If at First You Don't Succeed...

Photo Credit: Associated Press (Winslow Townson)

Ty, Ty, Tyler Again…

On a wing and a prayer. Unfortunately, that’s life with Greg Bird as your first baseman.

The Yankees Universe collectively groaned a sigh of disappointment when Bird was pulled before the start of an exhibition game with the Atlanta Braves in Lake Buena Vista, FL at the Walt Disney Resort yesterday with an apparent foot injury. He underwent an MRI and a CT scan yesterday afternoon and it was determined that he had right foot inflammation. It is in the same general area where he had ankle surgery last summer to remove excessive bone growth. The reason for the inflammation is not currently known. 

Bird will see noted New York Orthopaedic Surgeon Martin J. O’Malley in the Upper East Side on Monday to determine the cause of the inflammation.  

Every year, it seems like it is something with the talented but fragile first baseman. He missed the entire 2016 season following shoulder surgery. Then last year, the foot injury at the end of training camp led to the eventual ankle surgery in July which limited him to 48 games although he did have a memorable post-season.  

If Bird is forced to the disabled list, Tyler Austin appears to be the beneficiary. GM Brian Cashman has indicated that the Yankees will use in-house options. Neil Walker has been mentioned as a possibility, but it’s hard to envision the second baseman as the regular first baseman. Backup or platoon maybe. Brandon Drury played first base in the minors but he is firmly planted as the third baseman. The Yankees always seem to be looking for alternatives to Austin (for whatever reason), so it is not a given that Austin will make the roster if Bird cannot.  

When Austin was forced to move from DH to first base to replace Bird for the game against the Braves, the Yankees pulled first baseman Ryan McBroom out of the minor league camp for DH duties. McBroom, the return when the Yankees traded Rob Refsnyder last year, responded with a home run and a run-scoring single (the latter hit produced two runs but the second one was courtesy of a throwing error). McBroom will be 26 in a couple of weeks but he has never played above Double A. Another option surfaced on Saturday when the Seattle Mariners returned Rule 5 draftee Mike Ford to the Yankees. He was assigned to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Ford batted .259 with two homers and 10 RBIs in 54 at-bats for the Mariners this Spring, but regular first baseman Ryon Healy returned from hand surgery sooner than expected and Daniel Vogelbach won the backup job as the team’s hottest hitter in camp. So Ford didn’t do a bad job for the M’s…it was just a numbers game. Between Trenton and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last year, Ford batted .270/.404/.471 with .875 OPS to go with 20 home runs and 86 RBIs. The guess is that Austin gets the job if Bird is not ready, but Ford looms as a potential option.  

Photo Credit: Associated Press (Chris Carlson)

I really like Greg Bird as a player and his swing is a thing of beauty. But the succession of injuries is taxing to say the least. I will continue to hope for the best and I am trying to be optimistic that the latest inflammation is not a sign of much deeper problems. Let’s hope that Bird receives positive news from Dr O’Malley tomorrow and the foot inflammation is solved with treatment and rest.  

With Ford’s return, the Yankees have recaptured two of the four players taken in last December’s Rule 5 Draft. Anyelo Gomez was previously returned to the Yankees by the Braves.  The Baltimore Orioles designated Jose Mesa, Jr for assignment on March 21st when they signed free agent Alex Cobb. If Joe Table, Jr clears waivers, he’ll be offered back to the Yankees. Nestor Cortes, Jr remains in Orioles camp and is the scheduled starter in today’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies.  

Photo Credit: Baltimore Sun

I’ve seen a lot of negative reaction from the Yankees fan base over the decision to give RHP Jonathan Holder the final spot on the Opening Day roster over Domingo German. I don’t get it. With the RailRiders, German can continue to start and will be stretched out if/when the Yankees need an emergency or extra starter. I’d prefer that to German sitting in the bullpen waiting for opportunities. Some fans seem to think the Opening Day roster is etched in stone.  If we’ve learned anything, the final spots on the roster are very fluid with movement aboard the Scranton Shuttle.  

Baseball is tough.  It’s hard to believe that closer Greg Holland has been unable to find a job.  He had 41 saves in 2017 for the Colorado Rockies. He turned down an off-season offer from the Rockies and their money went to new closer Wade Davis. I keep hearing that teams continue to stay away from Holland due to his asking price. At what point does Holland say ‘uncle’ and accept an offer simply to play? Same with Mark Reynolds who hit 30 home runs last season for the Rockies. I feel bad for the guys who can still play the game at its highest level but can’t find a job. The next few days will be even tougher as teams make the necessary cuts to reach their 25-man rosters. You wonder if it is the end of the line for older players like Jayson Werth, Jose Bautista and Matt Holliday. Scott Kazmir, part of the salary dump that sent outfielder Matt Kemp to the Los Angeles Dodgers, was released by the Braves yesterday. He had exited the game against the Yankees with left arm fatigue (after reportedly having thrown 90-100 pitches in a bullpen session last Wednesday). Despite on the hook for $16 million, the Braves opted to part ways with the left-hander who missed the 2017 season with injuries. Now, Kazmir is one of many on the unemployment line (although I am fairly confident the $16 million will help him pay bills while he looks for a new job).  

