A Look At Yankees Newest #1 Prospect, Clint Frazier

The Yankees have currently acquired the Cleveland Indians former #1 prospect OF Clint Frazier in a deal which sent Yankee Closer Andrew Miller to the Tribe. Frazier is a bright young prospect that we should take a look and welcome him to the organization with open arms.

Let's start out with this: Clint Frazier born September 6, 1994 in Loganville, GA is the Yankees new prized prospect acquired from the Indians. Frazier is an outfielder who mainly plays the corners but could play centerfield if needed. He is 6'1" and weighs 190 lb. He is currently only 21 years old so if he makes his debut sometime next season then that would mean he would be debuting at a very young 22 years old.

Now what makes Clint Frazier so special? He was the first high school position player selected in the 2013 draft taken with the 5th overall pick from the Cleveland Indians and he received a franchise-record $3.5 million signing bonus. He then went on to lead the high Class A Carolina League in hits (143), doubles (36) and total bases (233) in 2015 and then he performed very well in Double-A this year playing in 89 games with a slash line of .276/.356/.469 with 13 HR and 13 SB. He will come to the Yankees Triple-A affiliate the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders and will team up in the outfield with fellow top Yankees propsect Aaron Judge once he returns from injury in about 4 or 5 days.

Here are Clint Fraziers scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 55 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55. Scouts say Frazier's bat speed and raw power are among the best in the Minor Leagues and suggests that his ceiling in the MLB could be an All-Star. This is part of the reason Frazier earned himself a trip to the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game in July. His strikeout and walk rates are trending in a positive directions which is a really positive sign for a guy who mainly hits for power.

It will be interesting to see how Frazier's career will progress within the Yankees organization but the only thing that we know for sure is that he has a very bright future.

Follow me on Twitter @Yankeesfan0504

How Do I Feel About The Andrew Miller Trade?

I woke up this morning at around 11:00am unaware to what news I was about to bring upon myself. I checked my phone and realized I had around 20 notifications from Twitter.... Hmmm I'm just thinking maybe it's because it's the day before the deadline there are a lot of talks heating up, little did I know.

The first thing I did as I unlocked my phone was check my emails which is odd because it is something that I randomly do. The first thing I saw in my inbox was an email from yankees.com where the subject read "It's Official: Yankees acquire four players from Cleveland Indians" then I opened up my eyes very quickly and opened up the email. As I opened it, it read "The New York Yankees today announced they have acquired outfielder Clint Frazier, left-handed pitcher Justus Sheffield and right-handed pitchers Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for left-handed pitcher Andrew Miller. I COULD NOT BELIEVE MY EYES.

The first thought that came into my mind is "ITS HAPPENING!" I then went onto Twitter and saw the uproar that it was in. A lot of fans loved the trade because Clint Frazier is such a great talent but I also saw a lot of people that hated it because they did not want to see Miller go.

Here's my take on it:
I kind of feel upset that we can no longer watch Andrew Miller pitch in Yankee pinstripes and watch his wipeout slider make batters look foolish. We basically lost the best relief pitcher in baseball. In 2016 Miller has a 1.39 ERA an All-Star appearance and 77 Strikeouts. But as I look in this trade more in depth, it may make us feel bad in the present but if we look at who we got for him we will hopefully be looking back on this trade in the future and be very happy that we made this deal in the first place. So basically I don't like the trade looking at the present but looking into the future I feel that the deal is great.

I think Clint Frazier is a great talent, scouts say that he has " legendary bat speed " and his power will prove much in the big leagues. He is currently in AAA and should be up in the big leagues by next season and will hopefully have a big impact on the big league club. Another piece of this deal is LHP Justus Sheffield, nephew of former Yankee Gary Sheffield, he has touched 96 mph with his fastball and scouts say he is somewhat undersized but he still creates a good downhill plane toward the plate and keeps the ball in the yard which is a huge plus for a guy who would be pitching in the small confines of Yankee Stadium.

Bottom line here, I like this trade looking down the road because the Yankees got two prospects that automatically enter their system at #1 and #7 and with Fraziers raw power and ridiculously quick bat speed, we should be excited to see what the future of this trade can become.

