Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins 9/20

Afternoon baseball in the Bronx with what should be an entertaining pitching matchup, yes please. This afternoon the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins will finish off their season series with one final game here inside Yankee Stadium. In the final potential preview of the American League Wild Card Playoff Round the New York Yankees will send Luis Severino to the mound to face off with Bartolo Colon for the Twins. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network, ESPN and MLB TV. You can also follow along in your cars and on the radio by tuning into the WFAN broadcast.

Follow us on twitter by following @GreedyStripes and enjoy the game. Need a win, get a win and place that final nail in the coffin. Keep winning until that Magic Numbers says 0. Go Yankees!

Prediction: Yankees win 4-0

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins 9/20

Good morning Yankees family and welcome to the final game during the regular season between the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins. It is getaway day here in the Bronx as after the game the Yankees will use their final off day of the regular season to make the trip to Toronto to take on the Toronto Blue Jays inside the Rogers Centre. Days off and travel days are all the more sweet after a victory so that is the mission and the goal for the boys in pinstripes this afternoon. Taking the mound for the Yankees will be Masahiro Tanaka while the Twins will counter with an old foe and teammate in Bartolo Colon. If George Steinbrenner were alive you have to wonder if The Boss would have had any nice nicknames for Colon during his tenure in the Bronx. The things that make you go “hmmmmm.”

Tanaka bounced back in his last start against the Orioles with seven strong innings of work allowing just two runs on eight hits with eight strikeouts in a victory. This was a much improved start over the clunker Tanaka had against the Texas Rangers in Arlington when the right-hander allowed seven runs in just four innings of work in a Yankees loss.

The Yankees have decided to move Luis Severino up to start this afternoon in the Bronx instead of Tanaka. 

Colon has fallen back into his early-season ways lately for the Twins after being seemingly rejuvenated after signing with the club earlier in the summer. In three September starts Colon has posted an 0-3 record with a 7.53 ERA including a four run in six innings start against the Toronto Blue Jays in his last start. Colon has pitched against the Yankees 20 times in his long career and heads into his 21^st appearance against the Bronx Bombers sporting a 6-8 record with a 5.81 ERA in 110 innings.

The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network, ESPN and MLB TV. You can also follow along in your cars and on the radio by tuning into the WFAN broadcast with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. This will be the last time that the Yankees see the Twins before a potential AL Wild Card Playoff game so enjoy it while you can, and enjoy hitting a few home runs off a former teammate in Colon while you’re at it. Enjoy the game, need a win so get a win, and let’s make the playoffs. Go Yankees!!

Out with the Old and In with the New, or Vice Versa?...

Credit:  Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune

Yankees 6, Twins 3...

On Tuesday, the Yankees faced baseball's oldest player and a former Yank.  With a 2-8 record and 8.14 ERA for the Atlanta Braves, Bartolo Colon looked to be a feast for the young Baby Bombers.  But after he shut down the Yankees in the first inning like a young ace, I had fears that Colon was going to be  a master, for one night, against the Yankees.  Fortunately, he wore down quickly and the Yankees got to him in the fifth inning to rally for the victory over the Minnesota Twins.

Credit:  Jesse Johnson/USA TODAY Sports

Admittedly, it was a little hard to focus on the game as rumors were swirling about the Yankees potential acquisition of Todd Frazier, David Robertson, and Tommy Kahnle from the Chicago White Sox.  The trade became official after the game but more on that later.

I like Yankees starter Luis Cessa and he's done well at Triple A.  But for whatever reason, it just has not translated at the Major League level for him...yet.  It felt like it was going to be a long night when Colon breezed through the top of the Yankees batting order in the first inning including a strike out of Aaron Judge.  Cessa, on the other hand, struggled out of the gate.  He walked the first two batters and hit Miguel Sano with a pitch to load the bases with only one out.  After getting Max Kepler to pop out, Cessa walked Robbie Grossman to give the Twins the early 1-0 lead.  Fortunately, Cessa struck out Eddie Rosario to prevent any further damage.  One run on no hits...not exactly how you want to start a game.

Credit:  Randy Miller/NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Cessa walked the first batter of the second inning but settled down to retire the next three batters.  With the Yankee offense still unable to get anything going against Colon, the Twins added to their lead in the third when Miguel Sano homered to center (a solo shot into the bullpen).

The Yankees finally got on the board in the top of the 4th.  Aaron Judge opened the inning with a single to left.  Didi Gregorius hit an infield grounder to third that was deflected off Colon for a single.  Clint Frazier hit into a force out that erased Gregorius at second but Judge advanced to third.  Chase Headley singled to center, past a diving Brian Dozier, to bring home Judge and it was 2-1 Twins.  

The Twins got the run right back in the bottom of the inning.  Jason Castro hit a one-out double to the right field wall and Brian Dozier hit a fly ball that nearly went out of the park, bouncing off the upper part of the scoreboard area on the right field fence, as the Twins regained the two-run advantage, 3-1.  Cessa was able to retire Zack Granite on a ground out, but the Yankees brought in Chasen Shreve to secure the final out, a ground out by Joe Mauer.  

The 4th inning had showed the Yankees were finally starting to make progress against the ancient Colon but the 5th inning showed why Colon is no longer an Atlanta Brave.  Ronald Torreyes singled to left center and moved to third on a ground rule double by Brett Gardner, a fly ball that bounced just inside of the left foul line before falling into the left field stands on the foul side. Gary Sanchez then doubled to left, scoring both Torreyes and Gardner.  The game was tied at 3.  Twins manager Paul Molitor had seen enough and pulled Colon in favor of reliever Ryan Pressly.  But the results were no different.  Aaron Judge singled to center to score Sanchez and after Matt Holliday struck out, Didi Gregorius blasted a two-run homer to right. The Yankees had their first lead of the series, 6-3.

