The Yankees Miss Their Target...

 

Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Yamamoto decides to join Shohei in LaLa Land…

When it was announced that Shohei Ohtani had deferred all but $2 million annually of his record $700 million contract for the next ten years, it seemed inevitable the Los Angeles Dodgers would do what it takes to sign Shohei’s fellow countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto despite speculation the Yankees were the frontrunners to sign the talented free agent Japanese pitcher.

I never bought into the belief the Yankees would get their man. I wanted it to be true, and I would have loved to have seen Yamamoto wearing number 18 in Pinstripes, but sadly, the Dodgers had the advantage, and they knew it. My only hope was that Yamamoto would want to be “the” Japanese star on his new team despite knowing there is comfort in playing with a teammate without the need for an interpreter. Shohei Ohtani will be THE STAR in Los Angeles. Whatever Yamamoto can do, Ohtani’s star will shine brighter. But Yamamoto has a chance to celebrate championships with one of the greatest players to ever play the game. I do not blame him for his choice. I wish the outcome would have been different, but I wish no ill will to the pitcher, and I hope he has a spectacular Major League career.

The Yankees made a fair offer to Yamamoto. According to multiple sources, the Yankees offered a 9-year contract worth $300 million. The Dodgers offered 12-years at $325 million which is the same figure presented by the New York Mets. The Yankees’ deal offered a greater average annual value, but it was clear that Yamamoto wanted to play in Los Angeles.

There is no doubt it would have been a spectacular offseason if the Yankees had been able to acquire both Juan Soto and Yamamoto. It certainly would have heightened the optimism for the 2024 season. As it stands, the Yankees will need to pivot to find another starting pitcher. It will be hard to replicate the potential Yamamoto would have provided, but a front two of Gerrit Cole and say Corbin Burnes (currently with the Milwaukee Brewers) would be exciting. The downside is the talented prospects it will take to acquire another frontline player. The Yankees could sign Jordan Montgomery or Blake Snell for only money, but neither of those pitchers will significantly upgrade the starting rotation. Burnes or Dylan Cease of the Chicago White Sox seem to be the best options to slide behind Cole in the starting rotation. It is a hard pass on Cleveland’s Shane Bieber for me given his injury history in recent years. Miami’s Jesus Luzardo is also an option.

The Yankees do need help for the starting rotation. If 2024 success is dependent upon good health for Carlos Rodón and Nestor Cortes, Jr., the Yankees are doomed. They need a dependable top starter that they can pair with Cole. I wanted the Yankees to sign Rodón last year, and I still hope that he can be the pitcher he was in San Francisco, but it is not a bet I would want to make. The Yankees must lessen the “need” for Rodón so that anything we get can just be icing on the cake.

I am hopeful that someone emerges from the Yankees’ top pitching prospects to claim a spot in the rotation. An earned claim, not just giving a spot to a pitcher to see what he can do. Chase Hampton, Will Warren, and Clayton Beeter come to mind, along with a healthy Luis Gil. Most might be destined for the bullpen, but it would be nice if one emerged as a solid middle-of-the-rotation starter or even as a strong fifth starter.

Pitching aside, the next order of business should be signing Juan Soto to a long-term extension. I know that his agent, Scott Boras, is not known for extensions but under the right circumstances, he has done it. The Yankees need to put their best foot forward to secure Soto so that he is not a one-and-done rental player for the Yankees. The announcement of a huge contract extension during Spring Training would be incredible. It would set the tone for the season and would bring the certainty Soto will remain an integral part of the lineup moving forward. It would be great to see Soto on the grounds of Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida, surrounded by teammates, friends, and family, celebrating a long-term deal to keep him in the famed Pinstripes for the next decade. The Yankees were willing to give Yamamoto $300 million, knowing they would have to pay Soto. There is no reason the organization cannot pony up the money it will take to keep Soto and entice him to forego the free agent market. It will be a $500 million plus contract, for sure, and without the “Dodger” deferrals. The Yankees can afford to keep one of baseball’s greatest players in New York, and more specifically, in the Bronx.

