True Statement — The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field!…

Credit:  Chris Sweda/The Chicago Tribune

While the Cubs did have their chances, Saturday’s game felt like it was over after the Yankees took their first swings in the top of the first inning en route to the 11-6 victory.  Admittedly, I felt badly for Cubs starter Brett Anderson.  He gave up three doubles, two singles and a bunt with a throwing error that led to multiple runs.  When Anderson departed after 23 pitches, he had gotten only one out…a swinging strikeout by Aaron Judge.  The Yankees held a 5-0 advantage, and we were off the races.

Anderson was once a promising young starter for the Oakland A’s.  He’s pitched very well when healthy, but unfortunately health has not been his friend.  He made 31 starts for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015 and then missed most of last year after surgery for a bulging disk in his back.  After yesterday’s start, Anderson was showing signs of back trouble so yet another DL-stint is likely.  After the game, Anderson said that it was “embarrassing”.  He went on to say “Whenever the backup catcher gets more outs than you, it’s not a positive”. Cubs catcher Miguel Montero pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the Cubs although he did walk two. Hopefully Anderson is able to recover from his latest setback.

Credit:  Chris Sweda/The Chicago Tribune

Jordan Montgomery (2-1) was solid again for the Yankees as he continues to cement his role in the starting rotation.  He made it into the seventh inning until running into some trouble after throwing 100 pitches.  He allowed 3 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), and struck out 3.  He did walk 4 batters.  After two groundouts in the top of the 7th, it looked like it was going to be another quiet inning for Monty.  But he walked Jon Jay and it was followed by a run-scoring triple by former Tampa Bay Rays nemesis Ben Zobrist which ended Montgomery’s day.  

Aaron Hicks, subbing for Jacoby Ellsbury who is still nursing a sore elbow, delivered the clinching shot, a three-run homer in the eighth inning, that put the Yanks up 11-3.  The Cubbies tried to mount a rally in the bottom of the 8th against reliever Tommy Layne, scoring three runs.  Adam Warren came in with a runner at first (Miguel Montero) and two outs.  He allowed a double to Jon Jay which advanced Montero to third.  Ben Zobrist came to bat with a chance to chip away at the 11-6 Yanks lead but Warren struck him out swinging.  Another nice job by the  2016 World Series ring holder.  

Credit:  Tannen Maury/EPA

Hicks finished the day 4-for-5 with 3 RBI’s and 3 runs scored.  He continues to impress and is making it hard for Manager Joe Girardi to keep him on the bench.  I read one columnist who suggested that Hicks should permanently replace center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury.  I wouldn’t necessarily argue but are we really only four years into Ellsbury’s seven-year $153 contract?  The end of the contract seems so friggin’ far away.  Despite his recent heroics, Brett Gardner remains the more marketable outfielder and it seems that it would make more sense to move him to make room for Hicks…unless GM Brian Cashman would hoodwink some other GM into taking Ellsbury off his hands.  Maybe ply former buddy Billy Eppler with some tequila when the Yankees visit Anaheim in mid-June.  

The other hitting star of the game was the former Chicago Cub Starlin Castro.  You know that he enjoyed his fourth inning home run.  He even paused for a moment to enjoy the view as the ball traveled to the left outfield bleachers.  Increasing his batting average to .381, Castro went 3-for-4.  He had 3 RBI’s and 2 runs scored.  Starlin has been enjoying his time at Wrigley Field so I am sure these games will be memorable to him for a very long time.  

Credit:  Chris Sweda/The Chicago Tribune

The Yankees maintained their half-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East.  The O’s held off a late challenge by the Chicago White Sox to win 6-5.  Sadly the Boston Red Sox also won.  

I’ve said it before but Tommy Layne is just not doing it for me this year.  His appearance always seems to be accompanied by multiple runs for the opponent.  His ERA is now an unsightly 9.45 after giving up the 3 runs to the Cubs while only recording 2 outs.  I will gladly take Chasen Shreve as my lefty specialist over Layne.  I think we’re seeing why the Boston Red Sox gave up on Layne last year.