Credit:  Jesse Johnson/USA TODAY Sports

The Twins came right back in the bottom of the 5th and it looked like they might get some runs back.  Miguel Sano doubled to left and Max Kepler singled to right, moving Sano to third.  Fortunately, Chasen Shreve struck out the next two batters and induced Jorge Polanco into an infield popout to leave Sano stranded at third.

The Yankees loaded the bases again in the 6th inning but Matt Holliday hit a grounder for the final out leaving the bases full.  From there it was up to the Yankees bullpen.  Adam Warren was great.  He pitched two innings of hitless ball in the 6th and 7th, striking out 2.  From there, it was a high wire act with Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman.  Robbie Grossman doubled off Betances to open the bottom of the 8th.  After striking out Eddie Rosario, Betances hit pinch-hitter Eduardo Escobar with a pitch.  He struck out Jason Castro but walked the dangerous Brian Dozier to load the bases.  Zack Granite hit a hard fly ball to right looked to be trouble for a second but it fell short of the wall into Aaron Judge's glove for the final out.  A few groans from the Target Field crowd...

Aroldis Chapman took over in the 9th but it was not easy.  He walked Joe Mauer on a full count to start the inning.  A wild pitch moved Mauer to second and eliminated the possibility of a double play.  Miguel Sano grounded out, Ronald Torreyes to Garrett Cooper, moving Mauer to third.  Fortunately, Chapman retired the next two batters for his 10th save as the Yankees evened the series at a game apiece.  

Credit:  Getty Images

The Yankees (48-44) remained in third place in the AL East with the win as both the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays won.  The Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-4, in 15 innings and the Rays beat the Oakland A's, 4-3.  The Yankees are 3 1/2 games behind the Red Sox and a 1 1/2 games behind the Rays.

Throughout the game, I was keeping an eye on the Los Angeles Dodgers game in Chicago against White Sox.  Todd Frazier had been held out of the game, and neither David Robertson nor Tommy Kahnle pitched despite Chicago's use of multiple pitchers in the 1-0 loss to Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers.  The White Sox game ended before Aroldis Chapman shut down the Twins.  Interestingly, Tyler Clippard, one of the rumored players going to the White Sox (which turned out to be true), was warming with Aroldis Chapman in the top of the 9th inning and might have come into the game had the Yankees been able to add to their lead.

The Yankees conclude the series in Minneapolis this afternoon.  

The Yankees Are Officially Buyers...

What is old is new again!  The question whether the Yankees would be buyers or sellers or hold pat was answered after the game when the rumored deal with the White Sox became official.  In exchange for New Jersey native Todd Frazier and former Yankees David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle, the Yankees sent their #4 prospect, outfielder Blake Rutherford, LHP Ian Clarkin, OF Tito Polo and reliever Tyler Clippard to Chicago.  

Credit:  Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

I am sad to see Rutherford go but all things considered, it is a position of depth and there is still a possibility the Yankees could make a run at Bryce Harper when he becomes a free agent so Rutherford was a bit redundant (particularly given the breakout performance of Double-A outfielder Estevan Florial).  I've always liked Ian Clarkin and had hoped that he would eventually find his way to the Bronx after injuries prevented the lefty pitcher from advancing more quickly.  Polo is an unranked prospect that the Yankees acquired from the Pirates in the trade that sent Ivan Nova to Pittsburgh.  I am obviously not disappointed to see Clippard go, especially since Robertson and Kahnle represent significant bullpen upgrades.  

I remember being so disappointed when the Yankees lost Tommy Kahnle to the Colorado Rockies in the 2013 Rule 5 Draft and he stuck with the Rockies for the entire year.  I was very aware of him when the Rockies traded him to the White Sox last November.  He was a good reliever in Denver and has been even better for the White Sox.  

Credit:  Paul Sancya/AP

I hated to see David Robertson leave via free agency.  I remember when there was the potential that the Yankees could sign both Andrew Miller and David Robertson but inevitably they chose to sign Miller and take the compensation pick (SS Kyle Holder) to let the highly regarded Robertson sign elsewhere.  During his first year with the White Sox, he was placed on waivers after the trading deadline and the Yankees put in the winning claim.  There was no activity in trade talks but I remember the momentary excitement about Robertson's possible return.  

Todd Frazier has the ability to play first base in addition to third but time will tell whether Manager Joe Girardi uses Frazier or Chase Headley at first.  Given that Frazier is clearly a rental, I suspect that he'll be the regular first baseman but that is Girardi's decision to make.  

With Clippard off the roster, the Yankees still have to make two moves today.  My immediate thought would be the demotions of Ji-Man Choi and Luis Cessa to Triple A.  But Garrett Cooper could be the odd man out if the Yankees feel he would be better served by starting every day for the RailRiders.  

Also, it will be interesting to see if Clint Frazier gives up #30 to Robertson.  I personally think he should.  He had no prior attachments to the number.  As for Todd Frazier, he wears Paul O'Neill's number which has not been retired.  I wonder if he is forced to choose a new number or if the Yankees finally allow the number to be worn again.  All things considered, it is just a two month rental so it probably makes more sense to keep #21 in moth balls.

Welcome (or welcome back) to the Yankees, Todd, David and Tommy!

Odds & Ends...

To make room on the active roster for RHP Luis Cessa who started Tuesday's game, the Yankees optioned RHP Bryan Mitchell, Monday's starter, to Triple A.  Poor Mitchell, he's probably getting tired of the Bronx-to-Scranton Shuttle.  

