Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm. Need I say more? Enjoy!
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Predicting the BBWAA Award Winners for 2015
The 2015 Baseball Writers Association of America announced
their finalists for the major awards this week on MLB Network. To no one’s
surprise there was not a single member of the New York Yankees listed, although
if Mark Teixeira doesn’t miss a chunk of August and all of September and
October you have to think he is in the thick of things for American League MVP,
and there are a ton of new faces vying for the awards. Here is who I personally
think will win the awards, not that I think they deserve to win the award
necessarily. You know how the voting goes though, sometimes it’s a popularity
contest and sometimes they get it right. That’s baseball.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Most Valuable Player
Lorenzo Cain
- · Josh Donaldson
Mike Trout
Cy Young
Sonny Gray
- · Dallas Keuchel
David Price
Rookie of the Year
- · Carlos Correa
Francisco Lindor
Miguel Sano
Manager of the Year
- · Jeff Banister
A.J. Hinch
Paul Molitor
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Most Valuable Player
Paul Goldschmidt
- · Bryce Harper
Joey Votto
Cy Young
- · Jake Arrieta
Zack Greinke
Clayton Kershaw
Rookie of the Year
- · Kris Bryant
Matt Duffy
Jung Ho Kang
Manager of the Year
Terry Collins
- · Joe Maddon
Mike Matheny
Would Alexei Ramirez Be Any Better Than Brendan Ryan?
The Chicago White Sox announced this week that the team has
declined the $10 million option on shortstop and former All-Star Alexei Ramirez.
The team will instead pay the Cuban-born star a $1 million buyout thus making
him a free agent. With the Yankees uncertainty on the bench and the team’s
constant need to upgrade, even marginally, would Ramirez be worth signing and
putting on the bench at the expense of a $1 million DFA in Brendan Ryan?
Ramirez is currently 34-years old and has played his entire
MLB career with the Chicago White Sox after defecting from Cuba. Ramirez is a
career .273 hitter with 109 career home runs and 542 RBI in eight seasons.
Ramirez was an All-Star as recently as 2014 but age, Mother Nature, a bad White
Sox team around him, a lack of motivation or a combination of the four key
items here contributed to Ramirez falling off in 2015. Ramirez finished the
season batting a career-low .249 with 10 home runs and 62 RBI leading the team
to buy out his contract. Would Ramirez be an upgrade over Ryan?
The Yankees presumably have two things in mind this season
while they are building their bench. They need defensive versatility,
flexibility and ability while also looking to add some right-handed pop into
the lineup somehow, someway. Ryan has been considered to be a defensive wizard
over his career but I haven’t seen it the last two seasons with the ball club.
Ramirez is not going to win you any Gold Glove Awards anytime soon but the
offensive edge goes to Ramirez and it’s not even close. Ramirez can play
shortstop and third base, the two positions the Yankees need backup help at the
most, albeit not as well as Ryan but well enough to justify carrying his bat
for 162 games.
Would Ramirez accept a bench role and a spot on the Yankees?
That remains to be seen but I can’t see the Ryan contract of $1 million
stopping the Yankees from upgrading if they can. If that upgrade brings Ramirez
to the Bronx, great. If it doesn’t then Ryan isn’t half bad himself in a small
sample size I guess.
Taking a Stab at Predicting the Top 40 Free Agent Signings
As many of you know I like to take a stab at predicting free
agency signings every single offseason. Usually I do the entire 155 or so
player free agent class but it becomes pretty redundant to be honest. There are
players on the list very few have even heard of and players that even fewer
fans truly even care about. For that reason I think I will stick to the Top 40
free agents this year and predict where I think these free agents will land
before Opening Day 2016. If you agree, or disagree for that matter, leave your
comments below in the comments section. Thank you!
