Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox 9/29

The time has come ladies and gentleman to say hello to the Boston Red Sox one last time and the time has also come to hold the door open for them as they leave just long enough to slam it in their faces and watch them break their noses. Too far? Yeah, I’m kind of becoming known for that. I joke of course but tonight’s game is no joke as the New York Yankees send lefty CC Sabathia to the mound to square off with a fellow lefty in Henry Owens for the Red Sox.

Sabathia will make his final start of the season tonight and it comes on the heels of pitching an absolute gem last time out against the Blue Jays. Sabathia has pitched extremely well as of late and has seemed to get better and stronger as the season has gone on but he has little to show for it after four straight no-decisions. The Yankees offense has gone to sleep so here’s to hoping the alarm clock goes off sometime before 7:00 pm tonight in the Bronx.

Owens will make the start for the Red Sox tonight instead of Drew Pomeranz after Pomeranz complained of some left forearm soreness. AJ Preller is somewhere hiding his face. Owens was a September call up for the Red Sox and will make his first start for the club since August 21^st of 2016. Owens was 10-7 with a 3.53 ERA in Triple-A at the time of his call up. Oh and by the way, in case you missed it, tonight is David Ortiz’s final start in the Bronx so… no pressure.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. All eyes on Michael Kay and the crew over at NESN tonight for David’s final game in the Bronx as, at the time of this writing anyway, no major sports broadcast will have the game. Oh well, they picked up Derek Jeter’s final game in the Bronx. I’m just saying. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Boston Red Sox 9/18

The final game of the 2016 regular season inside Fenway Park for the New York Yankees and only one word comes to mind, Hallelujah. The Yankees have not fared well inside Fenway Park this season nor have they had a fun time against the Boston Red Sox but I guess that's baseball. Boston is the better team and that's just how it goes sometimes. That doesn't mean the Yankees will go down without a fight tonight or this season and that fight continues tonight when New York sends CC Sabathia to the mound in the finale of the four-game series to square off with the Red Sox starter Drew Pomeranz.

Sabathia has been pitching well lately although in many cases he has not received the victory despite pitching well enough to win. Last time out CC threw 6.1 innings allowing just three hits and no runs with seven strikeouts but received a no-decision. Sabathia has pitched to a 2.40 ERA in his last five starts spanning 30 innings pitched.

Pomeranz was in the middle of controversy this week as his former GM AJ Preller was suspended for 30 days due to holding back medical records from his new team, the Red Sox. Whether that affected his performance last time out or not is anyone's guess but his four hits and five runs allowed in two innings against the Orioles was not great by any standard.

The game will be played at 8:08 pm ET inside Fenway Park and can be seen on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball program. One last time this season inside Fenway Park, one last time. Let's end the Fenway Park part of this season with a victory and end it on a high note. Go Yankees!!!!

Fantasy Baseball: Who are the San Diego Padres?

This time last year we were all talking about the new look San Diego Padres and the absolutely aggressive offseason that new GM AJ Preller oversaw. This time around we see an entirely different story as these same San Diego Padres led by this same GM have sold off pieces for prospects this winter as they try to rebuild a bit on the fly. James Shields is still here and so are Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner but it’s the new cast of characters that were brought in from trades such as the one for Yonder Alonso and Craig Kimbrel we will focus on during this post. It is Prospects Month after all but we’re still going to try and win you your fantasy league for you regardless. We’re nice guys like that.

It feels like Wil Myers has been in the majors forever now and his AL Rookie of the Year Award in 2013 seems like so far ago but injuries will do that to a guy. Myers, still only 25-years old, will look to rebound from a wrist injury that cost him almost four months of his 2015 campaign. That alone will scare some fantasy owners away but I prefer to focus on his .291/.340/.493 slash before the injury rather than what he did in September when he returned. Myers is eligible at first base and the outfield making him a dual threat for your team and your lineup. Just don’t expect a ton of home runs from anyone who calls Petco Park home for 82 games a season.

I don’t believe in Fernando Rodney, I’m sorry but I don’t. I think what he did two years back shooting all those arrows into the sky was an anomaly and I think the 2015 season showed that. For that reason I can see setup man Kevin Quackenbush getting a true shot sometime this season. Rodney lost his closing job in Seattle after posting a 4.74 ERA and wasn’t all that much better in Chicago in limited innings with the Cubs. I don’t expect him to stay in the closer’s role all season long.

Finally you have two of the major prospects acquired in the Craig Kimbrel deal from the Boston Red Sox; outfielder Manuel Margot and shortstop Javier Guerra. These are the Padres #1 and #2 prospects respectively although neither is expected to reach the Major Leagues this season but hey, you never know. At least keep an eye out for them because it won’t hurt.

So there you have it, the young guys and prospects from the San Diego Padres that can help you win your fantasy leagues and drafts. Enjoy and I hope the information helps. 

If San Diego is Willing to Sell....

During the winter before the 2015 season I predicted, after a couple early offseason trades and moves, the Tampa Bay Rays were going to have a bit of a fire sale. Many, many trades later (although Evan Longoria, James Loney and Chris Archer did stick around so it wasn't a full-fledged fire sale) the Tampa Bay Rays had a fire sale. I see a similar trend forming this season with the San Diego Padres, especially after sending both Craig Kimbrel and Joaquin Benoit in separate trades to the American League, and if the Padres and their GM AJ Preller are willing to start selling I think Brian Cashman should start calling.