Today is the final day in Florida for the Yankees. After today’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Port Charlotte, the Yankees will head for Atlanta, GA to play the Braves at SunTrust Park on Monday. Then, MLB camp is done. The Gang of 25 will head to Toronto and the Aaron Boone Era will officially begin with Opening Day on Thursday against the AL East rival Blue Jays. It’s almost time.  

To borrow words from the great John Sterling, let’s give the team a “Stanton ovation”! It’s going to be a very exciting season. Go Yankees!

Turning My Attention To The Trade Deadline

Remain calm! All is well!

It's been said that the Yankees will want to leave about $10 million available for possible mid-season acquisitions, which tells me two things...

1. The team would be willing to spend around $12 million before Opening Day.

2. They have their eyes on somebody that may cost up to $10 million if he were acquired at mid-season. Which means that, due to the fact that the acquiring team would only pay said player's pro-rated salary, the player to deal for currently makes about $20 million a season.

As for the first point... the Yankees are not going to spend on a pitcher.

Yu Darvish is not going to sign for less than $20 million, especially since I believe there are a handful of teams that are willing to go significantly higher than that (at this point I think it's the years that are holding things up, not so much the money).

As for other top of the rotation free agent starters, Jake Arrieta is unlikely to come cheap as I'm sure all the teams that don't get Darvish will offer Jake $20+ million a season to come their way. Alex Cobb would also be a nice get, but he will likely be offered a contract paying him just under $20 million a season... or just a bit too rich for the Yankees.

Furthermore, the Yankees are not going to sign a pitcher that would accept a deal worth just $12 million a season.

For proof, look at things one year ago. Back then the Miami Marlins signed Edinson Volquez to a two-year deal that paid him $11 million a season. That was after Volquez threw to a 5.37 ERA. Also, during the last offseason, the Atlanta Braves signed Bartolo Colon to a one-year deal that paid him $12.5 million, and that was after Bartolo's age 43 season. Volquez looked like someone the Marlins could count on to throw 190-200 innings (sadly, that didn't quite happen), while Colon could also throw around 190 innings with solid production (that also did not happen).

However, the Yankees already have enough starters to fill innings, so they don't have to sign an "Edinson Volquez" or "Bartolo Colon". Should anyone currently seen as a starter go down they have Luis Cessa and Domingo German that are already on the 40-man roster, or Chance Adams is ready for the call. Would you feel better about someone like Edinson Volquez starting instead of Cessa, German, or Adams?

Taking things further, I don't believe the Yankees will use that $12 million to sign someone to play third or second base, either. There's nobody out there that should get Cashman and Company excited enough to hold back Miguel Andujar or Gleyber Torres, or avoid playing the Tylers or Torreyes. I seriously think they will give Andujar the third base job on Opening Day, and fill second base with one of Tyler Wade or Ronald Torreyes until Gleyber Torres is promoted to the big leagues after a month or two in AAA.

Sure, I've talked about Todd Frazier returning to the Yankees, but I'm at a point in which I think "why?" Todd could give the team league-average production, and I see no reason why Andujar couldn't at least do the same. The key part of that being "at least". The Yankees aren't the only ones that are very high on Miguel, therefore I see no way they let an average player stop them from finding out just what Andujar can do for them.

"Thanks, bro!"

So onto the second point...

The Yankees may not spend the entire $10 million they set aside on a pitcher. Greg Bird could get hurt... again, making them want a first baseman. Gleyber Torres may aggravate his elbow and not be there to help the team out this season, making them want a second baseman. I could go on and on with possible position player needs. The point is that the team may want to make more than one move at mid-season, which makes holding onto that other $12 million a smart move.

With that said I will talk about infield targets later should the need arise, but since the Yankees seem keen on a starter at some point, how about we look at possible mid-season targets?

EDIT: I don't mean to step on Daniel's toes, who has brought up Trade Deadline targets. I just wanted to add a few ideas is all.

Jeff Samardzija
The Yankees have been connected to Samardzija many times over the years, so it's not "out there" to guess he would be on their radar yet again. Jeff signed a contract with the San Francisco Giants for five years at $90 million, making his pro-rated salary at the mid-point of the season a shade under $10 million. Personally, I'm not a big fan of Samardzija. I mean, he's not a bad pitcher, but if the Yankees have to depend on him to start a game in a postseason series, we're in a tough spot.

Scott Kazmir
Kazmir missed all of 2017 due to injury, but he's in the last season of a three-year deal that pays him $16 million a season, and I'm sure the Braves will look to get something for him before he becomes a free agent. He was a good to very good starter for the Oakland A's in 2014 and 2015, and before he was dealt to the Braves he was okay for the Dodgers last season. If he has a good first half of 2018 then we're likely to hear his name quite a bit in trade rumors.