Juan Soto

As much as Soto may enjoy New York during the upcoming season, I think it would be a mistake to let him hit the open market next offseason. He does not have long-time ties with the organization like Aaron Judge did. Being a Yankee is special, but money is better. If Soto is a free agent, it is a certainty Steve Cohen and the New York Mets will go hard after him. Every winter, there seems to be at least one Major League owner with stupid money. The potential to lose Soto in free agency is far greater than it was with Judge. Even if the Yankees must pay more, the talent of the player has proven his worth. With escalating salaries, the Cole and Judge contracts are beginning to look like bargains. If the Los Angeles Dodgers can afford to pay over a billion dollars for two Japanese players, including one who has never thrown a pitch for a Major League baseball team, the Yankees can afford to pay Juan Soto.

As awful as it felt to lose out on Yamamoto to the Dodgers, the pain of losing Juan Soto to free agency next Winter would be far worse, particularly if Soto has the type of season that we expect him to have in 2024. His style of play, and the results, are certain to endear him to the Yankees fan base. He will become a fan favorite in one of the safest 2024 season predictions you can make. It will rip our hearts out if he leaves.

Good thing Spring Training is still two months away. The Yankees have a lot of work to do.

Alex Verdugo, the Yankee…

I had wondered when the Yankees would hold a press conference for Alex Verdugo. I guess the days of the big press conferences at Yankee Stadium are over, but the Zoom calls with the press are nice. It helps to get insight into the players and to get their thoughts about joining the organization.

When Verdugo held his press conference this week, his comment about being mad when he heard that he had been traded from the Red Sox to the Yankees is the type of intensity I wanted to see from him. We always want the players to despise the enemy as much as we do, but honestly, they do not. They will go to whichever team is willing to show them the money. We saw David Wells and David Cone join the Red Sox. It happens. I would rather see a player dislike the Red Sox like we do. Granted, Verdugo had no love for the Yankees, but it is the passion, the intensity I respect, and I know that when he does pull on the Pinstripes, he will be ready for war. Maybe he will bring the energy the Yankees lineup has been missing. I wanted Cody Bellinger because of Bellinger’s ability to play centerfield while Jasson Dominguez recovers from offseason surgery, and first base as a hedge for Anthony Rizzo’s health. Nevertheless, if Verdugo is a Yankee when the team heads north next March, I will support him. I was not excited about his acquisition when it was first announced, but given time, I can see his value in getting on base for Judge and Soto. Whether he is in left field or center, I would have preferred elite defense, but Trent Grisham will get plenty of opportunities and will provide an excellent glove late in games.

Verdugo has chosen a Yankees number, but he did not reveal it during the press conference. He wore 27 with the Dodgers, and 99 with the Red Sox so neither of those numbers are options. Weirdly, the Yankees website continues to show Verdugo with 99 on the 40-man roster. I think that number is already taken. For that matter, they show outfielder Trent Grisham with number 2. We know that number will never be handed out again. Regardless of the number Verdugo wears, I look forward to the passion and energy he will bring to the Yankees next season. I know he has learned from his past mistakes, and he will continue to get better as a Major League player. So, I do not care what happened between him and Red Sox manager Alex Cora so long as the past mistakes are not repeated.

Alex Verdugo

Several Minor League signings…

The Yankees signed a couple of players to minor league deals this week with invitations to Spring Training. One is a former Pirates pitcher who spent 2023 in the Chicago Cubs organization, 30-year-old right-hander Nick Burdi. The Yankees enjoy reclamation projects from the Pirates, having found success with Clay Holmes, and their signing earlier this offseason of Yerry De Los Santos. Burdi has not found Major League success and has had trouble staying healthy, but he gets a clean slate with the Yankees and hopefully he can be the pitcher he has always wanted to be with his new team.

The Yankees also signed former Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants outfielder Luis González, 28. It is hard not to think of a painful bloop hit by Arizona’s Luis Gonzalez off Mariano Rivera to give the Arizona Diamondbacks the 2001 World Series Championship. “That” Gonzalez is unrelated to the player the Yankees signed, but the name (with or without the accent) will always be a painful reminder of 2001. I was in a bar outside of Arizona’s ballpark (now known as Chase Field) when the older Gonzalez forever placed his name among historical World Series achievements.

González was limited to only thirty-one minor league games last year after back surgery so he will be looking to rebound in 2024. If not with the Yankees, he can hopefully open eyes for some team to capture the continuation of his MLB dream.

