All Quiet on the Yankees Front...

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!

Looking Ahead to 2019: Jed Lowrie

I hate to look ahead to the 2019 season with the 2018 season still in full swing, but I can’t help it. I not only want to win this season, but I want to win next season as well, and every season for that matter. With that said I want to take a peek into the 2019 free agency really quick and suggest someone that should be on Brian Cashman’s radar now, so he can go ahead and get to work on it as soon as possible. Cashman loves his veteran players that can provide versatility, see Neil Walker for the 2018 season for a recent example of this, and Jed Lowrie should be a priority for him and the Yankees for the 2019 season in my opinion.

Lowrie has been a huge part of the successful season this year out in Oakland, and the 34-year old looks to be far from done going forward. Lowrie has good speed, he hits well for average, he is never an easy at-bat for the opposing pitcher as he is difficult to strike out, and he may just hit 20 home runs this season playing his home games in the spacious Oakland Coliseum. Imagine what his numbers would look like this season if he were playing 81 games in the Bronx.

Any team could use a super utility player like Lowrie that can conceivably play anywhere, but with the Yankees recent rash of injuries it would be imperative to sign a guy that can fill in all over the place specifically for New York. Utility guys generally come cheap and Lowrie would not hurt the Yankees chances at signing Manny Machado, Bryce Harper, Patrick Corbin, or whomever, and would make the team and the bench a whole lot stronger.

Sign Lowrie, then go ahead and get the big fish. Those guys won’t be going anywhere, but I don’t want Lowrie going anywhere next season but the Bronx.

Fantasy Baseball: Who are the Oakland Athletics?

Just because it’s Prospects Month here on the blog doesn’t mean we’re going to abandon Fantasy Baseball and the goal of winning your fantasy league altogether. Instead we’ll simply just refocus our efforts and give it a prospect or young player twist much like we did with our New York Yankees post. The goal is to still help you win your league and dominate the later rounds of your fantasy draft so rest assured, we’re still here. 

With that in mind we will not be talking about Sonny Gray or Sean Doolittle in this post and we likely won’t talk too much about new arrivals Jed Lowrie, Yonder Alonso and Rich Hill. Instead we will focus on the younger guys that may not be household names yet outside of many Oakland based homes. That player list includes outfielder Billy Burns, Mark Canha and Henderson Alvarez. 

Burns is an outfielder that will likely get the everyday starting job for the Oakland A’s. The Athletics need an everyday center fielder to replace Coco Crisp and Burns seems to be that guy after a strong 2015 campaign. Burns hit .294 with 25 stolen bases and 70 runs scored in 125 games last season and can add a high runs scored total, batting average and stolen base total to your team very late in the draft. If you reach the 20^th round or so and he’s still there it may be in your best interest to grab him. 

Another name you may not know from the Oakland A’s is Mark Canha. Canha is not likely to have a starting job when the team breaks camp this season but he should still get plenty of opportunities throughout the year. Canha is listed as a first baseman and the backup to Yonder Alonso and is also listed as an outfielder. This is especially important as the A’s search for a suitable backup to injury-prone left fielder Coco Crisp. Canha will be the first out of the trenches and into the field if and when Crisp goes down. Keep him in your queue just in case.

Finally we have Henderson Alvarez was acquired this offseason after the Miami Marlins cut ties with their former farm hand. Alvarez is a big question mark heading into the season after tearing a muscle in his shoulder and undergoing a serious surgery on it. Alvarez will not be ready on Opening Day and may not be ready at all in 2016, although he is expected to be, but he is still a name that should be on your watch list. Alvarez was an All-Star for Miami in the last season he pitched in 2014 and the talent is there as long as his shoulder allows it to be.

So there you have it, three Oakland Athletics prospects and/or young players that can help you win your Fantasy Baseball league’s this spring. Hope the information helps and if it did feel free to share this and any of my fantasy posts to help out others as well. Thanks!