Danny Duffy
I talked about Duffy earlier this offseason as somebody the Yankees could acquire now. Danny just signed a five year contract worth $65 million, which is a bargain for somebody as good as Duffy is. There should be no question about Duffy's effectiveness, as can be seen by his career ERA of 3.73. The question here is in regards to his durability. 2017 was his first season as a starter only, having been a starter and reliever the previous three years, but he did go on the disabled list twice for an oblique strain and elbow impingement in his pitching elbow. I don't anticipate the Royals selling somebody under control for three more years at below-market money, but if they will listen Brian Cashman should be calling.

Wei-Yin Chen
Let's get this out of the way... Chen was diagnosed with a partial UCL tear last year, which in many cases leads to Tommy John surgery. However, his doctor said he'd only need a PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) injection, and would be ready by Spring Training. If he is healthy by mid-season there's no doubt he will be talked about in trade rumors as he currently plays for the Miami Marlins, who seem to be shedding payroll as much as possible, and would certainly want to avoid Chen picking up his player options for $42 million over the 2019 and 2020 seasons. By the way, when he's healthy, Chen can be a good to very good pitcher, as seen by his career ERA of 3.90. And while those last couple of years would be a little expensive (there is a vesting option for 2021 based on health, too), his deal being worth $16 million a season puts him under that $10 million mark at mid-season.

In order to trade for a top starter mid-season it's not going to be cheap, especially since the Yankees are probably not going to be the only team looking. Which is why I think Cashman decided weeks ago to keep trade bullets like Clint Frazier. I've said it dozens of times before, and I'll say it again... prospects like Frazier are to be dealt for a team's need, not a team's want. And the fact is the Yankees don't need a starter right now. But since that may change by mid-season, it's imperative to hold onto as many trade bullets as Cashman can.

We have to get it out of our heads that a lack of news is a bad thing. I see so many fans clamoring for a trade, or to sign Darvish, and it's not necessary. If we acquired Giancarlo Stanton last month I'm sure nobody would mind going into Opening Day as is. But the lack of moves/news has people going insane. And the last thing the Yankees, who are World Series contenders, need to do is something insane.

Michael Pineda Out, Sonny Gray In?

EDIT: This was written before news broke that Michael Pineda would indeed be having Tommy John surgery today.

It has all been decided that Yankees right-handed starter Michael Pineda is having Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right throwing elbow. It’s a huge blow to the Yankees in 2017 and an even bigger blow to Pineda who was set to hit free agency at the end of the 2017 campaign. When you have a torn UCL and you head for a second opinion you can generally get a second, third and fourth opinion and you usually will still need the season-ending surgery so the sooner it gets done the sooner Pineda can return to the mound. That’s the 2018 season at the earliest and the Yankees cannot afford to think about 2018 or even 2019 while the team is still in the thick of things here in 2017 so it’s time to start thinking about a replacement. How about Sonny Gray?

Now I know I have been wishy-washy on Gray in the past and I know I have been quick to point out his injury history and inconsistencies over the past few seasons but that was before Pineda was lost for the season with the ulnar collateral ligament tear. This changes everything. Well, it doesn’t change everything. Let me explain.

The Yankees still shouldn’t and still shouldn’t have to part with top prospects like Gleyber Torres, Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield for Gray. I wouldn’t give the Oakland Athletics Chance Adams for Gray either, not with Adams so close to the Major Leagues. Who would I give up for Gray you ask? I’d give the Athletics their choice of prospects, maybe three or four, and I would include Jake Cave, Jorge Mateo, Billy McKinney, Domingo Acevedo, Jorge Guzman, Albert Abreu, Domingo German, Tyler Wade and many of the prospects in Double-A or below along with Luis Cessa who isn’t technically a prospect anymore.

Would this be enough? I’m not sure, only Brian Cashman knows that at this point. It is encouraging that Cashman seemingly and openly has a good working relationship with the A’s general manager as well as Billy Beane so anything is possible. The Athletics have not been shy about trading starting pitching at the deadline, see Rich Hill and Scott Kazmir as recent examples of this, so there’s no reason to believe the team won’t do so again this July. Whether the Yankees be willing to pony up the prospects for Gray who not only protects the team in 2017 but beyond 2017 as well, something Michael Pineda sis not, is anyone’s guess. I guess you’ll just have to stay tuned to find out. 

Most Popular Article of the Week: Yankees Potential Trade Partners: Los Angeles Dodgers

The New York Yankees need starting pitching and pitching of any kind this winter if the team wants to compete for a playoff spot again in 2017. As we look at a list of potential trade partners for the team I wanted to focus on that first before I start thinking about any potential additions to the offense or the bench because pitching wins championships and pitching is what the Yankees lack most. The team has a ton of depth, don’t get me wrong, but the team lacks that starting rotation that can scare teams in a best-of-five or best-of-seven series in October. Could the Los Angeles Dodgers be of some help to the Yankees in this department?


The Dodgers have a lot of good-to-great pitchers but their problem is they haven’t been able to rely on many of them as much as they could have wanted due to injury. Clayton Kershaw battled a bad back this season and when the team was eliminated from the postseason they did so without three of their more high-paid pitchers in Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-jin Ryu. Would any of the three be dangled this winter in trades and would the Yankees be interested?


