The January of No Action...

 

Yankees quiet as Spring Training approaches…

The 2023 New York Yankees are about as productive as the United States House of Representatives in the 118^th U.S. Congress.

Despite the addition of high-powered executives Brian Sabean and Omar Minaya, the sounds from the Yankees’ front office have been eerily silent three weeks into the new year.  For Brian Cashman, this could be the calm before the storm as we know he likes to lay in the weeds before he pounces. Or it could be what it is…the Yankees are content with the changes made and are ready to dance with the current roster regardless of whether we think they should have done more to move the needle.

Admittedly, I had bought into those who said the Yankees left fielder for this season is not yet on the roster, but the closer we get to pitchers and catchers reporting to Tampa in mid-February, it seems less likely there will be any further moves. Best case scenario seems to be a trade in Spring Training before the team heads north to start the season. Trades have been rare this offseason, but maybe yesterday’s Twins-Marlins trade that saw AL batting champion Luis Arraez head to Miami for RHP Pablo Lopez and prospects will open things up.

I do not expect the Yankees to sign left fielder Jurickson Profar, perhaps the best available free agent option remaining on the board. MLB Trade Rumors reported yesterday that the Yankees do not want to cross the highest luxury tax tier, the so-called Steve Cohen Tax on payroll above $293 million. The Yankees are bumping up against the tier, making the addition of a Scott Boras client improbable.

Spotrac is currently reporting the Yankees’ projected luxury tax payroll to be $291,229,921.  Roster Resource shows $292,331,667; and Cot’s Contracts is projecting $288,551,667. I did not analyze the differences, but regardless of how you look at current payroll, the Yankees are bumping up against the highest tier. It shows no additions can be made without subtractions if we truly believe Hal Steinbrenner will not venture into Cohen tax territory. 

Recognizing this is not the truth, the outside perception is the Yankees are essentially saying that we are unable to find a taker for Aaron Hicks (i.e., nobody wants him), therefore, by default, he is our starting left fielder. In what level of insanity does that make sense? The Yankees have made two notable failed attempts for left field. The Joey Gallo trade of 2021; and the Andrew Benintendi trade of 2022. Benny would have been a great addition if not for the unfortunate injury, and then the Yankees let the Chicago White Sox outbid them for Benny’s services this winter so regardless of some nice brief work, it did not provide sustained success. If the Yankees did not believe in Aaron Hicks in July 2022, why should they believe in him now? I am tired of hearing he is ‘healthy now’. We know, by proven history, it is a façade and a short-term situation. Good health and Aaron Hicks do not go together. Then, there is the question of attitude and desire. At times, he seems so aloof in the outfield. It negates any positive play for him.

I so want Estevan Florial to have a baseball epiphany and come into Spring Training with a newfound skill of identifying pitches with high success, and crushing every pitch thrown to him in the strike zone.  Sadly, we know it is a fictional dream.  Yet, I will give him the benefit of the doubt for no other reason than I do not want to see Aaron Hicks as the starting left fielder. Perhaps Florial and Oswaldo Cabrera, in a platoon, can hold down the position until the trading deadline. The sad part of yet another trade deadline deal for a left fielder is how many prospects the team has already given up with the failed search to replace Brett Gardner. 

For the conundrum, the Yankees can look no further than last March’s trade with Minnesota that brought Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Ben Rortvedt to the Bronx. Collectively, Donaldson and IKF will cost the Yankees $31 million toward luxury tax payroll this season. With money like that, you could buy a rather decent left fielder. Instead, we have two players most fans would prefer to see elsewhere. Throw in Aaron Hicks’ $10 million and it shows that one should never trust Brian Cashman’s financial decisions. He is clearly not maximizing the value of every dollar. 

I am a little frustrated the Yankees, so far, have chosen to do nothing about their weakest link. The Yankees have not closed ground on the Houston Astros. The Astros may have lost Justin Verlander, but they have proven the ability to produce elite starting pitchers. I doubt the loss of Verlander is going to derail their team. They lost one of the best shortstops in baseball prior to last season, and the replacement is the 2022 World Series MVP. They now have Jose Abreu manning first base over Yuli Gurriel which is an upgrade. There is no reason to believe the Astros will not be playing in the American League Championship Series this fall.  On the other hand, their ALCS opponent-to-be is wide open. 

