Another Day of “Trading Manny” Speculation…

Machado prepares to say goodbye to his O’s uniform…

It’s the All-Star Break and Manny Machado is still a Baltimore Oriole. A few more days anyway. If you believe the reports, the Philadelphia Phillies would seem to be the frontrunner, closely followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers. I’ve seen one (most likely fictitious) report that has the Phillies sending third baseman Maikel Franco, shortstop J.P. Crawford, and top pitching prospect Adonis Medina to Baltimore. If that’s the level of talent on the table for Manny, I don’t see why the Yankees can’t beat it. I don’t think they will, but any way you look at it, Manny would make any team’s offense and defense better. For the Yankees, it only works if he is willing to move back to third base, but I’d gladly take the legitimate superstar over the young rookie at third (with no offense to Miguel Andujar who has done a fine job).

It is exciting to think about Manny Machado as a Yankee. The images of him wearing Pinstripes have been tremendous and then there was yesterday’s Instagram pic posted by Aroldis Chapman showing Manny sitting among Chappy, Luis Severino and Gleyber Torres. 

I continue to believe that the Orioles will not trade with the Yankees (even though we routinely seem give them quality arms with guys like Richard Bleier and Yefry Ramirez). But for all the excitement about Machado, it will be a letdown if the July trading deadline passes and we end up with only a pedestrian rental like J.A. Happ or Cole Hamels. 

If he does not come to the Bronx, I’d like to see Machado end up with the Dodgers. Play him at short this year to free up Chris Taylor to roam positions again. The Dodgers would have a great chance to re-sign Manny if he likes LA. He can hang out with LeBron. Next year, if they are successful in signing him, the Dodgers could move him to third when Corey Seager returns, push Justin Turner to first base, play Max Muncy at second, and keep Cody Bellinger in the outfield.  I certainly feel the Dodgers would have a much better chance at signing Manny to a long-term deal than either the Phillies or the Brewers. I’d still rather see Manny with the Yankees, but having him on the Dodgers would be a nice consolation prize (for me anyway). Sorry, it’s not about you, it’s all about me. Kidding…

The Boston Red Sox may hold a 4 ½ game advantage on the Yankees, but the Yankees have the farm system to make significantly greater moves than the Red Sox can make. Boston has the much weaker farm system and as baseball’s top spender, they are maxed out on salary unless they want to encroach into the highest tax penalty category. If we do nothing, it will be a lost opportunity.  Same if we come away with an arm that has difficulty keeping runners off home plate. We already have one of those with Sonny Gray.  We don’t need to add to our collection. 

Probably the only moves that would be more meaningful to me than Manny Machado would be a frontline starter like Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Blake Snell, or Madison Bumgarner. Unfortunately, I think the chances of landing one of those guys is about as good as Peter Angelos warming up to the Yankees. 

So, this leaves me with the opinion that I am going be disappointed come July 31^st. Whether it will be a lot or just a little, I don’t know but I sense that disappointment is headed my way. If there was ever a time for GM Brian Cashman to deliver one of his golden stealth moves, now is the time. 

The Yankees have played 95 games so there are only 67 games left. I am excited about the impending returns of both Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres which provide immediate upgrades, especially if El Gary can start hitting like we know he can. He has homered the last couple of games for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders so hopefully his timing is coming around quickly. 

The next couple of weeks will be very crucial for the Yankees as they attempt to chase down the Red Sox. They don’t have to be in first place by August 1^st but they need to make the necessary moves now to ensure that they are properly positioned for the impending sprint to the finish line.  Don’t let us down, Cash. This is your time.

Congratulations to Bryce Harper for the hometown Home Run Derby championship over Kyle Schwarber at Nationals Park last evening, but I must admit that I didn’t watch. There was just no drama or intrigue for me with this year’s participants.  I admire Rhys Hoskins and I think Mad Max Muncy is a great story but something was missing without Pinstripes.  I don’t blame Aaron Judge for passing on it, but without any Yankees, there was simply no motivation for me to watch.  I don’t really expect Harper to sign with the Yankees in the off-season so I didn’t have the urge to watch him take swings. Maybe if Manny Machado had been a participant, it would have carried a little more significance. Or even the great Mike Trout. Oh well, next year. 

It’s been great to see the pics of Gleyber Torres at the All-Star Game festivities. I’ve missed that guy. I look forward to having his energy back in the Yankees lineup very soon. 

