Ready, Set, Wait...

 

 Slow-Moving Off-Season continues…

We are now into the new year, yet it’s been nothing but crickets at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees really are making it tough for bloggers. Throw us bone, please!

Yes, we’ve acquired the speedy Greg Allen (Triple A depth) and journeyman starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin  (who kind of feels like the latest iteration of Gio Gonzalez) on minor league deals. No noteworthy news at the Major League level has been transacted or at least anything of substance. The Yankees Universe continues to wait for news on D.J. LeMahieu who continues to solicit offers from other teams before hopefully allowing the Yankees a chance for their final offer. True or untrue, I heard the Los Angeles Dodgers are unwilling to go a fifth year in their bid for LeMahieu which would seem to aid the Yankees. As much as I like D.J., I’d be unwilling to go a fifth year too if for no other reason than his current age.  Sorry, when it comes to baseball, I do have age discrimination. We simply get old and our athletic performance declines. It sucks but it’s life.  As long as the Yankees can get D.J. on a three or four year deal, I am hopeful and optimistic the two parties can come together on a mutually rewarding contract. 

With the drawn-out process for LeMahieu, I did expect the Yankees to be more aggressive in pursuing alternative plans. Sure, I wanted Francisco Lindor and would have loved to have placed him at short in Yankee Stadium, with the move of Gleyber Torres back to second base. But realistically, I never thought it would happen. I am little bummed the Mets grabbed Lindor to give them another star player but if the Yankees bring back LeMahieu, he (Lindor) simply was not a need. Now that he is no longer an option, I hope more than ever the Yankees can come to an agreement with Le Machine. It’s been my preference all along but it just feels like Plan B is starting to dissipate. LeMahieu or bust. I do wonder if LeMahieu does leave, would the Yankees quickly pivot to bring back fan favorite Didi Gregorius? Love Didi, but it does not feel like an improvement.

I remain convinced, despite his personality, Trevor Bauer can be a force for the Yankees if he were to sign. He has the proven ability to be a solid number two behind Gerrit Cole and represent a strong hedge for the return of Luis Severino at some point next season. I appreciate Trevor’s intensity and he is clearly one of those guys you may hate on other teams, you’d love him on yours. I guess it’s debatable if he could co-exist with Gerrit Cole, but if they are fighting for a common goal, you’d think they could find harmony. The idea of placing your bets on a comeback by Corey Kluber seems like a flawed strategy if the Yankees are waiting to see if he has anything left. His injury history in recent years alone is enough for me to say thanks but no thanks. I am not willing to go the ’lightning in a bottle’ approach with a team that has World Series ambitions.

The Tampa Bay Rays might not be as strong in 2021 as they were in 2020, but that does not mean the Yankees should let up on the gas pedal. There are other teams actively getting better. You must beat them if you want the end prize.

It does kind of suck that after waiting for years to get out from under the heavy contracts of Alex Rodriguez and Jacoby Ellsbury, we are, similarly, now in waiting with Giancarlo Stanton. It is seemingly always one contract that prevents the Yankees from being the best they can be.

I know the Yankees have a plan and I am sure they’ll field a team this year that will be playing in October, but admittedly, my faith and confidence in Brian Cashman is eroding. I do see life after Cash. Not sure who should be the next general manager but it is something I think Hal Steinbrenner needs to consider at some point. In many ways, I think the loss of Hank Steinbrenner was devastating. He may not have been a good “face” for the Yankees like his more diplomatic brother has been, but, with his aggressive, George-like personality, he was a good counter-balance for the conservative, professional bean-counting Hal. You know behind closed doors, Hank and Hal probably had some very spirited conversations. Without Hank’s voice, Hal is free to be as conservative as he wants to be. I doubt the Steinbrenner sisters bring the ghost of their father into a room like Hank did. I don’t know the Steinbrenner family personally, but from the outside looking in, the sisters have never appeared to be very vocal. At least not in public settings I’ve seen.

Not sure what I think about the Gerrit Cole text message issue yet. I need to see more evidence and how this plays out. Cole reportedly sent a text message to fired Angels visiting clubhouse assistant Brian “Bubba” Harkins which stated, “Hey Bubba, it’s Gerrit Cole. I was wondering if you could help me out with this sticky situation (winky face emoji). We don’t see you until May, but we have some road games in April that are cold weather places. The stuff I had last year seizes up when it gets cold…”.  The text was sent in January 2019 while Cole was still a member of the Houston Astros. It certainly doesn’t show Cole in good light, but Harkins is clearly motivated to negatively portray MLB in his battle with the Los Angeles Angels. I am not going easy on Cole just because he is a Yankee. I’d feel the same if Harkins was echoing the same message about star pitchers on other teams. We need to understand all the facts before we pass judgment. No doubt MLB will be investigating the allegations and they’ll take the appropriate action.