The Yankees are better with Carlos Rodón. But how much better remains to be seen. Jameson Taillon, the man he replaced, is a good pitcher. No doubt Rodón is the superior starter, but it does not close the gap with Houston. The problem in last year’s ALCS was not pitching, it was hitting. To put it lightly, the team’s ability to hit was offensive and I do not mean that positively. They were awful and could have used guys like DJ LeMahieu and Andrew Benintendi. I thought there would be an offseason push to find players with similar bat-to-ball skills. 

DJ LeMahieu’s return is huge yet not enough. I enjoyed the video I saw this week of DJ working out in Tampa with Gleyber Torres. 

Video link with credit to Bryan Hoch, @BryanHoch and Marc C, @MarcNYY618 on Twitter: Gleyber and DJ

He seems to be moving nicely and the images of him playing third base reinforce how much I would prefer to see him there over Josh Donaldson. The concern is obviously health. The toe injury was resolved through only rest, and I carry a fear that he will reaggravate the injury. The Yankees need LeMahieu, and his ability to stay on the field for the duration of the season will go a long way toward determining October success. 

As a fan, I am frustrated the Yankees spent so much on Aaron Judge and Carlos Rodón in addition to what they are paying Gerrit Cole, only to leave the team as vulnerable as it has been. They could have done more to field the best possible roster, arguably without spending more money. Other teams routinely move bad contracts. It takes prospects and retention of some of the financial commitment, but they do it. For the Yankees, the bad contracts hang like an albatross until the end. Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Aaron Hicks are literally preventing the Yankees from becoming better because they cannot perform to the level of their contracts. 

These are the best years of Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge. The Yankees should not waste them with underperformers in key roles. I would love to see a 26-man roster that I am genuinely excited about when the team trots out on the field at Yankee Stadium in late March. There is still time for Brian Cashman to make it happen, but it seems with each passing day, the roster is what it is. Hoping for good health and rebounds from multiple players.  Sure, what could go wrong…

Bad Day for Former Top Prospects

It was wild to see two former top Yankees prospects designated for assignment yesterday, on the same day. Miguel Andújar was designated by the Pittsburgh Pirates to clear space for the return of Andrew McCutcheon. In Seattle, the Mariners DFA’d Justus Sheffield after signing veteran infielder Tommy LaStella.

Andújar, scheduled to make $1.525 million this season, seems likely to remain in the Pirates organization unless some team is willing to take a flyer. Doubtful that Andújar would forego his contract if no team claims him on waivers, making it a high probability that he is assigned outright to Indianapolis (AAA). He should get an invitation to Spring Training so he may have another opportunity with the Pirates (assuming no team claims him).

Miguel Andújar

Sheffield seems likelier to be claimed or traded. It was not that long ago he was a highly touted prospect, and there are pitching coaches who may think they could be the difference-makers. He only made $760,800 last season and has an option remaining. No doubt someone tries to uncork the potential that has alluded the Yankees and the Mariners. Maybe Sheffield is just one of those guys who does not get it until he reaches his thirties. He is only 26 (turns 27 in May) so there is time for him to discover success.

It would have been cool if Clint “Jackson” Frazier had been DFA’d too but unfortunately, he was cut by the Chicago Cubs back in October and has not yet hooked on with a new team.

Ah, the prospect-hugging days of Andújar, Sheffield, and Frazier seem like they were only yesterday.

Note to the Toronto Blue Jays

Shut up! Until you can win the AL East and advance in the playoffs, your words sound as truthful and mature as New York Representative George Santos. 

Whether it is new Blue Jay Brandon Belt saying "We should be the World Series favorites this year" or Vladimir Guerrero saying the Yankees were the easiest team to beat in 2022, the words are hollow for a team that has done nothing on the field to back up their words.  

Shelley Duncan returns to the Yankees Family

Former Yankees prospect Shelley Duncan may have never found success as a big leaguer for the team, but he is back in the organization as the newest manager of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. 

Duncan replaces Doug Davis who managed the RailRiders for the past two seasons. Davis has since been named the manager of the Round Rock Express, the Triple A affiliate for the Texas Rangers.