Fantasy Baseball: Buy Low Sell High Candidates

Every year in Fantasy Baseball there are those players that are coming off injuries or are basically unknowns that you can pick up off the scrap heap or trade for and give up virtually nothing in March. By June you are either gloating about your Fantasy Baseball genius or you are kicking yourself in fourth place wondering what could have been. These are those guys you will be or could be talking about in June of 2015:

Adam Lind (MIL) has been nothing short of inconsistent as far as fantasy goes in his career. Lind does consistently struggle against left handed power but when you draft him you aren’t sure if you’re going to get that power he has shown in years past. Moving to Miller Park in Milwaukee from Toronto may or may not help him but the ballpark in Milwaukee is pretty left handed hitting friendly so he is almost a shoe in for 20-25 home runs at worst.

AJ Burnett (PITT) is back in Pittsburgh where he spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons posting a combined 3.41 ERA with 8.9 K/9. Burnett’s ERA did jump in 2014 with Philadelphia, 4.59 ERA, and he is entering his age 38 season so the jury is still out whether 2014 will be the exception or the rule going forward in his career but PNC Park is a good pitchers park so I expect it to be more of the exception.

Gavin Floyd (CLE) was pitching his butt off for Atlanta in his first year removed from Tommy John surgery before fracturing his elbow and ending his 2014 season. Floyd had a 2.65 ERA in nine starts showing great control and garnering a ton of ground balls. Floyd is oft injured and will surely be around after the draft is over to pick up for a little depth to stash in your final roster spot.

Jed Lowrie (HOU) is only on the list because of the disappearance of the offensive shortstop. Lowrie is two full seasons removed from hitting 16 home runs in 340 at bats in 2012 and one season removed from hitting .290 in 2013. Anyone leaving Oakland County Coliseum is due for an offensive boost in my opinion and maybe be a Top 5 shortstop in a very barren field in 2015. 

Quick Hit: Jed Lowrie the Backup Plan for Chase Headley

The New York Yankees seem to be posturing and negotiating hard for Chase Headley because the team presumably feels like they need him for the 2015 season. While I would agree there because of his stellar defense, his switch hitting bat and his ability to play first base I don't think I would break the bank for Chase, pun intended. Not as long as Jed Lowrie, a viable third base, shortstop and second baseman, is available on the free agent market.

The team is already talking about platooning Brendan Ryan and Didi Gregorius and I ask, why? If you bring in Jed Lowrie he can play shortstop against left handed pitchers with Martin Prado playing third base while Didi sits on the bench. Against right handed pitching Lowrie would be back at third with Prado at second and Didi at shortstop. New York has also said they don't want to go above three years for Headley and that is conveniently the same number of years that Mr. Lowrie is said to be asking for in the market right now.

If you look at the stats Lowrie is comparable in about every offensive stat in his career with Headley except for in the home run department, although Lowrie has hit 52. If you take away that career year from Headley while still with the Padres and you have an exact match of players here only one is a lot more expensive than the other.

	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	HR
Lowrie	.265	.333	.418	.750	106	52
Headley	.266	.350	.412	.762	117	72

(statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference)

Lowrie wants a reported three year deal worth 3 years and $30 million while the asking price for Headley seems to sit at 4 years and anywhere from $48 - $65 million. For the same player. This doesn't even seem to be a question to me, fiscal responsibility or not, sign Lowrie. Sure Lowrie has a not so nice injury history, see Headley's back if that's your argument for the incumbent Yankees third baseman, but splitting time with the aforementioned players and Joe Girardi's uncanny insistence on giving "players a day" I think Lowrie would be just fine. They are both 30 years old and if human cloning were possible or legal I would think they were the same player. Save a year on the contract, around $20 million or more and bring the team even more flexibility and even more options for Girardi in the infield. Lowrie can learn first base, get it done.  

Cyber Monday Deals Still Left on Tuesday: Positional Players

We’re back still hunting down the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals that are left over on this Tuesday afternoon and I found more than a few capable positional players that New York may want to take a look at.

• Jed Lowrie may only be a shortstop on the back of his baseball card but if the Yankees signed him they would probably see an improvement in range and defense over what the team had the past three or so seasons. Lowrie can still produce offensively and wouldn’t be a terrible fall back option at second base if the team gave the reigns to Jose Pirela or Robert Refsnyder to start the season. This team is built on options, flexibility and versatility and Lowrie gives the team all three.

• Alex Rios does not seem likely in an already crowded outfield in the Bronx but hear me out. The Yankees carried five outfielders last season with the idea of one of them alternating in the DH role. If the team can rid themselves of Alex Rodriguez, which I do not feel is likely admittedly, then a Rios deal makes sense here.