Don’t look now, but LHP Nestor Cortes, who spent spring training with the Orioles, is a man on fire. In yesterday’s 5-0 win by the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders over the Toledo Mud Hens, Cortes (4-3, 3.11 ERA) threw a one-hitter over six innings while striking out ten. Over his last 38 1/3 innings, Cortes has only allowed three earned runs. This is how I wish Chance Adams was pitching but sadly it is not. 

Here’s another shameless plug for Kurt Sutter’s new TV show Mayans MC which makes its premiere on Tuesday, September 4^th. The first season (set in a post-Jax Teller/Sons of Anarchy world) will feature ten episodes and tells the story of young Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes, played by JD Pardo. Reyes is fresh out of prison and a prospect in the Santo Padre charter of the Mayans MC, located on the Cali/Mexi border. According to the storyline, EZ must carve out his new identity in a town where he was once the golden boy with the American Dream in his grasp. The show also stars Clayton Cardenas, Edward James Olmos, Sarah Bolger, Michael Irby, Carla Baratta, Antonio Jaramillo, Raoul Max Trujillo, Richard Cabral and Danny Pino. Sons of Anarchy star Emilio Rivera returns as Marcus Alvarez, El Padrino of the Mayans MC.  I am looking forward to the ride.

We are still a few days away from the next Yankees game (Friday night at Yankee Stadium against the cross-town Mets) but at least we’ll get to see Luis Severino and Aaron Judge in action tonight (and maybe some shots of Aroldis Chapman and Gleyber Torres as spectators). 

As always, Go Yankees!

False Start by the Pinstripers…

Photo Credit: TNS (John Sleezer)

Yanks fall to Royals…

My fear after nearly a week of no Yankees baseball is that they’d go ‘thud’ against one of the worst teams in the American League. Sadly, my fear became reality when the Yankees lost Friday night against the lowly Kansas City Royals, 5-2. It was a close game but, at least for me, it never felt like the Yankees were in it.  For Royals manager Ned Yost, it was his 1,100th career managerial victory.

Photo Credit: TNS (John Sleezer)

It’s been a tough week for the Yankees. They played their way to a 3-3 tie with the Washington Nationals through 5 1/2 innings on Tuesday, only to have the game suspended for rain. The rain wiped out the resumption of the suspended game and the regularly scheduled one the next day, leaving the Yankees to spend the night at Washington Dulles International Airport due to the unavailability of hotel accommodations.  They had an off day on Thursday but it didn’t help. There were no extra base hits to be found in Yankee bats last night. Eight singles equated to two runs and a loss. The legendary Jake Junis (who?) gets the win, and CC Sabathia gets saddled with his first loss of the young season.

When an uncharacteristic error was made by Gleyber Torres in the first inning which allowed the Royals to pick up the game’s first run, it felt like it was not going to be the Yankees’ night.  

Photo Credit: TNS (John Sleezer)

I guess if there was any solace about the loss, the Boston Red Sox lost too. Boston fell 7-4 to Alex Cobb and the Baltimore Orioles so the Red Sox and Yankees remain tied atop of the AL East standings. The Red Sox have two more wins than the Yankees (30 to 28), but the Yankees have the slight advantage in winning percentage (.683 to .667) thanks to two fewer losses (13 to 15). It would have been nice for the Yankees to have won to create a game advantage but today is a new day. On paper, Luis Severino (6-1, 2.14 ERA) versus Danny Duffy (1-5, 6.51 ERA) looks like a mismatch. Of course, those tend to be the ones we struggle with the most.

The Didi Gregorius for MVP talk has subsided with his 1-for-45 slide. Hopefully, he’ll rediscover his stroke while the team is in Kansas City. April’s Player of the Month has been MIA in May.

Photo Credit: New York Daily News (Howard Simmons)

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player on the DL incur so many consecutive injuries while out as Jacoby DL’s-bury. The latest ailment for Ellsbury seems to be a back injury. I’ve forgotten the original reason he was placed on the DL or the variety of injuries that have subsequently sidelined him. Maybe I am just looking forward to the day the Steinbrenner family says enough is enough and they pull the trigger to cut bait despite the cost. The guy is nearly untradeable (IDK, is that a word or was it just made up for Ellsbury?). At this point, even if the Yankees back up a Brink’s truck to haul oodles of cash to another team to take the disabled veteran, there would be no takers. The true travesty would be for Ellsbury to actually get healthy and take a 25-man roster spot from a more deserving player. I am ready for Ellsbury’s post-Yankees career.