Luis González

It was not a signing, but the Yankees claimed infielder Jeter Downs on waivers from the Washington Nationals. Downs was once a top prospect for the Cincinnati Reds. The right-handed shortstop, second baseman, and third baseman was traded, with pitcher Josiah Gray, in December 2018 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the deal that sent Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, Kyle Farmer and Alex Wood to the Reds. The Dodgers sent Downs, Alex Verdugo, and Connor Wong to the Boston Red Sox in a February 2020 trade that brought Mookie Betts (and David Price) to LA. The Washington Nationals had claimed Downs on waivers in December 2022 from the Red Sox, and a year later, Downs became a Yankee after his placement on waivers again. I'm not expecting much for the player with the impressive first name after he failed in Boston and Washington, but he is a former top prospect, so he has the pedigree. Maybe Jeter and the Yankees were always meant to be together. I wish him luck with his continued journey, and I do hope he finds success. It is kind of funny the Yankees have two of the three players the Red Sox acquired for Betts.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

As always, Go Yankees!

Juan Soto: Dreams Come True...

 

Credit: @Yankees via X

Juan Soto is a Yankee.

The New York Yankees successfully acquired young superstar outfielder Juan Soto; a player coveted by the Yankees fan base for years. 

Despite the acquisition of one of baseball’s brightest young talents, the 2023 Baseball Winter Meetings were largely a bore. I am excited that the Yankees acquired Soto, but the process was tiring. I guess I would have liked it better if we had received a Jeff Passan tweet that simply said, “Yankees acquire Juan Soto”. All the tweets and reports from the various team beat writers saying a deal was close to the finish line was too long and drawn out. After hearing the Yankees and Padres were trying to complete the deal all day on Wednesday, the final day of the Winter Meetings, the official word was finally announced at nearly 11 p.m. Eastern time. 

Wednesday evening there were reports that medical records (review on the San Diego side) were holding up the deal. Then, there were reports the Padres executives were attending a social event. I was not sure what to think, but the reports from the trustworthy beat writers did not express any concern that the deal was falling apart. Finally, Joel Sherman broke the news that the deal was done. Whew! 

I thought the Yankees might give Jack Curry an exclusive to break the news. The Yankees Hot Stove show was scheduled to air at 10:30 p.m. Eastern (around the time the news started breaking about the finalization of the trade). Unfortunately, the Brooklyn Nets postgame show ran over so Yankee fans had to patiently (or rather impatiently) wait through the Nets postgame show to finally hear Jack Curry confirm the Soto trade.

It was a long, difficult road with so many rumors. Granted, much of it was trade posturing. In the days leading up to the trade, it felt like the Padres might wait to see the market develop after Shohei Ohtani signs, thinking the jilted suitors might flip their attention to Soto. Fortunately, it was all smoke. The Yankees had the best offer on the table, and it gave the Padres the pitching and financial relief they needed to make the deal. 

Losing Michael King hurts. I appreciated and valued Michael King, the reliever, and then I got even more excited when he excelled during his brief audition as a starter late last season. I was looking forward to King’s future in the starting rotation. I know he has dealt with his share of injuries in recent years, but I did not want to see him go. Obviously, losing him for Juan Soto is a deal you would make every day of the week, but it does not mean that there cannot be sadness to see King go. I truly wish him the best in San Diego. I was hopeful the Yankees would not lose both King and Drew Thorpe, yet they did. I would have preferred to see Clarke Schmidt accompany Thorpe to the West Coast over King, but it was not meant to be. The Yankees paid a healthy price for Soto and center fielder Trent Grisham…four pitchers…King, Thorpe, Jhony Brito, and Randy Vasquez…along with catcher Kyle Higashioka. I refuse to call it an “overpay” even though the Yankees are guaranteed only one year with Soto. Soto is exactly what the Yankees need, and he is worth the cost regardless of how much it hurts. 

Credit: FriarWire, Official Blog of the San Diego Padres

Higgy leaves as the longest-tenured Yankee. I am proud of his time in the Yankees organization, and I am glad he has been part of the team. I recognized that his salary and age were working against him, and it made him the most likely departee among the multiple catchers on the 40-man roster.  Like Austin Romine before him, there comes a time when the Yankees and a player must part ways. Sadly, for Higgy, the day was December 6, 2023. 