• Like Rios the same can be said for Delmon Young who actually made strides with his bat and his defense in 2014 with the Baltimore Orioles. Delmon is not good enough to not need a platoon partner but it is worth mentioning that he hit a career best .312 against right handed pitching in 2014 while producing his best defensive ratings of his career. Could Young possibly be a late bloomer?

Yankees Black Friday Check List

The Thanksgiving Day festivities are coming to an end in most households so now it’s time to gear up for a fight, let’s go Black Friday shopping. First and foremost I am big on history so here is a little tidbit as to why it’s called Black Friday. Most department stores claim that they operate in the red, or losing money, all year long and more than make up for it on Christmas. The first time these stores would make a profit, or see their bottom line go into the black, would be the day after Thanksgiving when all the sales and door busters were going on. Now you know so now let’s sign some players for the Yankees.

Chase Headley is a must and if you sign him now I think he comes at a bargain. Don’t let other teams come in and ramp up the price after missing out on Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez just give him what he wants. If it’s a four year deal then so be it because he can always be stashed at first base after the 2016 season when Mark Teixeira leaves. If it’s money he wants then so be it because the team is already over the luxury tax threshold before signing a single arbitration case or free agent when you consider the players bonuses and such that are written into the new CBA. If he wants both then you do it, we’re the Yankees dammit and we need to start acting like it.

Brandon McCarthy/Jon Lester is a must sign as well. I know everyone is screaming about how the team needs bats and if we bolster the pitching staff we would lose 1-0 and 2-1 every night but the pitching is important too. With a rotation decimated with injuries last year hence all the question marks this year the team needs some sort of reliability at the top. Lester does not cost us a pick and McCarthy was great pitching in Yankee Stadium. Sign them both!

Finally our last stop would get us a shortstop. At this point I don’t care who it is, Troy Tulowitzki, Asdrubal Cabrera, Jed Lowrie, Stephen Drew, Clint Barmes, Jimmy Rollins, whoever. The team needs a shortstop and the team needs one now before this turns into a 2014 second base search that nets us a Brian Roberts all season long. The Yankees don’t need to necessarily react to Boston’s signings and go crazy but the team needs to do something because the team has holes to fill. What better day to check a few things off the list then Black Friday, right?

2015 Free Agency Royal Rumble – Shortstop

Ladies and gentleman welcome to the 2015 Major League Baseball free agency Royal Rumble brought to you by The Greedy Pinstripes. Tonight we have all the potential shortstop options for the New York Yankees heading into this winter in one ring vying for the contract of a lifetime, let’s go down to the ring.

In the red corner stands former Yankee Stephen Drew, in the blue corner stands Asdrubal Cabrera, in the green corner stands Jed Lowrie, and in the black corner stands Hanley Ramirez. Let’s get it on!

Ok I have had some fun writing these but this one really is no contest. New York is in the position where they have to sacrifice defense for offense if they want to compete in 2015 and 2016. Hanley can handle shortstop for a season or two before switching to third base or first base when Alex Rodriguez's and Mark Teixeira'sz contracts are over. Hanley, the other guys wouldn't even get in the ring. 

Yankees Blow Another Lead; Lose Fourth Straight Game to A's

Tonight's 7-4 loss to the A's was pretty much an exact replica of yesterday's.

For the first two innings, both starters, Vidal Nuno and Jesse Chavez, kept the game scoreless, before the Yankees' bats suddenly got hot in the third.

In that frame, speedy Outfielders Ichiro Suzuki and Brett Gardner got on base for Derek Jeter, who beat out a grounder to short for a go-ahead, RBI Infield Single.

The contest obviously wasn't over at that point, but still, after a following three-run home run from Jacoby Ellsbury it definitely looked favorable.

Or, so it was thought.

On the first pitch of the top of the fourth, Yoenis Cespedes took Nuno deep, putting Oakland on the board. 

It wasn't anything to panic over, but it did begin to turn the tides.

In the A's next at-bat, they'd tack on another thanks to a Sac Fly from Jed Lowrie, knocking Nuno out after 4.2 innings of two-run, 92-pitch ball. 

He wasn't perfect, but considering that the Bombers still led 4-2 the team looked to be in good shape. 