Duncan was analytics coordinator for the Chicago White Sox for the past two seasons. He played 68 games for the Yankees between 2007 and 2009, batting .219/.290/.411 with eight home runs and 24 RBIs. He found a few more opportunities with Cleveland (but not much more success) before ending his career with the Rays in 2013. An interesting stat is that he hit exactly eleven home runs and scored 29 runs in each of his three seasons with Cleveland.

It is always good to see old friends find their way home. Congrats and best of luck, Shelley! Your job is simple. Accelerate the exit of Anthony Volpe on a bus bound for New York. 

Farewell to Sweeny Murti

I was disappointed to see the announcement yesterday that Yankees beat reporter Sweeny Murti has left WFAN after 30 years. He did not announce his plans. I wish Sweeny the best in whatever he does next, but the Yankees beat will not be the same without him. I have much respect for his professionalism, and he was easily one of the better team reporters to follow. 

Sweeny posted this farewell on Twitter.

We wish you the best for what is next, Sweeny. We are confident you will bring your high class, superior professionalism, and elite expertise to your next adventure, with the usual exceedingly outstanding success.  We have been blessed by your presence in the Yankees Universe. 

As always, Go Yankees!

It was a Cole, Hard Night for the Braves...

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Mike Stobe)

Yanks prevail, thanks to Bullpen, a couple of homers, and a few walks…

Happy 4th of July!

The Yankees used the long ball and some very lucky breaks on Tuesday night to win the second game of their series with the Atlanta Braves, 8-5.  After losing Monday night’s contest in extra innings on a Ronald Acuna, Jr fly ball that glanced off the top of Aaron Judge’s outstretched glove into the right field stands, it was nice to get one back in the win column.

This game looked like it would be a Yankees rout, but then the Braves charged back before Giancarlo Stanton, with unlikely assists from A.J. Cole and Chasen Shreve, said “oh no, you don’t” with his two-run homer (20th of the year) in the eighth.  

Photo Credit: Jim McIsaac (via Newsday)

Aaron Hicks followed up his three-homer performance on Sunday with a first inning two-run dinger to give the Yankees an early 2-0 off Braves starter (and childhood Red Sox fan) Sean Newcomb.  Hicks quietly has 15 home runs, matching his career high set last season.   

In the bottom of the second, Kyle Higashioka added a run with his second Major League hit and second MLB homer with a shot to left. “All he does is hit damn home runs” to borrow and slightly tweak the famous line uttered by the late Buddy Ryan about Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter and his propensity for catching touchdowns. Higgy has certainly allayed any concerns about Austin Romine’s sore hammy.  

The third inning was a very unusual one for the Yankees. Newcomb loaded the bases for the Yankees with three walks around two outs before issuing a free pass to Brandon Drury to force in a run. The Braves made a pitching change to bring in reliever Luke Jackson but he couldn’t find the strike zone with Kyle Higashioka (I think every Yankees fan was hoping for another home run by Higgy to match the three-homer start to his career by former Yankee Alfonso Soriano) and walked in another run. Neil Walker lined out to first on a very sharply hit ball to end the inning but the Yankees had scored two more runs despite no hits to lead 5-0.

Brett Gardner led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a double to left center past a diving Ronald Acuna,Jr. He advanced to third on a single to left by Aaron Judge. Luke Jackson, after striking out the next two batters, threw a wild pitch that allowed Gardy to race home, sliding headfirst across the plate, for the Yankees’ sixth run. It looked like the game was going to be a blowout like Sunday’s game against the Boston Red Sox.

Domingo German had looked good for the first four innings but it all unraveled for him in the fifth inning. After Johan Comargo walked to lead off, German was able to strike out Dansby Swanson but then the Braves homer parade started. Ender Inciarte took German deep to right for a two-run shot, and Ozzie Albies followed with a blast to right to make it a three-run game. German gave up singles to the next two batters to end his night, removing his ability to earn the win since he was unable to complete five full innings. A.J. Cole, who had been activated off the disabled list on Monday, came in relief for German.  Cole struck out the first batter, Kurt Suzuki, but then Ronald Acuna, Jr reached on an infield single to load the bases.  In perhaps his biggest moment as a Yankee, Cole struck out Tyler Flowers on a 3-2 count to end the inning, leaving the three Braves runners stranded. I continue to be amazed how effective Cole has been in his limited appearances for the Yankees after his miserable start to the year with the Washington Nationals.

