My Thoughts on the Chris Sale to the Red Sox Trade

The Chicago White Sox are open for business and instead of just putting an “Open for Business” sign on the front window like everyone else they had to come out in a big way by trading their ace and best player Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox. This is Yankees related for obvious reasons, the Boston Red Sox are in the same division as the Yankees and now have three of the best pitchers in the American League when you include Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello and southpaw David Price. Here are my thoughts on the trade.

Well, to be completely honest here, my initial thought included a four-letter word that I tend to not use here on the blog for obvious reasons. I was gutted. The Boston Red Sox already won the division in 2016 and they just added a great left-handed arm to their arsenal for years to come. This is not going to be fun matching up with these guys 20+ times a season, not at all, even though the Yankees have done surprisingly well, all things considered, against Sale in his career. I was visibly upset when I read the news until I looked at the prospect haul that the Red Sox had to give up to get Sale. That’s when I knew the Yankees weren’t touching Sale and that Sale went to the team with the better farm system and the organization with the gonads to get the deal done, Boston.

Boston gave up Yoan Moncada, arguably the top prospect in Major League Baseball, Michael Kopech, Victor Diaz and Luis Basabe in the deal for Sale. Now I don’t pretend to know much about Kopech (A-ball pitcher who was drafted 33^rd overall in 2014), Diaz (A-Ball relief pitcher), Basabe (A-Ball outfielder) or the Boston Red Sox farm system in general but I know the name Yoan Moncada and that had to sting a bit for Red Sox fans. I know that Sale is a “sure thing” and that Moncada is not and I know you make that deal 10 times out of 10 (and I make a similar deal with Gleyber Torres or Clint Frazier just as an FYI) but the Red Sox losing Moncada at the expense of Sale somehow lessened the blow for me as a Yankees fan, I can’t explain why. 

Minor League Ball’s Top 20 Yankees Prospects

It’s that time of the year again ladies and gentleman, the time of the year where prospects get evaluated and ranked all over the internet by various bloggers, insiders and experts. Minor League Ball is the latest to put their list out there so here are the Top 20 Yankees prospects according to that publication. There are some awesome write ups on these players on their site at MinorLeagueBall.com so be sure to head over there to give them some views and check out the article. For your quick viewing pleasure though here is the list without the grades, write ups or ETA’s. Enjoy.

1.       Gleyber Torres

2.       Clint Frazier

3.       Blake Rutherford

4.       Jorge Mateo

5.       Justus Sheffield

6.       James Kaprielian

7.       Chance Adams

8.       Domingo Acevedo

9.       Albert Abreu

10.   Aaron Judge

11.   Miguel Andujar

12.   Dillon Tate

13.   Dustin Fowler

14.   Ian Clarkin

15.   Jordan Montgomery

16.   Tyler Wade

17.   Mason Williams

18.   Tyler Austin

19.   Giovanny Gallegos

20.   Dietrich Enns

Let’s Finish Raiding the White Sox

The Chicago White Sox are open for business and as we’ve already seen the team has unloaded their best pitcher Chris Sale, my thoughts on this trade later today, to the Boston Red Sox but there is still plenty to be pillaged from that village. Let’s finish them off, let’s raid the remainder of the Chicago White Sox.

The Yankees need pitching and surprisingly the White Sox still have it in the way of a former Yankees farmhand Jose Quintana. Quintana has been one of the better pitchers in the American League for a couple seasons now and the durable and consistent lefty would fit in perfectly with what the Yankees are trying to accomplish now both in terms of youth and in terms of competing in 2017. Quintana is still just 27-years old and comes with four very reasonable years of team control which includes team options for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He won’t come cheap but he just might be worth it if you can keep from gutting the farm too awful much for him.

New York also presumably needs a closer and as they are interested in both Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen they are likely not alone in their pursuit of those two. If either get to be too expensive or decide that their services would fit better elsewhere the Yankees could look to another reunion type deal by acquiring David Robertson as well. Robertson isn’t Chapman or Jansen but he is likely a better closer than Dellin Betances is at this point in their careers in my opinion. Plus he wouldn’t be awfully expensive in the prospects department as long as the big two closers are still on the board. Again, my opinion.

Todd Frazier would be nice but that creates a whole set of other problems regarding Chase Headley. Would anyone want Headley and his contract in return? If so, make the deal if the deal is right. If not, pass. I think Frazier would be uber-expensive though and likely out of the realm of possibilities for the Yankees at this time unfortunately.

The final piece the Yankees could look at acquiring is relief pitcher Nate Jones. Jones is a 30-year old right-handed relief pitcher that posted impressive numbers out of the Chicago bullpen in 2016. Jones appeared in 71 games in 2016 posting a 0.892 WHIP, 2.93 FIP and 2.29 ERA. Jones isn’t a huge strikeout guy like Betances, Chapman and Andrew Miller was but he keeps the ball down and in the ballpark enough to succeed in any stadium including the Cathedral in the Bronx. 

This Day In New York Yankees History 12/8: Enter Starlin Castro

On this day in 2015 the New York Yankees acquired Starlin Castro from the Chicago Cubs for Brendan Ryan and Adam Warren.


Also on this day in 2009 the Yankees, Detroit Tigers, and Arizona Diamondbacks completed a three team trade that was considered to be one of the fairest three team trades in history. Long story short the Yankees got Curtis Granderson from the Tigers, The Diamondbacks got Edwin Jackson from the Tigers and Ian Kennedy from the Yankees, and the Tigers got Phil Coke and Austin Jackson from the Yankees and Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth from the Diamondbacks.

Also on this day in 2008 Yankees second basemen Joe Gordon received 10 of the possible 12 votes to be elected into the Hall of Fame. The Veteran's Committee inducted the 1942 Most Valuable Player, nine time All Star, and five time World Series champion.

Finally on this day in 1966 the New York Yankees traded two time MVP and single season home run king Roger Maris to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Yankees got third basemen Charley Smith in return for Maris. Maris would win a World Series with the Cardinals the next season and a pennant the season after that enjoying immediate success with his new team. Smith will only hit .224 in his two year tenure as a Yankee.