Estevan Florial

77 Clint Frazier

11 Brett Gardner

31 Aaron Hicks

99 Aaron Judge

71 Billy McKinney

27 Giancarlo Stanton

There is still time for these 60 names to change and there probably will be some tweaks before camp actually opens. At any rate, it will be very exciting to see many of these players on the field in the not-so-distant future. Position players must report by Sunday, February 18th, with the first full workout scheduled for the next day. The Yankees open their Spring Schedule in 20 days against the Detroit Tigers at Steinbrenner Field (1:05 pm EST, February 23rd).

Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports, via Reuters (Kim Klement)

It was sad to read this weekend that Matt Holliday, who would still like to play, has received no offers. Hopefully somebody gives him the opportunity for his Swan Song. He was a tremendous force on the Yankees last year until he was derailed by the Epstein-Barr virus. Unfortunately, I see no room for him on the Yankees but he’d be a tremendous player/coach/mentor for a team wiling to give him the opportunity.

Photo Credit: New York Post

I won’t lie…there is a part of me that hopes the Yankees find a way to sign Yu Darvish. Bryan Van Dusen (@BryanV_TGP) posted the following question on Twitter this morning:  “Does Yu Darvish want to be a Yankee so bad that he’s willing to wait as long as possible, just in case they free up enough money? Or is this a ridiculous question by a desperate #Yankees fan?”  Logic tells me that it will never happen. Even if the Yankees freed up more salary space, there’s probably other areas of greater need than handing a multi-year contract averaging more than $20 million annually to a thirty-something pitcher. Plus, there are young, talented (and cheap) pitchers on the immediate horizon with Chance Adams, Justus Sheffield, Albert Abreu and others. But still, it’s nice to think about what Darvish would look like in the Yankees rotation. I have no problem with the Yankees getting “Greedy”.  TGP, forever.  

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Tim Bradbury)

This weekend represents the official end to the NFL season with Super Bowl 52 on Sunday. Nothing against Tom Brady and his eventual path to the NFL Hall of Fame, but I’ll have to go with the underdog Philadelphia Eagles. I have no desire to back any team from Boston. It probably helps that I am not a New York Giants fan so I am not opposed to backing the Eagles. There’s probably a lot of truth in the statement that only Patriots and Giants fans want to see New England win (although I am sure there are a few Cowboys and Redskins fans in that category too). So, on Sunday, I’ll be cheering for Tommy Kahnle…

Photo Credit: MLB.com

Go Yankees!

George Steinbrenner and the Ghost of Yankees Past Part III

Every good trilogy needs a good ending. Well, I take that back. Back to the Future didn’t have a great ending and if you want to count the Karate Kid movies when they had a female Karate Kid as a trilogy then that didn’t have a good ending either. Hopefully this will have a great ending though as I conclude my trilogy to my series entitled “George Steinbrenner and the Ghost of Yankees Past.” Merry Christmas everyone and enjoy the story.




When we last checked in with Hal Steinbrenner he was left on Christmas morning with his head hanging in shame. The empire and the organization that his father had built was crumbling. The Yankees had missed the postseason again after an embarrassing show the season before that resulted in the team limping into the postseason only to get shutdown in the AL Wild Card Game and in years past heads would be preparing themselves to roll. Not this year, not this regime. Not the Hal regime. In the Hal regime money has become the main focus of the team and its owners and winning has taken a step back from it all. When it comes to Christmas time though the Yankees and their fans want a shiny new toy each and every year. Has Hal learned anything from the past two seasons and should Yankees fans around the world expect something big to wake up to tomorrow morning? Keep reading.




Set the scene once again. Hal Steinbrenner sitting in his huge office that we have all grown accustomed to seeing this time of year. Hal, sitting at his desk, is nodding off as he shuffles through miscellaneous paperwork and reads through various emails when an all too familiar face appears behind him, George Steinbrenner. George Steinbrenner, the Ghost of Yankees past. Hal looks over at his father with a look that suggests he halfway expected to see his father show up at any time and he barely even acknowledges that there is a ghost standing beside his desk that is about three times the size that it should be. Hal looks over at his father with a sarcastic grin and asks “What did I do this time?” Without saying a word the two are off on another adventure that should last through the night and into the wee hours of the morning. Hopefully this time Hal and George can beat Santa Claus home.