Follow me on Twitter- @Yankeesfan0504

SCOOTER THE HOLY COW WINS STATEN ISLAND YANKEES’ PRESIDENTIAL POLL

SCOOTER THE HOLY COW WINS STATEN ISLAND YANKEES’ PRESIDENTIAL POLL

STATEN ISLAND- In a stunning upset at the Staten Island Yankees “Yanks Choose the President” Friday night, the Pinstripe Party’s Scooter the Holy Cow took down Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump with 44.4 percent of the fan vote.


Most experts ruled Scooter out of the race early in the week as third-party candidates usually don’t fare well in these early polls. With a voter turnout of 78 percent, Staten Island Yankee fans made their voices heard as the Yankees defeated the Hudson Valley Renegades, 6-4.


“The ‘Pinstripe Party’ has a nice ring to it. And those wearing pinstripes are used to winning and ‘rings’. We’re honored to be represented by Scooter the Holy Cow and thank our loyal fans for hoofing it to the polls tonight at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George,” said Staten Island Yankees team president Will Smith.


It was an unusually “blue” night for Staten Island, statistically New York City’s most Republican borough, as Clinton earned 30.7 percent of the vote against Trump’s 24.9 percent.


Scooter and the Pinstripe Party will continue their underdog campaign at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George all summer long with 16 rallies currently scheduled through Monday, Sept. 5. For tickets to the remaining rallies, supporters can visit www.siyanks.com.


The Staten Island Yankees are the Single A-Short Season Affiliate of the New York Yankees and play at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George. The Staten Island Yankees are six-time New York-Penn League Champions (2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2011). For more information, visit siyanks.com.

Weekly Prospects Check In: Nick Solak

The New York Yankees made quick work of signing all ten of their Top 10 draft picks from the 2016 MLB First year Players Draft including top pick Blake Rutherford and their second round pick, and the man who will likely always be linked beside Rutherford for that reason, Nick Solak. Solak was drafted out of college where Rutherford was drafted as a high school star and for that reason Rutherford is in Pulaski while Solak is with the Staten Island Yankees but I can see Rutherford catching Solak soon.

Not that Solak is, or should, be looking over his shoulder. He's doing just fine. Here are his stats for the week to prove it.

Year	Age	Tm	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	21	Staten Island	32	138	23	32	6	2	12	6	17	12	.281	.399	.386	.785

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

After Trading Away Miller, Yanks Lose Fourth Straight, Get Swept By Rays, 5-3

At 9:30 this morning, Andrew Miller was traded to the Cleveland Indian's for a package of four players, highlighted by centerfield superstar prospect Clint Frazier. After receiving the news, the Yankee clubhouse seemed shocked and somber, not ready to avoid a sweep at the hands of the cellar-dwelling Tampa Bay Rays, but that is exactly what happened. Michael Pineda got the start for New York, pitching pretty well but falling to 5-10 with his loss this afternoon. The top prospect for the Rays, pitcher Blake Snell, took the ball for Tampa and dominated the Yankees in this his second time facing New York in 2016.

Young Blake Snell was absolutely filthy early on, striking out five consecutive Yankees between the first and second innings. Pineda, too, would strike out the side in the second, but would load the bases before getting rookie Luke Maile to strike out to end the threat.

After the Yanks loaded the bases and failed to score in the top of the frame, Tampa Bay went on to hit the scoreboards first in the bottom of the fourth. Corey Dickerson began the inning with a single and advanced to third when the next batter Steven Souza Jr. ripped one off of Didi Gregorius's glove for a double. The big star from last night Kevin Kiermaier then grounded out to Starlin Castro, scoring Dickerson and giving the Rays a one run lead. Tim Beckham followed suit with a ground out of his own, a slow bouncer to Chase Headley that scored Souza from third and extended their lead to two. And then in the bottom of the fifth, Brad Miller launched a solo homerun to right that made it a 3-0 contest.

Carlos Beltran retorted with a bomb of his own in the top of the sixth that pulled the Yankees to within one. Ellsbury walked to lead off the inning and then the probably-going-to-be-traded Beltran hit a laser shot off of the rookie for his 22nd homerun of the season.