I just saw the Washington Nationals have signed Kyle Schwarber. I was indifferent to his possible signing with the Yankees although I thought he could be effective in Yankee Stadium. However, I still want to see Clint Frazier succeed and there was simply no room for Schwarber on the Yankees. Yet, I am sure many Yankee fans will be groaning about another player lost while the Yankees remain inactive.

Lastly, I’d like to say farewell to one of Major League baseball’s greatest legends…former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda. I remember how much I disliked Tommy back in the 1977 and 1978 World Series, yet over time, I began to appreciate and love his personality. I have always enjoyed his stories about the great 1988 World Series year for the Dodgers, and other tales from his career. He was good for the game and he remained such a valued treasure in the Dodgers organization. At 93, it was a good run. Many of us will not make it that far. It was a good life, and he can leave proud of his accomplishments. He will be missed. Rest in Peace, Tommy…

As always, Go Yankees!

Predicting the 2019 Season: The World Series

The field is set and it’s the New York Yankees with the home field advantage over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers already slayed one goliath when they took down the team with the best record in all of Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the NLCS, and the team will look to do so again against the New York Yankees in the World Series. Will Milwaukee win its first World Series in their franchise’s history? Or will the Yankees win their 28^th world championship overall and their first since the 2009 season?

Game One – Yankee Stadium – Tuesday, October 22th

Luis Severino vs. Jhoulys Chacin

The Milwaukee Brewers have made just one appearance in the World Series and that was back in 1982 as a member of the American League. The Brewers would ultimately fall to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games marking their only trip to the Fall Classic. The nerves of their first World Series trip in over 30 years, mixed in with a great pitching performance by Luis Severino, and the Yankees take a quick 1-0 series lead with a commanding victory.

Yankees lead the series 1-0

Game Two – Yankee Stadium – Wednesday, October 25th

James Paxton vs. Chase Anderson

James Paxton will make his first World Series start of his career for the Yankees while Chase Anderson will make his first World Series start for the Brewers. Neither pitcher will be incredibly effective, but the Yankees bullpen will lock down the game and give the Yankees a commanding 2-0 lead behind a big game from Didi Gregorius.

Yankees lead the series 2-0

Game Three – Miller Park – Friday, October 25th

Masahiro Tanaka vs. Zach Davies

The curious case of Masahiro Tanaka. Sometimes Tanaka can be absolutely unhittable with his splitter striking out opposing batters, and then sometimes he is just incredibly hittable. Unfortunately, for the Yankees anyway, the latter Tanaka and not the former will show up to this start tonight. The Brewers will ride the emotions and energy from the crowd to a huge victory, setting the tone for the remainder of the home stand.

Yankees lead the series 2-1

Game Four – Miller Park – Saturday, October 26th

JA Happ vs. Jimmy Nelson

Happ is a stone-cold veteran that has been here before. Happ has a World Series ring on his mantle and another trip to the Fall Classic against the New York Yankees in 2009. There is ice in Happ’s veins when it comes to pitching in the postseason and he will be completely overwhelming for the Yankees in this start tonight. Happ leads the Yankees to the victory and brings them within one game of their 28^th World Series championship.

Yankees lead the series 3-1

Game Five – Miller Park – Sunday, October 27^th

Luis Severino vs. Jhoulys Chacin

The Brewers are better than a lot of teams with their backs against the wall, and they will do that again tonight against the Yankees ace. Severino will pitch well, but the Brewers offense will be relentless against him and the Yankees bullpen, grinding out a victory and allowing the series to shift back to New York.

Yankees lead the series 3-2

Game Six – Yankee Stadium – Tuesday, October 29th

James Paxton vs. Chase Anderson

James Paxton is back on the mound for his second start of his World Series career, but unfortunately, he will be equally as ineffective as he was in Game Two? Why? Because it’s more dramatic if these predictions go seven games, even though I really see the Yankees closing the door at home in Game Six behind Big Maple.

Yankees and Brewers tied at 3-3

Game Seven – Yankee Stadium – Wednesday, October 30th

Masahiro Tanaka vs. Jhoulys Chacin

Game seven of the World Series at Yankee Stadium. It doesn’t get any better than this. The Yankees have Masahiro Tanaka on the mound with a short leash, while the Brewers were forced to bring back their ace on just two days rest. Both teams will go all-in and remove their starter at the first sign of trouble, but the difference is that the Yankees have a much deeper, and ultimately much better, bullpen. The bullpen will be the difference maker. While the Yankees bullpen puts up six shutout innings, the Brewers bullpen will fold when it matters most, giving the Yankees their 28^th World Series championship.

Yankees win series 4-3

Congratulations to the New York Yankees! All the patience, getting under the luxury tax, and waiting on the new core to come up through the minor league system finally paid off. See you all in the Canyon of Heroes.

