The Very Complicated Deal That Comes With a Very Complicated Thread Title That Could Lead the Yankees to the World Series in 2017

The New York Yankees are said to be approaching the 2017 July 31^st trading deadline as “cautious buyers” according to many reports over the break. What that means is anyone’s guess and is totally open to interpretation thus making any trade rumor, proposal or idea technically not out of the realm of possibilities which brings me to an extremely complicated trade proposal with the Philadelphia Phillies that could not only propel the Yankees back to the top of the American League East Division but maybe to the top of the American League in general as well.

It’s no secret that the Yankees need and are looking for bullpen help at the trade deadline as well as some first base help which leads me to the Phillies RHP Pat Neshek and power-hitting first baseman Tommy Joseph. The Phillies are in the midst of a rebuild so presumably their GM Matt Klentak would ask for prospects in return for the duo and that is something that the Yankees have plenty of.

Every rebuilding teams needs prospects and honestly it doesn’t look like the Phillies will be competing any time soon. With this in mind the Yankees could likely get away with sending players with higher upside but that are farther away from the Major Leagues in the deal. The first four names that really came to mind for me were RHP Dillon Tate, RHP Albert Abreu, RHP Jose Guzman and third baseman Miguel Andujar.

Andujar is essentially blocked at third base due to Gleyber Torres being blocked by Starlin Castro and Didi Gregorius as second base and shortstop so moving Andujar now while his stock is high may make the most sense for the Yankees and the 22-year old. Adding in power arms that the team received from the Houston Astros in the Brian McCann trade like Guzman and Abreu would sweeten the pot although I would likely only include one of them AND Dillon Tate. The Phillies aren’t getting all three, even if the stock is pretty low on Tate right now and the stock for Joseph and Neshek are pretty high.

I don’t claim to be a prospects expert and I don’t claim to even know all that much about the state of the Phillies system but I do know one thing, when you are rebuilding you take upside and talent and worry about finding a place to play them all later. That’s my line of thinking in this trade, would that package be enough to get it done? I’m not sure but certainly that would be a great starting point. Make the call, Cash. 

So it Seems Today is Going to Be a GOOD Day… A Much Needed Day

Yes, it’s a normal and boring Wednesday for most but for me today is going to be a good day. I am going to start it off with some breakfast and some much needed rest and relaxation. Then I am going to follow it up with some rest, relaxation and the best cardio possible and finish it with some rest and relaxation. Today is going to be a good day and I absolutely cannot wait for it to begin. HEY YOU!

What the Yankees Can Do if “Tyler Clippard Sucks”

The whole “fill in the blank with the players name Sucks” campaign has really been a running joke here on the blog since the days of Stephen Drew manning second base in the Bronx. Then, admittedly, it was meant to be an insult because Drew was just absolutely terrible for New York but it has since evolved into more of a sarcastic way of saying that the player is struggling. Some players take these struggles and build on them and get better while others let the big lights, the media scrutiny and the fans get to them before folding under the pressure. Which one of these will Tyler Clippard be and what can the Yankees do if Tyler Clippard Sucks going forward? 

The Yankees have a few options, the first option should be to take Clippard out of these high-leverage situations. Let Clippard rebuild some of his confidence in the 6^th inning or with a huge lead or deficit and stop letting him enter in close games for a while. Let Adam Warren have those big innings when he returns from his injury or let Dellin Betances have more than one inning, just don’t let Clippard have them for a while. He needs a confidence boost and letting games get away like he did on Monday against the Angels isn’t helping. 

If you don’t trust Clippard and his track record, and just for the record I do but playing Devil’s Advocate helps write articles and can be fun sometimes, then there seems to be plenty of presumably available relievers out there on the trade market. When looking at who could potentially be available and who isn’t the first thing you look at is the team’s record which will usually tell you if the team will be a buyer or a seller at the deadline. Then you look at that particular team’s bullpen for standout arms with good statistics which brought me to this list of arms the Yankees could potentially look at.  

Pat Neshek of the Philadelphia Phillies will be moved because at the time of this writing he is pitching to a sub-1.00 ERA while the Phillies are on pace for their worst season in the history of Major League Baseball. Not far behind the Phillies are the San Diego Padres in terms of wins and losses despite the efforts of 27-year old left-hander Brad Hand. Hand is under team control until 2020 though so this would likely require a nice package of prospects if he were to be made available. The final arm that looks all but likely to be traded will be right-hander Ryan Madson of the Oakland Athletics who has been pitching well out in the Oakland Coliseum. Entering this week Madson had pitched to a 2.63 ERA and a WHIP under 1.00. 

The Miami Marlins could make or break the trade deadline this year as the team seems to be undecided on whether they will be buyers or sellers. If the team buys then there are at least two arms that come off the potential trade board but if the team decides to sell the Yankees could look at one or both of former Yankees right-hander David Phelps and AJ Ramos. Phelps, like he was with the Yankees, has been the swingman for the Marlins since the Martin Prado trade three seasons ago while Ramos has posted huge strikeout numbers (12.4 K/9) in 2017 despite having an ERA over 4.00.

Stay tuned.