Who Was That Masked Man?…

On Saturday, the Yankees were led by slugging outfielder Brett Gardner and the Hit Machine, Austin “So Fine” Romine.  Wait a minute!  Say what?  You’re friggin’ kidding me, right?  Gardner entered the game hitting .188 with no home runs or RBI’s.  Romine, a seemingly career minor leaguer until he finally became a Major League back up last year at age 27, came into the game with a more respectable .277, but only a single homer and five RBI’s.  On Saturday, the two went off for combined nine RBI’s as the Yankees throttled the Baltimore Orioles, 12-4.  The Yankees, in scoring 26 runs in two victories, have ensured that they’ll leave April, pending the outcome of today’s game, no worse than tied for the American League East lead.

Gardner hit not one but two home runs in doing his best impersonation of Aaron Judge, albeit a short one, and drove in four Yankees runs.  His 2-for-4 performance raised his batting average above .200 (to .206).  With a 2-for-3 day (which also included a home run), Romine boosted his average to .300 and bested Gardner’s RBI total by one.  I really didn’t expect Romine to start on Saturday after catching Friday night's game, but I am glad Manager Joe Girardi penciled his name in.  By the way, Aaron Judge sent one out but that’s getting to be old news.  The big news anymore is the days he doesn’t send a ball screaming out of Yankee Stadium at record speed.  Seriously, Judge is locked in right now and is tied with Khris Davis of the Oakland A’s for the most home runs in the American League with ten.  Things are going so well for Judge, he even stole a base against the O’s, with footsteps that must have reverberated throughout the Stadium as the big man ran toward third.  

Credit:  Al Bello/Getty Images

Michael Pineda was the winning pitcher with 5 1/3 innings of work.  He got into some trouble in the sixth inning when Manny Machado doubled and subsequently scored on a Chase Headley throwing error.  Girardi had a quick hook and pulled Pineda despite the 7-1 lead to avoid a potential return to “Bad Mike”.  Big Mike’s day finished with five hits, two runs (although none earned), one walk, and eight strikeouts.  He picked up his third win (3-1) of the year.  

The Yankees are 15-7, and a game up on the Orioles for the AL East lead.  Aaron Judge is on pace for 74 home runs (I know, it’s not sustainable) and this is an absolutely fun team to watch.  What a difference a year makes!  Last year on April 29th, the Yankees fell to the Boston Red Sox 4-2 to drop their season record to 8-13.  Last April, the 2016 club felt lethargic and old. This year’s team is enthusiastic, supportive and energetic.  I am not saying this is the 1998 Yankees but this is the best team chemistry I have seen since the golden years of the late 90’s.  

Credit:  Noah K Murray/USA TODAY Sports

Today, the Yankees will send Jordan Montgomery to the mound to face the O’s Wade Miley in the finale of the three game series.  The Yankees stay at home to begin a three-game set with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.

Yankees pitching prospect Chance Adams is soon going to be making noise for Big League consideration.  So far this season, he is dominating Double-A for the Trenton Thunder.  Through four starts, the 22-year-old is 3-0 with 0.82 ERA (13 hits and 2 earned runs in 22 innings).  Although he has walked 10 batters, he was struck out 22.  He’ll no doubt get the call to make the trip to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre soon and is positioning himself for a possible late-season call-up to the Bronx.  If the Yankees need an emergency starter, I am sure that it would be Chad Green or Luis Cessa.  But Adams is ensuring that his name will soon be in the conversation.  Good problems to have.

News around Baseball the last few days has shown the risk of making big trades.  On December 9, 2015, the Arizona Diamondbacks packaged promising young shortstop Dansby Swanson, pesky outfielder Ender Inciarte, and pitcher Aaron Blair in a deal to acquire starting pitcher Shelby Miller and a minor leaguer.  Miller has struggled in Arizona and this week it was announced that he’ll undergo Tommy John surgery.  Like James Kaprielian, he won't be back until late 2018 at the earliest.  Last year on December 7th, the Washington Nationals traded top young pitchers Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning to the Chicago White for outfielder Adam Eaton after their failed attempt to acquire Andrew McCutheon from the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Yesterday it was announced that Eaton will miss the remainder of the 2017 season with a torn ACL in his left knee.  Ouch!  These were very high prices to pay for nothing.  I hope that both Miller and Eaton are successful in their respective recoveries and return one day stronger than ever, but it doesn’t help either the D-Backs or the Nationals today.  The Nationals have a World Series contending club and now they need outfield help in addition to the desperate need for a proven closer.

Have a great Sunday!  I have no desire to see former Yankees manager Buck Showalter gain a victory today…let’s sweep this series!

Most Popular Article of the Week: Yankees Potential Trade Partners: Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks are one of those teams that I’m not entirely sure even they know what direction the team is going. The team gets younger and starts to build a core before they trade Dansby Swanson, first overall pick Dansby Swanson, for Shelby Miller and before handing Zack Greinke huge money on the free agent market. To be completely honest I don’t know if the Diamondbacks will be coming or going here in 2017 but if they are looking to move a few pieces as they progress either way I think the Yankees have to at least be listening.


