Early November in the Yankees Universe...

Mr Cashman will see you now…

The Hot Stove League has been open for a few days but for the most part, it’s been all quiet on the Eastern Front (a/k/a The Bronx).  

The managerial interviews have begun with Yankees bench coach Rob Thomson taking the first at-bat. He must have fouled off a bunch of pitches because he apparently met with GM Brian Cashman for six hours this week. I should be fully supportive of Thomson for manager.  He’s a company man who has been with the Yankees organization for 28 years.  He brings promises of communication and trust in the players and has tried to give assurances that he would not be “more of the same”. Yet, for some reason, I cannot fully embrace his candidacy. I’d like to see him stay in the organization and I am certainly not opposed to his inclusion on the coaching staff for the eventual new manager. But he’s not really my ideal choice for manager.

Credit:  Associated Press

A new name surfaced yesterday in former Yankee Aaron Boone. It’s unknown when/if he will interview with Cashman. Given that I’ve been supportive of other broadcasters getting the job, like Jerry Hairston, Jr and Mark DeRosa, you’d think I would support the possibility of an ex-Yankee. Yet, I was ‘ho-hum’ when I saw his name. I am appreciative of his home run to win the 2003 American League Championship Series, but he’s not really someone that I can envision in the job. Perhaps he is someone I would grow with in time if he is the one.  We’ll see.

David Cone and John Flaherty are also names that received heavy ink in New York publications this week. Between the two, Coney would be the better option to me with no offense to Flaherty.

The Miami Marlins have confirmed that manager Don Mattingly will return for the 2018 season so that effectively removes his name from consideration. As a huge Mattingly fan, even today, I did not really want to see Mattingly back in the Yankees organization as its manager. Managers are so heavily second-guessed and I didn’t want to see Mattingly tarnish his great Yankees legacy in any way.  

I think the best tweet I saw about the managerial search yesterday came from MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand: “Something to keep in mind re: Yankees managerial search.  This is a chance for Cashman to interview several people to get a feel for them in a different role.  Many will interview, only one will get the job.  Don’t get caught up in any one name.” So, as the saying goes, trust the process. I have the trust in Brian Cashman that he’ll make the right decision. His legacy is heavily invested in the next hire with the Yankees on the cusp of something great. Gene Michael was widely recognized as the chief architect of the 90’s dynasty but this potential run belongs solely to Cashman and his chief lieutenants (backed by the Steinbrenner family, of course). All things considered, Cashman can’t afford to make the wrong choice.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no, it’s Ohtani!…

I have been trying to avoid getting excited about the possibility of adding Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani but the ‘Ohtani to America’ (or should we just call it the ‘Ohtani to Pinstripes’) movement took another step in the right direction. Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reported that Japanese news reports are stating the Nippon-Ham Fighters have announced they will post Ohtani this off-season. All I want for Christmas is Ohtani in the Bronx! I am still trying to be cautiously optimistic but it would be very exciting to have him join the strong cast of Baby Bombers.  

The Yankees can offer Ohtani the second highest signing bonus at $3.25 million. They trail only the Texas Rangers who can offer $285,000 more than the Yankees. The Rangers can also offer no state income tax. But I am hopeful the promotional opportunities will be greater for Ohtani in New York. He stands to make a great deal of his income through endorsement deals. Also, when you look long-term, the Yankees can offer more lucrative dollars and stability for future contracts. Faced with the impending free agency of Japanese ace Yu Darvish last summer, the Rangers chose to deal Darvish to the Dodgers rather than make a strong effort to re-sign him. Granted, Darvish didn’t exactly have a stellar finish to his season but it reinforced to me that if you want long-term security, New York is a better place to be than Texas. Plus, the Yankees have the legacy of Japanese greats Hideki Matsui and Masahiro Tanaka. 

Shohei Ohtani (top right) / Credit:  Koji Watanbe, Getty Images

Farewell to a Pitcher and a Catcher…

It was tough to see the loss of former Blue Jays and Phillies great Roy Halladay this week to the tragic plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico near Tampa, FL. When he played, he was the definition of “the” true ace for me. I had always hoped the Yankees would find a way to acquire him when he played for the Blue Jays but recognized that intra-division trades of superstars rarely happen. Still, he was marvel to watch pitch despite his domination of the Yankees. His loss was felt and I am deeply saddened by his untimely departure.  