Brito and Vasquez did a good job providing rotation depth last year, but I am hopeful the pitchers remaining in the organization will step up. Will Warren, Chase Hampton, and Clayton Beeter are the pitchers who immediately come to mind. Luis Gil will also be back after distancing himself from Tommy John surgery. Nevertheless, the pitching losses reinforce the need to bolster the pitching staff between now and Spring Training. 

Congratulations to General Manager Brian Cashman and his team for closing the deal to bring the 25-year-old superstar Juan Soto to New York. I was not sure they would do it. After ignoring most elite free agent talent in recent years, it seemed implausible the Yankees would pay for a potential future Hall of Famer with prospects and proven Major League talent when they could have had the best of the best for only cash and passed. I am glad they did.  Soto alone is not enough, but Cashman seems to understand there is more work to do…or at least I hope he does.

Although the Yankees acquired outfielder Alex Verdugo earlier in the week from the Boston Red Sox, I am not convinced the 2024 Opening Day outfield will feature Judge, Soto, and Verdugo. The early speculation has Verdugo in left and Soto in right, pushing Judge to center. Cashman made an interesting comment during today’s press conference he held with beat writers when he said that if the season opened today, Judge would be in center. It leaves open the possibility there may be changes. In other words, there is no guarantee Verdugo will be on the opening-day roster. He could be moved for pitching if the Yankees come up with a better outfield solution that would keep Judge in right. Of course, the question would then become where you put Soto who seems better suited to play right field over left field. 

I had been hopeful the Yankees would sign Cody Bellinger as the second move behind the Soto acquisition. Bellinger, if you believe he found himself last year in Chicago, offers both offense and defense and could cover center field until Jasson Dominguez is ready to return late next season and he could back up Anthony Rizzo at first base. Verdugo is simply a corner outfielder who has not played center field in a few years. He is not known for his defense and is obviously far less versatile than a player like Bellinger.  I think the Bellinger dream is gone, but I am hopeful the Yankees can find the best outfield mix. If it ends up with Soto, Judge, and Verdugo, so be it.  I am glad Trent Grisham is around as the fourth outfielder over the various options we had last year. It seems like Grisham will get plenty of playing time. I certainly like Grisham better than Verdugo even if Verdugo is the better everyday player. I do feel badly for Estevan Florial who will probably never get a genuine opportunity in Pinstripes. As much as I like Everson Pereira, I fully expect his name to be part of any trade acquisitions for pitching. 

Since Manager Aaron Boone stated this week that DJ LeMahieu will be the starting third baseman in 2024, the Yankees have much riding on the health of their older corner infielders.  There has been no speculation about Oswald Peraza, but I did find it odd that Peraza was not even given a chance to compete for the starting role in Spring Training.  Both Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera can still find their way on the 26-man roster as part of the bench strength, yet if Peraza is included in a trade for pitching, it would not surprise me. Peraza and the Miami Marlins make total sense to me.

The Yankees will now turn their attention to Yoshinobu Yamamoto. They plan to meet with the free-agent Japanese pitcher on Monday.  The competition for Yamamoto is steep. The Mets, backed by Steve Cohen’s huge wallet, are interested. If the Dodgers lose out on Shohei Ohtani, they may enter the bidding for Yamamoto if they are not there already. It seems like the Yankees are one of the favorites to sign Yamamoto, but it is far from a certainty, and if the bidding gets excessive (hearing reports of $300 million plus the $46 million posting fee), it does seem like Hal Steinbrenner may tap out.  If the Yankees find Yamamoto too expensive, they might look at a reunion with Jordan Montgomery. I would like to see Gumby return, but I wish it was not predicated on whether they get Yamamoto. I would prefer to see Montgomery return as a stand-alone move.  With the questions surrounding Carlos Rodón and Nestor Cortes, Jr, the rotation needs greater dependability in the other spots behind Gerrit Cole and for depth purposes. If the Yankees do not sign Montgomery, I hope he returns to the Texas Rangers. It would be tough to see him pitch for the Red Sox, Blue Jays, or Orioles.  There is room for Montgomery in the Yankees rotation regardless of whether they sign Yamamoto. 