Unfortunately the bigger named pieces like Shelby Miller, Zack Greinke, AJ Pollock and Paul Goldschmidt are likely off the table but what about their third baseman Jake Lamb? If the Yankees move Chase Headley, and they could seeing as he does not have a no-trade clause written into his contract, the team could fill the gap with 26-year old Lamb. Lamb is a left-handed hitter who somehow found a way to hit 29 home runs and drive in 91 RBI without anyone on the East Coast taking notice. Lamb comes with his issues of course, his .249 batting average and 154 strikeouts lead that list of concerns, but in the era of sabermetrics you take that for driving in runs and hitting it over the fence any day.


The Yankees would lose a step or defensively in the hypothetical Lamb for Headley swap but Lamb is still at least two years from entering his prime while Headley is at least three years from his which could make up the difference in the long term. Lamb is not arbitration eligible for two more years which means he is going to cost a ton. How much is a ton? Well suddenly the once shortstop heavy Diamondbacks need middle infielders and it has been speculated already that the team would move Jorge Mateo in a deal this winter. I don’t want to give up on or give away Mateo but for a 26-year old power hitting lefty like Lamb you always make the deal, especially for a player who has never seen Double-A.


Arizona also needs a catcher and the Yankees have three on their 40 man roster with Kyle Higashioka soon to be added per the team. Why not include Austin Romine in the deal and bring back a prospect or two in the deal while Brian Cashman is at it? This is one of those “too good to be true” sounding deals for New York but you never know until you ask so Cashman, ask.

The Irresponsible Offseason Journalism Has Begun

The offseason is almost here for all 30 MLB teams which is bittersweet in a way. I love the offseason because of the trade rumors, the possibilities for your favorite team the next season and all the movement from the players and coaches. I enjoy it. What I don’t enjoy are those long days where absolutely nothing is going on to report on or speculate about which leads some irresponsible journalists, my opinion, to produce articles in order to click bait a reader. For example, and I won’t link to it but a simple Google search should get you to the article if you really want to read it, the article that stated the Yankees are going to make a run at Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt this offseason.

Let’s get one thing straight, Paul Goldschmidt is the best first baseman in the National League and maybe in all of Major League Baseball and not enough people know about him for whatever reason. For that reason alone it’s unlikely for the Arizona Diamondbacks to trade Goldschmidt to anyone and if they did it would take a king’s ransom. Add on top of that the amount of money and prospect cost the team has already spent to acquire Shelby Miller, Zack Grienke and others and I simply cannot see them trading away their franchise player after just one unsuccessful season. It’s simply not going to happen.

Sure if you put something along the lines of “Yankees interested in Paul Goldschmidt?” as your headline it is going to generate some interest and views, I get that. I also get that you are a paid employee and it’s your job to get those views in order to provide for your family, I get that too. It doesn’t mean I have to like it just because I understand it. The beautiful thing about the shop we have set up here is I’m not getting paid, nobody is, and I can say anything and everything I want to say. And I generally do. This kind of journalism is simply irresponsible to me.

Also, I have to add, remember Greg Bird? Remember? 

Yankees Potential Trade Partners: Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks are one of those teams that I’m not entirely sure even they know what direction the team is going. The team gets younger and starts to build a core before they trade Dansby Swanson, first overall pick Dansby Swanson, for Shelby Miller and before handing Zack Greinke huge money on the free agent market. To be completely honest I don’t know if the Diamondbacks will be coming or going here in 2017 but if they are looking to move a few pieces as they progress either way I think the Yankees have to at least be listening.

Unfortunately the bigger named pieces like Shelby Miller, Zack Greinke, AJ Pollock and Paul Goldschmidt are likely off the table but what about their third baseman Jake Lamb? If the Yankees move Chase Headley, and they could seeing as he does not have a no-trade clause written into his contract, the team could fill the gap with 26-year old Lamb. Lamb is a left-handed hitter who somehow found a way to hit 29 home runs and drive in 91 RBI without anyone on the East Coast taking notice. Lamb comes with his issues of course, his .249 batting average and 154 strikeouts lead that list of concerns, but in the era of sabermetrics you take that for driving in runs and hitting it over the fence any day.

The Yankees would lose a step or defensively in the hypothetical Lamb for Headley swap  but Lamb is still at least two years from entering his prime while Headley is at least three years from his which could make up the difference in the long term. Lamb is not arbitration eligible for two more years which means he is going to cost a ton. How much is a ton? Well suddenly the once shortstop heavy Diamondbacks need middle infielders and it has been speculated already that the team would move Jorge Mateo in a deal this winter. I don’t want to give up on or give away Mateo but for a 26-year old power hitting lefty like Lamb you always make the deal, especially for a player who has never seen Double-A.

Arizona also needs a catcher and the Yankees have three on their 40 man roster with Kyle Higashioka soon to be added per the team. Why not include Austin Romine in the deal and bring back a prospect or two in the deal while Brian Cashman is at it? This is one of those “too good to be true” sounding deals for New York but you never know until you ask so Cashman, ask. 

