Meet the 2019 Yankees: Thairo Estrada

For whatever reason it feels like Thairo Estrada has been around forever with the New York Yankees. It is hard to believe that Thairo is still just 22-years old, but it’s true. It’s also hard to believe that Thairo survived a gunshot wound in the hip during a robbery attempt in January of 2018, but that’s another story for another blog post. Let’s meet the man that will look to finally crack the Major League roster here in 2019, Mr. Thairo Estrada.

Thairo Estrada, 23-years old with a Happy Belated birthday from us here at TGP, is a right-handed throwing and batting infielder that has experience as a second baseman, shortstop, and third baseman as a professional player. Estrada has a small frame, standing just 5’10” and weighing just 185 lbs., but he will take his walks and hit for average if he’s healthy and right, physically.

Thairo Jose Estrada Villegas was born on February 22, 1996 in Bejuma, Venezuela where he was signed as an international free agent back in August of 2012. Estrada made his professional debut with the club’s Gulf Coast League team in 2013 and spent the whole season there. Estrada returned to the GCL Yankees in 2014 but was quickly promoted to the Staten Island Yankees. Estrada returned to the New York-Penn League and the SI Yankees in 2015, but again earned a promotion to the Charleston Riverdogs and the Tampa Yankees by the time the 2016 season came along.

Estrada was promoted to the Trenton Thunder in 2017 and was an Eastern League All-Star in Double-A, finishing the season with a .301 batting average with six home runs and 48 RBI. Estrada was added to the Yankees 40-man roster following the season.

Estrada was shot in the hip during a robbery attempt before the 2018 season and was limited to just 18 games and 78 at-bats between Triple-A and the Tampa Yankees of A+ ball. Estrada also went to the Arizona Fall League following the 2018 season and played in 19 games there with Glendale. 

Estrada will look for another productive and healthy season in 2019 and will also hope for his ultimate shot at the Major League level. Estrada is ready, make the call.

Meet the 2019 Yankees: Albert Abreu

One of the top pitching prospects in the New York Yankees system is Albert Abreu. Abreu was brought over to the Yankees from the Houston Astros in a trade for Brian McCann back in 2016. Abreu is slowly, due to injuries, working his way towards the Major Leagues, so let’s meet him and his uber-talented right arm.

Albert Abreu, 23-years old, is a right-handed starting pitcher inside the New York Yankees organization and a RHP that sits at or near the top of the Yankees top pitching prospects in their system. Abreu stands 6’2” and weighs 175 lbs. and possesses a 95-96 MPH fastball that tops out at 99 MPH, as well as a slider, curveball and changeup that he can throw consistently for strikes. Abreu’s changeup is probably his most consistent pitch in his repertoire with its steep drop late in its path.

Albert Enmanuel Abreu was born on September 26, 1995 in Guayubin, Dominican Republic where he was signed by the Houston Astros as an international free agent in 2013. Abreu was 17-years old at the time and signed with Houston for $185,000. Abreu spent time in the Astros organization until November 17, 2016 when he was traded along with Jorge Guzman for the Yankees starting catcher, Brian McCann.

Abreu made stops with three affiliates in 2017, starting with the GCL Yankees and ending in A-Ball with the Charleston Riverdogs, finishing the season with 53.1 innings pitched. New York saw enough in those 53 innings to add Abreu to their 40-man roster after the 2017 season.

Abreu pitched for the GCL Yankees again in 2018, as well as the Tampa Yankees and the Double-A Trenton Thunder before heading down to the Dominican Winter League following the season. Abreu was hampered by injuries once again in 2018 and was limited to just 17 games, plus another six games in the DOWL.

Abreu will look to continue his path towards the Major Leagues in 2019, likely starting the year with the Trenton Thunder. If healthy, it won’t be long before Abreu is in Triple-A with Scranton… and then eventually the Bronx.

Meet the 2019 Yankees: Luis Severino

You’ve met the newest additions and you’ve met some of the catchers that have been put in place to catch their heat, but no team goes to the playoffs without an ace. No playoff team makes the postseason and goes far into October without a top-of-the-rotation type guy, and for the New York Yankees that guy is Luis Severino. Let’s get reacquainted with the Yankees ace (yes… ace, whether you agree with it or not), Mr. Luis Severino!

Luis Severino, 24-years old, is a right-handed starting pitcher for the New York Yankees that will likely take the ball for the club on Opening Day 2019. Severino, all 6’2” and 215 lbs. of him, possesses a 98 MPH four-seam fastball, an 88 MPH slider, an 89 MPH changeup and a 92 MPH cutter that he rarely uses. Maybe Mariano Rivera, who vows to teach the Yankees arms how to “pitch” after being inducted into the Hall of Fame this season, can help Severino throw that cutter not only more often, but more effectively as well.