The last thing the Yankees need is another injury-prone or risk in their starting rotation but with the free agent market as barren as it’s ever been the team might be able to use that logic and acquire one of these guys for less than their values because of the injury. Ryu has two years left and $14 million on his contract with McCarthy, a former Yankee who is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, has two years and $20 million remaining on his deal. Kazmir has a larger deal but can opt out this season leaving two years and $32 million on the table. Interesting.


Honestly I don’t believe the Yankees would be interested in Ryu and I personally don’t put much stock into what McCarthy did while with the Yankees a few seasons back but Kazmir is an interesting option if he decides to opt out this winter. Kazmir pitched poorly with the Dodgers last season and for much of this season while he also missed a month with a neck injury and many inside the Dodgers organization have speculated that Kazmir may want to leave the team. How it all works out will decide it all though. If Kazmir opts out the Dodgers could offer him a qualifying offer which means, assuming he rejects it and all signs seem to point to that he would, he would be linked to draft pick compensation. I’m not comfortable with giving up a draft pick that early in the first round for Kazmir but if he stays and doesn’t opt out I’d love to have him and his salary for a smaller prospect package.





We’re monitoring this one closely. Stay tuned. Kazmir has three days from the end of the World Series to opt out.

Yankees Potential Trade Partners: Los Angeles Dodgers

The New York Yankees need starting pitching and pitching of any kind this winter if the team wants to compete for a playoff spot again in 2017. As we look at a list of potential trade partners for the team I wanted to focus on that first before I start thinking about any potential additions to the offense or the bench because pitching wins championships and pitching is what the Yankees lack most. The team has a ton of depth, don’t get me wrong, but the team lacks that starting rotation that can scare teams in a best-of-five or best-of-seven series in October. Could the Los Angeles Dodgers be of some help to the Yankees in this department?

The Dodgers have a lot of good-to-great pitchers but their problem is they haven’t been able to rely on many of them as much as they could have wanted due to injury. Clayton Kershaw battled a bad back this season and when the team was eliminated from the postseason they did so without three of their more high-paid pitchers in Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-jin Ryu. Would any of the three be dangled this winter in trades and would the Yankees be interested?

The last thing the Yankees need is another injury-prone or risk in their starting rotation but with the free agent market as barren as it’s ever been the team might be able to use that logic and acquire one of these guys for less than their values because of the injury. Ryu has two years left and $14 million on his contract with McCarthy, a former Yankee who is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, has two years and $20 million remaining on his deal. Kazmir has a larger deal but can opt out this season leaving two years and $32 million on the table. Interesting.

Honestly I don’t believe the Yankees would be interested in Ryu and I personally don’t put much stock into what McCarthy did while with the Yankees a few seasons back but Kazmir is an interesting option if he decides to opt out this winter. Kazmir pitched poorly with the Dodgers last season and for much of this season while he also missed a month with a neck injury and many inside the Dodgers organization have speculated that Kazmir may want to leave the team. How it all works out will decide it all though. If Kazmir opts out the Dodgers could offer him a qualifying offer which means, assuming he rejects it and all signs seem to point to that he would, he would be linked to draft pick compensation. I’m not comfortable with giving up a draft pick that early in the first round for Kazmir but if he stays and doesn’t opt out I’d love to have him and his salary for a smaller prospect package.

We’re monitoring this one closely. Stay tuned. Kazmir has three days from the end of the World Series to opt out. 

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers 9/12

For only the third time during the regular season in the history of these two storied franchises will the New York Yankees and Yankee Stadium play host to the Los Angeles Dodgers in an interleague matchup. These two teams have played eight times inside Dodger Stadium which could lead me to another rant about MLB schedule makers but really at this point who cares? They are going to do what they are going to do and that's that. Onward to the game that will showcase the Yankees sending Bryan Mitchell to the mound to square off against one of the Dodgers top prospects in Jose De Leon. This is going to be fun.

Mitchell pitched wonderfully in his last start and first start in the Major Leagues and may have earned the rotation spot for New York for the remainder of the season. I don't believe anyone expects him to be as dominant as he was last time out going forward but if Mitchell can give the Yankees innings he may help lead them to the postseason in 2016.

De Leon will make another start tonight for the injured Scott Kazmir and will be looking for his second win of his MLB career as well. In his debut as a starter De Leon struck out nine batters in six innings of work but he did allow four runs in the start.


The historic game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network for Yankees fans and MLB TV. I cannot emphasize just how awesome this series is going to be for the teams and fans of both sides. When two historic teams go head-to-head inside historic baseball stadiums, although of course the new Yankee Stadium doesn't hold the same prestige as the old mind you, it's just fun all-around for everyone involved. Need a win. Get a win. Go Yankees!