David Price – Chicago Cubs
Jason Heyward – Detroit Tigers
Zack Greinke – Los Angeles Dodgers
Justin Upton – San Francisco Giants
Chris Davis – Washington Nationals
Jordan Zimmermann – Boston Red Sox
Yoenis Cespedes – Chicago White Sox
Alex Gordon – Seattle Mariners
Johnny Cueto – Toronto Blue Jays
Jeff Samardzija – New York Yankees
Ian Desmond – New York Mets
Matt Wieters – Baltimore Orioles
Mike Leake – Arizona Diamondbacks
Ben Zobrist – Kansas City Royals
Daniel Murphy – Colorado Rockies
Yovani Gallardo – Texas Rangers
Wei-Yin Chen – Boston Red Sox
Howie Kendrick – Chicago White Sox
Dexter Fowler – New York Mets
Scott Kazmir – Los Angeles Dodgers
Hisashi iwakuma – Seattle Mariners
Colby Rasmus – Houston Astros
Denard Span – Chicago Cubs
David Freese – Atlanta Braves
Marco Estrada – Toronto Blue Jays
Ian Kennedy – Baltimore Orioles
Darren O’Day – New York Yankees
Brett Anderson – Los Angeles Dodgers
Joakim Soria – Boston Red Sox
Gerardo Parra – St. Louis Cardinals
John Lackey – Los Angeles Dodgers
JA Happ – Kansas City Royals
Austin Jackson – Cincinnati Reds
Asdrubal Cabrera – New York Mets
Tyler Clippard – Arizona Diamondbacks
Doug Fister – Houston Astros
Ryan Madson – Houston Astros
Alexei Ramirez – Minnesota Twins
Mike Napoli – Colorado Rockies
Steve Pearce – New York Yankees
Andrew Miller for Stephen Strasburg Makes Sense Unfortunately
The New York Yankees are being aggressive as the GM meetings
begin and the offseason kicks off in fashion. Brian Cashman is said to be on
the phone and meeting with every GM across the league and has stated that no
one is safe in the Bronx, the Bronx may be burning. Cashman mentioned one
player by name specifically that either excited or infuriated many fans when
they learned that he could potentially be shopped and/or traded and that was
Yankees closer Andrew Miller. As much as
I don’t want to admit it to myself the deal that is being floated around,
whether it be by the beat writers or the fans themselves, that would send
Yankees closer Andrew Miller to Washington heads up for Stephen Strasburg makes
sense for both teams… and I’m prepared to tell you why.
Before we get too in-depth with this let me put out a short
disclaimer. I don’t want to trade Andrew Miller. Closing games in New York is
not like closing games anywhere else and I don’t just believe that any closer
can do it. I believe Dellin Betances could do it, mind you, but trading away a
player that is meeting or exceeding his contract seems redundant on THIS team
with so many who aren’t. Whether I want to let the fact that I am a fan of
Miller’s or not cloud my judgement remains to be seen but I am level-headed
enough to admit the deal makes sense.
The Yankees need an ace, bottom line. They have a ton of
good pitchers that could be great but right now they don’t have that one guy
that can stop a losing streak almost each and every time. Luis Severino could
be that guy and up until now Masahiro Tanaka has been acting like that guy but
Strasburg has all the makings to be that guy. Sure he’s been injury prone thus
far in his career, some pitchers react differently to Tommy John surgery both
mentally and physically, and sure he hasn’t lived up to the hype but it’s not
often that #1 overall talent from the MLB Draft becomes available, especially
to the Yankees. Acquiring Strasburg would give him and the Yankees a one-year
audition and quite a long time to decide whether they want to offer him a
qualifying offer or sign him to a contract extension after 2016.
The Yankees could take that money they cleared from the
Miller contract and sign one or two relievers to “replace” him. Darren O’Day
could come in and pitch the 8th inning with Betances sliding into
the 9th inning role while New York fills out their bullpen with Adam
Warren, Justin Wilson, Chasen Shreve and maybe a Joakim Soria or a Tony Sipp.
The deal makes sense and on paper and makes the team better
on paper but that doesn’t necessarily mean the deal sits well with me. I’m a
fan, I can’t help it.
Weekly AFL Check In: Tyler Webb
Tyler Webb is watching the Andrew Miller trade rumors
closely. The Yankees GM Brian Cashman is said to be making anyone and everyone
available this offseason, especially those without a no-trade clause, and one
name that has been mentioned more than most has been that of Yankees closer
Andrew Miller. Webb, like Miller, is a left-handed relief pitcher that is
knocking on the door to the Bronx for as soon as the 2016 season. If Miller leaves
via trade you have to think that some combination of Jacob Lindgren an Webb
will be vying for a roster spot out of Spring Training this spring.
Tyler Webb:
GS: 0
IP: 8.2
W/L: 1-0
ERA: 8.31
K: 7
BB: 3
WHIP: 1.62
This Day in New York Yankees History 11/14: Enter A Rod… Again
And the rest, as they say, is history...
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