However,  Tampa Bay would strike again in the bottom of the frame, extending their lead and knocking Pineda out of the ball game. Steven Souza Jr. started it when he smashed his second double of the day with one out. Kevin Kiermaier walked and both runners advance a base when Tim Beckham grounded out to first base. The next batter Luke Maile lined a single up the middle that plated both runners and made it a 5-2 ball game. Luis Severino would take over for Pineda in the bottom of the seventh, with Big Mike departing with a final line of six innings pitched, allowing five runs on six hits while walking four and striking out eight.

The double play ball would once again come back to haunt the Pinstripers as they tried to climb their way back into the ball game in the top of the eighth inning. Starlin Castro began the inning with a single to third-base, advancing to second when Evan Longoria launched the throw over the first baseman's head. Brian McCann followed with a single to left field that scored Castro and pulled the Yankees back to within two. But, the next batter Chase Headley grounded into another double play, the third of the game for the Bonbers, ending the Yankee threat and leaving it at a two run deficit.

Alex Colome came on in the top of the ninth and sat down the Yanks in order, tying the bow on a rough series and then even tougher day for the New York Yankees.

The Pinstripers travel to Queens tonight, as they get ready to begin the Subway series with the cross town Mets tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05PM ET.

What Do I Think About The Yankees Youngsters?

When thinking about Yankees prospects I can't help but smile. And I'm not even that big a prospect guy, unlike some of my collegues here. So to help sort things out I made a list, and decided to share it with you.

FYI, I decided to use the Top 30 list created by MLB.com, as well as include players on the big club that are under 27 years old.

Now, I did leave off some players under 27, who I felt simply weren't worth listing. That would be Chasen Shreve, Nick Goody, Johnny Barbato, Tyler Olson, Brandon Pinder, Aaron Hicks, and Ronald Torreyes.

A few notes before you read it below...

1. The number in parenthesis is their ranking on the Top 30.

2. An asterisk next to their name means they have played more than the position they are listed under. That isn't to say some players can't play other positions in the future.

3. There are players on the Top 30 List that have already appeared in the Majors.

4. I didn't split up the starting and relief pitchers. This wasn't supposed to be me trying to guess what role each guy would pitch in. So you can talk about that if you want.

Okay, so without any further ado, here you go...

Catcher - Austin Romine, Gary Sanchez (5), Luis Torrens (16), Donny Sands (28)

First Base - Greg Bird, Chris Parmelee, Rob Refsnyder*

Second Base - Starlin Castro, Jorge Mateo* (3), Tyler Wade* (14), Hoy Jun Park* (22), Kyle Holder* (27), Rob Refsnyder*

Shortstop - Didi Gregorius, Gleyber Torres (2), Jorge Mateo* (3), Wilkerman Garcia (11), Tyler Wade* (14), Hoy Jun Park* (22), Kyle Holder* (27)

Third Base - Miguel Andujar (8)

Outfield - Rob Refsnyder*, Clint Frazier (1), Aaron Judge (4), Blake Rutherford (6), Dustin Fowler (12), Billy McKinney (15), Mason Williams (23), Ben Gamel (24), Jake Cave (25), Trey Amburgey (29), Leonardo Molina (30)

Pitcher - Masahiro Tanaka, Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Pineda, Luis Severino, Luis Cessa, Justus Sheffield (7), Domingo Acevedo (9), James Kaprielian (10), Chance Adams (13), Ian Clarkin (17), Drew Finley (18), Jordan Montgomery (19), Jacob Lindgren (20), Chad Green (21), Dietrich Enns (26)

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 7/31

Here we go one last time this weekend between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays as these two teams finish off their three game set. In the contest the Yankees will send Michael Pineda to the mound for possibly, although unlikely, his last start in a Yankees uniform while the Rays send a man who probably has a lot of starts left in a Rays uniform in Blake Snell. Snell is the future for the Rays and Pineda could fit into someone else's future before tomorrow's trading deadline. The game will be played at 1:10 pm ET inside Tropicana Field and can be seen live on WPIX Channel 11 locally and MLB TV.

The Yankees return to New York after this series but not to see their fans inside Yankee Stadium. Instead they take the subway to Queens to Citi Field to take on the New York Mets. To get tickets for this game click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog. Also to look the part and support the Yankees inside enemy territory also be sure to click the TGP T-Shirts link located at the top of the blog as well.