Yankees & Dodgers May be Trade Partners

The Los Angeles Dodgers lost one of their best starting pitchers this offseason in Zack Greinke but the team replaces him the way they replace everything and everyone, by throwing money at free agents. The Dodgers gave $16 million a season for three years to left-hander Scott Kazmir giving the team an all left-handed starting rotation that includes Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Brett Anderson and Alex Wood. The Dodgers needed a right-handed arm to add to their rotation and they went a long way to add one, all the way to Japan in fact. The Dodgers added Kenta Maeda to their already talented rotation leaving Los Angeles seemingly with too many pitchers and not enough rotation spots for them all, could that benefit the Yankees?

Kershaw, LOL, but Ryu, Anderson or Wood could be made available by Los Angeles. Then again the team could always convert one of them into a relief pitcher and add them to their bullpen but for the sake of this post let's assume Los Angeles makes one of them available. Which would interest the Yankees? New York is said to be interested in a left-handed pitcher that they consider cheap and controllable with two or three years of team control left as the ideal candidate.

Is that Ryu? No, not really. Ryu is only 28-years old so he is considered young but $7.833 million is considered expensive in many households whether it's for the next three seasons or not. Anderson is on a one-year deal after accepting a qualifying offer this winter and is a huge risk, the Yankees have enough risks and question marks in their rotation already, while Wood may be the most attractive piece of them all. Wood is 24-years old and is not a free agent until after the 2019 season. Wood is still going through the arbitration process and would likely be the most ideal for New York. Although there is something that comes hand-in-hand with being young, cheap and controllable. You get expensive.

I don't pretend to know the ins and outs of the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system and I'm not an expert on their MLB team either to be honest so what the team would want in exchange for Wood is anyone's guess. Since the team attempted to sign Aroldis Chapman you would think the bullpen would be a concern for the Dodgers but I'm not sure I would be comfortable trading away Andrew Miller truth be told. The team may also need a second baseman to pair with Chase Utley so maybe a Robert Refsnyder would be attractive to them? I know one thing for sure though, they don't need any outfield help leaving Brett Gardner still in the Bronx for now.

I'm not sure if the Yankees have the pieces they are willing to give up for Wood and I'm not even sure that LA would make Wood available after signing Maeda, remember that, but if they did I think New York should be interested. Wood checks a lot of boxes for the Yankees and he likely makes the team a whole lot better than it is right now, and that's all that matters to me.

The Starting Pitching Market is Still Stacked

The big boys are starting to come off the free agency board from the starting pitching department and most of the huge checks have been handed out. The Boston Red Sox have already given David Price the largest contract for a pitcher in Major League Baseball history and the Arizona Diamondbacks gave the two largest contracts in the history of their franchise to Zack Greinke, who also has the highest average annual value in MLB history, and Johnny Cueto but that doesn’t mean all the big names are gone. For every Jeff Samardzija taken off the board there are two or three guys left to replace him, do any of them intrigue the Yankees?

By my unofficial count at least 10 teams are still looking for top of the rotation type starters and want to contend in 2016. That list includes the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Miami Marlins, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Baltimore Orioles, the Boston Red Sox (as scary as that is for Yankees fans to hear), the Detroit Tigers, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees. There are probably another ten or so teams that are still looking for another starter to fill out their rotation before spring training while teams like the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers to name a few will let their prospects battle it out in spring training competitions. That’s a whole lot of competition for New York who are said to be in the market for another starter, the good news for Brian Cashman is there are still plenty to choose from.

It was almost a foregone conclusion that the Yankees would acquire Mike Leake at the trading deadline last season. That didn’t happen and he ended up going to the San Francisco Giants where he pitched well despite an injury. Since Leake was traded he will not be linked to draft pick compensation and he’s still on the right side of 30-years old. Leake is not your ace and is not likely going to lead your team to the World Series but if you need a durable guy that can keep an offense like the Yankees in every single game and give you 200 innings over the course of a season, Leake is your man.

The same can be said for the free agent market, the Yankees and former Baltimore Orioles starter Wei-Yin Chen. Many linked the Yankees to Chen and expected them to sign the lefty away from their AL East rivals but New York seems willing to hold onto what they have in order to keep their (currently) 20^th overall draft pick in the 2016 draft. Chen was the ace of the Orioles and according to reports he wants to be paid like an ace both in terms of years and dollars but he wouldn’t be the ace in New York. At best, at very best mind you, he is a #2 starter with the Yankees. No thank you, not for five or six years and not for $100 million plus a draft pick.

Scott Kazmir is the left-handed starter that the Yankees have been coveting the past couple of seasons. The starting rotation has become very right-handed heavy, especially when (not if) CC Sabathia is injured, and Kazmir could be the perfect complement in the rotation. Kazmir would not require draft pick compensation and would likely lead the second-tier of available starting pitching. He’s been durable with the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics but I wonder if pitching in traditionally pitcher-friendly ballparks may have been inflating his stats just a tad. I worry about him inside Yankee Stadium, but he may be a risk worth taking if the Yankees are willing to open up their purse strings just a bit.

