The Mets, Antonio Bastardo and Another Reason the Justin Wilson Trade was a Bad Idea

The New York Yankees traded away Justin Wilson to the Detroit Tigers this offseason for two starting pitching prospects Chad Green and Luis Cessa. The reasoning we the fans were given as a reason for it was so that the Yankees could have some depth at starting pitching in Scranton going forward and because Wilson was hitting the years of arbitration eligibility that tend to get a little expensive. Well the dust has settled and Wilson’s arbitration case has settled as well giving the Yankees a clear idea of just how expensive he is but the team also has an idea of just how much of a bargain he was as well. Let me explain.

All winter long I have compared free agent relief pitcher Antonio Bastardo to Wilson and used those comparisons to decide whether the move was a good one or not for the Yankees. If you look at their stats, ages and such they are almost an identical clone down to the fact that both even throw from the left side of the pitching rubber. The striking difference between these two pitchers though will be their salaries in 2016. Wilson agreed to a deal with the Tigers worth $1.5 million to avoid arbitration while Bastardo recently signed with the Mets, again with a comparable age, stats and track record, on a two-year deal worth $12 million.

So you have similar players statistically but you have a $4.5 million difference in salary, tell me why the Yankees traded him again? Oh yeah for a marginal starting pitching prospect and a guy that is considered to be an organizational prospect. How could I forget?

Bastardo heads into 2016 fresh off posting a 4-1 record with a 2.98 ERA and one save for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Bastardo struck out 64 batters and issued 26 walks in just 57.1 innings pitched while helping Pittsburgh claims their third consecutive playoff spot. 

Are the Small Market Teams Worried?

Major League Baseball has a big season and a big year ahead of them in 2016. Not only do they have the regular season, postseason and World Series but they also have a collective bargaining agreement that is set to expire after the season. MLB has enjoyed baseball every year without a work stoppage since the 1994 season that saw the World Series cancelled and teams like the New York Yankees and Montreal Expos wondering what could have been and the league intends to keep it that way if they can. You’re not going to get five people to agree on the same thing let alone 30 MLB team’s so finding a common ground is going to benefit some and take from others, that’s the business of things, but are the New York Yankees making the small market teams begin to worry yet?

In 2015 a record four teams paid into the luxury tax including about $70 million paid by the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees. The other two teams, the San Francisco Giants and the Boston Red Sox, paid just $3.1 million combined last season. With the Yankees newfound plan to use their farm system, to acquire cheap and young controllable talent and their plan to get under the luxury tax threshold (for real this time) are teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Tampa Bay Rays beginning to sweat a little?

The Yankees have paid the most in luxury tax since its inception and it’s not even close. The team has also paid in every single year since its inception adding a few dollars to teams like the Miami Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates and others. How would these organizations look and run if that money were no longer there? I bring up the new collective bargaining agreement because things like the luxury tax and whether to raise it, stiffen the penalties or leave it alone will be discussed among other things. If the luxury tax is raised making it easier for teams like the Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox and Giants to get under the cap what do the small market teams do?

Pittsburgh won’t be able to keep Andrew McCutchen unless they gut the team and/or he gives the organization a steep discount while the Rays, Indians and other teams will not be able to hold onto their young starting pitching. The pendulum will sway away from the smaller market teams once again and the larger market teams will once again have the financial power to do as they please and dictate the standings, the free agency market and other areas. The “Get Greedy” era will return and that in itself is a great thing for us Yankees fans. 

If the Yankees Need a Backup Third Baseman…

The New York Yankees and their GM Brian Cashman seem adamant that the infield is set and the roster is basically done. Starlin Castro will not only be the team’s second baseman but will also be the team’s backup shortstop and backup third baseman as well. Usually when you work for a small company you have to wear a lot of hats but the New York Yankees are small from a small company or organization so it leaves you to wonder if there is a backup third baseman in the plans before spring training. If there is one in the plans I know a few that are still available for signing, and for cheap too.

I’ve asked for Juan Uribe before because I think he would be a marvelous fit and I’ve suggested Ian Desmond, although I am personally against it, while Cashman has already shot down my idea of having Robert Refsnyder learn the position. What about career utility infielder Clint Barmes? Barmes is 37-years old and been around the block with the Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres during his 13 season MLB career and has spent time playing first base, second base, third base, shortstop, right field and center field. While his bat is lacking which is evident by his career .245/.294/.379 triple slash his defense and versatility are still selling points for the veteran.

Casey McGehee is another option for the Yankees and is already considered a former member of the organization. McGehee broke out in a big way in 2014 with the Miami Marlins and has enjoyed a consistent seven year career with the Cubs, Brewers, Pirates, Marlins, Yankees and San Francisco Giants. McGehee has seemingly been zapped of all his power at this point in his career but he has experience at third base, first base and right field and could be a useful piece on the Yankees bench.