Nathan Eovaldi, Non-Tender Candidates & the Yankees

MLB Trade Rumors does an absolutely fantastic job on their site not only bringing you rumors, whispers and news but also they do a wonderful job at their original and unique content. One of those such articles I read over the weekend was an article titled "8 High-Priced Non-Tender Candidates" and it originally caught my eye because Nathan Eovaldi was one of the eight. What made me want to write this article was the other seven candidates and whether, assuming they are indeed non-tendered this offseason, any of them would make sense for the 2017 Yankees. 

The seven non-tender candidates according to the above linked article include the New York Mets first baseman Lucas Duda, Colorado Rockies RHP Jake McGee, Arizona Diamondbacks RHP Shelby Miller, Minnesota Twins RHP Tommy Milone, Minnesota Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe, Washington Nationals outfielder Ben Revere and St. Louis Cardinals RHP and closer Trevor Rosenthal. The names that obviously stand up off the page above the rest are Shelby Miller and Jake McGee (not because he is nearly as talented as Miller but because of his power arm, the fact that he is American League East tested and the fact that the Yankees could use another power arm or two in their bullpen).

If the Yankees could get Shelby Miller, and trust me I cannot see in a million years the Arizona Diamondbacks giving up the #1 overall draft pick for Miller only to non-tender him a season later, you have to jump on that every day of the week and twice on Sunday. He's struggled but he is healthy and so damn talented. Sign him up. Jake McGee is another I think the Yankees will look at after seeing so much of him with the Tampa Bay Rays. He was a great arm for them but he has struggled in Colorado and on the road as well. He has battled injuries this season and effectiveness as well but he would immediately slot in as the 6th inning guy for the Yankees if signed. No pressure, just flaming fastballs.

I can't see the Yankees signing any of these seven guys although I can see them working out a multi-year deal with Eovaldi essentially making his 2017 season a wash while they hope for his recovery in 2018. If not it may be bust for the Yankees as far as non-tenders go but that isn't exactly the worst thing in the world anyway, is it?


Oh and in case you were wondering here is what the crew at MLBTR had to say about Mr. Eovaldi:

Nathan Eovaldi, SP, Yankees (5+, $5.6MM): 

Despite his struggles, Eovaldi seemed for much of the year to be a fairly sure thing to be tendered a contract. He continued to show signs of promise in spite of the inconsistencies — a career-best 9.3% swinging strike rate, for instance — and at worst would appear to be a late-inning pen candidate with a fastball that sits at 97 even when he’s starting. But a devastating elbow injury means that Eovaldi won’t pitch next year. The Yankees aren’t likely to pay up just to prepare the righty for free agency, so the only way he stays in New York is through some kind of multi-year arrangement.

Early prediction: Non-tender, barring multi-year agreement

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Arizona Diamondbacks 5/18

Ladies and gentleman it is now game time between the New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks as these two teams finish off their three-game set inside of Chase Field. It’s been an interesting series full of good pitching performances, timely hitting and pitchers who have no business hitting and it all comes to an end tonight in the finale. In the contest tonight the Yankees will send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound as he continues to “eovolve” while the Diamondbacks counter with Shelby Miller. The game will be played at 8:40 pm ET inside of Chase Field in Arizona and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

The Yankees head west to take on the Oakland Athletics for a three-game series before an off day and a travel day back to the Bronx and Yankee Stadium. Have your Yankees Tickets in hand for when the team comes back to New York by clicking the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog. Until then you can follow along and root for the home team from afar by heading over to Twitter and by giving @GreedyStripes a follow.

One more time and one more pitcher that we just need to hope strikes out every single at bat so he doesn’t have to run the bases. I hate interleague play, can you tell? Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Arizona Diamondbacks 5/18

The New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks have squared off twice already this week in the desert out west so what’s one more time, right? So for the third and final time in this series these two teams will square off head-to-head with the series and maybe some bragging rights on the line. In the finale the Yankees will send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound looking to once again harness all that good stuff and make up that we keep hearing all about while the Diamondbacks counter with a similar project of their own in Shelby Miller.

Eovaldi has an absolute cannon for an arm but velocity will only get you so far in MLB. Eovaldi throws an average fastball of 96.9 MPH but has still allowed more hits than someone of his caliber should leading the Yankees to add a splitter to his repertoire. The early results are encouraging, lots of strikeouts, and Eovaldi looks to keep the trend encouraging tonight in Arizona.

Miller was quietly one of the better pitchers in the National League last season for the Atlanta Braves but he has struggled a bit since joining the Diamondbacks this season. In his last start Miller allowed three runs on seven hits with a pair of walks and strikeouts each against the San Francisco Giants pitching just 5.2 innings.

The game will be played at 8:40 pm ET inside of Chase Field and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. After the game the Yankees keep heading west to Oakland to face off with the Oakland Athletics in a three game set which should be good for New York. They can’t look ahead though because they face a hell of a pitcher tonight in Miller. Don’t look ahead, get a win. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Arizona Diamondbacks 5/16

The New York Yankees have traveled out west and for the first time this season the team will play in an Interleague game inside of a National League park. This time around the Yankees will travel to the desert to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks inside of Chase Field. In the first interleague matchup of the year and in a rematch of the 2001 World Series the New York Yankees will send Chad Green to the mound to face off against the Diamondbacks starter Robbie Ray.