Follow along during the game while interacting with us either by liking us on Facebook or by giving us a follow on Twitter by following @GreedyStripes. Pineda vs. Snell. Here we go. Go Yankees!

Trade Reaction: Andrew Miller For Clint Frazier, Justus Sheffield, Ben Heller, and JP Feyereisen

I hate to see Andrew Miller go.

Just look at that face.

He pitched in 104 games since signing with the Yankees, and had an ERA of 1.77 and WHIP of .822. Since 2014 only two relief pitchers had a higher fWAR than Miller, and that was Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances.

Not only was Miller an awesome reliever, whether he was the set-up man or closer, but so many people talk up him as a person. From teammates, coaches, and those in the media, Andrew was liked by all.

And to top all that off the Yankees were only paying the guy $9 million a year, and had him under contract for another two years.

But I guess Brian Cashman and others came to the realization that the Yankees were not going to be World Series contenders any time soon, and made moves to build a core of players the team could build around later. Particularly in what will be an extremely exciting 2018-2019 offseason.

In exchange for Miller the Yankees got another nice haul of players.

Firstly there's Clint Frazier. Frazier is a center fielder who was playing for Columbus, the Indians' AAA affiliate. Clint looks like he could be a 20 home run/20 stolen base player in the Majors. But seeing as how he's only played 5 games in AAA, it's not like he's ready to jump into MLB right away. It's likely that Frazier opens next season in Scranton.

Columbus is a nicer town*, but who wouldn't rather be a Yankee?

*I'm a little biased on that.

Next the Yankees received Justus Sheffield from the Indians. Like Frazier, Sheffield is also a former first round draft pick. He's a left-handed starter, currently playing in high-A ball. His numbers don't look great, but Baseball America placed Justus at #69 in their Top 100 Prospect list recently, so there's some big-time upside to the guy.

The final two players coming to New York are Ben Heller and JP Feyereisen. Both of these guys are right-handed relievers. Ben has spent his last 28 games at AAA Columbus, so he could help the Yankees bullpen soon. JP, on the other hand, is currently playing at the AA level, so he could be a year or so away from the big club. Both guys are strikeout pitchers that could help make the Yankees bullpen strong for years to come.

I took a look at the Yankees current crop of prospects and got a big smile on my face. Here are some prospects the Yankees have, and where they rank in Baseball America's midseason Top 100 Prospect List...

Jorge Mateo #19
Clint Frazier #21
Gleyber Torres #27
Gary Sanchez #36
Aaron Judge #42
Justus Sheffield #69
James Kaprielian #99

How awesome is that? And that doesn't include Greg Bird, who could take over for Mark Teixeira at first base on Opening Day 2017. As well as Luis Severino, who's had it rough this season, but is still young and has a ton of upside. And what about the Yankees first rounder this year, Blake Rutherford? He should be in that Top 100 list next season as well.

That's an incredible crop of youngsters.

It seems clear now that the Yankees are selling. Why else would they trade away such an awesome player in Andrew Miller, who they have on a team-friendly contract for another two years? While their asking price for Carlos Beltran is reportedly too high (so was Miller's a few days ago), and Ivan Nova doesn't have that much interest surrounding him, I think we're in for plenty more before the deadline arrives tomorrow night.

Who's Cashman talking to now?

Brian Cashman's Trade History on July 31st

Brian Cashman has been the General Manager of the New York Yankees since the 1998 season so you would think that he has made his fair share of last-minute July 31st trade deadline trades. Right? Well, not really. While he hasn't made an absolute ton of trades on this day he has made a few notable ones and some trades that ended up being big in the grand scheme of things. Let's showcase those here as we wait for the Yankees and Rays game here in a couple of hours.

July 31, 2003 traded Brandon Claussen and Charlie Manning to the Cincinnati Reds for Aaron Boone

Hello 2003 ALCS against the Boston Red Sox.

July 31, 2003 traded Robin Ventura to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Scott Proctor and Bubba Crosby

Joe Torre thanks you for Proctor and Cashman used Crosby to kind of get Johnny Damon to sign. Well that and a blank check. 2009 World Series regardless.