Credit:  Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

On Tuesday, the Minnesota Twins placed former Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes on the 60-day disabled list.  I guess I really haven't been following Hughes' career in the Twin Cities, but I did not realize that he's been battling Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS).  As defined by Wikipedia, TOS is a condition in which there is a compression of the nerves, arteries or veins in the passageway from the lower neck to the armpit.  He had part of a rib removed through surgery last year and is experiencing recurring symptoms which could lead to the removal of the remainder of the rib to alleviate pressure.  I sincerely hope that Hughes is able to get medical treatment he needs and is able to make a complete recovery.  

Have a great Wednesday!  A wonderful day to grab a victory and hop a plane for the Great Northwest!  Let's Go Yankees!

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Minnesota Twins 7/18

The New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins are ready to do battle for the second time during this three-game set tonight inside Minnesota’s Target Field. In the middle contest of this series the Yankees will send Luis Cessa to the mound still searching for his first victory of the season while the Twins will counter with Bartolo Colon who hasn’t had a victory in the American League and for an AL team in a long, long time. The game will be played at 8:10 pm ET inside Target Field and can be seen on WPIX Channel 11, ESPN and MLB TV. You can also follow along in your cars and on the radio by tuning into the WFAN broadcast with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.

I just want to take a quick second to pat ourselves on the back as we recently surpassed 5,000 Twitter followers on our @GreedyStripes account. That may not be much to many but it means the world to us and we appreciate it. Let’s get to 6,000 now! Enjoy the game and go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Minnesota Twins 7/18

The New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins will continue their three-game set this week in Minnesota with the middle game of the series. In the start tonight the Yankees will send Luis Cessa to the mound to take on a former Yankee in Bartolo Colon. Seeing Colon back in the American League could be fun, well fun if you’re named Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez or any of the other Yankees offensive players. Colon and his mid-to-high 80 MPH fastball may be just what the doctor ordered for the Bronx Bombers if I don’t say so myself.

Cessa will be making his fourth start of the season and is still in search of his first victory here in 2017. To date Cessa has posted an 0-3 record with an ugly 5.93 ERA against the Oakland Athletics, the Texas Rangers and the Chicago White Sox which is alarming given those three teams current records and places in the standings.

Colon will be making his debut with the Twins tonight after being designated by assignment by the Atlanta Braves earlier in the season. The Twins signed the right-hander to a minor league deal back on July 7 and the 44-year old made one start in Triple-A, a clunker that saw him allow four runs in 3.2 innings pitched, before making his way back to the show.

The game will be played at 8:10 pm ET inside Target Field and can be seen on WPIX Channel 11 in the Bronx, ESPN and MLB TV. You can also follow along on the radio and in your cars by tuning into John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN. Enjoy the game, beat up on Colon and always shot Go Yankees!!

July 31st Trade Deadline Countdown: Starting Pitching

Now that we totally didn’t figure out that whole first base situation and very likely only left you with more questions than you had before… let’s tackle the starting pitching problem! The Yankees learned this weekend that CC Sabathia has a Grade II strain of his hamstring while Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda haven’t exactly been great this month leaving the team a little thin in the starting pitching department. Chance Adams, until I hear otherwise, is not deemed to be ready to make the big jump to the Major Leagues so here are a couple options that could stop gap for the team until Sabathia is healthy and until Adams is ready to make the jump. 

When Sonny Gray is healthy he is as dominant as they come, the problem for the Oakland Athletics is that he hasn’t been healthy or dominant in the last two seasons. For those reasons alone the A’s may be inclined to just hold onto their young righty but if the team does decide to sell him at the deadline he may come cheap, or “cheap.” The A’s are in need of a complete rebuild and the team isn’t dumb, they know Sonny Gray jumpstarts that rebuild… hurt in 2016 and struggling in 2017 or not.  The Yankees would have to give up three-or-four prospects for Gray but none of them would be named Clint, Gleyber, Jorge or Justus in my opinion. 

If the asking price for Gray becomes too rich for the Yankees liking they could always go after another young arm that has never seemingly put it together due to injuries. Low risk, and subsequently a low cost, and a high reward comes attached to the talented, but injury prone, right-arm of Michael Wacha and the Yankees may be ready to pounce on that. The Cardinals aren’t likely to reach the postseason in 2017 and Wacha has struggled, although Wacha struggling is still good for a 3.86 career ERA, leaving many to wonder and believe that he could be moved. If Wacha pitched like he did when he was an All-Star the Yankees may easily have one of the best starting rotations in all of the game. If not, what are the Bronx Bombers really out? A couple prospects that are either blocked or that had no real shot at making the Major Leagues anyway. That sounds like a risk worth taking if you ask me. The Cardinals have a ton of pitching talent coming through their farm system and Wacha is merely keeping a spot warm for them anyway, why not move him now for something rather than later for potentially nothing? Small and mid-market teams just don’t do the latter anymore. 

Finally, and before you laugh I am strictly talking as an inexpensive stopgap and not as a savior for the team, the Atlanta Braves have a couple pitchers that could be intriguing. Is it time for a Bartolo Colon reunion in the Bronx? Colon is 44-years old, making $12 million in salary that I would be willing to eat in order to keep all my prospects, and struggling with an ERA pushing 8.00 but one thing he has is experience. Is Colon the ideal choice? As it stand now, hell no. You have to remember though that Colon was an All-Star just last year so I find it hard to believe that Father Time caught up to him that quickly and all at once. I’ve been wrong before. Stay tuned. 