Ian Kennedy, the former Yankees farm hand turned 20-game winner with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kennedy has not been able to replicate his 20-win success with either the DBacks or the San Diego Padres but he has been durable and has given his team consistent innings over the years at the top of every rotation. Kennedy is not an ace though, not lately and definitely not in New York, but he would be intriguing back in the Bronx. Kennedy was thought of as the 3^rd best starter in the group with Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes and may have turned out to be the best of the three, it may be time for Brian Cashman to right a wrong here.

Cliff Lee has been cleared to pitch in 2016 and his elbow has finally been donned as healthy. Brian Cashman and the Yankees have coveted Lee for quite some time now and almost acquired him multiple times during his career either in free agency or via the trade market. There were hiccups along the way, Lee worried about him and his wife in the New York environment and Cashman didn’t want to part with certain prospects in another trade but Lee is a free agent once again. The Yankees have a tendency of getting their man a few years too late, see Carlos Beltran, and lightning may strike twice with Lee.

Mark Buehrle is likely going to retire but until he does he remains an option with all teams. How ironic would it be for Buehrle to join the team that has kept him up at night for his entire career? Ironic, yes, but likely? No.

I’m going to be frank and honest here, I never saw the fascination for some with Yovani Gallardo. He’s consistent but he’s never great. He’s durable but overall has been unreliable. Despite it all he received a qualifying offer from the Texas Rangers this season. The fact that he is linked to a draft pick is an automatic “no” for me. I’ll happily give up the pick for an ace, Gallardo just isn’t an ace to me.

Forget Wei-Yin Chen, What about Scott Kazmir?

The New York Yankees are linked to almost every single free agent almost every single season, it comes with the territory and it’s the nature of the beast. The Yankees could have four Giancarlo Stanton’s on the roster and if a fifth one became available someone out there would list the Yankees as interested. Whether that someone is the player’s agent who is trying to milk every penny he can out of a team, the columnists like Jon Heyman who want you to click their articles thus keeping them in a job or if it’s the crew over at ESPN, MLB Network and the equivalents but if you want me to be frank about it, it’s annoying.

It’s annoying when a marginal player or a marginal upgrade to the team is linked to the Yankees just because. For example, Wei-Yin Chen. Chen received a qualifying offer from the Baltimore Orioles this season after spending the last few campaigns as the team’s ace. Chen was the ace of the Baltimore Orioles but on about 90& of the playoff contending teams in 2015 he would not be an ace and would not be considered an ace on the Yankees. Despite being at best a #2 or #3 starter Mark Fiensand and others have linked Chen to the Yankees, a team full of middle-of-the-rotation starters that are much younger and that have more upside. Oh yeah, and none of the six or seven options the Yankees already have in their rotation will cost them the #22 overall draft pick in the 2016 Draft.

If you are hell-bent on signing a left-handed starter to balance out the rotation, or a starter in general, then what about Scott Kazmir? He’s also American League East tested, he’s a veteran, he’s left-handed and he’s shown some durability recently after battling the injury bug for much of his early career with the Tampa Bay Rays. Would Kazmir, using the last two seasons as an example, be better statistically than Chen inside Yankee Stadium and for the New York Yankees?

Chen:

Year	W	L	ERA	G	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA+	FIP	WHIP	H9	HR9	BB9	SO9
2014	16	6	3.54	31	185.2	193	77	73	23	35	136	111	3.89	1.228	9.4	1.1	1.7	6.6
2015	11	8	3.34	31	191.1	192	78	71	28	41	153	124	4.16	1.218	9.0	1.3	1.9	7.2

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Kazmir:

Year	W	L	ERA	G	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA+	FIP	WHIP	H9	HR9	BB9	SO9
2014 ★	15	9	3.55	32	190.1	171	81	75	16	50	164	105	3.35	1.161	8.1	0.8	2.4	7.8
2015	7	11	3.10	31	183.0	162	77	63	20	59	155	130	3.98	1.208	8.0	1.0	2.9	7.6

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Well according to Baseball Reference I have to think the answer would be yes. While Kazmir enjoyed pitching in spacious ballparks out in Oakland and Houston he is also better suited to pitch in a historically hitter’s ball park in the Bronx. Kazmir induces more ground balls and garners more strike outs than Chen does and would come on a deal less than the five or six year deal that Chen is thought to be asking for this winter despite being attached to draft pick compensation. If you’re just not going to be happy without signing a starting pitcher this winter then just make sure it’s a guy like Scott Kazmir and not Wei-Yin Chen. 

Houston Buying Early Helps The Yankees

Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics are no strangers to jumping the gun and setting the tone and the market around this time every single season and the 2015 season will be no exception. Yesterday the Athletics made one of probably many trades this season when they sent left-handed pitcher Scott Kazmir to the Houston Astros for a pair of minor league players. This news is both good and bad for the Yankees as New York has shown at least minimal interest in acquiring Kazmir before the deadline and he is now off their board. The good news for the Yankees is that this presumably takes one more team out of the running for Cole Hamels, Johnny Cueto and David Price.