Green will be making his MLB debut tonight in Arizona as the Yankees shake up their rotation a bit. This spot was normally that of Michael Pineda but since Luis Severino went down with an injury Green will take his spot and his turn tonight instead of Wednesday. Green has pitched well in 2016 posting a 1.22 ERA in seven Triple-A starts this season. 

Ray is coming into this start against the red-hot Yankees offense fresh off a not-so-great start last time out against the Colorado Rockies. In that start Ray had allowed five runs, three of them earned, on nine hits in 4.2 innings. In the no-decision Ray struck out nine and allowed three walks for the Diamondbacks. 

The game will be played at 8:40 pm ET inside of Chase Field and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. The three pitchers the Yankees will send to the mound, and to the plate, this week are Michael Pineda, Nathan Eovaldi and Chad Green while the Diamondbacks will send Robbie Ray, Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller. Of course they would send three of their best pitchers to the mound. Of course they would. Oh well, New York has done well against top competition here lately so maybe that's just what they need for another series win.

Go Yankees!

USA Today Ranks All 30 MLB Starting Rotations

It’s almost baseball time ladies and gentleman, can you feel it? The fields are being manicured, the grass is being cut and we’re already seeing on Twitter how players are heading down south to get a head start on bullpen sessions and early season workouts. Spring training is just around the corner and so is the 2016 MLB season, get hyped. The USA Today is hyped and this week ranked all 30 MLB teams by their starting rotations. How will Zack Greinke affect the Diamondbacks rotation ranking and how far will David Price push the Boston Red Sox rotation up the charts? How far will the Yankees fall after not adding a significant piece to their starting five this winter? Keep reading to find out.

We will bring you the list only and not the write-ups except for the Yankee-specific material. If you want to read the write-ups on all 30 MLB teams head over HERE to the USA Today to read their work and give them a much deserved click or two.

30. Atlanta Braves

29. Philadelphia Phillies

28. Milwaukee Brewers

27. Los Angeles Angels

26. Colorado Rockies

25. Minnesota Twins

24. Baltimore Orioles

23. Cincinnati Reds

22. Kansas City Royals

21. Detroit Tigers

20. Toronto Blue Jays

19. Oakland Athletics

18. Miami Marlins

17. Texas Rangers

16. San Diego Padres

15. New York Yankees

I entered this exercise expecting to put the Yankees near the bottom of the list, and ended it tempted to rank them in the Top 10. Truth is, it’s easy to envision them landing on either end of the spectrum: Their top four starters all come with great stuff and huge question marks. How they fare will depend on the health of Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda and the success of Luis Severino in his first full big-league season.

14. Tampa Bay Rays

13. Boston Red Sox

12. Pittsburgh Pirates

11. Seattle Mariners

10. Arizona Diamondbacks

9. San Francisco Giants

8. Houston Astros

7. Los Angeles Dodgers

6. Chicago White Sox

5. St. Louis Cardinals

4. Cleveland Indians

3. Washington Nationals

2. New York Mets

1. Chicago Cubs

Fantasy Baseball: Who Are the Atlanta Braves?

As a fan of the New York Yankees that has since moved out of the state and to metro Atlanta, Georgia I am forced to keep up with the Atlanta Braves. For one it’s all you can see down here without a MLB TV package and it’s the only baseball talk I get down here unless I am at a Yankees vs. Braves game and also it’s kind of frowned upon to not at least pretend like you’re rooting for the home team down here. For that reason alone I wanted to take this opportunity to shine a light on the current status of the Braves team as far as fantasy baseball goes because even my biggest Braves fan friends don’t know 90% of the team anymore. Maybe they will read and learn something and I hope that you do as well as you prepare for your fantasy drafts and lobbies.

You almost have to start with Freddie Freeman seeing as he is the only recognizable face left on the squad. Freeman is coming off a season in which he hit .299 with 12 home runs and 41 RBI through his first 66 games only to have his season derailed by several wrist injuries and an oblique injury or two. Freeman has since been given a clean bill of health but the fact remains that he will have little to no protection in the lineup and will not see many meaningful pitches all season long. If you need walks or intentional walks then go ahead and grab Freeman, if not he may not be worth a pick until around the 10^th round or so. That’s not a bash on him that’s just a sign of what’s to come with opposing team’s strategy against his team.

New arrivals in Turner Field this season will be Ender Inciarte and Erick Aybar most notably. Inciarte will replace Cameron Maybin in center field and came over from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Shelby Miller trade after breaking out in his rookie campaign with a .303 average, six home runs and 73 runs scored. Inciarte is likely to lead off in Atlanta and will be used as a weapon at the plate with his contact swing and on-base percentage as well as his ability to hit the ball in the gaps and steal bases. Inciarte seems like a shoe-in for 20 stolen bases, 70+ RBI and a .300 average. Inciarte’s biggest flaw? The fact that he struggles against left-handed starting pitching so keep that in mind if you draft him late in your draft. Hitting after Inciarte will be Aybar. Without the hitting protection of Mike Trout and Albert Pujols Aybar will an average, at best, middle infielder and likely a player I would personally stay away from in fantasy. He won’t bring you much.