Luis Severino was born on February 20, 1994 in Sabana de la Mar, Dominican Republic. It has been reported that Severino grew up as a fan of the New York Yankees, most notably of fellow Dominican-born player Robinson Cano, in the small Hato Mayor province of the DR. It was there that the Yankees found him and signed him as an international free agent on December 26, 2011. Severino signed a $225,000 signing bonus, spurning the Colorado Rockies who also offered him the same deal that the Yankees later matched. Severino worked his way through the Yankees system and up the ladder in the Yankees organization, earning a trip to the 2014 All-Star Futures Game. It was the 2015 season that the Yankees finally had seen enough of Severino in their minor league system and called the flame throwing right-hander up to the Major Leagues after an injury to Michael Pineda made the Yankees short a starter.

Severino’s MLB debut came against the Boston Red Sox on August 5, 2015 at just 21-years of age. Severino started 11 games for the Yankees in 2015, posting a 5-3 record with a 2.89 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 62.1 innings pitched. Severino looked to build on that success the next season, but a trip to the disabled list for right triceps inflammation, along with struggles finding the strike zone, forced Severino into the Yankees bullpen for much of the season. Severino’s stat line was ugly overall for the 2016 season, but his 3-0 record and 0.39 ERA and 0.77 WHIP as a reliever gave the Yankees some hope, and Severino some confidence, going forward towards the 2017 season.

Severino won the Yankees 4^th starter job out of spring training in 2017 and led the team to the postseason as the American League Wild Card winner. Severino was given the ball to start against the Minnesota Twins, but the Yankees young right-hander struggled early as nerves got the best of him on the big stage. Severino gave up three earned runs in the first inning against the Twins and left just one-third of an inning. Severino looked better overall in the postseason, helping the Yankees to a Game 7 of the ALCS before ultimately losing to the Houston Astros, but was never able to find that dominance that he saw during the regular season. Severino finished the 2017 season with a 14-6 record, a 2.98 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP and 230 strikeouts, which was good for a third-place finish in the American League Cy Young Award vote.

Severino was named the Yankees Opening Day starter in 2018 and he came out blazing in the first half. Severino was named to his second consecutive All-Star Game in 2018 after finishing the first half with a 14-2 record and a 2.31 ERA in 20 starts with 144 strikeouts, but the second half was not as kind to Luis as the first. Severino struggled for much of the second half and finished the season with a 19-8 record and a 3.39 ERA overall. Severino once again started the Wild Card game for the Yankees, but this time he pitched much better in a Yankees victory over the Oakland Athletics.

Severino will look to not only build on a 19-win season in 2018, but also look to pitch better in the postseason here in 2019. The Yankees will be there, but they won’t go very far without their workhorse at the top of the rotation. No pressure, Luis, but everything rests on your right shoulder and arm. Let’s do this.

Meet the 2019 Yankees: Gary Sanchez

Pitchers and catchers report today down in Tampa, Florida at George M. Steinbrenner Field and while we have already met two pitchers from the 2019 Yankees, we have yet to meet a catcher. Why not start it off by meeting THE catcher for the New York Yankees this season, Gary Sanchez. Meet the 2019 Yankees: The Gary is definitely not lazy Edition.

Gary Sanchez, 26-years old, is a right-handed batting and throwing catcher for the New York Yankees. With his 6’2” and 230 lb. frame (according to Baseball Reference, he looks much thinner this offseason) the Yankees have potentially one of the best hitting catchers in all of baseball, assuming health and assuming that his poor production in 2018 was injury related or a sophomore slump of a fluke.

Gary Sanchez was born on December 2, 1992 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Sanchez grew up in La Victoria, Dominican Republic where he was raised predominantly by his mother, Orquidia Hererra, and his grandmother, Agustina Pena, along with his three brothers and one sister. Sanchez was signed by the New York Yankees out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year old in July of 2009. Sanchez received $3 million in a signing bonus and began his season with the Gulf Coast Yankees. By the 2011 season Sanchez was already considered to be one of the best prospects in all of Major League Baseball according to Baseball America. Sanchez was widely considered the Yankees best prospect by the 2012 season according to Baseball America and the fourth best prospect in all of baseball. Sanchez bounced around and worked his way through the Yankees system until the 2015 season when the young catcher, fresh off an appearance at the 2015 All-Star Futures Game, was promoted to the Major Leagues.

Sanchez made his MLB debut as a pinch hitter on October 3, 2015 and was included on the Yankees 25-man roster for the 2015 American League Wild Card Game in the postseason. The Yankees were eliminated by the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Game, prematurely ending their season, leading the team to send Sanchez to the Arizona Fall League for the winter. Sanchez would lead the AFL in home runs that season and was named the Fall Stars Game MVP as well as being named the second-best prospect in the AFL by Baseball America. After a strong winter the Yankees decided to trade catcher John Ryan Murphy to the Minnesota Twins for Aaron Hicks, thus opening the door for Sanchez in the Bronx.