A lesser known baseball player also died this week but it was equally as sad. 17-year-old Daniel Flores, a catcher out of Venezuela the Boston Red Sox had signed in last year’s International Draft for $3.1 million signing bonus, succumbed to cancer in Boston. Flores was rated as the fifth best prospect in the Red Sox system according to MLB.com. Prior to the draft last year, Flores was ranked as the second best International prospect behind shortstop Wander Franco (who signed with the Tampa Bay Rays). By comparison, the Yankees top signing, outfielder Everson Pereira, was ranked fourth. According to scouting reports, Flores would have been a brilliant defensive whiz behind the plate. It’s unfortunate he is unable to reach his dream to play at Fenway Park but hopefully his signing bonus provides long-term security for his family and loved ones.   

May both men rest in peace.   

No Gold Glove Awards but a few Silver Sluggers…

Congratulations to Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez for winning their first Silver Slugger Awards. These were easy calls and it would have been a great travesty if either player had been omitted. Now, we await the results of AL Rookie of the Year and AL MVP which should bring more hardware in Judge’s direction. Individual awards are nice but we really need to get these guys a World Series championship!

Today is Veteran’s Day. For all veterans everywhere, thank you for your service. We remember you today and always...  

In closing, as always, Go Yankees!

This Day in New York Yankees History 11/9: Yankee Stadium III

On this day in 2008 participants in a team sponsored high school program whose job was to help Bronx, New York youths pursue careers in architecture, engineering, and construction remove dirt from the old Yankee Stadium and bring it to the new Yankee Stadium. A few players helped with the cause while the rains came down as they hauled the dirt across the street to the new $1.3 billion field. The dirt was then mixed with the new stadium's dirt around home plate and the pitcher's rubber which were also removed from the old Yankee Stadium during the ceremony.

My 25 man roster for 2018

Well folks it’s that time of year again.  The World Series has come and gone. The cold air has set in, and hunters got their orange on.  The turkey, ham and all the trimmings are on the way.  And now…  it’s Free Agent Time!!

This off season the Yankees will see a new manager take the helm.  Now let’s be greedy and break down the 25 men I would like to supply him with and how I think we could get them here if they’re not already here.  I’m not going too crazy and will try to stay realistic.  I have the luxury tax goal in mind here, however I won’t get into numbers during this post. 

We will start with the rotation.  Back after a good year is Severino.  Tanaka is still around after not using his opt. out, and with the addition of Grey, I only have two changes.  I feel both greatly improve the starting rotation and here they are…  

1. Luis Severino
2. Sonny Grey 
3. Masahiro Tanaka
4. Shohei Ohtani:  Sign him!!!  I don’t care what the rules are regarding his signing, I would go all out and do whatever it takes to bring this man to the Bronx 
5. Jordan Montgomery*** If Adams is ready, then Jordan becomes my lefty out of the pen.  He can also be used as a 6th starter, however I see Justus Sheffield banging on the door and may just fill this roll at some point anyway.  Non-the less, Jordan is on the roster. 
6. Chance Adams:  Simply call this kid up, he is ready for the big club.  He will be a solid back end starter if not more.

Now on to the bullpen… 

     Closer:  Aroldis Chapman

     Set up:  David Robertson

     7th:  Dellin Betances

The other guys in the pen would be Tommy Kahnle, Chad Green, Adam Warren, and if all goes right, Jordan Montgomery*.  There are no real changes here.  Tommy may over take Dellin, but spring training is still a few months away.  No, I’m not trading Dellin now.  We keep him, rebuild his value, and then maybe I consider a trade.  However, I do feel the pen is as dominant as one can ask, don’t change it.  