July 31, 2006 traded Shawn Chacon to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Craig Wilson

For a long time Chacon was my favorite Yankees pitcher. Don't know why I just like the way the guy threw the ball and got guys out. Rooting for the underdog maybe?

July 31, 2007 traded Scott Proctor to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Wilson Betemit

Joe Torre cried a bit inside...

July 31, 2008 traded Alberto Gonzalez to the Washington Nationals for Jhonny Nunez

Who and who?

July 31, 2009 traded Chase Weems to the Cincinnati Reds for Jerry Hairston

See above from the 2009 World Series. That's Jerry Hairston Jr.

July 31, 2010 traded Mark Melancon and Jimmy Paredes to the Houston Astros for Lance Berkman

DUMB move here but you take the good with the bad I guess with Cashman.

July 31, 2010 traded Matt Cusick and Andrew Shive to the Cleveland Indians for Kerry Wood

This guy was amazing for us in a small sample size.

July 31, 2012 traded Chad Qualls to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Casey McGehee

Minor. Yet Effective.

July 31, 2014 traded Kelly Johnson to the Boston Red Sox for Stephen Drew

Stephen Drew Sucks!

July 31, 2014 traded Peter O’Brien to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Martin Prado

Good, for a while.

You know how many trades Brian Cashman has made on August 1st during his tenure as a Yankees GM? None. Zilch. Nada. Hopefully that changes tomorrow.

Tyler Clippard Is Coming Home!

It's just now coming in that the Yankees have traded FOR Tyler Clippard.

Tyler started his career in the Yankees organization before being shipped off to the Washington Nationals. He then joined the Oakland As and New York Mets in 2015, before relieving for the Arizona Diamondbacks this season.

Tyler has had some success as a reliever, and still strikes out a good number of hitters, making him a welcome addition with the Yankees.

Clippard is under team control through next season.

Edit: Vicente Campos is going to Arizona in return for Clippard. While the man formerly known as "Jose" was having a decent season, and was just called up to AAA, I can't say it's a big loss.

Andrew Miller Traded To Cleveland

Andrew Miller has been traded to the Cleveland Indians.

It's being said that the Yankees will get back center fielder Clint Frazier and left-handed pitcher Justus Sheffield, plus two others.

Initially I wasn't blown away by this news, but I'll give it a little while longer to sink in before reacting. But wow... the Yankees look like they are indeed selling.

Edit: The other two players coming from the Indians are relievers Ben Heller and JP Feyereisen.

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 7/31

Here we go one last time. The finale between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays will take place this afternoon down in Tampa giving Brian Cashman plenty of time to move players and improve the team. In the finale the Yankees will send Michael Pineda to the mound looking to harness some of that "Big Mike" magic while the Tampa Bay Rays will counter with a tough left-hander in Blake Snell.


Pineda's last start did not start out as planned as he gave up a lead-off home run to the Houston Astros only to settle down and dominate for the rest of the performance. Pineda finished the start with seven innings while striking out eight batters in a Yankees 2-1 victory.

Snell heads into this start fresh off a great start against the Colorado Rockies where he pitched six shutout innings. Snell is a rookie and is going through the normal growing pains as a rookie but he has shown the Rays tons of hope and glimpses of a great and dominating future.



The game will be played at 1:10 pm ET inside Tropicana Field and can be seen on WPIX Channel 11 and MLB TV. Both teams have a lot to do between now and the 4:00 pm ET trading deadline on Monday, August 1st so let's get this one in the books and let's get to work. Shall we? The Rays are likely selling but the Yankees could be buying, as long as they buy smart. Go Yankees!

Weekly Prospects Check In: Blake Rutherford

The New York Yankees have shown in the past a reluctance to call up their top prospects or be aggressive with their promotions throughout the system. We saw Jorge Mateo get suspended because of it and we've seen it countless times with Robert Refsnyder, Kyle Roller and now with Tyler Austin but who I don't think we'll see it with is the Yankees top pick from the 2016 Draft, Blake Rutherford.

Rutherford signed and was immediately placed with the GCL Yankees but he has already conquered the affiliate and was called up to Pulaski. While the Pulaski Yankees are still considered rookie ball a promotion is a promotion and it's just another affiliate and stop that Rutherford is absolutely dominating.