Those are just two of many options for the Yankees if they want a true backup third baseman than can play elsewhere. Will the Yankees sign another player? Who knows, we’ll just have to stay tuned. 

Major League Baseball and Homeland Security

The world is a messed up place and it’s getting messier by the day, let’s not equivocate and let’s refrain from beating around the bush here. The world sucks right now and while the United States as a whole and as a country has missed far more than their fair share of the chaos the country has been vulnerable to terrorist attacks both abroad and domestically by the enemy and by our very own people and citizens. Terrorists love to inflict fear on the population and they like to kill in cold blood. Terrorists aren’t picky and they don’t care. They have a target and they go into their mission knowing they will die just trying to take as many people with them as they can. You and I know this, the terrorists know this, Homeland Security knows this and apparently Major League Baseball does as well.

Major League Baseball presents more than 2,400 games a season and some crowds approach 40,000-50,000 fans on a nightly basis. While MLB has tightened their checks and security over the years including adding metal detectors to all 30 MLB stadiums the threat is still there unfortunately. Some ideas that were mentioned, whether in passing or in suggestion, included not allowing fans to bring in bags and eliminating food and food-service workers. Checking the trunks and bottoms of cars entering parking lots outside the ballparks was also discussed at the seminar. What is this, Bosnia?

I’m all for being safe, I bring my family and my children to ball games, but at some point it will become more trouble than it’s worth. Checking my trunk and the bottom of the car like I’m about to walk into the CIA building and hear some classified top secret information may be that line for me personally. 

This Day in New York Yankees History 1/24: Boring Rainy/Snowy Sunday Morning

It's cold, it's the dead of winter, it's snowing and raining on and off here and there is no relevant or notable Yankees news to speak of this morning. What do we do? We jam out to some new tunes, of course!

Also we bring you some NSFW, who works on Sunday anyway, picture on Ronda Rousey in nothing but a bucket of painted on bikini. Click HERE. 

The Boring Winter Ahead: Watch the 2001 World Series Game Seven HERE

Game 7 of the 2001 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

#Heartbreak

The Yankees Tried to Hire Alex Anthopolous

I want to start this off by apologizing to the Yankees GM Brian Cashman and the entire Yankees organization. I went on a bit of a rant on Twitter recently (shameless plug, follow @GreedyStripes) wondering why the Yankees never seem to look outside the organization for front office help. When the Los Angeles Dodgers added former Toronto Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos to the organization I was a bit livid. First there were no reports of the Yankees being interested, until now, and secondly I believe Anthopoulos was the best GM in baseball and I wanted him on the Yankees. That didn’t happen but that’s not because the Yankees didn’t try.

New York and Brian Cashman did attempt to sell Anthopoulos on a job much like they have sold the likes of Jim Hendry, Kevin Towers and almost Omar Minaya in recent seasons before losing out to the Dodgers. The announcement did not mention specifically what job Anthopoulos was offered by the Yankees but it wasn’t a sweet enough gig to get him away from his new vice president of baseball operations job working under Andrew Friedman in Los Angeles.

Anthopoulos would have been a great mind to have inside the Yankees organization with a fresh outlook and opinion on the rest of the league but it just didn’t happen. Remember Anthopoulos was the man that not only brought David Price, Troy Tulowitzki and Ben Revere to the Blue Jays but also made trades to acquire Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, RA Dickey and Josh Donaldson as well. You win some and you lose some I just hate that the Yankees lost out on this one. 

Fantasy Baseball: Who are the Houston Astros

The Houston Astros have been a major league franchise for 50 seasons now and unfortunately for many of those seasons the team has not been in contention. The team finally turned things around in 2015 as they won the American League’s second Wild Card and went on to beat the New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card Round. While Houston couldn’t manage to get past the American League Division Series the team’s season was still considered a success by many leading the ownership to add pieces and payroll as they fine-tuned the 2016 version of the club for another run at the postseason. Houston is here to stay in the American League West Division race but can their players help you sit atop your fantasy league this coming season? With a little help, sure they can.

You know the big names that will help any team win their fantasy leagues, names like Carlos Correa, Dallas Keuchel and Jose Altuve, but anyone who is serious about fantasy sports knows the league winners tend to win the later rounds as well. Anyone can do their homework and pick through the first 10 rounds or so when the names are recognizable and the talent is plentiful but it’s the later picks and the sleeper picks that tend to make all the difference. Names like Ken Giles, Mike Fiers and first base prospect A.J. Reed.