Sanchez dueled Austin Romine for the back up job to Brian McCann in 2016, but ultimately began the season back in Triple-A. Sanchez was called up once in May during that season before coming back to the Bronx on August 3^rd, this time to stay. Sanchez began assaulting MLB hitters after his call up and ended the season with a .299 average with 20 home runs and 42 RBI in just 53 games played. Gary finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year Award vote behind the Detroit Tigers starter Michael Fulmer and looked to be the Yankees starting catcher for the 2017 season.

Sanchez was named an AL All-Star in 2017 as a reserve and he participated in the 2017 Home Run Derby. Prior to the competition Sanchez’s spot in the Derby was questioned by then Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Logan Morrison, who stated that Sanchez did not deserve an invitation to the Derby, having hit only 13 home runs compared to Morrison’s 24 home runs. Sanchez went on to hit his 31^st home run in 2017 on September 14, breaking the record for most home runs in a single season by a Yankees catcher, passing Yogi Berra who hit 30 in 1952 and 1956, and Jorge Posada who did it in 2003. Sanchez helped the Yankees get within one game of the World Series in 2017, losing to the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the ALCS.

Sanchez struggled in 2018 before news of a shoulder injury that required surgery popped up during the offseason. Sanchez finished the 2018 season, his worst season statistically, with a .168 average, 18 home runs and 53 RBI in just 89 games played. Gary also led the league in passed balls with 18 while also making two separate trips to the disabled list with a pair of groin injuries after being criticized for a lack of hustle.

Gary isn’t lazy. He may have been during his minor league years with the Yankees, he himself even credited the birth of his daughter for the transformation from a player “going through the motions” to a player lauded for his work ethic, but now Gary is scary… and he will be in 2019 as well. Write it down.

Yankees Trade Adam Warren to Seattle for IFA $

The New York Yankees have agreed to send RHP Adam Warren to the Seattle Mariners for international free agent money. With the deal the Yankees have acquired $3.75 million in IFA spending money, which one would think has to be the max that the team can acquire in one signing period. Teams can acquire up to 75% of their international cap from other teams and the Yankees had a shade over $4 million to spend when the IFA market opened on July 2, 2018.

This has to be a precursor to a couple moves, one being the signing of Victor Victor Mesa off the international market, and a second move for one or more of an outfielder, reliever and a starting pitcher. Stay tuned...

Meet a Prospect: Osiel Rodriguez

The international signing period opened up on July 2^nd like it does every single season, and much like every single season the New York Yankees were linked to and have signed many of the top available international free agents on the market including the focus of today’s post, Osiel Rodriguez. Rodriguez was ranked as the 5^th best IFA available by Baseball America while MLB.com had Osiel ranked as the 9^th best prospect in the class, either way the Yankees have potentially a great new arm to add to their farm system, so let’s meet him. This is Meet a Prospect: The Osiel Rodriguez Edition.

Rodriguez is a 6’3”, 205 lb. 16-year old right-handed starting pitcher out of Cuba that the New York Yankees have signed with the start of the international signing period for the 2018-2019 season. Rodriguez is a raw talent, obviously as most teenagers are, and may have to work on his “unorthodox” and “violent” delivery, but if he can harness his potential and drop his repertoire to about three or four pitches he could be an ace going forward. Currently the right-hander possesses a fastball that can touch 97 MPH, a plus slider, a curveball, changeup and splitter.

Here is what MLB.com had to say about Rodriguez:

The right-hander’s fastball has been clocked at 97 mph and the pitch usually hovers in the low to mid-90s. There is some concern about a drop in velocity at times, but evaluators attribute the decrease to normal fatigue or being overworked on the showcase circuit. A strike-thrower, Rodriguez has a good mound presence and demeanor. He changes his arm slot and throws several different pitches at different angles, which has proven to be both a blessing and a curse as far as scouts are concerned.

Rodriguez has signed with the Yankees for $600,000 so let’s welcome him not only to the organization, but to the Yankees family as well. I look forward to seeing you grow and prosper as a minor league player with the Yankees. The Yankees just got the top pitcher in the international market guys, get excited!

Meet a Prospect: Osiel Rodriguez

The international signing period opened up on July 2^nd like it does every single season, and much like every single season the New York Yankees were linked to and have signed many of the top available international free agents on the market including the focus of today’s post, Osiel Rodriguez. Rodriguez was ranked as the 5^th best IFA available by Baseball America while MLB.com had Osiel ranked as the 9^th best prospect in the class, either way the Yankees have potentially a great new arm to add to their farm system, so let’s meet him. This is Meet a Prospect: The Osiel Rodriguez Edition.

