Chase Headley for James Shields?

How did we ever make it back even in the 1990’s without cell phones, the internet at the touch of our fingers and social media? Honestly I’ll never know but I know one thing for sure, I don’t want to go back. Facebook is nice, Google+ was okay for a minute but I truly cannot get enough of twitter. The absolute interaction and user interface just gets me and I love it. I love interacting with everyone who reads the blog. You float me your thoughts on my articles and you, either directly or indirectly, float ideas for articles there as well. Much like this article I am about to tackle as one of my good friends, Michael Brogna, suggested trading third baseman Chase Headley back to the San Diego Padres for right-handed starting pitcher James Shields. Would it work?

My immediate question to Mike was who would play third base and replace Headley? Currently the only Yankees player I would “trust” at the position defensively is Brendan Ryan, yuck. Sure it’s easy to just say “add Yangervis Solarte” in the deal or “take on Jedd Gyorko’s salary (who has since been traded to the St. Louis Cardinals) and play him there” or even “just trade for Trevor Plouffe” but the league doesn’t work like that. Solarte was one of San Diego’s better hitters in 2015 and it’s going to take a lot more than just Chase Headley to pry him away, again. Jedd Gyorko is not a third baseman, never has been and likely never will be. He held his own at shortstop last season but he’s not going to get better the more he ages, he’s going to get worse. He was used as a shortstop out of necessity and out of desperation, not because his bat dictated him being there. Finally, simply trading for a young and controllable guy isn’t that easy. Especially for a young team that plans on contending as soon as the 2016 season. It’s just not that easy.

Looking at the third base market I don’t see much available right now for the Yankees to acquire. The most attractive pieces are Juan Uribe, Will Middlebrooks, David Freese and Mark Reynolds. No, on a minor league deal then maybe, interesting but still probably a no and who wants 15 home runs and 200 strikeouts this season with defense that will make Headley’s look Gold Glove caliber? And while we’re on the subject who wants James Shields and that incredibly back loaded and overpaid contract? Isn’t this team trying to get away from deals like these?

Mike, I love you bro and I appreciate and respect your input and opinion on this but I just can’t back you on it. Only way I’m taking Shields is on a salary dump where the team loses nothing. This plugs a hole that wasn’t really a problem to begin with and makes a huge hole at third base and in the lineup. As it stands today I have to say no thank you. 

BREAKING: Jose Pirela Traded to San Diego for Ronald Herrera

Brian Cashman and the New York Yankees have struck their first trade of the offseason today as Jose Pirela was sent to the San Diego Padres for a minor league pitcher. That minor league pitcher is Ronald Herrera.

Pirela has been groomed as a utility guy for the Yankees, although his best and most natural position is second base, but the soon-to-be 26 year old is now headed west to San Diego to join former teammate Yangervis Solarte.

It is interesting to think about where San Diego will play Pirela and how they will use him. The most glaring hole the team has is at shortstop, a position Pirela has not played in the upper levels of the minor leagues, but the team seemingly enjoyed what they saw out of Jedd Gyorko there as recently as the 2015 season so who knows. He may become a super utility player for the Padres with the ability to play third base, second base and the outfield with ease while Herrera could potentially join a long train of potential Yankees right-handed relief pitchers they will be inviting to Spring Training camp this season.

Herrera is just 20-years old and finished the season in Double-A last season throwing 145.2 innings between High-A and Double-A. Herrera pitched to a 4.08 ERA, 6.4 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 and is known, like Luis Severino, as a polished but undersized right-handed pitcher who could struggle to hold down a long-term job in a Major League starting rotation. Herrera may be destined for the bullpen or he may defy the odds much like Severino, Johan Santana, Pedro Martinez and many others have done. Either way we will miss Pirela in pinstripes and welcome Herrera to the club with open arms. 

Weekly Check In: Jorge Mateo

Jorge Mateo survived another trading deadline thankfully and will remain with the organization at least through the remainder of the 2015 season. Brian Cashman has placed Mateo in the “untouchable” ring of Yankees prospects despite being reportedly willing to include him in a deal for Craig Kimbrel and Jedd Gyorko. Now with the trade winds no longer blowing in his ear he can prepare for a long offseason after a bit of a breakout season in 2015.