The Braves made it a one-run game in the top of the seventh inning when Nick Markakis, no stranger to Yankee Stadium with his years in Baltimore, took advantage of the right field porch, like his teammates, with a two-run dinger off Adam Warren. There was a bit of a scare when Giancarlo Stanton crashed into the wall while attempting to make the catch on the ball hit by Markakis. 

It was looking very precarious for the Yankees in the top of the eighth when the Braves had the go-ahead run on base with only one out following a couple of singles off Warren.  Aaron Boone made the call to the pen for Chasen Shreve (Yikes!) but despite my fears and absolute pessimism, Shreve recorded outs with both men he faced. I can’t say Shreve would have been my choice in that spot but credit to Boonie for keeping the faith.

Giancarlo Stanton gave the Yankees some breathing room in the bottom of the inning. Brett Gardner took a one-out walk, but was erased at second when Aaron Judge hit into a fielder’s choice at short. So, with Judge at first, Stanton came to the plate and hit what Sweeny Murti called “the Yankee Stadium-iest home run” with a short fly ball (331 feet) just over the right field wall. No matter, it gave the Yankees a 8-5 advantage.

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Mike Stobe)

Three up and three down in the top of the ninth for the great Aroldis Chapman and he had his 24th save of the season and another win for the Yankees.

Photo Credit: AP (Frank Franklin II)

Gleyber Torres didn’t start the game with what was described as a stiff hip flexor but he came into the game as a defensive replacement for Neil Walker in the eighth inning. Gleyber is expected to man second base in the series finale with the Braves today.

Photo Credit: Bill Kostroun

Brandon Drury got the start at first base over Greg Bird. He was 0-for-3 but had the RBI on the bases-loaded walk.  

A.J. Cole picked up the vulture win with a very solid 1 2/3 innings of relief after German received the early hook in the fifth. Cole yielded only one hit in the scoreless appearance while striking out four Braves. He was certainly one of the keys to the game for a guy who has seemed to straddle the DFA line for weeks.

I have to admit that it was very strange to see Aaron Boone wearing his Yankees jersey. I almost expected him to pick up a bat to hit for Miguel Andujar. It was probably the first regular season game that I’ve seen Boonie wear the famed Pinstriped jersey since his time with the Yankees in 2003 (this year’s Old Timer’s Day excluded). 

Unfortunately, the Yankees (55-28) were unable to make up any ground on the Boston Red Sox in the AL East and continue to trail the Sox by a game. Boston thrashed the Washington Nationals, 11-4, for their second win in as many days against the Nats. I am really hoping that Bryce Harper has a banner day today for the 4th of July. Sadly, the pitching matchup seems to favor the Red Sox (Eduardo Rodriguez, 9-3, 4.11 ERA against Erick Fedde, 1-3, 6.00 ERA). Hopefully E-Rod will look more like the version that faced the Yankees last weekend.  

For the Yankees, they’ll send crafty vet CC Sabathia (5-3, 3.02 ERA) to the hill against Julio Teheran (6-5, 4.21 ERA) for the series finale. This day always make me think of Dave Righetti when he no hit the Boston Red Sox on July 4, 1983. 

Have a safe and enjoyable 4th of July!

Go Yankees!

Good Hitting or Good Pitching? I’ll Take Both, Please…

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Mike Stobe)

Yankees win again behind German…

The Yankees got off to a good start with their three-game series against the Seattle Mariners last night with a 7-2 win at Yankee Stadium.

Very nice pitching performance by young Domingo German. I wish Sonny Gray could take notes on how to pitch in the Bronx. The veteran could learn a thing or two from the rookie. German could have broken in the first inning when the Mariners had runners at the corners and no outs following a double and an error by Didi Gregorius. Sure, the M’s picked up a run on Mitch Haniger’s fielder’s choice to short but German shook it off and struck out Corey Seager’s brother Kyle to end the threat. From there, German shut down the Mariners, retiring 18 in a row, until Nelson Cruz did what he does best in the seventh inning, a dinger to left. You can’t really blame German for that one. Cruz does it to the best of 'em.