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Atlanta Braves 3/31

Uh oh ladies and gentleman but I think we just had the return of the game thread here on the blog. These are exciting times as we finish off the exhibition season and begin the real season on Sunday. Tonight the Atlanta Braves break in their newly built SunTrust Park with an exhibition game against the New York Yankees. This should be fun, these games always are. The Yankees will send Michael Pineda to the mound for his final spring tune-up before the regular season while the Braves will counter with the ageless one Bartolo Colon.

Pineda has not faced this group of Braves much as the Atlanta offense has a whopping 11 at-bats against the right-hander combined during his career. Pineda is entering a contract season though in 2017 and we as Yankees fans may be in for a treat as we watch him throw this season for no other reason than that. Players tend to do better in their contract seasons, period, so maybe this will be the season Pineda finally puts it all together. Only time will tell.

Colon on the other hand has seen this Yankees offense quite a bit as he has bounced around the league during his career to varying degrees of results. Starlin Castro, Jacoby Ellsbury, Matt Holliday and Gary Sanchez have all hit above .300 against Colon albeit in small sample sizes, especially the sample size for the Yankees catcher. Like Pineda though none of these stats matter once the bright lights go on and the game gets started so let’s get to it.

The game will be played at 7:35 pm ET inside SunTrust Park in Atlanta and can be seen on the YES Network locally in New York, Fox Sports South in the Atlanta area and MLB Network if you’re out of either market. Enjoy and Go Yankees!

Remembering Yankees of the Past: Bartolo Colon

Bartolo Colon, recently of the New York Mets, made his comeback to the Major Leagues when the New York Yankees signed him in 2011. Colon’s signing was surrounded by controversy, imagine that with the New York Yankees in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s, due to a stem cell transplant injection in his elbow. Colon is 42 years old and likely to call it a career so now more than ever I’d like remember a Yankee of the past, Mr. Bartolo Colon.


Colon was coming off a 2010 season that he missed due to ongoing right shoulder and elbow pain while also damaging his rotator cuff, ligaments and tendons in his right throwing shoulder. In March of 2010 Colon received the stem cell transplant to help repair the damaged tissues in his shoulder which came attached to a slew of controversy. The surgeon who performed the surgery was said to have used human growth hormone in previous surgeries, surgeries similar to Colon’s but denied the fact that any were used in Colon’s surgery. Major League Baseball held an investigation but no wrongdoing was found by the league and Colon was allowed to pitch in 2011.


Colon signed a minor league deal with the Yankees on January 26, 2011 after pitching in the Pre_World Championship in Puerto Rico, winter ball with the Aguilas and Leones del Escoquido, and the Puerto Rican winter league. Colon was invited to spring training that year and despite coming into camp 30 lbs. overweight Colon made the team out of the bullpen. Colon was not long for the bullpen and by April, 20 he was replacing Phil Hughes in the rotation through the month of May. Colon went 3-3 with a 3.26 ERA replacing Hughes and stuck in the team’s rotation long enough to throw a 4-hit shutout against the Oakland Athletics. The Yankees and Colon were firing on all cylinders until June, 11 when Colon, who was throwing a shutout against the Cleveland Indians, was seen limping off the field after covering first base. Colon went on the disabled list but vowed to be back in 15 days.


Colon was a man of his word as he came off the disabled list on July 2 to make a start against the New York Mets where he threw six more shutout innings for New York. Colon finished his only season with the Yankees with an 8-10 record and 4.00 ERA. Colon was named to the team’s playoff roster as a member of the bullpen before the team lost to the Detroit Tigers in the 2011 ALDS, thus ending Colon’s tenure as a New York Yankees.

Has Larry Rothschild Really Made a Difference?

In case you missed it the New York Yankees had one member of their coaching staff that was set to become a free agent before the 2017 season and that one coach was the Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild. New York seems high on Rothschild and they didn’t let him dangle for long as they signed him to a one-year deal for the 2017 season and that got me thinking. Has Rothschild really made a difference in the Yankees pitching over his tenure in the Bronx and should New York be stumbling over themselves to get him signed again for the 2018 season?

Rothschild signed with the Yankees back in 2011 after being the pitching coach for many teams but most recently the pitching coach for the Chicago Cubs. The year before Rothschild signed the Yankees pitching staff as a whole had a 3.73 ERA while the team posted a 3.84 ERA in 2012, a 3.94 ERA in 2013, a 3.75 ERA in 2014, a 4.15 ERA in 2015 and a 4.16 ERA in 2016. In the six years prior to Rothschild the Yankees staff as a whole posted a 4.52 ERA in 2005, a 4.41 ERA in 2006, a 4.49 ERA in 2007, a 4.28 ERA in 2008, a 4.26 ERA in 2009, and a 4.06 in 2010. While these numbers look good on paper you have to remember that Rothschild has a much better bullpen these days in the Bronx that skew these numbers just a tad from before he was the pitching coach.  

Does the pitching coach even matter or is it the pitchers that make all the difference? You have to remember that in 2011, the first year under Rothschild, the Yankees pitching staff consisted of CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Ivan Nova, Bartolo Colon, Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia. This season the pitching staff on Opening Day was Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, Nathan Eovaldi, Luis Severino and CC Sabathia with Ivan Nova in the bullpen and Bryan Mitchell on the DL. I said all that to say this, you can’t compare apples to oranges here unfortunately because in the era of free agency the team’s change so much from year to year.

With that said has Larry Rothschild really made a difference in the Bronx? Most would argue that no he hasn’t but looking at the numbers I’m not sure that’s as much of a failure of his as it is a general rule for all coaches and managers. Talent is talent and you can only give so much guidance in these days and times. Larry hasn’t made a huge difference in my opinion, he “lost” Luis Severino this year while Nathan Eovaldi also took a step back, but no one off the top of my head (that is available) would have made that big of a difference either. Just my speculation.