Here is the starting and defensive line-up.  This is where I’ll get a little crazy…

1. Bret Gardner LF/CF:  Like it or not, he is a Yankee and at this point I don’t see him being traded. 
2. Gray Sanchez C:  I know, I know what about Judge?
3. Aaron Judge RF:  After my big trade, Judge slides to 3.  Look who is his new-found protection.
4. Giancarlo Stanton DH/OF:  Of course you got to give to get here so I’ll send Aaron Hicks, Chase Headly, Albert Abreau, sadly Miguel Andujar, Tyler Wade and a lesser prospect to the marlins.  May have to sub out Tyler or Albert for other prospects but we can make it happen.
5. Greg Bird 1B:  Got to split up all the righties, and the Birdman has the pop to protect Stanton.
6. Clint Frazier CF/LF:  Staying lefty righty here.
7. Didi Gregorius SS:  This goes to say how deep this line up now is with Stanton.  Didi in the 7 hole?  Sign me up!
8. Gleyber Torres 2B/3B:  Like Chance Adams, the time is now, he will be ready to go for spring training.  He was tearing the Cover off the ball at every level.  The AFL MVP from last year makes his way onto this team.
9. Todd Frazier 3B:  A New Yorker in our hearts even though he’s from New Jersey.  A life-long Yankee fan who wants to be here.  He’s better then Starlin and Headly.  I say, bring back the Toddfather!!!

The bench grabs the last 4 roster spots.  Let’s Keep it easy to start, Austin Romine grabs the 1^st bench spot as the back-up catcher.  He’s good with the pitchers we have, if it isn’t broke don’t fix it!  Yes, his offense could be better, but we are taking about a back-up, let’s just stick with him.

Next up is the 23^rd spot on team.  That goes to Starlin Castro.  I keep Starlin around because he can play 2B, SS and in a pinch 3B.  He can still hit the ball, gives you the ability to have a starting caliber player on the bench and can play a few times a week without hurting the lineup.

Spot 24 goes to Ronald Torreyes.  In my opinion, Toe gives the most effort of anyone on the team and does whatever is asked of him.  He has also come through in big spots when asked too.

The final bench spot is for the 4^th OF.  Now being I traded Hicks in the Stanton deal, I’ll keep it simple and go with a competition here.  Jake Cave and Billy McKinney both have a lot of up-side and offer a spark of the bench. 

I do understand my trade for Stanton may take more than mentioned but as long as it doesn’t take away anyone else on my 25-man roster, let’s get this deal done Cashman!!! As for the not mentioned Jacoby Ellsbury, ship him to any team.  All I ask for is a bag of balls, we can even pay down some of the contract.  He must go!!

As always, thank you for reading and have a great day!  May you all be blessed.  Feel free to drop me an email and let’s chat.

Fun Time: I want to hear from you!! Please send me your 25 man roster and how you get the Yankees! I will post the winning roster and analyze it. Winner will also receive a free Yankee T-Shirt. The one Rule is the roster needs to be somewhat realistic. We won't have 25 All-Stars. 

James C Palma 

The Greedy Pinstripes 

JamesCPalma@gmail.com

Article Revisit: Donald Trump Wants to Own the Yankees

Written and reported on back on this day in 2015, oh what could have been. Enjoy.




Yes, please!


According to recent reports Donald Trump, the billionaire businessman and Republican Party Presidential hopeful, wants to own the New York Yankees. Trump grew up in New York City and made his millions in the greatest state, in my humble opinion, in the United States and would like to return there if he could land an ownership role in any sports team.


George Steinbrenner and Trump were known associates, business partners and friends and the similarities don’t stop there. Heads would roll when the team didn’t make the postseason in two consecutive years and player contracts would be eaten when they were no longer useful. Trump would own, run and manage the team like the $3.5 billion powerhouse that it is.


Trump would do is smart though, in my opinion. He wouldn’t be a tyrant, he would just do whatever was necessary to turn a profit. Trump understands the added revenue, attendance, merchandise sales and the growth to the brand that comes with the playoffs and would basically demand that the team make it there every season. He would also give Brian Cashman the power he had from 1998-2009 along with a blank check.


Trump was just asked a question and he answered it, he isn’t seriously considering making a run at buying the team and there is no speculation that the Steinbrenner family is interested in selling. This is the offseason and it’s time to dream and that’s what I did with this article, hopefully it’s taken that way by the reader. Enjoy as we dream about the return of the GREEDY Pinstripes.