German’s final pitching line was something Sonny Gray can only dream about at Yankee Stadium. Seven very strong innings, two hits, two runs but only one earned, zero walks, and nine strikeouts.  German is pitching like he doesn’t want GM Brian Cashman to make any pitching acquisitions at the trading deadline. While I’d leave German in the rotation, I would still make a trade for a proven veteran starter. Nothing against Jonathan Loaisiga but I’d rather limit the rookies in the rotation for the stretch run to only one (German). 

I liked the tag line used by Mike Axisa of River Ave Blues:  Dominant Domingo and the Dingers. It was a very good description of the game. I can’t wait for the movie.

Photo Credit: NY Post (Charles Wenzelberg)

With German easing the Yankees’ desperation for starting pitching help, I hope it opens the possibility for a trade to acquire a shutdown arm for the bullpen. None better than San Diego’s LHP Brad Hand which would allow the Yankees to dump Chasen Shreve. I think it was Sweeny Murti who said the other day that he’d like for the Yankees to acquire the Padres closer for no other reason than to be able to say “Aloha, Mr Hand!”. Yes, that’s true. Good point. But Hand is also the most highly sought-after reliever now that former Kansas City Royals closer Kelvin Herrera resides in Washington, D.C. and he has drawn attention from many teams including the Boston Red Sox. I really would not want to see Hand go to Boston to help shore up their bullpen deficiencies. The move to acquire him by the Yankees would not be all about keeping him out Boston but rather give us a deadly bullpen that can shut down anyone, anytime, anywhere. 

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Denis Poroy)

If the Yankees make no moves for starting pitching, they should most certainly look to add additional bullpen pieces. I really don’t want to see Shreve as the top lefty come October. He’s too inconsistent for me and a few others on this site.

It was good to see the Yankees offense come to life last night. Marco Gonzales has pitched very well for the Mariners this year and he entered the game with a 7-3 record. I thought well enough of him to add him to my fantasy baseball team a few weeks ago. He killed my team last night with six runs allowed, including three home runs. But hey, it was worth it. I cut him after the game but there’s no way I can be disappointed with his dismal performance.

Photo Credit: Associated Press (Seth Wenig)

The homers were really fun to watch. Giancarlo Stanton’s shot to center in the first inning to tie the game, Miguel Andujar’s two-run homer to left in the bottom of the fifth to give the Yankees their first lead, Aaron Hicks’ two-run blast to left in the fifth after Clint Frazier had singled to increase the Yankees’ lead to 5-1, and the eighth inning ‘tack-on' homer to left by Gleyber Torres off former Yankees reliever Nick Rumbelow. If you saw only the homer and not the batter, you would have sworn that Gleyber’s shot was courtesy of Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton. It was certainly worthy of the words “All Rise” or “a Stantonian blast” if it had been hit by #99 or #27 rather than #25. The ball traveled 446 feet, easily the longest hit of the night. After Torres hit his homer, I saw one Yankees tweet say only 38 more to go to the rookie record. Very funny even if impossible.  Still, I don’t think anyone in their wildest dreams could have forecasted 14 home runs, 35 RBI’s, and a slash line of .291/.346/.566 for Gleyber Torres on June 19^th. The guy is such a joy to watch game after game. Sure, he’ll have to continue to make adjustments as pitchers adjust but he’s shown us enough to be confident he will. 

Oh yeah, Aaron Judge had an RBI on single to left in the bottom of the seventh off Rumbelow with the run charged to Gonzales. A single. How pedestrian! Seriously, I love what Aaron Judge means to this team and how he is continually a difference-maker with both bat and glove. 

I was hopeful that Gary Sanchez was breaking out of his slump but he was 0-for-4 with a strikeout, dropping his season batting average back down to .191. 

It was a fun game. The Mariners are a very good club and this series could easily be a preview of October if the M’s continue to play well. They are currently 46-27 and sit just two games behind the World Champions in the AL West. I don’t expect the Yankees to sweep the series but I am hopeful they capture at least one of the next two games before hopping on a plane bound for Tampa, Florida. 