Julio Teheran is a pitcher on the Braves that would be interesting to look at if you need a bonafide ace in your rotation. Teheran did not live up to the hype in 2015 posting a 4.04 ERA and a 3.27 BB/9 rate in what had to be a frustrating season for the Braves ace. Teheran saw his home run numbers go up in a pitcher friendly park and saw his road ERA skyrocket to above 5.40 so why should you trust him in 2016? Well first and foremost he will be around in the later innings giving you a low risk and high reward type pick to fill out your rotation. Secondly he will be throwing to Tyler Flowers this season who has drawn rave reviews for his pitch framing instead of Christian Bethancourt and AJ Pierzynski and finally another year under his belt cannot hurt, especially with a young pitcher. Teheran is going to be 25-years old this season and is heading into 2016 after stellar 2013 and 2014 campaigns under his belt before the step back in 2015. Buy low and sell really high on Teheran in my opinion.

If you’re looking for help later in the draft you can always look towards relative unknowns in outfielder Hector Olivera and bullpen arm Arodys Vizcaino. Olivera is said to have great plate discipline and a fluid swing that could produce 20+ home runs in a full season. Atlanta is already looking to trade one or both of Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn to make room for Olivera in the outfield while you, the fantasy owner, will likely also be able to use him at third base or second base making him a true value on your team. Vizcaino on the other hand will likely set up for closer Jason Grilli and would be the obvious candidate to take over if Grilli were to re-injure his Achilles tendon or stutter coming out of the gate at 39-years old. Vizcaino is a big strikeout guy that with the saves statistic added to his repertoire that could be a great find late in the draft.

These are just a few of the names that many of your fellow league mates may not know that you can become familiar with before your draft. It’s never a bad idea to have picks like Vizcaino and other Braves players ready to take with your last pick or two in the draft. Those are the picks you reach for the moon on and if it doesn’t work out you simply release and replace. Hopefully this helps your league and if I missed anyone let me know down in the comments section. 

Most Popular Article of the Week: The Road Towards Kenta Maeda

From Eliot Podgorsky SEEN HERE

The hot stove boiled over today in a big way. A brief recap below:

• Cubs sign INF/OF Ben Zobrist to four-year $52 million deal
• Cubs trade INF Starlin Castro to Yankees for Adam Warren and PTBN (reported to be INF Brendan Ryan
• Braves trade SP Shelby Miller and PTBN to Diamondbacks for OF Ender Inciarte, SP Aaron Blair and SS Dansby Swanson

While only the Cubs moves directly affects the Yankees, I provided this recap because the Miller move could impact the rest of the offseason. 

The majority of fans commenting on the Yankees Facebook page are excited

The Shelby Miller trade is one that I look to that could impact the rest of the offseason. I believe that the Braves got a haul for a Miller. Miller has been a great pitcher in his three full seasons, notwithstanding his win-loss record but last year when he recorded a career low ERA he also had a bit of luck with a home run rate that fell by half. He seems like a solid number two starter and slot in nicely behind the Diamondbacks new ace Zack Grienke but that is a lot to give up for a number two.

This trade puts the cost for young quality cost controlled pitching into the stratosphere. The satiating thoughts of Jose Fernandez in pinstripes should evaporate with the Miller trade. If the Yankees try to trade for a young pitcher without giving up untouchables they will have to target someone below the level Nathan Eovaldi was when they acquired him last year (too many hits, too few strikeouts). Eovaldi barely contributed before the 2nd half so someone below that skill level would be working in the minors. With the cost of young pitching untenable I think the Yankees go after Kenta Maeda.

Kenta Maeda

Last week news broke Maeda will be posted by his Japanese team the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. He was once considered the next great pitcher to come out of Japan a few years ago but the Carp never posted him. Now 27 going on 28 he will likely come stateside. With the posting fee capped at $20 million there are no concerns about a Daisuke Matsuzaka like fee. Maeda does have a lot of innings on his arm (1509.2) and the injury history for Japanese pitchers isn't great recently (Daisuke Matsuzaka, Yu Darvish, Masahiro Tanaka) but he his young enough where a 5-6 year deal would not saddle the Yankees with the downside of his career.

If the Yankees are waiting for money to come off the books before the become players in free agency the 2016-2017 offseason won't be a great one. Stephen Strasburg is the only notable starter to hit the market next year.

The Diamondbacks who were all over Maeda earlier in the offseason have said they are no longer interested. The Giants were the only other team with reported interest in him and it has been reported they too are out. With only the "mystery team" as competition I think the Yankees should target Maeda. A five-year deal between $55-$60 million seems like it could get it done. 

Scouts have said that Maeda is more likely a number 3-4 starter due to his lack of electrifying stuff and is more of a control pitcher like Hiroki Kuroda. Kuroda was pleasant and consistent rotation stalwart for three years and it would be great to add that to the rotation. In a world where J.A. Happ just got a three-year $36 million deal the contract I pegged for Maeda doesn't strike me as an overpay. Adding Maeda could allow the Yankees to trade Ivan Nova or move to a six-man rotation that could protect the arms of Maeda, Tanaka, Michael Pineda and Luis Severino. Kenta Maeda is an interesting target in the wake of the rising costs of free agents and trades. 

