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| Photo Credit: The NY Times (Uli Seit) |
Nothing But Crickets From Yankee Stadium…
Friday was an explosive day for Major League Baseball but relatively quiet for the New York Yankees.
I would like to send best wishes for a fast recovery to CC Sabathia who, it was announced, recently underwent an angioplasty, a procedure used to open clogged heart arteries. The procedure was combined with the permanent placement of a small wire mesh tube called a stent to help prop the artery open and decrease its chance of narrowing again. CC is expected to be fully ready by Spring Training but he is in our thoughts as he recovers. It’s a fairly common procedure but 38 seems incredibly young. Get well, Big Man!
The news of the day was the blockbuster trade between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds that sent Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood, Kyle Farmer, and $7 million to the Reds for Homer Bailey and prospects RHP Josiah Gray and infielder Jeter Downs. It seems to me that Downs is destined to play in Miami for his namesake. Maybe he is a chess piece to help the Dodgers land Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto. As part of the agreement for Bailey to waive his no-trade provision, the Dodgers will release him. He is owed $23 million for next season (carrying a $17.5 million cap hit) with $5 million 2020 buyout. No, I do not want the Yankees to sign him even though he can be picked up for minimum salary.
The immediate speculation is the Dodgers are clearing space and room for Bryce Harper. Admittedly, that does not seem to be the Dodgers’ MO under baseball head Andrew Friedman. For a player so concerned with his legacy, Dodger Stadium would certainly be an attractive place to play for Harper if the team in the Bronx is not interested in his services. Harper in a Dodgers uniform would look better than the White Sox or Phillies although he’d still look best in Pinstripes.
No doubt the Dodgers have more moves to make. The trade is curious for the Reds who are a better team today but not a contender. I guess with so many teams tanking it, it is refreshing to see a bad team trying to get better for its fans. Although there would still be room for the Reds to drop Sonny Gray into their starting rotation, the likelihood the Reds will move second baseman Scooter Gennett seems remote if they are trying to win a few more games.
It’s wild that the Yankees can’t rid themselves of Jacoby Ellsbury’s contract yet the Dodgers have moved Matt Kemp’s excessive contract not once but twice. I guess it helps when the player stays healthy and can at least take the field now and then.
Friday also saw another former Yankees prospect on the move. Seattle traded OF Ben Gamel to the Milwaukee Brewers, along with RHP Noah Zavolas, for outfielder Domingo Santana. For Gamel, he joins the team that once employed his brother, Mat. I’ll miss seeing Gamel when the Yankees play the Mariners. He may not be a great player but he was always playing high energy against the Yankees. Seattle’s certainly not going to seem the same without James Paxton, Robinson Cano, James Pazos and Gamel.
I was a little sad to see the Texas Rangers trade infielder Jurickson Profar to the Oakland A’s. Profar, long a Yankees target, would have been a valuable resource with the impending absence of Didi Gregorious. While I do not necessarily want to see Gleyber Torres slide over to short, Profar could have covered second base until Didi returns. I’d really like to see Gleyber stay at second to perfect his craft at the position, but given there are better second base options available than shortstop, the Yankees may have no choice. If the Yankees lose out on Manny, perhaps they should try to sign former A’s second baseman Jed Lowrie, currently a free agent, since he’s clearly out in Oakland now. Lowrie was a big part of the A’s success last season.
I suppose we could see some activity today but we’re entering the quiet zone of Christmas to New Year’s Day so it’s time for the Yankees Universe to relax and enjoy the holidays before we begin obsessing about trades and free agent signings again. The relaxation should be helped by the news Manny Machado has told the Yankees, White and Phillies that he does not intend to make a decision until after the first of the year. So relax, just breath…
At this point, Max Wildstein has summed up on Twitter how I feel about Machado:
Before the year is out, I would like to see the Yankees fill at least one of the holes in the bullpen. David Robertson, Adam Ottavino or Zach Britton would be just fine. Cash, please make it happen. All I want for Christmas is a Super Bullpen.
Congratulations to former Yankees prospect Rob Segedin. The 30-year-old third baseman, who was traded to the Dodgers in the 2016 trade that originally brought Ronald Torreyes to the Yankees, has apparently brought an end to his playing career. Segedin had a few cups of coffee with the Dodgers in 2016 and 2017 but could never show the promise he held when drafted in the third round by the Yankees in 2010. Segedin is reportedly joining the Philadelphia Phillies as a minor league hitting instructor. I had held out hope he would achieve his Major League dream as a player but now I’ll wish him well as he embarks in a coaching career. Perhaps this leads to be a full-time opportunity in the Show.
I don’t know about you but this off-season seems like one of the longest in recent memory. The Yankees started fast with the trade that brought James Paxton to New York but it’s been a long, slow burn ever since. I guess I should just find a new hobby for the next few weeks to get my mind off baseball.
Enjoy the pre-Christmas weekend! I am sure it is a last minute scramble for many. Well, sadly, maybe not for GM Brian Cashman.
As always, Go Yankees!