I wonder if we’ll see Matt Holliday at first base today as the Yankees face an old foe in former Boston Red Sox ace Jon Lester.  It should be a great game as the Yankees go for a sweep with Luis Severino on the mound.

The Yankees completed their off-season trade that sent reliever Nick Goody to the Cleveland Indians.  On Friday, they acquired 21 year-old pitcher Yoiber Marquina, a converted catcher, who underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this month.  The Yankees see promise in Marquina’s lively arm, but meanwhile Goody is delivering the goods for the Indians.  He has an 0.00 ERA in 7 appearances with 10 strikeouts.  He has allowed only three hits in 9 1/3 innings of work.  Sounds like the Indians are making up for lost ground with the talent they gave up in the Andrew Miller trade.

I saw the debate that TGP’s Daniel Burch sparked yesterday when he suggested that the Yankees should trade backup catcher Austin Romine.  My first question is why?  Unless you can include Romine in a trade for a frontline pitcher, I do not see the motivation to make a deal.  He has shown that he can be a very valuable backup catcher.  It’s not that I dislike Kyle Higashioka, but Romine has earned his shot to be a member of the New York Yankees.  If you tell me that the Yankees could acquire Gerrit Cole from the Pittsburgh Pirates (don’t we always send our catchers to the Steel City?) by including Romine with other prospects, I’m on board.  Otherwise, I think Romine should stay.  

I am not trying to look ahead but the Yankees will, for the first time, face the ramifications of their  December 2015 trade for closer Aroldis Chapman.  The team will be traveling to Cincinnati after they complete the three game series against the Cubs later today.  On Monday, they’ll face former top pitching prospect Rookie Davis who is scheduled to start opposite Masahiro Tanaka.  Davis is the only player on the Reds MLB roster in the deal that sent Davis, third baseman Eric Jagielo, pitcher Caleb Cotham, and second baseman Tony Renda to Cincy.  

Credit:  Justin Berl/Getty Images

Have a great Sunday!  Let’s hope the wind carries us to a sweep out of Chicago!

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Chicago Cubs 5/6

Here we go ladies and gents! The lights are on, the fans have filed in and the teams are on the field. It is officially game time between the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs as these two teams play in the middle game of their three-game weekend set. The Yankees will send rookie Jordan Montgomery to the mound tonight looking to keep the good times rolling for New York while the Cubs will expect more out of LHP Brett Anderson than they have been getting as of late. The game will be played at 7:15 pm ET inside Wrigley Field and can be seen on FOX. You can also follow along on the radio by tuning into John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN.

Give us a follow on Twitter by following @GreedyStripes. Now let’s go watch some Saturday night baseball. Enjoy the game Yankees family. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Chicago Cubs 5/6

Ladies and gentleman we are in for a treat tonight as the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs are back at it again inside Wrigley Field. This time these two teams will be playing under the lights though as Wrigley hosts these two historic MLB teams for a primetime matchup. With such a great matchup comes great responsibility and the two pitchers shouldered with such pressure are Jordan Montgomery for the Yankees, the rookie, and Brett Anderson for the Cubs, the veteran. This should be another fun one in the Windy City.

Montgomery has been just what the Yankees needed out of him since making his MLB debut with the team last month. Montgomery keeps the Yankees in every game and gives his teammates a chance to win and that was on display in his last start as well against the Baltimore Orioles. In the start Montgomery allowed three runs in five innings of work keeping the Yankees around long enough for Aaron Judge and company to bash the team to victory.

Anderson did not keep his team in the game and did not give Chicago a chance to win the game last time out lasting just 1.1 innings while giving up seven runs on seven hits. In Anderson’s defense he was dealing with heavy winds and rain during his last start but either way I’ll take that kind of production out of him once again tonight in Chicago.

The game will be played at 7:15 pm ET inside Wrigley Field and can be seen on FOX. I’m not sure how this will affect MLB TV but I’d venture to say the game will be blacked out everywhere but on FOX. You can also follow along on the radio with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN.