If the Atlanta Braves Keep Selling…. Again

We have been doing a series of these posts showcasing the teams that are seemingly selling off players in hopes of a rebuild. Teams like the Cincinnati Reds, Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves have been showcases already and I feel the need to come full circle and showcase the Braves specifically once again. The first post was focused around a possible acquisition of RHP Shelby Miller, who ultimately went to the Arizona Diamondbacks for an absolute haul that the Yankees were not going to touch, so this time around I figured we’d focus on the pitching side of things. What about Julio Teheran?

The Braves don’t have much more they can really sell at this point. Andrelton Simmons is gone, Miller is gone, Cameron Maybin is gone, Mike Minor is gone and I’m sure I’m missing a few from this offseason. Left are recognizable names like Freddie Freeman, Nick Markakis and Nick Swisher but the man that may intrigue the Yankees the most would be Teheran. Teheran is a 24-year old right-handed starting pitcher with four years left of team control. Teheran has shown flashes of brilliance in his young MLB career and may have ace written all over his forehead in the coming years.

I can’t see a Nick Swisher reunion making much sense for the Yankees now, especially without a Brett Gardner trade. Swisher can play the outfield and first base adequately and is a switch hitter but absolutely does not fit into the mold of the team getting younger or less expensive. The same can be said for Freeman, especially the expensive part. Freeman is obviously younger than incumbent first baseman Mark Teixeira but would only block up-and-coming prospect Greg Bird from taking over the position full time in 2017 making a trade for him both redundant and unnecessary. Markakis fits the mold of Swisher as well, the Yankees could use a younger right fielder but without a clear “out” for Carlos Beltran I just can’t see it happening. Even if New York did trade Gardner or Beltran I could see Aaron Hicks getting the shot with Dustin Ackley serving as the 4^th outfielder before I’d see another trade or free agent signing. Teheran it is then!

Teheran would slip into the #2 hole behind Masahiro Tanaka quite well in my opinion and would give the Yankees one of the best starting rotations in all of the American League. I can’t think of, off the top of my head anyway, a better 4^th and 5^th starter than Michael Pineda and Nathan Eovaldi plus Luis Severino makes a damn good #3 pitcher at this point in his career. It may not work for New York, mind you, because it seems like Atlanta could trade their bat boy for two top prospects right now (how in the world are they getting so much for everyone in every single trade?) but it’s worth the phone call in my opinion. 

New York Was NOT Getting Shelby Miller

The Arizona Diamondbacks are going for it ladies and gentleman. After acquiring Zack Greinke off the free agent market for the largest AAV (average annual value) in MLB history the team also made a trade with the Atlanta Braves for their ace starting pitcher Shelby Miller. The New York Yankees were said to be interested in Miller’s services and depending on who you read and what city you were in the Yankees either did or didn’t offer Luis Severino in the deal. Now that the deal is officially done and we can analyze the trade from both sides this much is obvious, the New York Yankees were in no way, shape or form touching or acquiring Shelby Miller this offseason.

The Arizona Diamondbacks gave up #1 overall draft pick Dansby Swanson in the deal along with outfielder Ender Inciarte and pitching prospect Aaron Blair. I’m sorry Yankees fans but not even Jorge Mateo, the team’s best shortstop prospect, is as valuable as Swanson is to other teams. Swanson hit .289 in 83 at bats this season in Low-A and is already considered to be MLB.com’s fourth best prospect at his position.

Blair is a 2013 draft pick that is likely to break camp with the team and head to Atlanta with the big league club after going 7-2 with a 3.16 ERA in Triple-A last season. Inciarte is a center fielder with great defense that had a .303 average and 21 stolen bases in 2015, just his second season. Inciarte is under team control for five more seasons and will likely replace Cameron Maybin in center field this season. Blair will replace Miller and Swanson, a Vanderbilt product, will likely not be far behind to replace Andrelton Simmons at shortstop. Miller gives the Diamondbacks a rotation of Zack Greinke, Miller, Patrick Corbin, Rubby De La Rosa and Robbie Ray.

New York could have offered Severino, Mateo, Bird and Judge and maybe (MAYBE) got Miller. That may not have even been enough and it definitely wouldn’t have been worth it. It’s nice to dream but the Braves got an absolute haul for Shelby Miller, a price that I am glad that Brian Cashman was not willing to pay this winter.

Jeff Samardzija Prices New York OUT on Wei-Yin Chen

The New York Yankees are going to be frugal once again this winter, this much we know, and are likely to stay out of the deep end of the free agency pool. We’ve all watched as David Price, Zack Greinke, Jordan Zimmerman and Jeff Samardzija have pulled down big money offers without the Yankees even making an offer or as much as a phone call to their agents while the team looks to acquire a player with one-to-three years of service time in a trade. Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner have not completely ruled out a free agency signing this winter but they have stated that it will be a minor one. After seeing what the San Francisco Giants gave Samardzija after possibly the worst season of his career I think Wei-Yin Chen just got a little too expensive for the Bombers.