Is a call up coming soon? History would tell you no but these stats tell another story. Stay tuned.

Year	Age	Tm	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	19	2 Teams	23	94	10	31	6	2	9	0	9	22	.378	.436	.622	1.058
2016	19	Pulaski	15	64	7	25	5	1	6	0	5	16	.439	.484	.719	1.204
2016	19	Yankees West	8	30	3	6	1	1	3	0	4	6	.240	.333	.400	.733

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

This Day in New York Yankees History 7/31: NOT The Trade Deadline Special :(

On this day in 2004 the Yankees shipped their struggling pitcher Jose Contreras (8-5 5.64 ERA) for the White Sox struggling starter Esteban Loaiza (9-5 4.86 ERA). Both pitchers were 32 years old and having down seasons based on their past performances and neither player really performed for their new teams this season.


Also on this day in 2001 the Yankees lost out on relief pitcher Ugueth Urbina to the Boston Red Sox. Boston got Urbina for two minor league pitchers in Tomo Ohka and Rich Rundles after the Yankees had a deal in place for the closer that fell through earlier in the season. Urbina failed his physical, the Yankees backed out of the deal, and the rest is history for the former Expos' closer.


Can you believe the only other notable trade for the New York Yankees in the past twenty years or so has been the Cecil Fielder trade that happened in 1996? The Yankees have made moves, marginal more than anything, but Cecil was the deal that stuck out. On this day in 1996 the Yankees sent Ruben Sierra and prospect Matt Drews for Fielder in the first trade in Major League history that included two players that have hit more than 220 home runs are traded for each other.

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 7/30

It is game time ladies and gentleman between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays. In the contest this evening we will watch as Nathan Eovaldi takes the mound for the Yankees and Drew Smyly takes the mound for the Rays. The game will be played at 6:10 pm ET inside Tropicana Field and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

I’m not sure how much of this game I will actually see as I have been working on my vehicle all day but give us a follow on Twitter (@GreedyStripes) and we’ll try to tweet when we can. You can also like us on Facebook as well by searching for The Greedy Pinstripes.

Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Eovaldi? Let’s find out. Go Yankees!

Weekly Prospects Check In: Aaron Judge

The New York Yankees have made things pretty hard on me here at The Greedy Pinstripes and let me be the first to tell you that it is a damn good problem to have. The Yankees have more prospects that I truly want to check in with and bring to you each and every day and each and every week and I don’t have enough slots to fill them all. That’s a great problem to have and a problem that I have been dreaming about since the 2005 season, or maybe before, when I started truly following the Yankees farm system like a hardcore man possessed.

Aaron Judge is one of the Yankees top prospects in the system and is set to come back from a knee injury to continue his climb towards the Bronx. Not only is the Yankees outfield getting pretty crowded but the Scranton one is too, and again that’s the best kind of problem to here.

Here is what Judge looked like statistically when he was placed on the DL a few short weeks ago.

Year	Age	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	24	AAA	83	370	52	83	16	16	54	5	42	86	.261	.357	.469	.825

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

McCann on the Move?

Yankees starting catcher Brian McCann has been the main focus around trade rumors involving the Yankees early on in the day today. Since starting pitcher Ivan Nova has been drawing little to no interest and the Yankees do not seem to part with Miller, McCann has found his way in being involved in all of the trade talks today.

McCann is average an average year for the Yankees compared to his first 2 years with the club 2016 hasn't been much different. He is currently batting .235 with 15 HR and 41 RBI. His defensive stats have gone down drastically though. In 2015 McCann threw out 36% of runners who attempted to steal on him. Meanwhile in 2016 the amount of runners he has thrown out is at a much lower 23%.

McCann is currently making a guaranteed $17 million each year for the next 3 seasons until the end of the 2018 season. He has a club option for 2019 worth $15 million but wherever he is the team will most likely not pick it up. This heavy contract shows how if the Yankees did perhaps to find a suitor for McCann they would have to eat a substantial amount of his remaining contract.