The first stop on the magic adventure is back to the Burch house and to the home of the owner of The Greedy Pinstripes, Daniel Burch. The duo didn’t have to go too far back in time for this one, earlier in the same week Daniel was sitting at his desk frustrated, stressed out and trying to hammer out an apology letter to his readers, subscribers, friends and family about his lack of a presence on the site lately. Daniel had grown frustrated with the whole ordeal and with life and even typing out something from his heart had become troublesome. This was weird for Daniel as he has been able to pump out content left and right for the better part of four or five seasons now. You know what though? That’s not because of anything the Yankees, and specifically Hal Steinbrenner, had done for once. As Hal watches Daniel struggle through the article there is a flash the two flash back to the 2016 season where a much happier, less frustrated, Daniel is sitting in the same spot still violently typing away at 70-some words a minute. Instead of that discouraged look on his face the blog owner has a smile. Why? The Yankees have recently traded away Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller for top prospects while Dillon Tate and others were being fitted for uniforms after Carlos Beltran had also been traded. Gary Sanchez was getting the bulk of the playing time behind the dish for the Yankees and the youth movement was in full effect. The Yankees were out of the playoff race by the time the calendar changed to September but Daniel knew brighter, and much better days, were to come.




George smiled at the sight and that scared Hal. Hal wondered in his head, but wouldn’t dare say it out loud, why his father was happy that the Yankees were going through a youth movement, trading away veteran pieces and about to miss the playoffs again. He didn’t dare ask and before he even could anyway his father had swept him away to the second house on their tour. The house of the Yankees GM Brian Cashman.




It’s the Hot Stove season and despite Cashman declaring that the Yankees “heavy lifting” was over after acquiring Aroldis Chapman and Matt Holliday the Yankees GM was still working the phones and fielding calls, even on Christmas Eve. It’s unclear what GM that Cashman was speaking to or what player or players could potentially be traded in the deal but the discussion ends abruptly when Cashman is overheard saying “no deal” before quickly hanging up the phone. Hal didn’t catch the entire discussion but he did specifically hear the names Luis Severino, Clint Frazier and Jorge Mateo uttered. George looks at his son and tries to fill him in with his eyes, as George has still yet to say a word on the evening, but before he can the flash reappears and the two go back in time once again to sometime in the mid-2000’s. Cashman and George are sitting in an office having a heated discussion over control. Cashman wants more power and wants at least the power of the other 29 general managers around Major League Baseball while George wants it done “his way.” Phrases like “he’s just a prospect” and “trade ‘em all!!” are uttered before Cashman storms out of the room angrily. Again, back in the same office as before, Cashman is back on the phone with another GM but the mood is much lighter this time. Cashman is seemingly in the positon of need and not in the positon of power in this deal and simply asks the unnamed GM to “name his price.” Cashman agrees and hangs up after a “thank you, and great doing business with you” and the deal is announced. The Yankees have acquired another superstar for prospects, the farm system is barren and Cashman is once again unhappy.

George still doesn’t speak as they flash back into the present, Cashman still sitting in his office looking at his computer. He’s likely reading The Greedy Pinstripes blog for ideas but neither George nor Hal can see his screen, just his concentrating face. This time George says, again with his eyes, that maybe this was not the best way to handle that situation. George knows that he handled the situation poorly and by the time he had tried to rectify it he was too late in his life for the scars to heal and the feelings to be mended. George’s biggest regret, presumably, was leaving the world with people still disgusted by the mention of his name. George wanted to be loved by all and wanted nothing more to win, and sometimes the two don’t go hand-in-hand. George knows that now and by the look on Brian Cashman’s face he may know that now as well. Cashman wanted to keep two of his top five prospects plus Luis Severino and he did despite the fact that this deal would make the team an immediate contender for a postseason spot in 2016. It’s Cashman’s world now though and the tyrant is long gone. Austerity, youth and the future now control the lay of the land in the Bronx.




Hal is still confused as to what his father is trying to show him but before he could even think of asking the two are swept away to the third and final stop on their journey for the evening. As the two fly into the house of Ken Hans the world as they know it begins to erupt. One minute they are in Ken’s house, the next they are in patrick (always with a little “p”) Walsh’s house, then Ken Reed’s house, then Daryl “he who have no last name’s” house, then Jeff Levin’s house, then Kip Raymo’s house and the so on and so forth. The duo spent just a few minutes in each house getting just a glimpse what they were doing in each before being shifted away with another bright flash. Some were happy with the direction of the team, some were still angry with the direction of the team or they felt like what the team had done was inadequate and one in particular just wanted to see one last World Series title before the good lord took him home. Screams of “This is a $3.4 billion franchise” and “Yay we got Chapman” and “Dammit I’m too old for this” ring out as the flashes increase in speed and brightness until everything goes white….