The Yankees have been linked to Chen for much of the offseason after the left-hander hit free agency this winter. Chen has given the Yankees headaches over the past few seasons as a member of the Baltimore Orioles and despite lackluster numbers inside the new Yankee Stadium New York remained interested in his services. Chen was offered a qualifying offer this winter and declined meaning that the Yankees would have to surrender the 20^th overall pick in the 2016 Draft, remember Arizona and San Francisco lost their picks due to free agency signings, but at this moment it seems like that pick is safe.

Chen is a better pitcher than Samardzija has ever been and definitely was in 2015. Chen pitched to a 3.8 WAR, 4.16 FIP and 1.218 WHIP in 2015 which improved his career numbers to 10.0, 4.14 and 1.252. Looking at Samardzija’s disaster of a 2015 season he posted a 0.2 WAR, 4.23 FIP and 1.294 WHIP lowering his career totals to 7.1, 3.84 and 1.278. Looking at these numbers for a pair of 30-year old pitchers if Samardzija is worth five-years and $90 million then what’s Chen worth? Six years and $120 million? Not my money or not, no thank you.

The only way the Yankees are going to acquire an upgrade in the starting rotation is via trade. If the Miami Marlins want to make Jose Fernandez available then swoop him up, even if it costs the team Aaron Judge. If the Braves are willing to make a Shelby Miller for Ivan Nova and Robert Refsnyder package work then you pull the trigger. Just don’t sign Wei-Yin Chen. 

If the Braves Keep Selling...

Nobody knows what the Atlanta Braves are doing over there these days. Living in Atlanta, and owning a baseball related blog, I'm often asked what I think the direction is for the organization. For a long time I would say something along the lines of the team is rebuilding towards the 2017 season when their new stadium in metro Atlanta opens but now I'm not so sure. I don't think Atlanta is going towards the 2017 season, it seems like it's going to take a lot longer to recover from this. After trading Andrelton Simmons and anything and everything not tied down should the Yankees make the phone call to Atlanta and see what they can work out?

What names would the Braves be willing to trade that would interest the Yankees? Shelby Miller, despite his stat line in 2015, is the first name that comes to mind followed by Julio Teheran. Freddie Freeman is likely going to be traded as well, despite what they say, although the Yankees don't need another left-handed hitting first baseman on a long-term deal. Well unless a potential blockbuster could be in the works that includes Greg Bird for both Freeman and Miller.

Miller is entering arbitration eligibility for the first time in his career in 2016 and will not be a free agent until the 2019 season at the earliest. Miller, statistically speaking, had his best season in 2013 when he went 15-9 with the St. Louis Cardinals and possibly had his worst season in 2015 leading the league with 17 losses. If you look at the peripherals though stats like his FIP, WHIP, ERA+, ERA, H/9, HR/9, BB/9 and K/9 among others were either comparable or better in 2015 than 2013. Miller is the ultimate buy-low candidate and could fit the mold for what Brian Cashman is trying to build right now in the rotation.

Freeman and Teheran are likely long shots without giving up Aaron Judge, Bird, Robert Refsnyder and others but I will say this, I would at least considering giving up Bird in a deal that brought Freeman AND one of those pitchers. I would. Would you?

Larry Rothschild and the Next Nathan “Eovolving” Eovaldi

Larry Rothschild and the New York Yankees have drawn rave reviews from their fans and from notable opinions around the league for their work with Nathan Eovaldi in 2015.  After leading the league in hits allowed in 2014 while with the Miami Marlins Eovaldi came back and actually gave up more hits per nine innings, although the length of his starts were significantly reduced skewing this stat a bit, and despite giving up more hits not only did his ground balls and strike out numbers go up but so did his win total. The Yankees may be looking at striking gold once again this offseason or relatively soon by adding another “project” type starter with youth and upside on his side so could the next Nathan “Eovolving” Eovaldi be for the New York Yankees?

If you’re going to fit the mold of a Yankees starter and Eovaldi you’re going to have to keep your walks down, your strikeouts high and your groundballs even higher. Sounds simple enough on paper but not as many pitchers do it as you would expect. When a pitcher does this consistently they are called aces and they are generally not young, controllable or even available. See David Price or Jordan Zimmermann for an example. So who is young, controllable, said to be available and fits the starting pitching molds set above?

Carlos Carrasco is one and is signed through the 2020 season. There have already been rumors of Carrasco being traded this winter by Cleveland and New York is said to be dangling Brett Gardner to the Indians. Danny Salazar also fits this most, just don’t trade them Aaron Judge.

Jose Quintana also fits the most and is also signed through the 2020 season with the Chicago White Sox. The problem is the two most attractive trade pieces the Yankees have, Gardner and Andrew Miller, do not presumable interest the White Sox.

Just like Eovaldi the Yankees could buy low on a struggling National League East pitcher with a bad stat sheet and record for the previous season. Enter Shelby Miller of the Atlanta Braves. They are in total rebuild, make the call.

New York reportedly talked to Seattle about a deal involving Brett Gardner which could have brought back left-hander James Paxton to the Bronx. Paxton has an injury history that scares me but a delivery, motion and repertoire that reminds me, and others, of Andy Pettitte. That is intriguing enough on its own.

The Houston Astros like Andrew Miller and still need a bullpen, would that come at the cost of either Collin McHugh or Lance McCuller Jr.? If I’m the Yankees I certainly hope so.