Just something to remember when everyone is looking for a scape goat after a tough season is all. Carry on. 

Subway Series Game Four Thread: New York Yankees vs. New York Mets 8/4

Here we go one last time before the Subway Series fades to black as the New York Yankees and the New York Mets face off head-to-head in the finale of their four-game set. The first two games took place inside the home of the Mets, Citi Field, and tonight’s contest will mark the second and final game in the Bronx’s Yankee Stadium. In the pitching matchup the Yankees will send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound to square off against a former Yankees arm in Bartolo Colon. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on WPIX Channel 11 for the Yankees, SNY for the Mets, MLB Network and MLB TV.

Get your Yankees tickets for the next series in the Bronx or for any game remaining this season as we press on in this year’s second half by clicking the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog. Also be sure to click the TGP T-Shirts link also located at the top of the blog to get your Yankees-related t-shirts including the Jacoby Ellsbury milk carton shirt that commemorated him stealing home plate for the second time in 2016.

Follow along during the game and all season long with us by either liking us on Facebook or by giving @GreedyStripes a follow. We’re always around and always talking or ranting and raving about something so check us out. Bartolo Colon vs. Nathan Eovaldi. Should be a fun one, especially if we beat the Mets. Go Yankees!

Subway Series Game Four Preview: New York Yankees vs. New York Mets 8/4

Unless the stars all fall down and the world takes a tumble off its gravitational spin this will be the last time the New York Yankees and the New York Mets face off during the 2016 MLB season. Sure the Mets could take Jay Bruce and slug their way to the World Series and sure the Yankees could call up Clint Frazier and Aaron Judge and others thus sparking the offense all the way back to the World Series for the first time since 2009 but let’s be realistic. Let’s also enjoy this last chapter of the Subway Series 2016 as the New York Yankees send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound to square off against Bartolo Colon for the Mets. No really guys, it’s not happening.

Eovaldi has shown drastic improvement since returning to the Yankees rotation in the second half including his last start on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays. Eovaldi allowed three runs in six innings in the start and has allowed just six runs in his last six appearances for New York.

Colon made a start on short rest last time out and you could clearly see that the 43-year old is not made for that kind of abuse anymore. Colon ran out of gas in that start but he will be back to his normal four days of rest before tonight’s start in the Bronx. Yay us.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the WPIX Channel 11 for the Yankees feed, SNY for the Mets feed, MLB Network and MLB TV. The one thing I don’t like about these four-game sets is there is the possibility of a tie in the season series where my OCD will only allow for series victories or losses. That’s just how I’m hardwired, sorry. But that’s neither here nor there, I’m still rooting for a Yankees victory regardless. Go Yankees!

Yankees Send Eight to the All Star Game, Current & Former

The New York Yankees will send three of their own to the 2016 MLB All-Star Game tonight inside Petco Park in San Diego. The trio that the Bronx Bombers will send to the mid-summer classic are Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Carlos Beltran but they won’t be the only familiar faces at the game to a Yankees fan tonight. New York is also sending five former members of their team and organization to the game as well. 

The Yankees watched Robinson Cano’s sweet swing wreak havoc on American League pitchers from 2005 through the 2013 season before the second baseman left for Seattle via free agency. The Yankees signed Cano as an international free agent and developed him through their system as a third baseman before switching him to second base due to Alex Rodriguez manning his position in the Bronx. 

Possibly and potentially playing beside Cano in this game is another former Yankees product in Minnesota Twins shortstop Eduardo Nunez. Nunez was maybe best known for all the times he ran to first base, routine ground ball or not, while losing his batting helmet in the process. Nunez spent parts of the 2010 – 2013 seasons in the Bronx before being traded to Minnesota before the 2014 season. 

Jose Quintana was a former Yankees prospect and heads to the game to replace Cleveland Indians ace Danny Salazar who cannot make the game due to a minor elbow issue. Quintana was allowed to walk by the Yankees as a minor league free agent and found his niche and his third pitch in Chicago. The rest, as they say, is history. 

Mark Melancon has become one of the better closers in all of Major League Baseball and all of the National League but that honor and prestige came after a trade to the Houston Astros and eventually the Pittsburgh Pirates and not in the Bronx. If you can remember Melancon would come up only to sit on the bench for two-to-three weeks at a time and then catch flack and criticism because he didn’t look sharp ultimately leading to his trade. Well duh! 

Bartolo Colon is defying the odds right now in Major League Baseball but you have to wonder if he would have been given a shot had it not been for the Yankees. Back in 2011 the Yankees gave Colon a shot after sitting out the 2010 season and after receiving a controversial injection in his elbow that may have rejuvenated his career. Brian Cashman was called a fool then, he wasn’t being called one by the end of the season though. Don’t worry he was back to being called a fool again by 2012. 

The Yankees also drafted Clayton Kershaw… and then I woke up.  

And who says the Yankees can’t draft, sign and develop talent? They can, the problem is just that most of the time that talent found their own and found the opportunity to flourish elsewhere. This is something I hope the Yankees can see as well and this is something I hope the Yankees are at least trying to get away from. Hopes in one hand, dreams in the other. Which fills up first? Stay tuned. 

What Does Strasburg’s Extension Mean for Pineda/Eovaldi

The Washington Nationals disappointed a lot of people not named Strasburg this week when the team announced a seven-year extension for the young right-hander. It was long thought that Strasburg, a former first overall pick by Washington in the MLB Draft, would hit free agency following this season but the Nationals instead locked up their ace righty begging the question how will this affect the Yankees? What will the Yankees do now with their starting pitching both on the free agent market and with their own free agents to be Nathan Eovaldi and Michael Pineda.