George finally speaks.






“Son, do you know why I brought you to these specific places and showed you these specific lives and stories?” Before Hal could answer George, in a way only George knows how, continued to speak as if the question was rhetorical. “I took you to Daniel Burch’s house because the young man is frustrated now but he is happy overall in what you’ve done. You’ve committed to a youth movement, even on the fly, after years of begging from him and I think he has a voice that many Yankees fans can relate to. Despite not seeing a youth movement in my entire time as the Yankees owner I have to say that losing for a season or two will be a flash of someone’s memory if and when the team creates another dynasty. Well done on that front.”






George continues.

“I was never the best human being but my heart was always in the right place and I think, well more so I hope, people knew that and accepted that in my final days. When I demanded things of my managers, my general managers, my employees, my players, my family and friends it was always out of a good place in my heart. Good plan, bad execution is what I always used to say and unfortunately it was a motto that I could live by. I treated people like crap, son. People didn’t adore me like I thought they did, not until after I calmed down and after I was gone. They were scared of me. They hated me. You have a long way to go to win over the fans, the toughest fans in the world to win over, but you’ve done well with Cashman I think. I can tell.”







And George concludes.






"Hal, I couldn't be more proud of you. I take that back, I could be more proud of you. You've done a lot of good things for this team, the fans and the organization in your short time calling the shots but there are also a lot of things you still haven't quite grasped yet. Ticket prices are too high. You've run the families out of the stadium and most of the Bleacher Creatures including Bald Vinny Milano. You can't print tickets at home anymore and it's no longer fun or feasible to take the family out to the ballpark a couple times a week just to watch the Yankees play no matter who the opponent was. No matter what we're still the New York Yankees, dammit. We are a $3.4 billion franchise, no scratch that. We are a $3.4 billion EMPIRE. Start acting like it Hal!!!!"




As soon as George finishes his sentence he's gone. Another flash. Hal is back in his office and it's one minute before midnight. As the clock strikes 12 it is officially Christmas Day 2016. Hal decides to finish off a glass of wine and head to bed but not before he sends out a text message to Brian Cashman, his GM. It reads "Merry Christmas Brian, best wishes from your friend Hal. Also, and no this is not the egg nog talking, we need to talk on Monday. It's time to start acting like the Yankees again. Hope you're well. - Hal."




The scene fades out from Hal as he enters his bed for a slumber and fades into a close up on George Steinbrenner and the Ghost of Yankees past....






"I'm George Steinbrenner after all, you didn't think this was going to be ALL good... did you?"






Merry Christmas everyone! And if you don't celebrate happy holidays or happy Saturday for you as well! Hope everyone has a great day, stay safe out there. Much love.


Daniel Burch

Matt Adams the 2018 Version of Matt Holliday?

Earlier I teased a Matt Adams to the Yankees post after the former St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves first baseman was non-tendered recently and here it is. Could Matt Adams be the Yankees version of his former teammate Matt Holliday here in 2017? What about Adams becoming the 2018 version of Chris Carter in the Bronx if the budget would allow? Would it make sense for the Yankees and would Adams likely get a better free agent offer elsewhere? Let’s take a look.

Adams played 100 games for the Braves after being acquired from the Cardinals last season hitting .271 with 19 home runs. Adams bats left-handed and throws right-handed which might make him redundant on a Yankees roster that already has an oft-injured Greg Bird so I wanted to take a look at his splits to see how Adams handled left-handed pitching to see if he could be a decent compliment to Bird on the bench. The splits were not favorable for Adams who hit .180/.206/.377/.583 with just three home runs and 12 RBI in 63 plate appearances. That, in the now immortal words of former Yankees manager Joe Girardi, is not what you want.

If you’re looking for a silver lining, and when I say “you” I mean all the people who have tweeted and emailed us about the possible addition of Adams to the Yankees this offseason which prompted this extended post, Adams is almost a .300 hitter against right-handed pitching which makes me wonder if he is worth signing for the designated hitter position. The Yankees are pretty right-handed hitting heavy with the bats of Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge in the middle of the lineup and Adams may be a decent compliment and way to break up those two along with Didi Gregorius, Bird, Brett Gardner and others.