Get Greedy: Sign JD Martinez

"Please, God. Make me a Yankee!"

We’re back and we are greedier than ever with the latest idea to break the bank, blow all the austerity talk out the window and blow the baseballs out of Yankee Stadium with even more consistency here in 2018. I know it is out of the realm of possibilities fiscally, but I don’t worry myself with the financials much anymore, instead I worry about getting the best 25 players that I possibly can out on the field on any given night. With that in mind it is time to get greedy once again and sign former Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder JD Martinez. Yeah, I went there.  

Now earlier today in my free agent post where I outlined what free agents I thought the Yankees should at least have discussions with I alluded to the fact that I was happy with keeping the designated hitter position a revolving door for the Yankees outfielders to use for half-days off and here is the reason. Adding another outfielder is more of a luxury than a need at this point but New York added a $13 million DH last offseason in Matt Holliday and got little to show for it in return. Could you imagine if the Yankees were to add a bat like JD Martinez’s who could play in the outfield and DH a few days a week to keep everyone fresh, healthy and productive? The hell with the Bronx Bombers and Murderer’s Row, that would be downright unfair. 

Now I know this is a bold statement and a bold request of the Yankees to sign possibly the best positional player on the free agent market in a year where the team is going to give austerity a try but hear me out. Giving Martinez the security of a longer contract could conceivably keep the average annual value of the contract down while giving the team a leg up on the competition in terms of negotiations, because what player doesn’t want security and peace of mind?  

Martinez has possibly been the best kept secret in MLB over the past couple of seasons which is a scary thought since Martinez was a 4.1 WAR player in 2017 with Detroit and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Martinez has eclipsed 20 home runs in each of the last four seasons including hitting 45 home runs in 2017 and 38 home runs in 2015, both inside extremely pitching-friendly ballparks. You can add 10-15 home runs to that total in the Bronx assuming he is healthy and has a healthy Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorius etc. behind him protecting him in the lineup. Again, downright unfair. 

Martinez just turned 30-years old recently and is in the middle of his prime, so I would feel comfortable giving him a six-year deal with an option for a seventh year if that were a sticking point in the negotiations. Martinez is good in the field, great with the bat and I think he would be an incredible addition to the team. Whether Hal Steinbrenner opens up the wallet strings or not is one thing, but I think the Yankees should make the move if the money allows. Martinez could be the Paul O’Neill to the 2018 dynasty that O’Neill was to that 1996 team. Just get it done.  

Now Begins the Time to “Get Greedy”

Earlier this morning on the blog we took a look at the complete list of 161 MLB free agents for the 2018 season so now begins the process for every team, especially the New York Yankees, to “get greedy” and sign up some of these free agents. We have the list in hand so let’s take a look at it and see if any of these players will and should fit into the Yankees plans here in 2018.  

We will start high here and then taper off I guess as there are quite a few notable bullpen additions that the New York Yankees could conceivably look at this winter. Greg Holland declined his 2018 option with the Colorado Rockies, Wade Davis is a free agent with the Chicago Cubs, Brandon Kintzler was an All-Star with the Minnesota Twins before being shipped away prior to the deadline and is now hitting free agency and there are a couple notable left-handed arms as well. The two arms I would like the Yankees to take a long and hard look at, because let’s be real… none of the names I mentioned above are coming to the Bronx with the plethora of former closers and arms the Yankees pen already has, are left-handers Tony Watson and Oliver Perez. Perez would obviously be a Plan B or even a Plan C, I may trust Chasen Shreve and company more at this point than Perez although I do realize that Perez could be a useful LOOGY, but Watson has been on my radar for a long, long time. Watson is a tough left-handed arm that spent time recently with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates and is an arm that would fill an area of need for New York, the LOOGY position. I doubt Watson would command a terrible amount in terms of years and dollars as well which only helps the Yankees case to sign him.  

New York went into last season with a full-time DH in Matt Holliday and a part-time first baseman in Chris Carter and there is no reason to believe that the team couldn’t do that with at least one of those positions again here in 2018. Now the options on the free agent market aren’t all that appealing to be honest with names like Jay Bruce, Pedro Alvarez and Carlos Santana out there but I truly believe at least two of these options could be better than either Holiday or Carter were in 2017. Although I will admit I am leaning towards not filling the DH position and letting a rotation of outfielders fill the slot all season long if New York can sign a big-time free agent, but more on that later. 