Enjoy the game and as always Go Yankees!

Yankees & Dodgers May be Trade Partners

The Los Angeles Dodgers lost one of their best starting pitchers this offseason in Zack Greinke but the team replaces him the way they replace everything and everyone, by throwing money at free agents. The Dodgers gave $16 million a season for three years to left-hander Scott Kazmir giving the team an all left-handed starting rotation that includes Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Brett Anderson and Alex Wood. The Dodgers needed a right-handed arm to add to their rotation and they went a long way to add one, all the way to Japan in fact. The Dodgers added Kenta Maeda to their already talented rotation leaving Los Angeles seemingly with too many pitchers and not enough rotation spots for them all, could that benefit the Yankees?

Kershaw, LOL, but Ryu, Anderson or Wood could be made available by Los Angeles. Then again the team could always convert one of them into a relief pitcher and add them to their bullpen but for the sake of this post let's assume Los Angeles makes one of them available. Which would interest the Yankees? New York is said to be interested in a left-handed pitcher that they consider cheap and controllable with two or three years of team control left as the ideal candidate.

Is that Ryu? No, not really. Ryu is only 28-years old so he is considered young but $7.833 million is considered expensive in many households whether it's for the next three seasons or not. Anderson is on a one-year deal after accepting a qualifying offer this winter and is a huge risk, the Yankees have enough risks and question marks in their rotation already, while Wood may be the most attractive piece of them all. Wood is 24-years old and is not a free agent until after the 2019 season. Wood is still going through the arbitration process and would likely be the most ideal for New York. Although there is something that comes hand-in-hand with being young, cheap and controllable. You get expensive.

I don't pretend to know the ins and outs of the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system and I'm not an expert on their MLB team either to be honest so what the team would want in exchange for Wood is anyone's guess. Since the team attempted to sign Aroldis Chapman you would think the bullpen would be a concern for the Dodgers but I'm not sure I would be comfortable trading away Andrew Miller truth be told. The team may also need a second baseman to pair with Chase Utley so maybe a Robert Refsnyder would be attractive to them? I know one thing for sure though, they don't need any outfield help leaving Brett Gardner still in the Bronx for now.

I'm not sure if the Yankees have the pieces they are willing to give up for Wood and I'm not even sure that LA would make Wood available after signing Maeda, remember that, but if they did I think New York should be interested. Wood checks a lot of boxes for the Yankees and he likely makes the team a whole lot better than it is right now, and that's all that matters to me.

TGP Daily Poll: Yankees Will Take a Chance on Brett Anderson

The New York Yankees are getting desperate for starting pitching and without many viable, and affordable, options left on the board I see New York going after the Rockies Brett Anderson on a one year deal.

Vote in our poll!

Cyber Monday Deals Still Left on Tuesday: Pitchers

Don’t fret if you missed all the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals Yankees fans because there are plenty of good deals still left out there this season. General Managers don’t take the holidays off in most cases so hopefully Brian Cashman is in his office reading this right now. Here are 10 good options to bring to the club in 2015 if the Max Scherzer and Jon Lester rumors from over the weekend are proved to be false.

• Brett Anderson, formerly of the Colorado Rockies, is just 26 years old and battled a disc issue in his back and a broken finger in 2014. If the Yankees can fix those issues or hope they are already fixed the team could get the once top Diamondbacks and Athletics prospect and not the broken down product we saw with the Rockies.

• Gavin Floyd, formerly of the Atlanta Braves, is coming off back to back elbow injuries including a Tommy John surgery and a broken elbow. Presumably Floyd would command a minor league deal with a split contract this season and I would hand that to him every day of the week.

• Jason Grilli, formerly of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim,  is 38 years old and more than likely going to take a one year contract from here on out until the righty decides to hand up his cleats. Grilli will not presumably request a closers role either which helps New York out if David Robertson leaves.