Adams wouldn’t come with a huge price tag presumably and would likely be signed on a one-year deal which at least intrigues me as the Yankees look to fill their DH position next season. Adams won’t offer much in the way of defense, although having him as the DH would allow New York to play him at first if and when something was to happen to Bird next season, but the lefty could add some pop to the lineup that Holliday was supposed to offer in 2017. If the price tag is low and the amount of years that Adams is looking for fits in with the Yankees future plans, then I am all for signing the former Cardinal and Brave. If Adams wants two years or more or if Adams wants an astronomical amount of money, then I am leaning towards a hard pass on the first baseman. What are your thoughts? 

Get Greedy: Sign JD Martinez

"Please, God. Make me a Yankee!"

We’re back and we are greedier than ever with the latest idea to break the bank, blow all the austerity talk out the window and blow the baseballs out of Yankee Stadium with even more consistency here in 2018. I know it is out of the realm of possibilities fiscally, but I don’t worry myself with the financials much anymore, instead I worry about getting the best 25 players that I possibly can out on the field on any given night. With that in mind it is time to get greedy once again and sign former Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder JD Martinez. Yeah, I went there.  

Now earlier today in my free agent post where I outlined what free agents I thought the Yankees should at least have discussions with I alluded to the fact that I was happy with keeping the designated hitter position a revolving door for the Yankees outfielders to use for half-days off and here is the reason. Adding another outfielder is more of a luxury than a need at this point but New York added a $13 million DH last offseason in Matt Holliday and got little to show for it in return. Could you imagine if the Yankees were to add a bat like JD Martinez’s who could play in the outfield and DH a few days a week to keep everyone fresh, healthy and productive? The hell with the Bronx Bombers and Murderer’s Row, that would be downright unfair. 

Now I know this is a bold statement and a bold request of the Yankees to sign possibly the best positional player on the free agent market in a year where the team is going to give austerity a try but hear me out. Giving Martinez the security of a longer contract could conceivably keep the average annual value of the contract down while giving the team a leg up on the competition in terms of negotiations, because what player doesn’t want security and peace of mind?  

Martinez has possibly been the best kept secret in MLB over the past couple of seasons which is a scary thought since Martinez was a 4.1 WAR player in 2017 with Detroit and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Martinez has eclipsed 20 home runs in each of the last four seasons including hitting 45 home runs in 2017 and 38 home runs in 2015, both inside extremely pitching-friendly ballparks. You can add 10-15 home runs to that total in the Bronx assuming he is healthy and has a healthy Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorius etc. behind him protecting him in the lineup. Again, downright unfair. 

Martinez just turned 30-years old recently and is in the middle of his prime, so I would feel comfortable giving him a six-year deal with an option for a seventh year if that were a sticking point in the negotiations. Martinez is good in the field, great with the bat and I think he would be an incredible addition to the team. Whether Hal Steinbrenner opens up the wallet strings or not is one thing, but I think the Yankees should make the move if the money allows. Martinez could be the Paul O’Neill to the 2018 dynasty that O’Neill was to that 1996 team. Just get it done.  

So it Seems… The Complete List of 161 MLB 2018 Free Agents

AMERICAN LEAGUE

BALTIMORE (9) — DH/1B Pedro Alvarez; 2B Ryan Flaherty; OF Craig Gentry; SS J.J. Hardy; RHP Jeremy Hellickson; RHP Ubaldo Jimenez; OF Seth Smith, LHP Wade Miley; RHP Chris Tillman.

BOSTON (8) — LHP Fernando Abad; RHP Blaine Boyer; OF Rajai Davis; RHP Doug Fister; 1B Mitch Moreland; INF Eduardo Nunez; RHP Addison Reed; OF Chris Young.

CHI. WHITE SOX (2) — RHP Mike Pelfrey; C Geovany Soto.

CLEVELAND (6) — LHP Craig Breslow; OF Jay Bruce; OF Austin Jackson; C Carlos Santana; RHP Bryan Shaw; RHP Joe Smith.

DETROIT (1) — RHP Anibal Sanchez.

HOUSTON (5) — DH Carlos Beltran; RHP Tyler Clippard; RHP Luke Gregerson; LHP Francisco Liriano; OF Cameron Maybin.

KANSAS CITY (8) — OF Melky Cabrera; RHP Trevor Cahill; OF Lorenzo Cain; SS Alcides Escobar; 1B Eric Hosmer; 3B Mike Moustakas; RHP Peter Moylan; LHP Jason Vargas.