Rodriguez is a 6’3”, 205 lb. 16-year old right-handed starting pitcher out of Cuba that the New York Yankees have signed with the start of the international signing period for the 2018-2019 season. Rodriguez is a raw talent, obviously as most teenagers are, and may have to work on his “unorthodox” and “violent” delivery, but if he can harness his potential and drop his repertoire to about three or four pitches he could be an ace going forward. Currently the right-hander possesses a fastball that can touch 97 MPH, a plus slider, a curveball, changeup and splitter.

Here is what MLB.com had to say about Rodriguez:

The right-hander’s fastball has been clocked at 97 mph and the pitch usually hovers in the low to mid-90s. There is some concern about a drop in velocity at times, but evaluators attribute the decrease to normal fatigue or being overworked on the showcase circuit. A strike-thrower, Rodriguez has a good mound presence and demeanor. He changes his arm slot and throws several different pitches at different angles, which has proven to be both a blessing and a curse as far as scouts are concerned.

Rodriguez has signed with the Yankees for slightly above $1 million so let’s welcome him not only to the organization, but to the Yankees family as well. I look forward to seeing you grow and prosper as a minor league player with the Yankees. The Yankees just got the top pitcher in the international market guys, get excited!

July 2nd International Free Agent Signing Period Coming Soon…

Good morning Yankees family and welcome back to the blog, and welcome to an off day. If it feels like the Yankees have been playing almost every single day during the month of June there is probably a good reason for it, because they have. Mother Nature has not been kind to the Bombers, but hopefully the trouble with the weather is behind the team and it will be nothing but sunny, and Sonny, skies from here on out.  

With the off day today, I wanted to take a look at the upcoming class of international free agents that are set to hit the market when the new signing period begins on July 2^nd. The Yankees have an allocated IFA budget of $4,983,500 which was passed down from the league and are expected to be involved with many of the top international free agents on the market. Remember, a team can trade for up to 75% of their total allotment in trades in $250,000 increments meaning the Yankees could position themselves to have as much as $8,721,125 to spend on the international market this season.  

The Yankees already have verbal commitments with and are expected to sign Dominican outfielder Kevin Alcantara (10^th best prospect) and Cuban right-handed starter Denny Larrondo (29^th best prospect) while the team has also been linked to Dominican catchers Antonio Gomez (11^th best prospect) and Agustin Ramirez (unranked by Baseball America and MLB.com).  

Here are MLB.com’s scouting reports on Alcantara and Larrondo:  

Alcantara has above-average speed — he’s been clocked consistently in the 6.4-6.6 second range in the 60-yard timed run — and it shows up on both sides of the ball. Alcantara is also a gamer. He performs well at the plate in a live setting and projects to hit for more power in the future. Scouts also rave about his good bat speed and high contact ratio. He hits the ball hard and often tops the 100-mph mark in exit velocity. 

Overall, Larrondo is an elite athlete with a projectable body and a quick arm. He has tight spin on his emerging curveball, his second-best pitch. The teenager is an aggressive strike-thrower with a working changeup that is expected to improve once he signs with a team and receives daily instruction in a club’s academy … The right-hander has touched 94 mph with his fastball and usually sits in the 91-to-92 mph range. 

Alcantara will turn 16 on July 12^th, so he won’t be eligible to sign until then, while Larrondo and Gomez have already turned 16 making them eligible to sign when international signings open up on July 2^nd.  

Hello… Navigating the Trade Deadline

Good morning Yankees family and welcome back to the blog. We are going to shift our focus here on the blog a bit going forward now that the 2018 MLB First Year Players Draft is done, and the hot stove and international free agent seasons begin. We will still cover prospects drafted by the Yankees in our Meet a Prospect series, but we will only cover players that have agreed to sign with the Yankees. We will also begin covering the 2018-2019 international free agent signing period that begins on July 2 as well as the hot stove season that is on tap for the rest of this month and into July.

I want to expand my horizons just a little bit this season and not only predict the trade deadline for the New York Yankees, but maybe for all 30 teams. As much as I can anyway. It should be challenging, but it should be fun as well, and that is what it is all about. So, stay tuned for that as I begin to work on that this week.

And you, prepare to be my wife because in less than a year all your dreams will finally become a reality. I love you my sweet and gorgeous Kari Ann, I always have, and I always will.

New York Yankees 2018-2019 International Spending Pool

All 30 Major League teams have received notification of their spending pools for the 2018-2019 international free agent signing period according to Baseball America’s Ben Badler, and the New York Yankees have $4,983,500 to spend beginning on July 2, 2018. Teams are allotted into their respective pools based on revenues and market size and their allotment is considered to be a hard cap on how much teams can spend on international prospects who are under the age of 25 and have played six seasons or less in an international professional league.