The Yankees and Padres have made one move already this season, a relatively minor one that sent 20-year old minor league pitcher Ronald Herrera to the Bronx for infielder Jose Pirela, and a second move could already be in the works for all we know. The trend for Brian Cashman during his tenure is when a trade is coming we will not hear about it, hence the nickname Ninja Cashman. Which players could intrigue the Yankees if another deal was already in the works?

Well you have to think the Yankees would like Yonder Alonso, Cory Spanenberg, Tyson Ross or Andrew Cashner but all signs seem to point to San Diego holding on to that part of their core. Alonso is trade bait in my eyes but only in the right deal while the team was pleasantly surprised with Spanenberg at second base in 2015. Ross and Cashner are the anchors of that starting rotation and aren't going anywhere unless the team goes full blown fire sale, and they won't.

What about Matt Kemp? A right handed corner outfield with the speed and range to play center field. If the Yankees acquired Kemp it would have to come after a Brett Gardner trade in my opinion as there isn't room for "Beast Mode" currently on the roster, especially after the team acquired Aaron Hicks. San Diego would also have to likely kick in a significant amount of payroll to facilitate this trade, well that or take a bad trade back in the deal.

What about Jedd Gyorko? The Yankees were willing to take on his contract last season when the two teams discussed a Jorge Mateo (and others) for Craig Kimbrel trade and could be interested in his services again. The Yankees could especially be interested in Gyorko after proving to the Padres that he could at least hold his own at the shortstop position, although he is a second baseman by trade.

Finally, what about James Shields? Shields has seen the Yankees plenty in his career as a member of the Kansas City Royals and the Tampa Bay Rays and is no stranger to the AL East or Yankee Stadium. Shields bounced back with his switch to the NL and once again threw 200 innings, something the Yankees need desperately in their starting rotation, and led a rotation in San Diego that under achieved overall. Shields wouldn't have to be the ace and the anchor in New York, he'd have to keep the team in games for five or six innings and keep the ball on the ground. Shields can do that, but would Brian Cashman pull the trigger?

I don't have the answers to any of these questions or scenarios, stay tuned.

James Shields Changed His Facebook Relationship Status to Available

It is well documented that the New York Yankees and their GM Brian Cashman stood pat at the July 31st trading deadline for the most part with Dustin Ackley as the team's only acquisition. While the Toronto Blue Jays basically sold their farm system away for a run at the World Series in 2015 the Yankees banked on the future and now these two teams are going in opposite directions. The Yankees seemingly comfortable lead is now all but gone while the Blue Jays haven't felt many losses since plugging Troy Tulowitzki into the shortstop position and lead off role and David Price into the top of the rotation depth chart. Yankees fans are already panicking but is the Yankees GM? He could be, especially after James Shields of the San Diego Padres just changed his relationship status on Facebook to "available."

I kid about the Facebook status obviously but Shields is still said to be available after clearing revocable waivers. San Diego can now trade the right-hander to any team for the remainder of the 2015 season without the consent of Mr. Big Game. It's not really a shock that Shields cleared waivers, he is owed $21 million in each of the 2016-2018 seasons, but is his contract too rich for the Yankees blood?

Well first thing is first, would he even be an upgrade inside the Yankees rotation? In a word, yes. CC Sabathia cannot be relied upon at this stage of the game but is this upgrade, marginal or substantial, worth the huge financial committment plus the prospects committment? If Shields wasn't pitching to a 4.21 FIP, 1.285 WHIP, 1.5 HR/9 ratio and just a 95 ERA+ I'd advocate for the Yankees to jump on the acquisition in a heart beat, but he is. 

You have to also keep in mind that Shields pitches his home starts inside Yellow Stone National Park, but the sponsors prefer us to call it Petco Park, which is substantially bigger than the dimensions inside Yankee Stadium. Shields may have a 3.75 ERA with the Padres but if you put him in a Yankees uniform, back in the American League East and inside Yankee Stadium you can add at least a run to that, a run or point to each of his peripherals and a lot more losses than his current 8-4 record showcases. Plus $21 million. Plus prospects. No thanks.

If It Comes Down to San Diego or New York…

Speculations are already running rampant on who will win the presumed Cole Hamels sweepstakes sometime this season and the early front runners are the San Diego Padres, the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox in that order. Many have put the Yankees as the favorites to land Hamels but I honestly think that was just to garner clicks and sell newspapers because if it comes down to San Diego or New York AJ Preller is going to win every single time.

I don’t pretend to know much about the state of the farm system in San Diego but one would have to think that after the flurry of acquisitions and trades this winter the Padres minor league system has to be weak. That’s not to say that the team could not pull off a trade for Hamels involving a Wil Myers or one of their many stud pitchers but I would have to think that New York has the better or deeper farm system right now. The difference between what Preller is doing in San Diego and what Brian Cashman is doing in New York is that Cashman is holding on to his prospects for the next dynasty or maybe the next big trade that makes sense. A trade for Hamels on the wrong side of 30 years old with all the money associated with the deal does not make sense for a Yankees team that is probably two or three years away from being a true World Series caliber team.

Boston and the Los Angeles Dodgers are always dark horses in any race for starting pitching while teams like the Texas Rangers and others may jump into the action as well. The only type of trades that New York is pulling off these days is salary dumps and players past their primes for less than stellar prospects that the team will never miss. Gone are the days that New York pulls off the blockbuster trade and that alone would, and should, keep the Yankees from acquiring Hamels this season.

TGP Daily Poll: San Diego’s AJ Preller Isn’t Done

AJ Preller, the new GM for the San Diego Padres, has been one of the most active GM’s in all of baseball and he isn’t done. Preller will acquire at least one more player before 2015.

Vote in our poll.