L.A. ANGELS (11) — RHP Andrew Bailey; RHP Jesse Chavez; 3B Yunel Escobar; RHP Ricky Nolasco; RHP Bud Norris; INF Cliff Pennington; RHP Yusmeiro Petit; 2B Brandon Phillips; OF Ben Revere; RHP Fernando Salas; RHP Huston Street.

MINNESOTA (5) — RHP Matt Belisle; RHP Bartolo Colon; RHP Dillon Gee; LHP Glen Perkins; LHP Hector Santiago.

N.Y. YANKEES (5) — 3B Todd Frazier; LHP Jaime Garcia; DH Matt Holliday; RHP Michael Pineda; LHP CC Sabathia.

OAKLAND (0) — None.

SEATTLE (7) — 1B Yonder Alonso; INF Gordon Beckham; OF Jarrod Dyson; RHP Yovani Gallardo; RHP Hisashi Iwakuma; C Carlos Ruiz; 1B/3B Danny Valencia.

TAMPA BAY (9) — OF Peter Bourjos; RHP Steve Cishek; RHP Alex Cobb; 1B Lucas Duda; RHP Tommy Hunter; 1B Logan Morrison; 3B Trevor Plouffe; OF Colby Rasmus; RHP Sergio Romo.

TEXAS (4) — RHP Andrew Cashner; OF Carlos Gomez; RHP Miguel Gonzalez; RHP Jason Grilli.

TORONTO (5) — LHP Brett Anderson; 2B Darwin Barney, OF Jose Bautista; C Miguel Montero; OF Michael Saunders.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

ARIZONA (7) — Gregor Blanco, of; Jorge De La Rosa, lhp; David Hernandez, rhp; Chris Iannetta, c; J.D. Martinez of; Fernando Rodney, rhp; Adam Rosales, inf.

ATLANTA (2) — R.A. Dickey, rhp; Jason Motte, rhp.

CHICAGO (8) — Jake Arrieta, rhp; Alex Avila, c; Wade Davis, rhp; Brian Duensing, lhp; Jon Jay, of; John Lackey, rhp; Rene Rivera, c; Koji Uehara, rhp.

CINCINNATI (4) — Bronson Arroyo, rhp; Zack Cozart, ss; Scott Feldman, rhp; Drew Storen, rhp.

COLORADO (9) — OF Alexi Amarista; RHP Tyler Chatwood; OF Carlos Gonzalez; C Ryan Hanigan; RHP Greg Holland, C Jonathan Lucroy; LHP Jake McGee; RHP Pat Neshek; 1B Mark Reynolds.

L.A. DODGERS (7) — RHP Yu Darvish; OF Andre Ethier; OF Curtis Granderson; OF Franklin Gutierrez; RHP Brandon Morrow; 2B Chase Utley; LHP Tony Watson.

MIAMI (4) — Mike Aviles, inf; A.J. Ellis, c; Dustin McGowan, rhp; Ichiro Suzuki, of.

MILWAUKEE (3) — Matt Garza, rhp; Anthony Swarzak, rhp; Neil Walker, 2b.

N.Y. METS (1) — INF Jose Reyes.

PHILADELPHIA (4) — Andres Blanco, inf; Clay Buchholz, rhp; Hyun-Soo Kim, of; Daniel Nava, of.

PITTSBURGH (3) — Joaquin Benoit, rhp; John Jaso, 1b; Chris Stewart, c.

ST. LOUIS (4) — Zach Duke, lhp; Lance Lynn, rhp; Juan Nicasio, rhp; RHP Seung-Hwan Oh, rhp.

SAN DIEGO (4) — Erick Aybar, ss; Jhoulys Chacin, rhp; Jordan Lyles, rhp; Craig Stammen, rhp.

SAN FRANCISCO (4) — RHP Matt Cain (retired); C Nick Hundley; 1B/3B Jae-Gynn Hwang; OF Michael Morse.

WASHINGTON (12) — RHP Matt Albers; RHP Joe Blanton; OF Alejandro De Aza; 2B Stephen Drew; RHP Edwin Jackson,; OF/2B Howie Kendrick; RHP Brandon Kintzler; 1B Adam Lind; C Jose Lobaton; LHP Oliver Perez; OF Ryan Raburn; OF Jayson Werth.

List courtesy of the USA Today*