Yankees & Mets Have Discussed Lucas Duda Deal

It doesn’t happen often but it could happen in 2017. What am I talking about? The New York Yankees and the New York Mets hooking up for a deal before the July 31^st trading deadline. This season it may happen as the Mets and the Yankees have been reportedly at least discussing a deal that would send first baseman Lucas Duda across town from Queens to the Bronx.

Since 1962, the Mets first season in Major League Baseball there have only been 16 transactions between the two clubs so what will need to happen for the 17^th transaction to happen? The Mets will need to be reasonable in their asking price for the lefty-swinging Duda. Mets GM Sandy Alderson will have to understand that he is not going to get a Clint Frazier, a Chance Adams or a Gleyber Torres for a rental like Duda although a package involving one of Albert Abreu, Drew Finley or Zack Littell could be a good starting point for both clubs.

Sure, the Mets are likely moving him with the intention of rebuilding but Duda is not the type of player you trade to jumpstart a rebuild. That type of player is Yoenis Cespedes when healthy and effective. The Mets need to keep this in mind when sitting down at the negotiating table with Cashman.

At this point this is nothing more than a rumor and with that nothing more than speculation has occurred. Stay tuned as this develops, if it even develops. 

TGP Prospects Month Top 29 Prospects List - #12 Bryan Mitchell

Bryan Mitchell is a name that many Yankees fans, even the most casual fan, knows by now. He's been around the organization for what feels like forever now and has made appearances with the big league club in each of the last two seasons. Last season was especially notable for Mitchell because he took a line drive off the bat to the face that seemingly and presumably messed with his mind and psyche for the remainder of the 2015 season. If anyone has ever been hit in the face with a baseball whether it be in Little League or professional baseball you know more than anyone what an offseason can do for your mind. It's like a reset button so if this was the reason for Mitchell's struggles then I'm not entirely concerned.

Mitchell's stuff cannot be denied. He throws hard and has an absolute ton of movement on his pitches as both a starting pitcher and a relief pitcher. Mitchell has less than 40 innings thrown in the Major Leagues and at 24-years old is just entering the prime of his career. He will likely outgrow his prospect status this season as he is penciled in as a member of the team's bullpen but he could also conceivably lose out on the numbers game and start the season in Scranton. Either way I truly believe Mitchell could be the team's next Adam Warren as he can both start and relieve and he doesn't seem to let the game overwhelm him. Yes his MLB stats are ugly, although his minor league stats are comparable to Warren's for much of their MiLB careers, but the sample size is small and the comparisons to Warren are real.

Maybe I'm off base but behind the likes of James Kaprielian, Domingo Acevedo and the young guys who are two-to-three years away from the major leagues (Drew Finley, Ian Clarkin etc.) I believe Mitchell is the team's best starting pitching prospect. I can admit when I'm wrong, and I know I've been wrong before while letting my fandom get in the way, but I don't think I'm wrong about Mitchell. I don't.

12. Bryan Mitchell
13. Drew Finley
14. Mason Williams
15. Slade Heathcott
16. Abi Avelino
17. Hoy-Jun Park
18. Luis Torrens
19. Cale Coshow
20. Chance Adams
21. Miguel Andujar
22. Jonathan Holder
23. Tyler Wade
24. Nick Rumbelow
25.Jordan Montgomery
26.Trey Amburgey
27. Ben Gamel
28. Austin DeCarr
29. Thairo Estrada
30. James Pazos

TGP Top 30 Prospects List - #13 Drew Finley

Drew Finley is the 2015 version of what Ian Clarkin was when he was drafted in 2013. Finley was a High-School pitcher with the sky as his ceiling when the Yankees drafted him this past season in the third round and he began his professional career with the Pulaski Yankees. Finley only threw 32.0 innings in 2015 in just 12 games, all starts, but he was just getting his feet wet professionally. Finley's stats were not important, not at 18-years old, as the fact that he made it through his first professional season healthy. You cannot put a price tag on how important it is for a young pitcher to get his feet wet as soon as he can after being drafted.

Finley sports an 88-91 MPH fastball out of High School but he has plenty of time to grow into his big 6'3" frame and add not only velocity but muscle as well. While in High School Finley struck out 20 batters in a single game thanks to that fastball and an ever-growing changeup and plus-strikeout pitch, his 12-to-6 curve. Keith Law had Finley ranked as the 24th best prospect in the draft last year giving the Yankees an absolute steal, albeit a steal that comes attached with a project.