Anyway, after Nuno's exit, Matt Daly came in, inducing a flyout from Josh Donaldson followed by a lead-off homer from Cespedes to start the sixth, his second of the night.

The Pinstripes' lead had fallen to 4-3, something that, after a throwing error from Jeter and a Matt Thornton-allowed single and walk, looked pretty dissatisfying. 

Eventually, Thornton would get out of the jam surrendering just the unearned run, tying the contest.

Later on in the top of the seventh, the earlier-mentioned Donaldson would homer off recent Triple-A call-up Jose Ramirez, causing him to take the loss in his MLB Debut.

In other words, nothing all that new happened in this game. The Yanks got off to a good start, but were again let down by their bullpen.

Stephen Drew Is Not The Answer

Am told Yankees are still not weighing a run at Stephen Drew. In other words: Status quo.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 24, 2014

Drew would fit well with #Yankees, but sources say team essentially has reached spending limit. That could change, but more likely move…
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 24, 2014

The other day it was rumored that the Yankees were interested in making a run at Stephen Drew, and I commented on that news here at The Greedy Pinstripes that I was for it. Although I didn't do any research into the possible move, and just assumed Drew > Johnson, I was wrong. Here's why...

Over the last three seasons, while playing for Arizona, Oakland, and Boston, Drew has hit .245/.322/.403 with 25 home runs. All of that is good for a bWAR of just 4.6. And it's worth noting that during those three years Drew made $21.9 million.

Meanwhile, the guy he would likely replace as the Yankees third baseman in 2014, Kelly Johnson, has hit .226/.307/.395 with 53 home runs. Those numbers, along with some other stuff, was good for a bWAR of 4.7.

Basically, thanks to a few more home runs, both Johnson and Drew are worth just as much to their team. But the difference comes in the fact that Stephen Drew could very well make three times as much in 2014 as Kelly Johnson is (Johnson will make $3 million). The dollar amounts just don't add up in Drew's favor... not by a long shot.

"Yeah, the math is all wrong."

The only thing that may be good about signing Stephen Drew would have to do with Derek Jeter. Jeter will turn 40 years old on June 26th, and is currently playing with a one-year deal with the Yankees. That doesn't mean this is Derek's final season, but I wouldn't call you crazy if you thought that. For that reason, Drew would slide in at shortstop in 2014 and beyond.

But is that a good thing? I don't think so.

Drew's bat is nothing to write home about, although he's a good defender. But there are plenty of guys like that. Heck, Brendan Ryan is one of the best fielders in baseball, but I don't hear any Yankee fans begging the team to lock him up long-term. I don't think anybody is clamoring for Ryan to be Jeter's heir, either. 

Not only is Stephen Drew not a great choice to replace Derek Jeter, but there are some intriguing shortstops that will be free agents next year...

Asdrubal Cabrera - He had a down year in 2013, batting .242/.299/.402, but the Venezuelan is just 28 years old, and he hit .273/.333/.419 the previous three seasons. In 2012 and 2011, Asdrubal was an All Star selection, and actually won the Silver Slugger Award in 2011. Unfortunately, Cabrera's UZR/150 of -16.8 last season at shortstop does not help matters.

Jed Lowrie - Although Jed's 2013 season, in which he hit .290/.344/.446, is a bit of an outlier, that type of production is not unheard of from the 29 year-old shortstop. Back in 2010, with the Red Sox, Lowrie hit .287/.381/.526 in 55 games. However, like Cabrera, Lowrie's UZR/150 of -9.2 at short last season doesn't inspire a whole lot of confidence.

Hanley Ramirez - Even though his performances in 2011 and 2012 are far from amazing, as he hit .252/.326/.416 with 34 home runs, Hanley's numbers in 2013 made people think the guy they saw between 2006 and 2010 may still be around. Last season, Ramirez bounced back and hit .345/.402/.638 with 20 home runs. Mind you, Ramirez has never been a defensive whiz at short, but he was average there last season (0.5 UZR/150). 

The point of this is Stephen Drew is not the answer to the Yankees infield woes for 2014, nor is he the answer at shortstop for 2015 and beyond. If it comes down to Drew or Johnson, I'm perfectly content in seeing if Kelly can continue to hit double-digit home runs while playing above average defense at third base (24.4 UZR/150 there in 118 innings last season with the Rays).

High fives for being just "okay".