$6,025,400 bonus pool: Athletics, Brewers, Marlins, Rays, Reds, Twins

$5,504,500 bonus pool: Diamondbacks, Indians, Orioles, Padres, Pirates, Rockies, Royals

$5,004,500 bonus pool: Cardinals

$4,983,500 bonus pool: Angels, Astros, Blue Jays, Braves, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Mariners, Mets, Nationals, Rangers, Red Sox, Tigers, White Sox, Yankees

$3,949,000 bonus pool: Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies lost money from their draft pool after signing both Carlos Santana and Jake Arrieta while the St. Louis Cardinals also lost money after their signing of closer Greg Holland, all three of which rejected qualifying offers from their former teams. Also, just as a reminder, the Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics, Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox are still limited to signing players for no more than $300K each under the old international rules that penalized teams for going over their spending pool limits.

With the penalties on these eight teams mixed in with the fact that any team can acquire up to 75% of their international pool limit in trades we could see a lot of teams trading away international money this summer. Bonus pool money can be traded away in $250K increments.

Yankees Sign Two International Free Agents

The New York Yankees stacked $3.5 million in international free agent money in hopes of signing Japanese-born Shohei Otani this winter and while that did not come to fruition it does not mean that the Yankees haven't used that money to add some great, young talent to the organization. This week the team announced that they have signed two international free agents with that money and their names are Raimfer Salinas, an outfielder from Venezuela, and Antonio Cabello, a catcher also from Venezuela. Per Baseball America these were the 11th best and 15th best prospects available in this year's international pool.

With these two signing the Yankees have signed five of the top 20 best prospects in this year's international signing period. No word on how much they signed for yet, we will update you when that information becomes available.

Shohei Otani, the Braves Loss and the Yankees Gain

Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to Get Greedy, pillage the Atlanta Braves and move on and get past the fact that Shohei Otani made the biggest mistake of his life not joining the New York Yankees. The Yankees allocated $3.5 million in international free agent money with the hopes of luring Japanese phenom Shohei Otani away from the Japanese League and to the Bronx. Now that New York has learned that they will not be the team employing Mr. Otani in 2018 and beyond the Yankees still have that boatload of IFA cash just sitting around while a team like the Atlanta Braves just lost 13 of their prospects after circumventing the international signing rules in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Coincidence? Well I personally don’t believe in coincidences, but I do believe in taking advantage of other misfortunes when those who are being harmed have brought it upon themselves so let’s take a look at the prospects the Braves lost and the prospects that the Yankees should pounce on and sign immediately.

The best and most notable prospect the Braves signed and lost is switch-hitting Kevin Maitan who is currently a restricted free agent out of Venezuela. Maitan was a consensus top-100 prospect heading into the 2017 at just 17-years old after signing with the Braves for $4.25 million in 2016. Maitan was the Braves 9^th best prospect at the time of the investigation in a pretty well stacked Atlanta farm system so all attention will likely be on Maitan now that he is available for all. Maitan hit .241/.290/.340 with two home runs in 176 plate appearances between the Gulf Coast League and the advanced rookie league in 2017 at just 17-years old, although he did strike out a lot more than one would probably like. Maitan is 17-years old though and that is to be expected. What is important is that Maitan did not look overmatched in 2017 and should only get better as he matures both physically and mentally. Sign him now.

Atlanta also lost another 17-year old prospect in catcher Abrahan Guitierrez. Guitierrez played 35 games in the Gulf Coast League here in 2017 after signing with Atlanta for $3.53 million in 2016. Abrahan, now 18-years old, slashed .264/.319/.357/.676 in the Gulf Coast League with one home run and 12 RBI in 129 plate appearances last season while striking out over two times as many times as he drew a walk. Again, like Maitan, he was just 17-years old and showed promise while not looking completely overmatched. Also, he is a catcher which instantly makes his stock and value all the more important as an offensive piece. Guitierrez showed gap power in his small sample size and may have all the makings of being the next Gary Sanchez is properly groomed.

Infielder Yunior Severino is another prospect that the Yankees should be looking at with their IFA money. Severino spent time with the Dominican Summer League Braves and the Gulf Coast League Braves slashing a combined .270/.345/.420/.765 with three home runs and 29 RBI. Most of Severino’s damage came after his promotion to the GCL in 189 plate appearances after just 37 at-bats in the DSL. Severino has worse strikeout numbers than either of the two prospects mentioned previously after striking out a whopping 67 times in 2017 to just 24 walks, again though Severino is just 17-years old. Severino actually had the most success of the three offensive prospects, albeit all three were in a small sample size.

Right-handed pitcher Juan Contreras is the last prospect the Yankees should keep their eye on as the team shifts its international spending focus from Otani to others after signing with the Braves as well in 2016. Contreras only threw 19.1 innings in 2017 for the Dominican Summer League and Gulf Coast League Braves so it is hard to get a gauge on how the right-hander will handle advanced talent but with a 6’2” frame at 180 lbs. Contreras has all the makings of being an MLB-caliber starting pitcher and could be an absolute steal after the Braves IFA debacle.

