Aroldis Chapman may have only spent about a half of a season with the New York Yankees but he did work while he was here. It would be irresponsible not to acknowledge that so here is his time to shine tonight. Hope to see you again soon this winter.
Thursday, November 10, 2016
2017 Yankees Spring Training Schedule Now Available!
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My Thoughts on the Possibility of Kendrys Morales in the Bronx
Boy my Twitter has not blown up like it did this week in
quite some time. That’s why I enjoy the hot stove season and offseason so much
I guess. One little rumor and people start losing their minds. This little
rumor was the rumor that the New York Yankees had inquired about the former
Kansas City Royals designated hitter Kendrys Morales. Of course thoughts
immediately went from Morales to the possibility of having a deal in place for
Yankees catcher Brian McCann causing many Yankees fans to speculate and lose
their minds. Well I was at work when all this was going down and I want to lose
my mind too with speculation… so here goes.
Morales would add another switch hitter into the fold and a
power hitter into the fold much like the Yankees are losing this winter in Mark
Teixeira. Morales hit 30 home runs during the 2016 season and does not come
linked to any sort of draft pick compensation so he would make sense for any
team, including the Yankees. The Yankees won’t be without their competition
though as the Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox among others would also be
interested presumably just looking at the current state of their rosters. This
all hinges on being able to move Brian McCann though for the Yankees.
I also like the fact that Morales could add some depth and
insurance at first base for Greg Bird and Tyler Austin, assuming both make the
roster out of spring training, which is never a bad thing to have. Morales
would definitely be a Plan C or Plan D at the position, he has only played
there 15 times in the last two seasons, but having someone at least familiar
with the position would be a great addition to the ball club in my opinion.
The power is nice, the positional depth is also nice and the
fact that he is a switch hitter almost always fits in with the Yankees way of
doing things. It all comes down to the contract though. At 33-years old handing
out a deal any longer than two seasons just seems foolish to me. One year at
most is what I would personally want to go but I can see a team like Boston
giving him two or three making that a moot point. Do I want Morales? Sure, I
think he would fit the squad well. Do I think the Yankees will ultimately sign
him? Honestly, I don’t know. Again, this all hinges on a move for Brian McCann.
I love the offseason. Stay tuned.
What About Jason Hammel?
The free agent market on paper looks pretty thin this season
in Major League Baseball, especially when you consider last year’s class, but
recently a couple a veteran arms got added to the fold. The first was Derek
Holland who saw his option declined by the Texas Rangers and also saw his name
show up here on the blog yesterday and now we have former Chicago Cubs
right-hander Jason Hammel joining the fold. Should the Yankees be interested in
the man with the first World Series ring since the 1908 season on his finger in
the Bronx?
Hammel doesn’t exactly fit what the Yankees are trying to
achieve in the youth department but to think the Yankees will have an entire
team of 25-year olds is unrealistic. Especially in the Bronx. Hammel is
34-years old, which is still younger than CC Sabathia, and is coming off a
strong 15-10 season with a 3.83 ERA in 166.2 innings of work. Hammel isn’t
going to strike out a ton of guys but he generates enough fly balls to be
successful with the wind blowing out in Wrigley Field leaving me to believe
that Yankee Stadium may actually help those numbers improve, not worsen, for
once.
Hammel has turned his career around with the Cubs after
learning a sinker but you have to think Hammel dealing with elbow tightness
late in the season in 2016 may be the reason the Cubs decided to let him go.
Hammel missed the entire postseason with the elbow and if I’m being frank, the
last thing the Yankees need is another guy with elbow concerns every time he
throws a pitch.
So what about Jason Hammel? Obviously that’s nearly
impossible to say without knowing the status of his elbow but if you’re putting
me on the spot, right here and right now, I think the Yankees have to pass on
him. Sure he could be an improvement over what the Yankees currently have but
that and $15 bucks can buy you a beer at Yankee Stadium if he’s sitting on the
disabled list for a bulk of the season.
If the elbow is bad, or even questionable at this point, I
think you have to pass. If his medicals pass with flying colors, and I can’t
say that either way right now so I am remaining cautious, then we have another
discussion for another day. Stay tuned.
Yankees Scouting Greg Holland
I write about it and the Yankees read and listen. You’re
welcome. On a more serious note though late last month I did discuss the
possibility and the desire for the Yankees to scout former Kansas City Royals
closer Greg Holland and this week that same exact news was released to the
fans.
On Monday the former World Series bound closer threw for
scouts in Scottsdale, Arizona and the New York Yankees were present for the
showcase. The Yankees need bullpen arms and late inning reliever specifically
in the worst way after trading away both Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller at
the trading deadline this summer and Holland would be a good start depending on
the type of contract he ultimately signs for.
You would think the Yankees would be more inclined than most
teams to guarantee money on a one-year deal as they have their eyes on getting
under the luxury tax threshold before 2018 which could be enticing for both
teams. A one-year deal with a high base salary could give Holland the
opportunity to showcase his health and allow him to build value for next year’s
free agent class that won’t include Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, Mark
Melancon and others. It also gives the Yankees a stop gap type player that they
can potentially trade in July if they are out of the playoff race again or even
offer a qualifying offer to after the season.
If Holland is healthy this is a win-win for the Yankees. If
he doesn’t succeed, designate him for assignment and move on. But if he does….
And if the Yankees can add Chapman along with him which has already been
rumored and discussed the Yankees just won the offseason.
This Day in New York Yankees History 11/10: Enter Sheffield
Also on this day in 1978 the New York Yankees traded the 1977 Cy Young Award winner Sparky Lyle, Dave Rajsich, Larry McCall, Domingo Ramos, Mike Heath, and $400,000 to the Texas Rangers for left handed pitchers Dave Righetti and Paul Mirabella, right handed pitcher Mike Griffin, and outfielder Juan Beniquez. What made this deal interesting was earlier in the year Graig Nettles spoke of Lyle by saying he would go from "Cy Young to sayonara" making his prediction a reality.
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