Speaking of the DL, a good Yankees center fielder is lost until August. Top prospect Estevan Florial (technically, Gleyber Torres is the top prospect but since he’s in the Major Leagues to stay and will soon lose prospect status, Florial is the top prospect by default) will be out for a few months after it was determined that he’ll need surgery on his hamate bone (right hand, unlike the illustration below).  

Hopefully all goes well with Florial’s surgery and recovery and this is not a roadblock or delay for his eventual arrival in the Bronx within the next few years.

Another injured player made a triumphant return yesterday. Greg Bird, on rehab assignment with Double-A Trenton, homered off Bowie Baysox reliever Reid Love in the eighth inning of a 2-0 Thunder win. There’s no doubt Bird will soon be back with the big league club and he’ll be a welcome addition. With no offense to Tyler Austin or Neil Walker, I can’t wait to see Bird manning first base for the Bombers once again.  

Photo Credit: New York Post (Corey Sipkin)

Billy McKinney also had two hits for the Thunder as he works his way back too, but the roster crunch will send him to Scranton, PA when he is ready.

Given how long it has been since Dellin Betances last pitched, you just know that he is going to implode the next time out. Betances last threw an inning of relief in the 6-2 win over the Oakland A’s on May 13th. I always cringe whenever there are extended delays between appearances for Betances. 

In a non-baseball related topic, here is a shameless plug for a new TV series that will air on FX Network this fall, Mayans MC.

Mayans MC stars J.D. Pardo, Emilio Rivera and Edward James Olmos. The show was created by Kurt Sutter and Elgin James, and is set in the post-Jax Teller Sons of Anarchy universe. The story focuses on the struggles of Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes (Pardo), a prospect in the Mayan MC Santo Padre charter on the California/Mexico border.  According to the official storyline, EZ is the gift son of a proud Latino family, who American dream was snuffed out by cartel violence. Now, his need for vengeance drives him toward a life he never intended and can never escape. Rivera reprises his SOA role as Marcus Alvarez, the President of the Mayans MC Oakland charter and the MC’s National President. Olmos plays EZ’s father, Felipe Reyes.  Michael Irby is featured as Obispo “Bishop” Losa, President of the Santo Padre charter. I’ve been tracking this show for several years now and it is exciting that it will finally be part of the Fall TV lineup.  

Hopefully today brings the more resilient Yankees team we are familiar with as they’ve shaken off the rust from the long delay between games. The Yankees have proven they can beat the best teams in the American League. Now, they just need to prove they can beat the worst ones.  

Go Yankees!

Better With D-Rob Than Without...

Please do not D-ROB Peter to pay Paul…

More and more people are clamoring for David Robertson to be traded to free up salary room to make a big splash to reel in Yu Darvish or Mike Moustakas (on top of the huge acquisition to add slugger Giancarlo Stanton). For the record, I am not in favor of trading D-Rob. 

I get it. Robertson will cost $11.5 million for luxury tax purposes but the guy is such a huge part of the Yankees bullpen. I was so glad when the Yankees reacquired Robertson last summer. I haven’t felt that type of excitement since Andy Pettitte came back from three years in Houston. One of my favorite Yankees coming home. D-Rob carries the Andrew Miller attitude…whatever it takes. Both men value the team ahead of the individual and are willing to pitch whenever, wherever. I trust Robertson more than any other member of the bullpen to close on the days that Aroldis Chapman is not available.  

Dellin Betances can be the most devastating reliever in the game, but as we’ve seen, his 6’8” frame can also get out of whack, making him very hittable. The last couple of years, he has faded down the stretch. D-Rob may not always win, but he’s a strong competitor every time he takes the mound.  

I am bummed that we are in the last year of D-Rob’s contract. I am hopeful the Yankees either re-sign Robertson after the season or make a huge play to bring back Andrew Miller, who will also be a free agent after the 2018 season.  

But for the 2018 season, I cannot imagine the Yankees bullpen without David Robertson. 

To me, it makes more sense to trade Brett Gardner. But every pro-trade Robertson article I’ve read, talks about how invaluable Gardy is to the clubhouse. I understand those intangibles, but time and again, the Yankees have had to replace strong clubhouse leaders. Team leadership did not dry up when Derek Jeter walked out of the Stadium for the final time. If Gardy leaves, another guy (or guys) will step up to fill the void. From purely a player aspect, D-Rob is more valuable to the bullpen than Gardy is to the outfield given the plethora of other younger outfield options.  