With the Low-A Charleston Riverdogs and the High-A Tampa Yankees Mateo has hit the ball better than most people expected and has ran up and down the bases basically at will. As you can see below Mateo has compiled a whopping 82 stolen bases between the two stops and even raised his overall batting average and on-base percentages to .278 and .345.

Mateo has defied the odds in 2015 and has shattered expectations so expect him to be all over post-season Top 100 prospects lists and at or near the top of almost every Yankees top prospects list. 

Year	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2015	A-A+	117	500	66	125	23	2	40	82	43	98	.278	.345	.392	.737
2015	A	96	409	51	98	18	2	33	71	36	80	.268	.338	.378	.716
2015	A+	21	91	15	27	5	0	7	11	7	18	.321	.374	.452	.826

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Weekly Check In: Jorge Mateo

The New York Yankees minor league affiliates will see their season’s end here in just about two weeks meaning many of the Baby Bombers have just a few weeks left to leave an impression on their clubs. That list includes the Yankees best shortstop prospect Jorge Mateo who has a very outside shot at stealing over 100 bases in one minor league season after eclipsing the 80 stolen base plateau earlier in the week.

With the August revocable trade waivers deadline ready to expire in a couple of days Mateo has to be holding his breathe a little. After being dangled at the last minute to San Diego for Craig Kimbrel and Jedd Gyorko as a player you always have to worry about the team revisiting the deal later on before the deadline. I can’t see it happening though, the Padres seem content with standing pat and Brian Cashman seems content with watching his young 20-year old shortstop flourish and blossom inside the Yankees system.

Just as a side note, do you think the Yankees would or could eventually move Mateo, Tyler Wade, Abi Avelino or Kyle Holder to second base since the team is now so stacked at the position? May be something to think about. 

Year	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2015	A-A+	116	498	66	125	23	2	40	82	43	98	.280	.346	.394	.740
2015	A	96	409	51	98	18	2	33	71	36	80	.268	.338	.378	.716
2015	A+	20	89	15	27	5	0	7	11	7	18	.329	.382	.463	.845

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Weekly Check In: Jorge Mateo

In last week’s post we learned that Jorge Mateo was called up from Low-A Charleston to the High-A Tampa Yankees at just 20 years old and Mateo has started right where he left off with the Riverdogs. Mateo is still hitting the ball at an improved and impressive clip while taking pitches, working walks and getting on base in order to pad his stolen base totals. It seems unlikely that Mateo could close the gap to 100 stolen bases in a single season with minor league seasons ending in three or four weeks but I am not willing to put my money against him that much is for certain.

To think, Mateo was almost reportedly packaged in a deal along with other minor league players for Craig Kimbrel and the atrocious contract of Jedd Gyorko. While the Yankees improve in the interim that trade would have had all the makings of a disaster in the long term, especially if Didi Gregorius ends up not being the shortstop of the future after all.

Mateo leads an impressive crop of shortstops for the Yankees that includes Abi Avelino, Kyle Holder and Tyler Wade but none of them have put up the sheer numbers that Mateo has this season. 

Year	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2015	A-A+	104	444	57	113	21	2	36	76	38	88	.284	.350	.402	.752
2015	A	96	409	51	98	18	2	33	71	36	80	.268	.338	.378	.716
2015	A+	8	35	6	15	3	0	3	5	2	8	.455	.486	.667	1.152

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Dean Anna Wins Last Bench Spot, Maybe

Congrats @Dino24Baseball for making the Yanks OD roster!! #LetsGo
— Jedd Gyorko (@JGyorko05) March 28, 2014

Jedd Gyorko may have accidentally leaked some news before the New York Yankees were ready to announce it on Twitter today when he congratulated Dean Anna for breaking camp with the Yankees. I would have to assume that Eduardo Nunez would get the second bench spot, which leaves Yangervis Solarte as the odd man out. All of this is unofficial as of the time of this writing though so stay tuned.