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 8/21

Here we go ladies and gentleman as the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim finish off their three game set this weekend inside sunny California. In the finale of the three game set the Yankees will send another young arm to the mound looking to find his way in Chad Green while the Angels will counter with a new piece to their rotation in Jhoulys Chacin. The game will be played at 3:35 pm ET inside Angels Stadium of Anaheim and can be seen locally on the YES Network as well as MLB TV wherever you are.

After the game the Yankees head north to Seattle to take on Robinson Cano and the Seattle Mariners so if you live in the Seattle area and want to see the game live or if you simply want to have your seats reserved for when the team returns home to the Bronx click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog.

Chacin vs. Chad Green. Let's go. Follow along during this game and any game this season by either liking our page on Facebook or by giving our Twitter handle @GreedyStripes a follow. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 8/21

The New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will finish off their three game set this afternoon with a game that us on the East Coast can actually watch without staying up  half the damn night. I have a serious beef with West Coast games and MLB schedule makers, I just wanted to make sure that came through in some of my blog posts here. There's no reason a Saturday game cannot be played in the afternoon like today's afternoon game but I digress. In the finale of the series the Yankees will send Chad Green to the mound looking for a repeat of his last start while the Angels will counter with Jhoulys Chacin.

Green was absolutely stellar in his last start against the Toronto Blue Jays as he led the Yankees with six shut-out innings against a tough offense. Green had a perfect game heading into the fifth inning and struck out 11 in the Yankees only victory of the series.


Chacin has only been back in the Yankees rotation for two starts now and with any player who was removed from the rotation the expected lack of stamina has hit Chacin hard. Chacin has only been able to give the Angels six innings combined in two starts and last faced the Yankees in June, a start that resulted in five runs allowed, seven hits and a loss for Los Angeles.


The game will be played at 3:35 pm ET inside Angels Stadium of Anaheim and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. Let's crush these geographically confused group of 25 MLB ball players and let's get traveling to the rainiest place in the continental United States, shall we? Go Yankees!

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 6/9

The New York Yankees are on and so is the MLB Draft First Year Players Draft. I don’t have enough screens in my house or enough eyes to watch everything I want to watch tonight so I will definitely be flipping back and forth between it all. First world problems and the struggle is real. Tonight in the game the Yankees will send Ivan Nova to the mound to face off with Jhoulys Chacin of the Angels. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. The Draft can also be seen on MLB Network right now and if I was a betting man I’d say it would be around 9:30 before the Yankees first pick in the draft so we have time.

The Yankees have three more games in the Bronx this weekend giving you three more opportunities to click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog and three more opportunities to snag your tickets. We have plenty of baseball left this season though giving you plenty of opportunities to interact with us on Twitter, @GreedyStripes, or on Facebook if you so choose. We’re always around even when we’re frustrated and quiet so wont you chat with us?

MLB Draft, Ivan Nova and a Yankees victory. Two out of three will not suffice. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 6/9

Four times in one week and I could go for about four more, what about you? The New York Yankees have struggled against certain teams this season but it doesn’t seem like the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are one of them. The Yankees have had timely hitting and dominant pitching and are well on their way to another dominant stance in this series with just one more game between them and their ultimate goal. Looking to get yet another victory for the Yankees in the finale is Ivan Nova who takes the ball to face off against the Angels starter Jhoulys Chacin.

Nova came into the starting rotation out of the Yankees bullpen like a man possessed pitching like an ace but he has since come back down to Earth a bit. In his last start that was still good enough to get a victory despite allowing five earned runs on seven hits in six innings of work.

 Chacin struggled last time out against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday giving up three runs on six hits with four walks in just five innings of work. In the start before that he has pitched a complete game gem so no one truly knows what Chacin made the trip to the ballpark tonight in the Bronx.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. The Yankees stay home after this game to play host to the Detroit Tigers for the weekend and then it’s off to Colorado on Tuesday. Nothing kick starts a new series like winning an old series so let’s get out of here with a victory and work on a new one tomorrow.

Go Yankees!

Yankees to Dig Back In to Bargain Bin?

Will the New York Yankees dip back into the bargain bin and sign another free agent starting pitcher for insurance this spring? The Colorado Rockies have released right handed starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin in a surprise move since the RHP is a former ace for the Rockies. Granted, Chacin has struggled this spring but spring training stats and a buck will get you a Coke.

Chacin went 1-7 with a 5.40 ERA last season and somehow raised that this spring in the Cactus League to 6.52 in just four appearances. Chacin made just two starts this spring striking out five batters in 9.2 IP. The Rockies felt like Chacin was behind the plethora of starting pitching options Colorado currently has which brought the move on, the move that could be the Yankees gain and the Rockies loss.

Chacin was 38-48 in six seasons all with Colorado posting a 3.78 ERA. Chacin’s career season to dat came in 2013 when he posted a 14-10 record with a 3.47 ERA inside Coors Field. If the Yankees can get him for cheap, i.e. a minor league deal, and bring him along slowly I think he could be an absolute steal for the team in the long run.