This coming offseason’s free agent market took a big blow with the loss of Strasburg with the front runners being Bartolo Colon, R.A. Dickey and Rich Hill. If New York needs another starter next offseason they may have to go the same route they went this season and they may have dig deeper into the trade market. That’s if the team has their eye on the 2017 roster and team and that’s only if they don’t have their eyes on the prize in 2018 and 2019. If it’s the latter and not the former you have to wonder if the team would consider trading either or both of Eovaldi and Pineda this July or offseason.

Both Eovaldi and Pineda are young fireballers that are under contract for the 2017 season and may be the team’s best trade pieces going forward. The Yankees have shown a reluctance to go dig deep into their farm system to make the big trades when they feel it’s necessary and the free agent class is barren leaving the Yankees with little in the way of options. Either they hope to contend or they need to trade and get what they can now rather than later.

If the Yankees plan on contending they could always extend either Eovaldi and/or Pineda but that may have just gotten pretty damn expensive. Eovaldi is 26-years old while Pineda is 27-years old while Strasburg is still somehow just about to turn 28-years old this season and all three pitchers are all upside. If Strasburg is getting $175 million over seven seasons for mediocrity what would Eovaldi and Pineda get? At least $150 million you would have to think which begs the question if they are worth it? Honestly I’m not so sure.

If the Yankees are out of it in July then trade them, if they aren’t then the hard question comes. To extend or not to extend. I don’t have the answer. 

The Montreal Expos: And Then There Was One

Before the Washington Nationals had Bryce Harper roaming the outfield of Nationals Park and before the team had an ace starting pitcher with one brown eye and one blue eye the team played their games in Canada, Montreal to be exact. The Montreal Expos were once the team that gave teams like the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets fits in the National League East before making the move to Washington before the 2005 season. As the Nationals organization gets older the original players that once donned Expos uniforms begin to become fewer and farther between until we reach just one, Bartolo Colon.

Bartolo Colon of the New York Mets is now the final active member in Major League Baseball to ever wear a Montreal Expos uniform. And then there was one but until a few days ago there was two, the other being Maicer Izturis of the Toronto Blue Jays. Izturis announced his retirement this week after signing a minor league deal with the club because his body couldn’t do it anymore.

Colon turns 43-years old in May and is four years older than Bruce Chen, another former Expos pitcher who last pitched in 2015, and is seven years the elder of Izturis. Colon pitched a half-season with Montreal in 2002 after the Expos acquired him from the Cleveland Indians at age 29. By the way, in return for Colon the Indians were able to pry away a lefty named Cliff Lee, an infielder named Brandon Phillips and an outfielder named Grady Sizemore. No wonder the league wanted to contract the Expos.

Also as an FYI one of the last Expos to ever be drafted is still around as well, Ian Desmond. Desmond will spend the 2016 season with the Texas Rangers after the Expos drafted him. Desmond did not make him MLB debut until the team had already moved to Washington under a new team name.

Colon is still a very serviceable Major Leaguer and still a valuable piece of the New York Mets so who knows, we may still be talking about the last man standing in a Expos uniform five-to-ten years from now. I hope so anyway!

Fantasy Baseball: Who are the New York Mets?

The New York Mets are the new version of the New York Yankees? If you read the New York tabloids and sports articles online apparently some seem to think so, me not so much but I digress. Who exactly are the New York Mets? They are a bunch of aces with a Bartolo Colon thrown in who pitch behind players like David Wright and Yoenis Cespedes. But who are the Mets really and how can they help you in your fantasy league draft? Well I’m glad you asked. 

The New York Mets have a new shortstop and a new second baseman now that Daniel Murphy is gone and the team feels good about where their offense is at this point. Asdrubal Cabrera could be the team’s starting shortstop over Wilmer Flores but he may be better suited as a backup for New York and Zack Wheeler is on his way back from Tommy John surgery leaving Bartolo Colon’s future with the team up in the air. 

We’ll start with Walker who has some large shoes to fill, especially if the Mets make the postseason for the second consecutive season. Murphy was an absolute beast in the postseason and although Walker brings much better defense and surprisingly more power to the club he may be overlooked for much of the season. Walker is one of the better second baseman in the National League in my opinion and may be a solid, not spectacular, pickup for you at the position if you can wait him out until the middle rounds. 

Asdrubal Cabrera’s position with the team is not set in stone yet and likely won’t be until the end of Spring Training. With Wilmer Flores currently manning the shortstop position and Ruben Tejada expected back sometime in early 2016 Cabrera may be forced into a super utility role. Cabrera is solid everywhere but not really spectacular at anything leaving much to be desired as a starter, although he wouldn’t be the worst 20^th round pick or so in the world. If he’s a bench player he has little fantasy value but if he’s a starter he may be worth a shot late. 

Finally you have the return of Zack Wheeler and what it may mean to Bartolo Colon. It is thought that Colon is simply keeping the seat warm for Wheeler until he can return from Tommy John surgery but as we all know, injuries happen. Colon is durable and will likely make his 20 starts or more this season and will somehow continue to defy the odds in the National League. He may even run into a pitch or two and help you with your on-base percentage at the plate (yes I know that is not counted in most leagues for pitchers…. It’s a joke). Grab both if you can, especially Wheeler with say your last pick. Lots of wins there I think between the two. 

There you have it, those are the Mets. Hopefully the Mets can help you lead your team through the postseason and to the Promised Land much like Daniel Murphy led that team to the World Series in 2015. 