Finley is far from a finished product but the talent is definitely there. This time next season he could easily be a Top 10 prospect with a strong season or he could fall to the 15-20 range if he struggles whatsoever. You can teach mechanics, you can add or tweak pitches but you can't teach talent. Finley needs work but Finley has talent and that's a great sign for the Yankees.

13. Drew Finley
14. Mason Williams
15. Slade Heathcott
16. Abi Avelino
17. Hoy-Jun Park
18. Luis Torrens
19. Cale Coshow
20. Chance Adams
21. Miguel Andujar
22. Jonathan Holder
23. Tyler Wade
24. Nick Rumbelow
25.Jordan Montgomery
26.Trey Amburgey
27. Ben Gamel
28. Austin DeCarr
29. Thairo Estrada
30. James Pazos

Prospects Month ICYMI: Top 10 Yankees Starting Pitching Prospects

The New York Yankees, as it stands right now, will head into the 2016 MLB season with more questions than answers as far as their pitching goes. The bullpen was an absolute strength in 2015 but the trades of trusted relievers Adam Warren and Justin Wilson has left the bullpen depleted of trusted pitchers at Joe Girardi's disposal. The starting rotation may also be held on by a rubber band with the elbow of Masahiro Tanaka, the shoulder of Michael Pineda, the elbow of Nathan Eovaldi and Ivan Nova and the knee of CC Sabathia. For this reason alone the Yankees are adding as much depth as possible to the minor leagues, none more notable than the minor league deal for Vinnie Pestano, in hopes of being prepared for such an injury or blow to the rotation.

The easiest way to add some depth and options for the Yankees GM Brian Cashman is to build from within and bring up prospects from their farm system. With this in mind I wanted to go over the Top 10 starting pitching prospects in the Yankees system in my opinion. Here is my list, what's yours? Leave it below in the comments section.

1. James Kaprielian
2. Domingo Acevedo
3. Ian Clarkin
4. Bryan Mitchell
5. Brady Lail
6. Drew Finley
7. Jonathan Holder
8. Domingo German
9. Austin DeCarr
10. Jeff Degano

The only pitchers I can see being true MLB options in 2016 are Bryan Mitchell and maybe (MAYBE but unlikely) James Kaprielian. I know I rate Mitchell higher than most, or everyone to be honest, but I truly like his stuff. He just needs to learn how to harness it and the more he gets to work with coaches and specifically Larry Rothschild the better I think he will do. The Yankees have a ton of top level talent down in the minor leagues so the future is good, the present though I still worry about. Thank goodness for Luis Severino!

Top 10 Yankees Starting Pitching Prospects

The New York Yankees, as it stands right now, will head into the 2016 MLB season with more questions than answers as far as their pitching goes. The bullpen was an absolute strength in 2015 but the trades of trusted relievers Adam Warren and Justin Wilson has left the bullpen depleted of trusted pitchers at Joe Girardi's disposal. The starting rotation may also be held on by a rubber band with the elbow of Masahiro Tanaka, the shoulder of Michael Pineda, the elbow of Nathan Eovaldi and Ivan Nova and the knee of CC Sabathia. For this reason alone the Yankees are adding as much depth as possible to the minor leagues, none more notable than the minor league deal for Vinnie Pestano, in hopes of being prepared for such an injury or blow to the rotation.

The easiest way to add some depth and options for the Yankees GM Brian Cashman is to build from within and bring up prospects from their farm system. With this in mind I wanted to go over the Top 10 starting pitching prospects in the Yankees system in my opinion. Here is my list, what's yours? Leave it below in the comments section.

1. James Kaprielian
2. Domingo Acevedo
3. Ian Clarkin
4. Bryan Mitchell
5. Brady Lail
6. Drew Finley
7. Jonathan Holder
8. Domingo German
9. Austin DeCarr
10. Jeff Degano

The only pitchers I can see being true MLB options in 2016 are Bryan Mitchell and maybe (MAYBE but unlikely) James Kaprielian. I know I rate Mitchell higher than most, or everyone to be honest, but I truly like his stuff. He just needs to learn how to harness it and the more he gets to work with coaches and specifically Larry Rothschild the better I think he will do. The Yankees have a ton of top level talent down in the minor leagues so the future is good, the present though I still worry about. Thank goodness for Luis Severino!

Baseball Prospectus Top 10 Yankees Prospects

Baseball America started the domino effect of postseason top prospects lists and Baseball Prospectus was not far behind. Recently they released their Top 10 Prospects list for the New York Yankees and there were a few familiar faces and a few new faces from the Baseball America list. Check it out!

