Saturday, December 30, 2017

And Now We Wait...

Credit:  Kevin Hagen, for The Wall Street Journal
The Dawn of a New Year…

The expiration date for 2017 is rapidly approaching. Soon, we’ll flip the calendar to 2018 and await the arrival of the latest Bronx Bombers in Yankee Stadium.  

As expected, the end of the year has been very quiet for the Yankees after their acquisition of slugger Giancarlo Stanton earlier this month. Gerrit Cole is still in Pittsburgh and Yu Darvish remains on his free agent tour.

In the words of both Yankees GM Brian Cashman and President Randy Levine, there is still work to be done. At this point, we’ll see what January brings. Honestly, I am tired of the Gerrit Cole rumors and wish the Yankees would end the speculation by saying there will be no deal. Same for the Darvish rumors. The Yankees are not going to sign him. I feel badly for guys like Clint Frazier who continue to twist in the wind wondering what the new year will bring for them and where they should report for Spring Training…Tampa, Florida or about 45 miles south via I-275 to Bradenton or some unknown destination.


With no deal in place for free agent slugger J.D. Martinez, the Boston Red Sox are starting to show up in rumors for a possible trade with the Baltimore Orioles to acquire Manny Machado. While you’d think the same intra-division challenge would face the Red Sox as it does the Yankees, Orioles GM Dan Duquette is a former Red Sox general manager and he used to work with current Red Sox President Dave Dombrowski years ago in the Montreal Expos organization. I’d really hate to see Machado go to Boston. Of course, the rumors could be Red Sox-originated to apply pressure on Martinez who appears to have limited options in the stagnant free agent market.  


One year after signing the most lucrative contract in history for a MLB reliever, Aroldis Chapman’s annual salary has been eclipsed by former Chicago Cubs closer Wade Davis. While the contract signed by Davis with the Colorado Rockies is only for three years, the average annual salary is $17.33 million whereas Chapman only makes a paltry $17.2 million. Chapman still holds the mark for most total contract compensation but it’s crazy how much relievers have been getting this off-season. The Rockies are using the Yankees formula of building a super bullpen (they previously signed Cleveland Indians reliever Bryan Shaw and re-signed their own Jake McGee to join holdovers Adam Ottovino, Chris Rusin and Mike Dunn). If unsuccessful, they should be able to trade relievers for a stable of quality prospects. 

For the San Diego Padres, what’s old is new again. After re-acquiring their former third baseman, Chase Headley, they’ve re-signed two former starting pitchers, Tyson Ross and Chris Young. Maybe free agents Andrew Cashner, Alexi Amarista, and Cameron Maybin should check in with Padres GM A.J. Preller.

Congratulations to Yankees GM Brian Cashman for being named as Baseball America’s 2017 MLB Executive of the Year!

Credit:  Reinhold Matay, NY Post
I felt bad for Yankees manager Aaron Boone yesterday. His beloved USC Trojans lost the Cotton Bowl to the Ohio State Buckeyes, 24-7, in Dallas, Texas. As an Iowa Hawkeyes fan, I have no love for the Buckeyes so I was disappointed to see Boonie’s team lose.  Hopefully, 2018 will be much more victorious for Boone’s “favorite” teams.


Jon Heyman of Fan Rag Sports Network reported yesterday that Giancarlo Stanton’s decision to join the Yankees will cost him an additional $29 million in taxes on the balance due for his contract if he decides to live in one of the five boroughs of New York. That’s a huge financial commitment on Stanton’s part to join the young and hungry Yankees. He can lessen his tax burden by living in New Jersey, but c’mon, if you are 28 and single, you gotta live in the City!


I am not a New Year’s Resolution kind of guy so I’ll leave it to others. Pete Caldera, staff writer for NorthJersey.com, has offered his 2018 New Year’s resolutions for the Yankees. It is worth checking out.  I think he nailed it.  

Not that I want to promote other sites, but Bronx Pinstripes ran a great story on Justus Sheffield and his path to Pinstripes yesterday that’s worth the time to read. I was already excited about Sheffield’s potential and this only fires me up more. I love Cody Carroll’s quote that Sheffield is “like a closer that starts”. Some guys have great stuff and some guys are just winners. Sheffield is a combination of both.  Excellent work by BP's Dom Muccilo.


I don’t know about you, but I am very anxious to see Tampa's Steinbrenner Field humming. Baseball can’t get back soon enough. Happy New Year to Everyone! It’s going to be a fantastic year for the Yankees and their fans…


Go Yankees!