Given the time the Yankees have spent following Yamamoto in Japan including Brian Cashman’s trip last summer when Yamamoto threw a no-hitter, the Yankees are clearly all-in on the talented righthander.  There is no doubt Yamamoto has felt the Yankees’ presence for a long time which helps. I am glad the team is pulling in Hideki Matsui as part of the recruitment team. Unfortunately, I am less optimistic about Yamamoto than I was with Soto.  I tried hard to temper my excitement for Soto under the belief the Yankees might (would) fall short. It worked out with Soto, however, there are no guarantees with Yamamoto and perhaps more adversity given the steeper competition in play for Yamamoto’s services. 

We keep saying the Yankees need to protect the best years of Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge. If the Yankees sign Yamamoto and can re-sign Soto after next season, they could represent the core of the team in the years beyond 2024. We will be talking about protecting their best years. 

I have seen fans already grading the Yankees’ offseason. I prefer to wait for the finished product or at least until we see the guys who show up in Tampa for Spring Training in February. There is work to be done and it will determine how much better the Yankees can be in 2024.

Suffice it to say that I feel better about the Yankees with Juan Soto and Trent Grisham than without.  Nevertheless, other teams are not going to sleep on the Yankees. They are working to get better, and it is possible the best player in the game, Shohei Ohtani, may sign with Toronto, a key division rival. The Orioles have a wealth of young talent, and if they made a financial commitment to invest in starting pitching, they could be a dominant force for years to come. Never underestimate the Rays or the Red Sox.  If Brian Cashman wants to be up for the challenge in the American League to compete with the league’s best, there will be no rest between now and Spring Training.

Thanks for bringing Juan Soto to us, Brian Cashman, now get to work!

Loss of Pitching

The Yankees took a huge hit with their pitching depth this week because of the Verdugo and Soto trades, and the Rule 5 Draft. RHP Mitch Spence and RHP Matt Sauer were the first two Rule 5 Draft selections made. Ouch!

The list is long:

RHP Greg Weissert, RHP Richard Fitts, and RHP Nicholas Judice to Boston. 

RHP Michael King, RHP Randy Vasquez, RHP Jhony Brito, and RHP Drew Thorpe to San Diego.

RHP Mitch Spence, selected by Oakland in Rule 5 Draft.

RHP Matt Sauer, selected by Kansas City in Rule 5 Draft.

RHP Carson Coleman, selected by Texas in Rule 5 Draft.

Although most Rule 5 picks are generally returned, it seems like a certainty Spence will stick with the lowly A’s and there is a strong chance Sauer stays with the Royals all season long.  Carson Coleman had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last spring, but the Rangers feel he has upside for the bullpen after he completes his rehab. It is possible and maybe probable that all three of the Rule 5 losses stick with their new teams for the duration of the upcoming season. 

Credit to the Yankees for how they have drafted and developed pitching in recent years.  Hopefully, the trend continues as they will need to make up for the losses.  I was dreading the Rule 5 Draft as I do every year since the Yankees are always one of the most targeted teams. It was as painful as I expected.  Even when I see a former Yankees prospect lost in the Rule 5 Draft bounce from team to team like catcher Luis Torrens, I wonder what could have been if the player had been allowed to continue his development in the Yankees organization.  Spence, Sauer, and Coleman appear to be more Major League-ready than Torrens did, but new organizations represent change, for better or worse, and the players will need to adapt.  I wish them luck with the slight hope they are offered back to the Yankees.

As always, Go Yankees!

The Long Wait for Yankees News...

   

The Quiet Pinstripes…

I got excited when Jeff Passan tweeted the other day that the Phillies’ Ryan Thompson “yanks a slider” (that Arizona catcher Gabriel Moreno could not handle which allowed Bryce Harper to score) because it was the first time that I got to hear the word “Yanks” in a postseason game this season. Okay, I know, he was not referring to the greatest franchise in MLB history, but it just shows how much I miss the Yankees. 

Since the end of the regular season, the New York Yankees have been extremely quiet. I know, they are waiting for the end of the postseason before making any public comments or moves. I guess we can call this season THE BIG VOID. A void filled only by ex-Yankees playing in the postseason. 

I would like to think Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner is effectively using this time to take his deep dive into the organization although there are reports the self-conducted internal audit will not occur until after the World Series champion is crowned. Who knows what Hal is doing other than counting his money.