Finally, the Yankees may look at adding a starting pitcher this winter. Obviously, it is highly unlikely that the team will do so after Masahiro Tanaka decided to not opt-out of his contract, but I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention the fact that Jake Arrieta and Yu Darvish are free agents at the time of this writing. The Yankees have a lot of star power in Japan already with Tanaka and their presumable pursuit of Shohei Otani will only add to that, but could you imagine a rotation with both them and Darvish? It would be insanity in Japan and everyone in the country would be wearing Yankees apparel, oh and the Yankees would be good as well. Is it unlikely? Sure, the Yankees may only add Otani and that’s it, but the team should at least go through the motions and check in with both Darvish and Arrieta. That’s a general manager’s job after all, now get greedy! Bring me somebody! 

So it Seems… The Complete List of 161 MLB 2018 Free Agents

AMERICAN LEAGUE

BALTIMORE (9) — DH/1B Pedro Alvarez; 2B Ryan Flaherty; OF Craig Gentry; SS J.J. Hardy; RHP Jeremy Hellickson; RHP Ubaldo Jimenez; OF Seth Smith, LHP Wade Miley; RHP Chris Tillman.

BOSTON (8) — LHP Fernando Abad; RHP Blaine Boyer; OF Rajai Davis; RHP Doug Fister; 1B Mitch Moreland; INF Eduardo Nunez; RHP Addison Reed; OF Chris Young.

CHI. WHITE SOX (2) — RHP Mike Pelfrey; C Geovany Soto.

CLEVELAND (6) — LHP Craig Breslow; OF Jay Bruce; OF Austin Jackson; C Carlos Santana; RHP Bryan Shaw; RHP Joe Smith.

DETROIT (1) — RHP Anibal Sanchez.

HOUSTON (5) — DH Carlos Beltran; RHP Tyler Clippard; RHP Luke Gregerson; LHP Francisco Liriano; OF Cameron Maybin.

KANSAS CITY (8) — OF Melky Cabrera; RHP Trevor Cahill; OF Lorenzo Cain; SS Alcides Escobar; 1B Eric Hosmer; 3B Mike Moustakas; RHP Peter Moylan; LHP Jason Vargas.

L.A. ANGELS (11) — RHP Andrew Bailey; RHP Jesse Chavez; 3B Yunel Escobar; RHP Ricky Nolasco; RHP Bud Norris; INF Cliff Pennington; RHP Yusmeiro Petit; 2B Brandon Phillips; OF Ben Revere; RHP Fernando Salas; RHP Huston Street.

MINNESOTA (5) — RHP Matt Belisle; RHP Bartolo Colon; RHP Dillon Gee; LHP Glen Perkins; LHP Hector Santiago.

N.Y. YANKEES (5) — 3B Todd Frazier; LHP Jaime Garcia; DH Matt Holliday; RHP Michael Pineda; LHP CC Sabathia.

OAKLAND (0) — None.

SEATTLE (7) — 1B Yonder Alonso; INF Gordon Beckham; OF Jarrod Dyson; RHP Yovani Gallardo; RHP Hisashi Iwakuma; C Carlos Ruiz; 1B/3B Danny Valencia.

TAMPA BAY (9) — OF Peter Bourjos; RHP Steve Cishek; RHP Alex Cobb; 1B Lucas Duda; RHP Tommy Hunter; 1B Logan Morrison; 3B Trevor Plouffe; OF Colby Rasmus; RHP Sergio Romo.

TEXAS (4) — RHP Andrew Cashner; OF Carlos Gomez; RHP Miguel Gonzalez; RHP Jason Grilli.

TORONTO (5) — LHP Brett Anderson; 2B Darwin Barney, OF Jose Bautista; C Miguel Montero; OF Michael Saunders.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

ARIZONA (7) — Gregor Blanco, of; Jorge De La Rosa, lhp; David Hernandez, rhp; Chris Iannetta, c; J.D. Martinez of; Fernando Rodney, rhp; Adam Rosales, inf.