The Boston Red Sox, despite having their ace, Chris Sale, on the mound, lost 6-2 to the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis, MN so the Yankees (48-22) increased their AL East lead to one game. Credit to the third-place Tampa Bay Rays, the Yankees’ next opponent. They used Blake Snell (a pitcher that I’d love to see Brian Cashman acquire) to beat the Astros and Justin Verlander, snapping Houston’s 12-game winning streak.    

Congratulations to Brandon Drury for winning International League Player of the Week honors. The Major League player, who deserves better than Triple A, hit .471 with one home run and 11 RBI’s during the week of June 11^th through 17^th. He had 16 hits, 25 total bases, and 11 runs scored. In last night’s 7-5 loss by the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (love that name!), Drury was 0-for-5 with a couple of strikeouts. It doesn’t deter me. I still want Drury back in Pinstripes where he belongs. With Ryan McBroom’s demotion to Double-A, I saw a quote by RailRiders manager Bobby Mitchell that the plan is to play Drury at first periodically. Operation Dump Neil Walker; Promote Brandon Drury is well underway. I liked Mitchell’s quote about Drury earlier this week: “He’s a big leaguer, you know? Just happens to be with us. He can play for a lot of teams, obviously, and even ours if they needed him.” 

Photo Credit: Todd Hiller

As for Chance Adams (the loser in the game), he is stepping dangerously into “Chance Adams Sucks!” Territory. Once considered the top pitching prospect in the organization, Adams gave up six runs in four innings (four earned) yesterday.  He walked four batters while striking out only one. Control continues to be his Achilles Heel. Suffice it to say that I don’t think we’ll be seeing Mr Adams (2-3, 5.21 ERA) in the Bronx anytime soon.

It’s Wednesday and an awesome day for Lasagna! It will be Old versus Young today as 32-year-old “King” Felix Hernandez takes on rookie 23-year-old Jonathan Loaisiga who was phenomenal in his debut appearance. When I looked up Hernandez, I was thinking he was older than he really is.  He seems to have aged prematurely and is certainly not the ace he once was. This season, he is 6-6 with 5.44 ERA and an unsightly 1.38 WHIP. For all the years the Yankees were linked to him in trade rumors, I am glad it was a trade never consummated.  Let’s get a win and take this series.

Go Yankees!

The Greedy Pinstripes… My Apology

Good morning Greedy Pinstripes family. I want to, no I need to, start this morning off with an apology. I haven’t been around. I haven’t wanted to be around. I didn’t even say why, so here is my explanation and my apology.

When we started this blog however many years ago it’s been now I had these vast dreams and hopes of toppling the big boys in the blog world. I wanted to be linked as a source on MLB Trade Rumors. I wanted Joel Sherman and Sweeny Murti and the likes to know me by name. For that reason I went hard, every single day I went hard, and while I never forced content I was a content machine for a long, long time.

That grind began to get to me this season. When the playoffs and offseason hit… I hit a wall. I’ve tried to work around that wall and it’s been a constant struggle. Until recently I tried to fight it but over the last week or so I’ve completely thrown my hands up. This time off has been good though, I feel the batteries recharging but I still feel bad leaving you guys and girls hanging. For that I apologize.

I can’t promise I’m back but I feel better today as I write this than I have in about six months as far as my writing is concerned. I may not be known, I may not be the next Chris Cotillo and although David Cone, Michael Kay and others follow me on Twitter I may not be well known in the blogging world but finally I know… that’s okay.

Burned out. Discouraged. Whatever adjective you want to use, I prefer to just be over it. Finally. Thank you for your patience and your continued support of me, the writers here, the community that has turned into a family (as dysfunctional as we are) and the blog as a whole.

Back to work. 

Mike Trout, the Yankees and a Quick Reminder

The Yankees world has absolutely lost its mind and it began when the Sweeny Murti of CBS mentioned the idea of the New York Yankees taking a stab at acquiring Mike Trout this offseason. Well, let’s be fair, the losing of the mind for the New York fan started long before Sweeny hit publish on this post but for dramatic effect just roll with it. I thought that was an awful cute and novel idea to acquire one of the best young hitters and all-around players in the game right now with this new-found farm system but the idea of it is not so unique if you think about it. You see, I already thought about it back on October 7^th so in case you missed it, and want to lose your mind all over again, here is the post again in its entirety. The post is dates, so remember that, but the general gist remains the same. Use prospects, acquire Trout, win. Period.