Moves we know for sure will NOT happen. Manager Aaron Boone and General Manager Brian Cashman will not be fired. Whatever scenario we craft for the offseason in our speculative moves we feel the Yankees should make, the chances Hal removes his key leaders is about as good as George Steinbrenner rising from the grave to take control of his beloved franchise. It remains to be seen if the Yankees make any adjustments to their analytics division. If there is anyone who should be fired, it is Assistant GM Michael Fishman. I do not care that he has been in the organization for years. Results are more important than tenure. The Yankees have screwed the pooch in how they have analyzed players for the last decade. They may uncover an occasional gem, but the duds are far more frequent.

As far as players, we will have to wait until the Hot Stove League starts next month before we start hearing any real rumors. Although there is no certainty the San Diego Padres will trade Juan Soto, he is clearly the latest number-one target for Yankees fans. I try not to get too wrapped up in Soto speculation. I would be excited if it happened, but why think about it if it may never happen. I wanted Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, and they were there for the Yankees to grab for only money, and Team Steinbrenner let us down by not even joining the chase. Soto will cost quality prospects, in addition to money if they want to retain him. There is nothing about Hal Steinbrenner that leads me to believe he will be an aggressive pursuer of Soto. He should, but will he? I do not like the odds. 

I am even trying to temper any expectations the Yankees will sign Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Although the Yankees have shown public interest in the pitcher, it is not like the Yankees are the only MLB team in search of quality pitching. Hal Steinbrenner may have authorized big money for baseball’s greatest starting pitcher, but I am sure the Carlos Rodón contract is enough to give anyone heartburn about handing out a Brink’s truck to another pitcher. I may be more optimistic about Yamamoto than Soto, but with either one, I am trying to keep expectations low. 

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Photo Credit: Eric Espada/Getty Images)

I am not in favor of bringing Jordan Montgomery back. He has done well since he left the Yankees, but honestly, I would be surprised if Monty wanted to come back to the Yankees after being dealt at the trade deadline a couple of years ago amidst speculation that he did not figure into the Yankees’ postseason plans. He has proven the Yankees were wrong and perhaps he would not have discovered who he could be if he had stayed in New York. Monty will be 31 before the 2024 season. It may not mean that he is over the hill yet, but I think there are better, younger options. I would not be disappointed if Monty returned, but I just do not think it will happen. So, saying I am not in favor of it is probably not accurate, however, I am not going to push for something I think will never happen. Monty should enjoy his post-Yankees renaissance and grab the life-changing money from another team for his next contract. The Texas Rangers would be foolish to let him get away. 

Although the Houston Astros seem to have momentum in the ALCS, I am ready to get the World Series over regardless of which teams are in it or who wins it. 2023 will always be a lost year in my mind. The year the Yankees could have been contenders if Brian Cashman’s moves had not thwarted it. It's time to move on to the 2024 MLB season or at least the preparation for it. Hal Steinbrenner gets to show if his heart is really in it. We shall see. Until then, there is just talk with no action. 

Retiring A-Rod’s Number

The short answer…NO. I am not a fan of Alex Rodriguez. While I appreciate his accomplishments in helping bring a World Series championship to New York in 2009, his desecration of the game far outweighed any positives he made. He is a cheater. He is a liar. He crossed an ethical line of his own volition. 

While I recognize Rodriguez has recaptured some fans with his post-playing career on TV, it does not atone for the damage he did to the game or to the Yankees. 

I think the Yankees have too many retired numbers as it is. There are players with retired numbers who should not be there. Reggie Jackson is one. He may have had big moments as a Yankee, but his stay was brief. He only played five of his twenty-one seasons in New York. Billy Martin is another one. I was not born during his playing days, but I loved every minute of his time(s) as the Yankees manager. I was so excited with every hiring and devastated with every firing. As much as I loved Billy, I do not consider his time worthy of a retired number. He will always remain one of my favorite Yankees managers. On the other side of the coin, Roy White is more deserving of a retired “Yankees” number than A-Rod. His number (6) is retired for Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre. It should be co-retired with White, much like how number 8 is retired for Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra.

Roy White

I do not feel A-Rod should be in the Hall of Fame, and I do not believe his Yankees number should be retired. You may not agree but that is okay. This is not something we need to agree on. You have your opinion and I have mine. 

Speaking of retired numbers, Fresno State will retire Aaron Judge’s number 29 on November 18. A worthy retired number while we wait for the future enshrinement of number 99 in Monument Park. 

Aaron Judge

Looking forward to when we have real Yankees news again.

As always, Go Yankees!