Baseball American ranked these Braves prospects within the 2016 class of international free agents as so:

Maitan: #1 overall

Severino: #8 overall

Guitierrez: #15 overall

Contreras: #41 overall

Can the Yankees sign all of these prospects? Well I guess they could while blowing past the international spending limitations set by the league, but should they? No, as the farm system is already stacked while there is already a young core in place at the big-league level. Should the Yankees try to sign one or two of these prospects though? Absolutely, do it now. The sooner the better. Sorry, Atlanta. 

Meet a Prospect: Reiver Sanmartin

We all watched as the New York Yankees were extremely active before the deadline to protect prospects in the 2018 Rule 5 Draft. The Yankees made many moves over the course of a couple days clearing spots for the likes of Gleyber Torres, Thairo Estrada and others to be added to the 40-man roster at the expense of young players like Ronald Herrera who was sent to the Texas Rangers in exchange for A-Ball pitcher Reiver Sanmartin. Let’s meet the man that was brought over in the trade late in the evening on Monday. This is Meet a Prospect: The Reiver Sanmartin Edition.

Sanmartin is a left-handed starting pitcher that was signed as an international free agent out of Columbia by the Texas Rangers at just 19-years old. Sanmartin spent his first two professional seasons in the Dominican Summer League before making the big jump to the United States here in 2017 stopping at two affiliates for the Rangers.

In 32 minor league games, 23 of them as a starting pitcher, Sanmartin has compiled a 14-4 record with a 2.62 ERA along with 119 strikeouts in 137.2 innings pitched. Sanmartin sits at about 88-92 MPH on his fastball while complimenting that pitch with what is considered to be an average changeup and slider. All signs point to Sanmartin being a bullpen arm if and when he reaches the Major League level, and that’s okay if you’re the Yankees.

Most importantly for New York is that Sanmartin will not need protection from the Rule 5 Draft until this time next season. Worry about that when the time comes, until then welcome Sanmartin to the organization and to the Yankees family. Enjoy your stay and make us proud. 

Quick Hit: Shohei Otani OFFICIALLY Coming to MLB in 2018

I know this is probably a little late but like I said this morning, we are just catching up after Hurricane Irma. Japan’s answer to Babe Ruth is coming to the Major Leagues in 2018, let the mayhem begin.

It feels like we have been talking about Otani forever now but the reality of the two-way star heading to the Major Leagues and the United States is about to come to fruition. Otani is leaving millions of dollars on the table by not waiting to his age 25 season to come to the Major Leagues due to the international free agent rules written into the collective bargaining agreement but part of me thinks either way Otani will be just fine.

Otani, 23-years old, has a 100 MPH fastball and a nasty slider to boot as well as a heavy bat that can hit 30-40 home runs in a season potentially. Many teams expect Otani to be a pitcher at the Major League level but you have to think that the draw of being able to hit more times than not in the National League might give certain teams a leg up on the competition, which is not good news for the New York Yankees. Of course Yankees pitchers get to hit sometimes as well with interleague play being an all-year thing now but more times than not New York is employing a DH on any given night.

There is expected to be anywhere from 12 teams or more vying for Otani this offseason including the Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox. Otani reportedly “likes the spotlight” according to one post I read this morning on the New York Post which would give a big market team like the Yankees an advantage but for every advantage is one disadvantage. The Yankees could potentially see Masahiro Tanaka opt-out of his contract at the end of this season as well and you have to think having a guy like Tanaka on your team would only help you in your pursuit of Otani, and the subsequent grace period and adjustment period after signing him.

Will the Yankees make a run at Otani? Absolutely, yes. Will they get greedy and get their man though? Time will only tell. Stay tuned… 

Yankees Sign Ronny Rojas… What it Means for Shohei Otani

The New York Yankees are once again flashing some financial muscle on the international market but this time the team is being creative about it. In years past the Yankees have simply thrown money at their problems and for a long time it worked. Since the league has finally caught up financially the team can no longer do that due to financial and draft pick restrictions thrown down by a new set of collective bargaining agreements so New York has found a new way to get who they want on the IFA market. All large market teams get $4.75 million in IFA cap money to spend but the team can trade for an additional 75% of that $4.75 million from other teams, something the Yankees did many times this summer already. Now New York is using that new-found money to sign young players like the 16-year old shortstop Ronny Rojas they signed over the weekend but what does that mean for Shohei Otani?

First things first, Rojas. Rojas was signed to a $1 million contract and the 16-year old becomes the fourth international prospect to join the Yankees since the 2017-2018 signing period opened on July 2^nd joining Robert Chirinos, Everson Pereira and Anthony Garcia. Rojas was considered to be the 11^th best international prospect in this year’s signing period not including Otani who has yet to enter the fold as a prospect officially. The Yankees announced they would sign Rojas back in July but the team could not officially sign him until recently because Rojas was just 15-years old. The league will not allow an international prospect to sign until his 16^th birthday. What does this mean for the Yankees ability to make a run at Otani though?