Cincinnati is rebuilding and I would love for the Yankees to take Raisel Iglesias off the Reds hands. I can remember clamoring for him when he defected from Cuba and Cashman has the opportunity to right a wrong. Some are calling Iglesias “El Duque II.” They sure know how to intrigue me, don’t they?

Tyson Ross of the San Diego Padres would be nice, so would Andrew Cashner truth be told, but AJ Preller is unlikely to make them available. Would the next best thing be Tyson’s brother and current Washington Nationals starter Joe Ross? Washington would love Andrew Miller and may even be interested in Gardner to replace Denard Span. This deal could work, although I could see Cashman acquiring Gio Gonzalez before Ross unfortunately.

Keep in mind, at least as far as I know, that New York is not linked to any of these starting pitchers and in most cases these pitchers are not openly being shopped by their teams. I was merely looking to get together a list of comparable pitchers to Nathan Eovaldi to present to Mr. Cashman, who you all know reads my work, just in case he wants to find lightning in a bottle one more time. 

Are the Atlanta Braves Rebuilding on the Fly?

The Atlanta Braves have shaken up the National League East pecking order a little this week when they traded second baseman Tommy La Stella for RHP and former Atlanta Brave and New York Yankee Arodys Vizcaino. The team then traded away homegrown talent and local boy Jason Heyward to the St. Louis Cardinals along with RHP Jordan Walden for RHP Shelby Miller and a highly regarded pitching prospect. Maybe I have become accustomed to expecting to win every season and I am losing my understanding on what it’s like to be in a smaller market with a smaller payroll but this sounds like a rebuild to me. This sounds at least like a rebuild on the fly anyway.

Pitching reigns supreme right now in that division and the Braves have lost, at least for now, Ervin Santana to free agency along with Brandon Beachy and Kris Medlen to Tommy John surgery so I understand the need for pitching. At what cost does the pitching get too heavily relied on? Ask the 2014 Yankees who had a great pitching staff, injuries and all, and an even better bullpen but lost far too many 1-0 type games because of an inadequate offense. The Braves offense was already suspect with Heyward and La Stella so I can only imagine what Atlanta will be like without them.

I understand that it’s only November, 19 and there is a ways to go in this offseason but you have to wonder what new GM John Hart is thinking. Atlanta does not have a second base prospect less than a year away and the market for middle infielders is barren so why does a team trade away a guy with five years left of team control at what is becoming a premium position? Also one would think the Braves have a lot better chance at re-signing Heyward after 2015 then they do Justin Upton who is also a free agent at season’s end so why not trade Upton? The return is bigger and better and it still opens a position up for Evan Gattis.

I don’t think the Braves are done dealing soon to be free agents for controllable players and I think Upton and Gattis may be next because if it looks like a rebuild and smells like a rebuild and walks like a rebuild, it’s a rebuild. 

Ellsbury, Murphy Power Yankees Offense Past Cardinals in Rubber Game

After getting shutout yesterday, the Yankees were no doubt in dyer need of a victory.

The Bombers, who had just 5 hits in last night's loss, had fallen to three games out of first place, with a star-lacking lineup this evening making them appear to be weak. 

That wasn't the case though, as the Pinstripes scored seven runs off Cardinals Starter Shelby Miller on way to a 7-4 rubber game win.

For the first two innings, the Yanks' offense failed to get a runner in scoring position, but for the next two frames the bats couldn't be stopped.

The Yankees' original rally began with runners on first and second and one out in the top of third, when Jacoby Ellsbury lined a single to right-center to give New York an early 1-0 lead.

Two batters later, backup Catcher John Ryan Murphy added to the advantage, driving in two more with a hit of his own followed by an RBI Fielder's Choice from Ichiro.

In their next half-inning, the Bombers continued to embarrass Miller, crossing home three more times thanks to a two-run single from Ellsbury, his second and third RBIs of the contest, and a liner to right from Brian McCann, scoring Ellsbury from second.

At that point, the ballgame looked to be over, as the Pinstripes had a dominant 7-0 lead.

Unfortunately, that wasn't completely true, as New York's Hiroki Kuroda ended up surrendering three runs on 9 hits in his 5.2 frames of work, costing him a quality start.

Still, that line was good enough for #18 to get the win, improving his 2014 record to 4-3 and slightly raising his ERA to 4.57.

After he left this one, Dellin Betances, who originally wasn't supposed to appear, came in to get the last out of the sixth, inducing a Matt Holliday flyout on the first pitch he threw.

Following him, the usually-perfect Adam Warren entered the contest, leaving a man on second in a rough five-out performance. 

That runner would eventually score in the bottom of the eighth on a single surrendered by David Robertson, who did bounce back later on to end the non-save situation with three consecutive strikeouts, lowering his ERA to a solid 2.20.

To Be The Best You Have To Beat The Best... Meme

Shelby Miller is on the mound tonight in the finale of the three game set between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees. According to this meme Miller is the best, the world champ, so to be the best you have to beat the best. Beat the best tonight Yankees and let's use this game as a springboard that we talk about in the Canyon of Heroes.