1. Aaron Judge

2. Jorge Mateo

3. Gary Sanchez

4. James Kaprielian

5. Dustin Fowler

6. Robert Refsnyder

7. Drew Finley

8. Eric Jagielo

9. Brady Lail

10. Ian Clarkin

I love Fowler and Finley as much as the next guy but not nearly as much as Baseball Prospectus does. I can't say I think Fowler is a Top 5 prospect in what I consider to be a pretty underrated system. Also including Lail and not Rookie Davis is a whiff if you ask me. I rank Rookie above Ian Clarkin at this point but that's just personal preference, I am higher on Davis than most me thinks. Jagielo, despite having a strong season before injuries derailed his campaign, has fallen out of my Top 10 probably while Drew Finley is probably more like an 11 or 12 in my opinion.

Nothing really to argue about here though, the list is solid.

Yankees Final 2015 Draft Pool Tracker

The New York Yankees had quite the haul in the 2015 MLB First Year Players Draft which included signing -- of their 41 draft picks. New York signed each of their first 19 draft picks and 33 of their first 36 draft picks as the team continues to rebuild the farm system from the inside out. Here is one last final look at the draft pool now that everything is finalized. Enjoy the future.

*bold denotes a player that did not sign

1. RHP James Kaprielian - 16th overall
1. SS Kyle Holder - 30th
2. LHP Jeff Degano - 57th
3. RHP Drew Finley - 92nd
4. CF Jeff Hendrix - 123rd
5. RHP Chance Adams - 153rd
6. 2B Brandon Wagner - 183rd
7. RF Jhalan Jackson - 213th
8. 3B Donny Sands - 243rd
9. 1B Ryan Krill - 273rd
10. LHP James Reeves - 303rd
11. LHP Josh Rogers - 333rd
12. CF Terrance Robertson - 363rd
13. CF Trey Amburgey - 393rd
14. RHP Will Carter - 423rd
15. RHP Bret Marks - 453rd
16. RHP Kolton Mahoney - 483rd
17. RHP Brody Koerner - 513th
18. LF Zack Zehner - 543rd
19. RHP Mark Seyler - 573rd
20. 1B Isiah Gilliam - 603rd
21. RHP Josh Roeder - 633rd
22. RHP Cody Carroll - 663rd
23. RHP Garrett Mundell - 693rd
24. RHP Patrick O'Brien - 723rd
25. C Austin Afenir - 753rd
26. RHP Icezack Flemming - 783rd
27. 1B Michael Hicks - 813th
28. RHP David Sosebee 843rd
29. 1B Kane Sweeney - 873rd
30. RHP Chad Martin - 903rd
31. RHP Hobie Harris - 933rd
32. RHP Alex Robinett - 963rd
33. RHP Christian Morris - 993rd
34. LHP Andrew Miller - 1023rd
35. RHP Alex Bisacca - 1053rd
36. RHP Dustin Cook - 1083rd
37. 3B Matthew Schmidt - 1113th 
38. 2B Mike Garzillo - 1143rd
39. SS Deacon Liput - 1173rd
40. C Will Albertson - 1203rd

Yankees 2015 MLB Draft Results - Day Two

by: Ben Embry

The Yankees selected two more players from my top 200 rankings on day 2 of the MLB Draft; day 2 features rounds 3-10.  New York selected HS RHP Drew Finley in the 3rd round with the 92nd overall pick.  Finley is a 6'3 200 lb pitcher committed to play at USC.  He has a three pitch mix with the curveball being a future plus pitch.  His fastball sits in the high 80s to low 90s but he's projected to add velocity as he fills out.  Drew is the son of former big leaguer and current Dodgers executive David Finley.  Drew ranked 55th on my board.  Keith Law was the high man on Drew with a ranking of 24.  He ranked 56th on MLB.com's list and 60th on Baseball America's list.  Any way you slice it, he was a good value at pick #92.

The Yankees selected Oregon State CF Jeff Hendrix in the 4th round with the 123rd overall pick.  Hendrix stands 6' tall and weighs 198 lbs.  There's some question about his defensive home, with the options either being CF or LF.  I assume the Yankees think he'll play in CF based on his draft position.  His swing needs some refinement.  Baseball America ranked him the 156th best prospect in the class and projects him as a 4th OF.  He came in at 194 on my board.

Rounds 11-40 will begin at noon tomorrow and can be tracked on MLB.com.  I would expect New York to add one or two more players from my top 200 list and hopefully they've saved enough from earlier rounds to sign one of them.  I'm hoping they add some good young prep arms, regardless of whether they're on my top 200 or not.  This is something they did not do last year somehow.  You never know when some of them can turn into gems, (Bryan Mitchell and Brady Lail being two examples), but if nothing else those rookie level squads are going to need some arms.