ATLANTA (2) — R.A. Dickey, rhp; Jason Motte, rhp.

CHICAGO (8) — Jake Arrieta, rhp; Alex Avila, c; Wade Davis, rhp; Brian Duensing, lhp; Jon Jay, of; John Lackey, rhp; Rene Rivera, c; Koji Uehara, rhp.

CINCINNATI (4) — Bronson Arroyo, rhp; Zack Cozart, ss; Scott Feldman, rhp; Drew Storen, rhp.

COLORADO (9) — OF Alexi Amarista; RHP Tyler Chatwood; OF Carlos Gonzalez; C Ryan Hanigan; RHP Greg Holland, C Jonathan Lucroy; LHP Jake McGee; RHP Pat Neshek; 1B Mark Reynolds.

L.A. DODGERS (7) — RHP Yu Darvish; OF Andre Ethier; OF Curtis Granderson; OF Franklin Gutierrez; RHP Brandon Morrow; 2B Chase Utley; LHP Tony Watson.

MIAMI (4) — Mike Aviles, inf; A.J. Ellis, c; Dustin McGowan, rhp; Ichiro Suzuki, of.

MILWAUKEE (3) — Matt Garza, rhp; Anthony Swarzak, rhp; Neil Walker, 2b.

N.Y. METS (1) — INF Jose Reyes.

PHILADELPHIA (4) — Andres Blanco, inf; Clay Buchholz, rhp; Hyun-Soo Kim, of; Daniel Nava, of.

PITTSBURGH (3) — Joaquin Benoit, rhp; John Jaso, 1b; Chris Stewart, c.

ST. LOUIS (4) — Zach Duke, lhp; Lance Lynn, rhp; Juan Nicasio, rhp; RHP Seung-Hwan Oh, rhp.

SAN DIEGO (4) — Erick Aybar, ss; Jhoulys Chacin, rhp; Jordan Lyles, rhp; Craig Stammen, rhp.

SAN FRANCISCO (4) — RHP Matt Cain (retired); C Nick Hundley; 1B/3B Jae-Gynn Hwang; OF Michael Morse.

WASHINGTON (12) — RHP Matt Albers; RHP Joe Blanton; OF Alejandro De Aza; 2B Stephen Drew; RHP Edwin Jackson,; OF/2B Howie Kendrick; RHP Brandon Kintzler; 1B Adam Lind; C Jose Lobaton; LHP Oliver Perez; OF Ryan Raburn; OF Jayson Werth.

List courtesy of the USA Today*

So it Seems… The Long Offseason Ahead

Good morning everyone. I know it’s been a minute since we last spoke but it’s the offseason, it’s a time to recharge the batteries. Life hasn’t slowed down a bit and work has gotten out of control with no end in sight and it may or may not affect the site going forward. I promise to do everything and all that I can to pop in whenever I can but you all must know that this will likely mean that daily posts, at least through the offseason, may not happen. I promise to do the best I can, and I am always looking for new writers to help carry the load and keep you guys with something to read. If you’re interested or know of anyone who is tell them to send me an email at Daniel Burch 1102 at Yahoo dot com.

Oh, and hey you. I love you. I’ve missed writing about you because you’re so damn special to me.

This Day In New York Yankees History 11/8: Yogi Berra the MVP

On this day in 1951 the Baseball Writers Association of America, BBWAA, named Yogi Berra of the New York Yankees the American League Most Valuable Player. Ned Garver of the Browns won 20 games this year on a last place team and finished second in the voting. Roy Campanella would win the award in the National League making this the first two that two catchers have both won the MVP award in the same season.

Breaking News: Roy Halladay Dead

More as the story develops but it looks like Roy Halladay has passed after his plane was found crashed this afternoon. Rest in peace to Roy and our prayers and condolences go out to his friends, family, loved ones and the baseball community. So sad to lose one of our own.

Update:

The plane registered to Halladay crashed in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Halladay was found dead at the scene. Halladay was 40-years old.

No details about how many others, if any, were injured or killed were released after the crashed happened shortly after noon today.