The "Andrew Bailey" MiLB Deal for Greg Holland

The New York Yankees have never been afraid to take a chance on an injured or aging veteran pitcher in hopes of getting a little lightning in a bottle out of them. We've seen it many times and a few examples of this are the Aaron Small signing, the Bartolo Colon signing, the Freddy Garcia signing and others and New York most recently did it with former Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics closer Andrew Bailey. Bailey was signed with the thought that he would not pitch in the first season of his deal but would presumably be ready for the second year, why wouldn't that work with former Royals closer Greg Holland?

Holland will miss the entire 2016 season recovering from Tommy John surgery and will attempt his comeback during the 2017 season. Holland is a free agent currently and may be looking for one of those two year minor league deals we have been seeing over the years. Why can't the team that gives Holland that deal be the Yankees?

The Yankees love having a super bullpen and they had one in 2015 with Justin Wilson, Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller and look to have one in 2016 as well with the trade of Wilson and the acquisition of Aroldis Chapman. What about the 2017 season after Chapman presumably leaves via free agency? Holland could step into the 7th or 8th inning, eventually, for the Yankees while Miller slides back into the 9th inning role for New York.

Even with a growing tear in his right throwing elbow Holland had 32 saves as we entered September of 2015 after refusing to get an MRI or sit down during the season. Holland is a gamer and a champion and wanted to be a part of the first World Series championship team in Kansas City in 30 years. Would he be worth the wait? Absolutely, especially if he comes back from the Tommy John surgery throwing darts the way he did in 2015 and 2014.  Will the Yankees do it? Who knows, but if Holland is willing then they should.

The Starting Pitching Market is Still Stacked

The big boys are starting to come off the free agency board from the starting pitching department and most of the huge checks have been handed out. The Boston Red Sox have already given David Price the largest contract for a pitcher in Major League Baseball history and the Arizona Diamondbacks gave the two largest contracts in the history of their franchise to Zack Greinke, who also has the highest average annual value in MLB history, and Johnny Cueto but that doesn’t mean all the big names are gone. For every Jeff Samardzija taken off the board there are two or three guys left to replace him, do any of them intrigue the Yankees?

By my unofficial count at least 10 teams are still looking for top of the rotation type starters and want to contend in 2016. That list includes the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Miami Marlins, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Baltimore Orioles, the Boston Red Sox (as scary as that is for Yankees fans to hear), the Detroit Tigers, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees. There are probably another ten or so teams that are still looking for another starter to fill out their rotation before spring training while teams like the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers to name a few will let their prospects battle it out in spring training competitions. That’s a whole lot of competition for New York who are said to be in the market for another starter, the good news for Brian Cashman is there are still plenty to choose from.

It was almost a foregone conclusion that the Yankees would acquire Mike Leake at the trading deadline last season. That didn’t happen and he ended up going to the San Francisco Giants where he pitched well despite an injury. Since Leake was traded he will not be linked to draft pick compensation and he’s still on the right side of 30-years old. Leake is not your ace and is not likely going to lead your team to the World Series but if you need a durable guy that can keep an offense like the Yankees in every single game and give you 200 innings over the course of a season, Leake is your man.

The same can be said for the free agent market, the Yankees and former Baltimore Orioles starter Wei-Yin Chen. Many linked the Yankees to Chen and expected them to sign the lefty away from their AL East rivals but New York seems willing to hold onto what they have in order to keep their (currently) 20^th overall draft pick in the 2016 draft. Chen was the ace of the Orioles and according to reports he wants to be paid like an ace both in terms of years and dollars but he wouldn’t be the ace in New York. At best, at very best mind you, he is a #2 starter with the Yankees. No thank you, not for five or six years and not for $100 million plus a draft pick.

Scott Kazmir is the left-handed starter that the Yankees have been coveting the past couple of seasons. The starting rotation has become very right-handed heavy, especially when (not if) CC Sabathia is injured, and Kazmir could be the perfect complement in the rotation. Kazmir would not require draft pick compensation and would likely lead the second-tier of available starting pitching. He’s been durable with the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics but I wonder if pitching in traditionally pitcher-friendly ballparks may have been inflating his stats just a tad. I worry about him inside Yankee Stadium, but he may be a risk worth taking if the Yankees are willing to open up their purse strings just a bit.

Ian Kennedy, the former Yankees farm hand turned 20-game winner with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kennedy has not been able to replicate his 20-win success with either the DBacks or the San Diego Padres but he has been durable and has given his team consistent innings over the years at the top of every rotation. Kennedy is not an ace though, not lately and definitely not in New York, but he would be intriguing back in the Bronx. Kennedy was thought of as the 3^rd best starter in the group with Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes and may have turned out to be the best of the three, it may be time for Brian Cashman to right a wrong here.

Cliff Lee has been cleared to pitch in 2016 and his elbow has finally been donned as healthy. Brian Cashman and the Yankees have coveted Lee for quite some time now and almost acquired him multiple times during his career either in free agency or via the trade market. There were hiccups along the way, Lee worried about him and his wife in the New York environment and Cashman didn’t want to part with certain prospects in another trade but Lee is a free agent once again. The Yankees have a tendency of getting their man a few years too late, see Carlos Beltran, and lightning may strike twice with Lee.

Mark Buehrle is likely going to retire but until he does he remains an option with all teams. How ironic would it be for Buehrle to join the team that has kept him up at night for his entire career? Ironic, yes, but likely? No.

I’m going to be frank and honest here, I never saw the fascination for some with Yovani Gallardo. He’s consistent but he’s never great. He’s durable but overall has been unreliable. Despite it all he received a qualifying offer from the Texas Rangers this season. The fact that he is linked to a draft pick is an automatic “no” for me. I’ll happily give up the pick for an ace, Gallardo just isn’t an ace to me.