It is far from set in stone that New York will even acquire a starting pitcher at this year’s trading deadline and if they did it would have to be on their terms. New York is not going to part with Luis Severino and they’re not going to part with Aaron Judge so the Yankees are unlikely to acquire a big-time starting pitcher anyway or a rental. Taking Houston out of the mix, who was said to be interested in all three of the aforementioned pitchers, can do one of two things. It can raise the price initially as supply and demand fluctuates but it also lowers the pool of interested teams.

Let’s fathom this for a second, Cueto is going to be traded and so is Price because they have expiring contracts but Hamels may not since he is due so much money for so many years on the wrong side of 30 years old. Cueto and Price will now become uber-expensive but honestly unless a team comes out of left field and shocks Ruben Amaro Jr. with an overpayment I believe Hamels just got less expensive. The amount of teams that have legitimate prospects and the ability to absorb a large contract just got smaller with Houston’s acquisition of Kazmir.

Will this push Hamels into the Yankees arm in a deal centered around Robert Refsnysder, Gary Sanchez and Greg Bird? Maybe, maybe not but the acquisition of Kazmir by the Astros and the subsequent acquisitions of Cueto and Price could continue to drive the price down for the Yankees and drive Hamels from Philadelphia up to the Bronx just in time for another World Series run. 

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Oakland Athletics 7/8

For the second time in as many nights the New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics will face off head-to-head inside Yankee Stadium. The pitching matchups were advertised as great for the entire series and this game should be no exception with the Yankees sending CC Sabathia to the mound to face off with the A’s starter Scott Kazmir. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

The Yankees have one more game tomorrow in the Bronx before the team heads out to Fenway Park to pay a visit to David Ortiz and the Boston Red Sox so that leaves you with one more opportunity to click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog and grab a pair of tickets to root for the home team in the Bronx. If you can’t make it to the stadium live then that’s no problem, simply jump on Twitter (@GreedyStripes) to interact with us during each and every Yankees games.

I’m interested to see what Sabathia and Larry Rothschild worked on this week so I’m going to get off here and watch the game. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Oakland Athletics 7/8

The New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics face off again tonight in the Bronx and inside Yankee Stadium as these two teams face off head-to-head in the second of their three game set. The Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound this evening on three days extra rest and hopefully equipped with some new mechanics and a new game plan that he and Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild went over during the week. Opposing Sabathia will be another tough left-handed starting pitcher in Scott Kazmir for the A’s. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

• Sabathia is coming into the start after having his last start skipped by Yankees manager Joe Girardi. Sabathia has allowed 10 runs over his last 12 innings in two starts and has been working on sharpening his pitches in the bullpen with pitching coach Larry Rothschild. With Sabathia being skipped he misses starts against the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox while being limited to just one start before the All-Star break.

• Kazmir is coming off a dominating performance last time out over the Seattle Mariners. Kazmir pitched eight shutout inning against Seattle leading the A’s to a 4-0 victory over Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano. Kazmir pitched at least seven innings in each of his last three starts and has only allowed a total of four runs combined in that span meaning it could be a long night for the Yankees offense tonight.

These two teams face off one more time tomorrow afternoon before the Yankees take their talents to Fenway Park to hopefully pick on the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox, like the Athletics, have played much better baseball as of late so neither series will be a walk in the park for the Yankees. Here’s to hoping the team is up to the task. Go Yankees!

Potential List of Pitchers That Interests the Yankees

Hal Steinbrenner has been asked what the Yankees plan will be at this season's July 31st trading deadline and Hal responded that the team would likely go the route they went during the 2014 season. In 2014 the team did not acquire any players that were under contract past that current season meaning the team will likely look towards pure rentals this season as well. New York will presumably be interested in the pitching market specifically this season, much like every season, so I decided to take a look at a short list of arms the Yankees will presumably be interested this July. Remember that this is just based off the fact that the player has pitched well this season and is a pure rental, there are no reports that the team is interested in any potential trade.

• Every list starts and ends with Cole Hamels because he has been linked to almost every team that expects to contend this season. I realize that Hamels is not the pure rental that we described above but his talent at 31 years old from the left side of the pitching rubber makes him the exception to every rule. 

• Speaking of left handed pitchers the Oakland Athletics have one in Scott Kazmir who has been pitching well as of late. Kazmir is left handed and is a pure rental for any team presumably making him attractive to any team, including the Yankees. With Oakland not playing well this season it seems likely that Billy Beane will trade his ace. 

• Mike Leake of the Cincinnati Reds screams Brandon McCarthy to me and that trade worked out well for the Yankees last season. Leake is a middle of the rotation type starter that won't presumably cost much in the prospects department for New York. He may not be the big and sexy name that the Yankees fans love but he will keep your team in a game and is still just 27 years old. 

• Johnny Cueto is a big time arm that the Yankees could be interested in but he would be awfully expensive to acquire for any team. New York could acquire Cueto if they were willing to give up a package including at least one of, and probably two of, Greg Bird, Robert Refsnyder, Luis Severino and Aaron Judge. Cueto seems like the least likely pitcher to acquire this season. 