In all honestly this has no bearing on the Yankees ability to make a serious run at Otani. The Yankees traded for a ton of international spending money this summer in three different trades including the Yefrey Ramirez trade to the Baltimore Orioles and the Sonny Gray trade with the Oakland Athletics. The Yankees still have somewhere in the neighborhood of $3-4 million left to make a run at Otani without going over their allotted pool of money. The problem for New York is teams like the Boston Red Sox have also traded for close to their 75% allotment as well giving the Yankees some stiff competition for the latest Japanese import.

Having Chirinos, Pereira, Garcia and Rojas is great and it gives the Yankees another wave of future reinforcements to develop and look forward to. Having those four and a shot at Otani though almost seems unfair for the rest of the league so here’s to getting greedy, officially signing Rojas and also getting Japan’s Babe Ruth. 

Next Baby Bomber to Watch: Dermis Garcia

The New York Yankees youth movement is in full swing and that swing only looks to sway more and more as we enter the month of September. September call ups are here and more reinforcements are likely on the way when all the various minor league affiliates finish their postseason runs which makes the Yankees potentially a very scary team to face going down the stretch and into the future. Speaking of the future the Yankees have one of the brightest futures in all of Major League Baseball with one of the best farm systems in the game right now and one such member to keep an eye on from that farm system is my next Baby Bomber to watch, infielder Dermis Garcia.  

Back in 2014 the New York Yankees went on a bit of a spending spree on the international market spending $17 million on players and almost another $14 million in tax penalties when the team went over their spending cap and one of the players that $14 million bought was Garcia. Garcia was signed for $3 million as a 16-year old as a third baseman as the team looked to fill what looks to be a thin position within the position. Miguel Andujar looks to be the Yankees third baseman of the future currently but if Garcia can live up to the hype and his projections Andujar may simply just be keeping the seat warm for Dermis.  

Garcia is a huge power hitter which was on display last season in the Appalachian League where Garcia was second in the league with 13 home runs. Dermis has followed that up with 15 home runs combined for the Pulaski Yankees and the Charleston Riverdogs this season although his strikeout total, like that of Aaron Judge, is a bit higher than you would like. The difference between Judge and Garcia though is that Judge was drafted out of college as a high power, high strikeout kind of player while Garcia is still a teenager and was signed as an international free agent. Judge was basically the player he is now when he was drafted but the sky is the limit for Dermis.  

FYI, Aaron Judge has a 39% strikeout rate this season and Miguel Sano of the Minnesota Twins has a 41% strikeout rate in 2017 at the time of this writing and both were All-Stars for the American League in 2017. Dermis, again just in A-Ball, has a strikeout rate of 29% at the time of this writing so the strikeouts aren’t as damning as many people will likely make them out to be. Especially for a third baseman, Garcia was signed as a shortstop but has since moved to third base, where the position is more about defense and power than it is about high average in most cases. Garcia could ultimately move to third base though if his defense and range doesn’t improve but, again, he is just 19-years old and is learning a position he has never played before so I am not putting much stock into this either.  

Garcia has shown some pop in his professional career, he has shown an ability to adjust as he lowers his strikeout percentage every season, he has shown an ability to work a work and he has shown an ability to meet or exceed expectations so I expect nothing less from Dermis going forward with the Yankees. With an ETA of late 2020 or early-to-mid 2021 we will just have to sit back and watch more improvements and more hard work from the Yankees prospect as he continues to climb the ladder all the way to the Bronx. 

Let the Battle for Shohei Otani Begin

Like the title of the post says, let the battle for Shohei Otani begin. As we inch closer to September baseball and then the end of the 2017 season we also inch closer to Otani possibly leaving behind millions of dollars to come to the Major Leagues from the Japanese League a two years early. If Otani decides to come over, and many reports say that he will including a report from Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees are ready to bid, and bid big too.

According to FanRag Sports the Yankees and Red Sox are tied for holding the biggest allotments currently in their respective international spending pools. Both teams started with $4.75 million when the signing period opened on July 2 and both have obtained an extra $3.25 million according to the report giving each team $8 million to spend on international free agents.

If the Nippon Ham Fighters allow Otani to leave early the team will receive $20 million in a posting fee and all signs point to both the Yankees and Red Sox, among other teams around the league, being heavily involved in the talks and extremely interested in acquiring his services. This won’t be the first time the Yankees and Red Sox have battled it out for a free agent, or on the field as we will learn a little later today, and it won’t be the last but this one could have the most consequences for both clubs if they fail to sign him. Otani is that special and seemingly a once-in-a-lifetime type talent as both a hitter and as a pitcher.