SEE ORIGINAL POST HERE

This is a pipe dream but as the New York Yankees season ended abruptly on October 2nd the offseason is officially underway for the team and now is the time to dream. If you’re going to dream then you have to dream big and I don’t think it gets any bigger than thinking about the Yankees making a huge splash this offseason by acquiring Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. 

Now before you all simply roll your eyes and click off the post please hear me out. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were absolutely horrible again in 2016 and with now five seasons under the belt for Trout and Albert Pujols together the team has about as many playoff game victories as I had during my MLB career, zero. In fact the 2016 season was the worst season for the Angels since 1999 so why wouldn’t they at least entertain the thought of blowing it up and beginning a rebuild with a move of Trout and Pujols?

The Angels have a top-heavy payroll and no farm system in sight to bail the team out if and when they get hit by the injury bug like they did in 2016 and at some point the team has to either sacrifice winning now for a future or continue to live in mediocrity while wasting the best years of Mike Trout’s playing career. CJ Wilson made $20 million in 2016 and didn’t throw a pitch, Garrett Richards missed five months with an elbow ligament injury, Andrew Heaney and Andrew Tropeano will likely miss 2017 recovering from Tommy John surgery and no one knows the status of Matt Shoemaker after taking a line drive to the head late in the 2016 season. With no arms, no prospects to replace them and no money to acquire any the Angels may have to make a trade. They don’t want to, they may have to though and that is where the Yankees should come in with their new-found Top 5 farm system they acquired this summer doing similar trades. 

Before we get too far into this you must remember that Brian Cashman’s former right-hand man Billy Eppler is now the GM in Anaheim so you have to think he is at least somewhat familiar with the bulk of the Yankees system. So what can the Yankees offer to make this deal work for both clubs? I honestly think there are two options that could work. One option is throwing prospects at the Angels and hoping for the best. Headlining a package for Trout could be Jorge Mateo, an outfielder (preferably not Clint Frazier but to acquire Trout it would likely have to be Aaron Judge), and a pitching arm like James Kaprielian or Chance Adams (or Justus Sheffield or Brady Lail or a slew of other names and prospects) and hope for the best or the New York Yankees could get creative and help Anaheim out in multiple ways. 

The Angels need prospects, salary relief and MLB ready talent so why don’t the Yankees give them all three? No I’m not suggesting taking on an aging Albert Pujols to play DH, he has five years left on his deal at $140 million and he is 36-years old, but instead I am suggesting “taking the Josh Hamilton contract” off the Angels books. I put that in parenthesis because Hamilton is not on the Angels anymore, he’s being paid over $26 million by the Angels to play for the Texas Rangers, so if the Yankees could send “cash considerations” over to Anaheim to essentially pay for the Hamilton contract while giving up significantly lesser prospects I think this could work for both sides. 

The Angels have CJ Wilson and Jered Weaver coming off their books which should help but having an extra $26 million, or even less depending on what the league would allow, could only help Anaheim rebuild and get better. Adding back some talent for Trout as well can only help speed up the impending rebuild in Anaheim. Is it unlikely? Yeah, sure is. Is it impossible? No, nothing is impossible. Well it’s only impossible if you don’t ask. So Cashman, ask. 

So I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that I’m either the biggest idiot you’ve ever read for even suggesting this or that they should make a Moneyball type movie about me and let me play myself in it since I am so much better looking than Brad Pitt. Whichever it is, leave it below in the comments section or Tweet me @GreedyStripes. 

Luis Severino To Be Promoted, Make Next Start Inside Yankee Stadium

Luis Severino will make his next start in the major leagues says Brian Cashman.

— Sweeny Murti (@YankeesWFAN) July 31, 2015

No innings limits on Severino says Cashman. Said they almost brought him up in Texas, but Moreno's great appearance let him hold off.

— Sweeny Murti (@YankeesWFAN) July 31, 2015

No date yet for Severino debut. Girardi said it will be one of the Boston games next week at Yankee Stadium.