As per Jon Heyman, The Yankees currently have McCann out on the market and one team that has drawn interest in him is his former team the Atlanta Braves. He currently still lives in Atlanta during the offseason so it would not be unlikely for him to waive his no trade clause if the Yankees and Braves were able to agree upon a deal.

Now here comes the question, let's say the Yankees do find a way to dump McCann.... Who would take over at catcher? There are two options at the moment, current backup catcher Austin Romine and the Yankees starting catcher in AAA Gary Sanchez whom most believe is more then ready to take over in the big leagues.

As backup catcher for the Yankees this season Austin Romine is looking like a very solid player. In 39 games in 2016 he is batting .265 with a .434 slugging pct. The stats do not really pop out to you but if given more playing time Romine has a lot of potential to be a good every day catcher.

Now we move on to Sanchez, he is currently ranked as one the Yankees #4 prospect according to MLB.com as well as being ranked as the #2 catching propsect in the MLB. He is a very young impressive talent if you ask any of the managers and coaches who have been around him. He is having an amazing year with the Yankees AAA affiliate the Railriders. He is batting .286/.333/.478 and has a lot of potential to do big things in the MLB.

A trade is not looking very likely but it is definitley something Yankee fans should want to see and it is something that could progress within the next few days.

Follow me on Twitter- @Yankeesfan0504

The Texas Rangers Interested in Ivan Nova?

The trade rumors are swirling in each and every direction right now as we inch closer towards the August 1^st trade deadline and in Yankee-Land no one is more centered in those rumors than Ivan nova. If you read respectable publications and website like MLB Trade Rumors and the New York Post you have read that teams like the Baltimore Orioles and the Pittsburgh Pirates may be interested in Nova’s services for the stretch run but there is another team that may be willing to get in on the bidding and that team is the Texas Rangers.

Like the Rangers need any more pitching right? I agree but if they are willing to give up what the Yankees want in a deal for a player with no future on the team past the 2016 season than why not, right? In fact Texas has at least shown some interest in Nova, Carlos Beltran, Andrew Miller and Michael Pineda of the Yankees after showing interest in Aroldis Chapman as well before he was ultimately traded to Chicago. Now while neither Pineda nor Nova have been especially sharp this season they both are upgrades over Lucas Harrell so let’s see if these two teams can make a deal.

The Rangers have a decent farm system and a ton of young talent in the middle infield including Jurrickson Profar. Yes the Yankees need another middle infielder like they need another hole in the head but hear me out. You can trade Profar, Didi Gregorius, Starlin Castro or any of the young shortstops including Jorge Mateo and Gleyber Torres for pieces you need. Having too many top shortstop options is like having too much pitching. It’s just not possible.

If New York is going to lose Nova anyway after this season than it’s better to get something for him now rather than nothing for him later. Would the Yankees get Profar for Nova? No and I want to be 100% clear that I’m not suggesting that but Nova plus Pineda or Nova plus Miller or Nova plus Beltran and we have an entirely different conversation going on. My plan is to tell Texas that if they want Pineda, Beltran or Miller they are going to have to take Nova as well. If not, then you hang up the phone. Bottom line.

Thoughts?

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 7/30

The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays continue their three game set today with the middle game of the series. We have just two games including today before judgement day and the August 1^st trading deadline so the Rays continue to look to play the role of spoilers for New York while the Yankees will likely wait until last second or even August 31^st before “declaring” themselves. They never do things the easy way unfortunately but that’s neither here nor there. In today’s matchup the Yankees will send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound to square off with Drew Smyly for the Rays.

Eovaldi will head into this game making his 19^th start of the season. Eovaldi has struggled some this season and was even demoted to the bullpen at one point but he has since come back strong and will look to continue that string of good pitching tonight against the Rays. Tampa hasn’t done well recently against Eovaldi as the Yankees right-hander has posted a 3.86 ERA with 20 K’s in three career starts against the Rays.

Smyly heads into this start fresh off possibly the best start of his season last time out against Oakland. In that start the Rays lefty allowed just one run in six innings of work against the Athletics although the A’s would come back late in the content to give Smyly a no-decision.

The game will be played at 6:10 pm ET inside Tropicana Field and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. This seems like an awfully random time for a ball game to start on a Saturday night but who am I to judge? I just work here and I root for the Yankees. Go Yankees!