The Texas Rangers ($2 million), the Atlanta Braves ($1.25 million), the Los Angeles Dodgers ($1 million), and the New York Mets ($1 million) have also acquired international money this season presumably to make a run at Otani so this could be a very interesting set of negotiations this winter if and when Otani announced his intention to come to the states. Stay tuned. 

Why the Yankees Traded For So Much International Spending Pool Money

I have to admit that when I saw that the New York Yankees traded Double-A pitcher Yefrey Ramirez for just some international spending pool money I was a tad bit upset. I was willing and able to rant when I read it. Then I read that New York also acquired some additional money, $1.5 million to be exact, in the Sonny Gray deal with the Oakland Athletics that sent Jorge Mateo, Dustin Fowler and James Kaprielian out west which got me thinking. Why are the Yankees suddenly so caught up in acquiring international spending pool money when the team is no longer under spending restrictions in the IFA market and can spend as much as they want in 2017? So then I started doing some research and here is what I came up with so far.

There has been a change in how the international signing period works and the changes which came from the Collective Bargaining Agreement that runs from 2017-2021 begin with the 2017-2018 international signing period. I am not going to go into the very complicated and detailed reports of the entire agreement but here is the Readers Digest version of it. The new rules allows teams to trade for up to 75% of the pool that the league allots them every single signing period. This year the league gave the Yankees a bonus pool of $4.75 million to spend on international free agents so if you multiple that by 75% and carry the one the Yankees could conceivably acquire $3,562,500 from other teams giving the team a total of 8,212,500 to work with on the international market.

Now it is worth keeping in mind that the Yankees have already signed Venezuelan outfielder Everson Pereira to a $1.5 million deal while also signing Venezuelan shortstop Robert Chirinos for $900,000. The Yankees have made a few other deals as well and according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com the Yankees have already spent $4.28 million of their IFA spending pool this signing period. That leaves the Yankees $470,000 before what the team acquired in the Gray deal, the Yefrey Ramirez deal and the Matt Wotherspoon deal with the Orioles from earlier last month. If the Yankees were to conceivably acquire the entire 75% in bonus pool money that the CBA allows the Yankees would have $3,982,500 in spending money left but who would the team spend it on?

Well at the time of this writing the #6 top rated international prospect Raimfer Salinas is available as well as #8 prospect Antonio Cabello. The Yankees could be gearing up to make a run at one or both of these top prospects to add to the pool that already includes Chirinos and Pereira. Make it happen Cashman, add all the blue chip potential prospects and talent that the league allows you to add, even if losing a player like Yefrey Ramirez did anger me a bit. There’s a plan in place, a plan that I am personally not privy to, and that plan is in action which truly just excites the hell out of me. 

Meet a Prospect: The Four IFA’s in the Top 50 from 2017

The International signing period for international free agents opened up on July 2 like it does every season and like every season a flurry of activity happened on day one. The Yankees had been under spending restrictions for the past two signing periods after going nuts on IFA’s in 2014 but in 2017 there would be no such spending restrictions for New York. The Yankees came out in a big way this week signing four of the Top 50 prospects on this year’s IFA market. Let’s meet them. This is Meet a Prospect: the Everson Pereira, Roberto Chirinios, Anthony Garcia and Ronny Rojas Edition.

Everson Pereira is an outfielder out of Venezuela that the New York Yankees signed for a cool $1.5 million. Pereira was named the 4^th best prospect from this year’s class according to Ben Badler and Baseball America due to his great speed, strong arm and above average defense. Pereira has a short, fluid swing that many see developing power as he grows into his body. Pereira puts the ball in play, takes his walks and uses his legs to wreak havoc on the base paths once he gets there.

Roberto Chirinios is a shortstop who is also out of Venezuela that the Yankees organization added for $900,000. Chirinios was ranked as the 20^th best prospect to come out of this class according to Ben Badler and Baseball America although right now it’s unclear whether Chirinios will be able to stick at short.

Anthony Garcia is an outfielder from the Dominican Republic that will begin his professional career with the Yankees organization after agreeing to sign for $450,000. Garcia was ranked 28^th overall in this season’s class by Ben Badler and Baseball America.

Ronny Rojas hasn’t officially signed with the Yankees since he is just 15-years old but will when he turns 16-years old in August of this season. Rojas was the 11^th best prospect from this season’s class according to Baseball American for his fluid motions and strong throwing arm at the shortstop position. Rojas is originally from the Dominican Republic.

As a side note the Yankees also signed Dominican outfielder Stanley Rosario for $300,000 and Dominican shortstop Miguel Marte for $200,000 in a set of relatively minor deals for the organization. Not to say these young men can’t grow into something more, there are countless instances where the Yankees and many teams found lightning in a bottle with prospects after signing them for $300,000 or less, but neither were ranked in the Top 50 according to Baseball America. 

International Free Agent Signing Period Begins Today

So it seems the international free agency signing period begins.... TODAY. Get the checkbook ready there Hal and brace yourself, the prospects are coming.