The enigma on the current roster construction is Jacoby Ellsbury and his suffocating contract. The New York Post speculates that the Yankees might have to include as much as $50 million on the contract to move Ellsbury once the current market depletes itself of better outfield options. It’s not like Ellsbury suddenly became Pablo Sandoval. He is still a good player, but he doesn’t fit on the 2018 Yankees. Hopefully GM Brian Cashman will astound us all by finding a way to move Ellsbury’s contract sooner rather than later.

This situation bears watching over the next few weeks but hopefully when the team takes the field for the 2018 season, #30 is on the Yankees roster.  

Photo Credit:  MLB.com

A familiar Foe…

The Toronto Blue Jays grabbed a potential infield option for the Yankees yesterday when they acquired former Yankee Yangervis Solarte from the San Diego Padres. Solarte lost his job at third base when the Padres reacquired Chase Headley. With an ability to play both second and third, Solarte would have been a good option for the Yankees to back the Gleyber Torres/Miguel Andujar youth movement.  

Photo Credit:  Lenny Ignelzi-AP

Mayans MC, Opening Soon at a TV near you…

In a bit of non-baseball news, I have to plug an upcoming TV series. FX announced this past week that they’ve given a 10-episode series order for Mayans MC. Mayans MC, a spin-off of the highly successful Sons of Anarchy, is “set in a post-Jax Teller world, where EZ Reyes (JD Pardo), fresh out of prison, is a prospect in the Mayan MC charter on the Cali/Mexi border.  Now EZ must carve out his new outlaw identity in a town where he once was the golden boy who had the American Dream within his grasp.” The new series, which is set to premiere either this summer or late fall, is co-created by Kurt Sutter and Elgin James. The show will feature an almost all-Latino cast. Sons of Anarchy star Emilio Rivera (reprising the role of Mayans MC President Marcus Alvarez) headlines the strong cast that also features Pardo and Edward James Olmos.  

I am very excited about the potential of the new TV series, and look forward to Sutter’s latest vision. Also, hats off to Glendale Harley-Davidson of Glendale, CA. They have been instrumental in helping the cast members of the new show. I bought my own Harley at Glendale H-D a few years ago and I very proud of this dealership.  

Let’s Ride!

Steinbrenner Field, Opening Sooner…

In theory, the upcoming week should bring more baseball news to the table. The holidays are over, and training camps open in a little more than a month. I expect to see in increase in free agents signings which should loosen up the trade market. It’s been 20 years since the Yankees won 125 games enroute to the 1998 World Series championship. I am not saying that the 2018 team will be as great, but this team has the potential to be something special if Brian Cashman continues to make the right moves. It’s time to bring the championship back to the Bronx!

Go Yankees!

Ellsbury should be in a Fowler mood…

Credit:  Getty Images

Dustin Fowler continues to open eyes in Yankees training camp.  As a center fielder, he looms as a potential successor for the King of the DL, Jacoby Ellsbury.

Fowler is currently ranked as the #9 prospect on MLB.com's list of Top 30 Yankees Prospects.

It's almost been a given that shortstop Jorge Mateo will eventually be moved to center field to make way for the superior play and leadership of top prospect Gleyber Torres.  Yet, here is Fowler saying "Whoa, wait a minute!".

We hear so much about the prospects acquired by the Yankees last summer which elevated the organization to the best or second best farm system depending upon whom you ask.  The homegrown Yankees seem to get lost in the shuffle. I've quietly heard Fowler's name for several years.  He was drafted in the 18th round of the 2013 Draft.  The Yankees paid him $278,000 to forego his letter of intent for Georgia Southern University.

Fowler opened eyes last year at AA Trenton with 12 HR, 88 RBI, and .281 BA.  He also stole 25 bags.  A lefty, the 22-year-old Georgia native is viewed as a potential 5-tool player if his power continues to develop.  It would make more sense to keep Fowler in center than to move Mateo there unless one of the two is moved in a potential trade.

Fowler is an interesting player.  He has improved each year and is pushing his potential much higher than an 18th round pick.  Kudos to the Yankees scouts who discovered him.  High school kids are incredibly hard to forecast.  But here's a kid that has already exceeded expectations.