Remembering Yankees of the Past: Bartolo Colon

Bartolo Colon, recently of the New York Mets, made his comeback to the Major Leagues when the New York Yankees signed him in 2011. Colon’s signing was surrounded by controversy, imagine that with the New York Yankees in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s, due to a stem cell transplant injection in his elbow. Colon is 42 years old and likely to call it a career so now more than ever I’d like remember a Yankee of the past, Mr. Bartolo Colon. 

Colon was coming off a 2010 season that he missed due to ongoing right shoulder and elbow pain while also damaging his rotator cuff, ligaments and tendons in his right throwing shoulder. In March of 2010 Colon received the stem cell transplant to help repair the damaged tissues in his shoulder which came attached to a slew of controversy. The surgeon who performed the surgery was said to have used human growth hormone in previous surgeries, surgeries similar to Colon’s but denied the fact that any were used in Colon’s surgery. Major League Baseball held an investigation but no wrongdoing was found by the league and Colon was allowed to pitch in 2011.

Colon signed a minor league deal with the Yankees on January 26, 2011 after pitching in the Pre_World Championship in Puerto Rico, winter ball with the Aguilas and Leones del Escoquido, and the Puerto Rican winter league. Colon was invited to spring training that year and despite coming into camp 30 lbs. overweight Colon made the team out of the bullpen. Colon was not long for the bullpen and by April, 20 he was replacing Phil Hughes in the rotation through the month of May. Colon went 3-3 with a 3.26 ERA replacing Hughes and stuck in the team’s rotation long enough to throw a 4-hit shutout against the Oakland Athletics. The Yankees and Colon were firing on all cylinders until June, 11 when Colon, who was throwing a shutout against the Cleveland Indians, was seen limping off the field after covering first base. Colon went on the disabled list but vowed to be back in 15 days.

Colon was a man of his word as he came off the disabled list on July 2 to make a start against the New York Mets where he threw six more shutout innings for New York. Colon finished his only season with the Yankees with an 8-10 record and 4.00 ERA. Colon was named to the team’s playoff roster as a member of the bullpen before the team lost to the Detroit Tigers in the 2011 ALDS, thus ending Colon’s tenure as a New York Yankees. 

Johan: The Next Great Gamble

So, with the news being so slow of late you cannot help but scrape for everything and anything. The coaching staff seems to be all wrapped up, but is the pitching staff? One time great, Johan Santana, is now back out there trying to regain his old form and help a team. Help them with what, I am not sure but to me it seems like by actually throwing from the mound. He is currently pitching in the Venezuelan Winter League, like we haven't heard that joke before, and hopes that teams desperate enough for his services will come calling. So right now we have a once great pitcher, lengthy injury history, and mid to late 30's. Qualifications that Brain Cashman loves to hear.

Johan would be a work in progress, has been ever since he left the Twins. The man was so smooth, no doubt about that. Yet, can he come back like Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia, can he show he still has something left in the tank like those old heads that reclaimed their careers for a spell with the Yankees? All questions I hope we do not have to answer, ever. Santana is a great guy, and I would love for him to fight back and earn a job on some team, preferably in the NL West.

The Yankees are doing their "due diligence" by scouting him at the Winter Leagues and hoping that his stuff is still there. Last season the Yankees also were all about the game of love with Santana. Seeing him as another project for Rothschild and company; why not take a chance. Santana however decided to sign with the Orioles, and thus went out and tore his Achilles tendon in an extended spring training game before ever reaching the major league club that year effectively ruining a shot at a comeback. Santana however has worked his evil ways, and is back again looking for the Yankees to come calling with an opportunity to help the club. Do I see him being a better option than Chris Capuano, yes, but then again Babe Ruth is a better option than Capuano and I do not see us bringing him in anytime soon.

I do hope you are feeling better, Santana. Yet, I do not want to have to root for you to save our club and instead just save your career. I know it is a long shot, it is hard to come back from shoulder surgeries. In the end we can only pray that if Cashman is serious that he can bring you in cheaply and hopefully you work some black magic man. I would rather take a chance with Shields, but I know money is an issue there. Why not just buy low, expect the worst and hope for the best. I will root for you regardless Santana because honestly I love reclamation projects and you are too good of a person to not have a comeback. Good luck to you, and hopefully you catch on somewhere if not with us.

Should New York Trade For Bartolo Colon?

Yeah, I said it. Should the New York Yankees and the New York Mets hook up for the second trade between the two clubs this offseason? Keep reading. Bartolo Colon is 41 years old and will be 42 years old during the 2015 season, weighs in at 285 lbs. while standing just 5'11" and throws basically nothing but fastballs. How could this work in the AL East and in the Yankees rotation? Well it did in 2011 when he rejuvenated his career so is it really out of the realm of possibilities to happen once again?

First and foremost this makes sense for the Mets because they have essentially eight starting pitchers currently on the roster and Colon makes the most salary at $10 million. The Yankees seemingly have an abundance of fourth outfielder types that are young with upside including Ramon Flores, Mason Williams and Eury Perez to name a few that could fit into the Mets needs quite well.

This trade makes sense for the Yankees because he's almost guaranteed 200 IP in 2015, he comes on a one year deal that will likely only cost the team around $5- $8 million assuming the Mets eat some of the salary in the trade (which they have said they would be willing to do and finally because Colon may be better than Chris Capuano right now.

Should the Yankees pull the trigger? Ultimately I would say no because I'd rather see a Bryan Mitchell struggle and figure it all out in the majors more than I would like to acquire the oldest starting pitcher in baseball. Will the Yankees make the deal anyway? It sure looks like a possibility, doesn't it?