• Luke Hochevar, formerly of the Kansas City Royals, is just 31 years old and not far removed from elbow surgery. While his 5.2 H/9 ratio is not great I believe he is far enough removed from the surgery to improve on that exponentially in 2015. 

Trade Deadline 2014: Yankees Hot Stove Rumors 7/30

Just a quick catch me up for you guys:

The Phillies asked the Yankees for their top three prospects for Cole Hamels. I'm not sure I could swallow Luis Severino, Gary Sanchez, and Aaron Judge for Hamels but Hamels does bring a lot himself. I'm torn.

The Yankees are interested in the Rockies pitcher Brett Anderson. This is interesting because the Rockies are interested in Francisco Cervelli. Match made in Coors Field?

The Yankees are talking to the Padres about Ian Kennedy and Joaquin Benoit but nothing is serious at this point.

Starting pitching just got majorly expensive as Justin Masterson and a 5.51 ERA for a rental on the disabled list just fetched the Cardinals top outfield prospect.

Yankees Hot Stove Update

Yankees also in discussions with Rockies involving Jorge De La Rosa who is red hot 3-0 with a 1.78 ERA and 1.105 Whip in July #Rockies #NYY
— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) July 25, 2014

The New York Yankees and Brian Cashman are extremely active this week as we head towards the trading deadline of July 31. Instead of writing 100 posts detailing all the potential deals I thought one nice and neat little post would be more efficient.

The Yankees are said to be discussing a trade with the Colorado Rockies for Jorge De La Rosa.

yankees are interested in kennedy but not in clarkin plus jagielo for kennedy.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) July 25, 2014

New York is discussing an Ian Kennedy trade with the San Diego Padres

Both the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox have shown some interest in acquiring backup catcher Francisco Cervelli. I have seen the names of De La Rosa, Brett Anderson, and Wilin Rosario thrown around from Colorado and John Danks name mentioned from the White Sox.

Yanks are currently not in on Matt Kemp, according to a source.
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) July 25, 2014

The Yankees are not said to be interested in Matt Kemp. That's a shame, his talent would be amazing in New York.

Brett Anderson Comes Off The Yankees Board

If the Yankees had any dreams or aspirations of trading for Athletics left handed starting pitcher Brett Anderson those can go by the wayside as Anderson has been traded to the Colorado Rockies today. The Athletics fetched pitcher Drew Pomeranz and Chris Jensen for the lefty. Honestly I think if we wanted to we could have matched that package or exceeded it but he was not a make or break player for us in my opinion. Good luck getting bombed in the thin air in Colorado.

Yankees Interested In Trading For A's Brett Anderson

The Oakland Athletics have announced that they are likely to trade left handed starting pitcher Brett Anderson next week during the GM Winter Meetings. This is coming off of the A's acquiring $10 million + closer Jim Johnson and starter Scott Kazmir earlier in the week and late last week making Anderson expendable.

Let's start with the bad for Anderson, he is not durable. Brett has only pitched in 163 innings over the last three seasons combined and is three seasons removed from a Tommy John surgery. The Tommy John surgery in 2011 made him miss most of the 2012 season but he was great in his return. Another injury had him miss a good chunk of the 2013 season, this time a stress fracture in his foot.

The good news is he is still a young guy, 25 years old but will turn 26 in February, and his stuff is great when healthy. Also the A's are said to be looking for bullpen depth and prospects in return for Anderson which is something we can provide. A deal of Dellin Betances/Preston Claiborne/ Shawn Kelley could be a good start for Anderson.

The Yankees are not without competition as the Mariners, Indians, Twins, and Blue Jays are also said to be interested in the left hander. The Yankees need to replace three of their starting pitchers with at least two reliable arms and this could be one of them. Anderson is affordable with an $8 million base salary for 2014 and a $12 million club option for the 2015 season. Don't ask me the AAV of the deal because this season and next are both options years from Anderson's original extension of four years and $12.5 million and this is way too confusing for me to figure out but just know that he is affordable, makes us better, makes sense for us, and helps us stay under the $189 million goal.