It's very possible that Fowler could be the player the Yankees were seeking when they invested 7 years and $153 million in DL's-bury.  I don't think Ellsbury will make it to the end of his contract with the Yankees (I know, a statement of the obvious).  The question is when and how much will it cost the team to unload the disappointment.

Fowler leads me to envision this possible future lineup:

C-Gary Sanchez

1B-Greg Bird

2B-Jorge Mateo

SS-Gleyber Torres

3B-Miguel Andujar

RF-Aaron Judge

CF-Dustin Fowler

LF-Clint Frazier

DH-Tyler Austin

This lineup may never materialize but it looks good on paper, in my opinion.  Most likely, Didi Gregorius stays at short, Torres is moved to second, and Starlin Castro goes to third.  Another speculated path would put Bryce Harper in the outfield and/or Manny Machado at third.  Regardless of what happens, Fowler (at some point in the future) looks excellent in center regardless of who surrounds him.

So, here's hoping Fowler's journey leads him to the vast area in center at Yankee Stadium.  And Jacoby Ellsbury?  Don't let the door hit you on the way out…

Former Yankees pitcher Caleb Cotham has retired.  He was part of the package that went to the Cincinnati Reds in the trade for Aroldis Chapman.  He had been part of the Yankees bullpen in 2015 before the trade after a very productive year in the minors.  Only 29, he posted on Tweeter that he is “no longer willing to pay the emotional/physical price to rehab/play at the highest level”.  After being removed from the Reds’ 40-man roster last fall, he had recently signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners.  I wish him the very best with his post-playing career.

Naturally, on a day I chose to pick on Jacoby Ellsbury, he hits like he is supposed to.  In yesterday’s spring game against Atlanta, Ellsbury went 3-for-3 with 2 stolen bases.  It’s just a facade.  He’ll trip and land on the DL tomorrow.  Fowler  also made a difference.  He walked in the 6th, after replacing Brett Gardner, with the bases loaded to force in a run.  He scored later in the 6-run 6th inning on a Clint Frazier groundout.  He also tripled in the 9th.  After jumping ahead 7-2, the Yankees held on to beat the Braves, 8-7.  

They move to 11-3 for the Spring.  

I know this is a Yankees blog but I have to run a little off-topic.  Okay, a lot off topic.  So if you are interested in Yankees talk only, please quit reading.

I am very excited about the upcoming Sons of Anarchy spinoff pilot called Mayans MC.  Developed by Kurt Sutter and Elgin James, Mayans MC occurs in the same universe or mythology as Sons of Anarchy but after Jax Teller's death.

The Mayans were originally adversaries and eventually allies for the Sons of Anarchy MC, Redwood Originals charter.  The Mayans (Oakland/Northern CA charter) were led by Marcus Alvarez (played by Emilio Rivera).  In the new story, Alvarez is the Founder and National President of the Mayans Motorcycle Club.  But the focus will be on the Santo Padre charter on the Mexi-Cali border.  The charter President is Esai "Taino" Osorio (John Ortiz), a cousin to Alvarez.

The protagonist is a young prospect named Ezekiel "EZ" Reyes (played by JD Pardo).  According to the press release, EZ is the gifted son of a proud Latino family, whose American Dream is snuffed out by Cartel violence.  Now, his need for vengeance drives him toward a life he never intended and can never escape.

Edward James Olmos plays EZ's father, Felipe, and Clayton Cardenas plays his brother Angel, a full patch member of the MC. 

Other cast members include Antonio Jaramillo as Michael "Riz" Ariza, Vice President of the Santo Padre charter, and Richard Cabral as Johnny "El Coco" Cruz, a full patch member.  The release for the Cruz character tells of an Army sharpshooter who once shot a cigar out of his Sergeant's mouth from a half mile away...while stoned.  Irish actress Sarah Bolger has joined the cast as the first female regular.  She’ll play Emily, the beautiful “guera” next door and childhood sweetheart of EZ. Per the release:  But when Romeo departed, this Juliet didn’t unsheathe the dagger, she traded it in for diamond studs and a mansion on the hill.  

Filming of the Pilot takes place this month in Los Angeles.  There is no word yet if FX Network will pick up Mayans MC for its fall lineup.  This is an exceptional cast with an incredible story to tell.  I am excited about the potential of the show and want to do my part to promote it.

Kurt Sutter is a genius with this genre as evidenced by Sons of Anarchy.  Charlie Hunnam might not be in this potential new series but I am sure JD Pardo and his new castmates will rise to the challenge.  

Have a great Friday!