Has Brian Cashman Called Billy Beane?

The title of the post is simple, has Brian Cashman called Billy Beane? If he hasn’t then don’t you think maybe he should? Beane is selling everything that isn’t tied down and deemed untouchable, oh wait Josh Donaldson was untouchable, and the Yankees should see if they can take advantage of that. Beane has already traded away the aforementioned Donaldson, Jeff Samadrzija, catcher Derek Norris and a slew of others making you wonder what exactly is going on in Oakland.

Do the Yankees matchup with Oakland and what are New York’s needs? Seemingly the infield, outfield and DH positions are locked and set in stone so it would be pitching that the two teams would discuss. While it looks like Beane has a picture of the 2014 All Star Game and is trading away all those players that made it maybe Scott Kazmir would be in play? Sean Dolittle? What would New York have to give up for one of those two? Gary Sanchez? I think I’d be comfortable with that.

We keep hearing the stories that Cashman is working the phones and in on everybody but the fans haven’t seen much out of the due diligence. Hopefully this is more than due diligence and is happening right now as we speak. 

Winning Streak Ends With 5-1 Loss to A's

While winning streaks are undoubtedly fun to have, they do come with a negative.

That is, enduring the eventual loss.

That depressing defeat came early in tonight's game, as Yankees Starter Hiroki Kuroda surrendered a pair of second inning runs in a 5-1 A's victory, snapping the Yanks four-game run. 

In that frame, Kuroda actually retired two of the first three men he faced, before suddenly losing control.

With a runner on first and two outs, the veteran right-hander allowed the next two hitters to reach, setting up a big, two-RBI single from Eric Sogard.

That clutch knock unknowingly ended the game for the Bombers, who managed just one unearned run in six innings against Oakland's Scott Kazmir.

That trip around the bases came in the Yanks' half of the third, when Derek Jeter reached on a throwing error with men on the corners.

At that point, the Pinstripes were technically still in it, down just 2-1, but after a 38-minute power outage in the middle of the fourth and another pair of A's runs in the fifth it was clear it wasn't their night.

Overall, Kuroda (4-5) wasn't terrible in the outing, recording two 1-2-3 innings, but since he did surrender 4 earned runs in just 4.2 frames he was handed the loss, his second consecutive. 

On the bright side of things, the bullpen was okay after #18 left, as Shawn Kelley struck out the only hitter he faced to end the fifth and David Huff tossed three innings of one-run ball in his team debut.

Unfortunately, the cons still outweighed the pros for the Bombers this evening, with the ending of Jacoby Ellsbury's 17-game hitting streak and a botched scoring opportunity in the fifth being the most notable.

That failure to hit with RISP, something that's been happening a lot lately, came with a man on third and one out, when Jeter (0-for-4) hit into fielder's choice and Ellsbury (0-for-3, Walk) fouled out to third.

Basically, the same problems that we saw last week came back to haunt the Pinstripes tonight, as their 2014 record fell to 35-32.

Kuroda's Dominance Not Enough as Yanks' Bullpen Blows Another One

With two outs and nobody on in tonight's top of the eighth, the Yankees looked to be in pretty good shape.

The Bombers, who came into the contest on an ugly two-game losing streak, led 2-1 thanks to recurring heroics from the returning Mark Teixeira and Starter Hiroki Kuroda, both somewhat surprising.

Teixeira, who hadn't played since Saturday, drove in both of the team's runs in his first three at-bats, first on a first-inning bloop single and then on a go-ahead solo home run in the sixth.

That pair of trips around the bases was all the Yanks salvaged off the A's Scott Kazmir, who received a no decision after a solid 6.1 frames.

Thankfully, the minimal offensive production was enough for the home team, who received a nearly-perfect outing from the before-mentioned Kuroda, who tossed 6.2 innings of 2-hit (HR from Brandon Moss included) ball to set Dellin Betances up nicely.

Betances, coming off that dominant performance Sunday, entered the contest with two outs in the seventh, striking out Moss before recording the first two outs of the eighth routinely.

At that point, the Yanks were in control. Just four more outs and they'd be winning again.

Or not.

Facing Alberto Callaspo with a 1-2 count, Betances lost all control, walking the veteran before surrendering a pinch-hit, game-tying double to Stephen Vogt.

Betances would rebound to get the last out of the inning, but still, the damage had been done.

In the top of the ninth, David Robertson would retire all three hitters he faced, but that didn't necessarily cover for Adam Warren, who unfortunately was picked to throw the tenth.

The first hitter Warren (1-3; 1/3 IP, 3 ER)) faced in the AB, Brandon Moss, drove another one into the seats, followed shortly by two more runs to put the game out of reach.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Pinstripes went down 1-2-3, officially ending the disaster. Once again, the $200 million team had snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, dropping their 2014 record to an extremely dissapointing, 29-28.

Scott Kazmir Got Some Help From Roger Clemens Meme

In this meme Scott Kazmir re-invented himself and rejuvenated his career with a little help from Roger Clemens. Did he teach him the splitter or something? Hmm....