— Sweeny Murti (@YankeesWFAN) July 31, 2015

Most Popular Article of the Week: BREAKING: Yankees Acquire Didi Gregorious

#Yankees working on 3-team deal w/ AZ and DET to land SS Didi Gregorius. Hearing Shane Greene would go to DET, Tigers sending 2 P's to AZ
— Sweeny Murti (@YankeesWFAN) December 5, 2014

Hey look at this, a credible source reporting a big time deal involving the New York Yankees. What I take from Sweeny's tweet above is that the Detroit Tigers would acquire Shane Greene, the Yankees would acquire Didi Gregorious and the Arizona Diamondbacks would acquire some prospects.

Yes please, as much as I love Greeney.

UPDATE: It's a done deal. Gregorius is a Yankee.

BREAKING: Yankees Acquire Didi Gregorious

#Yankees working on 3-team deal w/ AZ and DET to land SS Didi Gregorius. Hearing Shane Greene would go to DET, Tigers sending 2 P's to AZ
— Sweeny Murti (@YankeesWFAN) December 5, 2014

Hey look at this, a credible source reporting a big time deal involving the New York Yankees. What I take from Sweeny's tweet above is that the Detroit Tigers would acquire Shane Greene, the Yankees would acquire Didi Gregorious and the Arizona Diamondbacks would acquire some prospects.

Yes please, as much as I love Greeney.

UPDATE: It's a done deal. Gregorius is a Yankee.

Quick Hit: Mick Kelleher Retired After 46 Years

Former NYY 1B coach Mick Kelleher is not pursuing another job, will retire after 46 yrs in the game, 16 as coach in NYY organization.
— Sweeny Murti (@YankeesWFAN) October 20, 2014

Happy retirement goes out to Mick Kelleher, former first baseman of the New York Yankees. Kelleher announced that he would retire after spending the last 46 years in Major League Baseball. Good luck and good health in all the endeavors you find yourself in after baseball, you will be missed.

Darrell Rasner Talks About Pitching W/ Masahiro Tanaka

Former Yankees pitcher Darrell Rasner has spent the last five seasons pitching in Japan along side Masahiro Tanaka and has been recently interviewed by Sweeny Murti about the Japanese star. Rasner was quoted as saying the following:

I watch him pitch at 88-89 or 90-91, and then I’ll see him jump up to 98-99 when he needs it. I saw him do this (last) year, and there was one game that really stands out to me. I wanna say it was the eighth or ninth inning and he was 140 pitches in and he needed a strikeout, and he jumped it from that 90 to about 98-99 and punched the guy out. … He’s always been great, he’s always been special. But this year I saw him learn how to mess with guys’ timing—he would do a quick pitch, change speeds. He really has a good feel right now of what he’s doing.

WFAN To Host Yankees Games In 2014

UPDATE: It is official! We can all talk about it, even you Michael Kay, and not jinx it.

Just a few days after I pissed off @YankeesWFAN Sweeny Murti the Yankees announced that they will be moving their radio broadcasts to WFAN beginning in 2014. The Yankees have had a good relationship with CBS since moving over to 880 AM in 2002. This move would move the Yankees broadcasts to the very powerful 660 AM station as well as the FAN on 101.9. This deal could be worth an estimated $15,000,000 to $20,000,000 in added revenue for the next ten years for the suddenly penny pinching Yankees.

While nothing is final or official yet I wonder what this means for the future of John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. You would have to think that the Yankees would like to bring them both along to the new station but then again I did not see Kim Jones leaving either so you never know. If one of them leaves or is not brought back it is much more likely to be Waldman and not Sterling in my opinion.

Michael Kay Goes Off On "Jinxing" Perfect Games

@RealMichaelKay. For some reason I was living under a rock the day this was recorded because this was the first time I listened to this and I had to share. Michael Kay absolutely goes off on a caller, and he is right FYI, about jinxing no hitters and perfect games. He makes a great point, a point that I brought up in my DM conversation with Sweeny Murti on Twitter the other day, about how it is not his job to root for the Yankees but is his job to report about the game, which is what he is doing. Anyway give it a listen as Kay destroys the caller and notice the absolute silence and what sounds like a cricket chirping when Kay mentions his doubts about a god... my jaw dropped, wow.