Ken Giles is the new Houston closer and with a dominant starting staff and an offense that lacks explosive power he should get acclimated to pitching in save situations inside Minute Maid Park early and often in 2016. Giles took over midway through the 2015 season as the closer in Philadelphia and dazzled with 15 saves and 87 strikeouts in 70 innings. Giles, assuming health, seems like a shoe-in for 30-40 saves and 90 or so strikeouts in 2016.

Mike Fiers is an underrated and under-appreciated part of the Houston Astros pitching staff. Sure many were wondering if and how he could replicate his 2.13 ERA from the 2014 season, and spoiler alert he did not as he took a step back down closer to Earth in 2015, but despite a bump in ERA his strikeout numbers remained steady. Fiers is one of those pitchers that you won’t hear anything about and before you know it he’s got seven or eight wins before the All Star break. Fiers is definitely a late-round sleeper pick but one you should definitely look into if you need pure wins and strikeouts, he won’t help much elsewhere in my opinion.

Finally you have the Astros top first base prospect A.J. Reed. Reed was the home run king of the minor leagues in 2015 and will get a serious look in spring training this season. Houston does not seem terribly enamored with current first baseman Jon Singleton and could plug Reed into the everyday lineup with a strong and powerful, pun intended, spring training camp. He may be worth the pick with one of your last picks just in case he makes the team. He has legitimate 20-30 home run power in the majors and will easily reach those goals in my opinion if he makes the team out of camp. If he doesn’t he can easily be stashed away on your roster or cut for another player of need without blinking an eye.

That’s it, those are your Houston Astros. Of course you take Altuve and Keuchel if you can and you probably take Correa as well despite his troubling signs at the plate from last season but these three men may help you in the later rounds of your draft. I hope this bit of information helps you dominate your draft lobbies!

Are the Yankees and White Sox January/February Trade Partners?

Even as we stand here waiting for the calendar to turn from January to February and as we wait on spring training camps to start no team probably feels like they are complete or without needs or flaws. This is especially true for a few teams, the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox for instance. On paper the Yankees need another starting rotation arm and a rotation arm without more question marks than answers while the White Sox need an upgrade in their outfield. On paper you have to think these two teams would match up for January/February trade partners.

The Yankees need a 200+ inning starter and they prefer one that pitches from the left side of the pitching rubber. Almost every arm in their rotation is a question mark and coming off an injury or lackluster season other than Luis Severino and the team would like a “sure thing” without giving up too much to get it. David Price and Zack Greinke were too rich for the Yankees blood but former Yankees farm hand Jose Quintana is not. Quintana, 27 years old, checks a lot of boxes for New York including the fact that he’s a durable southpaw that would make a great number two or number three starter. Quintana has delivered three straight seasons of at least 200 innings and has never posted an ERA higher than 3.51 over that span. Most importantly though, depending on who you ask of course, Quintana is in the middle of a very team friendly deal that will only pay him $21 million over the next three seasons with two options for the 2019 and 2020 seasons valued at $10.5 million per year. Even Hal Steinbrenner can get behind that.

In return you have to think Brett Gardner would interest the White Sox although Jacoby Ellsbury may be preferable if you’re asking Yankees fans. Obviously a straight up trade wouldn’t work and the Yankees would have to throw in a prospect or three (and I don’t pretend to be an expert on the White Sox needs or the status of their farm system) but the deal could be made with this being the beginning of the structure work. Gardner would be an upgrade to Chicago over incumbents Melky Cabrera and Avisail Garcia although the White Sox seem content with Adam Eaton at the top of their lineup so who knows. I think Chicago prefers a power hitting outfielder like Yoenis Cespedes but the closer you get to March and April the more desperate teams get.

Could the Yankees take advantage of this desperation and grab a Jose Quintana or Carlos Rodon? Who knows, I guess you’ll just have to stay tuned. 

Yoenis Cespedes Stays In New York

There was little hope of the Yankees signing Yoenis Cespedes, and now there is none.

Oh, what could have been.

Jim Bowden of ESPN is reporting that Cespedes and the Mets have agreed to a three-year contract worth $75 million. According to those same reports, Yoenis can opt-out of the deal after this season.

While the Washington Nationals had apparently offered Cespedes a five-year deal, and the Baltimore Orioles showed interest before re-signing Chris Davis, the Yankees were never had serious interest.

There's been a lot of talk about the Yankees trading Brett Gardner, and I believe they would like that. However, Brian Cashman hasn't been able to get what he wants in return... good/young starting pitching.

I looked at the transactions that have happened this late in the offseason the past few years, and there's been nothing big. So if anyone had hopes of something significant happening I'm afraid you're out of luck.